During Tuesday night’s meeting, City Council members rejected all bids on the current project after they ended up being much higher than anticipated. Now, city leaders are going back to the drawing board to create a new plan that stays under budget. “There’s always unlimited wants and limited resources,” said Russell Betts, a Councilman for
Continue ReadingBy JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor in Kansas have brokered a deal on cutting taxes. GOP leaders gave up on moving the state to a single-rate personal income tax that the governor strongly opposed. The Kansas House and Senate expected to vote on the
Continue ReadingBy LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO will celebrate on Thursday 75 years of collective defense across Europe and North America as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its third year and sorely tests the allies’ resolve while rising populism gnaws at their unity. At a cake-cutting ceremony in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of State
Continue ReadingBy The Associated Press Video and photos of suspects in a mass shooting show them apparently being brutalized by Russian security forces — without any rebuke from authorities. A top Kremlin official urges that hit squads be sent to assassinate Ukrainian officials. Senior lawmakers call for restoring capital punishment, abolished decades ago. The aftermath of
Continue ReadingBy EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its Western allies are feuding with Russia over its diamond production, but they joined forces to keep supporting the Kimberley Process, which aims to eliminate the trade in “blood diamonds” that helped fuel devastating conflicts in Africa. At a U.N. General
Continue ReadingBy LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors have plenty of stern words to say about 87-year-old British billionaire Joe Lewis’s insider trading. But they also agree that his age, medical issues and willingness to come to the U.S. to face criminal charges have earned him leniency. Lewis faces sentencing Thursday. He
Continue ReadingBy ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lost in the hubbub surrounding California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers is how that raise could impact public schools, forcing districts to compete with the likes of McDonald’s and Wendy’s for cafeteria workers amid a state budget crunch. The minimum wage law that
Continue ReadingBy ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Lost in the hubbub surrounding California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers is how that raise could impact public schools, forcing districts to compete with the likes of McDonald’s and Wendy’s for cafeteria workers amid a state budget crunch. The minimum wage law that
Continue ReadingBy KYLE GLASER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solo drive in the seventh inning in a 5-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night that finished a three-game sweep. Playing his ninth game for his new team, Ohtani pulled
Continue ReadingBy Helen Regan, Gladys Tsai, Jan Camenzind-Broomby and Kenza Wilks, CNN (CNN) — Rescue teams Thursday were trying to reach more than 600 people in eastern Taiwan following the strongest earthquake to hit the island in decades, as the number of people injured passed 1,000. Aftershocks continued to rattle the island a day after the
Continue ReadingBy YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Thursday after a firm finish on Wall Street, as expectations remained solid for U.S. interest rate cuts this year. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 39,773.14. Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to 7,817.30. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.3% to 2,742.00. Analysts
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani knew he hadn’t homered in a while and felt relief when he sent a ball soaring into Dodger Stadium’s right-field pavilion. “Honestly, very relieved that I was able to hit my first homer,” Ohtani said through a translator after his seventh-inning drive helped the Dodgers to a 5-4 win
Continue ReadingBy GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Moore scored three goals for his second career hat trick, and the Los Angeles Kings snapped their three-game skid while eliminating Seattle from the Stanley Cup playoff race with a 5-2 victory over the Kraken on Wednesday night. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala also
Continue ReadingBy Chris Lau and Mai Nishiyama, CNN Tokyo (CNN) — Everyone in Japan could one day have the same surname unless its restrictive marriage laws change, according to a new study. But the country’s dwindling marriage rate could buck that trend and a rapidly declining population might render it moot entirely. Unlike most of the
Continue ReadingDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot has increased to an estimated $1.23 billion after another drawing without a big winner Wednesday night. The numbers selected were: 11, 38, 41, 62, 65 and the Powerball 15. The jackpot, which now ranks as the eighth-largest in U.S. lottery history, has been growing for more than
Continue ReadingBy SCOTT BAUER Associated Press NEW GLARUS, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate race between Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde is setting up to be one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races in the country. A Baldwin victory is crucial for Democrats who are defending 23 seats in the Senate.
Continue ReadingBy MICHAEL HILL Associated Press A New York prosecutor is investigating a slew of abuse complaints made after Netflix started streaming a scathing documentary on the Academy at Ivy Ridge. “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping” depicts the now-closed boarding academy in rural northern New York as an oppressive institution. The series features former students
Continue ReadingBy KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — More than 250 Holocaust survivors have joined an international initiative to share their stories of loss and survival with students around the world during a time of rising antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip. The Survivor
Continue ReadingBy ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Senior finance and central bank officials from Southeast Asia and major economies met Thursday in the scenic Laotian city of Luang Prabang to discuss ways to help the region build resilience against shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters brought on by climate
Continue ReadingBy FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is headed to a China determined to avoid open conflict with the United States, yet the world’s two largest economies still appear to be hashing out the rules on how to compete against each other. There are tensions over Chinese
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