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Mississippi can’t restrict absentee voting assistance this year, US judge says as he blocks law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge blocked a new Mississippi law that would set criminal penalties for some people who help others with absentee voting — a ruling that comes as absentee ballots are already available in party primaries for governor and other state offices.U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate wrote in his order Tuesday that Mississippi cannot enforce the law during this year’s primaries or general election.“The voting polls are expected to extend outstretched hands of welcome and provide unfettered access to conscientious citizens anxious to enjoy ‘participatory democracy,’ whether those citizens be among the vulnerable and the disabled,” Wingate wrote.He wrote that the state law violates the Voting Rights Act, a federal law that says any voter who is blind, disabled or unable to read may receive assistance “by a person of the voter’s choice,” other than the voter’s employer or union.The state law — which was supposed to take effect July 1 — would se...

ChatGPT and Threads reflect the challenges of fast tech adoption

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

Omar H. Fares, Toronto Metropolitan University and Seung Hwan (Mark) Lee, Toronto Metropolitan University ListenChatGPT recently experienced a decline in user engagement for the first time since its launch in November 2022. From May to June, engagement dropped 9.7 per cent, with the largest decline — 10.3 per cent — occurring in the United States.Meanwhile, Meta’s Threads platform experienced a significant drop in user numbers, going from more than 49 million users on July 7 to 23.6 million active users by July 14. In the same time frame, the average time users in the U.S. spent on the app dropped from a peak of 21 minutes in early July to just above six minutes.In the tech world, companies are always racing to be the first ones to introduce new innovations, aiming for the “first mover’s advantage.” This refers to a firm’s ability to get a head start over competitors by being the first to enter a new product category or market.However, being a trailblazer doesn’t guarantee an easy r...

Secondary publishing rights can improve public access to academic research

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

Brianne Selman, University of Winnipeg and Mark Swartz, Queen’s University, Ontario ListenCanada’s federal research granting agencies recently announced a review of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications, with the goal of requiring immediate open and free access to all academic publications generated through Tri-Agency supported research by 2025.To meet this requirement, the Canadian government should empower academic authors through the adoption of secondary publishing rights. These rights would ensure that authors can immediately “republish publicly funded research after its first publication in an open access repository or elsewhere,” even in cases where this is forbidden by publishers.Tweaking the Copyright Act to include such rights would give academic authors the ability to make taxpayer-funded journal articles available to the public through open access upon publication.Enabling Canada’s research to be openly accessible without barriers will contribute to the...

Deputy who ran red light pleads guilty in crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A Boulder County deputy pleaded guilty to reckless driving after he drove through a red light and crashed into a car during a law enforcement response.Deputy Daniel Pratt was sentenced to 90 days probation, 40 hours of community service and a maximum fine of $300, according to the 20th Judicial District Attorney's Office. The deputy also had to take a driving class. Caught on camera: Female possibly forced into car at shopping center "Although Deputy Pratt was speeding to a call for emergency assistance, he drove recklessly and violated the requirements of the Sheriff’s Office by speeding and not slowing at the red light," District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. "Having met with the victims, I know that this crash significantly impacted their health and well-being."The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 12, 2022.Pratt was responding to a call for backup at the Boulder County Fair, where fights had broken out, the DA's office said. He was bound...

Colorado man accused of killing missing woman in Kansas City area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (WDAF) -- A Colorado man who reportedly confessed to killing a missing woman faces a murder charge in Missouri. Benjamin Tyler Simmons was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 37-year-old Sarah Tafoya, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control. The woman was reported missing from Sterling, Colorado, in May.The Clay County prosecutor in Missouri charged Simmons, 36, with abandonment of a corpse in addition to the murder count. Simmons is from Fort Morgan, Colorado.On May 4, the highway patrol started an investigation into the disappearance of Tafoya, who was reported missing by her estranged husband. He last spoke with her on May 1. 3 found dead at campsite were family members who planned to live ‘off grid’ Tafoya’s husband said she told him she was somewhere in Clay County, Missouri, in the company of Benjamin T. Simmons, and “needed help.”On May 23, a witness told investigators that Simmons confes...

