Banning school mandates for COVID-19 vaccines to get a floor vote
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – Prohibiting requirements of a COVID-19 vaccine in all Louisiana schools, public or private, will get a vote on the floor of the House of Representives. Legislation advanced from the Education Committee on Wednesday with just one of 14 votes against the measure. “The intent of this bill is to stop mandates that have anything to do with yay or nay on vaccines, but we just don’t like mandates,” said Rep. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales, author of the proposal. “The COVID vaccine is not on the list of required immunizations for schools. The state’s vaccination requirements are s ..read more
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Controversial Iowa education bill is now law
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – Iowa teachers will see salaries increase under a new bill the governor signed Wednesday. House File 2612 also reforms Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. It increases state supplemental aid to K-12 education by 2.5%, making the state’s total investment nearly $4 billion for fiscal year 2025, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The bill raises the minimum wage over two years for new teachers to $50,000 a year. Teachers with 12 years of experience will see salaries go up to $62,000, Reynolds said. “Iowa currently ranks in the bottom half of states for share of starting teacher pay ..read more
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Company raises bias concerns about grants for ‘less-lethal’ tools
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority recently authorized a $19 million grant for police forces to procure “less-lethal” tools. This was intended to give officers alternatives to guns so that they can pacify situations that might otherwise end in violence. ICJIA awarded the grant to Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System to distribute. It appears the main beneficiary has been a single company: Axon, the makers of Taser. Retired Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols is the director of training and grant management at Wrap Technologies, the maker of Bolowrap. The ..read more
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Delaware weighs shield law for pot banking businesses
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – Delaware lawmakers are advancing a plan that would shield from prosecution by federal authorities the banks, lenders and other financial institutions that do business with the state’s budding recreational cannabis industry. The proposal, which recently cleared the House Economic Development, Banking, Insurance and Commerce Committee, would provide state-level legal protections for financial services providers that want to provide services to licensed marijuana businesses without facing criminal liability. Backers of the measure say it would authorize secure transactions ..read more
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Georgia voters could decide whether to lower tangible personal property tax
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) — Georgia voters could decide during November’s election whether to reduce the tangible personal property tax Georgia’s small businesses pay. Peach State lawmakers approved House Bill 808, sending it to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for consideration. The Senate voted 50-0 this week in favor of the measure. “House Bill 808 raises the threshold for paying this onerous tax,” National Federation of Independent Business State Director Hunter Loggins said in a statement. “Small businesses already pay sale taxes on equipment, desks, and other property. “The tangible personal proper ..read more
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Colorado joins 12 attorneys general in warning gunmaker to retain decades of files
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – An Illinois lawsuit has led Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and attorneys general from 11 other states and the District of Columbia to notify gunmaker Glock to preserve 37 years of documentation regarding its handguns. Earlier this month, the city of Chicago filed a lawsuit against Glock alleging the company failed to change the design of a pistol. Chicago claims Glock knew a do-it-yourself “switch” could make the handguns a “machine gun” and resulted in a “proliferation of illegal machine guns.” Illinois passed a law last year allowing lawsuits against the firearm ..read more
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Judge: Hollywood business destroyed by police standoff won’t get compensation
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – A federal judge ruled a Hollywood business owner whose shop was destroyed in a police standoff with a fugitive is not entitled to compensation from police. The judge ruled NoHo Printing and Graphics owner Carlos Pena, whose insurance denied a damage claim, could not seek compensation under the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause, which protects against government taking of assets without just compensation, because, as Pena conceded, the police actions were “reasonable.” “I’ve tried to do everything the right way this whole time,” said Pena in a statement. “I don’t even blam ..read more
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Arizona narrowly avoids mass migrant street releases with federal funding
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – Some Arizona leaders are breathing a sigh of relief as the federal government passed funding that will presumably go toward transporting migrants out of border communities or caring for them while there. There was widespread concern about daily mass migrant street releases starting in April, as federal funding for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Shelter and Services Program was set to expire on April 1, The Center Square previously reported. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly said on Saturday that $650 million in the recent spending bill signed by President Joe B ..read more
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Attorneys general say EPA water rule is costly and unlawful
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) – A proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that would monitor indirect wastewater discharges from slaughterhouses is unlawful and would be costly to businesses, 27 attorneys general said in a letter to the agencies. The EPA monitors wastewater discharge from 171 of the 5,055 meat and poultry product facilities in the United States, according to the letter led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. The new rule would affect nearly 3,800 producers, including some family-owned farms in Arkansas, according to Griffin. Poultry g ..read more
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Pennsylvania sees 45% increase in electric vehicles
The Black Chronicle
by Black Chronicle News Service
1d ago
(The Center Square) — Pennsylvania has seen dramatic growth in electric vehicle ownership, with a 45% rise compared to a year ago as state and federal funds drive the buildout of public charging stations on its main highways. Data released by PennDOT show that more than 63,000 EVs are registered in the state. Additionally, hybrid EVs number 274,800 statewide, a 24% increase. Counting plug-in hybrids, the total EV share in the commonwealth is almost 375,000 vehicles. Those vehicles are supported by 4,200 public plugs in over 1,600 locations across the state. Most EVs cluster in the Philadelphi ..read more
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