Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Bethany Blankley, Author at Baltimore Independent

Author: SHANNON NAJMABADI

First quarter Florida tourism continues record streak

In the first quarter of 2022, 36 million people visited the Sunshine State, a 39.6% percent increase from the same eriod last year, according to VISIT FLORIDA. It’s the third consecutive quarter that overall visitation to Florida has surpassed pre-pandemic visitation levels. “Florida’s latest visitation estimates are incredible news for our economy and all Floridians,” […]

Proposed regulations on rail industry will worsen supply chains, inflation, opponents argue

The Biden administration’s proposed new regulations on the railroad industry will have adverse economic consequences for the industry and consumers, a wide range of groups argue. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board held a two-day hearing this week on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) it issued earlier this year. One part of the plan is […]

U.S. senators introduce TRUCKERS Act to exempt non-U.S. citizen commercial truck drivers from vaccine mandates

Florida’s former governor and current U.S. senator, Rick Scott, and eight other Republican senators introduced a bill to exempt all non-U.S. citizen commercial truck drivers from vaccination requirements as a condition to transport goods into the U.S. It was filed one month after the Department of Homeland Security’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all foreign travelers entering the […]

Texas congresswoman, Texas sue CDC over air travel mask mandate

U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, represented by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the state of Texas are suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, challenging the constitutionality of its requirement that people wear masks on commercial airlines, conveyances, and at transportation hubs. The lawsuit is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme […]

Super Bowl could be latest casualty for California, in a trend where those potentially leaving California are eying Texas

With the NFL playoffs beginning, there has been speculation the league is considering another location other than Los Angeles for next month’s Super Bowl. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is open for business for Super Bowl LVI. Abbott’s pitch comes after businesses and residents have increasingly left California over the last two years for […]

Holiday travel to surge this year, with top destinations in Florida, California

Unlike last Christmas when many Americans were living in states still under lockdowns, an estimated 109 million people will be traveling out of town for Christmas and New Year’s this year, AAA reports, a 34% increase from last year. “Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the […]

New Mexico state senator leaves Democratic Party after winning lawsuit against governor

On the first day of the special legislative session on Monday, state Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, announced he was leaving the Democratic Party. Candelaria switched to become the sole Independent in the state Senate and the second in the state legislature, following a Republican in the state House who left the Republican Party earlier this year. […]

Four Republican women are running for Congress in Florida’s 13th Congressional District

Four Republican women are running for Congress in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, hoping to flip the seat, and the House, in the next election. Two are minorities; two were raised by single mothers in poor neighborhoods; two are small business owners. The Congressional seat represents a district spanning from Pinellas to Clearwater to St. Petersburg […]