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Arizona to cancel leases allowing Saudi-owned farm access to state’s groundwater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arizona governor Katie Hobbs said this week her administration is terminating state land leases that for years have given a Saudi-owned farm nearly unfettered access to pump groundwater in the dry southwestern state. On Monday, Hobbs, a Democrat, said the state had canceled Fondomonte Arizona’s lease in western Arizona’s Butler Valley and would not renew three other leases up for renewal there next year.An investigation by the governor’s office found that the foreign-owned farm had violated some of its lease terms. Hobbs called it unacceptable that the farm “continued to pump unchecked amounts of groundwater out of our state while in clear default on their lease.” Fondomonte Arizona, a subsidiary of Saudi dairy giant Almarai Co., grows alfalfa in Arizona that feeds livestock in the water-stressed Gulf kingdom. Through a spokesperson, Fondomonte said it would appeal the governor’s decision to terminate its 640-acre (259-hectare) lease in Butl...

Antisemitic acts, hate crimes increasing in Illinois: ADL report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

CHICAGO — The Anti-Defamation League reports antisemitic acts, hate crimes and white supremacist activities are increasing in Illinois.The new report, titled Hate in the Prairie State, shows that while Illinois is ahead of the curve when it comes to lessening hate crimes, more is needed to address the issue. "Hate has been mainstreamed," said David Goldenberg with the Anti-Defamation League. Chicago Migrant Crisis: 17K asylum seekers transported since August 2022 A deep dive into hate speech, attacks and extremism shows an 80% increase in Illinois since 2021, pointing to high-profile incidents such as the anti-LGBTQ vandalism at a now-closed Lake in the Hills bakery last year. Another incident referenced was the firebombing of a women’s clinic downstate.Locally, authorities probed a member of the Chicago Police Department with ties to the Proud Boys. Lee Zoldan with the Chicago Loop Synagogue worries about the ramifications of hate. "This should not be happening in the United Sta...

Tiny box mimics the body to help test drugs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

CHICAGO — New drug development starts in a lab, then moves to animal and ultimately human models. Now scientists thinking outside the box want to add an extra safety step — inside a box designed to mimic the human organ system.The box is not much bigger than a shoe box and is thought of as a tiny human body.Hannes Campo, PhD is a researcher with Northwestern Medicine.“This is the closest thing we can do to recreate the human body outside of the human body,” Campo said.Called the “lattice,” Campo and other Northwestern Medicine researchers developed the system to test experimental drugs on a variety of organs after animal studies and ahead of human clinical trials.Julie Kim, PhD also worked on the project.“Many of the drugs tested in animals that have succeeded move onto clinical phase one trials to look at toxicity,” she said. “But an animal is an animal and what we need is representation of human tissues.”  More from Med Watch: What is an inverse vaccine and how can it rever...

Pritzker contacts White House, local officials worried about migrant crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

CHICAGO — As Chicago's humanitarian crisis escalates, Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson warned the White House the situation is becoming untenable.According to Pritzker, he received correspondence from the White House Tuesday, 24 hours after delivering a message to the White House on the migrant situation in Chicago, where City officials are expecting as many as 25 busloads of asylum seekers to arrive each day."I have spoken to the White House since even over the weekend and the letter to make sure that they heard us and that they want to be responsive," Pritzker said. "And they’ve said that they want to be responsive to those things."Pritzker is asking for a point person to coordinate federal help for migrants, temporary protected status application fees to be waived, and employment authorization for Venezuelans. He said he is also seeking Medicaid waivers and housing vouchers for new arrivals in the City.As of Tuesday morning, 9,827 migrants were in Chicago shelters, ...

McCarthy won't run for Speaker again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) informed members of his conference Tuesday night that he will not run for Speaker again after the House voted to oust him from the post hours earlier, multiple lawmakers confirmed to The Hill.The House voted 216-210 to remove McCarthy as Speaker, a mutiny led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and joined by seven Republicans and every Democrat.McCarthy delivered the news to his conference in a closed-door meeting to discuss next steps.“Everybody was kind of stunned,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) told reporters.The House is not expected to vote on a new Speaker this week.The GOP conference will have a candidate forum next Tuesday to select their pick for the job, with Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) presiding."So between now and then there's gonna be a lot obviously a lot of work to be done to try to consider and vet and discuss and compare notes and see who can build a coalition for support and then we as a conference will hear from them and challenge th...

