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Rescuers race against time in search for survivors in Japan after powerful quakes leave 62 dead

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

SUZU, Japan (AP) — Rescue workers and canine units urgently sifted through rubble in the winter cold Wednesday in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes in western Japan left at least 62 people dead and dozens believed trapped under collapsed buildings.Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were rattled by a major 4.9 magnitude aftershock in the early hours among the dozens of aftershocks that have followed a magnitude 7.6 temblor two days ago.The first 72 hours are especially critical, experts say, because the prospects for survival greatly diminishes after three days.“More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. “We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings.”Relief officials were delivering water, blankets, food and other supplies. Noto’s narrow peninsula landscape has added to the challenges ...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies for presidential ballot in Utah, the first state to grant him access

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected enough signatures to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Utah, election officials say, marking the first state where the independent candidate and prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has qualified.Kennedy has met the 1,000-signature requirement needed to qualify for the Utah ballot and can officially file to run as a presidential candidate in the state before a March 5 deadline, state Elections Director Ryan Cowley said. Utah is the first state where Kennedy’s campaign submitted signatures and qualified for ballot access, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said. She did not indicate which day he would file for candidacy.A scion of one of the nation’s most famous Democratic dynasties, the longtime environmental lawyer veered from the party last fall and announced his independent bid for the White House. He is a son of former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of Democrat...

Trump’s vows to deport millions are undercut by his White House record and one family’s story

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

Noelia Sanchez was born in the rolling farmlands of southwest Missouri, where her Mexican parents worked as seasonal farmworkers in the 1950s.When she was 1, Noelia and her mother, Aurora, who had no work documents, were rounded up with dozens of other immigrants in a Texas town near the border. The U.S.-born child and her mother were forced to go to Mexico along with hundreds of thousands of other people.Their deportations were part of a U.S. government effort that was known in official papers and the media as “Operation Wetback.” The term “wetback,” which was used to describe Mexicans who swam or waded across the Rio Grande, is considered a racial slur.Donald Trump has lauded the Eisenhower-era raids without using their name since he first ran for president and is now promising voters he would begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history, exceeding the 1950s. He has escalated his verbal attacks on immigrants as he seeks a second term, telling supporte...

Questions on artificial intelligence and a budget deficit await returning California lawmakers

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers return to work on Wednesday for the start of an election-year legislative session dominated by decisions on artificial intelligence and the state’s struggling budget.The budget is a big issue every year in California, which is the nation’s most populous state and has an economy larger than that of all but four countries. But this year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will have to figure out how to cover an estimated $68 billion deficit — a shortfall that is larger than the entire operating budgets of many states.And with California companies at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom, a number of state lawmakers are eyeing new rules to govern the use of the technology before it can dominate daily life — much like social media has.The California Legislature is scheduled to convene Wednesday afternoon, giving lawmakers a week to settle in before Newsom sends over his first budget plan. Cutting the budget i...

Things to know about Minnesota’s new, non-racist state flag and seal

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Love it, hate it or yawn at it, Minnesota is set to get a new state flag this spring that echoes its motto of being the North Star State, replacing an old flag that brought up painful memories of conquest and displacement for Native Americans.During the monthslong selection process, some publicly submitted designs gained cult followings on social media but didn’t make the final cut. They included: a loon – the state bird – with lasers for eyes; a photo of someone’s dog; famous paintings of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln; and an image of a rather large mosquito.Instead, the flag design adopted in December includes a dark blue shape resembling Minnesota on the left, with a white, eight-pointed North Star on it. On the right is a light blue field that to those involved in the selection process symbolizes the abundant waters that help define the Land of 10,000 Lakes.The new state seal features a loon amid wild rice, to replace the image of a Native Americ...

