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Supreme Court rules in favor of Christian designer in gay wedding website case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Colorado cannot require an evangelical Christian web designer to provide same-sex wedding websites.The court found that the state’s anti-discrimination law violates Lorie Smith’s free speech rights under the First Amendment by demanding she creates same-sex wedding websites if she wants to do so for opposite-sex unions. Smith argued the requirement violated her religious beliefs.The decision narrows states’ ability to apply public accommodation laws to artists, dealing a significant blow to LGBTQ advocates.Justice Neil Gorsuch authored the majority opinion, writing for himself and the court’s five other conservatives.“But, as this Court has long held, the opportunity to think for ourselves and to express those thoughts freely is among our most cherished liberties and part of what keeps our Republic strong,” Gorsuch wrote. “Of course, abiding the Constitution’s commitment to the freedom of speech means all of us will encounter ideas we consider ‘un...

Supreme Court strikes down Biden's student debt forgiveness plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

The Supreme Court on Friday blocked the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, stopping more than 40 million borrowers from receiving loan forgiveness and delivering a major defeat to one of the president’s key campaign promises.The high-stakes decision will limit President Biden's options to deliver on his commitment to cancel $10,000 of student loans for low- and middle-income borrowers. “The Secretary asserts that the HEROES Act grants him the authority to cancel $430 billion of student loan principal. It does not,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines.Biden’s plan would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for other borrowers, if the individual’s income is less than $125,000. The income limit was doubled for married couples.Anticipation had been building that the court’s conservative majority would strike down the plan. During oral arguments in February, several justices expressed doubt...

Two dead in separate overnight incidents involving Florida law enforcement officers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Two men were killed in separate late night confrontations with Florida law enforcement officers following traffic stops.In Tampa, police responded to a report of a shot fired in a nightclub parking lot. When they stopped a vehicle matching the description of one that had left the scene, a 42-year-old male passenger fired multiple rounds at the officers. The officers returned fire, killing him. The 37-year-old female driver was not injured. Neither officer was injured in the exchange of gunfire, Deputy Police Chief Calvin Johnson said during a news conference.Police did not release the names of the man who was killed or the woman who drove the vehicle.In nearby Polk County, another traffic stop resulted in deputies fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop late Thursday.Sheriff Grady Judd said the incident began in neighboring Highlands County, as deputies there began pursuing a car that ran a stop sign.As they approached Polk County, they were preparing to stop...

Yosemite National Park’s glaciers face grim future despite record winter snowfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (WSVN) – The recent winter season in Yosemite National Park, characterized by its severity and subsequent temporary closure, has brought both hope and concern for the park’s rapidly-disappearing glaciers. While the heavy snowfall has provided temporary leisure, scientists warn that the long-term prognosis remains bleak for these iconic natural formations.Just two decades ago, Yosemite Valley was engulfed by a massive ice sheet measuring a staggering 2,000 feet in thickness, shaping the peaks and valleys that visitors marvel at today. The current reality reveals a stark contrast, with only five small glaciers remaining in and around the park.Since the early exploration of the region in 1872, scientists have diligently studied these glaciers, closely monitoring their decline. Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1883 indicate that these majestic formations have lost approximately 90% of their mass.Glaciers form through the accum...

Kylo, McHenry County K9, credited with catching home invasion suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

CHICAGO (WBBM) — The McHenry County Sheriff’s office recognized one of its K9s Thursday night for heroic work.On Monday, June 19, around 10:25 p.m., McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies were called to help Illinois State Police fund a suspect who fled on I-90 at mile marker 43.5Sheriff’s Deputy Wisniewski and K9 Kylo responded, and were informed that the suspect, Tryan D. Campbell, was last seen headed south and had a felony warrant for home invasion.Deputy Wisniewski deployed Kylo, who tracked the suspect through the tall grass and woods along a fence line. After about 25 minutes, the team approached a tree in the fence line – and Kylo found Campbell on the opposite side of the fence, the Sheriff’s office said.Campbell surrendered on the spot, and was arrested.Kylo has been with the McHenry County Sheriff’s office for about eight months.

The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loans for millions of Americans.The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, effectively killed the $400 billion plan, announced by President Joe Biden last year, and left borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume by late summer.The court held that the administration needs Congress’ endorsement before undertaking so costly a program. The majority rejected arguments that a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with student loans, known as the HEROES Act, gave Biden the power he claimed.“Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorize the loan cancellation plan. We agree,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court.Justice Elena Kagan wrote in a dissent, joined by the court’s two other liberals, that the majority of the court “overrides the combined judgment of the Legislativ...

Why is the British government fighting its own COVID inquiry?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

THE HIGH COURT, London — Britain’s inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic has barely begun, but it’s already locked in a legal fight with the government. Friday marked the first day in what one lawyer present described as an “ultra-technical” battle between the Cabinet Office, a key government department, and the inquiry which ministers themselves ordered. In a sweltering Royal Courts of Justice, members of the public — including families of those who lost loved ones in the pandemic — heard the two sides trade blows over what exactly the inquiry gets to see.Set up by Boris Johnson in May 2021 to start the following spring, the government and its inquiry started butting heads in April of this year when Baroness Hallett — the inquiry’s chair and a former High Court judge — announced the Cabinet Office must hand over all un-redacted WhatsApp messages sent and received by Johnson between 1 January 2020 and 24 February 2022. That’s seen as the crucial s...

What to expect as Fourth of July holiday weekend travel gets underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

Roads were already busy Friday morning as many people began holiday travels ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, this year.Americans are expected to set a record for travel this weekend, and some 1.2 million Massachusetts residents will hit the roads.Friday is expected to be the worst travel day, with the stretch from Boston down I-93 and Route 3 to Hyannis being the most congested route.Traffic is expected to hit its peak around 11 a.m., when AAA estimates traffic will be 63% higher than usual. The delays, estimates suggest, will translate to a trip time around 2 hours and 24 minutes.For those looking to beat the rush, AAA now suggests travelers hit the road after 6 p.m.In the Boston area, the HOV lane on I-93 between Boston and Quincy will be open starting at 1 p.m. The Sumner Tunnel, meanwhile, will be open this weekend before its planned nearly two-month closure begins on Wednesday of next week.At Logan Airport, there were few delays on Thursday even as many made th...

Supreme Court strikes down Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Biden administration overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce student loans for millions of Americans.The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, effectively killed the $400 billion plan, announced by President Joe Biden last year, and left borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume by late summer.The court held that the administration needs Congress’ endorsement before undertaking so costly a program. The majority rejected arguments that a bipartisan 2003 law dealing with student loans provided the authority Biden claimed.

Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actor, dies at 89

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alan Arkin, the wry character actor who demonstrated his versatility in comedy and drama as he received four Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar in 2007 for “Little Miss Sunshine,” has died. He was 89.His sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony confirmed their father’s death through the actor’s publicist on Friday. “Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man,” they said in a statement.A member of Chicago’s famed Second City comedy troupe, Arkin was an immediate success in movies with the Cold War spoof “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” and peaked late in life with his win as best supporting actor for the surprise 2006 hit “Little Miss Sunshine.” More than 40 years separated his first Oscar nomination, for “The Russians are Coming,” from his nomination for playing a conniving Hollywood producer in the Oscar-winning “Argo.”In recent years he starred ...