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‘Operation Clean Sweep’ is a go in Md., collecting tons in highway trash and debris

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

Since Maryland kicked off its “Operation Clean Sweep,” the state’s Department of Transportation State Highway Administration collected more than 120 tons of trash.Charlie Gischlar, with the state highway administration, said the litter and debris collected in the past two weeks along roadsides had included sofas, tires, a variety of trash and small furniture.More Maryland NewsMore Local NewsThe trash is not only unsightly, Gischlar said, but it’s an environmental hazard and a safety issue.Mowers will soon be out to cut the grass and vegetation along roadsides and pathways.Debris struck by the mowing equipment cannot only damage equipment, but it can become a projectile, Gischlar said, and “it can be shot out into the roadway and injure a roadway user, a driver, a pedestrian” or a cyclist.There are things drivers can do when they spot trash on the roads or highways.Gischlar advises drivers to make a mental note of where they spotted the litter and then log onto the Maryland Departmen...

Polis targets oil and gas in 'ambitious' plan to cut ozone

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis unveiled what he called the "most ambitious action in Colorado history" to reduce oil and gas air pollution, specifically by targeting ozone-forming nitrogen oxides.In a Thursday announcement, Polis hailed it as the nation's "first comprehensive ozone emission reduction program" targeted at the oil and gas industry. Bill would reduce money agencies get from seized assets The plan's focus is on nitrogen oxides, or NOx, which are gases that form when fuel is burned at high temperatures and "play a major role" in ozone formation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They often appear as brownish gas and are emitted by automobiles and other non-road vehicles, as well as by industrial sources.As Polis pointed out, NOx leads to so-called "bad air days," when poor air quality can lead to harmful health impacts, especially for high-risk groups. He pitched the plan as a way to save hundreds of millions in annual healthcare costs and reduce heal...

NAACP demands arrest of Miami Police sergeant cleared in fatal shooting of driver

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

The NAACP is demanding the arrest of a Miami Police officer who was cleared in the shooting death of a driver.A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Branch of the NAACP and the attorney representing the family of the driver spoke with 7News about the matter on Thursday. They said they want the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to reexamine their findings regarding the March 2022 incident that claimed the life of 34-year-old Antwon Cooper.“We were all surprised and disappointed in the way that this investigation was handled,” said Trelvis Randolph, General Counsel of the Miami-Dade Branch of NAACP.“If the elected Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office won’t do anything, where else do we go to obtain justice?” said Rawsi Williams, the attorney representing Cooper’s family.The NAACP has reached out to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office a week after Cooper’s family filed a wrongful death civil rights lawsuit against Miami Police Sgt. Constant ...

SoFlo crooner Chris Ruggiero wants to introduce oldies to Gen Z audiences

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

Oldies but goodies. Songs from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s really have a special charm, and South Florida singer Chris Ruggiero is on a mission to bring those timeless tunes to the Gen Zs. Deco caught up with Chris at the Avalon Hotel in Miami Beach.A young SoFlo local is breathing new life into songs considered oldies but goodies.Chris Ruggiero: “I’m 23 years old, by the way, and I’m kind of old school, but what got me into the music of the ’50s, generally, and ’60s is my grandfather. He introduced me to this music at 12 years old, in his car one day on our way to a Little League baseball game. I heard one of the songs he played me, and that was it, I fell in love with this music even more, and now I sing it, because it’s just the kind of music I love.”Chris is making his Miami debut at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center. You can catch him with a live band channeling the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll.Chris Ruggier...

Parents in Worcester propose ‘no homework days’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

Some parents in Worcester have recently made a push for a study break in the city’s public schools, proposing new homework-free nights. The Worcester School Committee took up the idea Tuesday night, opting to pass the proposal to a subcommittee for further discussion while reexamining the district’s homework policies. The Citywide Parent Advisory Council, a parent group, is behind the effort, which aims to have some days with no homework for students. The group said the proposal would support social emotional and mental health. Students agree. “I don’t like homework,” Grace Roberts told 7NEWS. “A lot of kids have to work,” one other student said. “So, homework on top of working late nights is really difficult.”  Roberts and her dad, Kes, just learned about the proposal on Thursday. “It’s part of being a parent,” Kes Roberts said. “It’s part of having a student. So, I’m fine with homework.”Students will still get assignments to take home as this pro...

