logo
‘Peace is possible;' NATO public forums begin with reflection on Dayton Peace Accords

‘Peace is possible;' NATO public forums begin with reflection on Dayton Peace Accords

Yahoo23-05-2025

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is holding several public forums over the weekend.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Friday morning's panel was at the University of Dayton and covered the Dayton Peace Accords that helped to end the Bosnian War 30-years-ago.
They discussed the role NATO, the EU and the Dayton Peace Accords can play in ongoing present-day diplomacy in the Balkan region.
TRENDING STORIES:
Dayton issues apology for 'unexpected' fireworks that sparked concerns
Fire department gives inside look at command center
Airport weather equipment not working moments before plane crash that killed Dayton musician
In 1995, Elmedin Konakovic was a 17-year-old soldier in the Bosnian War.
'I'm sitting today and negotiating the future of my country with the people I was literally fighting against 30 years ago,' Konakovic said. 'It's much better than war, trust me. It's complex, it's complicated and it's not easy. We have many political issues, but it's much better than war. So that's possible. Diplomacy is possible, peace is possible.'
More panels are scheduled over a variety of topics through Sunday afternoon.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Georgia Senator introduces bipartisan ‘BARK Act' to help animal shelters get supplies, donations
Georgia Senator introduces bipartisan ‘BARK Act' to help animal shelters get supplies, donations

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Georgia Senator introduces bipartisan ‘BARK Act' to help animal shelters get supplies, donations

U.S. Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock is working to pass a bipartisan bill aimed at making it easier for animal shelters to take in pet food and donated supplies. Working with North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, Warnock introduced the Bring Animals Relief and Kibble Act, or the BARK Act. According to the senator's office, the bill encourages giving supplies to shelters by providing liability protections for good-faith donations of pet food and supplies. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'Georgia animal shelters around the state are struggling to keep their doors open, we should make it easier for local businesses to donate pet food and supplies,' Warnock said in a statement. 'This common-sense, bipartisan legislation protects good-faith donations, making the donation process easier and less stressful, allowing much needed resources to go to dogs and cats waiting for adoption instead of being thrown away.' The bipartisan effort to pass the bill is not restricted to the U.S. Senate. TRENDING STORIES: Legendary basketball coach in DeKalb accused of spanking players Explosion rocks Villa Rica after outbuilding at ammo supply shop catches fire Risk for strong to severe storms late Friday, active weather pattern this weekend In the U.S. House of Representatives, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Young Kim of California introduced the BARK Act's companion legislation. Echoing the reasoning, Tillis said he supported the bill because 'every year, pet stores throw out surplus pet food, which could easily be donated to feed hungry pets in animal shelters." According to Warnock's office, Georgia shelters are facing overcrowding an rising costs, and the bipartisan legislation would support these overwhelmed shelters, and others across the United States, while reducing waste. 'No shelter pet should have to go hungry when so many pet stores have a surplus of readily available food,' Tillis added. The BARK Act was endorsed by the Humane World Action Fund, Best Friends Animal Society, Pet Food Institute and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Georgia Public Service Commission races focus on high power bills
Georgia Public Service Commission races focus on high power bills

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Georgia Public Service Commission races focus on high power bills

