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States cranking out even more tax cuts amid cash surpluses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just six months after passing what was billed as the largest tax cut in Missouri history, the Republican-led state House voted Tuesday for an even bigger income tax cut that could return over $1 billion annually to individuals, corporations and retirees. The Missouri legislation is the latest in a series of aggressive tax reductions that swept across U.S. states last year and have continued into 2023 — even as some warn that it might be wise for states to hold on to record large surpluses amid economic uncertainty.“Wouldn’t it be a good idea for us to all just pause for a year?” Democratic state Rep. Deb Lavender asked rhetorically before her Republican colleagues endorsed the tax cut on a 109-45 party-line vote. The Missouri legislation still has a ways to go — it needs a second House approval before it can move to the Senate and then to the governor. But legislatures and governors in several states already have given final approval to tax cuts and rebate...

Biden creates national monuments in Nevada, Texas mountains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he is establishing national monuments on more than half a million acres in Nevada and Texas and creating a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. The conservation measures are “protecting the heart and soul of our national pride,” Biden said.Speaking at a White House summit on conservation action, Biden said the new monuments are among the “natural treasures” that “define our identity as a nation. They’re a birthright we have to pass down to generation after generation.”Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame (ah-VEE’ kwa-meh), a desert mountain in southern Nevada that Native Americans consider sacred, as a national monument, along with the Castner Range in El Paso, Texas. He also moved to create a national marine sanctuary in U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands.Conservation and tribal groups praised Biden’s actions, but Nevada’s new Republican governor slamm...

US: No reason for China to react to Taiwan leader stopover

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is putting out the word that planned stopovers in the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in the coming weeks fall in line with recent precedent and should not be used as a pretext by China to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait.Taiwan’s office of the president confirmed on Tuesday that Tsai is tentatively scheduled to transit through New York on March 30 before heading to Guatemala and Belize. She’s expected to stop in Los Angeles on April 5 on her way back to Taiwan. The office did not provide details of her itinerary while in the U.S.Ahead of Taiwan’s announcement, senior U.S. officials in Washington and Beijing have underscored to their Chinese counterparts in recent weeks that transit visits through the United States during broader international travel by the Taiwanese president have been routine over the years, according to a senior administration official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity...

Georgia senators send gender care restrictions to governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A bill banning most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies in Georgia for transgender people under 18 is headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after senators gave it final passage on Tuesday.Senators voted 31-21 along party lines with Republicans pushing through Senate Bill 140, despite impassioned pleas from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates against what has become the most fiercely contested bill of Georgia’s 2023 legislative sessionIt’s part of a nationwide effort by conservatives to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows. Governors in Mississippi, Utah and South Dakota have signed similar bills. Missouri’s Senate on Tuesday advanced a pair of bills to prohibit gender transitioning health care treatments for minors and restrict them from competing in sports.Andrew Isenhour, a spokesperson for Kemp, wouldn’t say if the Republican governor would sign the bill into law. Opponents said they believe the b...

Procession for Edmonton police officers shot and killed responding to call

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

EDMONTON — Dozens of police cruisers and emergency vehicles lined streets in Edmonton as hearses took the bodies of two slain city officers from a medical examiner’s office to a funeral home. Two helicopters circled the sky and officers and civilians, some wearing blue ribbons and scarves, stood along the five-kilometre procession route.Family members and colleagues of the fallen officers embraced and wiped away tears.The bodies of constables Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan are to be kept at the Serenity Funeral Home until a public regimental funeral is held Monday.Police have said the officers were responding to a family dispute at a northwest apartment complex Thursday when they were shot by a 16-year-old boy.They said the teen shot and wounded his mother during a struggle for the gun then shot and killed himself.Police also said the officers had no opportunity to respond and that the shooting was consistent with an ambush.This report by The Canadian Press was first published M...

