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The American flag wasn't always revered — at the beginning, it was an afterthought

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the bedroom of the Betsy Ross House, a reconstruction of where the upholsterer worked on her most famous commission, a long flag with a circle of 13 stars hangs over a Chippendale side chair and extends across the floor. Over the weeks in 1776 needed to complete the project, Ross would have likely knelt on the flag, stood on it and treated it more like an everyday banner — not with the kind of reverence we'd expect today. “She would not have worried about it touching the floor or violating any codes,” says Lisa Moulder, director of the Ross House. “The flag did not have any kind of special symbolism.”Flags proliferate every July 4. But unlike the right to assemble or trial by jury, their role was not prescribed by the founders. They would have been rare during early Independence Day celebrations. Only in the mid-19th century does the U.S. flag become a permanent fixture at the White House, scholars believe; only in the mid-20th century was a federal code estab...

Houston sues state in attempt to block new law that erodes cities’ power

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

HOUSTON (Texas Tribune) — Houston officials sued the state of Texas on Monday to stop a sweeping law aimed at gutting all kinds of local ordinances and sapping the power of the state’s bluer urban areas.The law — House Bill 2127, dubbed the “Death Star” bill by opponents — was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, marking Texas Republicans’ biggest attempt yet to kneecap local governments in a yearslong assault on Texas’ major metropolitan areas, often governed by Democrats. PAST COVERAGE: Texas ‘death star’ law will eliminate mandatory water breaks for construction workers The law prevents cities and counties from creating local ordinances that go further than what’s allowed under broad areas of state law, an attempt to overturn cities’ progressive policies. Among those policies are mandated water breaks for construction workers in Dallas and Austin, a component of the law that’s gained more criticism as Texas experiences a drastic summer heat wave.Leaders of local governm...

3 dead, 8 injured in Fort Worth festival shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

FORT WORTH (AP) — Authorities in Texas say three people were killed and eight people were injured when gunfire erupted following a local festival.The shooting in Fort Worth happened at about 11:47 p.m. Monday in the Como neighborhood on the city's southwest side, just hours after the end of the neighborhood’s annual ComoFest.Police said shots were fired into a crowd of hundreds of people. Responding officers found multiple victims in a parking lot, including one pronounced dead at the scene. Other victims were transported to local hospitals by ambulance or private vehicles.One of the 11 victims is a juvenile, police said.No arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning. It was also unclear how many people may have opened fire.ComoFest is the Independence Day celebration for Fort Worth's Como neighborhood, a historically Black community. In 2021, a shooting at the celebration wounded eight.In Philadelphia on Monday right, a heavily armed gunman in a bulletproof vest opened fire on the ...

Underground Railroad Education Center holds annual July 4th Oration

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Underground Railroad Education Center held their annual Fourth of July Oration.The event centers around Frederick Douglas’ speech “What to a slave is the Fourth of July” and the mission towards freedom for all. Paul Stewart, Co-Founder of the Underground Railroad Education Center, said he wants people who attended to think about the progress and definition of freedom on Independence Day. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “We had that quirky moment in the Revolutionary War where we were able to defeat the British on the battlefield and people did celebrate freedom but then we had to work out those nuts and bolts of what freedom really meant," Stewart said. This year’s event also highlighted the speeches and work of civil rights activists to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington coming up in August. 

Roads in Schodack to be paved Wednesday and Thursday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

SCHODACK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the Town of Schodack, highway crews will work to pave Morey Park Road and Morey Park Hill Road on Wednesday and Thursday. Drivers in the area should be alert. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The town did not mention detours, but to avoid backup or traffic, motorists should seek alternate routes.

Suspect and family killed, teen girl injured in St. Ann shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Four people were shot and killed in a home in St. Ann. Police say a mother, a teen, a child, and the suspect all died from gunshot wounds.The shooting happened inside a home on Jane Avenue in St. Ann, not too far away from the police department. Three people are dead including a woman, a teenage boy, and a 5-year-old girl.The shooting happened around 9:00 p.m. Upon arrival, St. Ann Police found the teenage boy dead in the kitchen, the woman dead in the garage, and the 5-year-old girl barely alive in the living room.She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she later died from her injuries. 3 people shot and killed, 2 injured in St. Ann shooting The police chief shared with FOX 2 that another teenage girl was shot in the hand. Police also found the suspect of the shooting suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was apparently barricaded in the home when police arrived. He was also taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.The ...

Denver weather: Thunderstorms ahead for July 4 afternoon, evening

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

A wave of thunderstorms is expected to pass over the Front Range Tuesday, likely putting a damper on outdoor July 4 festivities.A series of scattered thunderstorms will blow across the Denver area in the afternoon and evening Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service at Boulder. Some of the storms may be severe, with the main threats being hail, heavy rain and localized flooding, said meteorologist Caitlyn Mensch.The storms are expected to start forming in the early afternoon, with some early storms possible by 1 p.m., she said. The scattered bad weather will then continue through the afternoon. Most areas are likely to see pockets of sunshine and blue skies in between storms.Mensch said those taking part in outdoor July 4 activities should keep an eye on the sky and have a plan to dash indoors if thunder rolls.“Don’t let your guard down for sure,” she said. “Definitely since they’re possible during that firework, festivity time frame, plan according...

Opinion: A declaration of non-independence — for women

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

If men could get pregnant, the saying goes, the Declaration of Independence might well have declared that all men are endowed with the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and a safe abortion. A colleague once suggested to me that such phrasing wouldn’t have been necessary. It would simply have been taken for granted that men had an inalienable right to terminate a pregnancy.The eloquent manifesto lays out in detail how the king of Britain had tyrannized the colonists and why they now had a right to create a new government to “effect their Safety and Happiness.” (Lot of “happiness” in the Declaration of Independence.) Given the declaration’s precision of language, I’d expect abortion would have been singled out in the list of rights — just in case anyone reading it thought “liberty” didn’t cover it.Same with the U.S. Constitution — if men could get pregnant, the white male framers of the Constitution would have written in the right to an abortion. Then we wou...

Can 5G market access between China and the EU ever be fair and equitable?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

The global technology landscape has witnessed numerous controversies and debates, and one of the most contentious issues in recent years revolves around the 5G restrictions and bans on Chinese telecom manufacturers in the European Union (EU).While concerns about national security and data privacy are crucial, it is essential to examine the fairness of this ban when compared to the treatment of foreign companies, such as Nokia and Ericsson, in China. This article aims to shed light on the perceived unfairness of policy restrictions on Chinese telecom manufacturers including Huawei and ZTE in the EU and the contrasting treatment of Nokia and Ericsson in China.The policy restrictions on Chinese telecom manufacturers in the EU:The EU's decision to ban or restrict Huawei and ZTE from participating in the development of 5G networks in member states was based on so-called security concerns. Huawei and ZTE's alleged ties to the Chinese government raised apprehensions about potential backdoo...

A cause whose time has come: Recognition of the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:36:32 GMT

The European Parliament has hosted an event entitled ‘The Forgotten Genocide: Bangladesh 1971’ but the mood of the meeting was that the true nature of the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators 52 years ago can no longer be ignored. International recognition is the next step, writes Political Editor Nick Powell.In 1971 the deaths of three million people, the rape of more than 200,000 women, the ten million who fled for their lives and took refuge in India, the thirty million who were internally displaced, shocked many people around the world. The attempt by the Pakistan military to destroy the Bengalis as a people during the Bangladesh War of Independence was recognised, at least by some, for what it was. The headline in the London Sunday Times read simply ‘Genocide’.A Pakistani commander was quoted as making the genocidal intention clear, stating that “we are determined to rid ...