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No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told CNN, adding 153 pets have also been rescued during the deluge. Forecast calls for rain Sunday into MondayMost of the weekend’s rain fell over western and central Texas, but there’s a significant chance of heavier rain in the greater Houston area Sunday. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall possible by Monday morning, according to the Houston National Weather Service office. Rainfall today will continue to exacerbate existing river flooding,” warned the Houston weather service office. The weather service listed some of the rainfall totals it collected:Groveton, TX- 23.56”Huntsville, TX- 21.76”Splendora, TX- 21.01”Willis, TX- 20.75”Livingston, TX- 18.42”There is relief on the horizon, however.

Persons: Lina Hidalgo, It’s, ” Hidalgo, “ We’re, Brent Taylor, CNN’s Amara Walker, “, ” Taylor, “ There’s, ‘, I’m, ”, Willis, Hurricane Harvey, Jason Fochtman, ” Emmitt Eldridge, ” Sherri Pegoda, Walker, Greg Abbott Organizations: CNN, Houston Office, Emergency Management, Houston Police, Houston Fire, Houston Public Works Department, Houston National Weather Service, Houston, Panhandle, West Lake Houston, Houston Chronicle, Texas, Gov Locations: South Texas, Harris County , Texas, Houston, Harris, City, Texas, , TX, Huntsville , TX, TX, Willis , TX, Livingston , TX, Gulf, East Texas, Hurricane, Lake Houston, West Lake, Kingwood, Atascocita, Kingwood , Texas, San Jacinto, Walker County, Polk County, Montgomery counties

☆ Evacuations ordered, homes damaged in Texas as rivers surge to Hurricane Harvey levels. And more rain is on the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Mary Gilbert | Joe Sutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A total of 1,000 homes are in a mandatory evacuation zone in the county, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy told CNN. “Due to continuous rainfall across East Texas and rising levels in creeks and rivers, flood levels may increase. Please remain aware of changing flood levels along the Trinity River and ALL low-lying levels. Greg Abbott expanded the storm-related declarations in response to the flooding, according to a news release. The repeated bouts of heavy rainfall soaked soils, making many areas extremely prone to both flash and river flooding.

Persons: Hurricane Harvey, ” Emmitt Eldridge, Eldridge, ”, •, ” Sherri Pegoda, Walker, Pegoda, ” Pegoda, “, Sydney Murphy, Harvey, ” Harris, Lina Hidalgo, Greg Abbott, Hawley –, Bret Hendrickson, Brad Wilson, Hawley, CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Sara Tonks, Ray Sanchez, Andy Rose, Joe Sutton, Paradise Afshar Organizations: CNN, Panhandle, The Coast Guard, Texas Emergency Hospital, Coast Guard, Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas, Gov, San, Harvey, Storm Prediction, Hawley Police, Hawley Independent School, LSM, National Weather Service Locations: Texas, Houston, Gulf, East Texas, Hurricane, South Texas, San Jacinto County, Dallas, • Walker County, Walker County, • Polk County, Polk County, • Harris, San Jacinto, Hidalgo, Harris County, Crosby, Liberty County, Cleveland , Texas, Montgomery County, Livingston , Texas, Trinity, –, Abilene, Hodges, Hawley, Hawley , Texas, Hodges , Texas, Louisiana, Groveton , Texas, Paradise

☆ Match Group CEO says he has empathy for victims of romance scams but 'things happen in life'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Romance scams typically targeting baby boomers and older generations are becoming increasingly popular on dating apps and websites, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Just last year, the FBI's Internet Crime Report estimated that Americans lost more than $650 million to romance scams. Bernard Kim, CEO of Match Group, spoke with CBS News on the growing threat of online romance scams carried out by people overseas. Match Group — which owns Match.com and Tinder — is the largest online dating company in the United States. Match Group did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Bernard Kim, Kim, Grady Judd, Judd Organizations: Service, Federal Trade Commission, Business, FTC, Match, CBS News, CBS, Match Group Locations: United States, Polk County, Florida

