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Feds renew Md. ‘reinsurance’ program to continue reduced rates for individually purchased health plans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

Federal agencies have approved a five-year extension on a waiver that helps keep rates lower for Marylanders purchasing health insurance from the state insurance marketplace known as the Maryland Health Connection.According to a news release this week from the health connection, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Treasury have approved extending the waiver on the State Reinsurance Program, which works to keep costs down for those who purchase their own health insurance.Certain regulations of the Affordable Care Act need to be waived to keep health insurance rates low for those who buy individual insurance plans in Maryland. The federal approval means that the Reinsurance Program can continue at least until Dec. 31, 2028. Without the approval, the program would have expired in December of 2023.“Maryland’s Reinsurance Program has been very successful at keeping rates affordable for everyone who buys individual insurance in Maryland, on or off th...

Lula da Silva llega a Colombia para un encuentro bilateral sobre protección de la Amazonía

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

(CNN) — El presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, aterrizó este sábado en la ciudad amazónica de Leticia, en el sur de Colombia, para discutir la protección de la Amazonía con su homólogo, el presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro.La visita de Lula a Colombia incluirá una reunión en la que más de 600 expertos, incluidos funcionarios gubernamentales y ocho ministros de Medio Ambiente extranjeros, discutirán diferentes medidas para “salvaguardar la selva amazónica”, tuiteó el presidente colombiano, Gustavo Petro, este sábado.Más de 600 expertos y ministros de medio ambiente terminan hoy en Leticia Colombia, una conferencia científica para salvar la Selva amazónicaCerraremos el evento con el presidente Lula https://t.co/57foyMyj76— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) July 8, 2023El llamado encuentro “tecnocientífico” de la Amazonía “busca acordar una estrategia que garantice la integridad del ecosistema amazónico, frene el uso destructivo de la tierra y evite llega...

The Mets are finally getting the offense they need from Francisco Lindor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — It’s been “an uphill battle” for Francisco Lindor all season. Really, it’s a fitting theme for the entire team, but especially so for the shortstop the Mets consider to be a franchise cornerstone.But now, after hitting .415 with three home runs, two triples, a double and six RBI to help the Mets win a season-high six straight games?“It feels like the road got a little flatter,” Lindor said Friday night after the Mets defeated the San Diego Padres 7-5 at Petco Park.If the Mets are going to make the type of comeback they have been saying they’re capable of, they’ll need their stars to play like stars. Lindor wasn’t exactly playing like one earlier this season. He hit just .218 through March and April with a .762 OPS. He hit six home runs in the month of May which helped to cover up some other offensive shortcomings. He had a tOPS+ of only 70 for the month of May (100 is average).Pete Alonso carried the Mets during...

Massachusetts State Police: 1 motorcyclist killed, another injured by suspected drunk driver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

A New Bedford man is facing a charge of vehicular homicide after police allege he was driving drunk southbound on Route 24 when he struck two motorcyclists in Taunton, killing one and critically injuring another.Fred Moreira, 35, is scheduled to be arraigned at Taunton District Court on the vehicular homicide charge as well as charges of operating under the influence of liquor and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.State troopers responded to the scene at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday for the crash between Moreira’s 2014 Lexus sedan and two motorcyclists. There, they arrested Moreira on suspicion of drunk driving.Tyler Moniz, 30, of Fall River, was driving a 2007 Yamaha R1 when police say he was struck, thrown from his bike and straight into the nearby tree line, killing him.The second motorcyclist is a 39-year-old Fall River man driving a 2001 Yamaha V-Star 1100. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a Rhode Island hospital.

San Diego Legion heads to Major League Rugby Championship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Legion has their eyes on the prize as they head into the Major League Rugby Championship Saturday. The team secured their spot in the final match after defeating the Seattle Seawolves 32-10 last Sunday.With their victory in front of the home crowd at Snapdragon Stadium in the rearview mirror, the Legion will now face off against the New England Free Jacks at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago. Now a mom, Alex Morgan is riding a Wave heading into her fourth Women’s World Cup Fans in attendance will also be treated to a rugby festival, a pre-game concert by DJ Diesel a.k.a. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and a post-game performance by Dropkick Murphys.During halftime of the championship match, MLR will announce the winner of the S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award, which is given to the player who “shows excellence on and off the field, inspires others to action, shows strength in character, aids those less fortunate, and embraces the core values of rugby, wh...

