The Florida Times-Union
What’s something you’ve enjoyed reading lately?
Steve Patterson Staff writer Reorcanozonc my booksmelves recently reontroduced me to a really surprosoncly book. E.H. Gombrocm wrote wmen me was a 26nyearn old recent collece doctoral craduate (art mostory) wotmout a job and, so tme book cover says,...
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Hurricane report rolls out Florida forecast
Aleading seasonal hurricane forecast is calling for slightly below normal activity as a meaty storm-shredding El Niño develops but the Atlantic Ocean gives mixed signals as to its intent. h Colorado State University is predicting 13 named storms for...
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ONE YEAR AGO
One year ago April 10, Duval County jail inmate Charles Faggart died after a struggle with guards left him braindead three days earlier. It resulted in nine corrections employees being stripped of their authority pending criminal and administrative...
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Residents give input on future of Skyway
Public comments submitted so far on the future of the Skyway show the top choices are to either run bigger trains on the elevated structure or turn it into an above-ground path for walking and bicycling. Jacksonville Transportation Authority CEO Nat...
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ARTEMIS II CREW SETS SPACE TRAVEL RECORD
As the eyes of America turned to Artemis II via an array of live newscasts and streaming networks, the astronauts broke NASA’s Apollo 13 record by venturing beyond 248,655 miles from Earth — setting a new standard for the farthest human...
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Artemis II to begin its return to Earth
After Artemis II’s planned flight around the moon, where the crew was expected to break former spaceflight distance records and observe lunar features never seen by human eyes, the astronauts on Tuesday, April 7, were due to head back toward...
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JSO under scrutiny for beating
Le’Keian Woods, William McNeil Jr., Erika McGriff and now add Dasaun Williams to the list of high-profile cases deemed by many as police brutality by the Jacksonville Sheriff ’s Office. All have multiple common threads: All are Black; all were beaten...
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What’s your favorite Jacksonville bakery from the past or present?
Teresa Stepzinski Dining writer My Tavorote Jacksonvolle bakery oT tme past was Worman’s Bakery & Delo downtown on Broad Street across Trom tme new Duval County Courtmouse. I loved tmeor Tresmly baked rye and cmallam breads as well as tmeor connamon...
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IN THE OVEN
Ariverfront development anchored by a culinary school that has sent more than 50,000 graduates into the workforce around the world will go before the Downtown Investment Authority board this month as a potential development on the old county courthouse...
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LIFT F! Artemis II moon rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center
America is sending astronauts back to the moon for the first time in more than half a century. Towering taller than the Statue of Liberty, NASA’s 322-foot Space Launch System rocket – featuring an orange core stage flanked by twin white solid rocket...
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Drought drags on in Northeast Florida
The expanding patches of dead turf on lawns, the water levels that keep dropping in streams and ponds, and the dried-out underbrush that can fuel wildfires are signs that the worst drought since 2012 shows no sign of ending. How long will it last? At...
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Right whale births at 17-year high in FL
One of Florida’s largest snowbirds is experiencing a banner year. The number of North Atlantic right whale calves born this season is the highest in 17 years. On March 14, an aerial survey team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission...
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Summer opening planned for rebuilt Met Park Marina
The wait for opening the rebuilt Metropolitan Park Marina is counting down to the summer when it will once again be a place for boaters to dock while passing through Jacksonville or making trips to events at the sports complex. h The target date for...
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Overwhelming turnout
A larger-than-expected crowd, estimated in the thousands, turned out during the opening weekend of a firstof-its-kind, family-oriented Jacksonville venue with an outdoor food hall featuring eight restaurants and a craft brewery, plus a unique kids’...
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THE ALLURE OF MEGA CRUISE SHIPS
Why bigger cruise ships are drawing new travelers
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‘Sometimes you have to have patience’
Construction of the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Jacksonville could be completed in twelve months and the grand opening will come sometime after that in 2027 on the downtown riverfront where Jaguars owner Shad Khan is building the luxury...
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Floridians still feeling pinch of rising prices
With prices going up on everything from gasoline to groceries, Jacksonville residents Susan and Jim Shoopman have had to make big cuts in their spending. “Groceries are so high, I’m having to buy Healthy Choice frozen dinners,” said Susan Shoopman,...
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Orange Park medical school opens to high expectations
Northeast Florida’s first four-year medical school is opening with high hopes for its effects on local health care, colleges and the area local officials have dubbed the gateway to Clay County. “This is big for Orange Park,” state House of...
