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☆ How Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A bill proposing a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. was first introduced in 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the second federal holiday of every calendar year (after New Year's Day). The first time Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed was in 1986, according to Time. AdvertisementSouth Carolina became the last state, in 2000, to officially designate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday. As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, public schools and universities are closed, and it's a bank holiday.

Persons: Martin Luther King Jr, Ronald Reagan, —, that's, Holiday Bill, King, . King, Bill, John Conyers of, Congressional Black Caucus —, Republican Sen, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, didn't, Stevie Wonder, Robert E, Lee, George Washington, Christopher Columbus, Conyers Organizations: Service, MLK, National Museum of, Democratic Rep, Congressional Black Caucus, Republican, Confederate, USPS Locations: Memphis , Tennessee, Memphis, John Conyers of Michigan, Washington, Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi

(AP) — One day after Mississippi health officials told residents in the state’s capital that dangerous bacteria could be in their tap water, the state health department said Friday that city water was safe to consume. Mississippi health officials lifted their health advisory after a new round of test results did not find E. coli in Jackson's supply. The move came hours after Ted Henifin, Jackson’s interim water manager, said repeat samples taken from the city’s water system tested negative for E. coli. In a statement Friday, the health department stood by the initial test results and dismissed the idea that its lab had been contaminated. At news conferences on Thursday and Friday, Henifin said state officials refused to validate the lab results before issuing the boil-water notice.

Persons: JACKSON, Jackson, Ted Henifin, Henifin, ”, Dan Edney, Greg Flynn, Flynn, “, Flowood, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Mississippi Department, Mississippi Department of Health, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Mississippi, Flowood, Jackson, @mikergoldberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance's tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month. “This is not what voters wanted.”The Senate changes still have a long way to go, however. The Senate's proposal also would increase the approved tax on marijuana products of 10% to 15%. Tax revenue would go toward general state funding, law enforcement training, substance abuse treatment and prevention and safe driving training. Under the new measure, marijuana products would have to be sold in child-safe packaging and could not resemble any animals, fruit or fictional characters such as those from cartoons.

Persons: ” Sen, Michael Rulli, Tom Haren, Ohioans, ”, Mike DeWine, Ohio Republican Sen, Rob McColley, Scott Milburn, Sen, Bill DeMora, ” DeMora, ___ Samantha Hendrickson Organizations: GOP, Columbiana County Republican, General Government Committee, Alcohol, Senate, Republican, Ohio Republican, Protect Ohio Workers, Columbus Democrat, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio, Columbiana County, Michigan

Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, mostly during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war. Biden’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair, according to Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden. But leaders said Saturday that the community's support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza. The Muslim community leaders' condemnation of Biden does not indicate support for former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in the Republican primary, Hussein clarified.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jaylani Hussein, Hussein, ” Hussein, Biden, Donald Trump, ___ Savage Organizations: CHICAGO, U.S, Biden, Health Ministry, Hamas, Associated Press, Democratic, White House, Pew Research, Republican, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Detroit, Gaza, Michigan, Israel, Michigan , Minnesota, Arizona , Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, ”, Dearborn , Michigan, United States, Minneapolis, Michigan , Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty Friday to firebombing the office of a prominent anti-abortion group last year. One of the Molotov cocktails thrown into the office failed to ignite; the other set a bookcase on fire. Roychowdhury also admitted to spray-painting the message “If abortions aren't safe then you aren't either” on the outside of the building. The video showed several people spray-painting graffiti on Capitol grounds that resembled the message left on the Wisconsin Family Action office. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Persons: Hridindu Roychowdhury, Roe, Wade, Roychowdhury, William Conley, Conley, ___ Organizations: Madison, Madison . Police, Police, Attorney's, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin, ., Madison, Boston, Guatemala City, Guatemala, U.S

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky state Rep. Kevin Bratcher announced his plans Thursday to run for a Louisville Metro Council seat next year, which would culminate a long statehouse career that put the Republican lawmaker at the forefront of school safety, juvenile justice and a host of other issues. Bratcher has been a fixture in the Kentucky House since 1997. Bratcher becomes the second Louisville-area lawmaker within days to pass up a House reelection run to instead seek a metro council seat in 2024. Democratic state Rep. Josie Raymond announced similar plans to run for metro council in another district. Another lawmaker who announced recently that he won't seek reelection next year is Republican state Rep. Danny Bentley, who represents a district in northeastern Kentucky.

