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Blinken names ex-NSC official to be new State Dept spokesman

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday chose an ex-National Security Council communications official to be the next spokesman for the State Department. In a statement, Blinken announced that Matthew Miller will assume the role as the daily face of American foreign policy from the State Department podium at the end of April.Miller is a longtime fixture in Democratic political circles and served as the chief spokesman for former Attorney General Eric Holder during the Obama administration. He has also worked closely with Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.After President Joe Biden was elected, Miller worked on the incoming administration’s transition team, including helping to shepherd Blinken’s nomination to be America’s top diplomat in the Senate. He then took a temporary post at the NSC last year to coordinate U.S. messaging after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“I benefitted greatly from Matt’s...

Suspect arrested after barricade situation in Arlington bank

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Arlington County police say a suspect is in custody after an attempted robbery and barricade at a Clarendon-area bank on Tuesday afternoon.Officers were called to a Wells Fargo branch in the 3100 block of Washington Boulevard around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an armed robbery and possible hostage situation.The Arlington County Police Department said the suspect is thought to have entered the bank, implied he had a weapon and demanded money before barricading himself inside the building with a number of patrons and employees.Images from the scene showed a heavy police presence near the intersection of Washington and Wilson boulevards. Eyewitness footage posted to Twitter later showed a man being led away in handcuffs.Four adults and one child inside the bank were able to safely exit, the department added. There were no injuries.The WTOP Traffic Center reports Washington Boulevard is closed between Wilson Boulevard and 10th Street due to the ongoing police response. For the lat...

Normal service resumes on Blue Line following Metro equipment derailment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

Normal service has resumed on Metrorail after a heavy rail work vehicle derailed Tuesday morning on the Blue and Blue Plus lines.It happened on tracks outside the Potomac Yard station in Alexandria, Virginia, when the equipment slipped off the track just before 5 a.m.Trains single-tracked between Braddock Road and National Airport, with trains running every 18 minutes, causing delays during the morning commute.Although the derailment did not involve a train, it caused delays because of speed restrictions in the area, the transit agency said.The heavy rail work vehicle can drive on the highway and railroad tracks and was used to move equipment to the Yellow Line bridge work site, Metro said.Source

Cuando expire la emergencia por la pandemia, las pruebas del COVID-19 dejarán de ser gratis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

WASHINGTON  — Cuando expire la emergencia de salud pública declarada por la pandemia del COVID-19 el mes entrante, los estadounidenses seguirán teniendo acceso a las pruebas diagnósticas del virus, pero con una gran diferencia: en vez de que el gobierno pague por ellas, tendrá que pagar el ciudadano común.Por primera vez, los estadounidenses tendrán que pagar todo o al menos parte del costo, dependiendo del seguro médico que tengan o si la prueba es casera o si se hace en un consultorio médico.Pero todavía hay tiempo de comprar pruebas gratis antes del cambio que viene el 11 de mayo, e incluso después podrían quedar disponibles algunos de los tests sin pago. Biden firma la ley que pone fin a la emergencia nacional por el COVID-19 Millones perderán la cobertura de Medicaid tan pronto culmine la exención de la pandemia Algunos gobiernos estatales o locales podrían seguir distribuyendo las pruebas por vía de clínicas, biblioteca...

Chaos erupts in Md. House of Delegates as tension grips final moments of General Assembly session

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.The Maryland General Assembly ended the 2023 session with high drama in both houses Monday night as the final minutes in the House of Delegates devolved into a partisan shouting match, and the Senate president interrupted a motion for final adjournment with a last-seconds vote.Republicans led by Anne Arundel Del. Nicholaus R. Kipke (far left) derailed the final minutes of the last House of Delegates floor session of the 2023 General Assembly over concerns that House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) blocked attempts to amend and debate a controversial cannabis bill. (Maryland Matters/Bryan P. Sears)The House of Delegates descended into pandemonium in the final minutes amid a debate over House Bill 1071, which would prohibit police from stopping or searching a person based solely on the odor of cannabis.The bill came up a...

