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House and Senate wrangle over student loans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

WASHINGTON — The debt ceiling deal hammered out by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy ends the pandemic-driven pause in student loan payments that’s been in place for more than three years while preserving Biden’s loan forgiveness plan — at least for now.But the GOP is pressing ahead with its effort to derail the president’s plan, which would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for those who meet income limits, and another $10,000 for those who got Pell Grants.The Senate on Wednesday voted to take up a joint resolution of disapproval that would block the forgiveness plan. The measure passed the House last week with the support of every Republican and two Democrats: Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington.The Senate vote on the motion to proceed was 51-46, with Democrats Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as independent Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona voting “yea.”A vote on final passage...

Arlington Heights-area school districts reach agreement with Churchill Downs on racecourse property taxes — but deal with Bears still being sought

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

Local school districts and the former owner of Arlington International Racecourse have agreed on how large the property tax bill payable this year should be, but negotiations with the new owners — the Chicago Bears — for future tax years and payments are still ongoing.Former racetrack owner Churchill Downs Inc. will pay $7.9 million in property taxes this year, up from the $2.7 million it paid before closing the track in 2021.Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214, Palatine-based Township High School District 211 and Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 — an elementary school district — all receive property tax revenue from the racetrack site.District officials confirmed the schools and Churchill Downs Inc. reached the agreement May 31, though the Cook County Board of Review still must approve it.But because the settlement is only good for one year, the Bears — new owners of the 326-acre property as of February — w...

Breece Hall says ‘I feel like myself again’ less than a year after suffering ACL injury

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

The Jets have been eagerly anticipating the return of running back Breece Hall.It appears Gang Green won’t have to wait much longer to see Hall practice with the rest of his teammates.Although the Jets are taking it slowly following his ACL injury last October, Hall has been rehabbing, working on the side running during OTA practices this spring.“It’s going good, it’s good to get back on the field, running around doing drills, starting to cut and stuff,” Hall said on Wednesday. “I feel like myself again, just progressing every week.“It’s been good.”After the tean selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Hall positively impacted the Jets offense. Hall rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns in his seven games last season. He also caught 19 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown.However, Hall’s season prematurely ended after he tore his ACL in a victory again the Broncos last October. Following its win against D...

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is now underway. Here’s what to know.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — It’s time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday.Forecasters are predicting a “near-normal” season, but Mike Brennan, the new director at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, stressed during a Wednesday news conference that there’s really nothing normal when it comes to hurricanes. “A normal season might sound good in comparison to some of the hurricane seasons in the past few years,” he said. “But there’s nothing good about a near-normal hurricane season in terms of activity.” WILL THE 2023 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON BE BUSY?Uncertainty is the key word, Brennan said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in late May a 40% chance of 2023 being a near-normal hurricane season, a 30% chance of an above-average season, which has more storms than usual, and a 30% chance of a below-normal season, which has ...

US turns up pressure on air bag inflator company that refuses a recall despite deaths, injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government is turning up the pressure on ARC Automotive to recall 67 million potentially dangerous air bag inflators by ordering the company to answer questions under oath and threatening fines if it doesn’t respond.NHTSA argues that the recall is justified because two people have been killed in the United States and Canada and at least seven others have been injured by ARC inflators, which can explode with too much force and expel shapnel. The explosions, which first occurred in 2009, have continued as recently as this year.The special order from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asks multiple questions about whether ARC expects any of its inflators to blow apart in the future, and whether it has notified customers about the risk.The agency wants ARC Automotive Inc., based in Knoxville, Tennessee, to recall the inflators, which can blow apart a metal canister. But ARC is refusing, setting up a possible court fight.ARC maintains that no...

Russia, China foreign ministers set for BRICS meet in South Africa with war in Ukraine on agenda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers were set to meet with their counterparts from the BRICS economic bloc of developing nations in South Africa on Thursday for discussions that will start with “an exchange of views” on major geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s ambassador to the bloc said.Most of the BRICS countries differ sharply from the position of the U.S. and its Western allies on the war. Speaking ahead of the meeting, the South African ambassador referred to the West’s military aid to Ukraine as one of the things that “fuels the conflict.”“Any endeavor that fuels the conflict does not solve the problem,” Anil Sooklal said when asked for his reaction to Western “attempts” to transfer weapons to Ukraine.“We do not know of any global conflict that has been solved though war,” Sooklal said. “All it does is cause more pain and suffering and, as BRICS countries, this is what we are saying: Let’s foc...

Teen girl critically injured after being struck by truck in Rexdale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

A teenage girl has suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a truck in Rexdale. Police say they were called to the area of Queens Plate Drive and Rexdale Boulevard, just east of Highway 27 around 7:45 a.m. Thursday.Paramedics say a teen girl to a trauma centre via emergency run. More to come

CP NewsAlert: Firefighters from U.S., South Africa to battle ‘unprecedented’ fires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

OTTAWA — More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season.Federal officials say at least 100 U.S. firefighters will be arriving in Nova Scotia over the weekend to help knock down out-of-control wildfires that have forced about 21,000 people from their homes since Sunday.Another 200 firefighters arriving from South Africa will likely end up in Alberta, though officials say the wildfire situation in the country is fluid.More coming.The Canadian Press

After 22 years in a coma, Israeli woman critically wounded in 2001 Jerusalem suicide bombing dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli woman critically wounded in a 2001 suicide bombing at a Jerusalem restaurant has died, an Israeli hospital said Thursday. Her death marks the sixteenth fatality from that attack.Hana Nachenberg was 31 at the time and was dining with her 3-year-old daughter when the blast occurred, Israeli media reported. She was in a coma for nearly 22 years until she died on Wednesday, reports said. Her daughter was not hurt in the attack.On Aug. 9, 2001, a Palestinian bomber walked into a Jerusalem pizzeria and blew himself up. The attack remains one of the most infamous in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and it came at a time of surging violence between the sides during the second Palestinian intifada or uprising.Aftershocks of the attack, which wounded dozens, still make news today. The family of an Israeli-American girl killed in the attack is waging a campaign to press Jordan, a close American ally, to send a woman convicted of aiding the attacker to the United Sta...

After sailing through House on bipartisan vote, Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal now goes to Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veering away from a default crisis, the House overwhelmingly approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, sending the deal that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated to the Senate for swift passage in a matter of days, before a fast-approaching deadline.The hard-fought compromise pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran high as hard-right Republicans refused the deal, but Biden and McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition to push to passage on a robust 314-117 vote late Wednesday.“We did pretty dang good,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said afterward.Amid deep discontent from Republicans who said the spending restrictions did not go far enough, McCarthy said it is only a “first step.”Biden, watching the tally from Colorado Springs where Thursday he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy, phoned McCarthy...