Persons: Kevin Bratcher, Bratcher, Josie Raymond, ” Bratcher, David Osborne, ” Osborne, Danny Bentley, Bentley Organizations: Louisville Metro Council, statehouse, Republican, Kentucky House, GOP, Democratic, Louisville, Health, Family Services Locations: FRANKFORT, Ky, Kentucky, Louisville, Bratcher, Jefferson County, Fern

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The more than two-year legal battle over the maps of Ohio Statehouse districts that were crafted in response to the 2020 Census may be over. In a 4-3 ruling late Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court cited unanimous, bipartisan passage in September of a new round of legislative maps in dismissing three long-running lawsuits brought by Democratic and voting-rights groups. Political Cartoons View All 1270 ImagesThe high court side-stepped additional constitutional questions on the maps, rejecting as moot the state’s requests that it vacate earlier rulings that found five straight rounds of Statehouse maps unconstitutional. The proposal would create a 15-member citizen panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents representing a geographic and demographic cross-section of the state, called the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission, to replace the existing Ohio Redistricting Commission. “Only when Ohio bans politicians and lobbyists from rigging maps will voters have fair representation in Congress and the Ohio Statehouse.”

Persons: ”, Jennifer Brunner, Brunner, Maureen O'Connor, O'Connor, Jen Miller Organizations: Ohio Statehouse, Democratic, GOP, Statehouse, Democrats, Ohio, Commission, League of Women Voters Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio

☆ The Way Geert Wilders Won - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Paul Tullis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“He is a straight talker and tells it like it is,” a 23-year-old Rotterdam waitress told The Guardian. Mr. Wilders has promised to bring down housing prices by building more apartments (as has virtually every other party) and to prioritize Dutch citizens for public housing. Mr. Wilders does not have a record of working well with others; coalitions typically require smaller parties to shave off their more extreme positions, which Mr. Wilders has in the past refused to do. His Party for Freedom hasn’t been in government since 2012 — and the head of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, announced Friday morning she would not join a cabinet with Mr. Wilders. “We have to be more forward-thinking and listen to people everywhere.”Perhaps there is hope yet for the polder model.

Persons: Wilders’s, Wilders, Freedom hasn’t, Dilan, Timmermans, Rob Jetten, Harold Zoet, ”, “ Organizations: Guardian, Party, Freedom, People’s Party for Freedom and, Left, Labor, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, statehouse Locations: Rotterdam

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The University of North Carolina graduate student charged with fatally shooting his faculty adviser has been found unfit for trial after two mental evaluations, a judge ruled Monday. Tailei Qi, 34, is accused of killing associate professor Zijie Yan in a science building at the state’s flagship public university on Aug. 28. He is being held without bond on charges of first-degree murder and misdemeanor possession of a firearm on educational property. Orange County Superior Court Judge Alyson Grine said Monday that two separate mental evaluations found Qi likely suffers from untreated schizophrenia. An autopsy released earlier this month showed that Yan had been shot multiple times in his office in Caudill Labs.

Persons: Tailei Qi, Zijie Yan, Alyson Grine, Qi, “ Qi, Grine, Brian James, Yan, Qi —, ___ Hannah Schoenbaum Organizations: University of North, Central Regional Hospital, Hill, UNC Police, Caudill Labs . Police, Prosecutors, Department, Applied Physical Sciences, Yan Research Group, UNC, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, University of North Carolina, Orange County, Butner, Caudill, United States

☆ Long-shot Biden challenger Phillips won't run again for House
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Reba Saldanha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, a long-shot challenger to President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination, on Friday said he would not run for reelection. The 54-year-old millionaire businessman and three-term congressman last month said he would run against Biden, seizing on the president's lackluster approval ratings and voter wariness over his age. The post linked to an interview in the Minnesota Star Tribune paper, in which he explained his move. Phillips, who first won his seat in 2018 and won reelection in 2020 and 2022, said it would be "unproductive and uncomfortable" to run again, given his nomination bid. Phillips is unlikely to affect Biden's chance of securing the party's nomination, given the incumbent's deep resources, official party support and reshaping of the party's nominating contest calendar to help fend off any early challengers.

