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Alarms sound over high turnover among election workers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

Experts are sounding alarms just over a year out from November 2024 that the presidential election could suffer from chaos and confusion after high turnover of local election officials and workers in key states. Threats and scrutiny often linked to false claims of voter fraud have contributed to a surge of local election officials leaving their posts in recent years. The exodus could mean understaffed and inexperienced teams are left to grapple with continued conspiracies and misinformation surrounding the election process in 2024, with some running a high-stakes presidential election for the first time. Richard Hasen, an election law expert and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, said he’s “quite worried” about the attrition of election officials and workers nationwide but argued it’s “not surprising” given the threats and harassment lobbed at many in the jobs. “Some of the language that's been used against these officials has been...

Head into shopping season ready to manage your spending and debt

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Retailers once again have begun their bid for consumers’ attention with big sales early in fall, such as what amounts to a second Amazon Prime Day sale. A longer holiday shopping season lets you spread out expenses, but it also could lead to overspending.Danetha Doe, founder of financial education company Money & Mimosas, said in an email, “It's easy to go into unplanned debt during this time because many of us show love to those we care about by buying gifts or by spending money on travel to be with loved ones.”NerdWallet’s 2023 holiday shopping report bears that out: 52% of Americans incurred credit card debt from holiday shopping last year, and 31% of them still have lingering balances. Survey results also show that nearly 2 in 5 2023 holiday shoppers (39%) feel pressure to spend more on buying gifts than they’re comfortable spending this year, and 12% of 2023 holiday shoppers say they will likely use some of their emergency savings to buy gifts.Whether you’re ...

PHOTOS: Solar eclipse passes over Austin area

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An annular solar eclipse passed over Central Texas on Saturday.Many KXAN viewers shared their eclipse photos with us. Here's some of their pics:Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Photo of annular eclipse taken in northwest Austin on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Debbie Herrington)Comet looks at eclipse shadows in Round Rock on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Candida Wydra)Solar eclipse photo from Elgin, Texas, on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Cirilo Laura Alicia Kai Almanza)Eclipse pattern shows on Kiwi the dog in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood of Austin. (Courtesy Catherine Kelly)Eclipse view through binoculars on Oct. 14, 2023. (Courtesy Kim Yarbrough)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14, 2023. (KXAN Photo)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14, 2023. (KXAN Photo)Dripping Springs eclipse watch party Oct. 14,...

The 'most popular' Halloween candy in New York, according to online sales data

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Which kinds of hardened candy residue will your child’s dentist be scraping from their teeth at the next visit? Well, it might depend on where you live. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! CandyStore.com, an online candy retailer specializing in wholesale and bulk orders, has sought to determine the “most popular” Halloween candies in each state, based largely on the past 16 years of the company’s sales data in the months leading up to Halloween. Distributors and manufacturers who work with CandyStore.com also “chipped in” to provide additional stats, according to CandyStore’s analysts.While the top candies vary from state to state, CandyStore estimates that Reese’s Cups, M&Ms and Hot Tamales are the country’s three “most popular” candies overall (and in that order) based on sales per pound between 2007 and 2022. Castle of Terror coming to Schenectady Armory But which sweets, specifically, might your local dentist...

Three metros on the verge of passing St. Louis in size

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area’s population hasn’t changed much in recent history. Around 2.8 million residents call the metro home in the present day, a number that's increased modestly by 12% over the last half-century.The St. Louis bi-state region is currently 21st largest in size among US metros and the largest consisting of Missouri, according to U.S. Census figures. That said, recent population trends reveal that three U.S. metros are on the verge of potentially passing the population of Greater St. Louis within the next few years if regional population trends continue in a similar direction as they have since 2020. St. Louis football coach shot by parent shares his comeback story The next three closest metros are within 150,000 people of St. Louis. All three have gained around 100,000 people since the start of a new decade. Greater St. Louis, meanwhile, has lost around 20,000 residents within the same time span.Keep an eye on these three metros...Orlan...