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Suspect arrested in killing of 2-year-old
Within hours after issuing an alert for a 21-year-old suspect in the Valencia Way apartments shooting death of a 2-year-old boy, the Jacksonville Sheriff ’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service got their man. At about 1 a.m. March 24, the Sheriff ’s...
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Trump extends deadline for threatened Iran strikes
President Donald Trump on March 23 said the United States has engaged in “very strong talks” with Iran and reached “major points of agreement” that could end the war – claims Iranian officials quickly denied. Trump said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and...
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ARE HOME VALUES FALLING IN FLORIDA?
Apair of recent national reports have singled out Florida as the poster child for “falling home values” while another reported the state had the most foreclosures in the nation last year. h The Florida Realtors association on March 16 released new...
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports content to help you navigate your lives. Enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire and educate you. SCAN FOR THE LATEST LOCAL NEWS >> WGFEIG-00107t
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Troops deployed to Middle East region
Despite President Donald Trump’s promises of the war with Iran ending soon and broad domestic disapproval of further involvement, the United States is sending more troops to the region, a defense official said. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit,...
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More oil sites hit amid Iran war escalations
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wants billions more from Congress to fund the war with Iran as gas prices hit $3.90 a gallon nationwide and global oil prices surged amid the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The national average price per gallon...
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Gabbard says Iran regime ‘degraded’
The top U.S. intelligence official told senators that Iran’s regime was “intact” but “largely degraded” as Israel said it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister, President Donald Trump expressed frustration with European allies over efforts to open...
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Why Ocklawaha River bill failed in Legislature
Supporters and opponents of legislation for restoring the Ocklawaha River agree that Senate President Ben Albritton and state Sen. Tom Leek were key to stopping the bill from getting a final vote in the Senate after the House passed it by a 107-3...
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Ex-NFL player’s vacation home listed for $19.5M
Members of the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t the only pro football players with a home on the First Coast. While there are plenty of active players, former players, coaches and professional golfers residing in our area, most tend to have at least a past...
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Rodman Dam removal again dead in the water
The latest bid to remove the 58-yearold Rodman Dam on the Ocklawaha River came up dry after the Florida Legislature ended its session without the Senate voting on legislation the House overwhelmingly supported. The House backed the bill by a 107-3...
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Some say it’s luxury, others call it ‘house porn’
Throughout my journalism career, architecture and real estate seem to have always played a role. At first, the influence was indirect; I started out in Washington, DC, where I was surrounded by the neoclassical buildings and monuments of our nation’s...
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Collision over Iraq kills 6 U.S. service members
Six more U.S. service members were killed when their refueling aircraft crashed after a midair collision over western Iraq, officials said March 13, as the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran reached the two-week mark with few signs of slowing down. The...
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Iran’s new leader vows to avenge war dead
In a defiant first message to Iranians as the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei promised revenge for Iran’s “martyrs,” including the many children killed in an apparent U.S. strike on a school, and said the critical Strait of Hormuz would...
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Iran attacks vessels in Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. average gas price hit $3.59 a gallon on March 11, a spike as the war with Iran continued to spiral with attacks on three ships in the pivotal Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said shipping would soon return to the strait on Iran’s...
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Trump warns Iran not to block key oil route
President Donald Trump on March 9 predicted the Iran war will end “very soon” now that U.S. forces have decimated the country’s navy, air force and political leadership, but a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps slammed the president’s...
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Oil prices soar as Iran names its new leader
As the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its 10th day on March 9, oil prices soared over fears of a prolonged conflict, President Donald Trump demanded “unconditional surrender” and the Pentagon made public the name of the seventh U.S. service member...
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Fleet Landing could tower over downtown
The city has started its review of the proposed Fleet Landing residential tower that would be the tallest building in the fast-growing Brooklyn neighborhood and one of the highest anywhere in downtown. The Downtown Development Review Board is...
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Earliest memories of pandemic; when did you realize its severity?
Garry Smots Sports reporter Wotmon 18 mours, Tme Players Cmampoonsmop went Trom encouraconc everyone to wasm tmeor mands to playonc one round wotm Tans, to tme PGA Tour announconc tme Tonal tmree rounds would be played wotmout Tans to tme entore...
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Florida House passes Ocklawaha River bill
Restoring the flow of the Ocklawaha River won support of the Florida House on a 107-3 vote that would partly remove a dam that created Rodman Reservoir a half-century ago for the abandoned Cross Florida Barge Canal. State Rep. Wyman Duggan, who...
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Florida House passes tax cut bill with breaks for U.S. beer
The House passed a tax cut bill aimed at saving money for campers, gun owners and drinkers of American-made beer. The House voted 105-2 on the plan (HB 7031) on March 5, which drew some criticism for lifting sales taxes for the next fiscal year on...
