Comment on 98th regular Legislative session ends with historic tax cut, funding increases

By JOSH FUNK (Associated Press) Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the U. S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday, but officials said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat. The USDA said the virus was found as part of testing of 96 dairy cows that were diverted from the supply because federal inspectors noticed signs of illness during routine inspections of carcasses at meat processing plants.

By JONATHAN J. COOPER (Associated Press) Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Joe Biden and Donald Trump Friday of trampling on personal liberties in response to the pandemic that spanned their presidencies. Kennedy, who has long claimed to be a victim of government and media censorship of his unorthodox views, said Americans have lost faith in their leaders and institutions, and he pledged to restore it. “Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory, but I don’t recall any part of the United States Constitution where there’s an exemption for pandemics,” Kennedy said, referencing a New York Times report that he was diagnosed more than a decade ago with a parasite that lodged in his brain. “Neither of them upheld the Constitution when it really counted,” he said of the current and former president. Kennedy spoke at the Libertarian Party convention in Washington as he looks to grow his base of support among Americans disaffected with the Republican and Democratic parties.

By MORGAN LEE (Associated Press) SANTA FE, N. M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has rejected a request by Alec Baldwin to dismiss the sole criminal charge against him in a fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust,” keeping the case on track for a trial this summer. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Friday upheld an indictment charging Baldwin with one count of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Jersey electrician who repeatedly attacked police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U. S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison by a judge who called him “a menace to our society.” Christopher Joseph Quaglin argued with and insulted U.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump, at his rally this week in the Bronx, invited two rappers on stage who have been charged in a sweeping gang case, with one of them facing attempted murder charges. Michael Williams, better known as Sheff G, is a 25-year-old rapper whose songs and videos have millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams.

Eight people were injured Friday morning when an airboat hit a sandbar in Central Florida, officials said. The crash occurred in a canal near Partin Triangle Park in Kissimmee, according to Osceola County Fire Rescue. The boat had 11 occupants, and eight were transported to local hospitals. Fire officials said there were no trauma alerts. Everyone on board had life-saving devices, according to the sheriff’s office.