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DeSantis State Government Appointee Holds DeSantis Fundraiser in The Villages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

A key Florida state government appointee of Ron DeSantis hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for the governor’s presidential campaign on Wednesday evening in The Villages, according to an invitation reviewed by The Intercept. The host, Gary Lester, is also a top executive at The Villages, a retirement community owned by a corporation with close ties to DeSantis.Lester, in sending his invitation to the high-dollar affair being held at a secret location, used his Villages Inc. email and instructed attendees to RSVP to his Villages assistant.  Most Read Samuel Alito’s Wife Leased Land to an Oil and Gas Firm While the Justice Fought the EPA Daniel Boguslaw Prigozhin and Putin...

Top NIH Official Advised Covid Scientists That He Uses Personal Email to Evade FOIA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

A top adviser to Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health admitted that he used a personal email account in an apparent effort to evade the strictures of the Freedom of Information Act, according to records obtained by congressional investigators probing the origin of Covid-19. The official also expressed his intention to delete emails in order to avoid media scrutiny.“As you know, I try to always communicate on gmail because my NIH email is FOIA’d constantly,” wrote David M. Morens, a high-ranking NIH official, in a September 2021 email, one of a series of email exchanges that included many leading scientists involved in the bitter Covid origins debate. “Stuff sent to my gmail gets to my phone,” he added, “but not my NIH computer.”After noting that his Gmail account had been hacked, however, he wrote to the group to say that he might have to use his NIH email account to communicate with them instead. “Don’t worry,” he wrote, “just send to any of my addresses, and I will d...

‘Is this normal?’: Guest’s four wheels stolen from College Park hotel lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

All four tires and wheels were stolen, but crooks left lug nuts by the Honda Pilot. (Courtesy Linda Kessel) All four tires and wheels were stolen, but crooks left lug nuts by the Honda Pilot. (Courtesy Linda Kessel) A mother and her son, who drove from Rincon, Georgia, over to College Park, Maryland, for a four-day conference, departed with a sour taste in their mouths and a rental car, after all four wheels of their 2021 Honda Pilot were stolen in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express on U.S. Route 1.Lisa Kessel tells WTOP she and her son were excited for the trip to the area, after he had been selected to participate in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference, which was held from June 18 to June 23...

ConocoPhillips faces potential $914,000 fine over Alaska gas blowout, leak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — ConocoPhillips Alaska faces a potential $914,000 fine over what a state regulatory agency called a “shallow underground blowout” of a well that released natural gas at the company’s Alpine field on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope last year. An investigation by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission found the company violated several provisions of state law during missteps leading up to the leak and during the response, according to a proposed enforcement notice that was released Wednesday. The commission oversees oil and gas drilling in the state.ConocoPhillips is reviewing the commission’s findings, said Rebecca Boys, a company spokesperson. ConocoPhillips has 15 days to challenge the fine, a standard part of the process, the Anchorage Daily News reported.There were no reports of injuries during the gas leak, which was first discovered on March 4, 2022 and resulted in about 7.2 million cubic feet (216,000 cubic meters) of natural gas...

Royals owner John Sherman envisions new stadium by 2027 or 2028 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hope to settle on the location for a new ballpark by the end of the summer, and owner John Sherman said Thursday that he envisions the club playing in a new stadium by the 2027 or 2028 season.The long-preferred site is near downtown Kansas City, where the park would be the centerpiece of a redevelopment project that links the eastern part of the metro to the vibrant area near T-Mobile Center. The location would keep the club in Jackson County, though far from the current Kauffman Stadium, and continue a trend of using sports to spearhead urban renewal.But complicating matters has been a competing bid from Clay County, which sits across the Missouri River from downtown Kansas City. There is more space available for a ballpark village, much like the entertainment district that has sprung up around Truist Park in Atlanta, and that could help the small-market organization generate much-needed long-term revenue.“We’ve always said ‘down...

Programa de asistencia para la compra de viviendas en DC se queda sin dinero

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

Docenas de compradores de vivienda de DC aseguran que sus sueños de ser propietarios de vivienda pueden hacerse añicos después de que el gobierno del Distrito les prometió fondos, pero se quedó sin dinero.Los compradores habían calificado para préstamos sin intereses y ayuda con los costos de cierre a través del Programa de Asistencia para la Compra de Vivienda (HPAP, en inglés) de DC para familias con ingresos bajos o moderados.A pesar de que el gobierno capitalino aumentó el financiamiento máximo de $80,000 a $200,000 en el año fiscal 2023, ahora el sitio web de HPAP dice que se ha quedado sin dinero hasta que comience el nuevo año fiscal en octubre.“Quienquiera que esté administrando el dinero, si sabe que se está acabando, hay que decir algo antes de tiempo”, acotó una madre afectada que deseaba permanecer en el anonimato. “No hay forma de que la gente pueda estar bajo contrato, lista para cerrar, para descubrir dos semanas antes que no hay dinero”.Por su...

Tim Tichenor will be plate umpire for MLB’s All-Star Game at Seattle on July 11

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Tichenor will be the home plate umpire and crew chief for the All-Star Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11.Tichenor, 46, will be working the All-Star Game for the second time after umpiring in left field for the 2014 game in Minneapolis. Tichenor umpired his first big league game in 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2012. He worked the 2020 World Series and was promoted to crew chief this year.His crew includes five umpires working the All-Star Game for the first time: Quinn Wolcott (first), Tripp Gibson (second), Stu Scheurwater (third), Ryan Blakney (left) and Ramon De Jesus (right). Wolcott and Blackney are Washington state natives and Gibson is a Washington state resident.Jim Wolf will be the replay umpire in New York. He worked right field in the 2010 All-Star Game.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Virginia sheriff, 3 businessmen, indicted on federal bribery charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

Culpeper County Sheriff's Office vehicle. Courtesy Culpeper (County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)(Courtesy Culpeper County Sheriff's Office via Facebook) Culpeper County Sheriff's Office vehicle. Courtesy Culpeper (County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)(Courtesy Culpeper County Sheriff's Office via Facebook) RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia sheriff has been indicted on federal public corruption charges for allegedly handing out auxiliary deputy sheriff’s appointments in exchange for cash bribes and large donations to his reelection campaign. Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins is charged in a 16-count indictment, along with three businessmen who are accused of paying bribes to Jenkins. The indictment unsealed Thu...

Pickleball coming to Denver at Skyline Park this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Skyline Park will soon be home to a part-time pickleball court as part of Downtown Denver Partnership's plan to get more people out and about in the city this summer."Pickleball is taking the nation by storm, so to bring this popular sport to our center city is a big deal! We can’t wait to welcome families, friends, and colleagues to downtown Denver, which will be the ultimate destination for summer fun," Sharon Alton, senior vice president of Downtown Experience for the Downtown Denver Partnership, said in an emailed press release. Pickleball players fight plans to close Congress Park courts The court will be located at Skyline Park and will be available for reservations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, as well as afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for free play. The Skyline Beer Garden's website lists the cost for a one-hour reservation as a $20 donation. Equipment rental will be an additional $2.Skyline Park's other summer activities include roller-ska...

Divided Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action in college admissions; Biden ‘strongly’ disagrees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.The decision, like last year’s momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal, this time finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to colleges that receive federal funding, as almost all do.Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “co...