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Maine’s gun laws and consequences, explained

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Maine has relatively lax firearms laws but also boasts one of the lowest firearms related deaths rates in the country.Maine does not have a “red flag” law which may have prevented a mass shooter in Lewiston from accessing the gun he used to kill more than a dozen, according to gun control advocacy groups, as early reporting indicates the shooter made specific threats of violence.“The state does not have an Extreme Risk law, also known as a ‘red flag’ law, to empower families and law enforcement to prevent tragedies before they happen,” Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control lobbying group, writes of the state.A “yellow flag” system used in the state, that would have required the intervention of a medical professional and sworn testimony from a law enforcement official in order to remove the guns used in Wednesday’s shooting from the alleged killer’s possession, may have been helpful if implemented.“Though Maine has taken some steps to keep guns out of ...

Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Answering questions about trade deadline, inconsistent offense, potential re-signings and more | COMMENTARY

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions throughout the Ravens season. Coming off Baltimore’s 38-6 win in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions, plenty of questions remain heading into a Week 8 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.Here’s Preston’s take:(Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.)With the trade deadline looming, is there a particular player/position that you think the Ravens should pursue to strengthen the roster? — Paul in OrlandoThe Ravens are in the same shape as several teams. They could use some help in many areas, including running back, offensive line and outside linebacker. That could change in a week or two, but right now the Ravens are 5-2 and there don’t seem to be any big names out there who would have a significant impact such as middle linebacker Roquan Smith did last year when he was acquired from the Chicago Bears. Except Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry. C...

Abortion rights supporters far outraise opponents and rake in out-of-state money in Ohio election

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Supporters of a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution far outraised their anti-abortion opponents in the months leading up to the November election, bringing in nearly $29 million from donors since Sept. 8, the campaign’s latest filings show.The effort against Issue 1, which would amend the constitution to protect abortion rights, raised just under $10 million in the same period, according to Thursday’s filings.The largest donations backing the amendment since Sept. 8 came from out-of-state groups, including three gifts totaling $5.3 million from the progressive Sixteen Thirty Fund, based in Washington, D.C. The Sixteen Thirty Fund counts among its funders Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire who has given the group more than $200 million since 2016.The campaign, known as Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, also received $3.5 million from the New York-based Open Society Policy Center, a lobbying group associated with the billionair...

Liberal bill updating sex-offender registry in response to court decision becomes law

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

OTTAWA — A Liberal bill that adds victims’ input to the process for publication ban decisions and changes how the national sexual offender registry works has received royal assent.The new law requires judges to ask prosecutors if they have sought a victim’s input when seeking a publication ban, and requires victims’ preferences about receiving information about their case after an offender’s sentencing to be entered into the record.It also adds new entries to the list of offences that can result in someone being added to the registry, including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and extortion.The law also changes the criteria that require sexual offenders to be automatically added to the registry, in response to a Supreme Court decision last year.The change comes a year after the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to add all people convicted of sexual crimes to that listing, and struck down related parts of the Criminal Code. Now, repeat s...

An Idaho woman sues her fertility doctor, says he used his own sperm to impregnate her 34 years ago

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — An Idaho woman is suing her one-time fertility doctor, saying he secretly used his own sperm to inseminate her 34 years ago — the latest in a string of such cases brought as at-home DNA sampling enables people to learn more about their ancestry.Sharon Hayes, 67, of Hauser, Idaho, said in the lawsuit that she sought fertility care from Dr. David R. Claypool, an OB-GYN in Spokane, Washington, in 1989 after she and her then-husband had been unable to conceive. She wanted an anonymous donor, and, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Spokane County Superior Court, Claypool informed her the donor would be selected based on traits she selected, such as hair and eye color, and that the donor would be screened for health or genetic issues. He charged $100 cash for each of several treatments, saying the money was for the college or medical students who were donating the sperm, the lawsuit said.But last year, her 33-year-old daughter, Brianna Hayes, learned who her biol...

