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Exclusive: Nearly 610,000 public sector workers got student loan forgiveness after Biden loosened the rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

(CNN) — Nearly 610,000 student loan borrowers have received debt relief from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program since October 2021, when the Biden administration temporarily expanded eligibility.The program promises to wipe away remaining federal student loan debt after an eligible government or nonprofit worker makes 10 years of monthly payments.Another 6,000 borrowers in the program will see their loans discharged soon. Altogether, those cancellations will total $42 billion of federal student debt, the Department of Education said Monday.Just 7,000 borrowers had been approved for relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program during the Trump administration, according to the department.The targeted debt relief program was created in 2007 but was riddled with problems, and a very small percentage of people who applied had received forgiveness before 2021, prompting the Biden administration to make changes.“Since Day One, the Biden-Harris Adm...

Arlington Heights village departments to update leaders on Bears project Monday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

Arlington Heights officials will take stock of the Chicago Bears’ proposed redevelopment at Arlington International Racecourse and look ahead to the project’s next steps Monday.The plans for the site, to be presented at a village board committee of the whole meeting, are still in the development stage.“The vision and master planning for the property, as well as implementation, will take many years and will not happen overnight, but represents a unique property in Arlington Heights and the region,” a report from the village Planning and Community Development department states.The department is presenting as part of the village’s biannual practice of briefing newly seated and returning board members on the work of the preceding term and looking ahead to coming priorities, a staff memo states. The Arlington Heights Fire department is also set to give its report Monday evening.The meeting agenda also states that there will be an interdepartmental presentati...

Overturned Tesla prompts temporary lane closure on SR-94

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

LEMON GROVE, Calif. — One lane of westbound State Route 94 was closed Monday near Lemon Grove after a Tesla flipped onto its roof after a crash.According to the California Highway Patrol, the two-vehicle crash happened shortly after 5:30 a.m. on westbound SR-94, just east of Lemon Grove Avenue.The collision, which caused heavy traffic delays in the area, was between a Chevy Silverado truck and a Tesla. San Diego among cities with the most ‘house poor’ homeowners: study The leftmost lane was temporarily closed as a result of the collision, according to Caltrans. The lane had been reopened around 6:45 a.m.You can follow along with the latest road conditions with the FOX 5 Traffic Map.SkyFOX footage of the scene showed a tow truck flip the Tesla over and load it onto its bed.It was not immediately known if there were any injuries reported from the crash.The circumstances that led to the collision are still under investigation.

King Charles III takes day off after busy coronation weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

LONDON (AP) — On the third day of his long coronation weekend, King Charles III rested.Monday was, after all, a holiday declared in honor of his crowning and he had spent several whirlwind days of elaborately choreographed public festivities capped with an off-the-cuff cameo on “American Idol.”While Charles, 74, had no public appearances, other royals picked up the mantle of service the king had called for in declaring the “Big Help Out” that was said to draw millions to volunteer a couple hours on their day off.Prince William, heir to the throne, took controls of a small backhoe with his youngest son, Prince Louis, in his lap as his family helped renovate a Scout hut in Slough. After his father dumped a load of soil, the 5-year-old Louis, who has become a social media sensation for making fidgety faces during public appearances, wore a look of determination as he shoveled sand and piloted a wheelbarrow under the watchful eye of his mother, Kate, the Princess of Wales. While paintin...

What’s behind Syria’s return to the Arab League?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The Arab League’s decision to re-admit Syria after 12 years of ostracization was a significant symbolic victory for Damascus, part of a larger regional realignment and an indication of the United States’ waning role, analysts say.But it may not immediately bring the reconstruction dollars that Syrian President Bashar Assad is hoping for, they say. Nor is it likely to bring the changes Syria’s neighbors want, such as an agreement on refugee returns and moves to reduce drug trafficking. Syria is returning to the Arab fold even though there is no sign on the horizon of a resolution to the country’s uprising-turned-civil war, now in its 13th year. The long-stalemated conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Multiple attempts to mediate a resolution have failed.The league approved Syria’s readmission at a closed-door meeting in Cairo on Sunday. It means Assad can attend the league...

