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Federal regulators take a bite out of meat monopolies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

(The Hill) -- Big meatpackers must warn chicken growers about the risks of the deals they're entering into, according to a new federal rule enacted Wednesday.The rule is part of a package of reforms the Biden administration has framed as steps to bring transparency and competition back to the meat industry, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday.The reforms, he said, take "critical steps in USDA's competition and farmer fairness agenda."Other pieces in the package would direct the federal government to buy meat produced in the U.S. and create a new office to fight monopolies in agriculture.A final part of the rule directs seed companies to display common varietal names alongside brand names — a reform akin to the way buyers of pain relievers know that they can get the chemical "acetaminophen" in the form of Tylenol or cheaper generic alternatives. But for decades, independent farmers have complained about the effects of the rapid consolidatio...

Texas School for the Deaf to cut back workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas School for the Deaf said Wednesday it will cut back workers at its location on South Congress Avenue.TSD said in a statement it was going to outsource interpreters at the school. New leader at Texas School for the Deaf announced TSD did not say when the outsourcing would take place or which provider it would use.  In the statement, the school thanked the in-house interpreters “for the dedication and hard work … in ensuring that language barriers are overcome and effective communication is maintained.”TSD said outsourcing the service would save money on interpreting “ultimately enhancing the efficient allocation of resources to other vital areas of our school.”The school said it would choose “a reputable language service provider that shares our school's values and commitment to quality. We will collaborate closely with the selected provider to ensure a seamless and transparent transfer of responsibilities.”

Kyle announces Dec. 9 runoff for council seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – The City of Kyle said Thursday voters in one council district will decide their next council member in a runoff election next month.According to unofficial returns from the Nov. 7 election, Claudia Zapata and Lauralee Harris will compete in the District 4 City Council runoff election on Dec. 9. The city said no candidate got more than 50% of the vote for the seat. November 2023 election results Unofficial returns show Zapata with 30.26% and Harris with 27.13%, the city said.Here is the voting schedule according to the city:    Early Voting Days/Times: Monday, Nov. 27 - Friday, Dec. 1 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 through Tuesday, Dec. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day Voting Times: Saturday, Dec. 9 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  The city said unofficial returns show Travis Mitchell won a third term as Kyle’s Mayor w...

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig spars with Postal Service in bid to improve performance. Would a consolidation help?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig has been pushing United States Postal Service officials to improve lackluster performance in the south metro area, but it seems her messages keep getting returned to sender.Craig, along with the mayors of Farmington and Lakeville, recently asked USPS officials to consolidate their two aging post office locations, and open a larger facility near the border of the two cities. USPS officials have rejected the consolidation proposal, contending that the locations are still meeting “present and future operational needs.”Craig said she plans to keep pressuring USPS officials to review the need for additional sites, examine hiring procedures to help with staffing levels and be more transparent about the current priorities in delivering packages versus first-class mail.“I am waving the flag in Minnesota that our service levels are not adequate,” said Craig, a Democrat who represents the 2nd Congressional District, a wide swath south of the Twin Cities inclu...

Movie review: ‘The Marvels’ skips along with zippy humor, lightness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

This fall, there’s been much ballyhooed hand wringing over the state of the Marvel Union. In the not-so-distant past, each Marvel movie was an easy slam dunk at the box office, with critics, and with audiences, but things have been shaky in 2023, and “The Marvels,” the follow-up to the 2019 film “Captain Marvel” (one of the highest-earning MCU films), has been the recipient of a lot of online ire with regard to the waning days of Marvel madness. The film, directed by Nia DaCosta, has had the bad luck of bad timing, sustaining the one-two punch of this fevered discourse about the glut of Marvel content, and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which hasn’t allowed any of the cast members to even things out with a promotional charm offensive.It’s unfortunate, because “The Marvels” is quite entertaining for the most part, like all the MCU movies tend to be. Like “Captain Marvel,” it is a decidedly feminine project, which can be...

5 things to know this Friday, November 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy Friday! According to Meteorologists Jill Szwed and Matt Mackie, we can look forward to a dry weekend ahead. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Law enforcement is investigating a suspicious death in the area of 2nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Police say crews responded to an EMS call at around 11 a.m. on Thursday and arrived on the scene to find a 31-year-old female had died. Also, a tentative agreement between Hollywood and the Actors’ Union could mean that it’s back to lights, camera, and action in the Capital Region. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Friday morning. 1. Police: 31-year-old female found deceased in AlbanyLaw enforcement is investigating a suspicious death in the area of 2nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Police say crews responded to an EMS call at around 11 a.m. on Thursday and arrived on the scene to find a 31-year-old female deceased.2. Lights, c...

Missing Ellisville woman found safe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

ELLISVILLE, Mo. – An endangered silver advisory has been canceled for a missing woman in Ellisville. Rush-hour demonstrations unfold in St. Louis City & County She's since been located safely.

Ask Amy: Rogue aunt snags reluctant dog sitters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband’s father died when my husband was only 3 years old.His father had a sister, “Anne,” who never had anything to do with my husband and his siblings while they were growing up, but has surfaced over the last couple of years.She has given my husband some things that belonged to his paternal grandfather, but other than that there has not been much contact.Recently, out of the blue, Anne asked my husband and me to watch her 2-year-old dog (a black Lab) so she could have a break and settle her husband back into their home after having surgery.We took the pup into our home, but at the same time I told my husband I thought it was odd that she would ask us.I’ve laid eyes on this woman twice in the 36 years I’ve been married to my husband.The pup was very unsettled and my husband ended up taking the dog back to Anne’s home during the night — after spending two days with us.A week or so later we received a thank you note, and she wrote that she was hoping ...

Decrease in lightweight plastic bags continued in 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

In 2021, each person living in the EU consumed on average 77 lightweight plastic carrier bags (LPCBs), which is 11 bags less per person, compared with 2020. Overall, 34.2 billion (bn) lightweight plastic carrier bags were consumed in the EU in 2021 (-4.8 bn bags compared with 2020). This information comes from data on lightweight plastic carrier bags published by Eurostat today. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article.Source dataset: env_waspcb2021 was the first year in which EU consumption of very lightweight plastic carrier bags (i.e., bags with a wall thickness of less than 15 micrometres (microns)) decreased. In 2021, the EU inhabitants consumed 12.3 bn very light plastic carrier bags (VLPCBs), less than in any of the years before (since the data collection started in 2018): 14.1 bn in 2018; 14.5 bn in 2019; 14.9 bn in 2020).  Since 2018, the consumption of LPCBs between 15 to less than 50 microns thick has steadily decrease...

Dom Dolla Makes Chinatown Pop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:17:52 GMT

A fall night in Chinatown is often a great advertisement for LA — an energetic, mixed crowd beneath neon lights and brisk (but not uncomfortably cold), confetti-filled air. Last Friday, Nov. 4, it had the added bonus of being ground zero for the best house music in town, as Australian producer Dom Dolla took over the plaza for a night of his signature groovy tunes.Dom brought some friends along for the lineup, and the evening kicked off with fellow Australian producer Torren Foot. When we arrived, the crowd was finishing up drinks and milling about before filling up the dense dancefloor.We got into the mix right as a special guest took over the decks. We couldn’t make out who it was, but it didn’t matter, as by that point most bodies were warm enough to be rightfully bouncy. We later found out it was British producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and he did a worthy job getting the crowd amped for the headliner.When time for the switchover came, one question percolated — we kn...