Author: Albert Warren Austin

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was unsure if he would be seeking reelection next year were Republican rival Donald Trump not also trying for a second term. “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win,” the 81-year-old Democrat told a 2024 election campaign fundraiser in Weston, Massachusetts. Biden praised the “powerful voice” of former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney who warned on Sunday that the United States would be “sleepwalking into dictatorship” if twice-impeached former president Trump returns. He also mentioned the Atlantic magazine outlining what it said were the threats…

Fed up with iguanas occupying county parks, Miami-Dade wants to hire some reptile trappers to capture and kill the invasive intruders. Miami-Dade’s contracting arm posted draft solicitation documents earlier this month for planned “iguana control services” that an internal memo said could be worth a combined $700,000 a year. The county wants private companies to set traps in parks with large iguana populations, then dispose of the reptiles humanely. “The shooting of iguanas, pellet gun or otherwise, is strictly prohibited,” reads the draft solicitation, posted Nov. 16. “Euthanasia of iguanas must be conducted off-site in a safe and careful manner.”…

WASHINGTON – The U.S. will lay out the first international strategy for commercializing nuclear fusion power at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai, U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry will announce on Monday, two sources familiar with the announcement said. Fusion could have an important advantage over today’s nuclear fission plants that split atoms, as it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste. If deployed successfully, it could one day could provide a cheap source of carbon-free electricity. The former secretary of state will announce his plan to lay out the strategy – which foresees commercialization within years, not…

It was the Great Pumpkin Giveaway on Sunday as hundreds of kids were able to get their own free pumpkin when visiting Downtown Jackson. The event was filled with cider, donuts, and pumpkins. Organizers said the first 300 kids who showed up at the event received a free pumpkin. Century 21 was an affiliate to the event and Managing Broker John O’Dowd tells us how much fun kids are having in Jackson. “Oh, they love it. You know,” said John O’Dowd. “It’s kid-friendly and that’s what they’re looking for. It’s kind of like the start of Halloween and the season.…

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate who lost the race for Arizona governor but never conceded her loss, announced a run for US Senate in the western state Tuesday. A former TV news anchor, Lake made her move into politics by making repeated false claims about elections. She aligned closely with former president Donald Trump and has been floated as a potential running mate for Trump, who once praised Lake for her ability to constantly bring up election fraud. Lake has taken her election denials to court, so far unsuccessfully, in her attempt to claim she’s the rightful governor of Arizona. Her legal team has been…

In an interview with VentureBeat following yesterday’s Amazon announcement introducing the new large language model (LLM) powering its Alexa device, the company’s generative AI leader, Rohit Prasad, said Alexa is now a “super agent.” Alexa’s LLM is now integrated with “thousands and thousands” of devices and services, said Prasad, who joined Amazon in 2014 as director of machine learning on Alexa and now is SVP and chief scientist, artificial general intelligence. He told VentureBeat at Amazon’s new second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia that the model connects to the largest set of APIs he could think of. That means that now Alexa is…

Jackson residents won’t be asked to pay more taxes to fund next year’s budget. However, the mayor will be expected to operate with a 15 percent year-over-year budget decrease. At a special meeting on Thursday, the council voted on resolutions to maintain the current millage rate for the Jackson/Hinds Library System and Jackson Public School District for the 2024 fiscal year, and acknowledged that no additional tax increases for the city would be on the table. “Let the record reflect there is no proposed millage increase,” Council President Aaron Banks said. Homeowners in Jackson pay 63.03 mills in property taxes…

A new sports complex is coming to south Jackson in the old Jackson Square Promenade. The demolition phase of the project is underway at what’s now called the Jackson City Plaza. It will cost $500,000 to knock down a portion of the old strip mall to create a sports complex and education center. The Juanita Doty Sims Foundation is teaming up with former NBA player and Jackson native Erick Dampier to bring the project to life. “We have to show our youth that this is what city revitalization and growth is, where it comes from,” said Karla McCullough, the co-owner…

The suspect is said to have admitted the failed robbery and could now be jailed for up to 20 years. A bank robbery was thwarted after the cashier convinced the man to take a seat – only for police to turn up and arrest him in the lobby. The FBI said James Timothy Kelly entered PNC Bank in Hollywood, Florida carrying a mesh bag and handed over a note stating: “Give me the money.” The employee pretended not to see it, according to an affidavit detailing the case, and instead gave him a withdrawal slip. Kelly allegedly told her: “I am not…

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The founder of a Jacksonville mega-church has filed a lawsuit against the leadership of the church he left amid controversy. Stovall Weems and his wife Kerri filed the lawsuit in federal court in Jacksonville on Wed., Jun. 12. The couple accused the new leaders of Celebration Church of conspiring to force the Weems out. Last year, the church leadership accused Weems of owing the church more than $3 million. Weems stepped down from his leadership role at Celebration before that report was made public. Source : wokv