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Biden rolls out budget plan, challenges GOP to follow suit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — As political gridlock puts the government at risk of defaulting, President Joe Biden on Thursday made an opening bid with a budget plan that would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade — a proposal that Republicans already intend to reject.It’s part of a broader attempt by the president to call out House Republicans who are demanding severe cuts to spending in return for lifting the government’s legal borrowing limit. But the GOP has no counteroffer so far, other than a flat “no” to a Biden blueprint with tax increases on the wealthy that could form the policy backbone of Biden’s yet-to-be-declared campaign for reelection in 2024.Striding around a stage at a union training center in Philadelphia, Biden seemed to be in full campaign mode as he spoke about his plan for the government’s finances and how his values contrasted with Republican priorities.“I just laid out the bulk of my budget,” Biden said. “Republicans in Congress s...

‘The best is yet to come’: 93-year-old writes song about life lessons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Herb Williams is a naturally gifted musician who has played the piano for most of his life with no formal training. Last year, he finally wrote and recorded his very first song at the age of 93.“When I was four years old, my mom popped me on the bench and said ‘keep hitting the keys. I’ll know where you are,'” says Herb of his musical beginnings.While his sister received lessons, Williams explains that he was able to play by ear without needing sheet music or any other instruction.Given his natural talent, Williams was an obvious choice for a program called ‘Lyrics and Legacies’ at Amica Senior Lifestyles, where he is a resident.“It was developed in partnership with Roy Thompson Hall and Massey Hall as a way to help connect our seniors with premium musical experiences that provided deep connections while we were in COVID restrictions,” explains Ashley Sumler, director of quality of life at Amica.The program pairs residents with profess...

Security guard hospitalized after Wacker Drive bank robbery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

CHICAGO — A security guard has been hospitalized after being shot during an attempted bank robbery in downtown Chicago Thursday.According to police, law enforcement responded to an armed robbery at the Fifth Third Bank on South Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago just before 3 p.m. Thursday evening.WGN-TV crews were able to confirm that a suspect shot out a window during the armed robbery before fleeing the scene. Pedestrians told WGN-TV crews that cash could be seen flying around outside the bank.A 59-year-old bank security guard confronted the suspect when they pulled out a gun and began shooting.The security guard produced his service weapon and fired back at the suspect. The 59-year-old was shot in the shoulder before the suspect fled the scene eastbound on Madison Ave.The security guard was transported to Northwestern Hospital in good condition.No further information has been made available at this time.Stay with WGN-TV as this story develops.

Biden's budget proposal earmarks $350 million for CTA Red Line extension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden’s budget proposal, aimed to cut deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade, includes big plans for Chicago transit. Biden's budget earmarks $350 million for the CTA Red Line expansion. The proposal is part of a recommendation by the Biden-Harris administration to advance 18 major transit projects across 11 states, including Illinois. SEE ALSO | Biden to seek more than $2.8B from Congress for cancer fightThe proposal will see the CTA Red Line Extension project add 5.6 miles of rail to Chicago’s Far South Side, reducing commute times, improving mobility and accessibility for transit-dependent residents, and promoting economic development, the United States Department of Transportation announced in a release on Thursday. The project would extend the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street and include four additional stops: a new terminal at 130th Street and three other stops at 103rd, 111th, and Michigan Avenue. Parking facilities and mult...

You should change your password now on these 5 platforms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

(KDVR) — Have you ever received an email saying one of your accounts has been compromised and you need to update your security information? You're not alone. Scam alert: Can you stop those fake texts? "With hacking becoming increasingly sophisticated, regular users are bearing the brunt of it. Certain social media accounts are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks," Deyan Georgiev of VPN Central said.What accounts are being targeted most by hackers?VPN Central analyzed ten platforms and their average monthly searches in relation to cybercrime, using terms like account hacked, hacking, and hack.The research showed the following came out on top for hacking-related searches:Facebook: 67,940 searchesInstagram: 36,220 searchesSpotify: 25,920 searchesTwitch: 10,800 searchesAmazon: 6,170 searchesVPN Central also took a look at Snapchat, Twitter, Gmail and Microsoft, though those platforms ranked much lower in hacking-related searches.If you have accounts on any of the top 5 platforms, m...

