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Ohio votes to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, becoming 24th state to do so

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio voters approved a measure legalizing recreational marijuana on Tuesday, defying Republican legislative leaders who had failed to pass the proposed law. Passage of Issue 2 makes Ohio the 24th state to allow adult cannabis use for non-medical purposes. “Marijuana is no longer a controversial issue,” said Tom Haren, spokesman for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. “Ohioans demonstrated this by passing State Issue 2 in a landslide. Ohioans are being extremely clear on the future they want for our state: adult-use marijuana legal and regulated.”The new law will allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home. A 10% tax will be imposed on purchases, to be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs supporting the industry itself. The election’s outcome represents a blow to GOP lawmakers, Republican Gov. Mike ...

Democratic incumbent Vin Gopal holds on to Senate seat in competitive New Jersey coastal district

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democrats on Tuesday held on to a heavily contested state Senate district, with incumbent Vin Gopal winning a third term, and flipped an Assembly seat from GOP control in a heavily Republican area. Gopal defeated Republican Steve Dnistrian in the 11th Legislative District in Monmouth County. His victory means Democrats successfully fended off a challenger in an increasingly moderate district. In Ocean County’s 30th District, Rabbi Avi Schnall defeated GOP incumbent Assemblyman Edward Thomson. “I think voters are tired of the political bickering,” Gopal said Tuesday before his victory. “They want people to bring them together. There needs to be discussion and debate and decorum back in government.”That campaign was among the most heavily contested this year, and saw more political spending than any other race, according to October figures from the state’s campaign finance watchdog. Other races were too early to call, but the Democratic victories buoyed...

Uvalde mother whose daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary shooting loses bid for mayor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

In Uvalde’s first mayoral race since the Robb Elementary School shooting, former mayor Cody Smith won back the job Tuesday over Kimberly Mata-Rubio, a mother who has led calls for tougher gun laws since her daughter was among the 19 children killed in the 2022 attack. The race tested the mood of the South Texas town more than a year after one of America’s deadliest mass shootings and a botched police response that remains under criminal investigation. Two teachers were also killed in the attack, which was carried out by a teenage gunman with an AR-style rifle. Mata-Rubio, who pressed Uvalde leaders for answers and transparency after the shooting, campaigned on unifying the small town that is still riven with division. Her candidacy put on the ballot one of Uvalde’s most outspoken figures and an aggressive proponent of stricter gun laws.“I’ll never stop fighting for you, Lexi,” Mata-Rubio posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I meant it when I said this was only the beginning. Aft...

Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek score in third to lift Wild over Islanders 4-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek scored on consecutive shots in the third period Tuesday night, lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders.Kaprizov snapped a tie by scoring a power play goal at the 6:50 mark before Pat Maroon forced a turnover by Pierre Engvall deep in the Islanders’ zone and Eriksson Ek scored.Maroon scored on the opening shift of the game and Vinni Lettieri tied the game in the second for the Wild, who also scored twice in the third period of a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday night. Maroon and Eriksson Ek each added an assist Tuesday.Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had 26 saves.Noah Dobson scored for the second straight game for the Islanders. Oliver Wahlstrom also scored for New York, which had its point streak snapped at five games. Goalie Semyon Varlamov, starting at home for the first time this season, collected 27 saves.Maroon scored just 19 seconds after the opening faceoff by sending an angled shot past Va...

Democrats Parker, Innamorato elected first women to lead Philadelphia, Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

Voters elected women for the first time to lead Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s second-largest county, installing Cherelle Parker as the 100th mayor of the state’s largest city and Sara Innamorato as executive of the county that includes Pittsburgh.Parker, 51, who has held office at the state and local level after first becoming involved in politics as a teenager, emerged from a crowded field of Democrats in the May primary as the only leading Black candidate and was heavily favored over Republican David Oh in the Democratic stronghold. She will replace Democrat Jim Kenney, who was ineligible for reelection due to term limits.Across the state in Allegheny County, Innamorato, 37, defeated Republican Joe Rockey, a political newcomer. The former state legislator who campaigned on progressive models to modernize county government will replace Democrat Rich Fitzgerald, who has served in the role since 2012 and was ineligible for reelection due to term limits.The races will set the electo...

House censures Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her rhetoric about Israel, rebuking the only Palestinian American in Congress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House censures Rep. Rashida Tlaib over her rhetoric about Israel, rebuking the only Palestinian American in Congress.Source

Trocheck scores twice as Rangers down Red Wings 5-3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Vincent Trocheck scored twice, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist each and the New York Rangers downed the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Tuesday night.Defenseman Erik Gustafsson had two assists and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves for the Rangers (9-2-1).The Rangers swarmed the Red Wings (7-5-1) through the first two periods as New York returned home after their six-game winning streak was snapped Saturday with a shootout loss in Minnesota. The Rangers, who have an eight-game point streak, led 5-0 after two periods before Detroit scored three times in the third.Michael Rasmussen ruined Quick’s shutout bid at 7:55. Klim Kostin scored his first goal as a Red Wing 20 seconds later. Former Ranger Andrew Copp then scored his fifth at 13:49 to narrow the defecit to 5-3.New York improved to 7-1-2 in its last 10 games against the Red Wings with a 11-2-5 overall record since January 2017. The Rangers are 5-0-3 in their last eight home games against Detroit.Troch...

City of Miami commissioner race heads for runoff election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

It was election night throughout Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami’s commissioner race is heading for a runoff. In District 1, incumbent Alex Diaz de la Portilla, made the cut with 37% of the vote. That’s despite recent money laundering and bribery charges and his subsequent suspension by Gov. DeSantis.He’ll face businessman Miguel Gabela, who earned 29%.Diaz de la Portilla has denied wrongdoing and vows to fight the charges.If he wins, it’s possible that DeSantis will suspend him again.There were other commission races in Miami, Hialeah and Homestead as well.

House votes to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib over comments about Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted late Tuesday to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan — the only Palestinian American in Congress — an extraordinary rebuke of her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war.The 234-188 tally came after enough Democrats joined with Republicans to censure Tlaib, a punishment one step below expulsion from the House. The three-term congresswoman has long been a target of criticism for her views on the decades-long conflict in the Middle East.The debate on the censure resolution on Tuesday afternoon was emotional and intense. Republican Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia pushed the measure in response to what he called Tlaib’s promotion of antisemitic rhetoric. He said she has “levied unbelievable falsehoods about our greatest ally, Israel, and the attack on October 7.”With other Democrats standing by her side, Tlaib defended her stance, saying she “will not be silenced and I will not let you distort my words.” She added that her critici...

‘I felt like we left wins on the table’: Why Jed Hoyer seized the opportunity to hire Craig Counsell to manage the Chicago Cubs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:43 GMT

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had said all the right things for months in support of David Ross.Even when scrutiny on Ross’ performance became heightened in June when the Cubs slipped 10 games below .500, Hoyer continued to believe in him. At the end of the season, after a three-week September collapse dropped them out of playoff position, he backed his hand-picked manager. Hoyer, though, has shown a willingness to make tough decisions when he believes it benefits the organization.A covert recruitment of managerial free agent Craig Counsell was the latest shrewd maneuver by Hoyer that landed the Cubs one of the best in the game for a record contract at the expense of parting ways with Ross. But that was a price Hoyer was willing to pay. The Cubs want to harness the way Counsell and the Brewers consistently outperformed expectations during his nine seasons at the helm.Counsell always seemed to get the best out of his roster.“My job is to figure o...