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Trump will hold a fundraiser instead of appearing at next week’s Republican presidential debate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — As his Republican primary rivals return to the debate stage next week, former President Donald Trump will be headlining a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.Trump’s campaign has been advertising a chance to win tickets to the “end-of-year reception” in Hallandale Beach, Florida, near Miami on Dec. 6.The former president has chosen to skip his party’s three previous primary debates, citing his commanding lead in early state and national polls. But his decision not to schedule a public counterprogramming event to upstage the debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, marks a change in strategy.Trump held a rally in Hialeah, a Miami suburb, during the last debate, which felt, in many ways, like the main event. He traveled to Michigan in lieu of the second debate to rail against President Joe Biden at an auto-parts manufacturing plant during an autoworkers’ strike. And he sat for a pretaped interview with former Fox...

Patriots offensive leaders on who will start at quarterback: ‘We’ll see’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

Who will start at quarterback for the New England Patriots this Sunday? Bill Belichick won’t say, and two of New England’s offensive leaders kept mum when asked Thursday as well.“I think everybody will be ready,” said tight end Hunter Henry. “We’ve gotten a lot of reps with each guy and I know they’re all taking advantage of each opportunity.”“We’ll see,” said center David Andrews. “We all got a lot we can focus on but no matter what it’s always team success and team failure.”The question of who should be the starting quarterback going forward took on added urgency after incumbent starter Mac Jones was benched for the fourth time this season during last weekend’s 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. Now in his third year, Jones has notably regressed since being named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and currently ranks among the least productive quarterbacks in the NFL with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touc...

Three San Diego-area eateries among best new restaurants in US: Esquire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- New restaurants -- something that most foodies get excited for, especially if the impression is lasting on both the taste buds and the mind.With new eateries opening in troves, finding the best-of-the-best in emerging food spots takes time and dedication. Four food and drink reviewers for Esquire Magazine -- Kevin Sintumuang, Jeff Gordinier, Joshua David Stein, and Omar Mamoon -- spent the last year table-hopping across the country to experience for themselves 200 new restaurants. From fruit to flesh: A day in the ink shop with San Diego tattoo apprentices The meal on each plate varied in cuisine, with the tetrad of eaters feasting on anything from whole fish to noodles and fresh out of the oven bread rolls. Sintumuang explained that after "spirited debates," the quartet of serial diners collectively narrowed down what they considered to be the 50 best new restaurants in America in 2023. There's good news for foodies in San Diego County -- three of those eateries ar...

Man killed while standing in traffic lanes of I-5 after vehicle stalls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A man was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Interstate 5 in Chula Vista Monday night, said California Highway Patrol.Around 10:36 p.m., a Honda Civic was stalled in the southbound traffic lanes of I-5, north of Palomar Street. According to CHP, the Honda was struck by several vehicles. Man hit by San Diego COASTER train dies During the crash the driver of the Honda -- a 39-year-old man from Chicago, Illinois -- was reportedly standing in traffic lanes when he was also struck, authorities explained.As a result of the crash, CHP said the man sustained major injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released at this time.All involved parties stopped, remained on scene, and cooperated with the investigation, CHP confirmed. Alcohol/or drugs are not suspected to be a factor in the crash.The three left lanes of I-5 southbound, north of Palomar Street, were closed for about 4 hours to facilitate the investigation.The cause of t...

Chiefs of Ontario asks for judicial review of carbon price regime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

TORONTO — First Nations leaders in Ontario are asking a court to review what they call Canada’s “discriminatory” carbon price system. A group representing more than 130 First Nations in the province has filed an application for judicial review in Federal Court, saying the system places an unjust price on their communities without suitable cost relief. The Chiefs of Ontario says the federal government failed to meaningfully engage with repeated attempts to find a solution and denied their request for an exemption only to then make a carveout targeting concerns in Atlantic Canada last month. The application asks the court to order the government back to the table to negotiate a solution that upholds the carbon price’s purpose to “alleviate the climate crisis” without worsening the “human rights crisis” experienced by First Nations.The group says northern and remote First Nations already face high fuel costs with limited ability to transi...