Solar storm on Thursday expected to make Northern Lights visible in 17 states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give skygazers in 17 American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere.Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia, but an 11-year solar cycle that’s expected to peak in 2024 is making the lights visible in places farther to the south. Three months ago, the light displays were visible in Arizona, marking the third severe geomagnetic storm since the current solar cycle began in 2019.The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks has forecast auroral activity on Thursday in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Indiana, Maine and Maryland. Auroral activity also has been forecast for Canada, including Vancouver.Light displays are expected to be visible overhead in Milwaukee, ...

Iowa GOP schedules Jan. 15 for leadoff presidential caucuses. It’s on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republicans announced Saturday that the party’s presidential nominating caucuses will be held Jan. 15, on the federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., putting the first votes of the 2024 election a little more than six months away as the GOP tries to reclaim the White House.White House candidates have campaigned in Iowa since last winter, but there has been some uncertainty about the date for the caucuses that have by tradition kicked off the Republican selection process for a nominee. What’s changed is the Democratic National Committee’s election calendar, dropping Iowa as its first contest.The Iowa Republican Party’s state central committee voted unanimously for the third Monday in January — a date that is earlier by several weeks than the past three caucuses, though not as early as 2008, when they were held just three days into the new year.The decision could have implications for both parties. Iowa Democrats had been waiting for the GOP...

A mob storms Tbilisi Pride Fest site, forcing the event’s cancellation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Hundreds of opponents of gay rights on Saturday swarmed the site of an LGBT festival in the capital of the country of Georgia, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the event’s bar.Deputy Georgian Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said participants in the Tbilisi Pride Fest were safely evacuated from the scene. Festival organizers called on people not to come to the lakeside park where the event was to be held. Georgian news media estimated about 5,000 people marched toward the site. Many of them waved Georgian flags and carried religious icons. Animosity toward sexual minorities is strong in Georgia, which is predominantly Orthodox Christian, and some previous LGBT events have met violent disruptions. Darakhvelidze said police tried to obstruct the protesters but could not hold all of them back. But the event organizers criticized police as ineffectual, saying in a statement: “The police did not block the access road to the festival...

At rainy Wimbledon, Alcaraz among those playing day after day — and winning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz played for the second straight day at Wimbledon and won again.So did Christopher Eubanks, Aryna Sabalenka and Petra Kvitova.Stefanos Tsitsipas also won a match for the second day in a row, but on his fifth consecutive day on court.The rain early in the week at the All England Club has caused some chaos with the schedule, forcing many players to get on court day after day. Even more rain came on Saturday, delaying the proceedings briefly.The backlog hasn’t seemed to slow down Alcaraz, a 20-year-old Spaniard who is seeded No. 1 and is considered to be the next big star in men’s tennis. Playing under the roof on Centre Court, Alcaraz advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the second straight year by beating No. 25 Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5.“Stay focused all the time,” Alcaraz said on court. “I knew I was going to have my chances.”Alcaraz, last year’s U.S. Open champion, reached the semifinals at the French Open — lo...

Victim identified in east end shooting in Queen and Carlaw area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:49:00 GMT

Toronto police have identified the woman killed in a daylight shooting in Leslieville on Friday afternoon.Investigators say the woman was an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet.Officers were called to the Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue area at around 12:23 p.m. for reports of shots fired.Caroline Huebner-Makurat, 44, of Toronto, was found in the area and transported to a trauma centre in an ambulance. She was later pronounced dead.Witnesses reported seeing three males involved in an altercation before shots rang out.“Prior to the shooting, officers have learned that there were three individuals involved in a verbal and physical altercation at Queen Street and Carlaw,” Duty Insp. Michelle Olszevski said.Olszevski also said investigators aren’t yet certain how many people fired shots, or how many total shots were fired.Earlier police released information on two of the suspects. No description has been provided for the third person involved in the original confrontation that ...