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Some Californians released from prison will receive $2,400 under new state re-entry program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hundreds of Californians released from prisons could receive direct cash payments of $2,400 — along with counseling, job search assistance and other support — under a first-in-the-nation program aimed at easing the transition out of incarceration and reducing recidivism. Recipients will get the money over a series of payments after meeting certain milestones such as showing progress in finding places to live and work, according to the Center for Employment Opportunities, which runs the program announced this week. The goal is to give people a chance “to cover their most essential needs” like bus fare and food during the crucial early days after exiting incarceration, said Samuel Schaeffer, CEO of the national nonprofit that helps those leaving lockups find jobs and achieve financial security.“The first three to six months are the riskiest, when many people end up back in prison,” Schaeffer said Thursday. “We want to take advantage of this moment to immediately con...

Marking start of Hanukkah, Emhoff condemns antisemitism, says Biden and Harris ‘have your back’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaking at the lighting ceremony of a massive menorah in front of the White House to mark the first night of Hanukkah, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, said Thursday that American Jews are “feeling alone” and “in pain” as he denounced rising antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad, particularly amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.Emhoff, the first Jewish person to be the spouse of one of the country’s nationally elected leaders, highlighted fear in the Jewish community, moments before the menorah was lit on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.Emhoff said he’s held conversations with representatives from across the Jewish community to see how they’re holding up amid the war, as the conflict in Israel and Gaza enters its third month, ’The common denominator of these conversations is that we’re feeling alone, we feel hated, we’re in pain,” he said. “Even as we face darkness today, I am hopeful,” Emhoff said. “The story of Hanukkah and ...

What’s next for Mississauga as mayor moves on to Queen’s Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

In the last half century, the city of Mississauga has only had two mayors, Bonnie Crombie and the beloved Hazel McCallion.McCallion grew the city from the ground up and reigned for nearly 36 years before paving the way for then-city councillor Bonnie Crombie to take over. Crombie has been mayor for nine years, winning with an overwhelming majority in every election that followed.But now, with Crombie becoming Ontario’s Liberal leader, what is next for the sixth-largest city in Canada.A couple of current city councillors have expressed interest in the city’s top job and it seems for the first time in decades, the field is wide open.“We are going to have a Mayor resign, we are going to have a Mayoralty byelection and I’m going into it,” says Ward 5 councillor Carolyn Parrish who is among the first to throw her hat in the ring. She began her career in the House of Commons, first as a Liberal MP and then as an Independent. She’s been a city counc...

Voting rights groups push for answers from Mississippi election officials about ballot shortages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — One month after Mississippi’s November statewide election, voting rights groups say election officials in the state’s largest county have failed to provide enough information about the problems that led to polling precincts running out of ballots.The coalition of statewide and national civil rights organizations has requested meetings and more details about why Hinds County Election Commissioners ordered the wrong ballots, leading to shortages at several polling locations on the day the state was deciding a competitive governor’s race and a full slate of down-ballot races. Those queries have largely been met with silence, the groups said at a joint news conference Thursday.“While we recognize and respect the commissioners have taken responsibility for the ballot shortages, Hinds County voters still have questions,” said Amir Badat, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The five Hinds County Election Commissioners did not immediately respond...

Israel designates safe zone in Gaza. Palestinians and aid groups say it offers little relief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has designated a small slice of mostly undeveloped land along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast as a safe zone — a place where waves of people fleeing the war can find protection from airstrikes and receive humanitarian supplies for their families.The reality? The area of Muwasi is a makeshift tent camp where thousands of dazed Palestinians live in squalid conditions in scattered farm fields and waterlogged dirt roads. Their numbers have swelled in recent days as people flee an Israeli military offensive in nearby areas of the southern Gaza Strip.Roughly 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) in southwest Gaza, Muwasi lies at the heart of a heated debate between Israel and international humanitarian organizations over the safety of the territory’s civilians. Israel has offered Muwasi as a solution for protecting people uprooted from their homes and seeking safety from the heavy fighting between its troops and Hamas militants. The United Nations a...

