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Georgia agrees to pay for gender-affirming care for public employees, settling a lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Georgia will start paying for gender-affirming health care for state employees, public school teachers and former employees covered by a state health insurance plan, settling another in a string of lawsuits against Georgia agencies aiming to force them to pay for gender-confirmation surgery and other procedures. The plaintiffs moved to dismiss their case Thursday in Atlanta federal court, announcing they had reached a settlement with the State Health Benefit Plan. The December lawsuit argued the insurance plan illegally discriminated by refusing to pay for gender-affirming care.“There’s no justification, morally, medically, legally or in any other way for treating transgender healthcare as different and denying people access to it,” David Brown, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a phone interview Thursday.The state Department of Community Health, which oversees the insurance plan, did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment.The sta...

Canada has pulled most envoys out of India due to diplomatic immunity threats: Joly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada has removed most of its diplomatic presence from India after New Delhi threatened to strip diplomatic immunities from them and their families.Joly says New Delhi threatened to remove immunities on Friday, so Canada called back 41 diplomats and their 42 dependents, leaving just 21 diplomats in the country.She decried the threat as a violation of international law that escalates tensions between the two countries and would have made it unsafe for diplomats to stay, and she said Canada would not reciprocate the move.Joly says Canada’s high commission in New Delhi remains operational, but Ottawa has paused in-person services at consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bangalore. Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the lower staff levels will hamper the issuing of visas and permits.Relations with New Delhi have hit a deep freeze since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a month ago that Canadian intelligence services were inv...

Alderwoman, staffer assaulted during migrant site construction protest in Brighton Park, statement says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Alderwoman Julia Ramirez (12th Ward) issued a statement Thursday that said she and a staffer were assaulted at a protest of Mayor Brandon Johnson's plan to construct a temporary migrant shelter at 38th Street and California Avenue.Ramirez's statement said, in part, "Residents contacted my office this week and asked that I attend [the protest] to hear their concerns. I wanted to engage directly with my community to address misinformation being spread about my involvement in the plan, and how we should move forward as a community. After having a few conversations, it became clear that most of the protestors did not want to engage in a peaceful dialogue with me ... As I was leaving the protest, a group of protestors surrounded me and my staffer and began assaulting us."The full statement can be read at the bottom of this article.Ramirez confirmed in the statement that she is "ok," but her staffer was taken to the hospital and is in good condition.Earlier Thursday, the Mayor's...

More than 300 arrested in Capitol Hill protest urging cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 300 people were arrested for illegally demonstrating and three people were charged with assaulting police after protesters descended on Capitol Hill to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of demonstrators from Jewish advocacy groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, poured into a congressional office building on Wednesday. They wore shirts that read “Jews say cease-fire now” and they chanted “let Gaza live” and “not in my name" before they were detained by Capitol Police. Alderwoman, staffer assaulted during migrant site construction protest in Brighton Park, statement says Demonstrations are not allowed inside Capitol buildings, and police said they warned the crowd gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building to stop before they began making the arrests. The 305 people arrested for illegally demonstrating were subsequently released and those charged with assault were held in custody pending an appear...

Taco Bell testing new chicken nuggets in this Midwest city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

(WXIN/NEXSTAR) – The powers that be at Taco Bell have chosen one city — and one city only — as the testing ground for a new chicken item.Customers in Minneapolis are the first (and currently only) in the nation with the option to order Taco Bell's new Crispy Chicken Nuggets, according to a menu update shared by Taco Bell last week.The white-meat nuggets, which are marinated in jalapeno-spiced buttermilk before being breaded and fried, are served with a choice of two sauces: a signature “Bell sauce” for dipping (made with tomato, red chili, onion and garlic) or a jalapeno-flavored honey mustard.Don't get your hopes up, everybody: Taco Bell's new nuggets are only available in Minneapolis at the moment. (Taco Bell)Orders come in two sizes: five pieces (with one sauce) for between $3.99 and $4.99, or 10 pieces (with both sauces) for between $6.99 and $7.99. (Prices vary between locations, according to Taco Bell). Yes, Olive Garden sells its cheese graters — and so much more A represen...