Georgia's Public Service Commission gets a rare turn at the top of the ballot in 2025, a chance to focus public attention on a regulatory body that sets rates and oversees generation plans for Georgia Power, which serves 2.3 million customers statewide. Four Democrats and two Republicans are running in June 17 primaries. Early voting has begun and continues through June 14. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Georgia Power customers have seen bills rise six times in recent years because of higher natural gas costs, construction projects including two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, and other factors. A typical Georgia Power residential customer now pays more than $175 a month, including taxes. All the challengers are calling for change, while Republican incumbent Tim Echols defends his record. The five-member commission, currently all Republicans, also oversees some natural gas rates for Atlanta Gas Light and Liberty Gas. Through Wednesday, turnout has been microscopic, with 15,000 ballots cast on the Democratic side and fewer than 10,000 in the GOP race. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] There are two separate primary elections taking place. A voter can choose either a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. In each race, candidates must live in a certain district, but run statewide. In the District 2 race, Lee Muns of Harlem is challenging Echols, who lives in Hoschton. Echols has been on the Public Service Commission since 2011. The winner will face Democrat Alicia Johnson in November. In the District 3 race, four Democrats are vying to challenge Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in November. They are Daniel Blackman, Peter Hubbard and Keisha Waites of Atlanta and Robert Jones of Brookhaven. If no Democrat wins a majority June 17, a runoff will be held July 15. Georgia usually doesn't have statewide elections in odd-numbered years, but these were pushed back after elections were delayed by a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged the statewide voting scheme as discriminatory to Black people. No Georgia Public Service Commission elections have been held since 2022 because of the lawsuit. Johnson was appointed to the commission in 2021 by Gov. Brian Kemp and has never faced voters. He was supposed to run for the last two years of his predecessor's term in 2022. Instead, the District 3 winner can run again next year for a six-year term, after lawmakers rewrote the terms. Echols was supposed to run for a six-year term in 2022. Instead, the District 2 winner will serve for five years, with the next election in 2030. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger disqualified Blackman from the ballot, ruling he hadn't moved into Fulton County, part of District 2, before the required year before the election. But a judge decided Blackman could remain on the ballot until the judge rules on Blackman's appeal. Blackman lost a 2020 race for the commission and was appointed by President Joe Biden as southern region administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Blackman said he moved to Atlanta in October. But he voted in Forsyth County in November and didn't switch his registration to Fulton County until April. Blackman said he's not backing down, though. 'There's a legal ongoing process happening right now,' he said. 'We have been deemed to be back on the ballot.' Echols touts a three-year freeze in rates agreed to by Georgia Power and commission staff, calling it 'the most important thing the commission can do right now.' 'The inflation in this economy has been brutal and put many people in a difficult situation,' Echols wrote in a statement. But Muns and the Democrats running in District 3 argue bills are too high. Some of them say the commission will give Georgia Power a free pass if its approves the freeze. Blackman says the company should agree to extend the rate freeze to five years 'if they really want to be serious about addressing high power costs in Georgia.' Muns, who founded a construction company and previously served on the Columbia County school board, is among candidates who say the commission should lower the financial return that Georgia Power is allowed to earn on money it has invested in power plants and transmission lines. That rate of return drives the $2.5 billion in profit that Georgia Power contributed last year to its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co. Jones, who worked for California's utility regulator, a phone company and Microsoft, called the rate freeze 'atrocious' saying it props up Georgia Power's rate of return. 'I feel the commission is not doing enough deep scrutiny of the operating expenses and of the financials of the company,' Jones said. Hubbard, a green energy advocate, said it would be cheaper to shift toward solar power stored by batteries, instead of building more natural gas plants. 'Renewables, battery storage, some of these other solutions, are the fiscally conservative, least cost, most economical options,' Hubbard said. Waites, a former state House member and former Atlanta City Council member, said she's not an energy expert. 'But I am someone that just like you works hard, and at the end of the day, I just want to get a fair return in terms of what my cost is in terms of what I am paying,' she said at a recent candidate forum.

Sandy Springs homeowners may see lower water bills
Sandy Springs homeowners may see lower water bills

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Sandy Springs homeowners may see lower water bills

Sandy Springs homeowners may soon pay less on their water bills. A lawsuit ruling found the city is paying too much for the water it gets from Atlanta. The City of Atlanta plans to appeal the decision. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The water wars between Atlanta and Sandy Springs started before the north Fulton city formed 20 years ago. Each water customer in Sandy Springs pays extra each month to Atlanta, which supplies the water. But a judge serving as a 'special masters' ruled that the surcharge is arbitrary and state law says Atlanta can only charge what it costs to treat and deliver that water. 'Hopefully that will lead to some type of agreement between Atlanta and Sandy Springs," Mayor Rusty Paul told Channel 2 Action News. TRENDING STORIES: Lyft driver taken hostage in lobby of Dawson County Sheriff's Office, officials say Dashcam video shows suspect lead GA deputies on 115 mph chase 'That's problematic:' Woman accused of taking money from homeowners instead of cutting down trees Paul said that should mean a significant reduction in water rates: more than 20%. 'The judge decided that yes, it is cheaper to serve Sandy Springs then it is to parts of the city of Atlanta, because we're closer to the water source,' the mayor said. He also hopes any agreement will include the needed maintenance and upgrades to the water system. Paul says there have been no improvements in Sandy Springs since it became a city. The City of Atlanta plans to fight the judge's decision. 'The city will file an objection to the recommendation of the special master and explore all additional legal options up to and including an appeal when appropriate," a spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store