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Amtrak announces repair plans for rails, bridges across Va., DC-Boston corridor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

Amtrak got billions from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law to improve and expand passenger rail services across the country. In 2024, Amtrak said, much of that money will be used to repair rail lines and aging bridges on the crowded Northeast Corridor between D.C. and Boston.“Amtrak ridership is soaring and we’re advancing plans to further enhance and expand our services across the United States with our various partners, thanks to these grants,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said in a statement.The Frederick Douglass Tunnel in Baltimore, Maryland, is slated to get more than $4.5 billion for repairs, with another $2 billion going to replace the Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland.Baltimore tunnel, when updated, will allow trains to travel up to 110 miles per hour and cut travel time between D.C. and New York by 30 minutes, making the tracks safer and allowing for more Amtrak and MARC train service on the lines.“The MTA is working with Amtrak in close par...

Swinney: Clemson RB Shipley has no structural damage in left leg, no surgery necessary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson running back Will Shipley has no structural damage and won’t need surgery after a scary injury late in the team’s Gator Bowl win over Kentucky on Friday. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney confirmed details of Shipley’s MRI through a spokesman Sunday. Shipley looked to be seriously hurt after a 60-yard, fourth-quarter kickoff return in which he stumbled and somersaulted before hitting the ground. He came up holding his left leg and was carted off the field with a towel over his head. But, a short time after, Shipley returned to the field with crutches to celebrate the Tigers’ 38-35 victory with his teammates. Swinney said during his postgame session that the injury did not appear serious, but he would need an MRI to be sure. Shipley, the 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior tailback from Weddington, North Carolina, has not yet announced whether he will enter the NFL draft or return to Clemson for his senior year. Shipley finished with 827 yards rus...

México y Venezuela retoman vuelos de repatriación ante presión para frenar flujos migratorios a EEUU

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – México y Venezuela anunciaron el sábado la reanudación de vuelos de repatriación de migrantes venezolanos que se encuentran en México. Se trata de la medida más reciente que adoptan los países de la región para hacer frente a una avalancha de personas que viajan hacia Estados Unidos.Como parte del proceso, las autoridades venezolanas recibieron la madrugada del sábado en Caracas a un grupo de 207 connacionales provenientes de México, anunció el gobierno de Nicolás Maduro.También se produce cuando una caravana integrada por miles de personas de toda la región en su mayoría venezolanos ha atravesado el sur de México esta semana. Asciende a 8 el número de muertos por un tiroteo en una fiesta de quinceañeros en México EEUU y México se reunirán en enero en Washington para hacer frente al creciente flujo de migrantes Los vuelos de repatriación forman parte de un acuerdo alcanzado entre los gobiernos regionales d...

Revelers ring in 2024 with fireworks, live performances in Miami, Fort Lauderdale

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

People of all ages, visitors and locals alike, flocked to downtown Miami and downtown Fort Lauderdale to give a festive welcome to 2024.The Magic City brought the heat on New Year’s Eve. Bayfront Park is hosting a big bash.“Only us could bring this Latin flavor of so many people together,” said a woman wearing a party hat that said “Happy New Year.”Hours before the stroke of midnight, more than 20 artists took the stage.“It’s my first time in this big event in Miami, and we are very honored to be here,” said one of the performers.“Beautiful,” said a woman.“We decided to come here just to feel the emotion,” said a man.The celebration kicked off at 6 p.m. on Sunday.“It’s our first New Year’s here, so we decided to do it here in Bayside,” said a man.Another reveler couldn’t resist the opportunity to greet 7News reporter Elitsa Bizios while the camera was rolling.“I’m here w...

What is home in the age of exile?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

Tatyana Margolin is co-founder of STROIKA, with a mission to reverse the tide of rising authoritarianism by building, resourcing and connecting resistance movements around the globe.One can reliably gauge the latest geopolitical upheaval by who is sleeping on the red pullout couch in my New York apartment.In the summer of 2021, I was hosting an independent Russian journalist facing criminal persecution in his home country. In the spring of 2022, it was a Ukrainian mom seeking refuge from war. And earlier this year in October, it was my Israeli friend with her family, who left after the horrific attacks and ensuing war.Now is the time of year when we often hear the phrase “home for the holidays.” But what exactly is “home” for those like my house guests, who have left and can never go back? What does it mean when your home exists but is unrecognizable?I left my native Belarus in 1994 and have never returned since. My own story mirrors the millions living in a perpetual state of exile...

