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Families worry as cost of autism therapy comes under state scrutiny

Current News / News & Features /

State Medicaid agencies are struggling to pay for an intensive therapy for children with autism — and looming federal Medicaid cuts are likely to make the problem worse.

Parents of children and young adults who receive applied behavior analysis, or ABA, worry states’ cost-saving measures will make it harder for them to get vital services. ...Read more

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group/TNS

$20 million project to restore wildlife, expand trails and boost flood protection along San Francisco Bay nears finish

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There’s a big new development going up in Mountain View along the edge of San Francisco Bay. But it’s not a tech company headquarters or a condo project. It’s for birds, and fish and hikers.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on a three-year effort to restore 435 acres of former industrial salt evaporation ponds to natural wetlands...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Can you survive a wildfire sheltering at home? For one community, LA County Fire says it may be the only option

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LOS ANGELES -- Dozens of Topanga residents gathered in the town’s Community House to hear Assistant Fire Chief Drew Smith discuss how the Los Angeles County Fire Department plans to keep Topangans alive in a fierce firestorm.

In the red-brick atrium, adorned with exposed wood and a gothic chandelier, Smith explained that if a fire explodes ...Read more

Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS

Kids and teens go full throttle for E-bikes as federal oversight stalls

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LOUISVILLE, Colo. — E-bike of Colorado sales manager Perry Fletcher said his sales and repair shop saw an increase in back-to-school sales to young riders and families this fall as the popularity of the battery-powered bicycles revs up.

But the kids’ excitement for their new rides is tempered by a recurring question from worried parents: ...Read more

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/TNS

Crash that killed Colorado state Sen. Faith Winter was 1 of 2 crashes near the same time; investigation will take weeks

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The investigation into the car crash that killed Colorado state Sen. Faith Winter will take weeks, with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office reporting Monday that she had been involved in one of two wrecks that happened near each other on Interstate 25.

A memorial service for Winter will be held at 2 p.m. Friday on the west steps of the ...Read more

Clarens Siffroy/Getty Images North America/TNS

Haitian authorities adopt electoral law in major step toward restoring democracy

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Haiti’s transitional government on Monday adopted a long-awaited electoral law, setting in motion the process for restoring democratic rule after years of political paralysis and escalating violence.

The announcement was made by Frinel Joseph, one of the two observers on the scandal-plagued Transitional Presidential Council. In a post on X, ...Read more

Win McNamee/Getty Images North America/TNS

White House backs Hegseth and confirms second boat strike

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The White House defended the Pentagon’s handling of a September attack on an alleged drug-running boat and denied that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given an order to kill everyone on the vessel, rebutting a report that had led to allegations of possible war crimes.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed there were two ...Read more

HECTOR AMEZCUA/The Sacramento Bee/TNS

Govvernor Newsom orders Capitol flags at half-staff following Stockton mass shooting

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Flags at the California state Capitol in Sacramento will fly at half-staff, Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Monday afternoon. His proclamation came two days after a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in Stockton that killed at least four people, including three children, and wounded 11 other people.

“As more details emerge about this ...Read more

Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS

Trump administration to investigate Minnesota over claims of fraud pipeline to terrorists

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WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he’s directed federal authorities to investigate claims that public dollars in Minnesota obtained fraudulently through abuse of the state’s welfare programs were then redirected to a foreign terrorist organization.

We “are acting fast to ensure Americans’ taxes are not ...Read more

Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Nevada governor signs special session bills, including crime updates

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Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the remaining five bills left on his desk following the week-long special legislative session in November, the Nevada Legislature’s online tracker showed Monday.

Though 13 bills made it to the Republican governor’s desk for approval after state lawmakers ended the session on Nov. 19, eight were signed by the ...Read more

Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Florida state parks face $759 million backlog of needed repairs, state report finds

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Aging visitor centers. Outdated septic tanks. A lack of accessible sidewalks and ramps.

Despite welcoming millions of visitors last year, Florida’s state park system has a nearly $759 million backlog of repairs to maintain and enhance Floridians’ access to outdoor spaces.

That’s according to a new state report, released Monday, that ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

California announces 10% water supply to start the new water year

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The Department of Water Resources said Monday the State Water Project will supply 10% of the water that local agencies requested for the new water year.

The initial number is based on current weather and water conditions, how much water is stored in reservoirs and the assumption that the rest of the year could be drier than normal, the state ...Read more

Win McNamee/Getty Images North America/TNS

Bipartisan outcry grows over alleged double-tap boat strike

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Bipartisan scrutiny of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reported order to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean grew Monday as the Trump administration worked to contain the fallout.

Lawmakers in both parties, including the Republican chairmen and the Democratic ranking members of the House and Senate ...Read more

SpaceX/SpaceX/TNS

SpaceX gets OK to build up Starship pads at Canaveral site

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The Department of the Air Force announced it had given the OK for SpaceX to move forward with its Starship and Super Heavy launch pad plans at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 37.

A “record of decision” on the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Canaveral site was posted to the Air Force’s website ...Read more

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Humbled by personal tragedy, Republican Darren Bailey resumes his quest for Illinois governor

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Less than two months after four family members died in a tragic helicopter crash, Darren Bailey finds himself not only trying to rebuild his life but also his nascent campaign for the Republican nomination for Illinois governor.

After taking time off to grieve the loss of his son Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey and grandchildren Vada Rose, 12, ...Read more

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images North America/TNS

Hunter Biden to face Connecticut bar suspension hearing this month

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Hunter Biden will face a hearing later this month to determine whether he is suspended as a member of the Connecticut bar.

Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, was convicted on federal tax and gun charges in 2024. Following those convictions, he agreed to be disbarred in Washington, D.C., where he lives.

Before he was sentenced, he ...Read more

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America/TNS

US moves to deepen minerals supply chain in AI race with China

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The U.S. will seek agreements with eight allied nations as part of a fresh effort to strengthen supply chains for the computer chips and critical minerals needed for AI technology, according to the top State Department official for economic affairs.

The initiative, which builds on efforts dating back to the first Trump administration, unfolds ...Read more

Andrew Harnik/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Trump signs law to unlock billions for drug addiction recovery

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President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a measure authorizing billions of dollars in federal funding to help prevent drug overdoses and aid patients recovering from addiction, according to the White House.

The measure effectively reauthorizes a public health program that was first established under Trump in 2018 and expired five years ...Read more

News briefs

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How Trump, Rubio and others are using social media to sell Venezuela actions

In the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term, administration officials turned to social media to describe an “invasion” of the United States by Venezuelan gangs. They used it to justify their efforts to deport thousands who had fled Nicolás Maduro...Read more

Barry Williams/New York Daily News/TNS

Two protesters who blocked ICE in lower Manhattan charged with felony assault as cops injured

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Two protesters who joined an effort to block a planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown on Canal Street in lower Manhattan were charged with felony assault after injuring two officers trying to control the crowd, prosecutors said.

The two were among a total of 18 arrested during a chaotic protest that included forming a human chain...Read more