☆ Scammers stole more than $400,000 from a woman through an elaborate Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes scam: police
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Scammers reportedly tricked a woman into believing she won $3 million, then stole $400,000 from her. AdvertisementScammers in Florida tricked a woman into thinking she won $3 million, then stole $400,000 from her bank account. AdvertisementDuring Friday's press conference, Judd said the scammers targeted an elderly woman with early signs of dementia. They told her she won $3 million in a Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes, and that she needed to pay them taxes, Judd said. The Federal Trade Commission says the best way to spot a sweepstakes scam is to look at what the party offering the money asks you to do next.

Persons: Scammers, —, Michael Lawrence, Max Richards, Grady Judd, Lawrence, Richards, Judd, Polk Organizations: FTC, Service, Fox, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Florida, Polk County, Polk

☆ Suspect Don Steven McDougal in Texas girl’s death is family friend who was supposed to take her to bus stop, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The suspect is already in custody after being arrested Friday night on unrelated aggravated assault charges, according to the sheriff’s office. McDougal, a friend of Audrii’s father, lived in a trailer on the family’s property and sometimes took the girl to catch her school bus in the neighborhood, according to Lyons. Investigators located Audrii’s remains using cell phone records, video analysis and information from McDougal, Lyons said. In 2007, he was convicted of enticing a child in Brazoria County, Texas. Amid the anxiety and uncertainty of Audrii’s disappearance, her mother said she now understands the pain of the parents of missing children who she had only ever heard about on the news.

Persons: Audrii Cunningham, Audrii’s, Don Steven McDougal, McDougal, Shelly Sitton, Byron Lyons, Lyons, Lyons doesn’t, ” Lyons, Audrii, “ I’m, ”, “, ” McDougal, ” Elic Bryan, Bryan, ” Bryan, Brent Hawkins, “ There’s, ” Matthews, didn’t, Matthews, ” CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Andy Rose, Jillian Sykes, Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfeldt, Holly Yan Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Livingston –, Livingston Independent School, Facebook, KPRC Locations: Texas, Polk County, Trinity, Harris County, Livingston, Houston, Don Steven McDougal Polk, McDougal, Lake Livingston, Brazoria County , Texas

CNN —The body of Audrii Cunningham, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared while on her way to school in Texas, was found Tuesday in the Trinity River, according to Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons. In 2007, he was convicted of enticing a child in Brazoria County, Texas. Sheriff: McDougal took part in search for AudriiMcDougal had joined in the search efforts for the missing girl, the sheriff told CNN earlier Tuesday. “Some of the witnesses have even said that he was in the community and knocking on doors … asking have they seen her,” the sheriff told CNN. McDougal lives in a trailer on the family’s property and sometimes took Audrii to the bus stop, the sheriff said.

Persons: Audrii Cunningham, Byron Lyons, “, ” Lyons, Shelly Sitton, Don Steven McDougal, ” Sitton, ”, Audrii, Sitton, ” McDougal, Audrii’s, Lyons, McDougal, ” Elic Bryan, Bryan, ” Bryan, Audrii McDougal, “ I’m, didn’t, Steve Almasy, Raja Razek, Carroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Texas Parks & Wildlife Locations: Texas, Trinity, Polk County, Harris County, Brazoria County , Texas, Brazoria County, Lake Livingston

Audrii never made it onto the bus, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. “Audrii should have caught the school bus at her neighborhood bus stop; however, school officials reported to the Sheriff’s Office that the school bus did not pick Audrii up, nor did she report to school,” the sheriff’s office said. Authorities search for Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old Texas girl who vanished in Polk County on Thursday. Anyone with information in this case is asked to immediately contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 936-327-6810 or submit an anonymous tip online. CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfedlt reported from Livingston, Texas, and Steve Almasy, Holly Yan and Raja Razek reported from Atlanta.

