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LANSING, Mich - Government mismanagement to save fish in California is now fueling wildfires that are putting millions at risk, a situation that’s familiar for folks victimized by similar malfeasance in Michigan in 2020.
President-elect Donald Trump placed the blame for at least four wildfires raging across southern California that have claimed the lives of five residents on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, and his decision against shipping water to southern California from the north out of concerns for Delta smelt.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday, deliberately misspelling Newsome’s name. Click here to read more.
MOBILE, Ala. - A property manager in Alabama was sentenced for stealing rent money from government-assisted low-income housing tenants, according to authorities.
According to court documents, 48-year-old Shannon Caruso worked as a property manager with two government housing authorities providing affordable housing for low-income Mobile-area residents.
She admitted that while working for both housing authorities, she fraudulently convinced renters to make their checks out to her or to give her their rent checks with the payee lines left blank.
Then, rather than depositing the money with her employers, she stole it for her own use, court records revealed. Click here to read more.
BUFFALO, NY - A federal judge in Vermont sentenced Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, to 18 months in prison for smuggling nearly 100 migrants across the Canadian border into the United States. Barragan-Palacios, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, earned approximately $500,000 from the human smuggling operation over a five-month period. He is expected to be deported upon completing his sentence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New York reported that Barragan-Palacios organized and executed around 30 smuggling trips between August 2023 and January 2024. He transported migrants from the border near Richford, Vermont, to the New York City area. His activities came to an end when Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended him during a high-speed pursuit on icy roads.
Agents attempted to stop Barragan-Palacios while he was driving a rented pickup truck near the Canadian border, but he fled, reaching speeds of 85 mph. Despite dangerous road conditions, he continued evading law enforcement. When stopped, agents discovered six migrants lying unsecured in the truck bed and cab. Click here to read more.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A bill, SB 196, was filed in the Florida Senate that would deem a drug or food misbranded if it contains vaccines or vaccine materials without appropriate labeling.
The sponsor: Republican Sen. Joe Gruters.
What it does: The legislation would change the definition of “drug” to include food that contains vaccines or vaccine materials.
It defines “vaccine or vaccine material” as a substance authorized or approved by the FDA to stimulate immunity.
The bill says a food is deemed to be misbranded if it “contains a vaccine or vaccine material unless its label bears the words ‘contains vaccine or vaccine material’ and specifies that the food is classified as a drug under the Florida Drug and Cosmetic Act.”
Next steps: The bill has not yet been assigned to any committees. A House version of the bill has not yet been filed.
If approved, it would take effect July 1. Click here to read the legislation.
DETROIT, Mich - With the turn of the calendar, eggs in Michigan seemed to disappear from the shelves – as if a snowstorm was coming and people were stocking up. At the same time, the price seemed to have soared.
So what caused the vanishing act of the eggs and your money? As with everything, there's not a simple answer – but instead a perfect storm of events that led to, what is hopefully, a temporary shortage.
By the numbers:
The price of a dozen eggs in the United States are up 38% over the past year – with the average price at $3.65 nationwide for a dozen eggs. This is down a bit from January 2023 when a dozen was $4.82 but they're climbing back up again. Click here to read more.
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