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House speaker chaos stuns lawmakers, frays relationships and roils Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers who had been sitting in stunned silence gasped at the declaration: The office of speaker “is hereby declared vacant. ”For the first time ever, a House speaker had been voted out of the position, plunging Congress into a new degree of turmoil. “Now what?” someone in the chamber yelled out.Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who has survived decades of upheaval in Congress, had projected a sense of cool as he strolled out of his office just hours earlier, still speaker. But when he exited the House chamber, no longer with the gavel, he walked in silence.He left a House roiling. Lawmakers fled the chamber after the vote, some speechless at what they had witnessed. An essential body of American democracy no longer has an elected leader, the latest moment of testing for an institution grappling with aftermath of the Capitol siege on Jan. 6th, 2021, a Republican Party at war with itself and the United States’ contested role in global leadership...

McCarthy says he won't run for Speaker again after being ousted: recap

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

The House voted Tuesday to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), a vote that hasn't taken place in more than 100 years. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) became interim House Speaker.Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) followed through on his promises and moved Monday to force a vote on a motion to vacate. On Tuesday afternoon, the chamber voted 216-210 on the motion to vacate, following a 208-218 vote on a motion to table Gaetz’s resolution to oust McCarthy.All Democrats voted to remove McCarthy.Follow along with live updates below.

Concert review: Peter Gabriel plays by his own rules at Xcel Energy Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

As he has since his earliest days fronting Genesis, Peter Gabriel does things his own way, which he confirmed Tuesday night during an odd, but compelling, concert at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.It marked his first performance in the metro in 21 years, but only attracted about 7,500 fans, a number similar to what he’s been drawing in other cities. I’m guessing that’s due to a combination of high ticket prices, plenty of competition and the fact his last album of original songs was also 21 years ago.That said, it was a show best suited to the devoted who could forgive the guy for skipping early solo hits like “Shock the Monkey” and “Games Without Frontiers.” Gabriel, 73, played without an opening act and split his nearly three-hour show into two sets with an intermission between and two-song encore afterward.Gabriel structured the evening around his new album “i/o.” He’s been working on it, off and on, for two decades now and has released a new song at ...

Legislative auditor to examine failed appointment of state cannabis management director

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

Minnesota’s legislative auditor will dig into the short-circuited appointment of the Office of Cannabis Management director.In an interview Tuesday, Auditor Judy Randall said she would formally inform the governor’s office and other entities that she has launched a preliminary inquiry into the hire and quick departure of Erin DuPree as the state’s top marijuana market regulator.Randall said the DuPree situation triggered the review, but it could delve into the appointment and vetting process in general.“The fact that she was appointed and then information came out that it appears that the governor’s office wasn’t aware of, that then caused the candidate to step down and the governor to acknowledge problems with the process, caused us to have questions about the thoroughness of the process,” Randall said.The auditor review was first reported by the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune.DuPree was named last month by Gov. Tim Walz to the post but resigned the next day after questions about h...

Dane Mizutani: Get on the back of Royce Lewis. He’s leading the Twins to the promised land.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

The boogeyman came for the Twins as soon as the game started on Tuesday afternoon at Target Field.After the Toronto leadoff hitter put the ball in play, nightmares from the past couple of decades came flooding back when Jorge Polanco’s throw across the diamond pulled Alex Kirilloff off the first-base bag. The mistake turned a routine grounder into the slightest crack in the foundation. That would have been enough for the house to come crashing down in the past.Not this time. This version of the Twins is built different.Because they have a legitimate superstar in Royce Lewis. Not a star. He’s a superstar in every sense of the word.In his playoff debut, Lewis hit a pair of home runs, providing all the offense for the Twins in their 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.Why wouldn’t he? The moment has never proven to be too big for the 24-year-old wunderkind. The historic 18-game playoff losing streak wasn’t going to be either.“It was a blessing to play t...

Dog dies in Cahokia Heights house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - A family dog died in a house fire late Tuesday evening in Cahokia Heights, Illinois.The fire happened in the 1100 block of St. Bernadette Drive, near St. Louis Downtown Airport. As of this writing, it's unclear when the fire began.An older couple who live in the home were not present at the time of the fire.The cause of the fire is under investigation.

'Enough is Enough' - Billboards on I-70 raise awareness for fentanyl crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

WARRENTON, Mo. – A group of Warrenton residents gathered on Tuesday night to remember the victims of the drug epidemic.One by one."Lizzy Cole; age 14," Kelli Clodfelter said aloud to the dozens of people gathered outside the Casa Tequila in Warrenton.Names and ages.Clodfelter continued, listing more than 40 names of people who overdosed on drugs. "Dennis Reed; age 34."It's not just the names being remembered, but the faces as well. Four billboards along Interstate 70 show the faces of more than 40 drug overdose victims.“Every one of us here has lost somebody,” Lisa Alsawad said. “Everybody knows somebody that has lost somebody."Sabrina Wipfler had the idea to remember her nephew, who overdosed 11 years ago. Wipfler originally meant to just put up one billboard, but the idea grew. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News ...

Schnucks remodels Cahokia Heights store, invests in community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - Before we even stepped foot inside the recently remodeled Schnucks in Cahokia Heights, we met shoppers celebrating signs that this store is here to stay.“You can find anything you want in there. Everything you need. It’s really nice,” Michael Schaub said.Once inside the 44,000-square-foot store, you don’t have to look far to see the improvements.“It’s great. It’s something we really need in our neighborhood. Praying it doesn’t leave us.” Denise Byrum said. Store manager Brian Lomelino says the glow-up at the Cahokia Heights Schnucks will make it easier for customers to stock up. From produce to poultry and pancake mix, grocery staples remain, even if the store doesn’t feel the same. House makes history, removes McCarthy as Speaker “All brand-new shelving. Brand-new lighting. Brand-new floors. One of the things we’ve gotten is that customers think the store is bigger now. I think it’s just brighter, and it’s more modern. It just brings a good feeling when yo...

Debate over short-term rental regulations in St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The owners of short-term rental properties in St. Louis are lining up against proposed amendments the city's Board of Alderman will soon vote on."The bill as it sits is not terrible. There are a few things that we need to have changed, like the occupancy limits," said Amanda McCracken. She's a short-term rental owner and said the proposals discussed Tuesday are concerning."Two per bedroom, with a top number of eight; eight residents. Some of the other key components really are adding some teeth to the repercussions of the bad actors, limiting the number of Airbnb's in residentially zoned communities," Alderwoman Cara Spencer said. House makes history, removes McCarthy as Speaker Spencer said the growing number of short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods is a growing concern."We have seen downtown, where we have these, essentially, ghost hotels where they're just full of Airbnbs," she said.The bills are expected to be voted on Friday."There's a need for short-te...

Early results show recall effort in Englewood falling short

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:19:51 GMT

An effort to oust three Englewood City Council members as part of a recall election is faltering, unofficial results released Tuesday night showed.The special election revolves around the issue of density in this suburb of 34,000, where a contingent of residents mounted a campaign earlier this year to recall four of Englewood’s seven City Council members. One of the targeted members, Cheryl Wink, resigned over the summer and wasn’t on the ballot Tuesday.Mayor Othoniel Sierra, Councilwoman Chelsea Nunnenkamp and Councilman Joe Anderson were targeted for recall.According to preliminary results, Sierra received 478 votes against recall and 346 in favor. Anderson had a better margin — 700 to 493 against recall. Nunnenkamp’s election was the closest, with voters in her district defeating a recall 435 votes to 421 votes.The city said there were still more than 700 votes to tally as of late Tuesday night.Those behind the recall effort accused the four council member...