Persons: Audrii, Don Steven McDougal, Byron Lyons, McDougal, Audrii Cunningham, ’, Audrii McDougal, Audrii’s, Audrii didn’t, –, ” Lyons, “, …, ”, Cassie Matthews, ” Matthews, “ There’s, Stoppers, Chris Boyette, Joe Sutton, CNN’s Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfedlt, Steve Almasy, Holly Yan, Raja Razek Organizations: Texas CNN, Sheriff’s, CNN, ” CNN, Lake Livingston, Texas Parks & Wildlife, KPRC Locations: Livingston, Texas, Houston, Polk, Lake Livingston, Polk County, Lake, Trinity, East Texas, ”, ” Polk County, Livingston , Texas, Atlanta

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Mississippi man accused of destroying a statue of a pagan idol at Iowa's state Capitol is now being charged with a hate crime. The statue was brought to the Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa under state rules allowing religious displays in the building during the holidays. The move drew strong criticism from state and national leaders, including Iowa Gov. In previous court filings, she has accused the Satanic Temple of making filings that "are only meant to evoke strong emotions and incite others.”Cassidy is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 15. Founded in 2013, the Salem, Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple says it doesn’t believe in Satan but describes itself as a “non-theistic religious organization” that advocates for secularism.

Persons: Kim Reynolds, Ron DeSantis, Baphomet, Michael Cassidy, ”, Cassidy, ” Lynn Hicks, Sara Pasquale, ” Cassidy Organizations: DES, Capitol, Iowa Gov, Florida Gov, Sentinel, Des Moines Register, Attorney’s Locations: DES MOINES, Iowa, Mississippi, Polk County, Polk, Salem , Massachusetts

☆ Analysis: Why DeSantis’ departure isn’t likely to change the dynamic between Trump and Haley
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Ron Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The DeSantis and Haley camps each believed they would benefit if the other left the field and created an unambiguous one-on-one race with Trump. In fact, both the Trump and DeSantis campaigns believe that more of the Florida governor’s supporters will likely pick Trump. Any gain or loss for Haley among voters from DeSantis’ decision seems likely to affect the race only marginally, many GOP observers believe. Even at that point in the 2016 race, Trump had won only a cumulative 40% of the votes cast in the GOP primaries. His theory that he could peel away a meaningful number of previous Trump voters simply proved wrong.

Persons: New Hampshire CNN —, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Trump, Joe Biden, Haley doesn’t, Biden, winnowing, Whit Ayres, ” Ayres, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, George Conway, “ Trump, David Kochel, “, he’s, –, Trump’s, ”, Alex Stroman, Trump’s MAGA, MAGA, CNN DeSantis, “ DeSantis, Scott Reed, Bob Dole’s, John Connally, suburbanites, Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump’s, ” Stroman, Jean Carroll, Mike Murphy, – Haley, Sen, Marco Rubio, she’s, Mike Dennehy, John McCain’s, Bill Kristol, Kristol, ” Kristol, Matt Gaetz, Ginger Heald, Ayres, Grover Cleveland, Republican Benjamin Harrison, Reed, Dole, Mike Pence, Pence, ” Reed, “ He’s Organizations: New Hampshire CNN, Florida Gov, GOP, South Carolina Gov, Republican, Trump, CNN, New Hampshire, Democratic, South, University of New Hampshire, Republicans, Texas, nonurban Whites, The, South Carolina Republican Party, Edison Research, Trump Trump, Biden, New Hampshire GOP, Florida Republican, Merrimack Republican, Committee, DeSantis Locations: Manchester, New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, New, Iowa, DeSantis, As, Hampshire, New York, Trump, The Florida, Trump’s, Texas, Charleston, Polk County, Trump’s Manchester , New Hampshire, Ukraine, Israel, ”

☆ Iowa Teen Who Killed 2 Fellow Students Gets 65 Years in Prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Iowa teenager who shot and killed two fellow students at an alternative school program for at-risk youths last year and wounded the program’s founder was sentenced on Thursday to 65 years in prison, prosecutors announced. Judge Larry McLellan of the Polk County District Court sentenced Mr. Walls to three consecutive prison terms, one for each charge, totaling 65 years, according to prosecutors. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the slain victims’ families, the Polk County Attorney’s Office said in a news release. All three were students at the program and knew each other, The Des Moines Register reported.

