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Wirtz: Agriculture set to become next hot political issue

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

Whether it’s Mexico’s threat of banning the import of American corn, or the five-year revamp of the American Farm Bill, agriculture is not merely about growing food. As the politics of farming affects the livelihoods of each American, it transforms agricultural policy into an electoral issue.The Biden administration recently announced the creation of a $1 billion grant fund to aid farmers in their renewable energy transition. The money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and seeks to allow ranchers and rural farmers to make investments in their green energy efficiency. It is one of the many instances in which governments are seeking to reshape farming policies to match green agendas – whether it’s in Washington or over in Europe.Agriculture is blamed for many environmental woes of our time, from carbon dioxide to methane and nitrous oxide emissions, despite the fact that the sector has for decades ensured that Americans buy their food at affordable prices while ...

Editorial: U.S. must make EV transition work for consumers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

The Biden Administration has proposed new rules to sharply limit tailpipe emissions, with the aim of compelling automakers to devote at least two-thirds of new sales to electric vehicles within the next decade.The logic behind the plan is straightforward: To eliminate carbon emissions by 2050, the US needs to slash pollution from cars and trucks. Getting more electric vehicles on the road will help. But without supporting policies, EVs are unlikely to cut carbon emissions as much as advocates envision. Policymakers owe the public an honest accounting of costs and benefits.Worldwide, EVs account for 13% of new car sales, up from 0.2% a decade ago. Their market share in the US has nearly doubled over the last year, to 5.8%. Biden’s new regulations aim to accelerate the transition, by lowering the cap on carbon emissions for new vehicles by 56% between 2026 and 2032. For automakers to meet the tougher standards, 67% of their sales would have to come from zero-emission EVs. The administ...

Friday’s high school roundup/scores: Hingham enjoys walkoff win on Tadd Cavanaugh’s homer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

BASEBALLTadd Cavanaugh belted a walkoff home run to give Hingham (9-8) an 8-7 Patriot League win over Whitman-Hanson. … Cam Tetler fanned seven in a complete game and batted 3-for-4 at the plate, pairing with two RBI apiece from Colin Ducie and Jayson Ruehs for Plymouth South (7-8) in a 7-1 win over Quincy.Riggs Caitlin doubled twice and drove in three runs, while Devin Hunt struck out six and allowed two hits and three runs over six innings pitched as Nobles (10-8) topped Lawrence Academy 6-4 in the Independent School League.Owen Jones was a homer shy of hitting for the cycle, driving in three as Barnstable (13-5) defeated Cape and Islands League foe Dennis-Yarmouth, 8-4.Jarrell Banks cranked a pair of homers, driving in five runs on the day to pace Cambridge (8-9) during a wild 10-8 victory over Dual County League rival Concord-Carlisle.Josh Florence and Will Norris collected three hits with a triple and scored three runs each, while Nathan Kearney doubled, drove in two and scored...

Dear Abby: Childhood trauma resurfaces for new mom

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

Dear Abby: Throughout my childhood, my mother was controlling in many ways. One of them was my clothes. She dressed me in ridiculous outfits that I found humiliating. If I expressed an opinion about anything, I was treated as being “bad.” It affected my mental health, which resulted in me hating the way I look.I went through multiple eating disorders and addiction, and I had plastic surgery 15 years ago. After many years of therapy, I am now doing better emotionally. I also endured many years of heart-shattering infertility, but I am finally a mother, working hard to give my child a better life than I had.My mother continues buying clothes for my child, and receiving these “gifts” fills me with rage. My son is too young to pick out his own clothes, but I know what he likes and choose clothes accordingly. I allow him to select which items he wears, guilt free. My mother seems to buy clothes based on my son’s interests, but I resent her buying any clothes...

Callahan: Joe Mazzulla’s failure to solve Celtics’ season-long problems is haunting them against Miami

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

By now, a painful Celtics loss needs no explaining.You want to know what happened? You already do.Their offense was careless and meandering mid-game. Their opponent showed more toughness or urgency on defense, the glass or both. Down the stretch, you bet the Celtics’ decision-making looked like they had gotten into the liquor cabinet at halftime.And Friday night’s Game 2 loss to Miami, however stunning and however damning, was no exception.Now, fire away at Jayson Tatum for again failing to make a fourth-quarter field goal if you want. Or pillory Jaylen Brown for going 7-of-23 and finishing a game-worst minus-24. Or sling arrows at the shooters who couldn’t pull the Celtics into a series tie.But the blame for Friday’s loss, and the sudden danger of suffering a potential sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, belongs with coaching.The playoffs are about problem-solving. Coaching adjustments quarter to quarter, game to game, series to series. Yet afforded an entire ...

