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MN lawmakers advance universal background checks on gun sales, ‘red flag’ bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

In the wake of a deadly school shooting this week in Nashville, new gun restrictions are moving forward in the Minnesota Legislature after years of stalling under a divided government.Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers now in control of the Senate and House are advancing a proposal to create universal background checks for firearms sales. They also want to create a “red flag” law to temporarily remove guns from people deemed a threat to themselves or others. Supporters say they’ll help keep guns out of dangerous people’s hands.Those are just two gun control measures DFLers introduced this legislative session. But as committees prepare their major policy package bills, known as omnibus bills, those proposals appear to be gaining the most momentum, with both the Senate and the House moving them through committees.Gov. Tim Walz in his public safety budget recommendations called on lawmakers to pass several gun control policies, including a red flag law, universal background ...

Saints manager Toby Gardenhire: New pitching rules will mean busy base paths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

Get ready for some action on the base paths, Toby Gardenhire said. There’s the addition of the pitch clock and new limits to the times a pitcher can disengage from the rubber during a single at-bat. That would be two reasons.“You’re going to see a lot more stuff in the big leagues that you’ve never seen before,” the St. Paul Saints manager said Wednesday as his Triple-A team congregated in advance of the team’s first series this weekend in Toledo.Because a pitcher must disengage from the rubber in order to throw the ball to a base other than home plate, that means he has only a pair of throws to hold a runner at first — or elsewhere.Triple-A teams played under the rule, and the new pitch clock, last season, and the Saints’ stolen base totals went from 76 in 2021 to 136 in 2022. That’s a 78.8 percent rise.“This year in spring training,” Gardenhire said, “they were going way up.”Last April, Saints shortstop Royce Lewis drew two throws from a pitcher before stealing second ...

Police: Man accused of plowing into officers should not have been driving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The suspect in Wednesday morning’s violent crash that sent five police officers and a K-9 to hospitals had an arrest warrant and a hold on his license for prior allegations of driving with drugs in his car. FOX 2 News spoke with the suspect’s sister, who told us her brother would never hurt someone maliciously, but she says they have law enforcement in their family, and she believes he needs to pay the consequences for his actions.Matthew C. Jones, 31, stands charged with, among other things, felony DWI, physical injury to law enforcement, and child endangerment related to the March 29 crash. He was not even supposed to be in St. Louis County to cause the crash, his sister told us. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Fiv...

Missouri House backs bill requiring state research on psychedelics to treat depression, PTSD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

The suicide rate among veterans in Missouri is nearly double the state rate and one of the highest in the country.In hopes of helping veterans and other Missourians facing mental health issues, the Missouri House advanced a bill Wednesday that would require the state to conduct a study on using psilocybin, also known as “magic mushrooms,” to treat depression, substance use or as part end-of-life care. Several lawmakers said they were “passionate” about seeing the study go forward during Wednesday’s debate. Among them was Rep. Aaron McMullen, R-Independence, a veteran who served in a combat unit in Afghanistan. “Substance abuse and suicide are escalating in the veterans community,” McCullen said, quoting a letter from the Grunt Style Foundation that serves veterans. “While psilocybin is not a panacea for every issue, it represents a first true scientifically-validated hope that we have to address this crisis."The House overwhelmingly approved the measure, sponsored by Rep. ...

Democratic filibuster blocks vote on bill making it harder to amend Missouri Constitution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

Senate Democrats seized control of the Missouri Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to block a Republican proposal making it harder to change the state constitution.The measure that would impose a 60% threshold as the minimum majority for amendments has already passed the House and, if approved in the Senate, would go before voters in 2024. Republicans pushing the measure argue that groups from outside the state have funded campaigns that enact measures their legislative majority has rejected, including Medicaid expansion and marijuana legalization.Democrats argue that the initiative process has worked well since it was enacted in 1908 and no changes are needed.After nearly four hours of debate, Republicans sat the bill aside for the night.Even among Republicans who support making it more difficult to pass initiatives, there is no agreement on exactly how to do that.The measure handled by Sen. Sandy Crawford keeps the 60% majority requirement that passed the House. But before the Democ...

