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Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers, accused of domestic violence, cleared to practice and playSinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald first TD elected in Dublin Central but running mate Janice Boylan eliminatedBiden administration to loan $6.6B to EV maker Rivian to build Georgia factory that automaker paused
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Trump Offers ‘Millions’ for Young Girl’s Hair in Bizarre VideoDuring the Oct. 7 Somerset fire, Dick Hasenauer was driving his tractor out in his field when a gust of wind came up, bringing the flames upon him. "I had a tractor with no air conditioning, had the windows open and I had fire inside the cab trying to get out of there," he said. Hasenauer, was one of six landowners attended the Lincoln County commissioners meeting Monday to discuss the benefits of building an emergency service road connecting U.S. Highway 83 to Hershey-Dickens Road in the southern part of the county. "This fire opened a lot of people's eyes that we need a faster road," Hasenauer said. The potential road would be an extension of the existing Lonestar Road by about seven miles. Marvin Knoll, owner of Knoll Ranch Co. off of Lonestar Road, said that while an emergency service road out there has been “talked about for a number of years,” the Oct. 7 “Somerset Fire” that burned roughly 2,300 acres “brought it back to life again.” Additionally, the proposed road would follow the section lines of the area — which Commissioner Chris Bruns said are “technically considered roads” — and bisect two rows of the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement project’s sections of land. “It would all stay on public property,” Knoll said. “... you’re not going through anybody’s property or splitting anybody’s place or anything up.” Kirk Olson, owner of Olson Farms Inc. where the proposed road would meet with Hershey-Dickens Road, said he hopes the commissioners “consider this as a very important project.” Commissioner Jerry Woodruff asked how the landowners proposed the county funded this project. “We all know where it’s going to come from: tax dollars,” landowner Kurt Pieper said. “But this is part of Lincoln County’s roads which are the major part of what the county is supposed to do.” A trail road does cut through the middle of the NCORPE sections to the north, which Commissioner Micaela Wuehler said Wallace Fire Department Firefighter Shawn Sullivan called “the only thing that helped the firefighters get ahead of the Somerset Fire.” “He said had there not been even just a trail road there, they probably would not have gotten it stopped,” she added. Having the emergency services road would cut down on response time, Pieper said, especially in situations where time is “really of the essence.” Landowner Lynn Flaming also spoke in favor of the road. No action was taken and County Board Chairman Joe Hewgley passed the discussion to the commissioners’ Roads Committee for Wuehler and Woodruff to discuss possible steps forward. Commissioners also discussed, but took no action on, an interlocal agreement with the City of North Platte for use of the City’s animal impound, which Hewgley said included “a substantial raise in the amount of money” the city is charging for the use. The agreement allows for animals found outside city limits to be brought in by the Sheriff's Office to be cared for at the impound. Hewgley mentioned a recent increase in the amount of animals brought in, but when asked by the chairman, Sheriff’s Captain Dan Newton and Jerome Kramer said it was not their office bringing in the strays. “We’re involved with very few of those,” Kramer said. “If Joe Blow citizen brings in animals from a county or village, they go to the animal shelter and the bill becomes (the county’s).” Previously the agreement was that the county was responsible for the first three days the animal was in the shelter. $8 for the first day and each additional day for a total of $24 per animal. The new proposed agreement would be $35 for the first day and $10 for each additional day. It also stipulates that the county would be responsible for any vet bills. Since both Hershey and Sutherland have their own agreements with the impound, Kramer said the bill for animals found there would go back to them. “But these animals are coming from everywhere, by everybody and (the county’s) getting the tab,” he said. During committee reports, Wuehler brought up the revenue hearing at the State Capitol last Friday, which Bruns did not get to testify at since the hearing was invite only. Wuehler said she did watch the livestream of the hearing as they discussed inheritance tax and unfunded mandates. In other business, commissioners: Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania is reeling after a little-known, far-right populist secured the first round in the presidential election, beating the incumbent prime minister. Calin Georgescu, who ran independently, will face reformist Elena Lasconi in a Dec. 8. runoff after most local surveys predicted he would win less than 10% of the vote. Georgescu, 62, was ahead after nearly all ballots were counted with around 22.95%. According to local media, Georgescu in the past has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country” and called Ukraine “an invented state.” He has also sparked controversy for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes. Lasconi, of the progressive Save Romania Union party, or USR, followed with 19.17%. She beat by a slim margin incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, who stood at 19.15%. Lasconi on Monday warned that Romania is now in “a historical confrontation between preserving Romania’s young democracy ... and those who want to return Romania to the Russian sphere of influence.” She added: “Let us be very clear, Calin Georgescu is an open admirer of Vladimir Putin. He is open against NATO and the European Union ... He is for Romania’s isolation, which he calls neutrality ... And without NATO we are at the mercy of Russia.” Georgescu on Monday denied charges of being an extremist as “false, totally fake” and said he is “completely dedicated” to the Romanian people. “We remain directly linked to European values, but we must find our (own) values,” he said. “I’m not an extremist, I’m not a fascist, I’m a Romanian who loves his country.” Many observers have attributed Georgescu’s success to his TikTok account , which has 3.7 million likes and 274,000 followers. He gained huge traction and popularity in recent weeks. It is the first time in Romania’s 35-year post-communist history that the country’s most powerful party, the PSD, doesn't have a candidate in the second round of a presidential race, underscoring voters’ anti-establishment sentiment. Ciolacu's shocking defeat prompted him to submit his resignation as party leader on Monday. After polls closed on Sunday, the Central Election Bureau said 9.4 million people — about 52.5% of eligible voters — had cast ballots. Georgescu won 43.3% of the vote in Romania's large diaspora, while Lasconi got 26.8%. Romania's president serves a five-year term in the European Union and NATO member country and has significant decision-making powers in areas such as national security, foreign policy and judicial appointments. According to his website, Georgescu holds a doctorate in pedology, a branch of soil science, and held positions in Romania’s environment ministry in the 1990s. Between 1999 and 2012, he was a representative for Romania on the national committee of the United Nations Environment Program. His campaign positions included supporting farmers, reducing import dependence and ramping up local energy and food production. Georgescu's rising popularity will be tested when he faces Lasconi, who may attract more moderate voters who initially choose other candidates. Lasconi, a former journalist, told The Associated Press ahead of the vote that she saw corruption as one of Romania's biggest problems and expressed support for increased defense spending and continued aid to Ukraine. If she wins the final vote, she will be the first female president in Romania's history. Romania will also hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 1 that will determine the country’s next government and prime minister.
