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John Reynolds: For small employers, current paid-leave proposal is unworkable

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

With less than three weeks to go before the Minnesota Legislature adjourns for the year, it’s crunch time for critical legislation that will have a major impact on life and business in our state.No piece of legislation will have as far-reaching consequences as the $1.5 billion government run Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) mandate.The National Federation of Independent Business represents over 10,000 small businesses across the state of Minnesota. The PFML mandate is the most expensive, most complex regulation our members – and small business everywhere – have ever faced.This mandate will upend the relationship between nearly every employee and employer. It comes with a new payroll tax on small business and workers that can increase every year, taking more and more money out of worker paychecks and small business bottom lines. And it will force everyone to deal with a massive new government bureaucracy when workers need to take leave due to a medical condition or the birth of a...

Trudy Rubin: Kevin McCarthy’s embrace of Benjamin Netanyahu ignored his war on Israeli democracy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

JERUSALEM — When Kevin McCarthy visited Israel Monday, he aligned himself with a would-be autocrat who is assaulting Israel’s democracy and splitting the country apart.Not only did the House speaker offer to host Benjamin Netanyahu in Congress, a slap at President Joe Biden who has rightly delayed a White House invitation to the Israeli prime minister because of his stunningly undemocratic actions.Worse, McCarthy ignored the unprecedented grassroots battle waged for the past 17 weeks by hundreds of thousands of Israel’s best and brightest to prevent Netanyahu from gutting the Supreme Court — and empowering violent ultraradical nationalists and religious zealots.Like Donald Trump, Netanyahu has embraced dangerous allies and attacked the courts in hopes of avoiding conviction on corruption charges. Like Trump, he is willing to ally with messianic believers and thugs, if it will help him retain power.True, with a population of 9.3 million people, Israel is a muc...

3 homes heavily damaged in Maryland Heights fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Three homes were heavily damaged after an overnight fire in Maryland Heights.Crews from Monarch, Pattonville, and Robertson arrived just after the Maryland Heights department got the call of the two-alarm fire around 12:30 a.m. The fire broke out in one home, later spreading to a house on the left due to winds. The flames then traveled to a home on the right. Top Story: Two hurt in another shooting on Cherokee Street as festival ends All homes were occupied at the time, and one person was injured in the home that initially broke out in flames. That home is a total loss. The left home's top floor has been severely damaged, while the right home mostly charred. Firefighters eventually stopped the spreading of the in the right home's attic.The cause of the fire is still unknown. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Breezy and humid Sunday, possible storms by Monday afternoon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The complex of storms that we were concerned about for the overnight areas is having minimal impacts on the region. A few of our far Northwest counties (Montgomery/Fayette Cos, IL) may get clipped by non-severe storms if it continues on its current path.Otherwise, Sunday will be warmer and humid, with clouds and some sunshine mixing. Temperature highs will be in the mid 80s. It'll be a bit breezy again Sunday afternoon. There is a slight chance of some showers and storms in the afternoon and evening hours, mainly south and east of St. Louis. If these develop, a storm or two may be strong to severe, but the threat is lower with these. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Overnight into early Monday morning, we're expecting a complex of storms out of Iowa to move south across the region, gradually weakening as it does so. This line of strong storms could produce damaging winds, mainly across our northern counties, before they weaken. This round of storms ...

I-70 lanes closed at Zumbehl Road for weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - People in St. Charles County are dealing with major delays on Interstate-70 this weekend due to MoDOT crews closing all lanes ofI-70 at the Zumbehl exit.Crews are demolishing the old bridge over the highway. Traffic in both directions is being re-routed over the off-and-on ramps at Zumbehl. Trending: 8 killed in Texas mall shooting, gunman also dead It's expected to re-open at 5:00 a.m. Monday. Drivers are encouraged to take Highway 370 or 364 Sunday.