Supporters of St. Louis police protest against state control at Missouri Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Supporters of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department who want control of the department to stay in the city took their case to Jefferson City, Missouri. With signs in their hands and chanting "Hands off St. Louis," dozens of grassroots organizations gathered on the front steps of the state capitol.The Missouri House and Senate are thinking again about taking local control away from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD).“State control of St. Louis police department is based in history of pro-slavery," said Senator Karla May, who represents St. Louis City. "By once again, seizing control of St. Louis democratically elected legal institutions, the Missouri government is reviving the legacy of historic discrimination against people of color." Top Stories: Officers injured in Maryland Heights crash Earlier this month, lawmakers in the Missouri House voted that the state should seize control; it's now up to the Senate.“The officers believe that...

Hawley, Paul clash on floor over TikTok ban 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) clashed Wednesday afternoon over the future of TikTok in a spirited exchange on the Senate floor that shows disagreements over how to regulate the controversial app cross party lines in Congress.  The two conservative stars butted heads when Hawley attempted to gain unanimous consent to pass his bill to prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States and ban commercial activity with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.  Paul immediately slapped down Hawley’s request.  “There are two main reasons why we might not want to do this. The one would be the First Amendment to the Constitution. Speech is protected whether you like it or not. The second reason would be that the Constitution actually prohibits bills of attainder,” he said before objecting.   “This fails on two egregious points, pretty obvious points. I think we ought to think about that,” he added.  The Constitution prohibits bills of attainder, which allow the ...

Companies bid $264M in Gulf oil sale mandated by climate law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

By KEVIN McGILL and MATTHEW BROWN (Associated Press)NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oil companies offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year’s climate bill compromise.The auction was the first in the Gulf in more than a year and drew strong interest from industry giants including Chevron, BP and ExxonMobil. But it could further test the loyalty of environmentalists and young voters who backed President Joe Biden in 2020 and were frustrated by this month’s approval of a huge drilling project in Alaska.Developing the Gulf leases would produce up to 1.1 billion barrels of oil and more than 4 trillion cubic feet (113 billion cubic meters) of natural gas over 50 years, according to a government analysis. Burning that oil would increase planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions by tens of millions of tons, the analysis found.A legal challenge to the sale from environmental groups is pending in...

Victims of Nashville school shooting honored in somber vigil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

By TRAVIS LOLLER, KIMBERLEE KRUESI and DENISE LAVOIE (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at a candlelight vigil in Nashville to honor and mourn the three children and three adults who were killed in a shooting at a Christian school this week.The downtown ceremony for the victims of the shooting at The Covenant School was largely somber and silent and filled with young people. First lady Jill Biden and singer Sheryl Crow were among those attending, as were civic leaders including the mayor and police chief.“Just two days ago was our city’s worst day,” Mayor John Cooper said. “I so wish we weren’t here, but we need to be here.”Earlier in the day, Pope Francis sent condolences to the city and offered prayers to those affected. Police have said a 28-year-old former student drove up to the school Monday morning, shot out the glass doors, entered and began firing indiscriminately. The dead were identifie...

Rockies’ Bud Black: “We’re committed to bouncing back, in all areas”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:51:11 GMT

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who relishes opening day more than Rockies manager Bud Black.Ever the optimist, the 65-year-old baseball lifer subscribes to the Charlie Chaplin philosophy of life: “You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.”Little wonder, then, that Black uses a broad brush to paint a sunny picture of his team as they get ready to open the 2023 season Thursday against the Padres at Petco Park.“This group of guys is committed to bouncing back from an off year, in all areas,” Black said, referring to Colorado’s 94-loss season in ’22. “That’s the thing that excites me. I like where their heads are, proving that last year was, in so many ways, an off year.”But springtime optimism can’t erase the fact that since Colorado made the playoffs in 2017-18 in Black’s first two seasons at the helm, the club has had four consecutive losing seasons. In their first 30 years of existen...