Top challenger in Cambodian polls awaiting official approval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s National Election Committee announced Monday that 20 political parties have registered for July’s general election but nine of them still have not been approved, including the Candlelight Party, the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party.About 9.7 million Cambodians are registered to vote in the July 23 election to select the 123 members of the National Assembly.Prime Minister Hun Sen and his entrenched Cambodian People’s Party are certain to easily top the polls, holding all the advantages of incumbency. They dominate the field in terms of nationwide organizing, personnel, finances and influence with the mass media.The party has held an iron grip on power for decades and controls almost every level of government. Hun Sen, 71, an authoritarian ruler in a nominally democratic state, has held his position for 38 years. His eldest son, army chief Hun Manet, is widely expected to replace his father as prime minister afte...

Ottawa renews federal anti gang and gun violence program with $390M in funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

The federal Liberals are renewing their multimillion-dollar program to fight gang violence and gun crime.Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Monday the government is earmarking $390 million over the next five years for provinces and territories.Making the announcement in Mississauga, Ont., Mendicino said the money would go toward a variety of initiatives, including support for police and prevention programs.“These federal funds will be distributed to the provinces and territories for the purpose of giving law enforcement the additional people resources and supports that they need to get the job done, and to get the job done safely,” he said.The Liberals see the fund as a pillar of their efforts to reduce gun-related violence, which also includes stronger measures to address cross-border gun trafficking and legislation to place stricter controls on handguns and assault-style firearms.The House of Commons public safety committee, which is examining the gun-control ...

ASEAN relief convoy attacked in Myanmar; no casualties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — A convoy including diplomats representing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on a mission to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced people in strife-torn Myanmar has been ambushed, state media and a member of an ethnic minority militia said Monday.State-run television MRTV reported that the attack on the convoy with delegates from the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance and the Indonesian and Singaporean embassies occurred Sunday in eastern Shan state and was carried out by “terrorists.” The report did not say which organization the “terrorists” were from. The military government uses the term “terrorists” for a wide range of forces opposed to military rule.The report said the gunmen opened fire with small arms and the security team accompanying the convoy returned fire. A security vehicle was damaged, but no one in the convoy was injured, it said.The “heinous” attack made it more difficult for displaced people as the ...

Meta has team working to block news on Facebook, Instagram from Canadian users

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

OTTAWA — A representative for Meta says the tech giant has a team that is working toward blocking news for its Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram. Rachel Curran, head of public policy for Meta Canada, says the content-blocking team is preparing to end the availability of news on those social media platforms should the Liberal government’s online news bill pass.Appearing before the House of Commons heritage committee today, Curran says the company will remove news in a way that is careful, responsible and transparent.Curran says Meta will not remove other pages on Facebook unrelated to news, and that Canadian users will still be able to access pages for governments, politicians and emergency services.She says this is a business decision the company believes it is forced to make because it does not agree with the proposed online news legislation, which is currently at the committee stage in the Senate.If passed, Bill C-18 would require tech giants to pay Canadian media com...

Water levels peak, flood warning lifted for Grand Forks, B.C.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:36 GMT

GRAND FORKS, B.C. — The risk of flooding near the British Columbia community of Grand Forks has been downgraded from a warning to an advisory.After heavy rain and rapid snowmelt, the province’s river forecast centre says water levels in the Boundary Region have peaked, including on the Kettle and Granby rivers running through Grand Forks. The centre says rivers are expected to recede into the middle of the week but could rise again by next weekend due to more snowmelt at higher elevations.The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary became the most active flood zone in the province on Saturday, with officials ordering the evacuation of 40 properties in and around Grand Forks, not far from the Canada-U. S. border. On Sunday, the district rescinded the evacuation orders for 34 of those properties within the Grand Forks city limits, but also added one more rural property near the city to the evacuation orders list.A flood warning remains in place for the Lower Thompson Region inclu...