Broomfield High football coach resigns after 'inappropriate behavior' investigation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (KDVR) — Broomfield High School's head football coach resigned from his position following a lengthy investigation into accusations of inappropriate behavior.According to the Boulder Valley School District, Blair Hubbard submitted his resignation and it was accepted by the school on Monday. In December, the Broomfield Police Department conducted an investigation into Hubbard amid the accusations. Detectives found Hubbard did not engage in any criminal behavior and no charges were filed. However, BVSD announced it would conduct its own administrative investigation.In January, Hubbard was placed on paid administrative leave by the school pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation. At the time, the school did not release further information on what the investigation entailed. In a statement sent to FOX31 on Tuesday, the police investigation was in regard to "accusations of inappropriate behavior involving several Broomfield High School students." Former princi...

Colorado schools seeing hundreds of suicide threats each month

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Suicide threats are inching up in Colorado schools, according to the state's anonymous reporting system, Safe2Tell. There were 2,630 reports sent to Safe2Tell's system in March, 11% more than in February and the most reported in the last two years. Threats of planned school attacks common in Colorado, most recently in Loveland About one in every eight of these reports, 11.5%, were reports of suicide threats. Historically, suicide threats are the most common report to Safe2Tell, next to bullying or complaints about the school itself. Suicide threats have not been consistently this high since before the pandemic. There have been around 300 such threats per month reported to Safe2Tell this winter. Prior to school closures beginning in March 2020, there were closer to 400 per month.Most of these reports were judged valid, meaning they required some kind of real-life response and intended to protect, help or prevent harm.

Highest-rated dog parks in the Denver metro area

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Record-breaking heat has arrived in the Mile High City with forecast highs in the 80s this week.If you are looking for a place to enjoy the warmer weather and get your dog some exercise or fun, we have you covered. Free outdoor activities to do near Denver on a spring day Highest rated dog parksHere are the highest rated dog parks in the Denver metro area with at least 4.2 stars and 100 or more reviews on Google:Barnum Dog Park- 360 Hooker St., Denver: 4.3 stars for 459 reviewsBelleview station dog park- 4825 S Newport St., Denver: 4.2 stars for 229 reviewsBerkeley Dog Park- 4601 W 46th Ave., Denver: 4.4 stars for 702 reviewsCarla Madison Dog Park- 2405 E Colfax Ave., Denver: 4.2 stars for 223 reviewsChatfield Dog Park- 11500 N Roxborough Park Rd., Littleton: 4.8 stars for 672 reviewsCherry Creek ​Dog Of​f Leash Area- S Entrance Rd., Aurora: 4.8 stars for 1,843 reviewsDailey Park- 1 S Cherokee St., Denver: 4.2 stars for 366 reviewsEnglewood Canine Corral- 4848 S W...

Denver: No city for old men

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado's largest city is one of the nation's youngest - and not because Denverites have lots of kids. Analyses of United State Census and home purchasing data reveal a Denver not only shedding retirees but failing to lure any new ones. ConstructionCoverage.com lists the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro among the areas with the youngest home purchasers in the country. Retirees are fleeing Colorado, but one city still attracts them Among the people who purchased Denver area homes in 2021, about 13.9% were 55 years old or older, the sixth-lowest share of home purchasers among the nation's large metros. The low share of 55-year-old and older homebuyers is similar in other areas that share many of Denver's characteristics - affluent, highly educated and near the top of the nation for housing expense. The Austin, Seattle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and San Jose metro areas are the only ones with a smaller share of 55-year-old and older homebuyers. In retiree hotspots ...

Investors bought $10B worth of Denver-area homes since 2021

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Investors snapped up a big slice of Denver real estate in the last two years. Online brokerage Redfin kept quarterly reports of how many homes in each major U.S. metro were purchased by investors in the last two years, as opposed to being purchased by people who planned to live in the homes themselves. Nationally, as many as one in five homes in the U.S. were bought by investors, depending on the quarter.In Colorado, investors have been very active in the housing market. Between the first quarter of 2021 and the fourth quarter of 2022, about 15% of the number of homes sold in the Denver metro were to investors - about one in every seven homes. Yes, it is remote workers who spiked housing, rent costs Through 2021 and 2022, investors bought a total of $9.5 billion in Denver area housing. This does not include the total sold in the first quarter of 2021, for which Redfin had no record. In reality, investors likely purchased over $10 billion in those two years if that...