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Judge tosses school voucher challenge in NH

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a leader of one of New Hampshire’s teachers’ unions to stop public dollars from being spent to fund private schools through the Education Freedom Account program, saying she has not shown that it violates the state constitution.The lawsuit was filed in Merrimack County Superior Court last year. It sought an injunction to stop the voucher-like program.Deb Howes, president of the American Federation of Teachers New Hampshire, had said the program runs afoul of the constitution because money from the state’s education trust fund is specifically set aside for public education and cannot be used for private purposes.The state had moved to dismiss the case, arguing that Howes failed to make a claim that the program was illegal or unconstitutional.A judge ruled Monday that Howes failed to allege facts supporting her claims. The judge also ruled that Howes’ challenge to the state’s use of education trust ...

Some Mass General Brigham primary care practices have limited spots for new patients: ‘Deeply concerned’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have limited spots for new primary care patients at some practices, as the Massachusetts Medical Society warns that the lack of doctors in the state is a “major public health crisis.”Certain primary care practices in Boston at Mass General Hospital, along with Brigham and Women’s, have limited space for new patients, Mass General Brigham confirmed on Wednesday.“While capacity for new primary care patients is limited at select practices at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, there is availability in the Mass General Brigham system for new primary care patients,” the health care giant said in a statement.“We have primary care availability in practices associated with our community hospitals, in our suburban community physician practices, and with our affiliated practices throughout the region, including One Medical,” Mass General Brigham a...

Patriots veteran leader relays message for Mac Jones after benching

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots head into their bye week in a place no team wants to be: without an obvious answer at starting quarterback.Mac Jones was benched in the final minutes of the Patriots’ Week 10 loss to the Colts after throwing a red-zone interception. Head coach Bill Belichick handed the reins to backup Bailey Zappe in a two-minute drill while trailing 10-6, and he tossed his own pick.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Three Patriots assistants named in NFL head coach watch list New England Patriots | Patriots make Mac Jones look like starting QB in practice after benching New England Patriots | Callahan: Mac Jones has lost the locker room and 6 more Patriots thoughts at the bye New England Patriots | Mac Jones says he hasn’t been told if he’s still Patriots starting QB New England Patriots | Patriots captain reacts to Jack Jones release with disappointment In the Patriots...

Hospital director in Haiti says police rescued women and children after gangs surround facility

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

By EVENS SANON (Associated Press)PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A heavily armed gang surrounded a hospital in Haiti on Wednesday, trapping women, children and newborns inside until police rescued them, according to the director of the medical center who pleaded for help via social media.Jose Ulysse, founder and director of the Fontaine Hospital Center in the sprawling Cite Soleil slum in the capital of Port-au-Prince, told The Associated Press that gangs were torching homes surrounding the hospital and preventing everyone inside from leaving. He had earlier said that it appeared gangs had entered the hospital.Ulysse said Haiti’s National Police responded to his call for help and and arrived with three armored trucks to evacuate 40 children and 70 patients to a private home in a safer part of the city. Among those delicately evacuated were children on oxygen, he said.“Gangs are in total control of the area,” he said. A spokesman for Haiti’s National Police...

Tribe in Oklahoma sues city of Tulsa for continuing to ticket Native American drivers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Muscogee (Creek) Nation filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the city of Tulsa, arguing Tulsa police are continuing to ticket Native American drivers within the tribe’s reservation boundaries despite a recent federal appeals court ruling that they lacked jurisdiction to do so.The tribe filed the lawsuit in federal court in Tulsa against the city, Mayor G.T. Bynum, Chief of Police Wendell Franklin and City Attorney Jack Blair.The litigation is just the latest clash in Oklahoma over tribal sovereignty since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 ruling, dubbed McGirt, that the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s sprawling reservation, which includes much of Tulsa, remains intact. That ruling has since been expanded by lower courts to include several other Native American reservations covering essentially the eastern half of the state.Since that ruling, Tulsa began referring felony and criminal misdemeanor offenses by Native Americans within Muscog...