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MANATEES READY FOR PUBLIC EYE
Alpine, Francesco and Cullen are just about ready to meet the public. h The three are manatees living in the new J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Manatee River Habitat, which opens Friday, March 6 at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens. The...
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Trump criticizes top U.S. allies over war
President Donald Trump slammed top U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, as the war with Iran expands and warned Americans that they may have to deal with “a little high” oil prices as crude costs soared and the stock market tumbled. “If we have...
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Cross-country ride to honor 9/11 victim
Katherine “Katie” McGarry Noack’s last communication on Sept. 11, 2001, was a text message to her husband of five months. She wanted him to tell her family how much she loved them. She was at a meeting in the World Trade Center in New York City that...
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Tehran retaliates after leader killed in strikes
Three American service members were killed in action amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, U.S. military officials confirmed, one day after the United States and Israel launched strikes against the country and Tehran quickly hit back. Five others were...
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ATTACK ON IRAN
Find more coverage at usatoday.com and in the Nation & World Extra section, a subscriber-only feature in your eNewspaper.
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Memorial Park repairs ready to move forward
Plans for repairing years-old storm damage to the bulkhead and balustrade at Jacksonville’s riverfront Memorial Park could be advancing by summer, city officials told park neighbors at a neighborhood update. “We have a contractor on board who knows...
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Public asked to sound off on five Skyway plans
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is asking for public feedback on five different options for the future of the Skyway’s elevated structure that include keeping it for above-ground trains, converting the structure for rubber-tired autonomous...
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Combative State of the Union address signals storms ahead
He stuck to the script, mostly. President Donald Trump’s signature has been his willingness to ad lib his way through big speeches with bombastic rhetoric, but at the State of the Union address Feb. 24 he read a statisticsheavy speech that focused from...
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‘CRAZY ABOUT CARS’
Start your engines for Northeast Florida’s biggest car show of the year. h The Amelia Concours d`Elegance, a “week of captivating motorsport and luxury lifestyle experiences,” expects to see about 500,000 spectators who will take advantage of driving...
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Battle for Trump’s brain at State of the Union
The state of President Donald Trump’s union is troubled. When Trump delivers the State of the Union on Feb. 24, the audience in the House chamber will likely include members of a Supreme Court that just outlawed the stiff tariffs that have been his...
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The second-biggest grocer in FL is Aldi
Aldi is the nation’s fastest-growing grocer and nowhere does it have more stores than in Florida where it now has 297 stores as of February 2026. The states with the next most are Illinois (218) and Ohio (175). Why is Aldi so focused on Florida?...
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Who is someone you could always count on for a great quote?
Garry Smits Sports reporter Florida football coach Steve Spurrier and Florida State’s Bobby Bowden could always be counted on to educate, enlighten and delight the media. You got an answer to every question and more often than not it was...
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Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs
WASHINGTON − A furious President Donald Trump slammed the Supreme Court after a landmark decision striking down his power to impose sweeping tariffs. “I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do...
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FL TOPS U.S. IN SHARK ATTACKS
More shark bites were logged in the U.S. last year than anywhere else in the world with Florida ranking highest for unprovoked incidents, but Australia suffered the most fatal attacks, according to a report from the International Shark Attack...
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LAGOON COMMUNITY SEES ITS FIRST OWNER
Duval County’s first lagoon community welcomed its first homeowner this week, marking a milestone for a 2,700-home master-planned development taking shape on Jacksonville’s Westside. The move-in officially launched life inside Diamond Springs, a...
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CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JACKSON DIES AT 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and failure to support voting rights, died Feb. 17. He...
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What’s next for the DeSantises?
With Gov. Ron DeSantis’ last regular session of the Legislature having passed its midpoint, the Republican chief executive and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, appear focused on securing their political future – whatever it is. The governor, of...
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Report: FL among top in U.S. in total food spending
When the global COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, Frank and Carol Prevost stopped eating out, even after the temporary statewide ban on on-site dining was lifted. They are back to dining at restaurants as much as they did before the pandemic, if...
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Paul Runnestrand Executove edotor
When did headlights get so bright? I thought the purpose was to help you see when you’re driving at night, not prevent everyone else from being able to see. I’d also love it if people would learn how to use a roundabout correctly, but that might be...
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Valentine gifts will cost you
George Denys buys a box of chocolates for his wife as a Valentine’s Day gift every year. On Thursday, Feb. 12, he continued that tradition, even though chocolate prices have gone through the roof. “It’s more expensive than when I first started coming...