Arizona Diamondbacks take series of slights into surprise World Series against Texas Rangers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Before opening the World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to recount a series of slights.Overlooked by oddsmakers and angered by analysts, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a Surprise Series against the also unexpected Texas Rangers. But the mindsets couldn’t be more different ahead of Friday night’s opener in Major League Baseball’s third all-wild card title matchup.“We just put it on our list and keep those receipts and walk around with a little bit more of a chip on our shoulder,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday. “It gives you a little bit more motivation. And when you can get a little bit more, you take it.”Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald has become keeper of the receipts, reminding teammates of what they consider disrespect.“Maybe I found screenshots that maybe other people didn’t,” he said, wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed “Snakes Alive.” “We took offense to that and we’re excited tha...

Smith says Alberta’s CPP exit campaign to continue despite questions over key number

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith says Alberta will continue its $7.5-million pension-exit advertising and survey campaign, despite acknowledging the key dollar figure is disputed and likely headed to court.Smith says her government stands by its assertion that Alberta deserves $334 billion if it leaves the Canada Pension Plan — a figure that represents more than half of all CPP assets.Smith says the number stands because it’s the only number out there.“We’ve asked the federal government to give us their interpretation. They declined,” Smith told reporters in Calgary on Thursday.“We’ve asked the CPP Investment Board to give us their interpretation, it declined. “So maybe the next step is to go to court to see if the court supports our interpretation.” Smith reiterated comments she made a day earlier in Edmonton that until that transfer number is nailed down, she will not ask Albertans to vote in a referendum on leaving the CPP.“We will have a firm number before we go int...

Houston-area deputy indicted on murder charge after man fatally shot following shoplifting incident

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area deputy accused of fatally shooting a man while confronting him after a shoplifting incident has been indicted by a grand jury for murder, officials announced Thursday.Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Garrett Hardin has been charged in the July 2022 death of Roderick Brooks, 47, who was Black.Hardin’s attorney, Justin Keiter, as well as lawyers for Brooks’ family did not immediately return emails seeking comment. Keiter had previously told KTRK that Hardin’s actions were legal and he would be exonerated.Hardin confronted Brooks when he allegedly fled a north Houston Dollar Tree store after taking several items without paying for them, authorities said.Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office showed Hardin telling Brooks at a nearby gas station to stop and get on the ground or he would use a stun gun on Brooks. Hardin fired the stun gun and then knocked Brooks to the ground. “Why are you tasing me?” Brooks asked Hardin before then telling h...

UN chief appoints 39-member panel to advise on international governance of artificial intelligence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of a 39-member global advisory panel to report on international governance of artificial intelligence and its risks, challenges and key opportunities.The U.N. chief told a news conference the gender-balanced, geographically diverse group which spans generations will issue preliminary recommendations by the end of the year and final recommendations by the summer of 2024. The recommendations will feed into the U.N. Summit of the Future, which world leaders will attend in September 2024.“In our challenging times, AI could power extraordinary progress for humanity,” Guterres said, adding that its transformative potential for good “is difficult even to grasp.”But he said: “The potential harms of AI extend to serious concerns over misinformation and disinformation; the entrenching of bias and discrimination; surveillance and invasion of privacy; fraud, and other violations of human rights.”...

Soil removal from Ohio train derailment site is nearly done, but cleanup isn’t over

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The removal of contaminated soil from the eastern Ohio site of February’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment is expected to be completed sometime this weekend, although the larger cleanup effort isn’t over.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and the railroad announced the milestone Thursday in East Palestine. It comes nearly nine months after the derailment forced thousands from their homes near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Area residents still have lingering fears about potential health effects from the assortment of toxic chemicals that spilled, and the vinyl chloride that was released a few days after the crash to keep five tank cars from exploding.The derailment has inspired nationwide worries about railroad safety and prompted members of Congress and regulators to propose reforms, however that bill has largely stalled.Since the Feb. 3 derailment, the railroad has removed more than 167,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 39 million gallons of taint...