Liquor store, restaurant employees robbed at gunpoint in Cicero

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

CICERO, Ill. — The owner of a Cicero liquor store and restaurant is asking for the public's help after an armed robbery last week.Norma Ochoa, the owner of a liquor store and restaurant located near the 24th Street and Laramie Avenue intersection in Cicero, told WGN-TV that she and her employees were robbed at gunpoint on Friday, Dec. 1.This incident reportedly was not the first time her store was the target of a robbery, but the difference this time, Ochoa says, is that she fears for her safety. Police: Suspect in Romeoville family’s slaying had relationship with one of the victims Surveillance video shows four suspects in dark clothing enter the liquor store, then they knocked Ochoa's daughter to the ground while she was at the counter. The suspects then pulled Ochoa from the back of the store and dragged her with a gun to her face. The group took money from the cash register and then headed over to Ochoa's restaurant next door, where they forced an employee to open a cash regis...

'Flower power': Retirees turn discarded floral remnants into bouquets of beauty to uplift others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — You might assume the group of ladies who gather every Wednesday at Evanston's Levy Senior Center were once professional florists, given the way they can thoughtfully curate a floral arrangement.As hard as it is to believe, though, not one of them has ever worked in a flower shop.Donning green aprons, these dozen retirees have teamed up to make one heck of a "flower power" club, which they call Inspire Through Flowers. Meeting at Levy Senior Center every Wednesday, Inspire Through Flowers artfully turns the discarded "leftovers" from floral shops into tissue-wrapped bundles of beauty.Even though they've never worked in a flower shop, these ladies have turned buckets of trashed flower stems into almost 24,000 bouquets over the last three years.Wearing green aprons, the women of Inspire Through Flowers turn discarded floral remnants into beautiful bouquets.They then gift the flowers to somebody not expecting them."We inspire hope, joy and encouragement through the gift...

Are you owed money from the $3 million Credit Karma settlement?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Roughly half-a-million people may be eligible for settlement payments tied to credit card offers from Credit Karma, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said in a news release this week.The payments are tied to a 2022 investigation the FTC launched after getting reports that Credit Karma, which is owned by Intuit, was falsely claiming customers were "pre-approved" or had "90% odds" of being approved for credit card offers. Thousands of applicants were rejected, costing them time and also damage to their credit scores after hard inquiries to their credit reports, the FTC said.Credit Karma told Nexstar in a statement that it "fundamentally disagree[s]" with the allegations the FTC made in its complaint, "which relate solely to statements we ceased making years ago." The 5 highest-earning bachelor’s degrees in the US: new Census data The statement went on to say that "any implication that Credit Karma rejected consumers applying for credit cards is simply incorrect, as Cred...

DeSantis wins fourth GOP debate, WaPo poll says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(The Hill) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) won the fourth Republican primary debate, according to a poll of debate watchers.The 538-Washington Post-Ipsos debate poll found that 30 percent of respondents who watched the Wednesday debate said that the Sunshine State governor won. Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) came in second, at 23 percent, followed by former Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) at 19 percent and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 16 percent.Debate watchers were also asked who performed the worst. Ramaswamy topped the field for this question, at 37 percent, followed by Christie at 31 percent. DeSantis and Haley received 9 and 7 percent, respectively.DeSantis received a higher percentage of those who said he won Wednesday's debate versus last month’s, according to the debate watchers surveyed. His score in Wednesday’s debate over the one in early November, where he came in second, was seven percentage points higher. Haley dropped 11 percentage points in comparison to the third ...

KXAN anchor opens up about postpartum complications; how new parents can get help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One in seven women can develop a postpartum mood disorder. However, tracking postpartum anxiety is a bit tougher, because it’s not as well documented, experts said.Experts suspect this affects many new moms, but I never thought I might be one of them. As parents, we often think to ourselves — "my children are healthy and that’s all that matters."Parents tend to put their health on the back burner, and that can lead to a slow burn of issues. Doing so, led me to an overwhelming boiling point where I could no longer cope with postpartum complications.I had to leave work after already coming back from maternity leave to seek help. When I did assume my seat at the anchor desk, I pushed my shame way down and shared with you all what had happened. It was my small way of reaching other women and parents who might be struggling. I wanted to help others who, like me, may not have even been aware of what was happening. And turns out, this opened t...