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New Mexico enacts law to keep guns away from children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill Friday that makes it a crime to store firearms in places that children could access.The new law takes effect on June 16. Earlier this year, a 6-year-old student in Virginia shot his teacher, which added to debates across the country about gun control and school safety.The New Mexico bill would make it a crime to store a firearm in a way that negligently disregards the ability of a child or teenager under age 18 to access it. Criminal charges could be brought only if the minor later brandishes or displays the firearm in a threatening way, or uses it to kill or injure someone. The proposal would establish both misdemeanor and felony crimes, with penalties of up to 18 months in prison.Criminal provisions do not apply if a child accesses a gun with authorization of a parent or guardian for lawful purposes including hunting and recreation. The law also includes exceptions when a child accesses a gun for self-defen...

Not magic: Opaque AI tool may flag parents with disabilities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.They stayed with their daughter around the clock when she was moved to a rehab center to regain her strength. Finally, the 8-month-old stopped batting away her bottles and started putting on weight again.“She was doing well and we started to ask when can she go home,” Lauren Hackney said. “And then from that moment on, at the time, they completely stonewalled us and never said anything.”The couple was stunned when child welfare officials showed up, told them they were negligent and took their daughter away.“They had custody papers and they took her right there and then,” Lauren Hackney recalled. “And we started crying.”More than a year later, their daughter, now 2, remains in foster care. The Hackneys, who have developmental disabilities, are struggling to understand how taking t...

How Washington came to rescue US banks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters started furiously working the phones to find out what was going on with the failed lender — and what would happen to its panicked depositors.Waters, former chair of the House Financial Services Committee, had her doubts that another bank would step up as a savior and buy the defunct institution.“Banks don’t just wake up and say: ‘Oh, there’s a problem with another significant bank and they’ve collapsed. Let’s just take it over,’’’ she said.So began a frenetic weekend of nonstop briefings with regulators, lawmakers, administration officials and President Joe Biden himself about how to handle the demise of the nation’s 16th-biggest bank and a go-to financial institution for tech entrepreneurs. At the core of the problem was tens of billions of dollars — including money companies needed to meet payrolls — sitting in Silicon Valley Bank accounts that were not protected by f...

Why US troops remain in Iraq 20 years after ‘shock and awe’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq — in blinding explosions of shock and awe — American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East.The roughly 2,500 U.S. troops are scattered around the country, largely in military installations in Baghdad and in the north. And while it is a far cry from the more than 170,000 U.S. forces in Iraq at the peak of the war in 2007, U.S. officials say the limited — but continued — troop level is critical as a show of commitment to the region and a hedge against Iranian influence and weapons trafficking.A look at America’s evolving role in Iraq:HOW DID IT START? The U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003 in what it called a massive “shock and awe” bombing campaign that lit up the skies, laid waste to large sections of the country and paved the way for American ground troops to converge on Baghdad. The i...

Warnock’s campaign chief sees lessons from Dems in Georgia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — When Quentin Fulks went back home to Ellaville, Georgia, last year, people kept telling him how proud they were to watch a native son lead Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection bid. Then came the caveat: They still weren’t going to vote for his boss.“I didn’t take it personally,” Fulks recalled with a laugh. If anything, growing up Black in a majority white county where Donald Trump won 79% of the vote helped Fulks understand what Democrats had to do to win in a historically conservative state.As a campaign manager, that meant framing Warnock as the deal-making, results-driven incumbent and building an operation that went beyond the Democratic strongholds of Atlanta and other cities to connect with Republican-leaning voters throughout the state — even before Republicans nominated Herschel Walker and gambled on his complicated personal history. “In a tough environment, we chose to communicate with those voters,” Fulks told The Associated Press. “And it set us apart, ...