Shooting at Jehovah's Witness hall in Hamburg causes deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Shots were fired inside a church in the northern German city of Hamburg on Thursday night, and an unspecified number of people were killed or wounded, police said.Police said on Twitter that the shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district, a few kilometers (miles) north of the downtown area of Germany's second-biggest city.They said that “several people were seriously wounded, some of them fatally," but didn't give a precise figure.German news agency dpa reported seeing rescue services taking people out of a building used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The shooting happened around 9 p.m.Further details on what happened and on any possible motive weren’t immediately available.

TX iWatch needs 'significant improvements,' Sandy Hook nonprofit says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Almost a year after the Uvalde mass shooting, education leaders from around the country met in Austin Thursday to talk about how to prevent the next one. "I am thinking about Dylan every single day," said Nicole Hockley, whose six-year-old son was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary a little over a decade ago. Hockley co-founded the nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise as a way to honor Dylan and protect her other son who survived. At the South By Southwest Education conference, she spoke with education leaders about the importance of age appropriate training for elementary, middle and high schoolers to spot warning signs for someone at risk of harming themselves or others.Anonymous reporting is an "incredibly important tool," she said."We know it saves lives," said Hockley. "It tells you what youth are thinking, what they need, help us deliver the right programs and policies for them. But it saves lives every single day from suicide and school shootings."Karen Fairley with N...

Minnesota adds 14,100 jobs in January, unemployment at 2.9%

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Minnesota gained 14,100 jobs in January, and the state unemployment rate remained at 2.9%, the state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development reported Thursday.The jobs gains from December were up 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis, with the private sector gaining 12,000 jobs, also up 0.5%. The revised labor force participation rate remained 68.1%; this measures the portion of the population that is working or actively seeking work. The January gains contrast with December, when the state reported a loss of about 5,200 jobs.The state data compare to a national unemployment rate of 3.4% and a revised labor force participation rate of 62.4% over the same period. The U.S. reported a gain of 517,000 jobs from December to January.“Our tight labor market continues to provide great opportunities for job seekers and challenges for many employers,” said interim DEED Commissioner Kevin McKinnon in a news release. “DEED will continue outreach to Minnesotans who remain on the ...

Though Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns is ‘live,’ return doesn’t appear imminent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said this week that Karl-Anthony Towns, out since late November with a calf strain, has started doing what he called “live action” work. On Thursday, the coach defined what live action truly means.“Working with the (player development) coach against controlled defense, 1-on-1, maybe a little a 2-on-2 concepts, stuff like that,” Finch said. “It’s not super-intense or anything like that; it’s just more trying to get him comfortable feeling where he is right now in that.”Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels said Towns “didn’t look like he was stumbling or didn’t lose a step,” adding that he is seeing the center “getting back to himself.”“He ain’t really put up no shots,” McDaniels added, “but he was just getting up and down, playing defense. Like, he was moving good laterally. So, it was good to see.”Finch said Towns can “feel like he’s got the bit in ...

Advocates call for more higher education funding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--On Thursday at the Capitol, advocates called on state lawmakers to include more funding for higher education in the state budget. Some of governor’s proposals include $270 million in new operating support and $1.5 billion in new capital projects for SUNY and CUNY Campuses.Andy Pallota, President of New York State United Teachers union would like to see an increase of $4.5 billion dollars for higher education in the final state budget."We need to fully fund our education system— our public higher education system because in reality, it gives us liberty," said Joshua Chan, UAlbany Student and member of SUNY Student AssemblyChan said he wants the state legislature allow TAP to be expanded to cover other expenses besides tuition as well as an increase TAP eligibility. Senator Andrew Gounardes sponsors legislation called the New Deal for CUNY, which would move CUNY to a tuition free model and increase the ratio of faculty and mental health councilors for full-time ...