BALTIMORE (AP) — Since the Baltimore Police Department started overhauling its practices through a series of court-ordered reforms in 2017, officers have become significantly less likely to use force against members of the public, such as brandishing a service weapon, deploying a stun gun or striking an uncooperative suspect into compliance. But the agency still … Read more
ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in the Georgia Senate on Thursday announced goals to further lower state income tax rates and improve reading instruction for young public school students, although tax changes are unlikely to occur before the 2024 legislative session and leaders could be find themselves short of time to build the consensus for changes … Read more
BOA VISTA, Brazil (AP) — Severe malnutrition and disease, particularly malaria, are decimating the Yanomami population in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, and on Jan. 20 the federal government declared a public health emergency. While many in Brazil were left wondering how the calamity could materialize seemingly overnight, it didn’t come as a surprise to those familiar … Read more
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker is taking another shot at trying to pass a bill that would not only allow people to carry concealed handguns without a permit, it would prohibit the state’s cities and counties from issuing local laws to do so within their borders. Sen. Tom Brewer, of Gordon, defended the … Read more
Former President Donald Trump is set to kick off his 2024 White House bid on Saturday with visits to a pair of early-voting states, his first campaign events since announcing his latest run more than two months ago. Trump will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting before traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, … Read more
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $3.3 billion public infrastructure package Thursday that would use a combination of borrowing and cash to finance improvements to roads, bridges, water systems, housing and the environment across Minnesota. “The investments in our Infrastructure Plan are a down payment on the future of our state,” … Read more
A Scottish restaurant is giving two diners the chance to win a free supply of pizza with unlimited toppings for a whole year. Pizza Punks, which is based in Glasgow’s St Vincent Street, is running a competition which will allow the winner and a guest to eat for free once a month at any of … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government will allow Medicaid dollars to treat some people in prisons, jails or juvenile detention centers for the first time ever, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday. CMS will allow California inmates to access limited services, including substance use treatment and mental health diagnoses, 90 days before … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed off on a two-year extension of a program that protects Hong Kong residents in the U.S. from deportation, renewing the protection until January 2025. Biden first authorized the program, the Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Citizens, in August 2021 for 18 months. It was … Read more
CAIRO (AP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held talks with various Sudanese leaders in Khartoum on Thursday, a sign of rekindling ties between the neighboring African countries, authorities said. For several years Sudan has been at odds with Ethiopia over border disputes and its construction of a massive dam on the Blue Nile that … Read more