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Opinion: Stop scapegoating CEQA for California’s affordable housing crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

Governor Newsom recently signed a slew of bills eliminating the requirement that government agencies disclose the public health and environmental impacts of most infill housing developments in California. Infill is generally defined as development in urban centers, close to mass transit, jobs and infrastructure.The sponsors of these bills claim that eliminating environmental review will address the current shortage in affordable housing, but lawmakers’ decision to blame environmental regulation for the shortages is misinformed. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the state’s preeminent environmental law, has already been streamlined in multiple ways to spur housing development, yet still not enough affordable housing is being constructed. Our leaders must focus on other, more effective ways to promote affordable housing.Environmental regulation is not a significant barrier to housing. For example, in San Francisco, there are now over 58,000 entitled housing units that r...

Feldman: Supreme Court should make clear Trump is not above the law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

Should former president Donald Trump be immune from federal criminal prosecution for his conduct in the run-up to Jan. 6? He’s argued both that his position as president should make him immune from prosecution and that because the Senate did not convict him after he was impeached, criminal charges would amount to a kind of double jeopardy.A federal district court has already thrown out those arguments. The special counsel, Jack Smith, has now asked the U.S. Supreme Court to fast track a decision.It would be unusual but not unheard of for the justices to decide the issue before the court of appeals has ruled. But the high court should agree to decide the case now — and rule quickly that no such immunity exists under the Constitution.The legal questions in this case aren’t close calls. The president is not above the law. Impeachment is not a criminal trial that would preclude subsequent prosecution. And Trump isn’t even in office, so there is no risk that his trial would disrupt...

WTOP Book Report: ‘Perfect Little Lives’ mixes murder mystery, romance and social commentary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

This story was written as part of the WTOP Book Report series authored by Terik King. Read more of that coverage. How far will a person go to find justice and truth?(Courtesy Graydon House / HarperCollins)This and many other questions confront the lead character in twin authors Amber and Danielle Brown’s new mystery/suspense novel, “Perfect Little Lives.”“The working title of this book was called ‘Closure,'” Amber Brown told WTOP.The book’s events swirl around one key theme: Is closure worth it?“Sometimes you might get that closure and not like what you get,” Amber said.In “Perfect Little Lives,” readers follow the journey of Simone, a millennial Black woman raised in New Jersey and living and working in New York City.She doesn’t tell people that she’s from New Jersey, though, “because she has some sordid things about her past that she doesn’t really want to get out there,” Amber said.Simone’s sense of order in her carefully rebuilt life is disrupted wh...

Senate not ready to give up on border deal, including Ukraine and Israel aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)(AP/Susan Walsh) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., during a visit to Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)(AP/Susan Walsh) House members are now home for the holidays, but Senators are continuing to hammer away at an agreement on the Southern border, which would put an end to the impasse that’s holding up billions of dollars...

13 desconocidos que quedaron varados en un aeropuerto se embarcaron juntos en un viaje por carretera hace un año. Así les cambió la vida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

(CNN) — En diciembre del año pasado, tras la inesperada cancelación de su vuelo de Orlando a Knoxville, 13 desconocidos se juntaron, alquilaron una furgoneta y se pusieron en camino.Fue una decisión espontánea que una de las pasajeras, Alanah Story, relató en una serie de videos publicados en TikTok. Lo realista de la situación, junto con el entusiasta reparto de personajes, cautivó rápidamente a los usuarios de las redes sociales.Los pasajeros de la furgoneta procedían de todo el mundo y cada uno tenía un motivo diferente para viajar ese día. Carlos Cordero, que se convirtió en el conductor principal y líder de facto del grupo, y su entonces prometida, Laura Puckering, llevaban a su hija adolescente Mikayla Puckering a visitar la Universidad de Tennessee. También estaban Alanah y su madre, Renee Fortner, que volvían a casa de unas vacaciones en la playa. Mientras tanto, Michelle Miller, una influencer conocida como @thefarmbabe, tenía una ponencia en una conferencia en Knoxvi...

Services to be held for National Grid worker killed in Waltham work site crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

Family members and friends of the National Grid worker who was killed in last week’s deadly crash in Waltham gathered for his fun wake and funeral on Saturday. Roderick Jackson, 36, was killed last Wednesday along with Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey when a man in a pickup truck allegedly struck them at a worksite on Totten Pond Road. Tracey was laid to rest on Friday after his funeral in Waltham. Jackson’s funeral services are being held at St. Paul AME church in Cambridge.“Oh my God,” said Jackson’s mother, Norma Asprilla, on Friday. “I’m burying my baby. Horrific.”“He supported all of us to the fullest,” said Jackson’s brother, Manuel Asprilla-Hassan. “He didn’t just mean everything to us, he was everything to us and we lost it all.”Known as “Kito” to his siblings and mother, Jackson’s family said he had been working for National Grid for three years when he was killed. “After tomorrow, I will never get to see him again,” said Norma Asprilla. “It’s painful for all of us.”...

Wedding band, engagement ring dropped in Salvation kettle outside Waltham Market Basket

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

A Salvation Army worker in Waltham were surprised to find a wedding band and an engagement ring in their kettle. The rings donated outside the Waltham Market Basket were accompanied by a note: “This ring is being given in love for a second time. Like the first time, I hope this ring will bring joy and make a difference.”

Black Ohio woman criminally charged after miscarriage underscores the perils of pregnancy post-Roe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio was in the throes of a bitter debate over abortion rights this fall when Brittany Watts, 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant, began passing thick blood clots.The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made her first prenatal visit to a doctor’s office behind Mercy Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren, a working-class city about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Cleveland.The doctor said that, while a fetal heartbeat was still present, Watts’ water had broken prematurely and the fetus she was carrying would not survive. He advised heading to the hospital to have her labor induced, so she could have what amounted to an abortion to deliver the nonviable fetus. Otherwise, she would face “significant risk” of death, records of her case show.That was a Tuesday in September. What followed was a harrowing three days entailing: multiple trips to the hospital; Watts miscarrying into, and then flushing and plun...

Four under-the-radar Patriots players to watch Week 15 vs. Chiefs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

The Patriots are set to play their game of the season without any playoff contention on the line.Officially eliminated from the playoffs Sunday, the Patriots are only playing for draft positioning and pride at this point.Head coach Bill Belichick will likely still preach doing what’s best for the team in the final four weeks of the season. At this point, that should be with an eye toward the future as the Patriots get a look at more inexperienced players.Here are four to watch this week against the Chiefs.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Chiefs preview: Can the Pats upset Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid? New England Patriots | NFL Notes: Inside the Dirty Show, one of the last hallmarks of the Patriots dynasty New England Patriots | Patriots-Chiefs injury report: Bill Belichick adds 2 starters to 7 questionable for Sunday New England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains Patriots veteran running back’s l...

Putin supporters formally nominate him as independent candidate in Russian presidential election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘s supporters on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, state news agencies reported. The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters is mandatory under Russian election law for those not running on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures in their support. The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures. “Whoever is ready to support the candidacy of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for the post of president of Russia, please vote. Who’s in favor?” Mikhail Kuznetsov, head of the executive committee of the People’s Front, asked those gathered. The People’s Front is a political coalition, founded in 2011 by Putin.After the vote, Kuznetsov announced that the group had voted unanimously to nominate Putin.According...