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‘Death of democracy?’ Bill criticized for making it tougher to be considered a major political party

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

Legislation to increase the percentage of the statewide vote needed to be considered a major political party got a sharp rebuke from Minnesota’s former Independence Party Gov. Jesse Ventura on Tuesday.The actor and wrestler who was elected Minnesota governor in 1998 said a proposed bill to increase the threshold to 10 percent of the statewide vote to be considered a major political party would result in nothing less than the “death of democracy” in the state. Currently, at least one of a party’s statewide candidates must get 5 percent of the vote to be considered a major party.“I’m here today because this is very disturbing. I’m here in total opposition to this,” Venture told the Senate Elections Committee, noting that had the rules been in place when he ran for governor he wouldn’t have won. “The people of Minnesota won’t be able to shock the world again.”Ventura added that he wasn’t surprised the Democra...

Russia's downing of US drone sparks fears of escalation

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

Russia’s apparent attack of a U.S. drone in international airspace on Tuesday quickly sparked concerns, spurring anxiety in Washington and drumming up fear across the nation of a wider escalation between the two countries.The Biden administration and lawmakers have blasted Russia for what they called an unprofessional and unsafe maneuver in which two Russian jets damaged a U.S. MQ-9, forcing it to crash land in the Black Sea Tuesday.Top American defense officials and experts quickly pointed out the unusual nature of the incident.“This is extremely unusual, I’m not aware of an incident like this that's occurred over the last year of conflict over there,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told The Hill.Intercepts between U.S. and Russian aircraft are not uncommon, with several cases happening near Alaskan airspace so far this year. But the drone incident “is uncommon and unfortunate and unsafe,” Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters at the Pentagon.While it’s un...

Man charged for shooting officers, leaving 1 dead, 1 injured

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

HERMANN, Mo. - A community is in mourning after one Hermann, Missouri, police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty and an officer from another department was critically injured.The community is coming together to honor the fallen officer. Flags have been lowered to half-staff through the town of Rosebud, where Hermann Detective Sgt. Mason Griffin used to be a police chief.The Gasconade County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged 35-year-old Kenneth Lee Simpson with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, and two counts of armed action. Top story: Deadline for Kim Gardner to respond to ousting effort today Simpson surrendered after a long police standoff at a home on East 11th and Market.The SWAT team and officers from several different departments negotiated a peaceful surrender with Simpson. According to court records, he has a criminal history.Residents are still in shock following the deadly shooting Sunday around 9 p.m. Griffith...

Rockies spring training report: Ezequiel Tovar strutting his stuff, despite quiet bat

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

Compared to last year, 21-year-old shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is having a quiet spring training, but that doesn’t mean manager Bud Black has been unimpressed.“We saw some good things from him last year and the thing that stood out for us was his self-assurance and self-confidence,” Black told reporters in Scottsdale, Ariz. “He’s comfortable in his own skin as a young player and he’s not trying to do too much.“He’s playing the game with a level of poise that is beyond his years. The talent is there. On a skill level, I think he’s going to be able to make every play at shortstop. He can go in the hole, he can make the play up the middle, he can charge the ball and he’s got a strong arm. His instincts are fine. In the field, I think he will only get better as time goes on.”Tovar, who will be a starter this season, entered Tuesday night’s Cactus League game against the Cubs hitting .250 (6-for-24) with one home run, o...

Man killed by dogs in Jurupa Valley leaves behind wife, 5 kids in Guatemala 

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

A man who was mauled to death by four dogs in Jurupa Valley last week has been identified by family members as Mateo Lucas Salvador, 42, a native of Guatemala. Authorities say Salvador was working at a residential property that had been converted into a business at Bellegrave Avenue and Martin Street on March 7 when four dogs, three Belgian Malinois and a Cane Corso, attacked him. The man who was mauled to death by four dogs last week has been identified by his family members as 42-year-old Mateo Lucas Salvador, a native of Guatemala. (Lily Schwimmer, GoFundMe) According to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, Salvador had worked for the owner prior to the attack and he had visited the property before without incident. The property owner, who was not present during the attack, eventually surrendered his dogs to be euthanized, Animal Services said. A GoFundMe has been established to help Salvador's wife and five children, who still live in Guatemala...

