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Colorado isn't the only state thinking about state-controlled land use

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It isn't just the Centennial State. Colorado's land use bill is the local example of a zoning policy discussion happening in state legislatures across the nation. The original bill would have preempted local land control, requiring 30% of single-family zoned land to be rezoned for denser development. Representatives heavily amended the bill, however. Instead, the bill would create a state board to review land use issues. House members debate drastically changed land-use bill Across the country, the measures seek some kind of pressure valve for housing prices, which have mushroomed in price in the last decade and particularly in the West. As with Colorado's bill, some are bipartisan. Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington have each considered some kind of state control measure in the last five years, according to a policy analysis group Lincoln Institute o...

12-year-old fatally shot, man wounded at Dania Beach gas station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

DANIA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A man fatally shot a 12-year-old boy and wounded another man before turning the gun on himself inside a South Florida gas station, sheriff’s officials said Friday.Broward Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of gunfire at a 7-Eleven in Dania Beach just after 11 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release.The boy and the shooter both died at the scene, investigators said. A third person was taken to a hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds, the release said. A condition report was not immediately available.Investigators said witnesses told them the man fired shots at a man in a vehicle that was parked outside the gas station. He then went inside the station and shot the boy, and then himself, the release said.The names of the suspected shooter and the victims have not been released. An investigation is continuing and police are asking anyone with information to come forward.Dania Beach is just south of Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s Atlant...

New king? Canadians don’t care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to London with a delegation that includes Inuit and Indigenous leaders, superstar youth and a Canadian astronaut who’s heading to the moon.  Canada couldn’t care less.Actually, it’s worse than that. A majority of Canadians in every region would actually vote to eliminate the monarchy, according to timely new polling from Abacus Data, In Quebec, where provincial lawmakers recently abolished an obligatory oath to the king, that number is 82 percent.Pollster David Coletto says the results should not be a surprise — any goodwill toward the monarchy was exclusive to Queen Elizabeth II, affection that is not transferable. “With her passing, that reason to show any respect for the institution is gone,” Coletto told POLITICO. “Canada has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Generational change and immigration from non-European countries means the monarchy is so much less relevant.”Canada’s national television networks will star...

EU deal to clear grain glut unravels amid acrimony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

BRUSSELS — A deal struck just a week ago between the EU executive and the bloc’s Eastern frontline states to clear a massive grain glut is already falling apart, and with it, the bloc’s unity in supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.The April 28 deal essentially had two elements: The first was a temporary ban on imports of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed that would allow some respite for the group of five Eastern countries — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania — to clear the backlog.The second was to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian produce across the territory of the five countries, enabling shipments to continue to third countries — particularly those in the Global South that have faced disruptions to supplies, and rising hunger, as a result of Russia’s invasion last year and blockade of Ukraine’s main Black Sea export route.Poland has led calls to distribute the surplus in the form of humanitarian aid:...

Ticket Trouble, Trouble: Fans scramble after Commuter Rail tickets for Taylor Swift Gillette show on 5/19 sell out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

It’s a problem Taylor Swift fans in New England know all too well at this point – trouble getting tickets for the singer’s “Eras Tour.”If the slog of getting tickets for the shows themselves was not enough, now some Swifties are dealing with travel issues after discovering Commuter Rail tickets for Swift’s May 19 performance at Gillette Stadium were sold out, and that tickets for the two following shows could only be bought in-person at South Station.https://twitter.com/MBTA_CR/status/1654488728801296387“The @taylorswift13 tickets for Friday, May 19th are completely sold out on the mTicket app & in Boston Stations!” the MBTA Commuter Rail Twitter account posted Friday morning around 10 a.m., just hours after first announcing that tickets for $20 round trips to Foxboro station were available via the mTicket app.“A limited number of tickets will remain for Saturday & Sunday at South Station ONLY!” the tweet ...