As season nears end, Nets still expect Ben Simmons (knee/back) to return from injury

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

As the Nets approach the final 10 games of their regular season, head coach Jacque Vaughn believes embattled star forward Ben Simmons will make a return from the combination of back and left knee soreness that has left him sidelined since the Feb. 19 NBA All-Star break.Vaughn said for the fifth time since Simmons both had fluid drained from his left knee and received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection over the break that he has had “zero conversation” about shutting the former All-Star forward down for the remainder of the regular season.Asked if he’s operating under the belief that Simmons will play again this season, Vaughn said: “Definitely operating under that belief. … There’s been zero conversation about him not playing. We’re expecting him to be back. We’re waiting for him to be back.”Simmons missed five straight games from Jan. 28 through Feb. 6 due to left knee soreness. He returned to the rotation and played five st...

Safety Geno Stone re-signs with Ravens to bolster secondary; long snapper Nick Moore returns on 2-year deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

Geno Stone is coming back to the Ravens.The 23-year-old safety, whom Baltimore drafted out of Iowa in the seventh round in 2020 and was a restricted free agent, re-signed with the Ravens on a one-year deal Thursday, his agent Jack Bechta confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.The move came less than 24 hours after NFL free agency opened and was not a surprising one after the Ravens officially traded safety Chuck Clark to the New York Jets for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick Wednesday.Stone now projects as the Ravens’ No. 3 safety after veteran Marcus Williams and second-year pro Kyle Hamilton.Stone is coming off a solid year in which he played in all 17 games, including seven starts after Williams suffered a dislocated wrist. He had 38 tackles and one forced fumble on the season and earned a 69.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in the games he started, allowing just eight catches as the primary defender in coverage during that span.Stone was also a significant performer on speci...

20 years after U.S. invasion, young Iraqis see signs of hope

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — On the banks of the Tigris River one recent evening, young Iraqi men and women in jeans and sneakers danced with joyous abandon to a local rap star as a vermillion sun set behind them. It’s a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion 20 years ago.Iraq ‘s capital today is throbbing with life and a sense of renewal, its residents enjoying a rare, peaceful interlude in a painful modern history. The wooden stalls of the city’s open-air book market are piled skyward with dusty paperbacks and crammed with shoppers of all ages and incomes. In a suburb once a hotbed of al-Qaida, affluent young men cruise their muscle cars, while a recreational cycling club hosts weekly biking trips to former war zones. A few glitzy buildings sparkle where bombs once fell.President George W. Bush called the U.S.-led invasion on March 20, 2003, a mission to free the Iraqi people and root out weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein’s government was toppled in 26 ...

Kansas push for medical marijuana appears done for this year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators aren’t likely to legalize marijuana for medical uses this year following a vote Thursday.A Senate committee tabled a bill that would allow doctors to sign off on patients using marijuana products to treat 21 illnesses or conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries or chronic pain, starting in July 2024. Committee Chair Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, said he has no plans to bring the bill back up this year.Thirty-seven states allow the medical use of marijuana, including Oklahoma and Arkansas. Of those, 21 also allow recreational use, including Colorado and Missouri. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly supports legalizing medical marijuana, but opposition from law enforcement officials bolstered the skepticism of Thompson and other conservative Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The Kansas House passed a medical marijuana bill in 2021, but the measure didn’t receive a committee vote in the Senate. Like this...

Government finds that Canadian Human Rights Commission discriminated against workers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:59 GMT

OTTAWA — A central government agency has found discrimination against workers within a Canadian institution specifically designed to root it out.The Treasury Board Secretariat found last week that the Canadian Human Rights Commission, whose mandate is to protect the core principle of equal opportunity, discriminated against Black and racialized employees.A decision dated March 6, obtained by The Canadian Press, says the commission breached the “no discrimination” clause in its collective agreement with three major public service unions. “I encourage the parties to engage in mediation to seek a meaningful resolution to the issues outlined in this policy grievance,” Carole Bidal, an associate assistant deputy minister at the agency, said in her decision.“As federal institutions, we seek to create a workplace that is diverse and inclusive, and where every public servant can make the best possible contribution to serving Canadians.”The Association of ...