Springfield News-Sun
AI TRANSFORMING COLLEGE CURRICULUM
Clark State College has launched its first program integrated with artificial intelligence. The college says that Assist AI, an advanced, faculty-facing artificial intelligence platform, is being used by nursing programs to better prepare students to...
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Senior housing proposed for southwest Springfield
An around 60-unit affordable senior living development is being proposed for the south side of Springfield. The development, which is still in early preliminary phases, would house adults 55 years and older and rent units for around $850-900 monthly,...
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Dewine announces free kids eyesight program
Clark County is one of 15 Ohio counties to pilot a new statewide children’s eyesight program. Gov. Mike Dewine visited Northeastern Elementary School on Monday to discuss the new Ohiosee program, which brings critical vision services, including...
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DHS spokesperson: No ICE mobilization plan known
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week said it did not have immediate and specific plans to mobilize Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to send to places with large Haitian populations like Springfield and South Florida for...
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Dewine: ICE to give notice prior to Springfield surge
The state will have at least 24hours’ notice prior to “any kind of [ICE] surge into Clark County,” Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told his office. Springfield has been bracing for a potential surge in Immigration...
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Donations pour in for local immigrant support
Outside support for Springfield groups helping Haitian immigrants has been substantial in the past few weeks, with hundreds of thousands in monetary donations pouring in. While groups like Springfield G92 are grateful for the help, they asked people...
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Churches ready to help children if parents removed
Some U.s.-born children of Haitian parents in Springfield could end up living in local churches if the federal government ends Temporary Protected Status and their parents are removed. The Trump administration is appealing a ruling from a federal...
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MAY PRIMARIES WILL HAVE BROAD IMPACT
Ohio’s May 5 primary election will decide issues that could impact your property and income taxes and set the stage for a November election with national, statewide and local repercussions. Voters will elect new faces to every statewide executive...
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Wittenberg to combine admissions, aid offices
Wittenberg University plans to combine its admissions and student financial services departments into a single Office of Student Financial Services. “This exciting restructuring will ensure our students have a one-stop shop for financial aid, student...
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Haitian restaurant diners react to TPS ruling
Rose Goute Creole restaurant in Springfield saw a small lunch rush Tuesday afternoon, with several patrons saying they came specifically to support Haitian business. The mood was guarded optimism, since a federal judge the evening before blocked the...
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Springfield advocates energized by TPS ruling
A judge’s decision to halt the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti has galvanized advocates in Springfield, as critics in the city call the ruling a setback and await an appeal they hope will overturn it. A federal judge on Monday evening...
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Hundreds show support for Springfield Haitians
St. John Missionary Baptist Church was over capacity as hundreds supported Springfield’s Haitian community while advocating for the extension of Temporary Protected Status Monday morning. The event was held less than 48 hours before TPS was expected...
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SHERIFF’S OFFICE TO ‘MAINTAIN THE PEACE’
With Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants set to expire today, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said they plan to keep “the peace.” Sheriff Chris Clark said he’s not able to comment on any operational preparedness measures, but “can...
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Springfield area has the worst job losses in Ohio
The Springfield metro area had the worst job losses in the state in the last year, according to new federal survey data, and some researchers and leaders believe there are bound to be more layoffs and job cuts if Haitian nationals in the community lose...
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‘I will not be able to provide for my family’
Thousands of Haitian immigrants in the Springfield region could lose their legal status to live and work in the U.S. after Tuesday, when Temporary Protected Status for Haitians is set to expire. Local leaders express concern about what this could mean...
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Haitian restaurateur feels impact of immigrants’ fears
When Keket Moise opened her restaurant in 2024, she was following a path trod by many of her fellow Haitian refugees. Now, the proud owner of Keke Bon Gou off Sunset Avenue in Springfield faces a continuing decline in customers as a crackdown on...
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Resolution asks ICE to follow Springfield’s rules
The Springfield City Commission unanimously passed a resolution asking federal immigration agents to follow local rules when conducting enforcement activities during a Tuesday meeting. The resolution came after several residents urged the commission...
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Temps make snow removal a challenge in Clark County
Frigid temperatures and high winds continue to make clearing Clark County roads challenging after a record snowfall over the weekend. Twelve crews have been out on 12-hour shifts since Saturday evening and will continue likely through Friday, Clark...
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City urges patience while crews handle recent snow
Residents across Clark County are still seeing the impacts of record snowfall over the weekend. The National Weather Service in Wilmington reports a total snow accumulation of 13 inches in Springfield and 11.2 inches in South Charleston. As crews...