Democracy is in peril in the world’s bonanza year of elections

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

Is 2024 the year when democracy hits a tipping point and slides toward autocracy?It may seem like an odd question to ask at a time when countries representing nearly half the world’s population, or an estimated 3.8 billion people, are sending their voters to the polls in some form of election.Indeed, from the United States to the U.K. and European Union, from India to Mexico, and from Taiwan to Indonesia, some of the world’s most strategically important countries will hold elections this year.Yet even amid this bonanza of balloting and voting, experts warn that dēmokratía — the form of government pioneered by aristocrats in 6th-century B.C. Athens — is entering a danger zone. Not only are dictators such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expected to try to exploit the trappings of democracy to prop up their own rule and stifle opposition, but democracy is also at risk in the West, they argue. U.S. President Donald T...

Man charged in Manchester, NH shooting that left woman dead

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

Authorities have identified the 26-year-old woman who was killed in a shooting in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday and the man who is facing charges in connection with her death.Officers responding to a reported shooting on Amherst Street around 2 p.m. found Sophia Bonfiglio suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to Manchester police.She was taken to Elliot Hospital, where she was treated for several hours before being pronounced dead.Tyler Cook, 26, was arrested on a charge of manslaughter and is expected to be arraigned in Hillsborough Superior Court on Tuesday.

Column: ‘You can see where this is going.’ The Chicago Bears finished an eventful 2023 with a hope-inspiring blowout.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 …And the ball dropped — from the hands of tackled Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier to the wet grass on Soldier Field.That was it, the final moment of Sunday’s 37-17 Chicago Bears victory, putting the punctuation on the final game of a wildly eventful calendar year for the franchise.Satisfying? One-thousand percent. Especially for all these Bears who haven’t had many wins this convincing or many surges of success that have generated so much confidence.The Bears have now won five of their past seven games.Sunday’s triumph marked their fifth consecutive victory at home.This is now a feisty football team that is proving capable of taking care of “should win” games.That’s why, in a jubilant home locker room on New Year’s Eve, there was a celebratory cloud of cigar smoke lingering and a shared energy that the dark days for the team are gone.“We’re celebrating New YearR...

Judge allows new court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital, rejecting NAACP request to stop it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that he will allow Mississippi officials to move forward with creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, over objections from the NAACP.Attorneys for the civil rights organization had sued on behalf of several Jackson residents, saying the new court undermines democracy because local voters or local elected officials won’t choose its judge or prosecutors.The new Capitol Complex Improvement District Court will have a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general — officials who are white and conservative.In a ruling filed late Sunday, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate dismissed requests to block the new court, which was created by the majority-white and Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature. Jackson is governed by Democrats.“None of the Plaintiffs has alleged that he or she is in actual or imminent danger of experienci...

Live soon: Fireworks, drone show set to welcome 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:10 GMT

DALLAS (NEXSTAR/NBCDFW) -- We're just hours away from the most spectacular fireworks and drone show in the Central Time Zone to welcome 2024 and the new year! Sunday at 11:30 p.m., you'll see “Lone Star NYE 2024" featuring a remarkable nonstop 10-minute fireworks show that will illuminate the Dallas city skyline. The show includes breathtaking panoramic fireworks with more than 4,000 pyrotechnic special effects fired from 560 feet above ground atop the iconic Reunion Tower.The fireworks will be accompanied by a 300-drone light show. Engineered and flown by DFW-based Sky Elements, the drones will light up the sky at heights of up to 700 feet and create an array of visual elements and an immersive experience never seen before above the Dallas skyline. You'll be able to watch the program live in the player at the top of this story beginning at 11:30pm CT. Before and after the fireworks, Bowling for Soup and two other Texas musical acts will hit the stage. Known for their humor and...