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To TikTok or not to TikTok? One GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it ‘digital fentanyl’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

Republican presidential hopefuls have largely shunned TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app that some in both parties allege is a potential spy mechanism for China. But entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy recently became the first 2024 candidate to join the platform, which says it has over 150 million U.S. users. That’s even as he’s accused Beijing of pushing TikTok as “digital fentanyl” to Americans and wants the app banned entirely.“We’re in this to reach young people, to energize young people, and to do that, we can’t just hide,” Ramaswamy said in his first post earlier this month. “You can’t play in the game, and then not play in the game, so we’re here.”His competitors face the same conundrum. With U.S.-China tensions already running high, the Republicans running for president have all called for new economic and political measures to punish Beijing. Several major GOP candidates have said they want to ban TikTok. But they also want to reach the younger audiences tha...

UEFA moves toward partially reintegrating Russian teams and match officials into European soccer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA made two moves toward partially reintegrating Russia into European soccer on Tuesday despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.The European soccer governing body decided to try reintroducing Russian under-17 teams into its competitions this season. That’s an easing of a blanket ban on national and club teams from international play imposed within days of the Russian invasion starting in February 2022.UEFA said it was “aware that children should not be punished for actions whose responsibility lies exclusively with adults and is firmly convinced that football should never give up sending messages of peace and hope.”The UEFA executive committee decision was announced during a Women’s Nations League game in Armenia that was the first European game handled by Russian match officials during the war.Russian referees were not specifically banned by UEFA from its games but none were chosen until Vera Opeykina and three assistants were picked this month for the A...

Police: 5 injured after distracted driver causes crash in Northwest Indiana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

HOBART, Ind. — A distracted driver caused a chain reaction crash on I-65 in Northwest Indiana Monday afternoon, police said.At around 3:45 p.m., authorities responded to a multi-vehicle crash that was blocking all southbound lanes of I-65 near the 254 mile marker.Indiana State Police located four vehicles at the scene and another on the right shoulder. Police believe a 39-year-old Merrillville man, driving a Dodge Caravan, was distracted and did not observe slowed traffic ahead.Police said he rear-ended a Chevy Malibu, which caused a chain reaction.The driver of the Malibu, a 40-year-old woman from Michigan City, had to be extricated from her vehicle. She was flown to the University of Chicago with serious but non life-threatening injuries. Driver injured after car crashes into Northwest Indiana basement Three juveniles inside the Caravan were taken to St. Mary's for pain and another driver was taken to another hospital with non life-threatening injuries.Neither drugs or alcohol a...

Prosecutor calls Delphi 'ritualistic' murder theory 'a fanciful defense for social media to devour'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. — Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland has responded to Richard Allen's defense team's 136-page memorandum that not only asked for evidence collected during a search warrant to be thrown out, but laid out an alternative theory that linked the Delphi murders to a cult that “ritualistically sacrificed Abigail Williams and Liberty German.”McLeland fired back in new court filings by calling the alternative theory "a fanciful defense for social media to devour" that isn't supported by evidence. McLeland tore into the defense's entire 136-page memorandum, calling the large filing "colorful, dramatic and highly unprofessional." Attorneys for man charged in Delphi murders argue girls died in ritual sacrifice Chief amongst defense attorneys' targets was a search warrant served by investigators on Richard Allen's home in October 2022. The defense accused Sheriff Tony Liggett of lying about key information in order to have the search warrant signed by a judge. Mc...

Las Vegas woman who received ashes learns dog was not cremated, but still sitting in freezer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Las Vegas woman was startled to receive photos of her deceased dog months after she was sent what she believed were her beloved pet’s cremated remains.Natalie Smyers rescued two Yorkies — siblings Goobers and Tootsie — about five years ago. The pair quickly became part of her family, she said.At age 15, Goobers crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Smyers said she found him deceased in his bed in late March. Afterward, she called 1st Call Pet Cremation, a Las Vegas-based animal cremation service.“They were here in my home to pick him up within an hour,” she said, adding that she paid $300 for the service.Natalie Smyers rescued two Yorkies — siblings Goobers and Tootsie — about five years ago. The pair quickly became part of her family, she said. (Courtesy of Natalie Smyers)The company's website promises the following: “We will arrive directly to your home for a professional removal and transport to our crematory. Your pet will be returned to you in a standard urn with a c...