State tax cutting trend faces headwinds from declining revenues and tighter budgets

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Income, sales, property and gas taxes: Almost every U.S. state cut at least one such broad-based tax as budget surpluses soared over the past three years. Some states made permanent tax reductions. Others passed one-time rebates or temporary suspensions. One way or another, whether red or blue, all states save Alaska and Nevada joined in. Though even more tax cuts are likely, the trend may be slowing as 2024 legislative sessions begin. That’s because the pandemic-era revenue surge fueled by federal spending and inflation now is receding and, in some states, even reversing into negative numbers. “Next year will likely be a return to normal for state budgets,” said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies for the National Association of State Budget Officers. “Funds will be more limited. States will have to make decisions on what areas they prioritize.” California, where financial swings are felt more sharply than most st...

Several Midwestern cities are going to be counted again like it’s 2020

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

Four years after the last census, almost a dozen small communities in the Midwest are going to be counted again in hopes of getting a new grocery store or more state funding to build roads, fire stations and parks.Eleven small cities in Illinois and Iowa are the only municipalities so far to have signed agreements with the U.S. Census Bureau for a second count of their residents in 2024, the first year the special censuses can be conducted, in a repeat of what happened during the 2020 census. With one exception, city officials don’t think the numbers from the original count were inaccurate. It’s just that their populations have grown so fast in three years that officials believe they are leaving state funding for roads and other items on the table by not adding the extra growth to their population totals. Some also believe that new results from a second count will open up their community to new businesses by showing they have crossed a population threshold.“We anti...

Nathan MacKinnon’s overtime goal caps Avalanche comeback against Islanders

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

The Colorado Avalanche have three of the best players in the world, but this team looks even more formidable when that trio gets a lot of help from their friends.Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin both had big nights to get the Avs to overtime, then the “Big Three” took care of it from there. Nathan MacKinnon scored 32 seconds into overtime and the Avalanche fended off the pesky New York Islanders 5-4 for its fifth win in six outings Tuesday night at Ball Arena.“I thought we played great,” MacKinnon said. “I thought we had a great start. I thought it was honestly a couple unlucky breakdowns … but I thought we really outplayed them for 60 minutes.”MacKinnon’s goal, which was set up by Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, came after Nichushkin drew a penalty late in regulation. It was a three-point night for MacKinnon and Makar, while Rantanen added two assists.Nichushkin’s two goals and Drouin’s two points helped the Avs rally ...

Incoming storm to bring rain, snow, big waves and dangerous marine conditions to SoCal

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

As the first in a series of cold weather storms arrives in Southern California, hazardous marine conditions, minor coastal flooding, rain and snow are predicted, the National Weather Service reported. Widespread light rains, anywhere from 0.25 to 0.75 inches, are likely overnight tonight. The rain is expected to pass by 10 a.m. Wednesday, though temperatures will struggle to reach 60 degrees.  A winter weather advisory will go into effect at 3 a.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday for Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, according to NWS.  Mountain areas above 5,000 feet are forecast to see 3 to 6 inches of snowfall. Higher elevations may see as much as 8 inches. Snow levels could drop to around the 4,000-foot mark, possibly impacting traffic on the 5 Freeway through the Tejon Pass.   KTLA 5 Interactive Weather Radar Map “The winds are definitely going to be an issue even though we don’t have a wind advisory,” KTLA 5 Meteorologist Very Jimenez said.  Gus...

Long Beach residents can receive $25,000 toward their first home purchase

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:20:22 GMT

First-time homebuyers in Long Beach can receive a grant of up to $25,000 toward the purchase of their home.The city’s First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program is designed to “assist low- and moderate-income families traditionally underrepresented in homeownership with purchasing their first home and building multi-generational wealth,” officials said.Eligible applicants must fulfill these requirements:Be over 18 years oldAnnual household income cannot exceed 200% of the L.A. County Area Median IncomeCurrent Income Limits as of January 2024*Number of persons in household12345678200% of Los Angeles County AMI$137,500$157,100$176,800$196,400$212,100$227,800$243,500$259,200Be a first-time homebuyer — defined as someone who has not owned a principal residence in the past three yearsBe a first-generation homebuyer — defined as someone whose parents or guardian never owned a home during the homebuyer’s lifetime or who lost the home to a foreclosure or short sale and does not own a home...