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SCGOP joins 17-state FEC complaint over Biden-Harris campaign funds transfer
(The Center Square) — The South Carolina Republican Party joined its counterparts in more than a dozen other states and territories in filing a Federal Election Commission complaint against Vice President Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign. The SCGOP joined other state parties and other groups in the complaint, which centers on transferring $96 million in campaign funds from President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race less than a week ago. They contend the formal nomination process at the Democratic National Convention must...
Spokane County to partner with local provider for $1.2 million sobering center
(The Center Square) – As the fight against homelessness, open-air drug use and crime continues, Spokane County is propping up a sobering center and other resources, with some construction slated for this fall. The Sobering & Triage Center is one of four priorities that the Board of County Commissioners identified and approved in May. The investments utilize opioid settlement funds, which the county and others received for holding pharmaceutical manufacturers accountable in court. ...
Spokane County Sheriff says mayor's proposed tax hike will hurt detention services
(The Center Square) – Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels took a stand on Thursday, calling on Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown to pull her sales tax increase from the ballot before it results in a massive funding cut to the jails. Nowels took to an informal newsletter thread on Thursday morning to give his two cents on the issue. The thread consists of around 250 local leaders, including city, county and state officials, such as Brown, members of the city council, and business leaders. ...
Seattle reaches settlement with chemical giant Monsanto totaling $160M
(The Center Square) – Seattle will receive $160 million from chemical giant Monsanto for its role in polluting the city's stormwater and the Lower Duwamish with toxins. That is the largest settlement of its kind that the company has paid to a single city. The settlement is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2016.
Seattle reaches settlement with chemical giant Monsanto totaling $160M
(The Center Square) – Seattle will receive $160 million from chemical giant Monsanto for its role in polluting the city's stormwater and the Lower Duwamish with toxins. That is the largest settlement of its kind that the company has paid to a single city. The settlement is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2016. Seattle City Attorney Davison participated in mediation that concluded with the settlement last month. “Our...
Has trust in media tanked over coverage of President Biden's decline?
(The Center Square) – A month after President Joe Biden’s calamitous debate performance against former President Donald Trump, and days after Biden’s decision Sunday not to seek reelection, there are still many questions about how the news media covered – or didn’t cover – Biden's mental and physical decline in recent months, or even years. From the onset of the June 27 debate, Biden, 81, struggled, speaking in a weak, raspy voice. He repeatedly tripped over his words and lost his train of thought, often...
Has trust in media tanked over coverage of President Biden's decline?
(The Center Square) – A month after President Joe Biden’s calamitous debate performance against former President Donald Trump, and days after Biden’s decision Sunday not to seek reelection, there are still many questions about how the news media covered – or didn’t cover – Biden's mental and physical decline in recent months, or even years. From the onset of the June 27 debate, Biden, 81, struggled, speaking in a weak, raspy voice. He repeatedly tripped over his words and lost his train of thought, often...
California high court rules gig workers can be treated as independent contractors
(The Center Square) - The California Supreme Court ruled gig workers can continue to be treated as independent contractors, not employees, dealing a blow to the state legislature’s labor regulations. The ruling upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 22, a 2020 ballot initiative that classified gig workers for companies such as Uber and Postmates as independent workers. A key issue was whether or not ballot initiatives could be used to enact laws that are in contradiction to or modify laws passed by the state legislature, such...
Farmington woman faces federal drug trafficking and firearm charges
(The Center Square) - A woman from Farmington, New Mexico, faces federal drug trafficking and firearms charges after law enforcement allegedly seized over half a kilogram of methamphetamine, thousands of suspected counterfeit pills, and multiple firearms from her. Law enforcement allegedly seized these drugs and firearms following a high-speed chase, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico. Tasheena Hoskie, 42, appeared before a federal judge last...
With rising property taxes, Georgians can vote to freeze values for assessments
(The Center Square) — While property taxes continue to rise in many jurisdictions across Georgia, voters will have a chance to cap how much home values can rise for property tax purposes. "Monthly costs for Georgians, from the north Georgia mountains to the coast, continue to rise," Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in a statement last month. "During record high inflation, skyrocketing debt and expenses rising every day, local governments should be focused on bringing costs down – not letting them increase." ...
