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Top lawmakers agree to lower short term capital gains tax, reform tax cap law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

Lawmakers agreed to lower the state’s short term capital gains tax by more than three percent and reform a tax cap law so that rebates are paid out equally to all residents, according to a summary of a long-awaited tax relief deal made public Tuesday.The exact language of the bill that has been locked up in private negotiations for three months was not immediately available but Democratic leaders released a summary of the agreement “in principle” they reached last week.Lawmakers proposed lowering the short term capital gains from 12% to 8.5%, a compromise between the House-backed 5% and the Senate’s proposal to not include a reduction at all.If Chapter 62F, the once-obscure tax cap law that required the state to send billions back to residents last year, is triggered again, residents would receive equal payments no matter how much they paid into the system under language included in the bill. It was a House-backed provision that was not included in the Senate version.The legis...

Bruins notebook: Milan Lucic relishing leadership role

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

Like he does most everything, Milan Lucic remembers his first preseason game well.It was in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and he had a belly full of butterflies. Luckily, said Lucic, he had a crusty veteran named Shawn Thornton there with him to keep him as even-keeled as a teenager could be playing in his first NHL game.“He did a good job, especially my first year, just calming me down and talking me through things,” said Lucic, who was set to make his 2023 preseason debut Tuesday in Buffalo on a line with young center Marc McLaughlin and veteran tryout Alex Chiasson.Now, at age 35 and on his second stint with the Bruins, Lucic fills the Thornton role for younger players and he’s enjoying it. He got a real taste last spring for Team Canada at the World Championships.“I had a real good experience at the World Championships kind of being the older guy and having to take on the leadership role, so I guess I got a lot of good prep there,” said Lucic on Tuesday morning before tr...

Ex-prosecutor who resigned from Trump-Russia probe confirmed for Connecticut Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former federal prosecutor who helped investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe in 2020 before abruptly leaving the Justice Department was confirmed Tuesday as the newest member of Connecticut’s State Supreme Court.Nora Dannehy, who also served from 2008 to 2010 as the first woman U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, cleared the state Senate by a 31-2 vote. Her nomination cleared the House of Representatives on a 31-2 vote.Dannehy, a 62-year-old Connecticut native, spoke publicly for the first time during her confirmation hearing about why she left the federal investigation. That probe looked into how the FBI and other federal agencies set out to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the campaign of former President Donald Trump had coordinated with the Kremlin.Dannehy told state lawmakers at the hearing that she was concerned with then-Attorney General William Barr’s public comments about the T...

Is broadband essential, like water or electricity? New net neutrality effort makes the case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

Landmark net neutrality rules rescinded under former President Donald Trump could return under a new push by U.S. Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel. The rules would reclassify broadband access as an essential service on par with other utilities like water or power.“For everyone, everywhere, to enjoy the full benefits of the internet age, internet access should be more than just accessible and affordable,” Rosenworcel said at an event at the National Press Club. “The internet needs to be open.”The proposed rules would return fixed and mobile broadband service to its status as an essential telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act. It would also prohibit Internet service providers from blocking or throttling lawful Internet traffic and from selling “fast lanes” that prioritize some traffic over others in exchange for payment.The move comes after Democrats took majority control of the five-member FCC on Monday for the first time since...

Target to close 9 stores including 3 in San Francisco, citing theft that threatens workers, shoppers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target will close nine stores in four states, including one in East Harlem, New York and three in San Francisco, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.The closings, which will be effective Oct. 21, also include three stores in Portland, Oregon, and two in Seattle. Target said that it still will have a combined 150 stores open in the markets where the closures are taking place. Target will offer affected workers the opportunity to transfer to other stores.Target described the decision as “difficult.” “We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all,” Target said in a statement on Tuesday.Before making the decision, Target said it had invested heavily in strategies to prevent and stop theft such as adding more security team workers, using third-party guard services and installing theft det...

