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1 Colorado city among best-run cities in US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

DENVER (Stacker) — The federal government directed billions in assistance to local governments during the coronavirus pandemic so they would not have to cut essential services just as residents needed them most. Now those governments are wrestling with the fallout from exceptionally high inflation, including the increasing costs of services, materials, and labor.Cities and towns throughout the United States vary drastically in terms of how well they are managed and operated on a daily and yearly basis. Cities that work efficiently and effectively usually have stronger economies, lower crime rates, and higher median annual incomes.Some of the best-run American cities, such as Fargo, North Dakota; Huntington Beach, California; and Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky, offer opportunities for economic growth and education, which in turn increases the quality of services and quality of life for their residents. These best-run cities also tend to attract young professionals and older, more experi...

DeSantis replaces campaign manager as he continues reset of presidential bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is replacing his campaign manager as the Florida governor continues to reset his stagnant presidential campaign.The Florida governor is bringing on James Uthmeier, his chief of staff from his state office, to serve as his campaign manager, replacing Generra Peck, who led DeSantis’ reelection campaign last year before jumping into the same role on his presidential bid.Peck will stay on as a strategist.The changes come after DeSantis made two big staff cuts in the past few weeks, laying off about a third of his staff in late July as the campaign faced financial trouble.“James Uthmeier has been one of Governor DeSantis’ top advisers for years, and he is needed where it matters most: working hand in hand with Generra Peck and the rest of the team to put the governor in the best possible position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden,” campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo said in a statement.Politico in October obtained t...

Mother arrested for child neglect after four-year-old found alone, unattended in Miami Beach apartment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

A woman was taken into custody on charges of child neglect after her four-year-old daughter was found alone and unattended in their Miami Beach apartment.Christina Capriola, 33, was arrested on Monday, August 7, following reports from concerned bystanders who spotted a young child wandering around the rear of a building located at 751 Euclid Avenue without any shoes on.Officers were dispatched to the scene in response to the passerby’s call for help. Upon arrival, a witness on the scene, informed the officers that she had noticed the child by the window of unit number 2. The minor had approached the witness, requesting her presence while her mother was at work. The witness observed the child wandering in the alleyway without shoes, and noticed a phone number written on the minor’s arm. The child told the witness that her mother was at work and that the number on her arm was her mother’s contact information.The witness immediately contacted the police to report the ...

Italian man dies after being crushed by thousands of wheels of cheese

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

Rome (CNN) — An Italian cheesemaker died on Sunday after being crushed by thousands of rounds of Grana Padano cheese in the aging room of his factory in Bergamo, northern Italy, local authorities said.Giacomo Chiapparini, 74, had entered the aging room to check the automatic robot used to clean the cheese rounds during the aging process in his company’s warehouse, according to the Bergamo Carabinieri.At the time of his death, there were about 10 corridors of floor-to-ceiling shelves with approximately 1,600 rounds per corridor.It is unclear how the initial collapse that led to what authorities describe as a “domino effect” occurred, leading to the cheesemaker’s demise.Carabinieri officials, along with the fire brigade and two ambulance services and other local authorities, say they were called to the scene around 9 p.m. local time on Sunday (3 p.m. ET).It took more than 11 hours to find Chiapparini’s body under the cheese rounds.He was identified by his family, who live and wor...

Healey Declares Emergency to Address Shelter System Surge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey has declared a state of emergency around the situation in Massachusetts’ shelter system, as a rapidly rising uptick of immigrants has strained state resources. Close to 5,600 families are currently housed in the state’s emergency shelter system, Healey said during a press conference at the State House on Tuesday morning. This number is 80 percent higher than one year ago, she said. “These numbers are being driven by a surge of new arrivals in our country who’ve been through some of the hardest journeys imaginable. They are the face of the international migrant crisis. They’re here because where they came from is too dangerous to stay there,” Healey said. “Massachusetts has and will always be a beacon of hope, compassion, humanity and opportunity.” The governor delivered an “urgent and formal appeal” to the federal government to “remove barriers and expedite federal work authorizations,” as well...