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Record weekend snowfall followed by arctic freeze
After a winter storm covered the region with historic levels of snow Saturday and Sunday, a “major, prolonged arctic outbreak” has settled in this week, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington. Extended periods of wind chill values...
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School of Innovation will consolidate with high school
Springfield school board approved Thursday by a 4-1 vote to consolidate the School of Innovation with Springfield High School beginning next school year. Jaime Callan, Carol Dunlap, Peg Foley and Joan Elder voted yes, while Susan Samuels voted no...
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IS ECONOMY HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION?
Last year saw a federal government shutdown of record length, fluctuating tariffs, sluggish job growth and a gradual decline in interest rates. Business leaders in the Dayton region have had to be resilient, and 2026 may hold more of the same. We spoke...
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Shoppers stock up as Winter Storm Fern looms
Jessica Turner’s usual Thursday trip to the West Central Avenue Kroger in Springboro was anything but. Not with almost a foot of snow in the forecast for this weekend. “We kind of expected it,” Turner said of the atypically large number of carts...
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Spreading his wings
Chef Dennis Merchant prepares chicken wings for a customer at Champion City Grill in Myers Market on Jan. 15 at Cohatch Springfield. Merchant is helping to revamp the dining options inside Myers Market and will take on the role of head chef.
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Feds, Dewine air concerns about power demand, cost
As data centers and AI enterprises continue to use more electricity, federal government leaders, Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine and a group representing Ohio manufacturers all expressed unease on the same day about how about the region’s electric grid manager...
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Springfield natives betting on Vegas-style trivia game
Two men from Springfield have created a board game that’s “like trivia at a high-stakes table where the winner takes all,” the game makers said. Jameson Zink and Mark Stickford created the trivia-based board game Know Your Ante? Trivia! that launched...
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Source says Congress targeting Fuyao in bill
The U.S. House and Senate sent the White House a package of government funding bills that include a call for the Trump administration to detail investigative steps involving labor practices by Chinese automotive glass producers operating in the United...
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Luncheon honors legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Many people in the Springfield community gathered Friday to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. At an annual luncheon, the keynote speaker spoke about being a catalyst for change and explored the key characteristics he believes will...
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Machado gives her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump
WASHINGTON — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the U.S....
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State laws to limit ICE proposed across U.S.
MADISON, Wis. — Democrats across the country are proposing state law changes to rein in federal immigration officers and protect the public following the shooting death of a protester in Minneapolis and the wounding of two people in Portland,...
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Ex-husband charged in killings of Columbus couple waives right to extradition hearing
COLUMBUS — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend in the killings of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois. Michael David Mckee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, has been charged with premeditated...
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Lawsuits by Trump allies could shape 2030 census
ORLANDO, Fla. — The next U.S. census is four years away, but two lawsuits playing out this year could affect how it will be done and who will be counted. Allies of President Donald Trump are behind the federal lawsuits challenging various aspects of...
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House defies GOP leaders, passes ACA subsidies
WASHINGTON — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as 17 renegade GOP lawmakers joined every...
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Dewine: Child care program can last 8 weeks amid freeze
Ohio has enough money to continue its subsidized child care program for at least another eight weeks without further financial support from the federal government, according to Gov. Mike Dewine. That window may be tested following the decision of...
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Mixed signals sent about who’s running Venezuela
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not govern Venezuela day-to-day other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, even as President Donald Trump again insisted that the U.S....
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Hospital stays for flu quickly rising in Ohio
Hospitalizations due to flu in the region and nationally are climbing rapidly and in some cases doubling or tripling historical averages, according to the Ohio Department of Health. For the week ending Dec. 27, 1,465 Ohioans were hospitalized due to...
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‘WE’RE DEFINITELY ON THE RIGHT PATH’
Outgoing Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt reflects on her nineyear tenure, highlighting achievements like the county’s first strategic plan and improved government access. She notes that while the role was often challenging, especially in...
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Dewine signs law boosting penalties for dog attacks
A bill to enhance criminal penalties for violent dogs was signed by Ohio’s governor, capping a swift legislative process that was spurred by a brutal dog attack on then-12-year-old Avery Russell during a playdate in 2024. Russell and her mother, Drew...