Israel and Switzerland draw 1-1 in Euro 2024 qualifying game in Hungary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

FELCSUT, Hungary (AP) — A European Championship qualifying game between Switzerland and Israel ended with a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, a match that brought the Israeli team to Hungary after all scheduled games in Tel Aviv were postponed due to the Israel-Hamas war.The match was one of two “home games” Israel is hosting in Felcsut, a Hungarian village of around 1,900 people, as it chases a qualifying place in the Euro 2024 continental championship. If the team qualifies, it will be its first time since joining the European soccer federation in 1994.Ahead of the game, fans draped in Israeli flags gathered outside the heavily guarded stadium, singing chants as their team’s bus arrived.The mood was celebratory, but some fans — some of whom traveled from as far away as Israel to attend the match — were solemn in describing the significance of the contest.“We’re going through a very, very difficult time right now, and it just felt right,” said Aaron Morali, an Israeli fan who drov...

Jurors begin deliberating in the trial of the man who attacked Nancy Pelosi’s husband

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A lawyer for the man who broke into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and attacked her husband told a federal jury Wednesday that David DePape was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with her official duties as a member of Congress, making the charges against him invalid.David DePape, 43, is charged with attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official in the Oct. 28, 2022, attack against Paul Pelosi. During her rebuttal, prosecutor Helen Gilbert said the defense had made a false distinction between Nancy Pelosi’s politics and official duties and that DePape didn’t differentiate between the two. DePape pleaded not guilty, but during testimony on Tuesday admitted to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer while trying to carry out a plan to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. Federal public defender Angela Chuang told the jury during her closing statement ...

Carbon price carve-out for heating oil muddied waters in Senate on other bill: Simons

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

OTTAWA — A Conservative private member’s bill to exempt more fuel used by farmers from the carbon price is stirring up intense lobbying efforts in the Senate, and leaving the Liberals on the verge of being forced to carve up their signature climate policy even more.Alberta Sen. Paula Simons said that the effort to convince senators of how to vote on this bill is extreme from both sides of the debate.She said she’s concerned that rhetoric is outpacing reality in every direction.“I’ve never been lobbied like this on private member’s bill,” Simons said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “This bill has become symbolic and it’s being used as a wedge issue.”Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has already made eliminating the carbon price the centrepiece of his political messaging ahead of the next federal election, has launched a full-on campaign to get the bill passed. That includes new ads launched on Wednesday.The premie...

SpaceX will try again to launch its mega rocket into orbit after first attempt ended in an explosion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX is aiming for another test flight of its mega rocket on Friday after getting final approval from federal regulators. The first launch of Starship ended in an explosion minutes after lifting off from South Texas in April. The Federal Aviation Administration issued its license Wednesday, noting that SpaceX has met safety, environmental and other requirements to launch again. Elon Musk’s rocket company said it was targeting Friday morning.After the self-destruct system blew up the rocket over the Gulf of Mexico, SpaceX made dozens of improvements to the nearly 400-foot (121-meter) rocket and to the launch pad, which ended up with a large crater beneath it.SpaceX has a $3 billion NASA contract to land astronauts on the lunar surface as early as 2025, using the spacecraft.A month ago, the FAA completed its safety review of the upcoming Starship launch. It needed more time to wrap up its environmental review. No one was injured in the first attemp...

Haitian gang leader added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for kidnapping and killing Americans

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:05 GMT

MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) — The FBI added a Haitian gang leader to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Wednesday for the kidnapping and slaying of American missionaries in that country, but conceded capturing him will be a difficult task in the often lawless nation. In conjunction with the announcement, the U.S. State Department said it will pay up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest of Vitel’Homme Innocent, who is known by his first name only. He has already been indicted in the United States for the armed kidnapping of 16 Christian missionaries in 2021 and the slaying of missionary Marie Franklin and kidnapping of her husband, Jean, in 2022. Most of the first group from Christian Aid Ministries, which included five children, escaped after 61 days in captivity and the others were released. Jean Franklin was released after three weeks when his family paid a ransom. The FBI says Vitel’Homme leads the Kraze Bayre gang and worked in concert with the 400 Mawozo ga...