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Congressional leaders struck a deal to avert a government shutdown that includes a provision stating that the federal government will fully pay for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The provision also allows the Treasury Department to recoup at least some funds spent through insurance payments, as well as federal and state litigation related to its collapse.
A container ship called the Dali struck part of the Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26.
The incident sent shock waves through both domestic and global supply chains, having blocked a significant amount of shipping to and from the Port of Baltimore for more than two months.
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Maryland officials estimated the cost to rebuild the bridge to be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.
The new federal measure is part of a short-term government funding bill to avert a partial shutdown through March 14 to give lawmakers more time to negotiate a spending deal for the remainder of fiscal year 2025.
It is also one of several seemingly unrelated policy measures included in the bill that have angered members of congressional Republicans’ rightmost flank, who said they felt largely blindsided by inclusions.
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Federal and state Democrats from Maryland, however, praised the Key Bridge’s inclusion in the bipartisan deal.
“This has been a nine-month fight to make sure that Baltimore City and Baltimore County are made whole again. And now, we are able to secure the full funding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild which the Congress will vote on in the next 48 hours – this means so much to all of us throughout the state,” Rep. Kewisi Mfume, D-Md., said in a statement.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who also praised the provision and criticized House Republicans for objecting to it on Monday, before the final deal was struck.
“House Republicans have not signed off on 100% funding for the Key Bridge. The Senate has signed off on that. But we have not been given a good reason why House Republicans continue to object,” Van Hollen told local outlet 11 News. “That is the state of play as we speak.”
The short-term spending bill must pass the House and Senate by Friday, Dec. 20 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
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Neighborhoods
Missed the viral Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in New York? Couldn’t make it to the Tom Holland lookalike contest on Boston Common? GBH Kids and Boston Children’s Museum has the event for you.
The two groups are joining forces to host an Arthur the Aardvark lookalike contest on Dec. 20 in honor of the longtime PBS Kids show produced by GBH. The contest is set to take place at noon, rain or shine, in front of the Hood Milk Bottle, a representative from GBH said.
The representative said fans of “all ages” are encouraged to dress up as Arthur to compete in the contest. Participants may win prizes like Boston Children’s Museum tickets and the opportunity to have a photo of them dressed as the aardvark featured as Arthur’s official TikTok and Instagram profile picture.
GBH said attendees will have the chance to pick up some Arthur-themed swag at the event, and Arthur himself may even be around to snap some selfies.
The show, aptly named Arthur, was created in Boston for GBH in 1996 based on books by author Mike Brown. The anthropomorphic aardvark is known for his “signature look,” GBH said, which consists of a yellow sweater, blue jeans, and big, round glasses.
The Boston’s Children’s Museum even has an exhibit dedicated to the cartoon called “Arthur and Friends,” intended to encourage skills like “reading, understanding feelings, creative problem solving, and connecting with friends and family,” the museum’s website said. According to the GBH spokesperson, their “longstanding partnership” with the museum, and the exhibit, made the perfect recipe for a lookalike contest.
Doppelganger face-offs have had their share of viral moments lately, starting off with the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in November. Since then, multiple similar contests have sprung up around the country, including a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago, and yes, even a JFK lookalike contest here in Boston.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman P.O Joseph from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for future considerations, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.
Joseph is signed through the end of the 2024-25 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $950,000.
The 25-year-old defenseman has played in 23 games for St. Louis this season, tallying two assists.
Joseph has played parts of five NHL seasons with St. Louis and Pittsburgh from 2020-2024, including his first four seasons with Pittsburgh. In 170 career NHL games, the defenseman has recorded eight goals, 31 assists and 39 points.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defenseman’s best NHL season came in 2022-23 with Pittsburgh where he registered NHL career highs in goals (5), assists (16) and points (21).
The Laval, Quebec native represented Team Canada at the 2023 World Championship, helping Canada capture the Gold Medal.
Joseph was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft by Arizona.
NY officials call for federal action on mysterious drone sightings
After a series of reported drone sightings in the Northeast, New York officials called for federal action.
A Dec. 16 Facebook reel (direct link, archive link) includes a video of emergency vehicles surrounding what appears to be an aircraft resting on a guardrail on the side of a highway.
“Drone Crashes!” reads the post’s caption, which includes the hashtags #newjersey and #ufo.
The post was shared more than 1,000 in two days. The footage and a similar claim were also shared on Instagram.
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The video does not show a drone crash. The footage is from a Dec. 12 plane crash near the border of New York and Connecticut, according to media reports.
A deluge of reports of drones flying unusually in the northeastern U.S. began circulating in mid-November, with more than 5,000 sightings reported as of Dec. 17. The sightings have sparked concerns about national security and airspace safety, but federal authorities have said there is no public safety risk.
The video shared on Facebook, however, does not show a crashed drone. Rather, it shows a small plane that crashed along Interstate 684 in Westchester County, New York, on Dec. 12, killing one person and injuring another, according to various news outlets. Footage and images from the scene match the scene shown in the Facebook video, showing the same small white plane in the same position on the side of the highway.
Fact check: No, that’s not a crashed drone. It’s a TIE fighter replica
A Federal Aviation Administration report about the incident said the pilot reported engine issues before the crash.
The New York State Police posted about the crash on X, alerting drivers to traffic closures on Interstate 684. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also issued a statement about the accident on Dec. 12, which confirmed one person died and another was injured.
White Plains is about 100 miles north of New Jersey, where the Facebook video claimed the crash happened and where witnesses have been reporting supposed drone sightings since mid-November.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who posted the Facebook video but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories and PolitiFact also fact-checked the video
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