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Washington Supreme Court upholds effort to balance tax code

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s new capital gains tax, which was adopted by lawmakers in an effort to balance what is considered the nation’s most regressive tax code.In a 7-2 decision, the justices found the tax to be an excise tax — not a property tax, which the state Constitution limits to 1% annually, or an income tax, which Supreme Court decisions dating to the 1930s have found unconstitutional.“For 134 years, Washington state has been waiting for the day when a fairer tax system came about, one where working people were not carrying an inequitable share of the burden,” Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Today is that day. Washington’s capital gains tax helps right an upside-down tax structure where low-income Washingtonians ultimately expend a much larger share of their income in taxes than our wealthiest residents.”Washington is one of nine states without an income tax, and its heavy reliance on sales ...

California ends some water limits after storms ease drought

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

DUNNIGAN, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended some of the state’s water restrictions on Friday because a winter of relentless rain and snow has replenished the state’s reservoirs and eased fears of a shortage after three years of severe drought.He also announced local agencies that supply water to 27 million people and many farmers would get much more from state supplies than originally planned. But Newsom did not declare an end to the drought, warning much of the state is still suffering from its lingering effects.“Are we out of the drought? Is the drought over in the state of California?” Newsom said. “I want to affirm your instinct that it should be, it feels like it is. It is — and continues to be — complicated. And I know that’s disappointing for some because it would be nice to have a governor say the drought is over.”Newsom said he would stop asking people to voluntarily cut their water use by 15%, a request he first made nearly two years ago wh...

Person of interest questioned after argument leads to 1 dead, 1 wounded in Austin: police

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A person of interest is being questioned after a verbal altercation turned deadly on the city's West Side, police said. Around 8:30 a.m., in the 5300 block of W. Division in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, a 19-year-old male and a 17-year-old male allegedly got into an argument with another man. According to police, the man pulled out a gun and shot the 19-year-old and 17-year-old multiple times. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe 19-year-old was rushed to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. The 17-year-old was also taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. Area Five detectives are investigating. Anyone with information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Kawasaki Motors recalling lawn mower engines due to fire hazards

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

(WHTM) – The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that about 33,100 of Kawasaki's riding lawn mower engines are being recalled due to fire hazards. The affected engines were sold nationwide under the Ferris and SCAG brand names from November 2017 through September 2022.According to the CPSC, contact with the fuel pump cover can damage the high-pressure fuel line, causing a fuel leak that can result in burn and fire hazards. Disney-themed children’s toys recalled over choking hazard The engines involved in the recall are from model years 2018 through 2022 for the Kawasaki FT730V-EFI series. The series numbers are printed on the engine air filter covers, while the engine model and serial numbers can be found on the engine fan housing. The following model and serial number ranges are included in this recall:Model NumberSpecification NumberEngine Serial Number RangeFT730VAS41, BS41, CS41, DS41,AS42, BS42, CS42, DS42FT730VA00107 - FT730VA66205Information provided by CPSCKaw...

Advocate Heath Care to remove mask mandate and allow more patient visitors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Advocate Health Care is making some major policy changes regarding their COVID procedures. Masks will be optional starting Monday with no limit to patient visitors and doctors with Advocate say the time is right. Dr. Robert Citronberg, executive medical director of infectious disease and prevention of Advocate Health Care Now with the climbing rate of community transmission in all the counties in Illinois "Now with the declining rate of transmission in all the counties in Illinois in places where we serve patients, we are now able to remove that masking requirement," Dr. Robert Citronberg, the executive medical director of infectious disease said. Students surprise classmate with head-shaving birthday party There are some exceptions to the mask optional and visitation rules such as only two visitors at a time will be allowed with the patients in general pediatrics and the ICU. Masks will continue to be required for visitors of transmission-based isolation, that is if vi...

