Split (1)

train · 2.59M rows

text stringlengths 12 56.8k
We looked, but we couldn't find any analysis comparing the two measures. Natalie Mullis, chief economist for Colorado Legislative Council staff, which provides policy analysis for the Colorado Assembly, said she's gotten the same question from Colorado officials, but no definitive answer exists. She did say that Referendum C was the only significant increase in tax revenues since 1992, when TABOR passed.
The Americans for Job Security ad says in a graphic that Referendum C raised $6 billion. We asked Mullis about this; she said that the number was likely based on projections before the economic downturn started in 2008. The measure has actually generated about $3.7 billion, all of that in the three years right after the bill was passed. There were no extra revenues generated for 2009 and 2010, she said, due to the economic downturn.
Americans for Job Security said that "Jane Norton supported the largest tax hike in Colorado history." If the issue is just Referendum C, then yes, Norton supported it. But there are a number of qualifiers to that "yes": The evidence is not conclusive that it's the largest tax increase in Colorado history, though certainly it's the largest in recent years. Also, technically speaking, the measure didn't increase tax rates -- it ended rebates, though that does mean less money in people's pockets. Finally, Norton supported a ballot issue on which Colorado voters had the final say and ultimately approved. Given these facts, we rate this statement Half True.
Published: Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 4:55 p.m.
DAVID LE/Staff photo. Santa greets young spectators after arriving via boat to T-Wharf in Rockport on Saturday afternoon. 12/5/15.
Activists campaigning to close the Yarl’s Wood detention centre surrounded the building and created a wall of noise around the controversial site.
Women detained inside, who are held there before deportation, waved from the windows on Saturday afternoon as hundreds of protesters kicked the 20ft fence, banged pans and chanted through mobile PA systems.
The detainees showed their support through narrow, mirrored glass windows that can only be cracked opened by two or three inches.
The protest was organised by the Movement for Justice who are calling for the Bedfordshire centre to be shut down with immediate effect.
The protesters claim that the centre is emblematic of the “scapegoating of migrants” which they claim has been prevalent since the UK voted to leave the EU in June. They are also calling for an end to mass deportations through the use of charter flights.
Crowds fell silent at 2.20pm to hear women speaking through mobile phones from inside the centre.
One woman said how Serco, the private contractors who manage Yarl’s Wood on behalf of the Home Office, had for the first time blocked the corridors between wings to stop detainees from the other side of the centre from coming to see the demonstration.
In other rooms detention officers were stopping detainees from standing by the windows, she said.
“We wanted to put a cloth out [of the window]. They told us to take it off,” the detainee added.
Karen Doyle, Movement for Justice national organiser, said the demonstration aimed to strengthen and empower the women inside.
“It has been the women’s determination to speak the truth about sexual abuse and harassment that has seen the secretive world of abuse behind the walls of Yarl’s Wood exposed,” she said.
“It has been the women’s continued defence of each other, gathering together in rooms, that has stopped unjust deportations and it has been the women’s insistence on never giving up, on always exposing the truth of their experience that has meant Yarl’s Wood is now recognised as a ‘national concern’, a blot on the UK’s stated commitment to women’s rights,” she said.
Former detainees at Yarl’s Wood were among the activists who joined the demonstration. They preferred not to be named in case their activities harmed their immigration cases. One, a woman in her early 30s now living in Barnsley, said guards had treated her and fellow detainees like criminals during her time there.
“There we have no life, they call us all sorts of names,” she said. “They don’t call you by your name, they call you by your room number. They say: ‘Avocet 123, come to your unit.’ That’s how they know you.
Penalties for any perceived rule infractions are harsh.
The women inside Yarl’s Wood who shouted and waved at protesters faced punishment, she added.
A second former detainee said that despite the punishments women faced for cooperating with demonstrations, it was important that they continue. “It gives you courage to stand up for yourself,” she said. “When I was in there I was doing so many protests that they rejected me from returning to Yarl’s Wood.
“We can hear [the demonstrations] but what officers do, because this block [in front of the demonstration] is not all of it, there’s another block – they block them from coming here. When I was there, if I knew [protesters] were coming I would make sure everyone came to this side. After that, they didn’t want me there anymore.
The centre in Bedfordshire holds 410 people, mostly women and adult families, who are due to be deported from the UK. Since opening in 2001, it has been mired in scandal and been the subject of scrutiny by human rights campaigners.
