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U.S. will not default, but Republicans won’t be to blame if it does, McCarthy says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

WASHINGTON — The United States won’t go into default on its debt, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicted Wednesday — but the highest-ranking Republican on Capitol Hill also said it won’t be his fault if it does.The double-barrelled message from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose caucus is locked in a spending standoff with the White House, came amid the ongoing, ominous countdown to the so-called “X-date.” That’s when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the U.S. government will run out of the money it needs to pay all of its bills without Congress agreeing to raise the debt ceiling — a day which could come as soon as June 1. “I don’t think there’ll be a default, and I don’t see how you would blame Republicans,” McCarthy told a news conference on Capitol Hill. Democrats, he said, have done nothing to prevent the standoff, even since February when McCarthy first indicated he wanted to see spending cuts before...

GOP-led Oklahoma Legislature agrees on largest-ever budget with little input from governor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican leaders in Oklahoma, who control every lever of political power in the state, unveiled their largest-ever budget proposal this week, the result of bruising negotiations that left the GOP governor fuming and even some Democrats happy with what it included. The $13 billion state budget, a nearly 20% increase over last year’s final spending plan, did not include one of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s top priorities of cutting the state’s income or grocery sales tax. House and Senate leaders also apparently blindsided the governor by voting to extend tobacco compacts with several Oklahoma-based Native American tribes that Stitt was hoping to renegotiate to get a better deal for the state.Stitt’s office didn’t immediately comment Wednesday on the spending plan that easily passed the House and is expected to clear the Senate on Thursday. But during a press availability last week, Stitt said he was continuing to urge the Legislature to cut t...

Shell agrees to pay $10 million for air pollution at massive new Pennsylvania petrochemical plant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

Shell has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations that it polluted the air around its massive new petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday.Shell acknowledged that the plant, located along the Ohio River about 30 miles (48 kilometers) outside of Pittsburgh, violated air emissions limits, officials said. The multibillion-dollar facility opened in November, only to be shut down months later after the company said it identified a problem with a system that’s designed to burn off unwanted gases. Shell said it has made repairs and planned to restart the plant on Wednesday.Under an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Shell Chemicals Appalachia LLC — a subsidiary of British oil and gas giant Shell plc — will pay a civil penalty of about $5 million, a portion of which will go toward environmental projects in Beaver County. The company will funnel a total of $6.2 million to th...

Vote on resources to help asylum seekers tabled during Chicago City Council meeting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A vote to address financial resources for asylum seekers living in makeshift shelters across Chicago was tabled during Wednesday's city council meeting.Before the meeting wrapped up, a protest in the morning led by some city council members was interrupted.The protest was led by Ex-cons for Community and Social Change and they demanded those who are getting out of prison aren't overlooked. Mayor Johnson presides over his first Chicago City Council meeting "They got housing for us to go in prison but no housing for us when we return," one person said.Part of the coalition's proposal includes three types of shelters, some housing up to 400 people and others with no more than 30 people."This plan should be implemented to house every single person experiencing homelessness across the City of Chicago," another person said. "These issues are hand-in-hand and we should be working together."During Wednesday's city council meeting, several aldermen deferred discussion and a possi...

ISP reveals details about crash that claimed Ohio 'honest work' farmer's life

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) -- The Illinois State Police has revealed new information about a crash on Interstate 74 that resulted in the death of an Ohio farmer known for a viral Internet meme. Farmer known for ‘It ain’t much, but it’s honest work’ meme dies at 76 in Illinois Dave Brandt, 76, was the face of the meme dubbed "It ain't much, but it's honest work." A friend and colleague told WCIA sister station WCMH that Brandt was in Central Illinois picking up red corn and was driving back to his Carroll, Ohio, farm when his truck crashed.State Police officials said the crash happened Thursday on Interstate 74 near Farmer City. Brandt, they said, was driving eastbound when for undisclosed reasons, he lost control of his truck. The truck rolled over and Brandt was ejected.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesBrandt was taken to Carle Hospital in Urbana, where he died from his injuries two days later.

