Democratic Governor Janet Mills signed a set of gun safety laws on Friday. These laws were approved by lawmakers after the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history. The new laws include expanding background checks for private gun sales, strengthening the state’s “yellow flag” law, making it a crime to transfer guns to people who are not allowed to have them, and improving mental health crisis care. The governor stated during her State of the State address that taking no action was not acceptable, following an incident in Lewiston on October 25th where an Army reservist used an assault rifle...

A high-ranking official from the Boston police crime lab confessed on Friday that the lab might not be able to comply with the state law that mandates rape kits to be tested within 30 days. The lab is admitting to its lack of leadership, which is now being closely examined. The lab director has been on leave since August 2022 after an internal investigation, as first reported by 5 Investigates earlier this week. Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn requested a hearing because he found out that the lab did not test about half of all rape kits within the required...

Iowa House Republicans acknowledge the challenges and uncertainties associated with a new state law on immigration. However, they believe that they had to take action because the federal government has not taken any action on this issue, according to Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley on Friday. Grassley talked about the new law and other subjects on Friday during the recording of this weekend’s episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa PBS. During the 2024 legislative session, Republicans in the Statehouse passed a law that allows Iowa law enforcement officials to arrest and deport migrants who enter Iowa illegally. Several law enforcement...

A survey conducted among almost 12,000 students attending Texas Community Colleges in fall 2023 shows that many students are struggling with the high cost of higher education. These challenges not only make it difficult for students to afford their education, but also make it harder for them to concentrate on their studies and receive support from their schools. The survey, done by Trellis Strategies, provides information about the negative effects of financial stress on community college students in Texas, both personally and academically. Financial Strains Affect Academic Focus According to the survey, more than half (56 percent) of community college...

A group of 17 states led by Republicans filed a lawsuit against a federal agency on Thursday. The lawsuit is about a new policy that requires employers to provide time off and other support to pregnant workers who want to have an abortion. The attorneys general in Arkansas and Tennessee are leading a lawsuit against new regulations that were recently finalized by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These regulations were made under the 2022 Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The EEOC included abortion as one of the pregnancy-related situations that employers must accommodate, even though conservatives disagreed. “According to Arkansas...

A proposed law that would make it mandatory for insurance companies and Medicaid to pay for weight loss medications for individuals who are obese or at risk of developing diabetes has passed an important step in the Colorado State Capitol. The bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, even though the Division of Insurance and Department of Health Care Policy and Financing were against it. Both people argue that the measure is too expensive. Legislative fiscal analysts have estimated that the state Medicaid system would need to spend $86 million in the first year alone. A study by the...

Colorado veterans have bravely served their country and deserve to receive all the benefits they are entitled to. Why do our veterans have to suffer when the Veterans Administration makes a mistake with their benefits? When you hear a story like this, it will make you feel very enthusiastic. I know that I felt very enthusiastic when I heard about it. This is another example of the government not paying attention to its actions, resulting in things going completely wrong. The Veterans Administration (VA) has faced criticism for several years regarding their use of taxpayer money to support veterans in...

Here’s some unfortunate news: If you reside in Colorado, there is a higher chance of your car being stolen compared to any other state. According to a recent study by the FBI, Colorado is the state where your car is most likely to be stolen. The study found that there were 851.70 reported car thefts per 100,000 vehicles in Colorado. Between 2012 and 2022, a study found that 45,883 vehicles were stolen in Colorado. According to Cale Gould, who works for the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority (CATPA), a part of the Colorado State Patrol, FBI statistics are based on...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) shared an update with the public about 10 gray wolves. These wolves were caught in Oregon and then released in Colorado’s Western Slope last winter. According to the information, two of the wolves are not sending signals from the GPS collars they were wearing when they were released in December. Someone else has passed away, probably due to natural reasons. The press release included a statement from the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) about the dead wolf. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found a dead gray wolf in Larimer County, CO on...

Trust is very important in almost every part of life. It affects our relationships, business decisions, entertainment choices, the brands we buy, and the businesses we choose to go to. Companies understand that they need to build trust with their customers in order to maintain long-term success. A survey was conducted in the United States to determine the most trusted brands in the country. By doing this, they also found the brands that are trusted the least. One finding was that the healthcare industry is the most trusted by Americans, while the legal profession is the least trusted, with only...