Clerks at Ventura County shops cited, allegedly sold alcohol to minors

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

Three clerks at Ventura County supermarkets and liquor stores were cited for allegedly selling alcohol to minors.The decoy operation took place on March 9 and targeted ten businesses in Camarillo, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).The operation involved a minor who, under the direct supervision of law enforcement, attempted to purchase alcohol from the businesses.The undercover minor was able to purchase alcohol at three locations — Village Green Market, La Bodega, and Smart and Final, authorities said.The clerks who allegedly sold the alcohol were cited and face a minimum fine of $250 along with 24-32 hours of community service for a first violation, officials said.Additional administrative actions may be taken against the businesses involved including a fine, suspension or the permanent revocation of a license, according to the ABC. More than 130 cited for allegedly buying alcohol for minors in California One of the businesses involved fa...

Los Angeles Chargers sign former UCLA star Eric Kendricks

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

The Los Angeles Chargers will have a new man in the middle of their defensive when next season kicks off, and he's a familiar face to longtime L.A. football fans.The team announced Tuesday that it had agreed to a contract with former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks.Kendricks, 31, was drafted by Minnesota out of UCLA in the second-round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He's totaled more than 100 tackles each of the last seven seasons in the NFL and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2019.His greatest accolade, however, may be his durability. Since being drafted, the Fresno County native has started 113 of a possible 117 regular season games and has started all six of his career postseasons appearances.Kendricks starred at UCLA and led the nation in tackles his senior year en route to being named the first Bruin to win the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's best linebacker.He announced his plans to sign with the Chargers in an Instagram post which featured highl...

‘I feel helpless’: Pajaro evacuees left in limbo as Monterey County crews race to plug levee

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

PAJARO — As murky brown floodwaters began receding from the inundated Monterey County farmworker community of Pajaro, residents grasped for aid Tuesday and voiced frustration at the possibility that they and thousands of other evacuees could remain out of their homes for weeks, possibly longer.More than three days after the levee at the head of the Pajaro Valley burst, evacuees remained in a state of limbo while emergency crews worked to plug the rupture that had spilled water over 3 square miles of houses and farmland. Their work came as yet another atmospheric river storm hit California — exacerbating the region’s flood risk and further complicating efforts to bring an end to the crisis.About 21,000 residents remain under evacuation orders or warnings across Monterey County, including 2,000 people forced from more than 800 homes in the community of Pajaro, according to Sheriff Tina Nieto. County officials opened two more shelters after the temporary housing at th...

Farmers fear massive losses from Pajaro flood

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

Like so many in the fertile Pajaro Valley where livelihoods are linked to the rhythms of the growing season, Fabiola Alcaraz is anxiously eyeing the calendar as fields and equipment that deliver a bounty of beautiful red strawberries and raspberries sit under several feet of muddy floodwater.She manages a cold storage unit in Pajaro that keeps the freshly picked berries cool as they await shipment to grocers throughout the Bay Area and beyond. But a breach longer than a football field that severed a levee upstream during Saturday rainstorms spilled floodwater through the town and into the nearby farms.A breach in the Pajaro River Levee floods the town of Pajaro and farmland. (Shmuel Thaler/ Santa Cruz Sentinel) Within weeks, strawberries will be coming in from other farms along the coast that were spared the brunt of the storm’s wrath.“We need to get back as soon as possible,” Alcaraz said. “We grow strawberries half a mile north and south of Pajaro, and...

Biden says Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver his eulogy

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:31 GMT

By Bill Barrow | Associated PressATLANTA — President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia.Biden told donors at a California fundraiser Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom he has known since he was a young Delaware senator supporting Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.“He asked me to do his eulogy,” Biden said, before stopping himself from saying more. “Excuse me, I shouldn’t say that.”Carter, who at 98 is the longest-lived U.S. president, announced Feb. 18 that he would spend his remaining days at home receiving end-of-life care, forgoing further medical intervention after a series of short hospital stays. The Carter Center in Atlanta and the former president’s family members have not disclosed details of his condition, though Biden alluded to Carter’s 2015 cancer diagnos...