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Mike Preston: Ravens, exposed as work-in-progress in loss to Browns, can’t be trusted yet | COMMENTARY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

Ravens fans made a mistake if they booked airline and hotel tickets for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.Most fans became giddy last week when the Ravens routed the Seattle Seahawks, but that perspective changed Sunday after a 33-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns before an announced crowd of nearly 70,000 at M&T Bank Stadium.After last week, the Ravens had supposedly become this monster with a quarterback who was going to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award and a record-setting defense that was as good as the famed 2000 group that led the team to a championship.But the voice of reason kept saying, hold on, be patient, and let’s see where this ends. So, if you’re out of a few hundred to a thousand dollars, you can always get a refund.Or better yet, be patient.Some thought the Ravens started to peak a week ago, but it’s way too early. Sometime in December we’ll find out exactly how talented this team is and how far it can go in the postseason.But right now, don...

A contest erupts in Uganda over the tainted legacy of late dictator Idi Amin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Can Idi Amin be rehabilitated?The question is animating some in this East African country two decades after the death of one of Africa’s most infamous leaders.Amin, who took power by force in Uganda in 1971 and ruled until he was removed by armed groups of exiles in 1979, died in Saudi Arabia in 2003. His passing was barely acknowledged in Uganda, and some of Amin’s supporters over the years have unsuccessfully lobbied for his remains to be returned home, underscoring his tainted legacy.Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose rebel group was among those that ousted Amin with the help of Tanzanian troops, regularly dismisses Amin, and once even described him as “a primitive dictator.” There are no monuments to Amin in Kampala, the capital, where not even a street is named after him.But some Ugandans want to change that — not to emphasize Amin’s tyrannical rule but to highlight any positive aspects of it, including what they say was his commit...

Nations gather in Nairobi to hammer out treaty on plastic pollution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Efforts to create a landmark treaty to end global plastic pollution advance Monday in Nairobi as most of the world’s nations, plus petrochemical companies, environmentalists and others affected by the pollution gather to discuss draft language for the first time. It’s the third gathering in a compressed five-meeting schedule intended to complete negotiations by the end of next year. Power dynamics and positions became clear in the first two rounds of talks in Paris and Punta del Este, Uruguay and echo some of the same positions as in international climate talks, and with good reason — many of the players are the same. Plastic is largely made from crude oil and natural gas, giving oil-producing countries and companies a large stake in any treaty.Global negotiators last met in Paris in June and agreed to produce initial treaty text before reconvening in Nairobi. The draft was published in early September. The U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committ...

Rescuers dig to reach 40 workers trapped in collapsed road tunnel in north India

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers were digging through dirt and parts of a collapsed road tunnel Monday to reach 40 workers trapped by a landslide at the construction project in northern India. All of the construction workers are safe, police officer Prashant Kumar said, adding that they have been supplied with oxygen and water. He said the rescuers had established contact with the trapped individuals. The collapse occurred Sunday in Uttarakhand, a mountainous state dotted with Hindu temples that attracts many pilgrims and tourists. Massive construction of buildings and roadways have taken place in recent years in Uttarakhand. The trapped workers were building part of the Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal government project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.The number of workers trapped was confirmed Monday by Rajesh Pawar, the project manager at the Navyug Construction Company, which is overseeing the construction of the tunnel.Rescue efforts began Sunday, with aut...

Record bill filings suggest more LGBTQ+ legislation ahead in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In 2023, a fifth of all state-level bills filed impacting the LGBTQ+ community came from Texas, according to a Human Rights Campaign analysis. Equality Texas tracked a record 141 such bills this year up from just 12 in 2015. Because the state does not readily compile these statistics, we relied on those advocacy groups’ data. Some policies passed and several others progressed substantially in the most recent legislative session. KXAN’s team of journalists – many LGBTQ+ staff members with unique, developed and inside perspectives providing nuance to our fair, rigorous and balanced reporting standards – produced multimedia stories for the “OutLaw” project, taking an in-depth look at what this trend could mean for Texas’ future.Read more here.

