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Virginia voter guide: What you need to know for the 2023 general election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

The upcoming election in Virginia could very well be the most closely watched contest in the country come November.Control of the Virginia General Assembly is on the table this November with just a handful of competitive districts potentially determining whether Republicans will have a majority in both chambers of the state legislature. Going into Election Day, the GOP has a slim majority in the Virginia House with 50 Republicans, 46 Democrats and four vacancies. In the Virginia Senate, meanwhile, Democrats hold a similarly narrow majority. Of the 40 seats in the Senate, there are 22 Democrats and 18 Republicans. With Republican Glenn Youngkin in the governor’s mansion, Republicans are looking to win unified control — by flipping the State Senate. Democrats are looking to retake the House, which would bolster their power in Richmond. Either outcome would have significant consequences for Virginia over the next several years.Many voting and election questions can be answered on...

US employers pulled back on hiring in October, adding 150,000 jobs in face of higher borrowing rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers slowed their hiring in October, adding a modest but still decent 150,000 jobs, a sign that the labor market may be cooling but remains resilient despite high interest rates that have made borrowing much costlier for companies and consumers.Last month’s job growth, though down sharply from a robust 297,000 gain in September, was solid enough to suggest that many companies still want to hire and that the economy remains sturdy.And job growth would have been higher in October if not for the now-settled United Auto Workers’ strikes against Detroit’s automakers. The strikes likely shrank last month’s job gain by at least 30,000, economists say. The strikes ended this week with tentative settlements in which the companies granted significantly better pay and benefits to the union’s workers.The unemployment rate rose from 3.8% to 3.9% in October. In another sign of a possible softening in the labor market, the Labor Department revised down its...

This is the most banned book in Colorado: report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — During the last school year, there were at least eight instances of books being banned in Colorado.That's according to PEN America, a nonprofit freedom of expression advocacy group, that tracks book challenges and bans in the U.S. This data was tracked between July 2022 and June 2023.Though Colorado's total trails far behind Florida’s staggering 1,400 book ban cases during the same time, controversy over books isn’t non-existent in the state.Between Jan. 1 and August 31, 2023, the American Library Association‘s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked eight attempts to restrict access to books in Colorado — and about 130 books were challenged in that time.As of last year, the most banned/challenged book in Colorado is Maia Kobabe's 2019 graphic memoir "Gender Queer: A Memoir," ALA reports. Reasons given for the book’s challenges include claims that it’s sexually explicit and complaints that it shows LGBTQIA+ content. Colorado adults: Can you answer ...

Florida real estate market faces challenges as insurance costs soar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

FLORIDA (WSVN) — The Florida real estate market is grappling with a significant obstacle – skyrocketing insurance costs. For some homeowners, these rates have surged by a staggering 100%, causing concern in the property market. The primary culprit behind this surge is the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in recent years.Florida’s susceptibility to hurricanes and other natural disasters has made it a hotspot for insurance claims, leading to higher premiums for homeowners. As a result, some property owners are faced with difficult choices. Some are considering relocating out of the state entirely, while others are contemplating the risky option of dropping homeowners’ insurance altogether. A third alternative involves turning to state-backed insurance options as they search for ways to navigate this challenging landscape.

Florida hunters encounter massive python while gator hunting in Brevard County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — What started as a gator hunt took an unexpected twist when hunters encountered a massive Burmese python prowling through the Everglades over the weekend. The snake measured a whopping 12 feet in length and weighed approximately 80 pounds. “I was freaking out. I don’t like any kind of snake, and I’ve never seen one that big,” said Carlee Strickland. The group of hunters stumbled upon a massive serpent while they were on a gator hunting expedition when one of the hunters, Chuckie Burgess, seized the snake by its tail. “Oh my god! You are like Florida man,” said one of the woman who accompanied the hunters.Kaylee Stillwaggon and Strickland said it’s something they’ll never forget. Now they want other hunters to be aware. “We walk through [tall] grass like this all the time, and we don’t ever look for anything like that,” said Stillwaggon. This sighting is uncommon for Brevard County, a...

