brooklynite
brooklynite's JournalIntroducing Amtrak Borealis trains with Expanded Service between St. Paul and Chicago via Milwaukee
ST. PAUL, Minn., and CHICAGO – Tickets are now available for a second daily Amtrak service between the Twin Cities and Chicago, via Milwaukee: new state-sponsored Borealis trains originate from St. Paul at midday and from Chicago in the late morning. Travelers seeking a more comfortable, sustainable and productive choice than driving will have double the current rail options, starting May 21, 2024.
Amtrak Borealis coach fares start at $41 each way between St. Paul and Chicago for adults, with everyday discounts for children ages 2-12, students, seniors, veterans, military personnel and families, groups, and others.
Amtrak Borealis trains will offer Coach and Business Class in addition to a café car featuring regional items. Customers will enjoy wide reclining seats with ample legroom, no middle seats, free Wi-Fi, and views of the Mississippi River between St. Paul and La Crosse, Wisc., in daylight in both directions across Wisconsin.
The trains will make the current Empire Builder stops between St. Paul and Milwaukee and Hiawatha stops between Milwaukee and Chicago (see schedule). Another benefit of the Amtrak Borealis service is a new eastbound Amtrak origination from Ramsey County’s Union Depot in St. Paul.
“A second daily passenger rail service connecting St. Paul to Chicago via Milwaukee is a welcome addition to our transportation system, providing more choices and travel flexibility for passengers,” said Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger, Minnesota Department of Transportation. “We appreciate our partnerships with communities, federal, state and local governments, the host railroad CPKC, and Amtrak that were needed to get this service on-track, and to provide another safe, reliable transportation option. We look forward to continuing these partnerships as we work toward further building out passenger rail options in the Midwest.”
“This route includes eight stations in Wisconsin, and doubling the frequency of the service will better connect the many businesses, universities and tourist attractions along this corridor,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “This expansion is thanks to the work WisDOT was able to do together with Minnesota, Illinois and Amtrak, as well as the opportunities provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We will continue to work with federal and state partners to explore more passenger rail options in Wisconsin.”
“We are proud to collaborate with neighboring states and our federal partners to offer more Amtrak service in the Midwest,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman.
“Ensuring passenger rail that’s safe, reliable and accessible is one of the many reasons Illinois continues to distinguish itself as the transportation hub of North America under Gov. JB Pritzker.”
The new service is sponsored by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Amtrak now operates 29 state-supported routes with 18 state partners.
“Through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification Program we are working with grantees on dozens of other possible new Amtrak routes,” said President Roger Harris.
“Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, interest from state transportation departments and others for new or expanded Amtrak service across the country is at an all-time high.”
“This is a win for passenger rail expansion in America, and more importantly, it’s a win for a growing number of Americans who rely on passenger rail and benefit from it,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose. “Investments in rail have long helped Midwesterners and the region’s economy, and this new service will mean additional access for people traveling between Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois while contributing to economic growth.
“The Federal Railroad Administration applauds the strong partnership between the states and Amtrak, and through President Biden’s infrastructure package, we know even more progress is underway,” Bose added.
https://media.amtrak.com/2024/04/introducing-amtrak-borealis-trains-with-expanded-service-between-st-paul-and-chicago-via-milwaukee/
Arizona may be one vote away from a repeal of its Civil War-era abortion law
Arizona RepublicIndications are the closely divided Republican-controlled Senate will approve the repeal with not a vote to spare.
Arizona has been center stage of the national abortion debate ever since an April 9 state Supreme Court ruling upheld the 1864 law. It bans abortions in all cases, except to save the life of the mother, and imposes prison terms for doctors or others who aid in an abortion.
The ruling has divided the GOP majority at the statehouse, with a handful of Republicans in both chambers willing to join with Democrats to repeal a 160-year-old law that they feel is unreasonable and inappropriate for current times.
Police begin dismantling pro-Palestinian encampment at UW-Madison; multiple arrests underway
Source: Wisconsin State Journal
WISC-TV reported that just before 7 a.m., several police officers arrived at the encampment on Library Mall and played a recorded message on a loop saying that it was a final warning and that protesters were in violation of university code. About 20 minutes later, nearly 60 police officers, some with riot shields but not dressed in full riot gear, arrived and began removing tents and other items.
There were no initial physical clashes with police but just after 8 a.m., police began arresting some protesters. Law enforcement from the the Wisconsin State Patrol, Dane County Sheriff's Office Madison Police and UW-Police were on the scene, according to initial reports. Television images showed a line of officers between protesters and other officers, who worked to remove the encampment.
In an unusual effort to head off the disruptions that have rocked other campuses around the country, campus leaders and the UW Police Department warned students last week to comply with state law and university rules, which prohibit unauthorized camping on campus.
Read more: https://madison.com/news/local/palestine-protesters-uw-madison-police/article_d441cdd0-07b2-11ef-9d0a-4f3ceb9067e5.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
Police respond to UCLA after violent clashes break out amid dueling demonstrations
Source: KABC Los Angeles
People were beaten and hit with sticks as the clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters went on for roughly three hours before police intervened. At times, protesters would use barricades as weapons.
Before police arrived, a group piled on one person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them until others pulled them out of the scrum.
"The violence unfolding this evening at UCLA is absolutely abhorrent and inexcusable," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted on X. Later in the morning, Bass said she would be returning to Los Angeles early in wake of the incident. She was in Washington D.C.
Read more: https://abc7.com/clashes-break-out-at-ucla-amid-dueling-demonstrations-between-pro-palestinian-and-pro-israeli-protesters/14749246/
So, just to summarize (Columbia University)
The Police opened a window in Hamilton Hall and climbed inside.
They're walking out with arrested protestors one by one.
Have I missed anything?
Democrats retain upstate New York congressional seat in special election
Source: Associated Press
Kennedy defeated Republican Gary Dickson for the upstate New York seat, helped by a 2-to-1 Democratic registration advantage in the district, which includes Buffalo, Niagara Falls and several suburbs.
Kennedy has been in the state Senate since 2011. Describing Washington as “chaotic and dysfunctional,” he said he would focus in Congress on reproductive rights, immigration and stronger gun laws like those passed in New York after a 2022 mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
“New York has been a bulwark against Donald Trump’s extremist MAGA agenda that has infected our politics and our nation’s capital,” he said during the campaign. “The MAGA extremists have made the House of Representatives a laughingstock.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/special-election-congress-new-york-kennedy-dickson-e7b6956b577c63109491ccf805f0bc81
nb: this was never an at-risk seat.
in 2009, I participated in an NYPD emergency drill, as a victim of a subway explosion...
The Police weren't subtle coming in.
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Name: Chris BastianGender: Male
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