OUTLAW: A Half-Century Criminalizing LGBTQ+ Texans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

(KXAN) — “Trans rights are human rights!” one protester yelled into a bullhorn. “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going anywhere,” another chanted.Roughly a hundred LGBTQ+ activists and advocates chanted, raised banners and made their voices heard outside the gates of the Texas State Capitol.Dozens in opposition, meanwhile, stood nearby. One raised a sign: “Gender identity is a lie.” Feet away, dozens of others in biker gear stood watch – one with a Confederate flag patched to his leather vest. Another man in a ballistic vest stared silently from behind the crowd with his index finger perched just above the trigger of the AR-15 style rifle hanging from his shoulder.The juxtaposition played out on a sweltering August afternoon in the shadow of the building where the recent legislative session focused more than ever before on LGBTQ+ issues.Read the full story here.

What a birth certificate change means to transgender Texans and the state's debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

Project Summary: In 2023, a fifth of the country’s state-level bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community were filed in Texas, according to a Human Rights Campaign analysis. Equality Texas tracked a record 141 such bills this year up from just 12 in 2015. Some policies passed and several others progressed substantially in the most recent legislative session. KXAN’s team of journalists – many LGBTQ+ staff members with unique, developed and inside perspectives providing nuance to our fair, rigorous and balanced reporting standards – produced multimedia stories like this one for the “OutLaw” project, taking an in-depth look at what this trend could mean for Texas’ future. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Chin hair: that's how it started for Rocky Lane. Little hairs popping up on his chin and his voice deepening as testosterone took effect. "I was like, by the time I have a full beard, I'm probably going to need a driver's license that says 'M' on it," Lane said. Explore OutLaw: A half-century of crimina...

'You can't hide the intent': Religious protection bill worries LGBTQ+ advocates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

Project Summary: In 2023, a fifth of the country’s state-level bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community were filed in Texas, according to a Human Rights Campaign analysis. Equality Texas tracked a record 141 such bills this year up from just 12 in 2015. Some policies passed and several others progressed substantially in the most recent legislative session. KXAN’s team of journalists – many LGBTQ+ staff members with unique, developed and inside perspectives providing nuance to our fair, rigorous and balanced reporting standards – produced multimedia stories like this one for the “OutLaw” project, taking an in-depth look at what this trend could mean for Texas’ future. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Houston attorney Neil Giles smiles at the very mention of his twins, both of whom attend the University of Texas at Austin and both of whom identify as non-binary."They're both extremely smart," Giles said with a chuckle. "They're very different in some ways and very similar in some ways." Explore OutLa...

Inside the ‘Outlaw’ project: Collaboration, bias awareness and fairness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

(KXAN) — How do you cover a story when you’re part of it? For LGBTQ+ journalists at KXAN, the record number of bills filed at the Texas State Capitol in 2023 restricting their community brought concerns – and presented an opportunity.After thorough discussion among newsroom leaders, we decided to lean into the informed, well-sourced reporting those journalists could offer, launching our sixth “Catalyst” investigative project to date. Knowing the topic was already highly-politicized and often emotional in legislative hearings and beyond, we wanted to take a multi-platform, extensive look – and produce it in a way our audience would know we are striving to maintain objectivity and fairness.It started with a broad look at the legislation proposed and analyzing the background, influence and outcome of each bill we focused our reporting around. Some measures passed, others progressed further than ever before. As our investigators tried to track down details on the players behind these po...

Texas almost stopped library drag story time. Will it try again?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:10:14 GMT

Project Summary: In 2023, a fifth of the country’s state-level bills impacting the LGBTQ+ community were filed in Texas, according to a Human Rights Campaign analysis. Equality Texas tracked a record 141 such bills this year up from just 12 in 2015. Some policies passed and several others progressed substantially in the most recent legislative session. KXAN’s team of journalists – many LGBTQ+ staff members with unique, developed and inside perspectives providing nuance to our fair, rigorous and balanced reporting standards – produced multimedia stories like this one for the “OutLaw” project, taking an in-depth look at what this trend could mean for Texas’ future. AUSTIN (KXAN) — On a sweltering Saturday afternoon in August, a group of parents escaped the heat with their children to go to an indoor story time led by someone who looked like she might have stepped off a picture book's colorful pages. The crowd chanted and acted out the words with the host, as she read through one bo...