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Ohio marijuana legalization question falls short on signatures for fall ballot, gets 10 more days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A proposal to legalize adult use of marijuana in Ohio fell short Tuesday of the signatures it needed to make the fall statewide ballot. Backers will have 10 days, or until Aug. 4, to gather more.Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose determined the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol was short by 679 signatures of the 124,046 signatures required to put the question before voters on Nov. 7. His declaration marks just the latest twist in the proposal’s long fight to become law. LaRose first submitted petitions to the Ohio General Assembly on behalf of the coalition in January 2022, triggering a four-month countdown for lawmakers to act. Republican legislative leaders didn’t, and lawmakers asserted that the group’s petitions had arrived too late for 2022 ballots. A lawsuit and settlement ensued under which the group agreed to wait until this year.The ballot measure proposes allowing adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 oun...

Abortion rights amendment cleared for Ohio’s November ballot, promising expensive fight this fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to abortion made Ohio’s fall ballot Tuesday, setting up what promises to be a volatile and expensive fight rife with emotional messaging and competing factual claims.The ballot measure would establish “a fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits.” In language similar to a constitutional amendment that Michigan voters approved last November, it would require restrictions imposed past a fetus’ viability outside the womb, which is typically around the 24th week of pregnancy and was the standard under Roe v. Wade, to be based on evidence of patient health and safety benefits.“Every person deserves respect, dignity, and the right to make reproductive health care decisions, including those related to their own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion free from government interference,” Lauren Blauvelt and Dr. Lauren Beene, executive committee members for Ohioans United for Reproductive ...

Gynecologist accused of sexually abusing over 200 patients is sentenced to 20 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A gynecologist who sexually abused vulnerable and trusting patients for over two decades at prestigious New York hospitals cried before he was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison by a federal judge who called his crimes unprecedented.The sentence for Robert Hadden, 64, was a measure of vindication for hundreds of former patients who accused the doctor of molesting them during examinations but saw an earlier prosecution end with a plea bargain that spared him from jail.Given his chance to speak Tuesday, Hadden stood with his hands folded before him to say that there was “much I’d like to say” but that he had been advised by his lawyers to keep his statement brief.“I’m very sorry for all the pain that I have caused,” a sobbing Hadden said before dropping his head down as he sat again. He then took off his glasses and wiped tears from his eyes. In statements over the past two days, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said the case was like none he’d seen before an...

Women in Poland protest alleged police hostility against patient who took abortion pill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of women in Poland protested outside police stations Tuesday to oppose the allegedly ruthless way officers treated a woman who had taken an abortion pill. The protests in Krakow, Warsaw and some other cities were intended to show solidarity with the woman and to condemn police shaming practices. The woman, identified publicly only as Joanna, has told Polish media outlets that police surrounded her and searched her belongings as she was preparing for an obstetrician to examine her at a Krakow hospital. The woman’s doctor had notified the ambulance service and police after the stressed-out patient had called to report she was feeling unwell at home after having taken the pill to end her pregnancy. Officers were there when the medics were transporting the woman and also during her visit to the hospital. The woman says she felt humiliated, which added to her stress and poor condition.Police officials insist that having the officers on hand was requir...

NASA power outage temporarily halts contact with space station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA power outage disrupted communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station on Tuesday. Mission Control couldn’t send commands to the station and talk with the seven astronauts in orbit. The power outage hit as upgrade work was underway in the building at Houston’s Johnson Space Center.Space station program manager Joel Montelbano said neither the astronauts nor station were ever in any danger and that backup control systems took over within 90 minutes. The crew was notified of the problem through Russian communication systems, within 20 minutes of the outage.It’s the first time NASA has had to fire up these backup systems to take control, according to Montelbano. He said NASA hoped to resolve the issue and be back to normal operations by the end of the day.NASA maintains a backup control center miles from Houston in the event a hurricane or other disaster requiring evacuations. But in Tuesday’s case, the flig...