Persons: Dean Phillips, Reba Saldanha, Joe Biden, Phillips, Donald Trump, David Ljunggren, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Democratic, U.S, statehouse, REUTERS, Dean Phillips of, Biden, Minnesota Star Tribune, Republican, Thomson Locations: Concord , New Hampshire, U.S, Dean Phillips of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, who is running for president and challenging Joe Biden in the primary, announced Friday he will not seek reelection to Congress in 2024. Before Phillips won the seat as a Democrat in 2018, the area had a history of electing Republicans to the U.S. House. In October, Phillips became the first elected Democrat to challenge Biden for the nomination. Phillips is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and heir to his stepfather’s Phillips Distilling Company empire, which holds major vodka and schnapps brands. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Persons: Dean Phillips, Joe Biden, Phillips, Biden, Tim Walz —, Ken Martin, Biden’s, ” Martin, Martin, Anna Mathews, Joe Biden’s, Talenti, Pauline Phillips, “, Abby, ” ___ Trisha Ahmed, @TrishaAhmed15 Organizations: — Democratic, Trump, Minnesota Gov, Biden, Minnesota Democrats, Democratic National Committee, reelecting, Republican Party of Minnesota, Associated Press, GOP, Congressional District, Republicans, U.S . House, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Minnesota's, Minneapolis

☆ As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

They serve on the board of Groundwater Management District 3, which since 1996 has overseen the pumping of 16.2 trillion gallons of groundwater — enough to fill Lake Mead, the country’s largest reservoir, twice over. From Maryland to Hawaii groundwater levels are falling, often the result of overpumping and underregulation, made worse by climate change. Groundwater Levels at Goldstrike Mine Observation wells at Goldstrike show a pattern of immense groundwater withdrawals. “And money talks.”Kansas City Groundwater Management District 3 KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management District 3 Kansas City Groundwater Management District 3 KANSAS WichitaGrowing corn in the Kansas drylandsIn Kansas, the power of the men who run Groundwater Management District 3 is enormous. Groups like Groundwater Management District 3 have until 2026 to come up with plans to sustain groundwater.

Persons: Lake Mead, —, Catherine Hospital —, we’re, ”, Lindsay Vaughn, David Robert Elliott, Joe Newland, Nevada Adam Sullivan, Christina Erling, Erling, Adam Sullivan, Emily Najera, Kim Raff, Julie Pazina, ” Barrick, Michael McCarthy, Barrick, ” Mr, McCarthy, Michael H, Taylor, Patrick Donnelly, don’t, Helena Billings, it’s, Galt, Wylie Galt, Bill Galt, Dutton, Wylie, Errol Galt, Galt’s, Matthew Hamon, The New York Times Eugene Graf, Montana homebuilders, The New York Times Montana, Brad Dundas, Dundas, Mr, John Tubbs, Tubbs, The New York Times Errol Galt, Eugene Graf, Graf, Guy Alsentzer, “, Lucas Bessire, Vaughn, Newland, Mark Rude, Kan, The New York Times Mark Rude, Ms, Lall, Ali Zaidi, Biden, Jared Huffman, Huffman Organizations: Groundwater Management, Walmart, State, The New York Times, Kansas Farm Bureau, New York Times, NEVADA Carson City Las, Barrick, Carson City Las, NEVADA Carson City, North, Barrick Gold Corporation, Nevada Gold Mines, Nevada, of Water, University of Nevada, Center for Biological Diversity, Republican, Representatives, The Times, Galt, state’s Department of Natural Resources, The New York, Montana Fish, Montana Building Industry Association, KANSAS, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management, KANSAS Wichita, Kansas drylands, Management, Kansas City Topeka, Kansas City, Topeka Wichita, Survey, University of Oklahoma, Groundwater, Kansas, Columbia Water Center, Columbia University, Natural Resources Defense Council, Marin Municipal Water District, Fisheries Locations: United States, Garden City, Kan, America, Lake, Kansas, Maryland, Hawaii, Barrick, NEVADA Carson, Carson, Nevada, Canada, Goldstrike, North America, Barrick’s, ” MONTANA, Helena, Bozeman MONTANA, Helena Billings Bozeman, Montana, Galt, ”, Broadwater County, Elk, Confederate, Sulphur Springs, Mont, Upper Missouri, Townsend, ” Kansas, Groundwater Management District, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS, KANSAS Wichita KANSAS Groundwater Management District, KANSAS, Kansas drylands In Kansas, District, Wichita, Kansas City Topeka, Management District, Topeka, Kansas City, Arkansas, Washington, California, Marin