A report by the National Audit Office published in July revealed that cost-cutting measures imposed on the privately run facility will see staff axed and replaced with self-service kiosks.
It also emerged earlier this year that women detained in the centre reported six allegations of sexual assault against staff over a three-year period. The attacks were alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2015.
The Home Office minister at the time, James Brokenshire, said that all allegations had been investigated but the Home Office and Bedfordshire police said they could not provide details of the outcome of the investigations.
Both the Home Office and Bedfordshire police said they could not provide details of the outcome of the investigations, but Brokenshire said all allegations were investigated.
With the submission of a second application to convert a Victorian pub into housing, Ancaster residents are preparing to voice their concerns at a parish meeting.
They also described it as ‘a cramped form of development’. The same applicant has now submitted amended plans for four dwellings. Ancaster residents who previously objected to the conversion of the pub on Ermine Street say it was a ‘well used meeting place’ and ‘heart of the community’.
Residents can give their views at a public meeting in Ancaster Parish Hall on October 13, from 7.30pm.
KABUL (Reuters) - Three rockets hit an area of the Afghan capital Kabul that contains many foreign embassies and government buildings, hours after a suicide attack killed six NATO soldiers on Monday.
Initial reports said one rocket had landed near Masoud Square close to the entrance to the U.S. Embassy, another hit the nearby area of Shirpur while a third landed further away near the city centre, Kabul police officials said.
Sirens could be heard in the area but no details were immediately available on any casualties or damage.
The explosions took place hours after a suicide attack on a military patrol near Bagram air base killed six NATO soldiers, including Americans, and just over a week after an attack on a Spanish embassy guesthouse in the Afghan capital.
The Taliban, which gained control of the district of Sangin in the volatile southern province of Helmand on Monday, has mounted a series of high-profile attacks in recent days just as Afghanistan and Pakistan have been making efforts to relaunch the stalled peace process.
Transition news continues, with this week’s committee chair assignments making waves. The Turnpike Commission backs down. Specter talks legacy, with some hints about his forthcoming book. And PoliticsPA’s ups and downs is up for today. Have a merry Christmas, and see you next week.
Where is Tom Marino Hiding?
Kudos to the vigilant politico who spotted this omission on The Hill’s list of newly elected members. Seems they forgot to include PA-10’s Tom Marino, evoking memories of Rep. Carney’s campaign tagline: What is Tom Marino hiding?
Check out our list of Pennsylvania’s rising political stars, we take a look at possible redistricting scenarios and Brian Nutt is not going to be Corbett’s Chief of Staff. In other news, the Philadelphia congressional delegation endorsed Mayor Nutter for re-election. Good Thursday morning and welcome to the Buzz.
State House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) today announced the appointments of Republican committee chairs for the 2011-12 Legislative Session, which begins in January.
Here they are, Pennsylvania’s top politicos under age 30. Thank you to everyone who helped us put this list together – we had over 300 nominations.
Derbyshire folded dramatically to a combination of spin and seam as Kent cruised to a seven wicket victory in the Division Two match at Derby.
James Tredwell and Calum Haggett took four wickets each, the latter a career-best 4-15, as Derbyshire lost seven for 45 in 93 balls to be skittled for 94 leaving Kent with a target of 175.
Daniel Bell-Drummond made a composed unbeaten 80 from 99 balls before Alex Blake sealed Kent’s second win of the season in style with three consecutive sixes off leg-spinner Matt Critchley.
There had been no sign that Kent would win so convincingly as Wayne Madsen and Neil Broom cruised along at five an over but the wheels came flying off once Tredwell had broken through.
Broom edged a quicker ball to first slip where Adam Ball took a sharp one-handed catch and the decision to bring on Haggett was rewarded immediately as Wayne Madsen misread the length and was lbw for 37.
Billy Godleman had recovered from the blow on his left forearm which forced him to retire hurt the previous evening but made only three before he was lbw pushing at Tredwell who ended Derbyshire’s hopes of setting a more demanding target when he bowled Shiv Thakor for 10.
The end came five overs later as both Critchley and Ben Cotton played back instead of forward to Haggett and were lbw leaving Kent with 71 overs to win the game.
On an overcast, drizzly day with the floodlights on, it was never going to be entirely straightforward, particularly as Joe Denly was back in Kent with his wife and new-born baby, but Derbyshire needed early wickets to have any chance.
Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson denied them until the 12th over when Dickson tried to run Tom Taylor to third man and edged into his stumps but Derbyshire could not build up any pressure.
A wet ball did not help and Bell-Drummond cut and drove Taylor for three consecutive fours on his way to a 68 ball 50 and Ball helped him take Kent to 100 before he was caught on the crease by Tony Palladino.
Bell-Drummond paced his innings expertly, setting the platform for the violent assault that carried Kent to victory on a tide of sixes, first from skipper Sam Northeast and then by Blake who dispatched the only three balls he faced from Critchley over the ropes to take his side home with a minimum of 38.3 overs to spare.
It was an impressive performance and Haggett thought the seeds of victory were sown on the third evening. “To get three wickets last night was a big factor, it put us in a good place and we managed to keep things going.
“We bowled pretty well as a group and we got the rewards and I thought we bowled a bit straighter than in the first inninngs.
“It started to keep a bit low and the odd one popped and thankfully it was my day. Treddy (James Tredwell) was getting some spin as well and we hit our areas better.
Madsen said: “James Tredwell mixed his pace up well and bowled well into the rough and when Haggett came on he bowled at the stumps and was getting it to jag back and made it difficult.
“Possibly we were caught on the back foot and maybe have to get out of our crease a bit more but to be fair he bowled really well and unfortunately we weren’t up to it.
“We thought 200 was going to be a good score and we would be able to bowl them out but they came out and played positively. We weren’t helped that we had to change the ball a few times with the wet outfield but it was disappointing not to get enough in the right areas to trouble them.
“I think we have to be better than that, especially on a wicket which has deteriorated, but I do think for us a team there are postives to take from this. Shiv (Thakor) with his hundred and five-for, he’s really played well for us this year.
Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Cory Booker wants to legalize marijuana in the U.S. and expunge records for federal offenses for use and possession.
I don’t think Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., read my column earlier this week in which I cautioned against the potential long-term side effects of chronic marijuana use, which include behavioral problems, problems with memory and judgment, anxiety and depression, paranoia, and yes, even an uncontrollable vomiting disorder known as Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome.
One reader with this condition wrote that it took him over six months to start “mentally feeling normal” after stopping smoking.
If Booker was aware of these and other problems, he and Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna of California might have hesitated before introducing the ironically titled “Marijuana Justice Act,” which seeks to remove pot from the list of controlled substances, thereby legalizing it for recreational use.
Presidential hopefuls Senators Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have co-sponsored the bill, which also would expunge the criminal records of those who have been charged with marijuana possession.
I believe this last part is a good thing, but as a practicing physician, I must point out that decriminalization is not the same thing as opening the door wide for recreational use. Critics of my position are quick to point out that alcohol and cigarettes are far more deadly than weed, and that they are both legal and heavily marketed and available regardless of potential health problems.
The problem with this straw man argument is that one harmful chemical being legal is not automatic justification for another one becoming legal.
Widespread recreational use of marijuana leads to two major problems. First, there is an associated loss of awareness that may be harmful. This trend was shown in a disturbing study about the perceptions of pot among eighth- and 10th-graders following the legalization of recreational use in Washington state in 2012.
Keep in mind that it took decades for physicians to convince patients that cigarettes and alcohol are bad for you, because they are legal and readily available. We hardly need to perpetuate the same misconception about marijuana – that if its legal it must be OK to use unchecked.
Second, legalization may lead to widened use of marijuana in an increasing number of products. Ten states have already legalized weed for recreational use, and it is currently under serious legislative consideration in New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.
The problem in the states where it’s legal is that THC – the active substance in pot – is appearing in everything from cigarettes to food to cosmetics. This means you may end up taking in more THC than you are aware of, which increases your risks for long-term side effects.
Especially problematic is the increasing use of marijuana by pregnant women (roughly 5 percent) for the purpose of treating morning sickness. It has been shown to lead to childhood attention and behavioral problems, low birth weight and premature birth. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against its use.
At the same time, the proper medical use of marijuana is important, and it can be controlled by physicians prescribing it appropriately. There are 33 states (and Washington, D.C.) where medical marijuana is legal, which is very helpful for patients in pain or nauseas from chemotherapy.