City of St. Louis taking senior tax-freeze applications, county still preparing
(The Center Square) – The City of St. Louis is ready to handle the property tax freeze for seniors while St. Louis County is making preparations for the process. Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bill 756 into law earlier this month to change how seniors can be eligible for a property tax freeze. When the law was passed last year, it limited the definition of an eligible taxpayer to someone eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. ...
Advocates challenge Hochul over congestion pricing plan pause
(The Center Square) — Environmental and transit advocates are taking New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to court over her 11th-hour decision to put the brakes on the nation's first congestion pricing plan. A pair of lawsuits filed in the state Supreme Court on Thursday allege that Hochul acted illegally by pausing the $15 tolls on vehicles entering Manhattan's business district. The new charges were projected to generate some $1 billion a year for public transit upgrades. ...
Public forums being held on two Illinois water utilities’ proposed rate hikes
(The Center Square) – Public forums are being held around Illinois regarding rate hike requests from two water utilities. The Illinois Commerce Commission took input from the public on American Water’s proposed $152 million rate hike request at two forums this week. Responding to a request from AARP Illinois, the ICC scheduled five public forums on proposed private water increases this year. Jim Chilsen, communications director with the Citizens Utility...
Democrats want Georgia Medicaid expansion, but critics say it isn't free
(The Center Square) — As enrollment in a Georgia program offering Medicaid coverage to low-income Georgians remains low, some Peach State Democrats are reiterating their call for an outright expansion of Medicaid. Instead of a full Medicaid expansion, the state launched the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program on July 1, 2023. It provides coverage to Georgians between 19 and 64 in households with incomes up to the federal poverty level who are not eligible for "traditional Medicaid." ...
State, county, city announce 'leap of faith' quantum computing facility in Chicago
(The Center Square) – The State of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago have announced that the new Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park will be built on former U.S. Steel property on Chicago’s Southeast Side. The South Works site has been mostly dormant since the mill closed in 1992. In opening the announcement of the project Thursday, and to the backing by taxpayers, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called it a "leap of faith." ...
Biden signs Georgia-backed Federal Prison Oversight Act
(The Center Square) — President Joe Biden has signed legislation that backers say will improve safety in federal prisons and create enhanced oversight of the beleaguered system. H.R. 3019, the "Federal Prison Oversight Act," which Biden signed on Thursday, mandates that the Department of Justice's inspector general examine the Federal Bureau of Prisons' 122 facilities, offer recommendations to fix problems and assign each facility a risk score. Higher-risk facilities would be subjected to more frequent inspections. ...
Pritzker works to clarify whether he’s being vetted for Harris running mate
(The Center Square) – Questions persist around whether Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is or is not being vetted as a possible vice presidential candidate for Kamala Harris. President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was not seeking reelection. He later endorsed Vice President Harris to be the nominee. Democratic leaders, including Pritzker, followed suit with endorsements of Harris. Alongside the names of Democratic governors from several other states, Pritzker’s name was...
Broadband authority OKs $20M for laptops
(The Center Square) — The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority voted Thursday to spend $20 million on more than 14,000 laptops to grow internet access in the commonwealth. The unanimous vote allows the Authority to award between 20 and 200 laptops to libraries, schools, municipalities and other groups. So far, 130 groups have applied to the program and applications are open through August 19, said Julia Brinjac, digital equity program manager...
Illinois quick hits: Congress members file MINES Act; conservation police applications sought
Congressmembers file MINES Act A bipartisan proposal has been brought forth by some Illinois members of Congress to unveil the federal government’s efforts toward preventing coal mine collapses. The Monitoring, Investigating, Navigating and Explaining Subsidence Act was brought forth by U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. It would require the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to provide a report to...
'Statesman' praised for his leadership as president
(The Center Square) – “Leadership” by a “statesman,” Democratic North Carolina political leaders say, was evident when President Joe Biden gave an Oval Office address. Seventy-eight hours of silence to the nation he leads since Sunday’s awkward exit for reelection ended Wednesday night with President Joe Biden speaking to Americans. The state's Democrats heaped praise on his presidency; Republicans since Sunday have offered prayer for his health, criticism for his administration, and one after the address called his words hypocritical. ...
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