Persons: Preston, Larry McLellan, Walls, Rashard Carr, Gionni Dameron Organizations: Attorney’s, Des Moines Register Locations: Iowa, Preston Walls, West Des Moines, Polk County, Polk

☆ Why a Wisconsin county is dumping cheese brine on its roads this winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Maiya Focht | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some counties in Wisconsin have been using cheese brine or a beet juice blend instead. A few counties across the state have used cheese brine to melt icy roads in the winter. Green County is lucky enough to have a functioning cheese factory where it gets its cheese brine for de-icing. Other counties, like Polk County and Burnett County, have used cheese brine in the past but stopped when the local cheese factory halted operations. Bastian Parschau/Contributor/Getty ImagesIf you don't have access to cheese brine, then beet juice is a popular alternative, though it's not as cost-effective as cheese brine, Josh Kelch, the highway commissioner for Burnett County, told BI.

Persons: —, Andrea Bill, Bill, There's, Chris Narveson, Bastian Parschau, it's, Josh Kelch, Pat Gavinski, Gavinski Organizations: Service, University of Wisconsin's Traffic, Safety Laboratory, Anadolu, US Environmental Protection Agency, University of Minnesota, EPA, Green County Locations: Wisconsin, Green, Polk County, Burnett, Burnett County, Sauk, Sauk County

Now governor, Parson also has become the face of mercy by pardoning more than 600 people in the past three years, more than any Missouri governor since the 1940s. In Missouri, clemency requests are first screened by the Board of Probation and Parole, which makes confidential recommendations to the governor. In Wisconsin, Evers has granted 1,111 pardons since taking office in 2019, surpassing the record of 943 set by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, had disbanded the pardons board and issued no pardons during his eight years in office. “For Governor Parson to look at me and to recognize that rehabilitation is real and not just stuff that somebody says, based your actions and not on your words, was huge," Galloway said.

Persons: Kenny Batson, Batson, Mike Parson, Parson, pardoning, they’ve, ” Parson, you’ve, Tony Evers, Joe Biden, commutations, ” Batson, Eric Greitens, Jay Nixon, Parson's, Forrest Donnell, Evers, Julius Heil, Scott Walker, Margaret Love, ”, Patricia McCloskey, Louis, Mark McCloskey, Pete Underdal, Dave Galloway, Galloway Organizations: Associated Press, Republican, Wisconsin Gov, Democrat, Probation, GOP Gov, Democratic Gov, Republican Gov, U.S . Justice Department, “ Locations: Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, In Missouri, In Wisconsin, St, Polk County, Galloway's

Before the endorsement, Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized Ms. Reynolds, who had joined Mr. DeSantis at campaign events around Iowa, for her perceived disloyalty. Mr. Trump, meanwhile, spent Monday testifying in a civil fraud trial that threatens his business empire in New York. In Iowa, Mr. DeSantis is in need of a jolt. “She’s the reason we’re red,” said Gloria Mazza, the chairwoman of the Republican Party of Polk County, which includes Des Moines. Leaders of Iowa’s evangelical community, an important voting bloc, suggested Ms. Reynolds’s endorsement was a major coup for the DeSantis campaign.

