These states took action to block, safeguard abortion this week

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

These states took action to block, safeguard abortion this week (The Hill) -- Abortion access has been a patchwork of policies across the U.S. since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. New restrictions are taking effect in some states, while others are increasingly taking actions to strengthen access. Here's some of what's happened this week.North Dakota bans almost all abortions(AP)Republican Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday signed into law one of the nation's strictest abortion bans. The law will ban abortion at every stage of pregnancy, with some exceptions for victims of rape or incest — but they must get the procedure within six weeks of gestation.The law takes effect immediately, though the state no longer has any abortion clinics. Percentage of teen girls considering, attempting suicide rose in second year of pandemic: CDC North Dakota was one of the states with a "trigger law" that was enacted when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The trigger law banned nearly all abortions and would have made it a felony for a do...

Dylan Mulvaney breaks weeks-long silence over Bud Light backlash

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Dylan Mulvaney breaks weeks-long silence over Bud Light backlash (The Hill) -- Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney broke her weeks-long silence on social media on Thursday, following the right-wing backlash over her recent partnership with Bud Light.“I’ve been offline for a few weeks, and a lot has been said about me,” Mulvaney said in a video posted to Instagram and TikTok. “It was so loud that I didn’t even feel part of the conversation. So, I decided to take the back seat and let them tucker themselves out.”“But then I remembered that nearly 13 million people at some point enjoyed me enough to hit the follow button on these apps. And I was like wait, wait, wait, I want to talk to those people,” she added.Mulvaney was silent on social media for nearly three weeks after a sponsored Instagram post promoting Bud Light’s March Madness contest last month drew the ire of conservative critics, who called for protests against Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch. Dwyane Wade says his family left Florida because they ‘would not be accept...

More lanes will be added to a dangerous stretch of road near Tesla

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

More lanes will be added to a dangerous stretch of road near Tesla AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A dangerous stretch of road in a part of town that has experienced huge growth, will be getting major safety improvements this year. KXAN Traffic Anchor, Erica Brennes spoke with a man who lives off FM 973, near the Tesla Gigafactory. "It's more common than it should be. I think we definitely need more traffic patterns that will help alleviate some of that mess," Brad Justice lives in a southeast Austin neighborhood near the Tesla factory off FM 973, "I check the traffic every day because I never know which way is gonna be more efficient to get to work and I have to be there at a specific time."This week a car hit and killed a person walking along FM 973, not far from Brad's neighborhood.Another crash this week also caused major delays, "Some people were trying to just get to the airport, which is usually a five-minute drive that was taken an hour and a half."But there are plans in the works to help make it safer for drivers. In October, TxDOT will start constructi...

YouTube Music workers unionize after 41-0 vote

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

YouTube Music workers unionize after 41-0 vote AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board announced YouTube Music Content Operations Team, who are subcontracted by Alphabet via Cognizant, won its election for a union. The vote was 41-0 in favor of the union.According to a release, 84% of the unit voted in the election. The unit, which includes 49 workers, was represented by Alphabet Workers Union-CWA. Workers originally filed for a union election in October 2022. PREVIOUS: YouTube workers strike over forced ‘return’ to an office most never worked at “My coworkers and I have spoken, time and time again—we want, and have won, a protected voice on the job to bring both Alphabet and Cognizant to the negotiating table so that we can win the fair working conditions we deserve,” said Maxwell Longfield, YouTube Music contract worker with Cognizant and member of AWU-CWA.On March 3, the NLRB ruled that Alphabet and Cognizant must both negotiate with workers on the union contract if workers win their NLRB election. ...

Faye Flam: The Pacific garbage patch is now hosting a new threat

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Faye Flam: The Pacific garbage patch is now hosting a new threat The infamous Pacific garbage patch is changing the balance of life in the seas. At least 37 species of coastal creatures — worms, crabs, shellfish and the like — have colonized the Texas-sized plastic tangle, turning it into an unnatural floating habitat.The findings, reported last week in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, show life’s tenacity, with a variety of castaway creatures treating our trash as their own Noah’s Ark. But it’s not something to celebrate. It should be a wake-up call to create stronger, more binding prohibitions against using the oceans as a place to dump plastic.Scientists worry about the plastic that’s infused into the bodies of the animals living in it. That’s going to go up the food chain. And they’re worried that plastic garbage is becoming a conveyor belt for species that could become invasive in their new homes, wiping out other forms of life.While it’s often described as a giant island of plas...

