February 14, 2020

Rural Georgia fury over power plants burning railroad ties spurs legislation

Folks in a pair of northeast Georgia counties knew two new wood-burning power plants might mean nuisances or pollution — but they also knew the plant owners could be valuable taxpayers.

But the noise, the chemical-laced logs and state environmental citations angered people enough in a rural area north of Athens that now some influential Georgia legislators are ready to change state law.

Anything that stops the power plants burning railroad ties treated with creosote should solve some of the problems, said David Ramsey, one of the members of the Madison County Clean Power Coalition. His group is fighting a new biomass-fired power plant outside Comer, owned by Alabama-based Georgia Renewable Power.

Next door in Franklin County, a sister plant spawned a sister group of opponents in the Franklin County GRP Renewable Energy Plant Fallout Group.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2020/02/12/rural-georgia-fury-over-power-plants-burning-railroad-ties-spurs-legislation/

February 14, 2020

Florida Republicans embrace the heavy-handed Big Government they once derided

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE — While our reality show government lurches from atrocity to atrocity, here in the state capital, your imperial Legislature asserts more and more power over your life.

I’m talking about preemption, the Legislature’s favorite laws, the ones overriding local governments when they differ, forbidding cities and counties to do things local people actually want. Things like protecting trees, building low-income housing, banning single-use plastic, stopping discrimination based on sexual orientation, raising the minimum wage, and regulating guns.

As the nonpartisan research group Integrity Florida says in its recent report: “Government action is moved from the entity closes to the people — local governments — and empowers the Legislature.”

IF points out that preemption hamstrings a community’s attempts to help “women, people of color, LGBT people, and those in poverty.”

Read more: https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/02/13/florida-republicans-embrace-the-heavy-handed-big-government-they-once-derided/

February 14, 2020

DEA raids Newburyport office of Dr. Keith Ablow, controversial psychiatrist who settled malpractice

DEA raids Newburyport office of Dr. Keith Ablow, controversial psychiatrist who settled malpractice lawsuits


The Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday raided the Newburyport office of Dr. Keith R. Ablow, a controversial psychiatrist whose medical license was suspended last year after state regulators alleged he drew three female patients into sexual relationships and improperly prescribed medications, including addictive narcotics, to eight people who worked for him.

Investigators searched Ablow’s office on Water Street as part of an "ongoing investigation” said Special Agent Timothy Desmond, a DEA spokesman. He declined to provide details about the investigation or describe what was seized from the building where Ablow operated Baystate Psychiatry until last May when the state suspended his medical license.

Ablow, 58, wasn’t taken into custody and hasn’t been charged with a crime, Desmond said. He referred further questions to federal prosecutors, who declined to comment.

A lawyer for Ablow didn’t return messages seeking comment. Telephones messages and e-mails left with Ablow’s office weren’t immediately returned.

Read more: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/13/metro/dea-raids-newburyport-office-dr-keith-ablow-prominent-psychiatrist-who-settled-malpractice-lawsuits/

February 14, 2020

Industry Leader: Wyoming Uranium Industry on 'Its Death Bed'

A potential addition to President Donald Trump’s budget for the purchase of domestic uranium might not be enough to save Wyoming’s uranium mining operations, an industry leader said.

“The uranium market has been extremely depressed for a number of years,” said John Cash, Ur-Energy’s vice president of regulatory affairs. “So much so that is not profitable to sell into that market at this point.”

After speaking with White House adviser Larry Kudlow, Gov. Mark Gordon recently announced the president is slated to add $150 million to his budget for replenishing the nation’s military supply of uranium.

But Cash said even if the funds were approved, new uranium enrichment facilities would need to be built, which could take up to 10 years — precious time the industry might not have.

Read molre: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2020/02/13/industry-leader-wyoming-uranium-industry-on-its-death-bed/

February 14, 2020

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Trump Loves to Disgrace Us with His Presence

February 13, 2020

After strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Pete Buttigieg turns to Texas

by Alex Samuels, Texas Tribune


Pete Buttigieg is quickly ramping up campaign activity in Texas after strong finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, sending two dozen staffers to the Super Tuesday state.

The 24 staffers start Monday and will help volunteers already on the ground, his campaign told The Texas Tribune. The Texas ramp-up is part of a broader expansion across the delegate-rich states that vote March 3.

“We are building the campaign that will not only win this nomination but will defeat Donald Trump in November,” said Samantha Steelman, the campaign’s organizing director for Super Tuesday states.

Sara Goldstein, the former regional organizing director in Iowa for the Buttigieg campaign, will now lead its efforts in Texas. The campaign will welcome its latest staffers to the state over the weekend with events in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/13/pete-buttigieg-texas-staff-super-tuesday/

February 13, 2020

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Donald Trump is Drunk with Power

Pardon me, I posted this clip in the wrong forum earlier tonight.

February 12, 2020

Jackson State University President Bynum Resigns After Bust in Prostitution Sting

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The president of Jackson State University resigned Monday after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in central Mississippi.

William Bynum Jr., 57, was among more than a dozen people arrested during the weekend in the Jackson suburb of Clinton, according to Clinton Police Chief Ford Hayman.

A news release from the Mississippi university system on Monday said Bynum submitted his resignation, and it took effect immediately.

Bynum is charged with procuring services of a prostitute, false statement of identity and simple possession of marijuana.

Read more: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2020/feb/10/jsu-president-bynum-resigns-after-bust-prostitutio/

February 12, 2020

Cisneros confident as face-off with Cuellar approaches

MISSION — Jessica Cisneros is just a few weeks away from finding out whether she will pull off one of the biggest political upsets in recent memory.

She’s had a good year with endorsements from presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and from Texas ALF-CIO, the state chapter of a large union federation. Another presidential candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also endorsed Cisneros in September.

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However, Colin Strother, Cuellar’s campaign manager, dismissed the idea that Cisneros’ campaign was garnering a lot of energy from voters and said the only attention she was really receiving was national.

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Cuellar’s campaign, Strother said, was focused internally in the district.

“We’ve got over 225 local elected officials across the district that have endorsed Henry and she has zero,” he said. “… The endorsements of local sheriffs and mayors and county commissioners and school board members — we think that’s going to be a lot more helpful to our get-out-the-vote efforts than the endorsement of some D.C. liberal group.”

Read more: https://www.themonitor.com/2020/02/09/cisneros-confident-face-off-cuellar-approaches/
(McAllen Monitor)

February 12, 2020

In new flyer, Culinary Union warns members Sanders would 'end' their health care if elected presiden

In new flyer, Culinary Union warns members Sanders would ‘end’ their health care if elected president


Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders would “end Culinary Healthcare” if elected president, according to a new one-pager the politically powerful Culinary Union is posting back of house on the Las Vegas Strip.

The new flyer, a copy of which was obtained by The Nevada Independent, compares the positions on health care, “good jobs” and immigration of six Demoratic presidential hopefuls who have come to the union’s headquarters over the last two months to court its members. But the primary difference outlined in the document, which is being distributed in both English and Spanish, is in the candidates’ positions on health care, taking particular aim at the Vermont senator over his Medicare-for-all policy, which would establish a single-payer, government run health insurance system.

The flyer says Sanders, if elected president, would “end Culinary Healthcare,” “require ‘Medicare For All,’” and “lower drug prices.”

The language it uses to describe the position of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who also supports Medicare for all after a transition period, is much gentler: “‘Medicare for All,’” “replace Culinary Healthcare after 3-year transition or at end of collective bargaining agreements,” and “lower drug prices.”

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/in-new-flyer-culinary-union-warns-members-sanders-would-end-their-health-care-if-elected-president