CBD (Cannabidiol), found in the flower of the cannabis plant, also has therapeutic effects that are currently being studied, including for treatment of epilepsy, anxiety, PTSD and insomnia. It is currently illegal federally, but legal in 34 states and with a prescription in the remaining 16 states for certain medical conditions such as intractable epilepsy.
CBD does not cause the same intoxicating effects as the THC found in marijuana, nor does it have the same long-term side effects. And it is not combustible. For these reasons I am all for its federal legalization. This would subject CBD to more quality control by the FDA, which is a good thing since there are so many versions around.
The bottom line is this: Thumbs up for medical marijuana and CBD in all 50 states. Thumbs up for decriminalization of marijuana. But thumbs down for widespread unregulated recreational use.
When you're a police officer out on patrol, you have no idea what's headed your way. It could be a nice, quiet day full of misdemeanor arrests and speeding tickets, or some nutcase could pull out a gun and shoot you during a routine traffic stop. It's a scary business.
The folks at Ford have come up with a clever way to boost officer safety in their new Taurus and Explorer-based Police Interceptor vehicles, and it uses existing technology. Called "Surveillance Mode" (which, I would argue, is probably not the best name in light of recent revelations), it uses the Ford's backup camera, cross-traffic alert and reverse park assist to keep officers aware of what's going on when they're parked.
When an officer parks and activates the system, the backup camera and sensors that detect blind spots and parking obstacles engage and monitor the area. It sounds an alarm if someone approaches the car, and then automatically rolls up the windows and locks the doors.
Surveillance mode will be available on the 2014 Ford police car and SUV models. So if you want to sneak up on a cop to try and steal their cruiser and go joyriding, make sure it's a Crown Vic or something.
the condition of the U.S. crop above market expectations.
highest since July 9 at $3.69 a bushel.
in good-to-excellent condition, ahead of market expectations.
corporate earnings and U.S. economic growth.
YORK COUNTY, Pa. – A Pennsylvania man is accused of killing his pregnant wife with a sword Friday before calling 911 to report the crime, according to police.
Northern York County Regional Police responded just after 4 p.m. to the 1100 block of Ledge Drive in Jackson Township for a call about a domestic incident involving an edged weapon, according to WPMT-TV.
Police say 35-year-old John Ziegler III called 911 and told the operator that he had struck his 25-year-old wife with a sword, killing her. Zeigler said that he was waiting with his 2-year-old son for police to arrive on scene.
Zeigler surrendered peacefully as soon as officers arrived. Police said they found the body of Zeigler’s wife on the rear deck of the home. She was pronounced dead at the scene, as was her unborn child. A scimitar style sword was recovered near the body.
The toddler was uninjured and released into the custody of York County Children, Youth, and Families.
John Ziegler III was transported to Central Booking to be arraigned on charges of criminal homicide and criminal homicide of an unborn child.
Police continue to investigate Friday night and are asking anyone with information to contact the Northern York County Regional Police Department at (717) 292-3647, or through 911.
Mika Anttonen, the founder and largest shareholder of St1, has reiterated his message about the importance of land use for efforts to combat climate change at a seminar hosted by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre) in Helsinki on Monday.
“If the number of photosynthesising plants goes up or down by 10 per cent, its impact will be greater than emissions from fossil energy sources,” he explained.
Anttonen has repeatedly drawn attention to the importance of land use – and more specifically reforestation – and global co-operation for the effort to combat climate change. The European Union, he highlighted last month, accounts for a constantly decreasing share of the primary energy consumed in the world.
“If the EU stops using energy today, consumption in other areas will have grown by an equivalent amount by 2025. If we only take action inside the EU, our climate measures don’t really have an impact on whether or not the amount of carbon in the atmosphere will decrease,” he stated in the Finnish Parliament in November.
“Neither biofuels nor electric cars aren’t a solution to decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” he declared.
St1, one of the leading energy companies in Finland, also announced last year the launch of an admittedly ambitious commercial project aiming to reforest up to 85 per cent of the Sahara.
Anttonen on Monday argued that it is impossible to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels only by transforming the energy system.
He also floated the idea of establishing a marketplace for absorbed and emitted carbon dioxide, explaining that it would reduce the emphasis on lobbying and facilitate genuine competition between various climate solutions.
“We need a carbon exchange where the measures have to compete against each other, so that they’re no longer adopted based on who does the most lobbying,” said Anttonen.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.