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A judge has struck down an effort to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in Nevada’s constitution, as abortion rights advocates in the western swing state attempt to follow other states in putting the question before voters in 2024. If allowed to proceed, Nevadans for Reproductive Rights would need just over 100,000 signatures to get the issue on the ballot. Abortion rights up to 24 weeks are already codified into Nevada law through a 1990 referendum vote, where two-thirds of voters were in favor. In Nevada, reproductive rights were central to Democratic campaigns in the 2022 midterms. Lawmakers in Nevada’s Democratic-controlled legislature are attempting to get reproductive rights including abortion access in front of voters on the 2026 ballot.

Persons: —, James T, Russell, ” Russell, “ I’ve, Charles Russell, Kenny Guinn, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, Bradley Schrager, Lindsay Harmon, ” Jason Guinasso, Roe, Wade, Democratic U.S . Sen, Jacky Rosen, ____ Stern, Stern Organizations: Reno, Republican Gov, Reproductive Rights, Nevada, Coalition, Parents, Reproductive, Nevada Supreme, PAC, Supreme, Democratic, Democratic U.S ., Lawmakers, Nevada’s Democratic, Assembly, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RENO, Nev, Nevada’s, Carson City, Nevada, U.S, Ohio, New York, Maryland, Missouri, Arizona

The lawsuit, filed Friday, accuses Sen. Kevin Parker of assaulting her in 2004, during his first term. The suit was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a special state law that created a yearlong suspension of the usual time limit for accusers to sue. A spokesperson for Parker, a Democrat, did not immediately comment when asked about the lawsuit. New York state government has struggled for years with allegations about sexual harassment and misconduct by politicians. In 2013, former Assemblymember Vito Lopez, a Brooklyn Democrat, resigned over sexual harassment allegations that Assembly leadership had been covering up with secret payments.

Persons: Sen, Kevin Parker, Parker, Andrea Stewart, Cousins, ”, Mike Murphy, Andrew Cuomo, Assemblymember Vito Lopez, ___ Maysoon Khan, Maysoon Organizations: Democrat, Associated Press, New York Post, Brooklyn Democrat, America Statehouse News Initiative, America, Twitter Locations: ALBANY, N.Y, Brooklyn, Haiti, Caribbean, Haitian, York

The office of Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger did not immediately respond Monday to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit. The “Black Belt” counties of eastern North Carolina have significant and politically cohesive populations of Black voters who overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, the lawsuit states. A white majority in the surrounding area is also politically cohesive, and the plaintiffs argue they historically vote as a bloc to defeat candidates supported by Black voters. One of those districts, Senate District 2, where Pierce and Matthews reside, stretches more than 160 miles from the Virginia border down parts of the Atlantic coastline. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, said the lawsuit provides “a glimmer of hope” to Black voters in eastern North Carolina.