Persons: Trump, Reynolds, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, DeSantis’s, “, ”, Gloria Mazza, Mazza Organizations: Mr, Gov, Des Moines Register, NBC, Iowa Republicans, Republican Party Locations: Des Moines, Iowa, New York, South Carolina, Polk County

☆ Some government jobs are offering big bonuses, higher pay and parental leave to lure applicants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sign-on bonuses, higher pay, and paid family leave are on offer with some government jobs. Listings offer an average of 20% higher pay compared to last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Many are offering higher pay, sign-on bonuses, and paid family leave, The Wall Street Journal reported. Oklahoma is poised to pay out teachers bonuses of between $15,000 and $50,000 to about 530 recently recruited teachers, according to NPR affiliate KOSU. For some, paid family leave can help maintain that balance, and government employers seem to be taking note.

Persons: —, KPIX, Katie Hobbs Organizations: Street Journal, Service, FRED Economic, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Customs, Alameda Police Department, NPR Locations: Polk County , Florida, Tampa, California's Bay, Oklahoma, Arizona

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota officials on Thursday approved plans for the expansion of a solar energy project that a utility says will be one of the largest in the country with the capability of powering more than 150,000 homes. The state Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy's expansion of the Sherco Solar project, adding a 250-megawatt array to a 460-megawatt array now under construction. The solar generation will be near an existing coal-fired plant in Becker, Minnesota, northwest of Minneapolis. Political Cartoons View All 1173 ImagesThe commission also approved a plan for Xcel to buy electricity from a planned 100-megawatt solar project in northwestern Wisconsin. The Apple River project in Polk County, northeast of the Twin Cities, is one of the largest solar projects in Wisconsin.

Persons: Xcel Organizations: —, Public Utilities Commission, Twin Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, — Minnesota, Becker , Minnesota, Minneapolis, Becker, Wisconsin, Polk County, Twin Cities

☆ Iowa Judge Temporarily Suspends New Abortion Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | More About Colbi Edmonds | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Friday, Iowa’s Republican governor signed a strict new abortion ban into law. Until Monday afternoon, when a district judge put the ban on hold. Joseph Seidlin, a district court judge in Polk County, said that the new ban would be suspended while the larger legal case against it moved forward. That means that abortion in Iowa is once again legal up to around 22 weeks of pregnancy, at least for now. “We are also acutely aware that the relief is only pending further litigation and the future of abortion in Iowa remains tenuous and threatened.”

Persons: Joseph Seidlin, ’ ’, Abbey, Emma Goldman, ” Organizations: Iowa’s Republican, American Civil Liberties Union, Abbey Hardy, Emma Goldman Clinic Locations: Iowa, Polk County, Fairbanks

CNN —After months of probing and multiple investigations, authorities in northwestern Oregon now believe the mysterious deaths of four young women are connected, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. “The last known area that Perry was known to frequent was downtown Portland … at the beginning of March,” the sheriff’s office said. The body of Bridget Leann (Ramsey) Webster was found on April 30 near Mill Creek, which is about 50 miles southwest of Portland, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. “The last known area that Webster was known to frequent was the Portland metro area, particularly Portland, Oregon City, and Milwaukie,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. Real had been reported missing to Portland police on April 4, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

Persons: Kristin Smith, Ashley Real, Lynn Perry, Bridget Leann, Ramsay, Webster, ”, Melissa Smith, “, Perry’s “, Perry, Diana Allen, ” Allen, Ramsey, Real Organizations: CNN, Attorney’s, Authorities, Portland Police Department, KPTV, Multnomah County Sheriff’s, Portland …, KATU, Sheriff’s Office, Portland police, Attorney’s Office Locations: Oregon, Multnomah County, Portland, Mill, Polk, Portland , Oregon City, Clackamas County