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SMALL STEPS CAN LEAD TO BIG SUCCESS
Most New Year’s resolutions fail quickly because people lack a concrete plan to sustain their motivation. Experts suggest setting realistic, incremental goals and creating actionable plans that can be adjusted. But what’s more important than the how is...
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In a tumultuous year, health policy dramatically reshaped under RFK Jr.
WASHINGTON — In the whirlwind first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, some of the most polarizing changes have taken place within the Department of Health and Human Services, where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has openly rebuffed the medical...
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State hopes stricter laws will quiet illegal fireworks after deadly blast
HONOLULU — Mike Lambert heard fewer illegal fireworks exploding in his suburban Honolulu neighborhood in the months after a chain of blasts at a house party last New Year’s Eve led to the deaths of six people, including a 3-year-old boy. As the...
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How did Musk’s DOGE disrupt so much while saving so little?
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency said it made more than 29,000 cuts to the federal government — slashing billion-dollar contracts, canceling thousands of grants and pushing out civil servants. But the group did not do what...
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Gun violence, immigration, taxes among year’s top stories
While 2025 didn’t have the same tumultuous events as when Springfield made international headlines in 2024 following false rumors of immigrants eating pets, a number of topics carried weight in the local community. Gun violence, homelessness, an...
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U.S. airstrikes target militants in Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — The United States airstrikes that targeted Islamic State group militants in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday marked a major escalation in an offensive that the West African’s overstretched military has struggled with for years. U.S....
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Pastor joins hospital chorus for annual caroling
Pastor Scott Davidson understands the power of community. As a founding member of the Dayton congregation of Soul Winners for Jesus Christ, a non-denominational evangelistic association that focuses on prayer and hands-on ministry, he is often...
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Hemp drink retail sites limited
Thc-infused beverages will be lumped in with other intoxicating hemp products, with sales limited to licensed dispensaries, following a lineitem veto from Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine. Dewine signed Senate Bill 56 — which came about in large part due to his...
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Most U.S. adults aren’t making year-end charitable contributions
NEW YORK — Most Americans aren’t making end-of-year charitable giving plans, according to the results of a new AP-NORC poll, despite the many fundraising appeals made by nonprofits that rely on donation surges in the calendar’s final month to reach...
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Springfield school has long-term plan to minimize deficit
With the expiration of COVIDERA funds and declining state funding, the Springfield City School District is closing its School of Innovation (SOI) at the end of this year — a decision first announced in November. Despite this cost-cutting measure, the...
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EVICTIONS REMAIN HIGH, REFLECT OTHER BARRIERS
Evictions in Clark County have remained “consistently high,” with 4,400 over the last five years, which can lead to longterm barriers to housing for people, such as damaged credit, limited rental options and a higher risk of homelessness. Each year...
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City will fund Hartley House through winter
Springfield’s only dedicated men’s homeless shelter will remain open through the winter after the city approved funds to avoid an imminent closure. The Hartley House, 440 W. High St., had planned to close Jan. 2 to allow Sheltered Inc. to continue...
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Trump orders blockade on oil tankers to Venezuela
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter...
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Community frustrated with official response to shooting at Brown U.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The ongoing effort to find a man who walked onto Brown University’s campus during a busy exam season and shot nearly a dozen students in a crowded lecture hall has raised questions about the school’s security systems and the urgency...
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Tariffs having an uneven effect on holiday prices
NEW YORK — The Ah Louis Store in San Luis Obispo, California, turns into a winter wonderland every holiday season. Green garlands, giant nutcrackers, baubles and bows go up in early November on the historic downtown building that houses the gift shop....
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Gov. Dewine withholding Ramaswamy endorsement
Gov. Mike Dewine held firm Thursday that he will eventually endorse the GOP’S official nominee to replace him as governor, but the term-limited Republican was still cagey about his overall thoughts on party-endorsed candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Dewine’s...
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States are raking in billions from slot machines on phones
Most casinos in Las Vegas take sports bets, but that’s not where the real money is. The bulk of their profit comes from games such as slot machines and blackjack. Many states have legalized online sports betting in recent years, but a handful have...
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Trump wants to keep farmers happy with cash
RANDOLPH, Minn. — When Donald Trump promised new tariffs while running for president, Gene Stehly worried that trade disputes would jeopardize his international sales of corn, soybeans and wheat. A little more than a year later, Stehly said his fears...
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Can Moreno secure bipartisan ACA extension?
As Congress wrestles over what to do about expiring subsidies for Americans who buy insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno is trying this week to push his party to embrace a middle ground deal — and find a way to...