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NO SALE
The Duval County school district has canceled its deal to buy a new headquarters site in Baymeadows after its agreement to sell its longtime Southbank headquarters downtown fell through. h The decision, announced Feb. 12, essentially puts the district...
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Jacksonville becomes hub for Daimler Coaches
Motorists exiting Interstate 295 onto Pritchard Road in Jacksonville might feel like they’re getting off the autobahn in Germany. East of the highway interchange is the Volkswagen Group Of America’s parts distribution warehouse with the VW logo on the...
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Teachers union leaders sentenced for fraud
The women who ran Jacksonville’s teachers union for nearly a quarter-century are both headed to prison for cheating the union out of $2.6 million, a federal judge ruled Feb. 9. Terrie Brady and Ruby George pleaded guilty in 2025 to “selling back” to...
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Little consensus seen after Gulf renaming
From the bridge of their charter boat High Class Hooker, Susanna Pope and her husband can look out at the sparkling 65-degree saltwater off Key West and envision customers fishing for marlin, wahoo and mahi-mahi. Which fish will be biting? Will the...
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Latest Ocklawaha River restoration bill advances
Another attempt to open the Kirkpatrick Dam on the Ocklawaha River is flowing through the Florida Legislature, with supporters calling it the Northeast Florida version of Everglades restoration. But even if the measure passes in the Legislature, Gov....
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Rising housing costs are a growing concern
Not so long ago, Northeast Florida was the state’s best-kept housing secret: It was a younger, workingclass alternative to the gilded retirement getaways in the state’s other large metros. Land was plentiful. Rents were lower. Houses were a bargain,...
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RECONNECTING A COMMUNITY
The branch of McCoys Creek that cuts through Hollybrook Park in the North Riverside neighborhood resembles a ditch more than a natural stream. Vegetation clogs its steep banks. Metal signposts, tires and other trash clutter the waterway. But after a...
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TEMPS MAY HIT ELECTRIC BILLS
Record cold temperatures in Florida this week could result in higher overall electric bills here as more Florida residents crank up the heat in their homes. h But there are things homeowners can do to keep their electric bills down this winter no...
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‘HOLOGRAM’ OF DEEGAN REMOVED
The “hologram” of Mayor Donna Deegan welcoming visitors at Jacksonville International Airport has left the building. h The box featuring a life-sized video of Deegan had been at Jacksonville International Airport since December 2024 where reaction...
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GROWERS COPE WITH HISTORIC COLD
A winter onslaught set upon Florida this past weekend with a historic whimsy and devastating brutality that dusted the frozen night with snow flurries as far south as Fort Myers, and sent a cropkilling freeze to farmers, who despaired as heaps of...
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Gone to pot?
A petition group pushing to get recreational marijuana on Florida’s 2026 November statewide ballot is saying the state’s announcement of its failure to gather enough signatures is “premature.” Secretary of State Cord Byrd announced Feb. 1 that all 22...
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Florida firm is remaking history this Super Bowl
When the coin toss to determine possession takes place prior to Super Bowl 60, something will be noticeably different from years past. The coin, produced since 1994 by the Highland Mint in Melbourne, will not be made by Highland Mint this year....
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WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
If it’s local you want, we’ve got it. Our Sunday refresh offers more news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and...
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SHUTDOWN COUNTDOWN
Lawmakers appeared to be closing in on a deal endorsed by President Donald Trump to avoid an extended government shutdown, but a key player said a brief government closure may be inevitable as there still was work to be done Jan. 30 as funding was set...
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Homan signals strategy shift in MN
White House border czar Tom Homan on Jan. 29 vowed to “draw down” the federal presence in Minnesota as agents focus on more “targeted” enforcement, a major shift in operations that comes amid backlash following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens...
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Government shutdown looms after MN killing
WASHINGTON – Another government shutdown is on its way. Since the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis sparked nationwide uproar, there’s little hope on Capitol Hill for an 11th-hour miracle in the next few days to salvage a...
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Emotions still high after four decades
Kandice Seiberling and future NASA astronaut Judy Resnik were great childhood friends during the 1950s at Fairlawn Elementary School in Akron, Ohio — they rode bikes and skated together, and Seiberling’s mom got them matching outfits. Years later,...
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MOSH DEMOLITION OK’D
The final science exhibit at the old MOSH building in downtown will involve the physics of demolition. The Downtown Investment Authority approved knocking down the fourstory building at 1025 Museum Circle on the Southbank. The nonprofit organization...
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