Geico to lay off 6% of workforce nationwide, internal letter confirms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Geico is cutting its total workforce by 6%, laying off roughly 2,000 of its employees as of Thursday, according to a letter from the auto insurance company's CEO."This very difficult decision was not taken lightly. We recognize we’re saying goodbye to beloved colleagues and friends, and as a leadership team we are committed to supporting those affected in the days ahead," CEO Todd Combs wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Nexstar's WIVB. Combs said he hopes to "better position [Geico] for long-term profitability and growth."Those affected by the sudden decision to let employees go will be contacted Thursday, according to the letter. Is your company planning layoffs, closures? Many states let you check The letter did not provide specific reasons for Thursday's layoffs, but Combs did say inflation, prolonged turnaround for repairs (due to staffing or supply shortages) and "rising medical costs" had recently posed challenges for the company."Despite the...

APD says scene 'still active' after juvenile shot in north Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is investigating a shooting Thursday that happened in north Austin and left one juvenile injured. The scene is still active at this time, according to police.Shortly after 1 p.m., police said officers responded to an urgent call in the 1100 block of Fairfield Drive, which is near Navarro High School. When officers arrived, they said they found a juvenile with gunshot wounds.The juvenile was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to police.Anyone with any information can submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling (512) 472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.Austin ISD letter to communityThe incident happened off campus, according to a letter sent to the Navarro High School community that was provided to KXAN.The letter stated a "young man" came to the campus looking for medi...

APD searches for aggravated assault suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, the Austin Police Department said it was searching for a man in connection with an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon that occurred Sept. 4 in downtown Austin.APD said the assault occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m. in the 300 block of Brazos Street.Aggravated assault suspect seen on surveillance video (APD photo)According to police, the suspect was seen on surveillance video near San Jacinto Boulevard minutes before trying to get the attention of two people on Brazos Street.Police said the victims told police the suspect pointed a handgun at them as they walked past an alley on Brazos Street. The victims said they ran away from the suspect, who police said left the area through the alley.Police described the suspect as a white or Hispanic man between 30 to 40 years of age with a medium to heavy build. Police said he was armed with a handgun and was last seen wearing a bright lime green t-shirt, red shorts, black ball cap, black facemask, black shoes ...

MAP: Which Austin metro zip codes had the most apartments built in recent years?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Austin metro area's population continues to expand rapidly, it's perhaps no surprise that several local zip codes are among those with the most new apartments nationwide.Five Austin-area zip codes feature in the country's top 50 that saw the highest number of apartments built between 2018 and 2022, according to a new study by RentCafe.Pflugerville's 78660 ranks highest locally, with 3,879 new apartments constructed in the four-year span. The zip code ranks 20th nationally.Also in the top 50 are 78741, 78702 and 78705, all in Austin, as well as 78666 in San Marcos. Each of those zip codes added more than 3,200 apartments.The rankings are topped by two zip codes in Washington, DC — 20002 and 20003 — both of which saw more than 7,200 new apartments. New York's 11101, Nashville's 37203 and Frisco's 75034 round out the top five.More than 1.2 million new rental units were built nationwide between 2018 and 2022, according to RentCafe."This surge not only means more o...

Victor, Ramanathan: Climate change isn’t just about emissions. We’re ignoring a huge part of the fight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

Last month, we heard yet again about the need to stop global warming at about 1.5 degrees centigrade above preindustrial levels. The International Energy Agency outlined a plan to meet that goal, and the United Nations secretary-general implored nations to get serious about cutting emissions to make it a reality.That goal is a fantasy. This summer, global warming already yielded monthly average temperatures that exceeded preindustrial averages by 1.5 degrees. It took more than a century for global annual average temperatures to reach the first degree, which happened around 2015. Climate data suggest that the next half-degree is likely to happen by the early 2030s, if not sooner, and that 2023 will be the warmest year on record.The reality of rapid warming requires that every country create an adaptation strategy to become more resilient to the effects of climate change.Adaptation means lessening the harm caused by storm surges, floods, heat waves, fires and other weather-related per...