Persons: Rodney Pierce, Moses Matthews, Phil Berger, Pierce, Matthews, Dan Blue, ”, Blue, ___ Hannah Schoenbaum Organizations: Republican, Assembly, GOP, Democratic, Black voters, North, General, Wake, Wake County Democrat, General Assembly, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, North Carolina, Black, Halifax County, Martin County, Virginia, Wake County

☆ Republican Sandy Senn Wants Voters to Have a Say on Abortion - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Jane Coaston | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republicans have struggled politically with the issue of abortion since the overturning of Roe v. Wade — a point proven several times over with anti-abortion measures failing in relatively conservative states. Just this month, Ohio added abortion rights to the State Constitution and Republicans lost control of the Virginia Statehouse. In South Carolina this year, State Senator Sandy Senn was one of three Republicans who, along with a fellow Democratic senator and an independent senator, filibustered efforts to severely restrict abortion in the state. The “sister senators,” as they call themselves, were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing a six-week abortion ban from taking effect. Jane Coaston: How did you react to the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and how did you think Republicans at the state level would react?

Persons: Roe, Wade —, Sandy Senn, Senn, ”, Jane Coaston, Dobbs, Wade Organizations: Constitution, Republicans, Virginia Statehouse, Democratic, South Carolina Legislature Locations: Ohio, South Carolina

The cities say they buy tickets only for migrants who want to travel and they do not coerce people to leave. The vast majority were bus tickets, but Denver also purchased about 340 tickets for flights and 200 for train rides. Ewing gave a similar message regarding El Paso’s busing of migrants to Denver, saying the two cities have been in communication. New York City and Chicago also are limiting migrants' shelter stays. “We have other Democratic cities, Denver, California, L.A., sending their people to Chicago, New York.

Persons: Mario Russell, ” Russell, Staff Mary Krinock, we’re, ” Jon Ewing, ”, Yoli Casas, “ There’s, We’re, Russell, Jared Polis, Lori Lightfoot, Eric Adams, Polis, “, Joe Biden, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Ewing, El, ” Ewing, ” El, Greg Abbott, Abbott, Andrew Mahaleris, Ron DeSantis, Maura Healey, ’ ” Alderman Anthony Beale, Sophia Tareen, ___ Organizations: DENVER, Democratic, Center for Migration Studies of New, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of, Staff, Denver Human Service, Vive Wellness, Denver, Center for Migration Studies, Colorado Democratic Gov, Chicago, New York City, Washington , D.C, Chicago Mayor, Democrat, Texas Gov, Democratic Gov, Chicago City, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Denver, U.S, Mexico, El Paso , Texas, New York, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Center for Migration Studies of New York, Chicago, Venezuela, Archdiocese of Chicago, . Texas, New, Cities, Denver , New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington ,, ” El Paso's, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Massachusetts, New York City, Denver , California, L.A, Chicago , New York

Possession of under a gram of heroin, for example, is only subject to a ticket and a maximum fine of $100. Some lawmakers have suggested focusing on criminalizing public drug use rather than possession. Backers of Oregon’s approach say decriminalization isn’t necessarily to blame, as many other states with stricter drug laws have also reported increases in fentanyl deaths. Despite public perception, the law has made some progress by directing $265 million dollars of cannabis tax revenue toward standing up the state’s new addiction treatment infrastructure. Horvick, the pollster, said public support for expanding treatment remains high despite pushback against the law.

Persons: — Oregon's, ”, John Horvick, Sen, Kate Lieber, Tina Kotek, Kotek, Jason Edmiston, Alex Kreit, Lily Morgan, Heather Jefferis, ” Lieber, “, Geoff Mulvihill, ___ Claire Rush Organizations: DHM Research, Democratic, Democratic Gov, Republican, Survey, Northern Kentucky University, Addiction Law, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Health, Networks, Oregon Council, Behavioral Health, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: PORTLAND, Oregon, Portland, Hermiston, California, Washington, U.S, Portugal, Philadelphia

The leader of a South Dakota tribe is expected to declare an emergency on the state’s largest Native American reservation because of rampant crime that he said hasn’t been curbed due to the U.S. government’s inadequate funding for law enforcement. Only 33 officers and eight criminal investigators are responsible for more than 100,000 emergency calls each year across the 5,400-square-mile (14,000-square-kilometer) reservation, tribal officials have said. Oglala Sioux officials contend the tribe is entitled to federal funding for 120 fully equipped officers for the reservation, something the federal government has disputed. Giovanni Rocco, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, noted in an email to the AP that the department’s Law Enforcement Task Force has recommended the federal government increase law enforcement staffing levels on reservations. Lange, the judge in the Oglala Sioux case, has noted the Pine Ridge reservation is among the most impoverished places in the country.

