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Judges refuse to pause order for Alabama to draw new congressional districts while state appeals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A three-judge panel refused Monday to pause an order to draw new congressional districts in Alabama while the state pursues another round of appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.The judges rejected Alabama’s request to stay the ruling, which found the state diluted the voting strength of Black residents and ordered a special master to draw new lines.Alabama is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to put the order on hold.The three judges last week said they will step in and oversee the drawing of new congressional lines after Alabama lawmakers refused to create a second district where Black voters at least came close to comprising a majority, as suggested by the court. The judges ordered a court-appointed special master to submit three proposed maps by Sept. 25.The judges, in rejecting Alabama’s request for a stay, said state voters should not have to endure another congressional election under an “unlawful map.”“We repeat that we a...

The New York ethics commission that pursued former Governor Cuomo is unconstitutional, a judge says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A commission created last year to enforce ethics rules for New York state’s employees and elected officials violates the state’s constitution because it is too independent, a state judge ruled Monday in a decision that could gut the body’s power to combat corruption and influence-peddling.The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been fighting an attempt by the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government to force him to forfeit $5 million he got for writing a book about his administration’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.The commission was formed by the Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul to replace a previous ethics body that had been criticized for not being independent enough. The lawmakers said they wanted to increase public trust in government after Cuomo’s 2021 resignation in a sexual harassment scandal.The Commission investigates potential ethics and lobbying violations by state officials, employees, ...

Michigan Catholic group wins zoning fight over display of Stations of the Cross

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A Catholic group will be allowed to post religious displays along a privately owned “prayer trail” depicting the last day of Jesus, after a zoning fight with a local government in southeastern Michigan went all the way to a federal appeals court.The court ruled 3-0 in favor of the group and issued an injunction Monday, saying Genoa Township in Livingston County was likely violating the rights of Missouri-based Catholic Healthcare International, which controls the 40-acre wooded parcel.The township had said a special-use permit was needed because the project was the equivalent of a church building. The religious group objected but ultimately responded with a plan for a chapel and trail after spending thousands of dollars on the application. It was rejected. Catholic Healthcare obtained the land from the Lansing Catholic Diocese to create a trail with the Stations of the Cross, 14 stops that commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus.Stations of the Cross stayed up un...

US makes deal with Iran to swap prisoners and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the deal late last week, but Congress was not notified of the decision until Monday, according to the notification, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The waiver is likely to draw criticism of President Joe Biden from Republicans and others that the deal will boost the Iranian economy at a time when Iran poses a growing threat to U.S. troops and Mideast allies.The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not run afoul of U.S. sanctions in converting the money frozen in South Korea and transferring it to Qatar’...

Wisconsin wolf hunters face tighter regulations under new permanent rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wolf hunters in Wisconsin would have to register their kills faster, face a limited window for training their dogs and couldn’t disturb dens under new regulations being finalized by state wildlife officials.The state Department of Natural Resources plans to hold a public hearing on the new regulations Tuesday afternoon via Zoom. The agency plans to bring the regulations to the agency’s board for approval in October. The DNR has been relying on emergency rules crafted after then-Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation in 2012 creating a wolf season. The new regulations would be permanent. They largely duplicate the emergency provisions but make some changes to reflect goals in the agency’s new wolf management plan. That plan doesn’t set a specific population goal, instead recommending the agency work with advisory committees to determine whether local packs should be maintained, grown or reduced.The major changes in the new rules include shri...

Sheriff in New Mexico’s most populous county rejects governor’s gun ban, calling it unconstitutional

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The sheriff in New Mexico’s largest metro area vowed Monday not to enforce an emergency order by the governor to temporarily suspend the right to carry firearms in public in and around the city of Albuquerque.“It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order,” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said during a news conference. “This ban does nothing to curb gun violence.”Reaction has been swift after Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the order Friday, telling reporters that she expected legal challenges and that state police would handle enforcement. “I welcome the debate and fight about how to make New Mexicans safer,” she said, while also acknowledging that criminals surely would ignore her order. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, a Democratic party leader who was appointed by Lujan Grisham, joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina saying they too would not enforce it. A ...

Man accused of walking into FBI office, confessing to killing Boston woman in 1979

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A 68-year-old man walked into an FBI field office in Oregon and confessed to bludgeoning a woman to death more than four decades ago in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, prosecutors said.John Michael Irmer, 68, was arraigned Monday in Boston. Irmer, who prosecutors say is also being looked at after allegedly confessing to another slaying, was ordered held without bail pending another court appearance on Oct. 17 on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated rape. Investigators said Irmer had been free for 10 years after serving three decades in prison for a homicide in California. He told FBI agents in Portland, Oregon, last month that he’d met a woman with red hair — identified as Susan Marcia Rose — at a skating rink just before Halloween in Boston in 1979.Irmer said the two walked around the Back Bay before entering an apartment building that was under renovation at the time, prosecutors said. Just after entering the building Irmer told investigators, he grabb...

'This one hurts': Bears deal with blowout loss to open 2023 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There was one thing that Justin Fields wanted to give to those around him and watching at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon -- that was an apology. The Bears quarterback offered that up towards the end of his news conference after a 38-20 drubbing at the hands of the rival Packers in front of a crowd that was just as frustrated as the players. "I mean, it definitely hurts. Not only because it's the first game of the season, it's a loss, but it's a loss to them. So, I want to say sorry to teammates, all the fans that were rooting for us," said Fields. "Yeah, we'll bounce back. We'll be good."If there is some skepticism, it's hard to blame after the first 60 minutes of the Bears season on Sunday. The passing game, led by Fields with coordinator Luke Getsy making the calls, couldn't push the ball upfield as D.J. Moore was only targeted twice the entire afternoon, with the Bears getting 216 yards through the air.Fields had a fumble along with a "pick six" late that s...

Hey Dude to pay $1.95 million to FTC for suppressing negative reviews, other violations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The popular online shoe retailer Hey Dude has been ordered to pay the Federal Trade Commission $1.95 million to settle charges that it misled customers by "suppressing negative reviews" and violated one of the Commission's rules "in several ways." In a press release Monday, the FTC said Hey Dude suppressed 80% of reviews that provided three or fewer stars on a five-star scale. Instead, between January 2020 and June 2022, the Commission alleges Hey Dude showed only all five-star reviews on its website. "In many instances, however, it rejected and did not publish less-favorable reviews," the FTC alleged, adding that the company — which was acquired by another comfort shoe brand, Crocs, in 2022 — instructed staff to only publish good reviews of its products. They maintained that practice until learning the FTC was investigating the company. Additionally, the FTC said Hey Dude violated its Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule on multiple fronts. That includes ...

DraftKings Sportsbook apologizes for 9/11-themed betting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:41 GMT

(WHNT) — On the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attack against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, a popular sportsbook has apologized after receiving heavy criticism following a parlay themed after the events.For a short time on Monday, DraftKings users had the ability to wager on a parlay titled "Never Forget," which featured the New York Jets, New York Yankees and New York Mets all to win Monday. For those unfamiliar with sports betting, at its core it's exactly what it sounds like -- you put money on an outcome and you get paid if that outcome is achieved. However, there's a lot of "lingo" that can be confusing. If a bet is on the winner of the game, that is called a "moneyline" bet. If you're betting that a team will win or lose by a certain amount of points, that's a "spread" bet. If you combine multiple outcomes into one bet, that is called a "parlay." The odds for all three teams to win was set at +651, meaning a $100 wager would have netted $651. Novak Djokovic wins t...