A design gets a group of Chicago students national recognition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A group of high school students from Chicago were crowned champions this spring in an event that tested their creativity and ingenuity.One of the teams in the city's ACE Mentor Program - which aids students interested in architecture, construction, and engineering - won first place in the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT) national design and construction contest in April in Washington D.C.The 20 students on Chicago Team 11 were given the $5,000 prize for their design for a school of the future, which was the category for their competition. Participants come from a mix of public and private schools, including Chicago Public School students Whitney Young, Jones College Prep, and Lindblom Math and Science."It was just so rewarding to see how amazing this experience was," said Kayla Magdaleno, a senior at Bennett Day School of the competition. "To be able to work with everyone and see our progress over the weeks. It was super rewarding and honestly the biggest confiden...

Wisconsin DNR estimates state's elk herds have grown to around 500 animals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin wildlife officials estimate the number of elk in the state will grow to more than 500 animals by July.The Department of Natural Resources began reintroducing elk to the state in 1995 by importing 25 animals to the Clam Lake region. The agency began another reintroduction effort in 2014 that called for importing up to 150 elk from Kentucky to bolster the Clam Lake herd and establish a second herd in Jackson County.The DNR authorized the first modern-day elk hunt in 2018 after the Clam Lake herd surpassed 200 animals.According to a report that DNR biologists plan to present to the agency board Wednesday, the Jackson County herd should stand at around 155 to 160 elk by the time the calving season is over in July. The Clam Lake herd should stand at around 355 animals by that time.The Jackson County herd lost at least 13 elk in 2022. Seven animals were killed in car crashes, and two were harvested illegally. The remaining four died of sickness or reasons un...

President Biden calls for Congressional action on the first anniversary of Uvalde shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - President Biden addressed the country on the first anniversary of the elementary school shooting that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas."God bless those 21 blessed souls lost on this day in Uvalde and may God bless their families, we're thinking of you," Biden said.President Biden honored the victims and continued his calls for Congress to take action and pass legislation that addresses gun violence in the country."I know for a long time it's been hard to make progress, but there will come a point where our voices are so loud, our determination so clear, we can no longer be stopped," Biden said.The U.S. Department of Education reports 135 school shootings so far this year, with 19 of them resulting in death."We cannot normalize in this country the death of children," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.Cardona says there is something fundamentally wrong if lawmakers value guns more than the lives of students."It's not a Republ...

'Today is a really happy day' ATP Board approves initial Project Connect recommendation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Transit Partnership Board of Directors gave Wednesday its official approval of the Austin Light Rail plan recommendation that was laid out Monday.Austin City officials packed the ATP boardroom and congratulated each other for getting to this milestone in the transportation initiative, almost three years after 58% of Austin voters approved Project Connect in November 2020. “Today is a really happy day,” Veronica Castro de Barrera, Chairwoman of the ATP board, said. READ MORE: Recommended Project Connect light rail plan unveiled The board did not lay out any new information but summarized the plan and reflected on all the hard work city staff has undertaken to get them to this point. “This Austin Light rail implementation plan you have in front of you today…embodies the values that we have been talking about with this community and gets us to a system that is interconnected – a system that is expandable; a system that can be used by all of Austin...

Tennessee's Kiki Milloy, pitching staff areas of focus for Longhorns in super regionals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:12:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — When the Texas Longhorns softball team heads to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, they'll face one of the country's most feared hitters and stingiest pitchers.Lady Vols outfielder Kiki Milloy, daughter of 15-year NFL veteran defensive back Lawyer Milloy, leads Division I with 25 home runs and a slugging percentage of 1.013, meaning she has more total bases (152) than at-bats (150) this season. She's fourth in on-base percentage at .580 and has stolen 37 bases, 11th in Division I, so she impacts the game everywhere she goes.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersIn the circle, Lady Vols pitcher Ashley Rogers is third in Division I with a 0.73 ERA in 124.1 innings this season. Both players have helped the Lady Vols to a 44-8 record this season, and if the Longhorns want to go on a run like last year's — all the way to the championship series of...