Austin FC falls 3-2 on aggregate to Violette AC in CONCACAF Champions League 1st round

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Violette AC came into Austin shorthanded with a 3-goal advantage from the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League opening round and withstood an onslaught to advance in the tournament 3-2 on aggregate Tuesday at Q2 Stadium.Austin FC midfielder Sebastian Driussi scored twice for a 2-0 match win, but Verde needed a third to force penalty kicks, and another would have given them the win outright when combining the scores from the two matches. Violette AC won the first match on March 7, 3-0 in the Dominican Republic, where five Violette starters were left behind for Tuesday's game due to visa issues. Violette had to sign four new players to field a full team for the game and only had three substitutes available.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersAustin fired 35 shots to Violette's six, and Verde peppered Violette's goal with 10 shots on goal. Violette AC go...

PD: Texas man facing additional charges after smearing 'fecal matter' on detention officer, jumping out of moving ambulance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A McAllen man is facing additional charges after smearing fecal matter on a detention officer's face and leaping out of a moving ambulance, documents stated.Jose Luis Velasquez Jr. was arrested on charges of harassment of a public servant, resisting arrest and escaping from custody, according to Hidalgo County Jail records.A probable cause affidavit obtained by ValleyCentral shows that on March 8, someone called police to the 2700 block of Cedar Avenue in reference to two men wanting to kill him. When officers arrived, they located the caller, identified as Velasquez who was shaking with a knife in his hand. 3 men accused vandalizing South Padre Island hotel Officers noted that Velasquez was shaking and sweating with his eyes wide open and dilated pupils, the affidavit stated.Police say a pat down on Velasquez revealed a meth pipe in his back pocket. They say he told them he had smoked meth an hour before. Velasquez was taken into custody and trans...

Kim Gardner files response to attorney general suit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A spokesperson from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office announced Tuesday night that circuit attorney Kim Gardner had filed her motion in response to the attorney general's lawsuit. Her filing denies wrongdoing and asks the courts to dismiss the lawsuit. Last month, a judge said Gardner had until Tuesday's deadline to respond; if not, she would face a judgment by default.Gardner faced multiple criticisms and challenges after a horrible crash caused 17-year-old Tennessee volleyball player Janae Edmondson to lose both of her legs. The driver accused of the accident, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was out on bond in a robbery case and had multiple bond violations.Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey had filed a petition to remove Gardner from office in February. Bailey said she failed to do her duties.Gardner responded to the accusations, saying she would not step down and defend her action in the Riley case.This is a developing story. FOX 2 will give ...

Denver mayoral candidates pick fights in latest debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

With ballots now in the hands of some Denver voters, 11 leading mayoral candidates gathered at a school in northeast Denver on Tuesday for a televised debate that was noticeably nastier than previous gatherings as the cluster of people in the race sought to create separation.Lisa Calderón, Mike Johnston, Kelly Brough, Chris Hansen, Debbie Ortega, Leslie Herod, Al Gardner, Thomas Wolf, Trinidad Rodriguez, Terrance Roberts and Andy Rougeot were the 11 of the 17 people running for mayor in the April 4 election invited to Tuesday’s showdown, hosted by 9News and aired on sister station KTVD.That roster was decided via polling commissioned by 9News, Colorado Politics, the Denver Gazette and Metro State Univeristy at the end of February. Taking the temperatures of 594 likely Denver voters, that poll found Calderón, Johnston and Brough had the most support. They were in a three-way tie with just 5% support in a poll with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. Every candidate who ...

Tuberculosis exposure investigated at Denver’s George Washington High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:52 GMT

Health officials are investigating tuberculosis exposure at George Washington High School in Denver.The Public Health Institute at Denver Health (PHIDH) is working closely with Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment and Denver Public Schools on the investigation, according to a Denver Health news release.“Those who may have been exposed have already been contacted and will be tested,” the release said. “All students, staff, and parents have been informed of the matter. Currently, there is no ongoing risk for TB exposure at the school. It is safe for students and staff to attend school and participate in activities as usual.”So far, health officials have identified one patient, who had symptoms over the past two weeks, and who recently tested positive.Related ArticlesHealth | Denver Black, Jewish community leaders work to unite communities to combat white nationalism, propaganda Health | Glenwood Springs upsets top-seed...