Persons: hasn’t, Frank Star, “, ”, Ben Fenner, Roberto Lange, it's, They're, Giovanni Rocco, Robert Miller, Miller, Lange, ” ___ Trisha Ahmed, @TrishaAhmed15 Organizations: U.S, Oglala Sioux, Sioux, Interior Department, of Indian Affairs, The Associated Press, District, AP, Force, Arizona State University, ., Shawnee Tribe, Tribal, Northern Cheyenne, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: South Dakota, Oglala, U.S, States, Connecticut, reevaluate, United States, Oglala Sioux, Shawnee, Oklahoma, Montana, Pine

(AP) — The manager of the long-troubled water system in Mississippi's capital city proposed a slight rate increase for most residents Friday alongside what he said is a first-in-the-nation proposal to reduce water rates for low-income people who get government help with grocery bills. If enacted, it would be the latest in a series of changes after infrastructure breakdowns in 2022 caused many Jackson residents to go days and weeks without safe running water. “We think this is a great opportunity to really change the dialogue around water and sewer in the city of Jackson,” Henifin said at a news conference. The proposal also marks the first rate increase since a federal judge appointed Henifin to manage Jackson's water system last November. JXN Water will start shutting off water for people who don't pay their bills sometime after Jan. 1st, Henifin said.

Persons: JACKSON, Ted Henifin, ” Henifin, Henifin, Delbert Hosemann, Jan ., Chokwe Antar Lumumba, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Nutrition Assistance, SNAP, Mississippi Legislature, Gov, Jackson, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Jackson, Mississippi, @mikergoldberg

☆ Room to Run in the Center in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Lauren Camera | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s outgoing senator, bristles at the thought of being a spoiler in the 2024 presidential election. While he’s typically shied away from addressing the topic directly, his remarks on a potential presidential bid this week crystallized. Originally seeking the Democratic nomination against Biden, Kennedy opted instead to run as an independent, where polls show now show him siphoning support from Trump. Also running is Cornel West, the academic, activist and far-left candidate who’s polling around 4% to 6%. Enter Manchin, who stands to muddy the waters for the president and former president even more than they already are.

Persons: Joe Manchin, Donald Trump, Manchin, ‘, ’, ”, “, I’ve, he’s, Joe Biden’s, Trump’s proclivity, Todd Belt, Stephen Ansolabehere, –, Socrates, “ We’ve, Trump, Biden, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Jill Stein, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Cornel West, centrists, ” Ansolabehere Organizations: Mountain State, Democratic, Trump, “, George Washington University, GOP, Biden, Republicans, Harvard University, don’t, Reuters, Green Party, Cornel, Quinnipiac University, Republican Locations: West, America, Washington, West Virginia, Israel, Virginia, Michigan , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

☆ And Biden Won’t Even Take His Calls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( James Freeman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D., Minn.) greets supporters outside the statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire last month after filing the paperwork to put his name on the state’s presidential primary ballot. Photo: reba saldanha/ReutersPresident Joe Biden and his allies have been treating presidential nomination challenger Rep. Dean Phillips (D., Minn.) like a nobody—or worse. Now Mr. Phillips is looking less like a man trying to make a polite point and more like a guy who wants to win this thing. While the Democratic Party’s prominent governors and senators have still not chosen to challenge Mr. Biden, the White House may already understand that the relatively obscure man from the Land of 10,000 Lakes could be a formidable opponent. Mr. Phillips at first tried running a nice respectful campaign claiming that Mr. Biden has been a successful president but is just not the right candidate for 2024.

