A state judge ordered that a controversial proposal on abortion rights be removed from the November ballot — delivering a blow to New York Democrats using the issue as a key campaign strategy.

A judge in Livingston County ruled Tuesday that the legislators had failed to follow the proper constitutional steps to get the measure on the November ballot.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and other Dem lawmakers around the state have been pushing the measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution — despite the Empire State already having one of the strongest abortion access laws in the country.

The move was part of the political strategists’ efforts to boost turnout in key swing districts in the state as the GOP’s influence grows in areas of New York, including Long Island.

https://nypost.com/2024/05/07/us-news/judge-nixes-controversial-abortion-rights-ballot-measure/

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has declared an “extraordinary animal health emergency” and imposed “the most comprehensive measures in the country” to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza.

“Producers must immediately implement robust biosecurity practices and create emergency preparedness plans and this order starts to address these on-farm risks,” Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring said statement last week.

“Implementing these measures must be the highest priority for every farm and agriculture worker,” he said. “Working together, we can combat HPAI and reduce the long-term impacts on our dynamic food and agriculture industry.”

The “Determination of Extraordinary Emergency, HPAI Risk Reduction Response Order” signed by Boring on Wednesday imposes a series of biosecurity practices on all Michigan dairy farms and commercial poultry operations.

Those measures include a biosecurity manager for every farm, a secure perimeter around poultry, cleaning and disinfection for people and vehicles, a log of all people and vehicles that enter farms, isolation of lactating cows until 30 days after the last HPAI case, and isolation of poultry “until such a time there are no new cases of HPAI in domestic poultry in the State of Michigan for at least 30 consecutive days.”

https://www.themidwesterner.news/2024/05/here-we-go-again-gretchen-whitmer-admin-issues-emergency-executive-order-over-avian-influenza/

The mayor of a small town in Illinois has been accused of sexually abusing young boys while working at a juvenile corrections facility, according to a bombshell new lawsuit.

Filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, the lawsuit viewed by DailyMail.com claims at least 95 victims were abused while staying at juvenile corrections facilities and lists several repeat abusers.

The longtime mayor of Eldorado, Rocky James, 59, is accused of harassing and assaulting at least six boys in the 1990s and 2000s. He has denied the allegations.

One victim, who was 13 years old when he was housed at the Illinois Youth Center Harrisburg facility, said James repeatedly groped him and made masturbatory gestures toward him.

'A few times during [the victim's] stay in the confinement unit, all of the mattresses were revoked from the confinement cells. During these occasions, James told [the victim] that he would give him his mattress back if he masturbated him or administered oral copulation on him,' the lawsuit said.

James has been the mayor of Eldorado since 2007 and in a March 2011 story for the Harrisburg Register, James said he had been employed with the Department of Juvenile Justice at the Illinois Youth Center-Harrisburg for over 26 years and held the title of juvenile justice supervisor.

A boy who was 15 to 16 years old in 2002 and 2003 said James and another correctional officer would force him to perform oral sex on them, penetrate him with their fingers and force the victim to have sexual intercourse with them.

In 2006 to 2007, another 15 to 16-year-old victim claimed James and another officer threatened to write him up and send him to confinement if he did not comply with their abuse.

'[The victim] was scared and uncomfortable but succumbed to their coercion. James put his hands down [the victim] pants and masturbated him, and then [another officer] administered oral sex on [the victim] and sodomized him while James watched and masturbated himself,' the lawsuit said.

One victim who was 16 years old when he was housed at the Illinois Youth Center Harrisburg facility in 2006 said James grabbed and slapped his buttocks on multiple occasions.

'On one occasion, when [the victim] was in his cell in the afternoon, James entered [the victims] cell, exposed himself and put his penis on [the victims] bare leg. James told [the victim] to 'be a good boy,' and he tried coaxing [the victim] to perform oral copulation on him,' the lawsuit said.

A victim who was 14 to 16 years old in 1999 when he alleged James abused him said hogtied him and force him to perform oral sex in order to be released.

James allegedly coerced that victim to sign a piece of paper confessing to sexually abusing another inmate in order to cover up the abuse that James performed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13391481/Eldorado-Illinois-Mayor-Rocky-James-sexual-abuse-lawsuit.html

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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/546098-whitmer-criticizes-gop-election-reform-in-video-featuring-fauci-pillow/

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dey all look so smug

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