Singapore News Channel, Singapore News Network

Maryland Legislator Wants To Steer Low-Income Housing To Affluent Suburban Neighborhoods

A Maryland legislator wants to identify affluent suburban neighborhoods and target them for low-income, high-density housing.

House Del. Vaughn Stewart, a Democrat, wrote Jan. 3 that he will introduce �Homes for All� legislation that would �legalize the construction of modest homes in neighborhoods close to affluent schools, reliable transit, and good jobs.�

�For too long, local governments have weaponized zoning codes to block people of color and the working class from high-opportunity neighborhoods, pushing them to the crumbling margins of cities and towns. We must act boldly to reverse decades of these exclusionary policies,� he wrote.

Iran ‘threatens to hit Israel and Dubai if the US retaliates over missile attack’

Iran has threatened to bomb Israel and Dubai if the United States retaliates for its ballistic missile strike at two Iraqi bases housing US troops.

Tehran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing American troops in a revenge attack for the US drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Friday.

The Ayn al Asad airbase in western Iraq that was visited by Donald Trump in December 2018 and the Erbil base in Iraqi Kurdistan were both struck by the missiles on Tuesday at about 5.30pm.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the US and its regional allies against retaliating over the missile attack.

A colorful mural that shows the famous white 9/11 cross in Effingham, Illinois, has become the latest flashpoint over religious freedom, pitting atheists and a group opposed to mingling church and state against the legal group that saved the iconic American Legion peace cross in Bladensburg, Maryland.

Just before Christmas, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation asked Effingham to erase the cross depicted in a mural that also shows an American flag on an overpass near Effingham High School, claiming that it sends the wrong message to students.

�A mural that depicts nothing except a Latin cross alongside the American flag sends a clear message: that patriotism and religiosity are interrelated,� said the group in a letter to Effingham Mayor Mike Schutzbach.

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�Devastated� Muslim Demands Apology, Compensation After Biting Into Pork Sausage McMuffin From McDonald�s

United Kingdom � A �devastated� Muslim man is demanding an apology and compensation after he bit into a pork sausage McMuffin that McDonald�s accidentally served him.

Fida Hussein, 49, says he ordered an egg and cheese McMuffin without any meat, but a McDonald�s employee accidentally added pork sausage to the breakfast sandwich.

Hussein said he immediately knew something was wrong when he took a bite of the pork and said it left him �devastated.�

�I trusted them, he explains. �I was watching Judge Judy and bit into the McMuffin and knew instantly when I tasted it that it was meat.�

�The taste was horrible, I knew straightaway and spat it out. It�s just completely wrong. It�s a sensitive subject, it could happen to anyone, vegan or if a person is on a particular diet.�

McDonald�s has offered Hussein food vouchers, but he�s not happy with their offer and said it�s not enough.

Hussein called the mistake McDonald�s made �diabolical� and said the employees should never make mistakes.

Someone lured seagulls in shopping center parking lot, ran over them, killing at least 10

LAUREL, Md. �Laurel police are looking for whoever ran over seagulls at a shopping center Saturday, killing at least 10 birds.

The act, which police said was intentional, drew strong reaction Monday from shoppers in the Laurel Plaza Shopping Center.

“I feel like it’s disgusting. I feel like if you have the heart to do something like that, you went out of your way to do something like that, you’re a pretty sick person,” concerned citizen Amber Destefano said.

Police said Saturday morning, someone went into the Dollar Tree, bought pre-popped popcorn spread it in the parking lot to lure seagulls, then ran them over with a car.

Cardi B says she’s filing for Nigerian citizenship as she criticizes President Trump’s moves against Iran as his ‘dumbest’ to-date

Cardi B said she’s filing for Nigerian citizenship amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The Grammy-winning artist, 26, took to Twitter to react to the stream of memes that have made it onto the social media site speculating on the possibility of World War III when she made the revelation.

‘Naaaaa these memes are f***in but s**t ain’t no joke! … Specially being from New York,’ the singer, whose full name is Belcalis Marlenis Alm�nzar, said Friday.

Judge Judy backs Mike Bloomberg in her first-ever political advert saying he ‘will be a truly great president’ in ‘challenging times’

Judge Judy Sheindlin endorsed Michael Bloomberg’s presidential bid on Monday, explaining in a television ad for the former mayor why she was giving her blessing to a White House candidate for the first time.

Sheindlin issued her verdict on the former New York City mayor, saying his government and business experience qualified him for the top job in the land.

‘I’d like to say you can judge someone’s character by what they’ve done. Mike Bloomberg has done amazing things and will be a truly great president. No one comes close to Mike’s executive achievement, government experience, and impactful philanthropy. His steady leadership will unite our country and bring us through these very challenging times,’ she said.

Borden Becomes Second Big US Milk Producer to File for Bankruptcy

Borden Dairy Co. filed for bankruptcy late Sunday, becoming the second major U.S. milk producer to do so in recent months as rising milk prices and other challenges made its debt load unsustainable.

The Dallas-based company listed assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million in its Chapter 11 filing in Delaware. The company, founded more than 160 years ago, said in a statement that operations will continue as normal during the reorganization.

The bankruptcy filing comes less than two months after larger rival Dean Foods Co. filed for Chapter 11 in Houston. Conventional milk producers have struggled amid rising milk prices and competition from almond, rice and soy milk.

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U.S. Army Preparing To �Move Out� Of Iraq, Report Says

The United States Army has informed Iraq this week that it is preparing to �move out� of the country, according to an official letter.

The AFP news agency reported: �BREAKING US army tells Iraq it is preparing to �move out�: official letter.�

In a non-binding vote, the Iraqi parliament voted on Sunday to expel all foreign forces out of the country.

Wind Turbine Hearing Next Week

OCEAN CITY � With a public hearing looming next week in Ocean City on the size and scale of the proposed offshore wind turbines, resort officials are encouraging attendance from the public.

The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) next Saturday at noon will host a public hearing on the proposed changes in size of the offshore wind turbines for two projects approved off the coast of the resort. The PSC is holding the public hearing in response to changes in the size of the wind turbines due to technological advances since the two projects were approved in 2017. The PSC has cautioned the scope of next week�s public hearing, set for the convention center at noon on Saturday, January 18, will be limited to the turbine height issue and will not be open to a discussion of the validity of the two projects in general.

The public hearing as been long-awaited by the town of Ocean City, which, from the beginning, has not opposed the renewable, clean energy projects in general, but rather the distance of the turbines from the resort coast and the potential impacts on Ocean City�s viewshed and tourism, property values and the local economy. To be fair, both wind farm project developers have made presentations to the Mayor and Council in public meetings at City Hall during the process and there have been public hearings in other areas around the state, but next Saturday�s hearing, couched by the resort as the �Save Our Sunrise� hearing, is the first of its kind right in the resort�s backyard.