☆ Mike Pence launches his 2024 GOP presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meet and greet event hosted by the Polk County Republicans in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Photographer: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence, who certified the 2020 election results under threat from supporters of then-President Donald Trump, kicked off a bid for the Oval Office on Wednesday. Turning more squarely toward the oft-spiteful Trump, Pence adds, "Today, our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature." Some in the crowd, angry over his refusal to block the certification of the 2020 defeat of the Trump-Pence ticket, chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" "Mike Pence is a true conservative and a great public servant," said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who backs DeSantis.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Rachel Mummey, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Lincoln, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Iowa's, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, —, Dan Eberhart, George W, Bush, Pence's, Mike Pence's Organizations: US, Polk, Republicans, Federal, Bloomberg, Getty, DES, Indiana, GOP, New, New Jersey Gov, North Dakota Gov, Florida Gov, Trump, Pence, Republican, Social Security, Medicare Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, America, Des Moines, New Jersey, Indiana, Trump, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Florida

☆ Opinion | Justice Delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Lisa Belkin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“We investigated this thing upside down,” said Jerry Hill, a retired state attorney, in a “Bone Valley” interview with Mr. King’s co-host, Kelsey Decker, minutes after the board denied parole to Mr. Schofield in 2020. And so it went in the Adams and Schofield cases, as the prosecutors all but physically barred the jailhouse door. There was no expression of regret from the prosecutors who convicted Randall Dale Adams in Dallas. (Mr. Lindsey himself spent three years on death row before the Florida Supreme Court concluded the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction. He is one of 30 death row inmates in Florida to be exonerated since 1972, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.)

☆ DeSantis' approach to a possible 6-week abortion ban in Florida could torpedo his shot at the presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

GOP lawmakers in Florida have introduced a six-week abortion ban. But the ramifications of a six-week ban in Florida would go beyond politics. As the session kicked off in Tallahassee on Tuesday, the path to a six-week abortion ban in Florida appeared more clear than it did a few months ago. In a press conference with reporters, she acknowledged the math was difficult but vowed the party would fight, arguing that a six-week ban was broadly unpopular among Floridians. Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, a Democrat of Plantation, Florida, accused Republicans of going "scorched earth" with their abortion ban bill.

☆ Florida is gearing up to pass tons of new laws over the next two months: 'It's the Ron DeSantis show'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Florida lawmakers are meeting over the next 60 days to pass new legislation. "It's the Ron DeSantis show," House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said. Ron DeSantis hasn't formally announced he's running for president — and that's in part because his business in Florida isn't finished yet. "Unfortunately, it's the Ron DeSantis show, we all know this," House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Polk County told reporters Monday. Florida Republican Gov.

Cassie Gibson was teaching a unit on slavery last spring to her sixth-grade U.S. history class in Polk County, Fla., when she noticed a paragraph in a textbook that gave her pause. The passage struck her as potentially violating a 2022 law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis —which he dubbed “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act”—that prohibits, among other things, teaching that people should feel guilt over past actions by members of their racial group. She said she worried what her students might say about the passage at home and how their parents might react.

It’s a plot twist the romance writers did not see coming. “I saw the auction that was going on to help raise funds for her funeral,” romance writer T.E. “To find out that it was a hoax, two-and-a-half years later, was just a slap in the face to everybody,” fellow romance writer Samantha A. Cole told NBC News. Cole said she met Meachen around 2017 in one of several online romance writer and reader groups that proliferate on Facebook and elsewhere on the web. Some angry romance writers confronted Meachen online and demanded an explanation, screenshots of the exchanges revealed.