Man jailed while awaiting trial for fatal Apple store crash because monitoring bracelet not charged

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — A judge revoked bail Tuesday for a man who was confined at home while awaiting trial for driving his SUV into a Massachusetts Apple store, killing a man and injuring nearly two dozen others, officials said.Bradley Rein, 54, of Hingham, was ordered to jail for 60 days after police went to his home several times over the weekend because his GPS monitoring bracelet was not working, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced Tuesday. Rein was accused of failing to charge the monitoring device, Cruz said.His attorney suggested that revoking Rein’s bail was an overreaction. “It is unfortunate that the court’s penalty was disproportionate to my client’s failure to keep the monitoring device fully charged,” defense lawyer Joan Fund wrote in an email to The Associated Press.Rein pleaded not guilty after being indicted on an upgraded murder charge last year. He was allowed to remain free on the $100,000 bail he posted after his district court arra...

Mandela’s granddaughter Zoleka dies at 43. Her life was full of tragedy but she embraced his legacy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Zoleka Mandela, a granddaughter of Nelson Mandela and whose life was tangled up in addiction, a suicide attempt, a battle with cancer and the tragedy of losing two young children before she came back from the shadows to embrace his legacy, has died. She was 43.Her death on Monday was announced by the Mandela family in a statement on Tuesday. The breast cancer she had fought for years had been in remission. But she was later diagnosed with cancer in her liver and lungs and it had metastasized and spread, her family said.The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which promotes the legacy of the South African statesman who died in 2013, said it mourned Zoleka Mandela’s death and offered its condolences to her family. It said she was a “beloved grandchild” to Nelson Mandela and praised her work raising awareness for cancer and her role as an inspiration to those affected by the disease and to those who had lost children.She set up foundations to help peop...

2 dead, 4 hurt in helicopter crash near Prince George, B.C.: safety board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Two people are dead and four more are injured after a helicopter crash east of Prince George, B.C., on Tuesday.RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a statement that the crash occurred just before 7:45 a.m., when a privately-owned helicopter went down off Highway 16 near the Purden Ski Village, a mountain resort about a 45-minute drive from Prince George. “There was a total of six people on board the aircraft at the time of the incident; regrettably, two of the individuals did not survive the crash,” Cooper said in statement. “Our Victim Services unit is currently working with the families of the deceased, providing ongoing support.”Cooper said the helicopter had been chartered to fly in the area.The Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it was sending its people to the scene to take over the investigation. Liam MacDonald, a safety board spokesman, said investigators will assess the crash site where the commercially registered Bell 206L helicop...

Biden urges striking auto workers to “stick with it” in picket line visit unparalleled in history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — President Joe Biden grabbed a bullhorn on the picket line Tuesday and urged striking auto workers to “stick with it” in an unparalleled show of support for organized labor by a modern president.Donning a union ballcap and exchanging fist bumps, Biden told United Auto Workers strikers that “you deserve the significant raise you need” as he stopped in the Detroit area just a day ahead of a planned visit by former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in next year’s election. “No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted as Biden arrived at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse, one of several facilities that has been targeted in a widening strike now in its 12th day. “No pay, no parts!”Despite concerns that a prolonged strike could undermine the economy, particularly in the crucial battleground state of Michigan, the Democratic president encouraged workers to keep fighting for better wages at a time when car compan...

Feds unlock another $20 billion for low-cost rental construction financing: Freeland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:31:25 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government is unlocking another $20 billion in low-cost financing for the construction of rental housing across Canada, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday.The Canada Mortgage Bonds program, which raises funds for residential mortgage financing, had an annual limit of $40 billion.The limit is being increased to $60 billion, with the additional funds aimed at increasing rental construction specifically. This includes apartment buildings, student housing and senior residences.The federal governmentsays the new funding will boost rental construction by 30,000 units annually.“There is no fiscal impact for the government of Canada as a result of this measure. This is fiscally responsible policy using policy tools at our disposal,” Freeland told reporters Tuesday in Ottawa.“This is a further measure in our broader and continuing campaign to build more homes for Canadians faster.”Freeland says the program allows developers to ac...