What are cloudbursts and is climate change making them more frequent?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Last Saturday, Mohammed Aslam was working in his kitchen garden when he heard his fellow villagers shouting that water was coming from the nearby foothills in southern Kulgam area in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Within moments, the farmer said, mud and muck from gushing water swept through the village, damaging scores of homes.“It was sudden and swift,” Aslam said. A cloudburst followed by flashfloods hit nearly a dozen villages in Kulgam, filling homes with mud and washing away some cattle.A day before, on Friday night, another cloudburst in the neighboring arid, cold desert region of Ladakh triggered flashfloods and inundated parts of its major town, Leh. The floodwaters entered the town’s main market, damaging shops, sweeping away vehicles and leaving its streets a muddy mess.Intense rainfall in the Himalayan regions of India’s Kashmir state and the adjacent mountainous cold desert of Ladakh last week destroyed roads and caused flooding of dozens of villages...

Chicago teen, victim of 'Highway Killer' ID'd after nearly 40 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

NEWTON COUNTY, Ind. — The Newton County Coroner's Office has determined the identity of one of former serial killer Larry Eyler's victims as a Chicago teen.The victim, who had been known as "Adam Doe" for the last several decades, has been identified as Keith Lavell Bibbs. Bibbs was 17 years old at the time of his disappearance from the city.The release stated that the victim's family has been informed of this development. Keith Lavell Bibbs (via Newton Co. Coroner's Office)Bibbs is the latest victim to be identified through the Identify Indiana Initiative, the DNA Doe Project and the Indiana State Police Lab based in Indianapolis. The Identify Indiana Initiative is a collaboration between the Indiana Coroner's Association, the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis and the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The goal of the initiative is to successfully identify every unidentified person in Indiana. The NCCO said the remains of Bibbs and four other young men wer...

Chicago area police teaming up Wednesday for Speed Awareness Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Law enforcement around the area are teaming up to crack down on speeding.Several agencies in the Midwest, including from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, are reminding the public Wednesday of National Speed Day.Across the country, about a third of all deadly traffic crashes involve speeding.Speed-related crashes have actually gone up in the last couple of years."People got used to going places faster (in the pandemic)," said IDOT's Director of Highways and Chief Engineer Steve Travia. Cook County sees record 2,000 opioid deaths in 2022; 91% fentanyl-related Focus by police will not just be on interstates and highways, but also on surface streets.

DNC Convention 2024: 'Historic' peace agreement reached between city and union leaders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

CHICAGO — More than a year ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a peace agreement has been reached with union leaders.The agreement means unions won't strike during the convention including the set-up, the event and the tear down as long as union workers are treated well and are promised a safe work environment.The signing ceremony held Tuesday at McCormick Place included labor leaders, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, along with Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson.They all say a lot of work still needs to get done before next year's convention. Events will be held throughout the city, but some of the main events will be at the United Center from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. Chicago selected to host 2024 Democratic National Convention The last time Chicago hosted a National Convention was back in 1996 when Bill Clinton was running for re-election.All of the people involved with the DNC 2024 Convention say this was the quickest a peace agreement has ...

Plane crashes through roof of Texas duplex after engine fails: 'Split-second decision'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:30 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A plane with three people on board crashed through the roof of a duplex in Georgetown, Texas, on Sunday.No one was inside the duplex at the time, officials said. None of the plane's occupants suffered life-threatening injuries, either.The crash occurred shortly before noon, according to the Georgetown Fire Department. Officials said the plane's occupants were coming back from breakfast in Kerrville, Texas, when the plane began experiencing engine failure. "[The pilot] just veered away from the apartment complex … and I believe he just had to make that split-second decision and ditched it into a single home instead," City of Georgetown Battalion Chief Scott Gibson said. Teen banned for 3 years after ‘skip lagging’ flight hack: family Nexstar's KXAN spoke with a witness who went into the house to help pull the plane's occupants — a man and two women — out of the wreckage."They were in really good condition considering what happened," said Dylan King, who ...