Boaters enjoy nice catches on Key Biscayne coast despite rainy weather during Lobster Sport mini-season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

As the Lobster Sport mini-season approached, clouds, rain and lightning off Key Biscayne rained on boaters’ parades but the weather didn’t stop some families from bringing in a nice catch. “Plenty of rain plenty of storms, but we still got our lobsters so it’s a good day,” said Jason Chockley, who was out on his boat with his son Victor.Jason Chockley has been catching lobsters for 25 years and now his son is also learning the ropes.“He’s the spotter from above, and he runs back and forth between the boat, makes sure they’re all good in size and measurement,” said Jason. “It’s always a team effort.” Many others weren’t as lucky as the rain was relentless on Wednesday morning. “We tried but the visibility is really dark so we couldn’t see anything,” said Felix Cuevas, another boater out on the water. “So we’re trying to see if the rain goes out and then we’ll go back.R...

Biden’s son Hunter pleads not guilty to 2 tax crimes after agreement with prosecutors falls through

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a plea deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement.Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he had made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.The collapsed the proceedings, a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Dep...

‘Ultra-rare’ Apple sneakers on sale for $50,000

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

(CNN) — When you think of Apple, it’s likely that what first springs to mind is a conveyor belt of revolutionary tech rather than a pair of sneakers.But a pair of “ultra-rare” Apple sneakers is now being sold by auctioneers Sotheby’s for $50,000, fetching a higher price tag than any current Apple product.Complete with the rainbow Apple logo on the tongue and side, the white trainers were custom-made for the company’s employees as a one-time giveaway at a National Sales Conference in the mid-1990s.“Having never reached the general public, this particular pair of sneakers is one of the most obscure in existence,” Sotheby’s said in its catalog.Although producing sneakers is unusual for Apple, in 1986 the tech brand released a range of clothing and accessories dubbed “The Apple Collection,” featuring mugs, umbrellas, bags, keyrings and even a sailboard, all emblazoned with the rainbow Apple logo, according to a catalog published that year. Th...

Mac Jones ‘good’ with Bill Belichick after agreeing to ‘fresh start’ for Patriots season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

FOXBORO — It was an inauspicious start to training camp for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones on Wednesday morning.On his first competitive throw of the summer, he dropped back in a red-zone drill, briefly turned his body to the right where running back Rhamondre Stevenson was running a swing route, directed his attention back to the middle of the field and tried to loft a pass to tight end Mike Gesicki in the back of the end zone.And he was picked off by safety Kyle Dugger.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots enter training camp in good health, down only 3 players at Wednesday practice New England Patriots | Callahan: It’s a prove-it season for the Patriots — and they know it New England Patriots | Bill Belichick provides update on Patriots key starters head of training camp New England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains why the Patriots extended DeVante Parker, Ja’Whaun Bentley New England Patriots...

Do you feel more depressed the hotter it gets? It’s not your imagination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:43 GMT

By Cindy Krischer Goodman | South Florida Sun SentinelDay after day of unbearable heat, Jan Cox feels herself sinking more into a depression.“There does not seem to be any relief,” said Cox, who has given up gardening and outside activity as the heat index climbs to new records in Florida.The 79-year-old Central Florida resident says she has lived in the state all her life, but the unrelenting heat this summer has affected her mental health. “I try not to dwell on it, but the feeling is there,” she said.While health officials issue warnings for physical danger from extreme heat, like heat stroke and heat exhaustion, just as concerning are the links between high temperatures and mental health issues.Research shows the high temperatures combined with the thick humidity plaguing can take a toll on everything from day-to-day moods to the potential for a mental health crisis, or self-harm.“It’s been proven that protracted hot weather can make people depressed,” said Dr. Charles Raison, w...