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Maryland elections board chair promises to keep elections director out of hiring process

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.The chair of the Maryland State Board of Elections has promised to limit the retiring elections director’s involvement in the search for her successor.Chair William G. Voelp made the promise following an elections board meeting Thursday that included approval of a job description and timeline to find a new state director.Behind Voelp’s vow is concern about the role of State Administrator of Elections Linda Lamone in selecting her successor. Lamone’s participation in the board meeting included her guiding schedules for receiving resumes, for interviewing prospective candidates and even suggesting that out-of-state candidates be avoided — moves that drew a swift rebuke from one Democratic senator from Montgomery County.Why is Linda Lamone trying to coordinate the interview process for her successor at the State Board ...

Don’t miss this week: Ed Sheeran, Watergate, Pete Davidson

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— In “A Man Called Otto,” Tom Hanks stars as a despondent and ornery widower whose suicide plans keep getting foiled by the needs of his neighbors. When it played in theaters in December, the Sony Pictures release proved the rare adult-oriented success at the box office, and grossed more than $100 million globally. Marc Forster’s adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestseller and remake of the 2016 Swedish film “A Man Called Ove” arrives Saturday on Netflix. In my review, I wrote that Hanks’ role “interestingly, if not always entirely successfully, caters to his strengths while tweaking his familiar screen presence.” — A new series on the Criterion Channel pegs the 1980s as the birth of Asian American cinema. The 12 collected films — mostly products of the independent film movement — chron...

Walk or run at these Colorado races and festivals this weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Spring is running season, and there's a race for runners or walkers of any pace this weekend across the state.Some run for good causes like foster care support or suicide prevention, others run for tacos or beer. No matter your skill level or motive, there's a run (or walk) for you. Free Derby at the Station, Furry Scurry, plus 8 things to do this weekend Get active at these runs, races, walks and trots happening around Colorado this weekend. FridayTaco Trot, Ft. Carson -- 5K fun run SaturdayFleet Feet Cherry Creek, Denver -- up to 5-mile trail shoe demo runRun for the Trees, Loveland -- festival and 2-mile fun run Holy Hammers Hustle for Habitat, Parker -- 3-mile walkSPEAK Walk, Brighton -- festival and walkFireKracker, Ft. Collins -- 5K training program fun runAdams County Foster Care, Brighton -- 5K and 1-mile fun run Nielson Two-mile Challenge Series, Colorado Springs -- 2-mile friendly runHigh Line Canal Run, Centennial -- 5K and 10K scenic trail fun runDuck ...

Florida lawmakers OK budget, end session quietly and go home

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — After 60 tumultuous days fighting about abortion, immigration, LGBTQ+ issues, guns and teaching sexuality in schools, the Florida Legislature ended its annual session by unanimously passing a $117 billion state budget Friday.The ending was a stark contrast to the the two months leading up to it, with cheers instead of jeers and unity instead of divisiveness.“I’ve been getting texts all day from people who’ve been in the process for years. One said in 50 years, he has never seen such a seamless session,” Republican President Kathleen Passidomo said while standing with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican House Speaker Paul Renner.Most years, the last day of session drags on well past sunset as the final trading on important legislation goes back and forth. This year, DeSantis told lawmakers not to save the biggest items for the last week.Other than the budget, which was passed before noon Friday, that was largely accomplished. Seamless, of course, is i...

Suspect arrested after eight killed in Serbia’s second mass shooting in two days

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

(CNN) — A man suspected of killing at least eight people in Serbia has been arrested following a massive manhunt, leaving the country reeling from its second mass shooting in just two days.The latest shooting happened late on Thursday night when an attacker opened fire in the village of Dubona, about 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) southeast of the Serbian capital Belgrade, Serbian media reported.He then fled the scene, before later opening fire in two other villages, Mali Orasje and Sepsin.More than 600 members of Serbian Special Forces were deployed to search for the suspect, according to the public broadcaster RTS, with authorities deploying helicopters and thermal imaging cameras. All special police units were engaged, including an anti-terrorism unit, helicopter unit, and police forces from the cities of Belgrade and Smederevo.The suspect — identified by authorities as a 21-year-old male named Uros B — was arrested on Friday morning. Serbian police co...