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Iceblock app maker sues over free speech violations
The maker of an iphone app that flagged sightings of U.S. immigration agents sued the Trump administration for free speech violations on Monday, alleging that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi used her “state power” to force Apple to remove the...
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Have Trump’s global tariffs hit ‘high-water mark’?
WASHINGTON — Before President Donald Trump’s tariffs took effect this year, the Chicken of the Sea factory in Lyons, Georgia, was running its production lines full speed, canning enough imported tuna to build up four to six months of inventory in...
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Dewine vetoes bill allowing teens to work later
An effort to expand the hours 14- and 15-year-old employees in Ohio can work was stymied Wednesday after Republican Gov. Mike Dewine vetoed a bill passed with overwhelming GOP support. Had Dewine signed Senate Bill 50 into law, it would have changed...
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Moreno promised hope for a dying paper mill; then reality set in
CHILLICOTHE — One by one, black cars with tinted windows pulled up to the parking lot in the shadow of the paper mill. The governor of Ohio exited one car. One U.S. senator appeared, then the other. They were joined by the congressional representative...
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Trump targets Somalis in U.S., calling them ‘garbage’
He said it four times in seven seconds: Somali immigrants in the United States are “garbage.” It was no mistake. In fact, President Donald Trump’s rhetorical attacks on immigrants have been building since he said Mexico was sending “rapists” across...
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How one Arkansas county is helping ICE make arrests
ROGERS, Ark. — Northwest Arkansas has emerged as a hot spot in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the result of one county’s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and aggressive traffic stops by police. The...
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Area gas prices drop to as low as $2.02 a gallon
Gas stations in the region lowered their prices to nearly $2 a gallon following the holiday weekend, the lowest prices in more than four years. Dayton, Springfield, Hamilton and Middletown on Monday saw prices as low as $2.02, $2.17, $2.35 and $2.45,...
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Youth mental health services mobile in Ohio
Mobile response teams are now operating in all 88 Ohio counties as part of a $51 million program to provide mental health crisis services to Ohio youth age 20 and under. Janell Hill, clinical director of Choices Coordinated Care Solutions, said since...
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Shoppers spend billions despite unsettled economy
NEW YORK — Despite wider economic uncertainty hovering above this year’s holiday season, shoppers turned out in big numbers for Black Friday — spending billions of dollars both in stores and online. Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said U.S....
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Shoppers’ holiday spending could help keep economy humming
Americans are nervous about the economy. They are troubled by the higher prices from tariffs. They are wary of a fizzling job market. They are poised to shell out during the holiday shopping season anyway. Economists are predicting a healthy dose of...
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Trump wants to ban migrants from poor nations
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump says he wants to “permanently pause migration” from poorer nations and is promising to seek to expel millions of immigrants from the United States by revoking their legal status. He is blaming immigrants...
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Dewine regrets signing bill that legalized sports betting in Ohio
COLUMBUS — If Gov. Mike Dewine could turn back time, he would not have signed legislation that legalized sports betting in Ohio. With two Cleveland Guardians pitchers and an Ohio-born guard for the Miami Heat snared in separate betting-related...
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Stores keeping turkey prices down
CHELSEA, Mich. — Old Brick Farm, where Larry Doll raises chickens, turkeys and ducks, was fortunate this Thanksgiving season. Doll’s small farm west of Detroit had no cases of bird flu, despite an ongoing outbreak that killed more than 2 million U.S....
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Recent air travel woes still fresh this holiday season
The turbulence caused by the longest government shutdown on record may still be fresh on travelers’ minds this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease those...
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Changes to agency lead to midterm worries
MINNEAPOLIS — Since it was created in 2018, the federal government’s cybersecurity agency has helped warn state and local election officials about potential threats from foreign governments, showed officials how to protect polling places from attacks...
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City to hear on rezoning for proposed jail site
The location of a proposed new jail and public safety building in Clark County has been more solidified after rezoning was recommended for approval by the Central Cooperative Economic Development Agreement (CEDA) Regional Planning Commission. The new...
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Clark State honors veterans, active military
With hundreds of students linked to the military attending each year, Clark State College is helping veterans, military service members and their families build their next chapter in life, according to the college’s administrators, such as through...
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Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise
Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage are up 6% from last year and are expected to rise again next year, according to an annual survey from the health policy analysis organization KFF, previously known as the Kaiser Family...
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