Woman, 81, apparently delivering cookies when garbage truck fatally struck her in Stillwater

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Woman, 81, apparently delivering cookies when garbage truck fatally struck her in Stillwater Margaret Peterson was the kind of person who baked cookies for the mail carriers and garbagemen in her Stillwater neighborhood.Peterson, 81, was apparently on her way to deliver cookies to the driver of a Waste Management garbage truck when he fatally struck her about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, said Police Chief Brian Mueller. It happened outside her house in the 900 block of Willard St. W.“We see a lot of tragic things in our profession, but the circumstances surrounding this are among the worst I’ve seen,” Mueller said Friday. “Margaret was one of those community caretakers, bringing cookies to the workers and neighbors. Every indication is that she has known these workers for a long time.”The driver of the Waste Management garbage truck, a 46-year-old man from New Richmond, Wis., is cooperating with investigators, Mueller said.“This is tragic on both ends,” Mueller said. “It involved two really good people. (The driver) takes his job seriously and takes great pride in his work. He grew u...

Police make 5 notable DWI arrests in the Capital Region

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Police make 5 notable DWI arrests in the Capital Region ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police around the Capital Region arrested five individuals for DWI during the week of April 20 to 27. Two incidents involved crashes. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! At around 4:25 p.m. on April 21, State Police responded to a crash involving a car and a motorcycle on Duanesburg Road in Princetown. Police say the driver of the car, Daniel L. Miller, 63, of Princetown, failed to yield to the motorcycle. Miller crashed into the motorcycle and ran over the motorcyclist. He was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated and other Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. Miller refused to provide a breath sample. It was determined that Miller had multiple DWI convictions in the last ten years. The motorcyclist was transported to the Albany Medical Center with serious injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Foreclosed properties to be auctioned off in Schenectady County In the early...

Saratoga Arts presenting poetry event

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Saratoga Arts presenting poetry event SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga Arts is celebrating National Poetry Month by hosting a poetry reading Friday, April 28. The event titled "More Than Local" will feature four Saratoga poets and will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the arts center, located at 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The reading will showcase the work of poets Peg Boyers, Elaine Handley, Marilyn McCabe, and Jay Rogoff. It will be moderated by Saratoga Springs’ Poet Laureate Joseph Bruchac. The Greenfield Review Literacy Center has generously teamed up with Saratoga Arts to underwrite the remaining ticket costs to make this poetry reading free and accessible to all. Regional Food Bank hosting their largest food drive of the year The doors will open one hour before the start of the event. While it is free to attend, space is limited, and Saratoga Arts kindly encourages the community to register here to reserve a seat....

Albany man sentenced to 15 years for 2017 manslaughter

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Albany man sentenced to 15 years for 2017 manslaughter ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Friday, Stephan Harris, 27, was sentenced to a determinate term of 15 years in prison and 5 years of post-release supervision. Harris pleaded guilty to manslaughter on March 17, 2023. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to the indictment, Harris caused the death of Jonathan Weldon in May 2017 by stabbing him in the stomach. The incident occurred in the area of 362 Elk Street in the City of Albany.

Man allegedly steals car in Wilton, leads police on chase

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:39:26 GMT

Man allegedly steals car in Wilton, leads police on chase WILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police said a man was arrested twice in one day after allegedly stealing a car and leading them on a chase. Eric Sahm, 45, of Liverpool, N.Y. was taken into custody on April 21. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On September 23, 2022, troopers in Wilton received a complaint from a Saratoga County resident about Sahm allegedly sending them unwanted and threatening text messages. Wilton Town Court then issued a warrant for Sahm’s arrest.On April 21, Sahm was found in Salina, N.Y. and was brought to State Police in Wilton on the warrant. He was arraigned in Wilton Town Court, where he charged with second-degree aggravated harassment and released. Suspect arrested following animal cruelty investigation Shortly after he was released, police said Sahm allegedly stole a car from the Stewart's on Ballard Road in Wilton. With the help of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Sahm was reportedl...