Oregon man dies in UTV crash in Lincoln County

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. - A man from Portland, Oregon, died overnight in a UTV crash in Lincoln County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. MSHP has identified Jerome Vogt, 48, as the victim. Next of kin has been notified. The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday near Jacks Road and Poppy Lane. From Israel to St. Louis: Couple’s journey home filled with hope for peace A MSHP crash report states that Vogt was traveling too fast for the conditions and failed to negotiate a curve properly. He went off the side of the roadway, then overcorrected, which caused the vehicle to overturn. Investigators say he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Lincoln County authorities are investigating the crash.

Pritzker announces $1 billion Midwest Hydrogen Hub to combat climate change

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

CHICAGO (WMBD)-- Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan have received a federal funding award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the Midwest Hydrogen Hub, a $1 billion decarbonization network that uses strategic hydrogen use to reduce carbon emissions.A Governor's Office news release states the new hydrogen hub will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 3.9 million metric tons a year.“The fight against climate change and the path toward a sustainable future require innovative solutions,” said Governor JB Pritzker. How to see the “Ring of Fire” eclipse on Saturday He continued, “Through this collaborative partnership with our neighbors and with the federal government’s support, we will foster a healthy economic environment for the hydrogen production market, while creating more clean energy jobs and lowering emissions across the region.”Hydrogen use will soon be coming to industrial sectors including steel and glass production, power generation, refining, heavy-duty transport...

Keeler: CU Buffs’ Deion Sanders looked lost. Travis Hunter looked gassed. After historic collapse vs. Stanford, has clock struck midnight on Boulder’s Cinderella?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

BOULDER — When Deion Sanders demanded his theme music, the Buffs played “Yakety Sax.” If Travis Hunter ran for 140 yards, Charles Kelly rambled for at least 220, arms waving furiously, as if trying to hail the last taxi in Times Square.“If you’re gonna point the fingers, point it at me, because if I’m allowing it, it should be on me, not (Kelly),” Coach Prime said of his veteran defensive coordinator after CU squandered a 29-0 halftime lead against Stanford in a 46-43 double overtime loss.“Put it on me. We go over this stuff. And there are times where you know what group is in … what group you’re on, but you have a lapse of understanding in those crucial moments. Right now, we’re not built for the moment. We’re not built for the moment.”For 30 minutes, the Buffs almost looked built for the College Football Playoff, a fireball of speed and swagger. For the next 30, they looked as if Karl Dorrell had never l...

Taylor Swift-forced Grove closure may cost workers

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

Taylor Swift may be an economic stimulus package unto herself, but those benefits may not translate to workers at the Grove.When Swift held the premiere of her concert film "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" at the upscale shopping center on Wednesday, the event's exclusive nature meant that all businesses had to close for the day, as reported by Los Angeles Magazine.The magazine cited a Puck report that AMC Theaters paid $2 million to shut down all the other businesses at the Grove. Well, not all the other businesses."One restaurant that did not shut down on Wednesday was La Piazza, which hosted an event for [Grove owner Rick] Caruso and his contingent of premiere guests since there wasn't an official afterparty," L.A. Magazine reported.Caruso reportedly promised to compensate business owners for the lost day of sales, though "it’s unclear whether those owners plan to pass that monetary gesture down to their staff," the Magazine said. That said, some workers seemed willing to shake it o...

Kurtenbach: The 49ers are huge favorites against the Browns, but Sunday’s game is still a big challenge

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:43:08 GMT

Every NFL game is a test of talent, brawn, and smarts. But for the 49ers, Sunday’s game in Cleveland is a test of character, too.The Niners are the unquestioned team to beat in the NFL. They’ve won 15 consecutive regular-season games — a win Sunday would be a franchise record — and enter Sunday’s contest as a 9.5-point road favorite (and rising) against a Browns team that lost its best player for the season in Week 2 and is sitting its starting quarterback for the contest.This is a trap game if I’ve ever seen one.Related ArticlesSan Francisco 49ers | 49ers at Browns: Five keys to potential shutout win in Cleveland San Francisco 49ers | George Kittle’s ‘(Bleep) Dallas’ T-shirt draws NFL fine San Francisco 49ers | Get ready for 49ers’ Randy Gregory rushing Cleveland’s P.J. Walker San Francisco 49ers | Could dominant 49ers be peaking too soon? They’re not buying it. ...