A deadline for ethnic Serbs to sign up for Kosovo license plates has been postponed by 2 weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s government on Thursday postponed a deadline by two weeks for ethnic Serbs living in the country to register their vehicles with Kosovo license plates instead of Serbian ones.The move was made to give ethnic Serbs more time to comply with the order. The deadline was initially set for Friday, but has been moved to Dec. 15.The program has financial incentives, including the waiving of taxes and the registration fee. After the deadline passes, old number plates would be considered illegal, and violators would first be fined and then have their vehicles towed if they didn’t subsequently abide by the new rules.In recent days, Associated Press journalists have seen scores of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo lining up to register their vehicles. Authorities say that about 3,000 vehicles out of an estimated 4,000 ones have been registered so far.The issue of vehicle registration has sparked tensions in the past. Vehicle registration was one of the ...

Members of global chemical weapons watchdog vote to keep Syria from getting poison gas materials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The annual meeting of member states of the global chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday called on countries to prevent the sale or transfer to Syria of raw materials and equipment that could be used to create poison gas and nerve agents.The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that its annual conference “decided that the continued possession and use of chemical weapons” by Syria, and its failure to give the organization an accurate inventory of its stocks and to “destroy undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities,” have harmed the international Chemical Weapons Convention.The decision was backed by 69 nations, while 10 voted against it and 45 nations abstained.It calls on member states to take measures to “prevent the direct or indirect transfer to Syria of certain chemical precursors, dual-use chemical manufacturing facilities and equipment and related technology.”Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 to ward off ...

Weekend need-to-know: more Santa Claus parades and a DJ Skate Party

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

Santa Claus is making his rounds this weekend as the parades continue to spread Christmas cheer, and it’s the last chance to pick up a unique gift for friends and family.If you are heading to the Raptors or Leafs games, keep in mind, there is a TTC closure as well as adjustments to the Lakeshore West GO line.Santa Clause ParadesThe Santa Claus parades continue this weekend as Jolly Ole St. Nick makes his way to Etobicoke this weekend. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs along Lakeshore Boulevard West between Dwight Street and Thirtieth Street on Saturday, and will end near Thirtieth Street at approximately 12 p.m. (Road closures below)Then, Santa Claus will head on over to Mississauga on Sunday for the parade featuring over 15 custom-designed floats and 1,500 participants. The parade starts at 12 p.m. and will head from Dunwin Drive and Glen Erin Drive on to Motorway Blvd and before a final turn on northbound Woodchester Drive.DJ Skate Party at Nathan Phillips S...

Alvin Ailey troupe – and a soulful Cynthia Erivo – join to celebrate dance legend Judith Jamison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

Judith Jamison looked out onto the glittering crowd at New York City Center and marveled: “The man thought of this 65 years ago, and here we are!”Jamison, 80, was speaking of Alvin Ailey, the pioneering choreographer who 65 years ago founded Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It began with a small gig at the 92nd St Y in Manhattan, a pickup group he’d gathered of fellow Broadway dancers.The company became one of the most visible and successful troupes in the world, thanks in no small part to Jamison, who as a dancer became its most visible face, and later took the reins from Ailey himself as artistic director, serving for more than two decades.The company celebrated its 65th birthday on Wednesday night and launched its post-pandemic return to a full five-week season with an exclamation mark, in the form of Cynthia Erivo. The singer-actor lent her vocal expertise — both searing and soulful — to a special dance tribute to Jamison.But the moment was significant, also, for who was not ...

Inspector general launches probe examining decision to relocate FBI headquarters to Maryland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:45:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal watchdog will investigate how the Biden administration chose a site for a new FBI headquarters following a contentious competition marked by allegations of conflict of interest. The Inspector General for the General Services Administration is probing the decision to locate the facility in Greenbelt, Maryland, over a site in Virginia., according to a letter released Thursday by Virginia lawmakers. The new building would replace the FBI’s crumbling headquarters in nearby Washington, D.C. Virginia’s senators and representatives said in a joint statement that there was evidence the process was influenced by political considerations and called on the GSA to pause anything related to the relocation until the review is complete. The news comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray told staff in an internal message earlier this month that he was concerned about a “potential conflict of interest” in a senior executive choosing a site owned by a previous ...