A look inside the playbook on transgender health bills

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

Aaron and Lacey Jennen’s roots in Arkansas run deep. They’ve spent their entire lives there, attended the flagship state university, and are raising a family. So they’re heartbroken at the prospect of perhaps having to move to one of an ever-dwindling number of states where gender-affirming health care for their transgender teenage daughter, Sabrina, is not threatened.“We were like, ‘OK, if we can just get Sabrina to 18 … we can put all this horrible stuff behind us,’” Aaron Jennen said, “and unfortunately that’s not been the case, as you’ve seen a proliferation of anti-trans legislation here in Arkansas and across the country.”At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, though judges have temporarily blocked their enforcement in some, including Arkansas. An Associated Press analysis found that often those bills sprang not from grassroots or constituent demand, but from the pens of a handful of con...

Uvalde families dig in for new test of gun industry protections

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After Mayah Zamora was shot and wounded at Robb Elementary School, her family did what many mass shooting survivors do: They sued.They sued the store off Main Street in Uvalde, Texas, that sold the teenage gunman his AR-style rifle. They sued the gun maker. And they sued police who waited 77 minutes outside Mayah’s fourth-grade classroom before stopping the shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.“Mainly what we are looking for is some sort of justice,” said Christina Zamora, Mayah’s mother.As the grim frequency of gun violence continues, both the U.S. government and gun manufacturers have reached large settlements in recent years following some of the nation’s worst mass shootings. In April, the Justice Department announced a $144 million settlement with relatives and families of a 2017 Texas church attack, which was carried out by a former U.S. airman with a criminal history.The lawsuits, relatives and victims of mass shooting...

Nevada fentanyl penalty bills have mixed results in hearings as Democrats amend proposals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A bill that would enhance fentanyl penalties in Nevada did not pass after a hearing in an Assembly committee, while a companion bill was significantly amended in a last-minute shift for Nevada Democratic leadership’s plans to send fentanyl legislation to the governor’s desk.The amended legislation starts low-level trafficking charges at 28 grams of possession for fentanyl, which was formerly proposed at 4 grams. The alteration came on Friday evening in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, hours before the deadline for most bills to pass out of their second committee.For months, harm reduction experts and some Democrats have warned the legislation starting at 4 grams would repeat “war on drug” policies that criminalized low-level users. Those concerns animated bill hearings and back-door discussion, which were pushed by Democratic leadership but questioned by many rank-and-file Assembly members.Fentanyl trafficking charges in Nevada currently start a...

G7 leaders’ communiqué to mention foreign interference, Canadian official says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

HIROSHIMA, Japan — A senior Canadian government official says the G7 leaders’ communiqué at the summit in Hiroshima, Japan, will make mention of foreign interference, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the issue of Chinese foreign interference to other leaders.The official gave the information during a briefing with the media, and is not being named because they are not authorized to discuss the details publicly.G7 countries are expected to release the communiqué for the summit today, as leaders anticipate the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.The document is typically released on the final day of the summit and outlines the countries’ shared priorities.However, the G7 summit’s schedule was adjusted to accommodate the in-person appearance by Zelenskyy.His appearance comes after G7 nations all announced new sanctions on Russia Friday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2023. The Canadian Press

Transgender health: Comparing model bills to real proposals

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 10:05:47 GMT

Many of this year’s statehouse proposals to restrict gender-affirming care for youths, as introduced or enacted, are identical or very similar to some model legislation, or ready-made bills suggested to lawmakers by interest groups, an Associated Press analysis has found.The AP obtained the texts of more than 130 bills in 40 state legislatures from Plural, a public policy software company, and analyzed them for similarities to model bills touted by the conservative groups Do No Harm and the Family Research Council.Some statehouse bills share similarities with Do No Harm’s model legislation and a 2021 Arkansas bill endorsed as a model by the Family Research Council. The model bills have similar preambles, including the assertion — rebutted by major medical organizations — that the risks of gender-affirming care outweigh its benefits.They both also include nearly the same list of circumstances under which the care would be permitted and similar descriptions of how the provisions...