The way the US government tracks Covid-19 is about to change

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

(CNN) — When the US public health emergency ends May 11, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have to change some of the ways it tracks Covid-19 in the United States, but the agency says it won’t lose its sightlines on the infection as it continues to be part of American life.On Thursday, for the first time in three years, the CDC will stop posting a national count of Covid-19 cases. The agency’s color-coded maps of county-level transmission and disease burden will be retired, the CDC will no longer track variants down to the state level, and it will update its genomic surveillance estimates every two weeks instead of weekly.“Though our data going forward will be different, they will continue to provide timely insights for CDC, for local health officials, as well as for the public to understand Covid-19 dynamics,” CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah said.“In short, we will still be able to tell that it’s ...

Dennis Barnes, a 16-year-old senior, picks Cornell University after getting over 185 college acceptances

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

(CNN) — Dennis “Maliq” Barnes, the New Orleans high school senior who was accepted at over 185 colleges and received more than $10 million in scholarship offers, announced Friday that he will attend Cornell University in the fall.Barnes made the announcement from his school, International High School of New Orleans.“I have committed to attend Cornell University and intend to pursue computer science and to later move on to practice software development,” said Barnes, who put on a Cornell University sweatshirt during the announcement. “Today is an exciting day for me and my family and I look forward to working with Cornell’s college of engineering over the course of my undergraduate education.”Barnes, who has a 4.98 GPA and is graduating two years early, told CNN last month he wanted to pursue computer science and then go to law school. He started applying to schools in August 2022 and said that he didn’t initially intend...

Ravens 2023 undrafted free agent tracker: Maryland WR Dontay Demus Jr. among 18 additions

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

With the NFL draft over, the Ravens have turned their attention to the undrafted market.Baltimore entered the draft with 63 players and made six picks, leaving space to add a big class. Here’s a look at the 18 announced additions:Maryland wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr.: The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Demus, a Washington native, ranks fifth in career receiving touchdowns (14), seventh in career receiving yards (2,008) and ninth in career receptions (125) in Maryland history after five seasons with the Terps. A three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention, Demus suffered a season-ending knee injury during the fifth game of the 2021 season but returned to start 12 games a senior, catching 22 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown.East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell: The 5-8, 179-pound Mitchell is the son of Anthony Mitchell, who earned a roster spot with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and was a reserve during the team’s run to the Super Bowl title. The younger Mi...

Giants’ Dexter Lawrence on new contract: ‘I wanted to be respected for my production and leadership’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

Dexter Lawrence crashed Friday’s first rookie minicamp practice with a new contract under his belt and a huge smile on his face.“I wanted to be respected for my production and leadership around here,” he said of his absence from the early offseason program during the negotiations. “I wasn’t out to set any records.”Lawrence landed a life-changing, four-year, $90 million contract with $60 million guaranteed but said he won’t let his new wealth define him.“Money is just what I have now,” he said. “It’s not who I am as a person.”He said “my ultimate goal is to be legendary, to be a Hall of Famer,” and getting paid isn’t a regular topic among his closest teammates and friends.“People I’m around just talk about being great,” he said.He also said he believes Saquon Barkley’s contract standoff will eventually be resolved, too.“I think Saquon is going to get what he deserve...

Column: Does the ‘Bridgerton’ prequel ‘Queen Charlotte’ whitewash British racism?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:33:11 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneFew TV producers draw mass audiences as reliably as Shonda Rhimes, who correctly predicted Julia Quinn’s Regency-era “Bridgerton” romance novels would appeal to millions. Building off that success, Rhimes’ latest effort for Netflix is a prequel series that takes place several decades prior to the events of the books. This time, though, the central character isn’t fictional but very much part of the historical record.“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” looks at the queen’s “rise to prominence and power,” with her 1761 marriage as a teenager to King George. As with the first two seasons of “Bridgerton,” it features a likable ensemble cast that generates smoldering earnestness with a soupcon of camp. There’s real chemistry between the central pair. The settings are opulent and vivid. I suspect anyone who has enjoyed “Bridgerton” so far will find many of the same pleasures herein.But both series sidestep a glaring reality: The significant links to slavery am...