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Mega Millions players spurned again as jackpot climbs to $1.55 billion

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a jackpot winner.The numbers drawn Friday night were: 11, 30, 45, 52, 56 and the gold ball 20.Because no one matched all six numbers and won the estimated $1.35 billion jackpot, the top prize increased to $1.55 billion for the next drawing Tuesday night.There now have been 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was April 18.The $1.55 billion prize would be for a sole winner who chooses the annuity option with payment stretched over 30 years. Most winners opt for a lump-sum payment, which would be an estimated $757.2 million on Tuesday.A big slice of those winnings would go toward federal taxes, while many states also tax lottery payouts.The jackpot is so hard to win because of the 1 in 302.6 million odds of matching the numbers on five white balls and a separate mega ball. The odds are better to win smaller prizes, which start at $2.Mega Millions is played in 45 states, W...

Artificial intelligence is gaining state lawmakers’ attention, and they have a lot of questions

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — As state lawmakers rush to get a handle on fast-evolving artificial intelligence technology, they’re often focusing first on their own state governments before imposing restrictions on the private sector. Legislators are seeking ways to protect constituents from discrimination and other harms while not hindering cutting-edge advancements in medicine, science, business, education and more.“We’re starting with the government. We’re trying to set a good example,” Connecticut state Sen. James Maroney said during a floor debate in May.Connecticut plans to inventory all of its government systems using artificial intelligence by the end of 2023, posting the information online. And starting next year, state officials must regularly review these systems to ensure they won’t lead to unlawful discrimination.Maroney, a Democrat who has become a go-to AI authority in the General Assembly, said Connecticut lawmakers will likely focus on private industry ne...

Cost of federal census recounts push growing towns to do it themselves

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

Officials in the city of Lebanon worried that the amount of state money distributed from Tennessee agencies based on 2020 census figures wasn’t keeping pace with their explosive growth. So they reached out to the U.S. Census Bureau to ask about conducting another head count, or “special census,” for the city on the edge of metro Nashville.But Lebanon officials balked at the $880,000 price tag and decided to do it themselves.“We think we can do it cheaper,” said Paul Corder, planning director for Lebanon, which has a population of 44,000 residents.Their census is rolling out later this summer. Officials hope to spend less than half the federal quote for a count that accurately captures Lebanon’s rapid growth, with a goal of bringing in just under $1 million extra each year in state funding through the end of the decade.The bureau’s special head counts don’t change political maps, unlike the federal census every decade, but they can lead to more state and federal funding. Communities ...

Justice Department faces biggest test in its history with election conspiracy case against Trump

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Justice Department was announcing the highest-profile prosecution in its history in Washington, Attorney General Merrick Garland was 100 miles away, meeting with local police in Philadelphia. He stepped outside briefly to speak about how the decision to indict Donald Trump for conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election came from career prosecutors and was led by a special counsel committed to “accountability and independence.” In other words, this wasn’t about politics.Try as Garland might, though, there is no escaping the politics of the moment when the Justice Department of a president who is running for reelection is indicting his chief political rival, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. And though he has distanced himself from the investigation since he appointed special counsel Jack Smith 10 months ago, Garland has the last word on matters related to the prosecution of Trump as long as he is the attorney general. The Justice Department is fa...

A timeline of events leading up to the new B.C. port deal

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

The union representing about 7,400 port workers in British Columbia has announced its members have ratified a new agreement with employers to end their long-running labour dispute.Here is a timeline of events leading up to the new deal.2022Nov. 30: The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association provides notice to commence collective bargaining to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada.2023Feb. 16: Negotiations begin.March 20: The ILWU serves a notice of dispute to the federal government, signalling an impasse, and requests the appointment of a conciliation officer.March 29: Talks enter a 60-day conciliation period.March 31: The existing collective agreement between the BCMEA and the ILWU expires.May 30: Conciliation ends. Talks enter a cooling-off period of 21 days.June 5: The ILWU’s negotiating committee authorizes a strike vote to be conducted on June 9 and 10.June 12: The ILWU says members voted 99.24 per cent in favour of supporting strike action if ne...