Carjackers stab Indiana rideshare driver, steal vehicle: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — Police in Indianapolis are asking for help identifying three armed carjackers accused of stabbing a rideshare driver and stealing the victim's vehicle. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said the carjacking happened around 10 p.m. Monday. Is Blockbuster coming back? The rideshare driver told police that three men wearing masks stabbed him and stole his vehicle near the intersection of 10th Street and North Whitcomb Avenue. Photos of suspected carjackers via IMPDPhotos of suspected carjackers via IMPDPhotos of suspected carjackers via IMPDPhotos of suspected carjackers via IMPDOfficers reportedly found the stolen Mazda unoccupied nearby.Robbery detectives say they are now hoping the public can help them identify and apprehend the men, whose faces were partially visible in surveillance images.Anyone who recognizes the suspects are asked to contact Det. Todd Lapin at the IMPD robbery office at (317) 327-3475. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stop...

Palatine Condo Fire: How to help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. — Several residents displaced by a fire in Palatine last weekend have created GoFundMe pages to help with expenses.The fire broke out around 6 p.m. Sunday at the Windhaven Condominiums located on East Dundee Quarter Drive. Related: Apartment fire in Palatine damages dozens of units Several units in the building reported fire and water damage.Below are a list of the GoFundMe pages that have been created.Condo Fire In Palatine Effects 24 FamiliesPalatine Families Homeless Due to Horrible FireFamily lost home due to fireHelp a family as they lost everything in a fire: Marcelo Muñoz & FamilyAnything Helps: Rosario Muniz created a fundraiser for her parents who lost 30 years' worth of memories after the weekend fire.Me and my family get new clothes and daily needs: Rafael VargasLost Home due to Fire: Rigoberto, Concha, Rosalva & family VargasAdditionally, community members are organizing a donation drive in coordination with Partners For Our Communitie...

Illinois breaks record for film production revenue in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) -- Of all the film joints in all the states in all the world, productions are walking into Illinois.Illinois is making more money from the film industry than ever before, with more than $691 million in film production expenditures in 2022, an improvement of $60 million from 2021. Estimated wages also grew $30 million from the previous year. Lollapalooza 2023 official lineup revealed Earlier this year, Governor J.B. Pritzker extended the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit for another decade. The program gives a 30% tax credit to productions for production spending and wages for Illinois workers. Illinois does not have a cap on film and television credits.“I was proud to extend the Illinois Film Production Tax Credit through 2033 — guaranteeing a prosperous decade ahead for producers, writers, directors, designers, editors, actors, camera operators, and production assistants alike," the governor said. "Our film and TV production industry is a boon for our ...

DeSantis expresses confidence he could beat Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says he can defeat President Biden in a 2024 matchup.In a Monday interview with Piers Morgan, published by The New York Post, the rising Republican star and likely presidential candidate pointed to his winning record in Florida’s 2022 midterm elections to argue that he has the kind of broad appeal needed to win a presidential election next year.“I’m running against Biden,” DeSantis said. “Like [Trump and I] are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we’ll be very vocal about that.”Asked whether he thinks he could beat Biden, the Florida governor replied: "I think so."DeSantis hasn’t said much about his 2024 ambitions. He’s repeatedly brushed off questions about whether he’ll seek the White House next year, though he’s actively preparing for a ca...

Video: Security guards take down gunman in devil mask at famed Florida strip club

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:00 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A security guard at Mons Venus in Tampa fought off a gunman who tried to enter the gentleman's club early Sunday morning, police said.The Tampa Police Department said at about 1:15 a.m., Michael Rudman, 44, tried to force his way into the well-known club while armed with a handgun and a devil mask. He also had the words "kill" and "dark one" written on his arms, police say. Kevin Fox, wrongly charged in daughter’s 2004 death, dies in crash "I noticed the devil mask and I was like 'OK, it's not Halloween,'" security guard Manuel Anthony "Manny" Resto said.Resto, who was once a professional wrestler known as "The Puerto Rican Punisher," spotted Rudman's gun as he tried to walk in and moved to stop him, knocking the weapon out of his hand.Surveillance video showed the devil-masked gunman fight with Resto who eventually grabbed the gun himself and pointed it at Rudman. "I had no intention of shooting; I just wanted to scare him and ...