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On the brink of a government shutdown, the Senate tries to approve funding but it’s almost too late

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is on the brink of a federal government shutdown after hard-right Republicans in Congress rejected a longshot effort to keep offices open as they fight for steep spending cuts and strict border security measures that Democrats and the White House say are too extreme.Come midnight Saturday with no deal in place, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will begin to face shutdown disruptions.The Senate will be in for a rare Saturday session to advance its own bipartisan package that is supported by Democrats and Republicans and would fund the government for the short-term, through Nov. 17. But even if the Senate can rush to wrap up its work this weekend to pass the bill, which also includes money for Ukraine aid and U.S. disaster assistance, it won’t prevent an almost certain shutdown amid the chaos in the ...

Prosecutor in Hunter Biden case cut a contentious path in Baltimore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Before being assigned to investigate President Joe Biden’s son, Leo Wise built a reputation in Baltimore as a tough and hard-charging federal prosecutor, taking on powerful, and seemingly untouchable, figures — whether a gang of corrupt cops, a police commissioner, a top local prosecutor and even a mayor.Wise’s backers call him talented and savvy, with a knack for navigating complex, headline-generating cases. To detractors, he’s stubborn and uncompromising as well as self-promotional: he wrote a memoir about one of his major cases while still employed by the Justice Department. His approach – aggressive in a way that has won him accolades but riled other lawyers – sets the stage for a contentious fight in the high-stakes prosecution of Hunter Biden.“He holds everything very close to the vest, and he takes every possible advantage that he can take,” said Gerard Martin, a Baltimore criminal defense lawyer who calls Wise a “hard-ass.” “He’s not a guy you can go meet w...

Arrest in Tupac Shakur killing stemmed from Biggie Smalls death investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first arrest in the 1996 slaying of Tupac Shakur had its roots in the investigation of the killing of Biggie Smalls. The shooting deaths of the two hip-hop luminaries and rivals — Shakur in Las Vegas and Smalls in Los Angeles six months later — have always been culturally inseparable, and one man, Duane Keffe D. Davis, found himself involved in both investigations. On Friday, Davis was arrested and charged with murder, with prosecutors saying he ordered and masterminded the Shakur killing.Now retired Los Angeles police detective Greg Kading was assigned to investigate the slaying of Smalls — whose legal name was Christopher Wallace — and in 2009 interviewed Davis as a person of interest in the case. Davis had had been at the party at the Peterson Automotive Museum that Wallace had just left when he was shot.Kading had helped build a federal drug case against Davis to get leverage to compel him to talk to Los Angeles police, who to date have made no arrests in th...

The Feinstein they knew: Women of the Senate remember a fighter and friend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Washington Sen. Patty Murray received a call early Friday morning that Sen. Dianne Feinstein had died, she immediately started calling her fellow female senators.The Democrat’s first call was to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who had worked with Feinstein almost as long as she had. Murray and Feinstein were elected in 1992 — “the year of the woman” — and Collins was elected just four years later. Murray then called several other female Senate colleagues, hastily arranging a tribute.“My immediate response was my women Senate colleagues that have been her friends and her family for so long, and that we needed to be together on the floor.” Murray said in an interview in her Capitol office Friday afternoon.They were all there when the Senate opened at 10 a.m., just hours after Feinstein had died at her home in Washington after serving more than three decades in the Senate. Standing near Feinstein’s Senate desk, now draped in black cloth, the senators — along with ...

Biden says shutdown isn’t his fault. Will Americans agree?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down a likely government shutdown, the White House wants to make sure any blame falls at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue — specifically on House Republicans. After all, it’s House Republicans who have been paralyzed by their inability to pass a funding package, and Republicans who don’t want to uphold a bipartisan spending agreement from earlier this year. President Joe Biden is hoping the rest of the country will see things the same way. It’s a murky proposition at a time of extreme political polarization, with many Americans dug into their partisan corners regardless of the facts of the matter.A shutdown would arrive at a tenuous moment for Biden, who already faces low poll numbers and concerns about the economy as he seeks a second term in office, partially on the pitch that he offers steady stewardship in Washington.If no spending bill passes Congress by the end of Saturday, federal workers stop getting paid, air travel could be e...