New law could mean fewer parks, less services as Austin continue to grow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Over the next few years, Austin could see fewer and smaller parks as the city continues to grow."Up to 97% less park acreage," Robynne Heymans, with the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department, said.HB 1526 recently passed which requires Austin to make changes to the current parkland dedication ordinance.City rules used to require 9.4 acres of parkland in a development for every 1,000 residents."This new bill reduces that," Heymanns said.Now depending on where a development goes, it could be three acres or as low as 0.075 acres for every 1,000 people. Austin mayor: Zilker Park Vision Plan ‘shelved,’ future plans will focus on common goals The bill's language pointed to how some developers had a harder time moving forward with projects because of those limitations. The new law only impacts multifamily and hotel and motel developments."It is also likely that we will see our level of service decline," Heymanns said.That's because the fees Austin can impose on...

'Comfortable': Quinn Ewers enters Red River Rivalry different than last year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It doesn't get bigger than Texas vs. Oklahoma for a native Texan who grew up watching the Red River Rivalry."I'd been to that game growing up," Longhorns sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers said. "I was always in the stands. Being able to run out there was a pretty good experience. I wanted to soak it in because I know how long I wanted to be there in that position." Texas RB Jonathon Brooks honors father’s memory with every touchdown for No. 3 Longhorns Ewers grew up in Southlake, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and clearly was soaking in the moment playing in the game last season. He also played his best game of his redshirt freshman season going 21-31 through the air for 289 yards and four touchdowns."They got new people over there," Ewers said about this year's Oklahoma team. "They're obviously better at what they do than they were last year. Super excited for the opportunity."Ewers has seemed much more confident this fall. He missed a portion of the...

Texas RB Jonathon Brooks honors father's memory with every touchdown for No. 3 Longhorns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

AUSTIN (AP) — When Texas running back Jonathon Brooks gets to the end zone, he celebrates with a tap of his right forearm.It is a quick and subtle gesture that can be easy to miss, but it's a powerful one for Brooks. His arm is tattooed with the Roman numerals for 3-28-22, for March 28, 2022, the date his father James “Skip” Brooks died at age 49 after long struggles with kidney failure. ‘The best setting in college football’: Red River Rivalry week begins for No. 3 Texas, No. 12 Oklahoma “I really just miss, whenever I have success, the smile on his face,” Brooks said. “I think about that every time I score.”Brooks has been the breakout player for No. 3 Texas through the first five games of 2023. He leads the league in rushing with 597 yards and has scored five touchdowns for the Longhorns (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) heading into Saturday's showdown with No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0). He has three scores of 37 yards or longer.In an offense full of big-play potential, coach...

The streak is over: Twins beat Blue Jays to win first postseason game since 2004

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

Pablo López showed up to the ballpark on Tuesday afternoon wearing a look of determination and the jersey of his boyhood hero. Nearly 7,000 days ago, that man, Johan Santana pitched the Twins to a postseason victory in Game 1 of the 2004 American League Division Series.Decades of playoff misery and disappointment followed as the Twins went on an 18-game postseason losing streak, the longest in North American professional sports, that spanned 19 years and 18 games.That all came to an end on Tuesday with the Twins putting behind an unfortunate narrative that has followed them around for years to rest. López, rookie Royce Lewis, who hit two home runs, and the Twins’ defense and bullpen made sure of it. Their efforts led the Twins to a 3-1 win on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Target Field, leaving them one win away from advancing to the ALDS.Fans line up to enter the stadium before Game 1 of an AL wild-card baseball playoff series between the Minnesota Twins and...

Double drowning confirmed in St. Croix River

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

The bodies of two men were pulled from the St. Croix River, just south of the Interstate 94 bridge, on Tuesday a few hours after a fishing boat was seen unoccupied and spinning in circles near Town of Troy, Wis., Beach.A boater called 911 at 9:35 a.m. Tuesday to report seeing “an unoccupied boat doing circles in the middle of the St. Croix River,” said St. Croix County, Wis., Sheriff Scott Knudson. “They also thought they saw a body next to the boat.”When deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrived by boat, however, they could not locate anyone in the water, Knudson said. Members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team found the body of the first man at 12:20 p.m.; the second man’s body was located shortly before 6 p.m. Their names were not immediately released pending positive identification and family notification.The men’s bodies were found about 650 yards from the Wisconsin shore; the St. Croix River is 30 to 40 feet deep at that point in...