Advanced Search Close Search
Chicago Transit Authority lawsuit targets federal construction funding halted last fall
National
AP Wire

Chicago Transit Authority lawsuit targets federal construction funding halted last fall

  • By JOHN O'CONNOR - Associated Press
  • Updated

The Chicago Transit Authority has filed a federal lawsuit seeking the restoration of $2 billion in commuter rail expansion funding that President Donald Trump’s administration stopped last fall. The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. It argues that the administration acted arbitrarily in halting transit construction money for the city. The complaint names the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transportation Authority as defendants. The federal government says it is attempting to curb race- and gender-based contracting, which it believes is unconstitutional.

National
AP

Taking to social media to complain about hot subway rides? You're not alone, study says

  • By ALEXA ST. JOHN - Associated Press
  • Updated

A new study in the journal Nature Cities shows that as temperatures rise aboveground, the number of subway riders reporting uncomfortable heat belowground increases. Northwestern University researchers analyzed thousands of crowdsourced social posts for keywords related to being hot in underground metro systems in Boston, London and New York. This could be increasingly true as climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, makes the planet hotter. The researchers hope that the work influences heat mitigation efforts for commuters using underground infrastructure.

Huge snowstorm in the Northeast forces millions to stay home, disrupts flights and closes schools
National
AP Wire

Huge snowstorm in the Northeast forces millions to stay home, disrupts flights and closes schools

  • By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, CLAIRE RUSH, JULIE WALKER and ADAM GELLER - Associated Press
  • Updated

A massive snowstorm is pummeling the northeastern United States, forcing millions of people to stay home amid strong wind and blizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, and school and business closures. The storm hit the metropolitan Northeast as accumulations from an earlier snowfall had just melted away, except for gray mountainous piles in parking lots and along the side of roads. Officials have declared emergencies from Delaware to Massachusetts, and hundreds of thousands of people are grappling with power failure from downed electrical lines. Even as digging out began, the National Weather Service warned Monday that perilous conditions could persist.

National
AP

US weather, Mexico security concerns and halt of Global Entry take a toll on air travel

  • By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and RIO YAMAT - AP Business Writers
  • Updated

Severe winter weather across the northeastern United States, a partial government shutdown and security concerns in parts of western Mexico made air travel challenging Monday. Thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed on the East Coast as a powerful snowstorm upended routines in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and other major cities. Airlines also suspended or adjusted service to destinations in and around Mexico’s Jalisco state as violence erupted in the aftermath of a senior cartel leader’s killing. Travelers with Global Entry memberships faced potentially longer wait times upon arriving in the U.S. as well after the Department of Homeland Security temporarily halted the program, which gives pre-approved individuals an expedited way to clear immigration and customs.

All truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver's license tests in English
National
AP Wire

All truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver's license tests in English

  • By JOSH FUNK - AP Transportation Writer
  • Updated

All truckers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver’s license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Earlier this week, the Transportation Department said 557 driving schools should close because they failed to meet basic safety standards. The department has been aggressively going after states that handed out commercial driver’s licenses to immigrants who shouldn’t have qualified for them ever since a fatal crash in August.