Iowa’s two campaigns: Donald Trump’s rivals search for paths to stop him as he blazes his own trail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Having stood out in two presidential debates, Nikki Haley has booked her largest venue in Iowa since launching her campaign. She’s hoping to fill a 600-person hall in a western Des Moines suburb on Saturday.That would be a huge number for most of her rivals. It’s also less than the smallest crowds usually drawn by Donald Trump, who is dominating the Republican field for the 2024 Iowa caucuses less than four months away. The former president will be in rural southeast Iowa the following day to headline an organizing event. Aides were expecting at least 1,000 to attend. In essence, there are two Iowa campaigns underway: Trump is holding fewer, bigger events that demonstrate the strength of his organization and grip on GOP base voters, while his rivals attend the state’s traditional candidate forums and meet-and-greets, searching for ways to cut into his lead or consolidate second place. While things could change before the Jan. 15 caucuses, so...

Texas high school football scores for Friday, Sept. 29

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin High Maroons picked up their first win of the season with a 31-27 win over Bowie at Burger Stadium on Friday.Now every team except for Akins in 6A-District 26 has a district victory. The loss drops Bowie to 2-2 in district play and a three-way tie for fourth with Buda Johnson and Anderson.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteDripping Springs thumped Buda Johnson 62-13 and LBJ picked up a 32-14 win over McCallum. Liberty Hill got back on track with a 59-14 win over Cedar Creek and Round Rock shut out Stony Point 28-0.Check out the rest of the scores from around the area, and around Texas, below.Scores from around the KXAN viewing areaA&M Consolidated 24, Cedar Park 16Austin High 31, Bowie 27Bastrop 41, Kerrville Tivy 21Belton 45, Elgin 16Coleman 40, San Saba 26College Station 65, East View 29Dripping Springs 62...

Man convicted in University City drug-linked shooting death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. - A jury convicted an East St. Louis man of 11 felonies in connection with a drug-linked shooting death in University City. Deoman Reeves, 31, was found guilty of fentanyl possession and distribution charges in the death of David Anderson in October 2019. St. Louis had only 2 officers for an entire district – Both called in sick According to a federal indictment, Reeves and others fired multiple shots at David Anderson on Oct. 21, 2019, in retaliation for a shooting in St. Louis County the day before. Anderson died in the shooting, which happened in the 1100 block of Kingsland Avenue. Federal authorities, however, say the investigation into Reeves began after a 2019 shooting. According to his indictment, prior to the deadly shooting, Reeves and others unknowingly sold fentanyl and firearms to people working as undercover ATF agents. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now ...

Perfect timing: Space engineer and his wife find that a senior move takes rocket-science precision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

The Steller Group│Senior Solutions DivisionWhat: The Steller Group, Inc., agents specialized in downsizing moves: listing, selling, improving to increase salability, handling discards, low-maintenance living, purchase & rental.When: Tuesday, Oct. 17, How to Best Spend Those Pre-Listing Dollars,” 10 to 11:30 a.m., Belmar Public Library, 555 S. Allison Pkwy, LakewoodWhen: Wed. Oct. 25, Decluttering and Where to Start,” 9:30 to 11 a.m., Southglenn Library, 6972 S. Vine Street, CentennialPhone: 720-593-9355More Info: DenverSeniorSeminars.comSpace engineer Ed Bock went to work on the Atlas rocket in 1961—a moment when the U.S. was struggling to catch up with the Russians on getting a man into space. (Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had circled earth that very year.)After some early flubs, Atlas proved to be remarkably well engineered, carrying John Glenn to orbit and powering another 600 successful flights spanning 45 years. Bock went along for the ride—ending up as vice president and di...

Denver needs to build more in core city to solve housing crunch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:34 GMT

The Denver metro area has struggled with housing shortages for over a decade. Despite high demand, construction and development costs make it difficult to build enough housing, particularly in the city’s core.Experts discussed housing and other issues Denver faces during a Sept. 20 Commercial Real Estate Symposium and Forecast Panels hosted by the Denver Commercial Association of Realtors.“Denver is an exciting place. Many people want to be here,” said Marty Roth with CBRE.While metro area governments work to streamline their process and create more supply, barriers include expensive land, high interest rates, and labor and material costs.“We’re more than 100,000 houses short in the metro market,” said Mike Kboudi with Cushman & Wakefield. “To improve attainability and affordability, we need to create more supply, but it’s difficult to find places to build quickly.”Limited land in Denver pushes development out into the suburb...