In Nebraska, the 2022 borrowing limit for FHA mortgages is $420,680 in all but three counties. Conforming mortgages and FHA mortgages both have borrowing limits. Nebraska borrowing limits in 2023 for conforming and FHA mortgages by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Adams County $726,200 $472,030 Antelope County $726,200 $472,030 Arthur County $726,200 $472,030 Banner County $726,200 $472,030 Blaine County $726,200 $472,030 Boone County $726,200 $472,030 Box Butte County $726,200 $472,030 Boyd County $726,200 $472,030 Brown County $726,200 $472,030 Buffalo County $726,200 $472,030 Burt County $726,200 $472,030 Butler County $726,200 $472,030 Cass County $726,200 $472,030 Cedar County $726,200 $472,030 Chase County $726,200 $472,030 Cherry County $726,200 $472,030 Cheyenne County $726,200 $472,030 Clay County $726,200 $472,030 Colfax County $726,200 $472,030 Cuming County $726,200 $472,030 Custer County $726,200 $472,030 Dakota County $726,200 $472,030 Dawes County $726,200 $472,030 Dawson County $726,200 $472,030 Deuel County $726,200 $472,030 Dixon County $726,200 $472,030 Dodge County $726,200 $472,030 Douglas County $726,200 $472,030 Dundy county $726,200 $472,030 Fillmore County $726,200 $472,030 Franklin County $726,200 $472,030 Frontier County $726,200 $472,030 Furnas County $726,200 $472,030 Gage County $726,200 $472,030 Garden County $726,200 $472,030 Garfield County $726,200 $472,030 Gosper County $726,200 $472,030 Grant County $726,200 $472,030 Greeley County $726,200 $472,030 Hall County $726,200 $472,030 Hamilton County $726,200 $472,030 Harlan County $726,200 $472,030 Hayes County $726,200 $472,030 Hitchcock County $726,200 $472,030 Holt County $726,200 $472,030 Hooker County $726,200 $472,030 Howard County $726,200 $472,030 Jefferson County $726,200 $472,030 Johnson County $726,200 $472,030 Kearney County $726,200 $472,030 Keith County $726,200 $472,030 Keye Paha County $726,200 $472,030 Kimball County $726,200 $472,030 Knox County $726,200 $472,030 Lancaster County $726,200 $472,030 Lincoln County $726,200 $472,030 Logan County $726,200 $472,030 Loup County $726,200 $472,030 McPherson County $726,200 $472,030 Madison County $726,200 $472,030 Merrick County $726,200 $472,030 Morrill County $726,200 $472,030 Nance County $726,200 $472,030 Nemaha County $726,200 $472,030 Nuckolls County $726,200 $472,030 Otoe County $726,200 $472,030 Pawnee County $726,200 $472,030 Perkins County $726,200 $472,030 Phelps County $726,200 $472,030 Pierce County $726,200 $472,030 Platte County $726,200 $472,030 Polk County $726,200 $472,030 Red Willow County $726,200 $472,030 Richardson County $726,200 $472,030 Rock County $726,200 $472,030 Saline County $726,200 $472,030 Sarpy County $726,200 $472,030 Saunders County $726,200 $472,030 Scotts Bluff County $726,200 $472,030 Seward County $726,200 $472,030 Sheridan County $726,200 $472,030 Sherman County $726,200 $472,030 Sioux County $726,200 $472,030 Stanton County $726,200 $472,030 Thayer County $726,200 $472,030 Thomas County $726,200 $472,030 Thurston County $726,200 $472,030 Valley County $726,200 $472,030 Washington County $726,200 $472,030 Wayne County $726,200 $472,030 Webster County $726,200 $472,030 Wheeler County $726,200 $472,030 York County $726,200 $472,030Note: You'll need to get a jumbo loan if you want to borrow more than $726,200, regardless of which county you hope to reside in. Depending on the lender and term length, you might be able to lock in a lower rate for a conforming mortgage. If you plan to buy a more expensive home in Nebraska, jumbo loans let you borrow more money than the conforming mortgage limit.

☆ Iowa teen who killed rapist back in custody after escape
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Pieper Lewis, 18, was booked into custody on charges of probation violation and escape from custody around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Lt. Ryan Evans at the Polk County Sheriff's Office told NBC News. She was arrested in Des Moines by a Fifth Judicial Circuit task force, Evans added. Prosecutors had called the probation sentence she was given in September merciful for a teen who endured horrible abuse, although some questioned the $150,000 restitution she was ordered to pay. Polk County Judge David Porter told Lewis in September that her probation sentence “was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third,” the Des Moines Register reported.

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