CU Buffs offensive coordinator Sean Lewis: Don’t panic, Coach Prime’s still transfer portal shopping. “We’re going to be fine.”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

Since Black Friday 2022, the CU Buffs have lost eight offensive linemen, six wide receivers, four quarterbacks, three running backs, three tight ends and a partridge in a pear tree.OK, we’re fibbing on that last one — the partridge is still on scholarship. But Buffs offensive coordinator Sean Lewis has two words for CU faithful wringing their hands over the seismic makeover of the football roster since Deion Sanders’ arrival: Don’t panic. Because while the “returns” counter has been historically busy, Coach Prime’s shopping isn’t anywhere close to done yet.“Yeah, it’s still (about) vetting through all the people that are in and making sure that it’s the right fit for the roles that we need to fill as we continue to go forward with it,” Lewis told The Denver Post at the Colorado Coaches For Charity gala, where he represented CU football this past Friday night at Empower Field. “Also, yeah, it is ‘under construction,’ still a ‘work-in-progress’ as we continue to fina...

Inside the second job of Colorado high school baseball coaches: Head groundskeepers and diamond advocators

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

While his players are still in school, and the baseball field is deserted, Graham Baughn plugs in his earbuds, hops on a mini-mower under the beaming sun at Thomas Jefferson High School and spends the next three hours on cruise.Another hour or two of prep work follows, as he waters the infield dirt, drags it, tamps the mound and batter’s box, chalks the baselines.The to-do list is endless just to keep the diamond in shape.Such is the life of a high school baseball coach, a title that almost always comes with a second job, and one that usually doesn’t pay: Head groundskeeper. Because if the varsity coach isn’t taking care of the field before games and on off-days, nobody is.“We have a personal riding lawn mower that you would cut your house grass with, and it goes four miles per hour tops,” Baughn says. “To cut the entire field, it takes a while. It’s definitely a time commitment to put in the work that myself and other coaches do to make the...

Rockies’ Justin Lawrence throwing sweeper, reaping rewards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

Justin Lawrence is not trying to be trendy. It just so happens that his most devasting pitch happens to be the “it pitch” in baseball right now.It’s called the sweeper.“It’s kind of a cool name, don’t you think?” the Rockies’ right-handed reliever said. “It’s a good description.”The pitch, which is even more effective for Lawrence because he throws it with a sidearm delivery, has made him one of baseball’s best relievers through the first month. Entering Colorado’s weekend series against the Mets in New York, Lawrence had a 1.65 ERA and 0.918 WHIP in 13 appearances (16 1/3 innings). Batters were hitting just .167 against him.In simple terms, a sweeper is a slider with more horizontal break than a traditional slider. Despite all the hoopla it’s garnering, it’s not really a new pitch. David Cone threw an effective sweeper for the Yankees in the 1990s and early 2000s. Adam Ottavino, now pitching w...

For Broncos coach Sean Payton, acquisition of former Saints is not about culture. It’s about familiarity.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows what he wants when assembling a roster.It’s a quality that shows through in his meticulous attention to detail, clean and tight game plans, and ability to emphasize his players’ strengths through a variety of offensive schemes.For Payton to get the ball rolling in his first season with the Broncos — a franchise looking to end a seven-year playoff drought — he chose to sprinkle in some of his past throughout the team. That began with the addition of seven coaches who worked with him at different times during his 15-year tenure with New Orleans. And it continued as the Broncos added six former Saints players since the start of free agency.Payton knows what each player brings to the table. More importantly, they understand Payton’s vision and can help translate it to teammates.“On offense, (Payton) is sprinkling (six) different guys across three different (position) rooms,” said tight end Adam Trautman, whom the Broncos acquired fr...

Walters: California politicians: look before you leap on issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:50 GMT

Decisions by governors, legislators and bureaucrats have consequences, some intended and some not.Were politics a rational exercise, decision-makers would fully explore potential effects before acting, thereby minimizing chances that what they have wrought would backfire.However, politics and politicians tend to act in the here and now, rather than worry about what might happen in the future when their decrees collide with the real world.Examples of short-term decisions that have turned sour abound. One obvious one is California’s ill-starred bullet train project, which has limped along year after year, and still lacks enough money even to complete one initial segment, much less a complete financial plan.If we had known then what we know now, would voters, governors and legislators have so willingly begun a project that seems to exist merely to exist, but serves no discernible purpose?Several other notions kicking around the Capitol currently could use some critical thinking about p...