Persons: Dean Phillips, reba saldanha, Joe Biden, Phillips, Mr, Biden Organizations: statehouse, Democratic Locations: Minn, Concord , New Hampshire

About 1 in 5 American workers, nearly 30 million people, are bound by noncompete agreements, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Horror stories about companies using noncompete agreements to trap workers in middling jobs or punish them for taking their skills elsewhere for better pay prompted New York legislators to pass a bill last June that would ban noncompete agreements. "But the fact that I had to spend a year fighting off my former employer was just wrong.”A handful of states, including California, already ban noncompete agreements. Other states, including Minnesota and Oklahoma, have laws that void noncompete agreements if a person is laid off. Advocates for the bill argue that striking noncompete agreements will actually be good for innovation.

Persons: Kathy Hochul hasn't, Richard Tatum, “, Tatum, Joe Biden, she’s, ”, Paul Zuber, Sean Ryan, ” Ryan, ” ___, Khan, Maysoon Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, New, Public Policy Institute, Business Council, New York City, Hochul, Democrat, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America, Twitter Locations: ALBANY, N.Y, New York, California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Silicon Valley

CHICAGO (AP) — Hundreds of Jewish peace activists and their allies converged at a major train station in downtown Chicago during rush hour Monday morning, blocking the entrance to the Israeli consulate and demanding U.S. support for an Israel cease-fire as battles rage in northern Gaza. Midwestern Jews and allies traveled to Chicago from Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois for the demonstration, organizers said. The Israeli consulate in Chicago is in a building connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a major commuter rail station. The Chicago rally is unique from the previous Jewish Voice demonstrations because in the Midwest, “progressive Jewish communities are far smaller and separated by distance,” according to an emailed press release from organizers. “Trains continued to run throughout.”The Israeli consulate in Chicago did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Ben Lorber, “, ”, Clara Belitz, IfNotNow, Meg Reile, ___ Savage Organizations: CHICAGO, Ogilvie Transportation Center, Chicago, Jewish Voice, Peace, Chicago police, Jewish, Grand, Station, New York, Washington , D.C, Hamas, Metra, West Madison, “, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Chicago, Israel, Gaza, Iowa , Missouri, Minnesota , Michigan , Indiana , Wisconsin, Illinois, Israeli, New York, Washington ,

But few outsiders are confident that the off-year wins will necessarily lead to Biden’s reelection or broader Democratic success next year. And Ohio Democrats don't expect Biden to compete in the state next year. To Biden aides, the results validated the strategy of sharpening the contrast with “MAGA Republicans” that helped Democrats outperform expectations in 2022. At the Chicago fundraiser, Biden noted that Beshear won reelection while “running on all the programs that were Biden initiatives.”Beshear kept some distance from Biden the day after he won. Jim Messina, who managed Barack Obama’s successful reelection against Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, said the Biden campaign does not need to change its tactics.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, romped, Donald Trump, Republican overreach, ”, Nina Turner, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Turner, John Yarmuth, he's, “, ” Yarmuth, Yarmuth, Biden’s, “ We’ve, ” Julie Chavez Rodriguez, they’re, “ MAGA, “ MAGA Republicans ”, Tuesday's, Andy Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Cameron, Cameron's, Beshear, ” Beshear, it’s, Dan McCaffery, Glenn Youngkin, Jim Messina, Barack Obama’s, Republican Mitt Romney, Obama, ” Messina, Nikki Haley, Romney, Messina, “ you’re, Ro Khanna, Bernie Sanders ’, ” Khanna, Ed Rendell, Rendell, ” Rendell, Zeke Miller, Emily Swanson, Bruce Schreiner Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, Democratic, Republican, Biden, Trump, “ MAGA Republicans, White, Chicago, Virginia, statehouse, Republican Gov, ” Locations: Chicago, Kentucky , Virginia , Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ohio, an Ohio, Ky, Kentucky, Kentucky’s, ”, Washington, Frankfort , Kentucky

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