Orioles bench bat Ryan O’Hearn has bought into his sporadic role, one he believes can help his career

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

Ryan O’Hearn’s job, most days, is to sit on the bench and wait.The Orioles’ first baseman gets the occasional start against a right-handed starting pitcher. But usually his role is as a bench bat, a left-handed hitter at manager Brandon Hyde’s disposal to pinch hit against a right-handed reliever.The role isn’t new for O’Hearn, who spent the past few years in Kansas City as a bench bat for the Royals. It’s not the job O’Hearn wants, but it’s one he’s learned to accept — and even joke about.“We were joking earlier about if I was gonna get a statue over there,” O’Hearn said, recalling a conversation he had with his former teammates earlier this week. “I said, ‘Yeah, maybe on that bench over there they could put a statue for me.’”O’Hearn, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after Thursday’s game, spent the first nine years of his professional career in the Royals org...

Larger crowds, less chaos: Why summer travel may be less bumpy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

2022 was the year of revenge travel. Travelers took trips they skipped in 2020 and 2021, catching up on a backlog of weddings and family reunions. Others finally checked off bucket list trips.Travel came back strong, resulting in high prices and packed airports. But with the surge, chaos often ensued. Hotels cut back on housekeeping, largely driven by a hotel worker shortage. Car rental costs spiked due to high demand and low supply. The flight delay rate hit highs not seen since 2014. All that culminated into major, distressing events shared by many travelers, such as the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown.But if 2022 felt crowded, 2023 could be more so. Checkpoint data from the Transportation Security Administration for two out of the first three months of the year show that average airport passenger counts have actually exceeded their 2019 levels — and they’re set to keep growing.“In January, we experienced our first full month where travel volumes exceeded the same month in 201...

Headed to the Jimmy Buffett concert this weekend? Beat the crowd with these tips

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The time has finally come -- Snapdragon Stadium will host its first-ever concert on Saturday with Jimmy Buffett transforming San Diego into "Margaritaville."The icon will be joined by his Coral Reefer Band, plus special guests like GRAMMY Award-winner Jason Mraz and country music singer-songwriter Mac McAnally.The much anticipated show comes after the original concert date was postponed due to health issues experienced by Buffet. The iconic singer took time off to recuperate, but is now ready to take the stage in America's Finest City. 3 artists added to San Diego County Fair Concert Series lineup Snapdragon Stadium said fans with tickets to the original October 22, 2022 date should have received an email from Ticketmaster with information on how to get those passes honored at the rescheduled show. For those still looking to snag a ticket to watch the "Trip Around the Sun" singer live, there are still seats available for purchase. As it turns out, the San Diego Padres...

Kansas looses legal fight over voting law passed in 2021

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has lost a legal fight over one of the voting laws that its Republican-led Legislature passed in the wake of the 2020 election. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil ruled Thursday that it was unconstitutional to make it a crime for groups to include voter’s name, address and other information on advance ballot applications.Two national nonprofit groups, VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center, sued after two voting laws were passed in 2021 over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. One of them included the restriction on prefilling ballots, even if the voter provided the information and requested an advance mail ballot application. The groups, whose mission is to promote voting among traditionally underserved groups, including young and minority voters, argued that there is a higher response rate when the group prefills the applications. Nearly 70,000 Kansas voters submitted an advance mail voting application provided by the Voter Participation Ce...

Biden marks Cinco de Mayo by going to taqueria in Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:54:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden celebrated Cinco de Mayo on Friday by stepping out for tacos at a Washington food hall. His stop prompted one onlooker to remark, “This is the most D.C. thing that’s ever happened to me.”Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris at Taqueria Habanero. The president paid in cash for his order of and posed with staff for pictures. To the people peering over a wall to see him, he joked, “Don’t jump.”Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration on May 5 that commemorates Mexico’s 1862 victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. The holiday has become increasingly popular in the United States.Last year, Biden and his wife, Jill, celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the White House. In 2021, the president visited Las Gemelas, a Mexican restaurant in Washington and told workers there that the company would be receiving financial aid from his COVID relief package.The Associated Press