Hezbollah leader says his militia is not deterred by US warnings, with all options ‘on the table’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah says his militia is not deterred by U.S. warnings to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war.In a televised speech Friday, Hassan Nasrallah referred to U.S. military deployments in the region, saying “your fleets in the Mediterranean … will not scare us.” He said that Hezbollah is prepared for all options.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Friday that his powerful militia is engaged in unprecedented cross-border fighting with Israel and threatened escalation.In a widely anticipated speech, Hassan Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the Israel-Hamas war.Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the fighting on the Lebanon-Israel border would “not be limited” to the scale seen until now.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) —Israeli Prim...

12-year-old hero honored in West Palm Beach for saving therapist’s life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A 12-year-old boy from Wellington received the prestigious Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Samaritan Award for his brave actions that saved the life of his behavioral therapist. The community celebrated Austen MacMillan as a hero in an event on Thursday where law enforcement officials and Good Samaritans of the community are praised for their brave actions. “I feel really happy that he’s still alive,” said MacMillan.What led to this heroic act was when MacMillan and Jason Piquette were engaged in an underwater activity when the young boy recognized that something was wrong. Video footage from that day shows MacMillan quickly pulling his unconscious therapist out of the water and performing CPR.“I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him, so, he deserves it and I hope that it makes him proud and it makes him believe in himself,” said Piquette.Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw presented MacMillan with...

South Florida dentist charged in murder-for-hire case says he was a victim of extortion, not a killer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida dentist on trial in a murder-for-hire case involving his ex-brother-in-law claimed Thursday that he was a victim of extortion by the killers, but wasn’t actually involved in the plot to kill the prominent Florida State University professor.Charles Adelson, whose sister Wendi was in a bitter custody battle with professor Dan Markel when Markel was shot in his car outside his Tallahassee home in 2014, testified in his own defense. He said his ex-girlfriend told him an ex-boyfriend committed the crime and now wanted Adelson to pay more than $300,000 or he would be killed, too.“I’m not going to be part of paying for a murder. This is insane,” Adelson said he told his ex-girlfriend, Katherine Magbanua. “She’s like, ‘Look. If you don’t pay in 48 hours, they will kill you.’ I said, ‘Katy, I feel like I’m being extorted.”Previously, Dan and Wendi Markel had divorced and were granted shared custody of their two children. ...

Messi’s Ballon d’Or will be celebrated by Inter Miami in exhibition vs. NYCFC on Nov. 10

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play an exhibition match on Nov. 10 to celebrate him winning his eighth Ballon d’Or.The team will play fellow Major League Soccer club New York City FC. Both teams missed the MLS playoffs, which started last month.The trophy — which Messi received in Paris on Monday — will be presented to the crowd before the match, with that ceremony also set to include remarks by MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas, the team said.And there will be no shortage of themes built around the number 8, commemorating the record times Messi has won the Ballon d’Or — presented annually to the world’s top player. The team is saying it will “celebr8” Messi’s trophy by playing the extra game, and a special drink priced at $8.88. There will be gold fireworks and a gold carpet entrance as well, the team said, another nod to the gold trophy.Messi returned to South Florida early Tuesday after the Ballo...

EU’s diplomatic arm slams Russia over North Korea weapon deals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:17:21 GMT

Russia is breaking UN rules by accepting arms from North Korea to use in its “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified” war on Ukraine, the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS) said Friday.In a statement slamming Moscow for continued military cooperation with Pyongyang — as reported by POLITICO — the bloc’s foreign affairs wing said it “strongly condemns any such arms transfers,” adding that Russia was “violating its own co-authored UN Security Council resolutions.”The UN resolutions are targeted at limiting military cooperation with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, but in September the country’s secretive leader Kim Jong Un met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Far East for talks. Since then, the two sides have apparently ramped up military cooperation. On Wednesday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers at a closed-door parliamentary session that North Korea had ...