Chicago Cubs — now back in playoff contention — need Drew Smyly to start getting better results

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

The Chicago Cubs have tried not to look too far ahead.The approach has served them well in their journey to get back above .500 and into the thick of playoff race. The Cubs (58-55) own the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the National League, according to FanGraphs, setting up opportunities to seize control of the division race. Their slate features nine more games against the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, with their regular season ending in Milwaukee.Manager David Ross does not seem worried about the Cubs experiencing any letdowns when facing struggles teams out of playoff contention.“I think it has to be business as usual,” manager David Ross said Monday before the Cubs’ 11-2 loss to the New York Mets. “If I had a group that you feel like you had to have those conversations with, I would try to find ways to try to motivate, but these guys do a really nice job.”“It’s nice to continue to climb up the standings as we’r...

DeSantis replaces campaign manager in major shake-up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis shook up his presidential campaign staff again Tuesday, replacing his campaign manager with his chief of staff in the governor’s office, according to reports.Outgoing manager Generra Peck, who shepherded DeSantis through his successful reelection campaign last year, will become chief strategist, The Messenger first reported.Chief of Staff James Uthmeier will move over to the DeSantis campaign side from the governor’s office. He is the latest state official to take an important position with the campaign, including spokespeople Bryan Griffin and Christina Pushaw.The shakeup comes just two weeks after the campaign let go of 38 staffers, including speechwriter Nate Hochman, who reportedly made and boosted a video that included DeSantis superimposed against a Nazi symbol, and director of research Kyle Lamb, who praised the video and said it “belongs in the Smithsonian,” according to Semafor.The campaign has also attempted to cut costs after burn...

Syria’s pharmacies syndicate says drug prices to increase 50% as the country’s pound hits a new low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Syrian government decided to increase prices of drugs by 50%, the head of the pharmacies syndicate in Damascus said Tuesday, as the Syrian pound hit new a low in recent days.Hassan Derwan did not give a reason for the price hike in his interview with the pro-government daily Al-Watan. Earlier this year, prices were raised by between 50% and 80%.Syrian pharmaceutical companies mainly import raw materials in hard currencies which makes them susceptible to changes in the price of the Syrian pound. The companies have recently demanded to increase the price of their products to cope with the tumbling pound.Since Syria’s conflict erupted 12 years ago — killing nearly half a million people and displacing about 6.8 million others — the country’s currency has lost much of its value and now the vast majority of Syrians live in poverty.Back in 2011, a dollar was valued at 47 pounds. Last week, the dollar was valued at about 13,000 pounds on the parallel market while ...

Neighbors say a Chicago man charged with killing a 9-year-old girl was upset over noise

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A man was charged with first-degree murder Monday after witnesses said a 9-year-old Chicago girl riding a scooter was fatally shot by someone upset over noise.The charge was filed against Michael Goodman, 43, in the death of Sarabi Medina, Chicago police announced. “It just didn’t make sense. None of it made sense,” neighbor Megan Kelle told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Everybody in the community would just tell him they are just kids having fun playing. Just let them be.” The shooting happened Saturday night in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. Police were at Goodman’s apartment building Sunday, interviewing people and collecting evidence, hours after the shooting.“Before he shot her, he had said something about them being too loud,” Kelley said.After the shooting, Goodman was tackled by Sarabi’s father and shot during a struggle, according to a police report. He was taken to a hospital.“He ran over there, football-tackled this guy,”...

Movie Review: ‘Gran Turismo’ movie drifts into cliches and video game aesthetics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:40 GMT

In 2006, a Nissan marketing executive had a truly insane idea to create a competition and an “academy” to turn gamers into race car drivers. Darren Cox saw an untapped market of potential car-buyers in Gran Turismo enthusiasts – the popular PlayStation racing simulator that first came on the market in 1997. And in the third year of the “GT Academy,” an actual star emerged in a 19-year-old British kid named Jann Mardenborough, who would go on to become a professional driver, just like he dreamed.It’s a fine and lucrative idea for a movie — an inspirational underdog story in which brands like Nissan and PlayStation, a Sony company which also owns the studio behind the movie, can take partial credit for and help underwrite. And it couldn’t come at a better time, when F1 is exploding in popularity in the United States thanks in part to the Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” But “Gran Turismo” has taken this opportunity and made the cliché version in this year of movies like “Barbie” and...