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Putin lauds Russian unity in his New Year’s address as Ukraine war overshadows celebration

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s “united society” in his prerecorded New Year’s address to the nation, the country’s state news agencies reported Sunday. Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year’s speech he gave last year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023 on Sunday. The first to see it were residents of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Chukotka region in Russia’s Far East, some nine hours ahead of Moscow. Returning to tradition after speaking flanked by soldiers last year, Putin delivered his address to the nation against the backdrop of a snowy Kremlin. In remarks carried by RIA Novosti, he described 2023 as a year marked by high levels of unity in Russian society.“What united us and unites us is the fate of the Fatherland, a deep under...

Sen. Fetterman says he thought news about his depression treatment would end his political career

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. John Fetterman acknowledges having “dark conversations” about harming himself before he hit “the emergency brake” and sought treatment for depression.He remembers thinking about his three school-age kids. “I can’t be a blueprint for my children. I can’t let them be left alone or not to understand why he would have done that,” the first-term Pennsylvania Democrat told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in a deeply personal and introspective interview taped before the broadcast that aired Sunday.So he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, last Feb. 15. “There was nowhere else to go,” he said, describing how he often felt during his stay that “there wasn’t any hope sometimes and like, ‘What do I have left?’”He also wondered whether he would survive politically.“When it got released where I was and where it was going, it was a big story. And so, I had assumed that that would be the end of my career,” he said.When he sought tr...

Changes coming to US Postal Service prices in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

(WHTM) - The price to ship your letters and packages is going up in the new year.Starting Jan. 21, 2024, the price for a First-Class Forever U.S. Postage Stamp will increase from 66 cents to 68 cents, according to the U.S. Postal Service.The prices for domestic postcard stamps will also increase by two cents from 51 cents to 53 cents and international postcards will increase from $1.50 to $1.55.In addition to stamp prices increasing, the price to send priority mail and other postal services will also increase on Jan. 21. The states that are — and aren’t — raising their minimum wages in 2024 USPS Ground Advantage prices will increase by 5.4 percent, Priority Mail service prices will increase by 5.7 percent, and Priority Mail Express service prices will increase by 5.9 percent.The price for USPS Connect Local will remain unchanged. "As inflationary pressures on operating expenses continue and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjus...

Abortion, reprimands, elections: Central Indiana's top political stories of 2023

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS -- As a major election year approaches, many of 2023's major political headlines are expected to make an impact on how Hoosiers approach 2024 - including Indiana's near-total abortion ban, the various 2023 mayoral races and the ongoing reprimand process with Indiana Attorney General, and 2024 candidate, Todd Rokita. As the year comes to a close, take a look at some of the top political stories from Indianapolis and throughout Central Indiana that occurred in 2023. Indiana Near-Total Abortion Ban Even though Senate Enrolled Act No. 1 was passed in August 2022, Indiana's near-total abortion ban was officially implemented throughout the state this year after legal challenges delayed the bill's impact. In late June, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled the state's near-total ban did not violate the state constitution, overturning a county judge's ruling which said the ban "likely (violated)" the constitution's privacy protections. This ruling previously allowed the state to cont...

Cold front sweeps through, bringing flurries and brisk winds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A cold front is on its way through the region this morning. We could see a few flurries behind this front, mainly along and north of I-70. Mostly cloudy, colder, and brisk northwesterly winds today behind the front. Highs in the 30s with wind chills in the 20s. It will be a cold New Year's Eve night, with temperatures near freezing around midnight. Similar tomorrow, but sunshine returns and temperatures will be near 40 degrees. Otherwise, a dry and quiet week is ahead until precipitation chances return late on Friday. We'll be watching for a chance of a wintry mix.

