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Tennessee governor OKs bill to cut Nashville council in half

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican lawmakers and Tennessee’s governor signed off Thursday on cutting Democratic-leaning Nashville’s metro council in half, a move that follows the council’s rejection of efforts to host the 2024 Republican National Convention in Music City. Gov. Bill Lee signed the proposal into law a little less than an hour after the Senate voted to shrink Nashville’s 40-member council. The Republican didn’t issue a statement or warning, but he had previously said that generally he supported council sizes smaller than Nashville’s.The move drew an immediate outcry and is expected to spark legal challenges. Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s administration and others say the change will throw this year’s council elections into chaos, spurring the need to redraw districts after more than 40 candidates already launched campaigns.“This attack on the Constitutional rights of Metro and the people who live here is very dangerous. I...

Rochester concert stampede claims third victim; venue closed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A third person has died after being injured in a stampede after a weekend rap concert, police said Thursday.Aisha Stephens, 35, of Syracuse was the only person who remained hospitalized following a Sunday evening performance by Memphis, Tennessee, rap stars GloRilla and Finesse2tymes at the Rochester Main Street Armory. She died Wednesday night.Two other women, Rhondesia Belton, 33, of Buffalo and Brandy Miller, 35, of Rochester, also died after being caught up in a crush of concertgoers who surged toward the exits after the show.Police said the stampede may have been triggered by unfounded fears of gunfire. The city revoked the venue’s entertainment license on Wednesday while authorities investigate.The armory’s owner has not responded to numerous emailed requests for comment.The Associated Press

Europe dissolves Iran trade system that never took off

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — European countries said Thursday that they have decided to dissolve a system conceived in 2019 to enable trade with Iran and protect companies doing business with it from U.S. sanctions, but only ever processed one transaction.The German and French foreign ministries said the 10 shareholders of INSTEX — Belgium, Germany, Finland, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. — concluded that there was no basis to keep it going after Iran persistently refused to work with the institution.The decision comes at a time when tensions between the West and Iran have increased following Tehran’s crackdown on internal dissent, its supply of armed drones to Russia that have been used in the war in Ukraine, and the de facto breakdown of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers including Germany, France and the U.K.However, Thursday’s statement said the decision to wind up INSTEX was taken for purely business reasons and independently of other fac...

Woman, 50, fatally struck by box truck in Niles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

NILES, Ill — A 50-year-old woman was struck and killed by a box truck in Niles.Police said the fatal crash happened around 8:25 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Maryland Street. A GMC box truck driven by a 57-year-old man was traveling westbound on Maryland Street and attempted to turn left onto Milwaukee Avenue. As the truck turned left, it struck a 50-year-old woman that was crossing in the crosswalk.The woman was transported in critical condition to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her identity has not yet been released. Illinois woman leads police on 120 mph chase The driver of the box truck remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. The Major Crash Assistance Team (M.C.A.T.) is assisting with this investigation.

Norfolk Southern train derails in Alabama on morning of CEO's congressional testimony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

CALHOUN COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT/NEXSTAR) – A Norfolk Southern train derailed in Alabama on Thursday morning, the same day CEO Alan Shaw apologized before members of Congress for February's fiery derailment in Ohio.Thursday's derailment concerned a train containing cars designed to carry concrete. Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said around 30 train cars were involved in the derailment, which took place around 6:50 a.m.All of the train cars were empty at the time of the accident, and no hazardous material was spilled, according to Wade. A train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed in Piedmont, Alabama, on Thursday morning, the company confirmed. (Calhoun County Sheriff's Office)In a statement shared with Nexstar's WIAT, a representative for Norfolk Southern added that there were no reports of injuries. "The train originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and it was traveling westbound to Meridian, Mississippi," the statement read, in part. "We will share any additional details as they become a...

Blackhawks & Red Wings: A meeting of the rebuilds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

DETROIT - They are two of the proud "Original 6" members of the National Hockey League, and that's not the only bond they share at the moment. That's because the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are past a proud era of their franchise that brought success and championships to devoted fanbases. Players departed, others aged, and the succession plans didn't line up to keep the good times going.Translation: Both the Blackhawks and Red Wings are rebuilding, and they met on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena well out of the race for the playoffs. Is Jonathan Toews close to a return to the Blackhawks’ lineup? The Blackhawks are just underway with their rebuild that has stripped the NHL team of all but one of the members of their 2010s dynasty that captured three Stanley Cup titles. Patrick Kane's trade to the Rangers continues the building of a completely new on-ice product from the minors to the top team, where a premium has been put on draft picks. It's left the current ...

Can you afford to 'live comfortably' in these US cities?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Are you making enough money to afford your bills, buy the things you want, and set aside some money and pay off debt? Unsurprisingly, where you live can impact just how much wiggle room you have in your budget, especially in some U.S. metros.A new study reviewed data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which estimates the living wage you need to support yourself and various family sizes throughout the country based on “geographically specific expenditure data related to a family’s likely minimum food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other basic necessities" and a common budgeting method known as the 50/30/20 rule. Conducted by SmartAsset, a financial planning website, the study used the required annual income after taxes estimated by the living wage calculator to determine how much you need to earn to “live comfortably” in the nation’s largest cities using the 50/30/20 rule. The budgeting technique allocates your after-tax income to three categ...

The Lhoosk’uz Dené and Ulkatcho First Nations, Set To Mine Gold and Silver in B.C

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

Severe risk increases for Austin Metro tonight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Wednesday's late day cold front is now moving north as a warm front allowing afternoon temperatures to return to the 80s under a mix of sun and clouds. NEW BLOG: La Niña has ended — Here’s what’s next and when El Niño could begin The front will then do another turn, moving in a southerly direction, and in the process, trigger storms and showers this evening into the overnight hours. Not everyone will get wet, but those that do could get some locally heavy rainfall.Storms start to organize along cold front Thursday nightStorms/showers along the I-35 corridor around midnight - 3AMSevere weather threat this evening and overnight (SPC)A low risk of severe storms is in place for the Austin Metro counties the Hill Country. Isolated severe storms could bring hail and gusty winds to the highlighted areas, but the coverage of severe storms looks limited.Rainfall could be locally heavy tonight. 1-3" of rain could fall locally, while most areas get much less than that. BLO...

New bill filed to prevent state park from becoming multi-million dollar private community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:58 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 9, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new bill has been filed in the Texas Senate aiming to prevent the development of a state park into a multi-million dollar private community.Senate Bill 1656, filed by Sen. Charles Schwertner on Monday, would allow the state of Texas to acquire the land through eminent domain, in a bid to keep Fairfield Lake State Park publicly accessible.The language of the bill is an exact copy of a House Bill filed last month by Rep. Angelia Orr.The park, about 70 miles east of Waco, closed to the public at the end of February after almost 50 years of operation. The park welcomed more than 80,000 visitors in Fiscal Year 2022.KXAN previously reported the current landowner, Vistra Energy, has leased land for the park to the state at no cost since the 1970s. Vistra is selling the land to Todd Interests, a Dallas-based developer.Todd Interests plans to turn the property into an exclusive commu...