UT professor 1st Latin American to receive 'Nobel Prize of mathematics'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A professor at the University of Texas at Austin was awarded mathematics' highest prize this week. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters named Luis A. Caffarelli, a UT professor of mathematics, winner of the 2023 Abel Prize. The prize is considered the Nobel Prize equivalent in mathematics and one of the top international awards. Norway’s King Harald V will present the Abel Prize to Caffarelli at an award ceremony in Oslo on May 23. He is the first Latin American mathematician to receive the award.Caffarelli holds the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Regents Chair in Mathematics #1 at UT Austin. A press release from UT said Caffarelli has helped "advance the understanding of some of the most formidable problems in all of mathematics."“For more than a quarter century here at UT, Luis Caffarelli has introduced ingenious new techniques that show brilliant geometrical insight,” said Jay Hartzell, president of The University of ...

National Labor Relations Board files complaint against Starbucks for retaliation against union organizers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, issued a complaint against Starbucks on March 7, claiming that the company violated workers' rights and targeted Austin-area employees for organizing their workplaces.The complaint arose after Workers United, an Service Employees International Union (SEIU) affiliate union, under which Starbucks workers are organizing, told the NLRB that organizers had been interrogated, surveilled and threatened by Starbucks managers. Starbucks violated labor law, ordered to negotiate with union: National Labor Relations Board NLRB complaints are not resolution; the matter will go before a NLRB administrative law judge for a ruling. Initially, this hearing was scheduled for July 31. However, a order to reschedule hearing has also been filed by the NLRB -- this document was not readily available.Read the full complaint below:CPT.16-CA-304046.COMPLAINT-AND-NOTICE-OF-HEARINGDownloadStarbucks filed a response to the complaint on March 21. K...

Video privacy lawsuit targets Star Tribune for sharing subscriber data with Facebook

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

The Star Tribune is among dozens of companies facing potential multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuits over the way they share subscriber data with Facebook.Kyle Feldman says he subscribed to the Minneapolis newspaper in 2011 using his Facebook account. Whenever he watches a video on the newspaper’s website, the video’s title and his Facebook ID are automatically shared with Facebook through Pixel, a piece of code the social media giant and its business clients use to target ads to consumers.“The surreptitious disclosure of (personally identifiable information) paired with the name of video content an individual views is an outrageous invasion of privacy,” his complaint reads.Feldman filed the lawsuit in July in U.S. District Court under the Video Privacy Protection Act, which makes it illegal for a “video tape service provider” to share with a third party personally identifiable information about a consumer’s viewing behavior.Congress enacted the law in 1988 after a Washington, D...

Former Waldorf Paper Company workers exposed to asbestos may qualify for damages

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Former workers at the past Waldorf Paper Company plant in downtown St. Paul who were diagnosed with certain cancers and their family members may qualify for cash benefits due to asbestos exposure.Birmingham, Alabama law firm Norris Injury Lawyers announced a specific initiative on March 13 to help those who may qualify for damages after working at the Waldorf Company for at least five years prior to 1982 receive them.Following determined links between asbestos exposure and cancers decades ago, federal bankruptcy courts required asbestos manufacturers across the country to set aside millions of dollars in private trusts for those whose exposure at specific sites would ultimately lead to disease, said Robert Norris of Norris Injury Lawyers.There is no statute of limitations on these claims, but those who file claims likely will be asked to provide related employment and medical records, which is where Norris says his firm can help.“It’s a really useful thing once people fi...

St. Paul Public Works, Parks and Rec, Sewer and Water workers approve new contract with 9% to 18% pay increases

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Members of the Tri-Council — the labor coalition representing employees in St. Paul Public Works, St. Paul Parks and Rec and St. Paul Regional Water Services — have voted to approve a new three-year contract with the city.The labor agreement, reached Monday by bargaining teams, averted a strike authorized earlier this month.The wage increases — not universally as large as previously announced by one of the membership groups — include a 9% increase to base pay over the course of three years, with the potential for up to 18% in step increases reflecting years of service. In addition, workers in St. Paul Regional Water Services would receive premiums for unlocking each of three special certifications.While the Tri-Council’s bargaining committee had urged approval, not all members were on board during Thursday’s vote, given how step increases are structured after one year, three years and six years of service. A final vote tally has not been made publ...