1 dead, multiple hospitalized after shooting near strip mall in Hawthorne 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

A woman died and multiple people were hospitalized after a shooting near a strip mall in Hawthorne, authorities said. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the shooting was first reported to the Hawthorne Police Department just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning in the 3100 block of Rosecrans Avenue.  Police shut down streets near Torrance mall due to large crowd disturbance First responders located multiple gunshot victims at the scene. They were taken to nearby hospitals in varying conditions, including one woman said to be in grave condition. She later succumbed to her injuries, LASD said. Authorities on the scene of a deadly shooting in Hawthorne, CA on Dec. 31, 2023. (OnSceneTV)Authorities on the scene of a deadly shooting in Hawthorne, CA on Dec. 31, 2023. (OnSceneTV)Evidence markers were also seen littering the strip mall parking lot centered around a tow truck. (OnSceneTV)The blocked off strip mall parking lot. (KTLA)Authorities could ...

Bodycam video shows L.A. County deputy fatally shoot armed woman 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

Newly released bodycam footage depicts the moment a woman armed with a kitchen knife was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy. The video, which was made public by the department on Friday, shows deputies responding to an apartment building in the 2100 block of East Avenue J-8 in Lancaster on Dec. 4 regarding a domestic violence call. Included with the footage is the audio of the initial call made by Niani Finlayson, 27, to police requesting their help for a man who “[would not] get out of her house.”  Gypsy Rose Blanchard posts ‘first selfie of freedom’ after release from prison Finlayson could be heard over the phone screaming and struggling with the man, later identified as her boyfriend. “This man, he won’t get out of my house now...and I already told him to get out of my house...” she told the dispatcher before another struggle ensued. “I need the police here right now [because] he won’t get his hands off me.” Niani Finl...

Los Gatos High student musicians represent at state level

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

On a high noteIn addition to winning multiple local honors, student musicians from Los Gatos High School have been selected to represent their school in regional, state and national competitions.The Los Gatos High Marching Band and Color Guard placed first in their class at the Scarlet Regiment Tournament of Bands in Hollister in October and earned awards for Best Visual, Best Effect and Best Music. The marching band marched the parade route on Main Street at Disneyland in November as a Disneyland Imagination Campus Marching Band.Los Gatos High students were well-represented in ensembles representing the county and the state. The Santa Clara County Honor Band included oboist Kian Egami and clarinetist Lucas Xu, while cellist Brian Ha, violist Jenna Kim and flutist Ethan Shi made the California All-State Band and Orchestra.Los Gatos High students accepted into the California Choral Directors Association Regional Honors Choir included Isabella Argonza, Shaurya Banjara, Brianne Blum, L...

Registration is open for Campbell’s Valentine Fun Run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

Valentine Fun RunRegistration is open for the Campbell Recreation Department’s Valentine Fun Run/Walk 10K, 5K and Kids’ Dash, set for Feb. 10 at 9 a.m. The starting line is at Gilman Park. Register at https://secure.rec1.com/CA/campbell-ca/catalog/index by Jan. 29 to receive a race day shirt and medal. Fees are $25-$45.CERT Academy registrationResidents can learn the skills needed to care help themselves and their community through a crisis by becoming a Community Emergency Response Team member. The next training academy hosted by Santa Clara County Fire starts on Jan. 30. Register at https://www.sccfd.org/education-and-preparedness-overview/emergency-preparedness/cert.Clean energy grantsStudents from kindergarten to community college are eligible for an Education Fund grant from Silicon Valley Clean Energy toward realizing solutions to climate change.The Sunnyvale-based nonprofit is awarding grants of up to $10,000 for students’ projects, which can range from a climate conference f...

In 2024, California employers can no longer punish employees for using marijuana outside work

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:09:14 GMT

By Andrew Sheeler | Sacramento BeeBeginning Monday, California employers will be barred from discriminating against employees who use marijuana in their off hours.Assembly Bill 2188 requires employers to change how they test for marijuana use among employees, using tests that show current impairment and not just past usage. The law carves out some exceptions, such as for those who work in the construction trades.“Technology to test for marijuana impairment has actually advanced quite a bit, so basically employers can now just test for THC the psychoactive component in cannabis and that can show impairment,” said Los Angeles-based attorney Bernard Alexander in a statement. “Most of the older tests detect the non-psychoactive metabolites, which can stay in a person’s system for weeks. So, a worker can test positive when they’re not high or impaired at all.”California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2188 into law in September 2022, but a provision of the...