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New poll: Most Wisconsinites don’t want gas-powered car ban
(The Center Square) – Most people in Wisconsin want to keep their gas-powered cars. The state’s largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, released a new poll that says 59% of people in the state are opposed a gas-powered car ban. “The voters want to be able to make their own decision on this. They don't want Joe Biden telling them ‘I'm going to force you into an electric vehicle,’”...
Audit finds numerous issues with previous administration in Bogalusa
(The Center Square) – A recent audit uncovered widespread misuse of taxpayer funds by officials in a Lousiana city. Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack's office found Bogalusa improperly paid more than $468,000 in bonuses from American Rescue Plan funds; didn't adopt budgets in fiscal years 2023 and 2024; violated the city's charter with hiring and procurement practices; and donated taxpayer funds to five organizations without proper documentation. The audit also flagged...
Full-time surveillance, lawmen sought where ballot drop boxes used
(The Center Square) – Two Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require cities or counties that use ballot drop boxes to have them under 24/7 video surveillance. The proposals of state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, and state Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, would also require police officers or deputies be on hand when the ballots are collected. “This bill is a start toward standards that make sense," Krug said in...
Company says global tech outage not a cyberattack
(The Center Square) - Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike said Friday a major technology outage is not a cyberattack but is due to a defect in a single content update. Banks, airlines and other services all across the world were affected by the incident. "The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed," the company said on its blog. ...
Ohio lawmakers look to stop foreign entity land buys
(The Center Square) – A bill expected to be taken up by the Ohio House later this year would stop specific foreign countries from buying land near an Ohio military installation or critical infrastructure. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, already passed the Senate with just one no vote and no opposition testimony in committee. "It is absurd to think that our adversaries can purchase land within close...
'Gift from God': Trump describes assassination attempt as he accepts GOP nomination
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for President Thursday night, less than a week after surviving an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Concluding the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump laid out his policy priorities and described in detail the attack that nearly killed him at the Saturday rally. “I stand before you this evening with a message of confidence,...
Trump promises to halt border crisis if re-elected
(The Center Square) – Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump said he would close the southern border and warned about criminals illegally entering the U.S during the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention on Thursday. After accepting the GOP nomination, Trump criticized President Joe Biden's policies on a number of fronts, but with a particular emphasis on the border crisis. Trump said he would ramp up...
Lawsuits challenging year-old model policies in full swing
(The Center Square) — One year after the Virginia Department of Education rolled out new model policies for the treatment of transgender students, the ACLU has undertaken several lawsuits on behalf of students identifying as transgender, saying the policies violate state and federal law. One lawsuit was dismissed Monday, and the other two will be heard on Aug. 6 and 20, one in federal court and the other in state circuit court. ...
VIDEO: Garrity says Trump rally shooting likely ‘nothing more than incompetence’
(The Center Square) – The cascading security failures that let a would-be assassin shoot at former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally Saturday look like “nothing more than incompetence” to Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. “I think that we will see that with the reports come out because it was a failure to have a sniper on the building, failure to just shut down the rally,” she told The Center Square during an interview at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. “So, I think we...
Business leaders tout Trump's economy over Biden's on final night of convention
(The Center Square) – Republicans called for tax cuts and blasted President Joe Biden's economy during the fourth and final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Thursday night. Biden took fire for inflationary prices during his term in office, which have risen over 20% since he took office. Recent polling has shown inflation and the economy, alongside illegal immigration, are two of the biggest concerns among voters...
Hudson makes pitch for term more successful than Trump's first
(The Center Square) – His room was already sold. The sale was to those on the outside, on the fence, and still unsure who to vote for while the Republican National Convention wrapped up its fourth night with a final familiar theme: Make America Great Again. Former President Donald Trump, said U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, is the choice against incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden. Hudson, North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District...
Fire damages more than two dozen tiny homes in Seattle
(The Center Square) – A major fire at a $3.9 million tiny home village in Seattle resulted in damage to 25 of the tiny homes. Around 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, the Seattle Fire Department responded to 911 calls reporting a fire in the Bridge Shelter tiny home village in the Interbay neighborhood. The site is operated by the Catholic Community Services of Western Washington. Firefighters on scene reported multiple...
Lake Burien facility for troubled youth opens with new state oversight, funding
(The Center Square) – Local officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for the new Lake Burien Transitional Care Facility for youth. The facility on the eastern shores of Lake Burien was built in the 1930s and was initially used as a 30-bed home for girls who became wards of the state. Most recently the property was a treatment facility for youths with serious mental illness or behavioral concerns, but...
VIDEO: Room on the coattails of Trump for Robinson, Bishop
(The Center Square) – With one congressional race a toss-up, and the election of governor and attorney general razor close as well, a North Carolina delegate to the Republican National Convention says there is room on the coattails of Donald Trump on Nov. 5. That’s encouraging for Mark Robinson and Dan Bishop, respectively, in their challenges against Josh Stein and Jeff Jackson. The Robinson-Stein governor's race may be the nation's most expensive, and each is close. ...
State council preparing to expand clean energy project, per Inslee's request
(the Center Square) – The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council is moving forward with potential changes to the certification agreement for the Horse Heaven wind farm project after Gov. Jay Inslee sent it back requesting it be expanded. The main contention between the council and Inslee is that the proposed certification agreement for the project would have significantly reduced its size and scope due to environmental protections, particularly for historic hawk nest sites. In his May 25 letter, Inslee recommended the use of alternative...
Salesforce CEO demands San Francisco 'refund the police' as violent crime rises
(The Center Square) - Salesforce CEO and founder Marc Benioff, whose company has a $240 billion market value, demanded San Francisco “refund the police” after the consolidated city-county’s police commission ordered the end of “pretext stops.” “San Francisco must refund the police not continue to defund the police,” said Benioff on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our police need to be empowered now — not this new terrible decision to end pretext stops.” ...
Spokane County affordable housing proving unaffordable for providers
(The Center Square) – With providers unable to pay their bills under current insurance rates and increased costs, Spokane County is considering forgiving almost $2.3 million in affordable housing debts. The Spokane County Board of County Commissioners discussed writing off the unpaid debt and reducing the interest rates on other loans to 0% during Tuesday’s briefing session. However, the county is also considering whether to allow the providers to continue despite the lack the payments. ...
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