Gophers look to jumpstart Brevyn Spann-Ford after a meeting with P.J. Fleck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

Similar to quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis after the North Carolina loss, Gophers tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford sat in coach P.J. Fleck’s office soon after the 37-34 overtime defeat at Northwestern on Saturday.“I think everybody — when you have a really tough loss like that — wants to know how they can play better and what they can do to be better,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press. “That is what (the meeting) was about.”For Spann-Ford, improvement hasn’t just been about the Northwestern game. The sixth-year senior from St. Cloud received big preseason praise — including plaudits of being the best tight end in the Big Ten — and he started off pretty well with five receptions for 45 yards in the opener against Nebraska.But in the last three games, he has six catches for a total of 18 yards. He has yet to reach the end zone. And Pro Football Focus has charged him with a team-high five dropped passes this season, including on a high and hard pass from Kaliakmanis in what would have been the go...

Comedian John Mulaney to perform in Troy, Kingston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Comedian John Mulaney is coming to Troy and Kingston for his new stand-up comedy tour "John Mulaney in Concert." His Kingston show is set for November 2 at the Ulster Performing Arts Center, and the Troy show is set for November 4 at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The former "Saturday Night Live” writer is a two-time Emmy and Writers Guild of America award-winning actor, comedian and writer. He has four stand up specials on Netflix: "Baby J" (2023), "Kid Gorgeous" (2018), "The Comeback Kid" (2015), and "New In Town" (2012).Mulaney's comedy shows are a phone-free experience. The use of phones, smart watches and accessories, will not be permitted. These devices will be kept in Yondr pouches that attendees will keep on them at all times and can be opened in designated places. Victor Wooten to perform at Troy Music Hall Tickets for the artist presale go on sale beginning Wedne...

One person hit, killed on I-25 near Castle Rock

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

A person was killed on Interstate 25 early Tuesday morning after they were hit by a vehicle.The crash was reported in the northbound lanes of the interstate just after 6 a.m. near Happy Canyon Road two miles north of Castle Rock, Colorado State Patrol spokesperson Gabriel Moltrer said.Traffic Alert: #DCSO assisting CSP with crash on NB I25 just south of mm 187, Multiple lanes are shut down. Find alt routes. pic.twitter.com/V9y1694Y9m— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) September 26, 2023The northbound lanes of the interstate were completely closed for a short time after the crash, but two lanes have reopened. Two lanes are still closed, according to the Colorado State Patrol.The vehicle is still at the scene, Moltrer said, but he did not have any information on the driver.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 4 pedestrians killed by metro Denver drivers over weekend, putting Colorado on track for record-breaking state total Crime and Public Safety | Denver ...

More than a third of Colorado election officials have left office since 2020 — sparking concerns ahead of 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

More than a third of Colorado’s local election officials have left their jobs in the last three years thanks to term limits and harassment-fueled fatigue, sparking concerns ahead of next fall’s presidential contest.The departures mean that nearly half of Coloradans live in a county with a new clerk overseeing elections, according a new report released Tuesday by Issue One. The national bipartisan reform group, based in Washington, D.C., studied election worker turnover in 11 Western states and found that in all, the region has lost more than 160 top local election officials in the past three years.Twenty-four of them were in Colorado, producing turnover in 38% of its counties. Those counties are home to about 48% of the state’s residents.While several clerks have left office because of term limits for county clerk and recorders, many have departed early. A chief reason, observers said, has been the threats and harassment levied at election workers since the 2020 el...

Writers strike nears end, but hurdles remain for Hollywood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:53:39 GMT

The Writers Guild of America on Tuesday is preparing a vote to approve the deal reached between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, but that doesn't mean Hollywood is immediately going back to work.The deal between the writers and studios, which was reached on Sunday, marks a likely end to the nearly five-month-long WGA strike. Still on strike, however, are many of the actors of SAG-AFTRA.In fact, the actors union is actually on the verge of expanding its strike, this time targeting video game companies, with more than 98% of SAG-AFTRA members voting to authorize a strike against 10 major video game companies, according to a report in Deadline. ‘SNL’ could return soon as writers’ strike ends These video game performers would join their film and television performer colleagues in a strike that could continue to hamper entertainment production.Some shows, like "Saturday Night Live," can resume once writers are back, as their performers are covered ...