Pelosi’s Jan. 6 narrative collapsing, Democrats deaf to voters and other commentary
Minnesota looks to stop skid vs. Bethune-CookmanFOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The NFL removed New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers from the commissioner exempt list on Monday, making him eligible to participate in practice and play in the team’s games. Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the list on Oct. 9 after he was arrested and charged with shoving his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her. The league said its review is ongoing and is not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status.
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murdering healthcare CEOWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia. The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine's situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight. Currently Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military, the official added. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its troop levels if it's going to stay in the fight with Russia. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry but believes “manpower is the most vital need" Ukraine has at the moment. “So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said. The Ukrainians have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep up with its battlefield needs, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more than that. More than 1 million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been hearing concerns from allies in other Western capitals as well that Ukraine has a troop level problem and not an arms problem, according to European officials who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic conversations. The European allies have stressed that the lack of depth means that it may soon become untenable for Ukraine to continue to operate in Russia’s Kursk border region . The situation in Kursk has become further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops , who have come to help Moscow try to claw back the land seized in a Ukrainian incursion this year. The stepped-up push on Ukraine to strengthen its fighting ranks comes as Ukraine braces for President-elect Donald Trump to take office on Jan. 20. The Republican said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the vital U.S. military support for Ukraine. “There are no easy answers to Ukraine’s serious manpower shortage, but lowering the draft age would help,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "These are obviously difficult decisions for a government and society that has already endured so much due to Russia’s invasion.” Ukraine has taken steps to broaden the pool of draft-eligible men, but the efforts have only scratched the surface against a much larger Russian military. In April, Ukraine’s parliament passed a series of laws, including one lowering its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25, aimed at broadening the universe of men who could be called on to join the grinding war. Those laws also did away with some draft exemptions and created an online registry for recruits. They were expected to add about 50,000 troops, far short of what Zelenskyy said at the time was needed. Zelenskyy has consistently stated that he has no plans to lower the mobilization age. A senior Ukrainian official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine does not have enough equipment to match the scale of its ongoing mobilization efforts. The official said Ukrainian officials see the push to the lower the draft age as part of an effort by some Western partners to deflect attention from their own delays in providing equipment or belated decisions. The official cited as an example the delay in giving Ukraine permission to use longer-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. The Ukrainians do not see lowering the draft age to recruit more soldiers as a substitute for countering Russia’s advantage in equipment and weaponry, the official said. Conscription has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine throughout the war. Russia’s own problems with adequate troop levels and planning early in the war prevented Moscow from taking full advantage of its edge. But the tide has shifted and the U.S. says the Ukrainian shortage can no longer be overlooked. Some Ukrainians have expressed worry that further lowering the minimum conscription age and taking more young adults out of the workforce could backfire by further harming the war-ravaged economy. The senior Biden administration official added that the administration believes that Ukraine can also optimize its current force by more aggressively dealing with soldiers who desert or go absent without leave. AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller and AP writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed to this report.
Pelosi’s Jan. 6 narrative collapsing, Democrats deaf to voters and other commentaryThe city of Bryan achieved record-breaking hotel revenues in November 2024 at $4.42 million, according to a city news release. The hospitality sector in Bryan has witnessed a significant uptick in occupancy rates and average daily rates, reflecting the city's economic development efforts. Aided by the return of the Texas A&M-Texas game in November, demand was up 14.8% year over year and was the highest average daily rate on record in Bryan at $143 per night. Prior to November 2024, October 2024 was the highest month on record at $4.28 million and October 2023 was the next highest at $4.14 million in revenue. These figures only reflect hotel revenue and do not reflect short-term rentals. "It's exciting to see this type of growth in Bryan's hotel industry. While the rivalry football game helped increase revenues, the key driver of this new growth is due to the opening of The LaSalle Hotel in Downtown Bryan," said John Friebele, executive director of Destination Bryan.
