Connect with us

West

House Republicans sue to block Utah congressional map that favors Democrats

Published

on

House Republicans sue to block Utah congressional map that favors Democrats

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Two Republican members of Congress sued Utah’s top election official on Monday, seeking to block a court-ordered congressional map they argue was unlawfully imposed by a judge and tilts the state’s House delegation in favor of Democrats.

Reps. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, along with several other elected officials including county commissioners, filed a 31-page federal lawsuit challenging a redistricting plan known as “Map 1.”

The plaintiffs argue the map violates the U.S. Constitution’s elections clause by bypassing the state legislature, which they say holds exclusive authority to draw congressional districts.

They also contend that Judge Dianna Gibson violated the Constitution by rejecting congressional maps drawn by the Utah Legislature and imposing “Map 1,” a redistricting plan drafted by attorneys and experts for advocacy groups.

Advertisement

BATTLEGROUND GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO BLOCK WHAT HE CALLS DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING ‘POWER GRAB’

Rep. Burgess Owens speaks during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 27, 2021. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)

The plaintiffs said the redistricting plan had “never been introduced, debated, or voted upon by a single member of the Utah House or Senate.”

JEFFRIES SAYS GOP ‘DONE EFF’D UP IN TEXAS,’ VOWS THEY WON’T WIN FIVE SEATS: ‘THEY CAN’T IGNORE IT’

“Map 1 was instead drafted by attorneys and expert witnesses for the League of Women Voters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government, private activist organizations that possess no lawmaking power under either the United States or Utah Constitutions,” the lawsuit reads in part.

Advertisement

The plaintiffs are asking the court to convene a three-judge panel, invalidate “Map 1” and permanently block its implementation, a move that would prevent its use in the 2026 elections.

Rep. Celeste Maloy speaks during a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on March 11, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

They are also seeking to return redistricting authority to the Utah Legislature and, if lawmakers do not enact a new map, reinstate the state’s 2021 congressional districts.

Republicans currently control all four of Utah’s seats in the U.S. House under district lines approved by lawmakers following the 2020 census, according to The Associated Press.

The AP reported that Gibson found those districts ran afoul of voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards and replaced them with a new map that largely keeps Salt Lake County, a Democratic stronghold, intact within a single district rather than dividing it among all four.

Advertisement

“This lawsuit is not an effort to control political outcomes. It is not an attempt to advantage one party or disadvantage another,” Maloy, Owens and the other plaintiffs wrote in an op-ed for Deseret News. “It is not a referendum on whether districts should be competitive or compact or on how political balance ought to be measured. Those debates belong in the Legislature, where proposals can be introduced publicly, amended openly and resolved by representatives accountable to voters.”

Flags fly at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, 2026. (Sydney Schaefer/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We filed this federal lawsuit not because it was easy but because it was necessary. We seek no special treatment. We ask only that the U.S. Constitution be followed, that the Legislature be allowed to fulfill its lawful role under the federal Constitution and that Utahns retain their right to choose representatives through a process that is legitimate and accountable,” they added. “That is not radical. It is foundational. And it is worth defending.”

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

San Francisco, CA

Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss

Published

on

Giants Head Home to San Francisco After Shutout Loss


After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.

The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.

Advertisement

So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.

Advertisement

Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.

Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.

The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.

Advertisement

They just didn’t get the job done.

Advertisement

Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.

With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.

San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.

Advertisement

Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.

Advertisement

The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.

All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.

Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.

That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.

Don’t miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It’s completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Denver, CO

Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather

Published

on

Denver beekeeper says swarm season came a month early this year thanks to warm weather


DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.

Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.

“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”

A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.

Advertisement

“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.

This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.

“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.

He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.

“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.

Advertisement

With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.

McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.

“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.

Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.

“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.

Advertisement

Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.

“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.

As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.

“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.

To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Seattle, WA

Here, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026

Published

on

Here, Kitty, Kitty: Scenes from POP Cats Seattle 2026


A whimsical world of whiskers, creativity, and community took over Seattle Center this weekend as POP Cats 2026 returned for a celebration of all things feline. The immersive convention turned the Exhibition Hall into a vibrant ‘cat city,’ complete with colorful art installations, interactive exhibits and endless photo ops. From adoptable rescue cats and hands-on workshops to cosplay, shopping, and meetups with fellow cat lovers, the event blended fun with purpose. Attendees could even bring their own cats, making it one of the few conventions where pets are part of the experience. Felines and their human friends embraced a joyful, cat-filled escape and one meow-velous weekend in Seattle. (Image: Elizabeth Crook / Seattle Refined) April 18, 2026{ }



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending