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Other voices: Biden wants to build a big, beautiful wall

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

It took nearly three years, but reality has finally intruded upon the Biden administration’s border fantasies. Thank two Republican governors for the long overdue wake-up call.Last week, the White House announced that it plans to suspend nearly two dozen laws and regulations to hasten construction of additional barriers on our southern border. This is a reversal of epic proportions.When President Joe Biden entered office in January 2021, one of his first actions was to rescind a Trump-era executive order that promoted the former president’s vision of a “big, beautiful wall” to slow illegal entries into the United States. Mr. Biden and most Democrats had vociferously opposed such efforts. “Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution,” he said.It turns out, however, that neither is advancing a de facto open borders policy that serves as a magnet and encourages immigrants to illegally enter the Unite...

Francis Wilkinson: Supreme Court loses no matter how it rules on gun case

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

The conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court will have to choose between depravity and farce this term. It’s an awkward situation, with a high probability of disgrace either way, but they can’t say they didn’t ask for it.Veteran court analysts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern wrote that this term’s court docket is “an explosive brew of lawless fury aimed at the heart of modern American governance.” Fury certainly defines the case of United States v. Zackey Rahimi. The case is from the MAGA-dominated 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. In its ruling, the court said authorities had no right to deprive Zackey Rahimi of his firearms on the grounds that he was under a domestic violence restraining order after having violently assaulted his girlfriend.In 2019, Rahimi, of Arlington, Texas, threw his girlfriend to the ground before dragging her to his car, where he slammed her head against the dashboard.He late...

Alberta’s pension plan proposal has a BREXIT-like stink to it

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

Few things in this world are more tempting to a politician than $334 billion. And it seems that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is going for gold with Alberta’s plan to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), which we’ll call ALBXIT. The plan is audacious, and, oddly enough, Smith’s messaging is disturbingly similar to BREXIT, Britain’s disastrous withdrawal from the European Union (EU).For the Brits, the biggest lie was the famous £350 million per week fabrication. Those who favoured leaving the EU claimed that the UK sent £350 million per week to the European Union. The ‘we was robbed’ logic falsely implied that all this money could be saved and redirected to the National Health Service (NHS) if the UK left the EU.ALBXIT’s logic is shockingly similar. According to the authors of the recently released report, “for decades … Alberta workers and businesses (have) contributed approximately $60 billion more into the CPP … than has been paid out to Albertans.”You have to give Smith ...

County straps in for the intensity of fall fire season

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsDespite cooler temperatures, the most intense period of the fire season has just begun.Manager of Fire Services at Lethbridge County, Byron Fraser said the peak intensity of a region’s fire season depends greatly on the landscape, and although the temperatures have dropped off in recent weeks, autumn is the most active time for fires.Despite the hot, dry spring, Fraser said the anticipation of autumn can bring with it a feeling of uneasiness for departments in the region.“It concerns us, as (it’s) usually created a crazy year of fires, but truthfully we are just getting to our most serious and common time for wildland fires. All the crops are either off or fully cured, the grasses in the pastures, coulees, and landscape are at the longest they will get and fully cured,” he said, noting this differs from certain mountainous regions which often experience their major fire season earlier in the summer.“We are just getting into our (peak season) and depen...

Call volume intensifies for Nobleford Fire Department

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsAccording to fire services across the region, call volumes have been trending up steadily in recent years, with no signs of abating.Fire Chief of the Nobleford Fire Department, Ryan Wagner confirmed that within the department, call volumes have increased, “every year for the last number of years,” adding the 2023 season is no exception.”Early summer conditions and high spring temperatures kicked off a busy season for crews, as the moisture provided by the winter snow cover evaporated earlier in the spring.“This spring started out with some dry and warm weather, creating precise fire conditions which turned into working large wildland fires for our crews. Typically the weather pattern can change with high winds and extreme heat conditions, which happens throughout the entire summer season, and can continue until the cooler temperatures arise,” he added.The increase in calls is a challenge in and of itself. Wagner said the department’s crews, “responded...

Volunteers lend a helping hand to northern neighbours during 2023 wildland fires

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsBeginning in the spring of 2023, Albertans watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of hectares burnt across several districts in Alberta which resulted in the evacuation of nearly 30,000 people.Efforts to snuff out the 2023 Alberta wildfires required the assistance of seasonal and year-round firefighters from Alberta Wildfire and paid-on-call volunteers to control the fires. By early June, help from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and across Canada had been deployed to help extinguish the swath of growing fires across Alberta.Volunteers from Lethbridge County stepped up to help in the fire suppression efforts, including from the Coaldale, Picture Butte, Nobleford, and Coalhurst Fire departments.Ryan Wagner, Fire Chief of the Nobleford Fire Department, said the small department played a part in the effort.“We had three separate crews go up for 7-9 day rotations per shift for a total of three deployments up by Edson in Yellowhead County, on two...

Albany County reveals ARPA awards

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Albany County announcing today the first round of American Recuse Plan Act awards. 21 local organizations are receiving grants totaling almost two million dollars to support the economy and community. These grants are meant to help the local area recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Albany County Comptroller, Susan Rizzo, says the needs of the recipients have to align with the needs of the local community. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "We do evaluate each one of the recipients. We create a tier based on the evaluation. Need, obviously, is one, and what they received in other awards."Grand Street Community Arts will be able to stay open with the $150,000 they’re expected to get. "Positive programming for a community really who needs a lot of support. Not only youth programming but services for families," described Executive Director of Grand Street Community Arts, Tasean Murdock.The Albany County Histori...

Nine arrested for alleged drug trafficking in Ulster County

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Nine individuals have been indicted for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization that operated in Ulster County. Large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl were reportedly distributed in Ellenville, Kingston, and other parts of Ulster County between March 2021 and January 2023. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Law enforcement agencies executed search warrants in Ellenville, White Plains, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Approximately 4 kilograms of fentanyl, 500 grams of cocaine, and $600,000 in drug proceeds, and five firearms were seized.All nine defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted, the defendants could face the following terms of imprisonment:NameAgeResidenceMinimum TermMaximum TermChristopher Baez, aka "Butta"45Manhattan10 yearsLifeJoseph Logan, aka "Jazz" or "Jabb"32Ellenville5 years40 yearsJoshua Morale...

Temporary road closure announced for State Route 85

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

SLINGERLANDS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany County Department of Public Works announced that part of State Route 85 (New Scotland Road) in Slingerlands will be closed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, October 13. Both directions will be closed from Kenwood Avenue to Mullens Road. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! During the closure, the interim steel truss Rail Trail Bridge will be set into place above the roadway. The bridge is expected to reopen to pedestrian traffic on October 31.

Watervliet Police arrest Troy man on gun, drug charges

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:18:26 GMT

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Watervliet Police Department reported the arrest of a 25-year-old on October 6. Jaquan McCalmon was taken into custody when officers located a loaded, illegally possessed revolver and drug paraphernalia inside a vehicle. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! McCalmon was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, and other vehicle and traffic law violations. He was arraigned in Watervliet City Court and remanded to the Albany County Correctional Facility.