Trump and allies boost calls for Justice Dept. takeover in new attack on democratic institutions

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

In the two-and-a-half years since the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, Congress passed a bipartisan law closing loopholes in the complex process of choosing a new president that Donald Trump tried to exploit in his push to stay in office after losing the 2020 election.Candidates for crucial swing-state election posts who backed Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election all lost their bids in last year’s elections. And, this week, federal prosecutors filed four felony charges against the former president for his role in the scheme to overturn President Joe Biden’s win.But while those avenues for electoral mischief may be blocked or severely constrained in 2024, the prosecution — along with another federal indictment accusing Trump of mishandling classified information after leaving office — is providing additional urgency among conservatives for a plan to make over the U.S. Department of Justice.That’s a step democracy advocates warn could mark a new assau...

Russia’s war with Ukraine has generated its own fog, and mis- and disinformation are everywhere

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — On the battlefields of Ukraine, the fog of war plagues soldiers. And far from the fighting, a related and just as disorienting miasma afflicts those who seek to understand what’s happening in the vast war.Disinformation, misinformation and absent information all cloud civilians’ understanding. Officials from each side denounce devious plots being prepared by the enemy, which never materialize. They claim victories that can’t be confirmed — and stay quiet about defeats. None of this is unique to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Any nation at war bends the truth — to boost morale on the home front, to rally support from its allies, to try to persuade its detractors to change their stance. But Europe’s largest land war in decades — and the biggest one since the dawn of the digital age — is taking place in a superheated information space. And modern communications technology, theoretically a force for improving public knowledge, tends to multiply the confusion ...

Concert review: Earth, Wind & Fire outshine Lionel Richie at the X

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire — two of the biggest R&B acts of the ’70s and ’80s — kicked off a joint tour Friday at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and thrilled the crowd of about 13,000 with an evening of hit after hit after hit.Like Richie’s first group the Commodores, EWF were often classified as a funk band, but they’ve always been so much more, dabbling in soul, disco, rock, jazz and Latin jazz. And despite the 2016 death of band founder/leader Maurice White, the three core members — Verdine White (bass, vocals), Philip Bailey (vocals, percussion) and Ralph Johnson (vocals, percussion) — have kept the group going strong. In terms of infectious energy and sheer joy, they easily bested Richie (more on him in a bit).With 11 musicians on stage, EWF conjured a wall of sound that gave their numerous hits true power. The group’s cover of the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life” (which Paul McCartney wrot...

San Bernardino County students can now ride public transit for free

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

San Bernardino County students can now ride public transit for free whether to access school, activities or just getting around town.The K-12 Student Free Fare Program allows free rides for students every day and on every bus system in the county, according to the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.Transit providers include Omnitrans, Victor Valley Transit, Mountain Transit, Basin Transit and Needles Area Transit.The one-year pilot program is sponsored by SBCTA and was approved by the Board of Directors in March 2023.County officials hope the free fares will not only allow children to easily access school, practice and activities, but will also foster a sense of independence.“We are very excited about this program,” said SBCTA Board President Dawn Rowe. “ It provides a financial break to families and gives them more options. Whether riding to school, for after-school fun, or for a weekend outing, kids ride free.” Public warned of increased coyote sightings at Chino par...

West Nile virus found in mosquitos and birds in Contra Costa, Napa counties

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:08:22 GMT

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY — A third dead bird and a third group of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus, the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District said Friday. The discoveries mark the latest in a string of infected animals and insects across the Bay Area.The bird was found in Oakley, while the mosquitos were trapped in Brentwood. Earlier in the day, officials in Napa County also said they had confirmed West Nile among mosquitos in Calistoga. The announcements come after Contra Costa County officials found the virus among two groups of mosquitos from Discovery Bay and two dead birds from Martinez and Brentwood last month.“Statistically, this is the time of year when we typically see the highest risk of human cases,” Steve Schutz, the district’s scientific programs manager, said in a news release.West Nile can be transmitted to animals and people through a mosquito bite. Typically, the virus only causes mild, flu-like symptoms, but older adults ...