Columbus news

• Columbus Metropolitan Club: Striving for Equity

  30-08-2017 23:42
  
  
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• Trump pushes tax overhaul to 'bring back Main Street'

  30-08-2017 23:29
  President Donald Trump launched his fall push to overhaul the nation's tax system by pledging Wednesday that the details-to-come plan would "bring back Main Street" by reducing the crushing tax burden on middle-class Americans, making a populist appeal for a proposal expected to heavily benefit corporate America.Trump said his vision for re-writing the tax system, a key campaign pledge, would unlock stronger economic growth and benefit companies and workers alike. He promised it would be "pro-g
  
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• Hilliard school plans relief effort for Harvey victims

  30-08-2017 23:29
  The images of devastation after tropical storm Harvey, served as motivation in Hilliard."It kind of just hurt my heart a little bit because I don't like to see other people in terrible situations," said Gina Vatelle, a junior at Hilliard Davidson High School. "So, I just thought what is something that we can do. And then my mom just kind of came up with this idea."Hilliard Davidson now has a two-fold effort. Vatelle is spearheading a class drive for donations."We are going to be having each clas
  
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• Ross County Humane Society heading to Houston to rescue animals

  30-08-2017 23:07
  The images of lost dogs and cats - wet, hungry and homeless from Hurricane Harvey - prompted Jen Thomas to take action. Thomas, runs the Ross County Humane Society.Wednesday people were dropping off food and supplies that Thomas will take to Houston next week.A dog rescue there needs room for all the animals that rescuers are finding in the flood water."We want to make sure to make space for those displaced dogs to come into their local shelters so that when families come looking for them they a
  
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• New prescription rules in Ohio aim to reduce addiction

  30-08-2017 22:32
  New rules go into effect Thursday limiting prescription pain medication for acute pain.It’s an effort to have fewer pills in homes and less chance of people becoming addicted.Governor John Kasich talked about the new rules alongside the state directors who helped create them.He talked about the drop in opiate prescription deaths and prescriptions themselves.Also, that this move is one more step in that direction.Now, for acute pain, like surgeries, adults will only get a seven day pain med
  
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• Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announces new bag and cooler policy

  30-08-2017 22:26
  
  The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is changing it’s bag and cooler policy beginning September 6.The new policy limits the size, type and storage of bags and coolers at the zoo.The zoo says guests are welcome to bring bags up to 22 inches long by 10 inches wide by 12 inches high and hard or soft coolers, without wheels, up to 14 inches by 14 inches.Guests can keep these items or place them in storage locations around the zoo.Bags and coolers left unattended outside of these areas will be confisc
  
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• The Nest Theatre Lives Again

  30-08-2017 21:52
  The Nest Theatre, originally open at 15 W. Cherry St. has reopened in Franklinton, bringing back a unique venue that creates room for comedy of all kinds. Owners Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto went through three buildings in their search for the perfect space, ultimately landing at 894 W. Broad St. and celebrating a grand […]
  
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• Faith groups rally to help after Harvey

  30-08-2017 21:13
  Several local faith groups are rallying together to offer aid to those in Texas who are victims of the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey. From small items to cash donations, faith groups are asking members to donate.
  
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• House GOP eyeing $1B disaster funds cut to finance wall

  30-08-2017 21:12
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is promising billions to help Texas rebuild from Harvey-caused epic flooding, but his Republican allies in the House are looking at cutting almost $1 billion from disaster accounts to help finance the president's border wall.The pending reduction to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief account is part of a massive spending bill that the House is scheduled to consider next week when lawmakers return from their August recess. The
  
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• Evolution’s Perfect Arrangement Takes a Skewed, Funny Look at Dark Period in US History

  30-08-2017 21:00
  Much has been written and performed about the horrific Cerberus of American paranoia: J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy, and Roy Cohn. Perfect Arrangement, Topher Payne’s  sharp, funny, and biting look at the human cost of that trio’s “Lavender Scare” opened at Evolution on Thursday directed by Beth Kattelman. Perfect Arrangement focuses on long-term State Department […]
  
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• Fentanyl, carfentanil and cocaine overdose deaths surge in 2016

  30-08-2017 20:57
  
  COLUMBUS – Ohio’s opioid epidemic continued to evolve in 2016 with stronger drugs driving an increase in unintentional overdose deaths, according to a new report released by the Ohio Department of Health.The report showed a sharp rise in overdose deaths involving the opioid fentanyl, the emergence of more deadly fentanyl-related drugs like carfentanil, and indications that cocaine is now being used with fentanyl and other opiates.Overdose deaths increased from 3,050 in 2015 to 4,050
  
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• As Political Landscape Intensifies, So Does the Women’s Fund

  30-08-2017 20:25
  It’s no secret that the nation is severely politically polarized. Wearing a particular red hat can get the word “racist,” “misogynist,” and any other -ist word thrown at you. You can witness a fight over any post, tweet or comment, watch hundreds go up in arms over the style of shoe First Lady Melania Trump […]
  
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• Roll Call: Shannon G. Hardin/Mitchell Brown

  30-08-2017 20:18
  
  
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• Tree limb knocks out power for thousands in Worthington

  30-08-2017 20:04
  
  Thousands are without power in Worthington after a tree limb hit a power line.According to city officials, the limb hit a line over High Street. Nearly 2,000 people in the area are without power.Thomas Worthington High School, Evening Street Elementary and Colonial Hills Elementary are without power while Kilbourne Middle School and Worthingway Middle School are without phone service.Worthington Schools said they will complete the school day and dismiss at the normal time.Authorities have closed
  
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• DNA helps identify victim in 1990 Licking County cold case

  30-08-2017 19:48
  
  The identity of a homicide victim in a Licking County cold case has finally been discovered, 27 years after her murder.According to Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp, a woman was found dead behind a truck stop in Hebron in April of 1990. She could not be identified.In October of last year, a DNA sample from a Louisville, Kentucky missing persons case matched the Jane Doe sample from Licking County.Through the missing person investigation, the Licking County homicide victim was identified as Pat
  
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• Trump says 'talking is not the answer' with North Korea

  30-08-2017 19:02
  
  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "talking is not the answer" to North Korea, after it upped the stakes in its standoff with Washington by calling for more weapons launches in the Pacific.Trump's morning tweet followed a highly provocative North Korean missile test Tuesday that flew over Japan, a close American ally.But his comment contradicted statements from his Cabinet officials and was likely to deepen confusion over his administration's policy on the nuclear thre
  
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• What grocery shoppers want: Low prices, one-stop shopping

  30-08-2017 18:46
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Donna Brown visited a Whole Foods for the first time in at least five months with one goal: see how much Amazon had cut prices. She did buy almond milk, yogurt and lunch meat, but doesn't plan to quit her usual grocers, Walmart and HEB, where she says she finds bigger selections and lower prices."I am a comparison shopper," says Brown, a part-time administrative assistant in Austin, Texas.Amazon made a splash right away as the new owner of Whole Foods, slashing prices Monda
  
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• Judge orders psych evaluation of Columbus terrorist suspect

  30-08-2017 18:46
  Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud will undergo a psychological evaluation before a judge sentences him for aiding terrorism and training in Syria with insurgents. U.S. District Judge James L. Graham said in his order issued Tuesday that he wants the evaluation "to determine the defendant's mental condition."
  
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• Ohio inmate dies after assault in prison recreation area

  30-08-2017 18:27
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities say an Ohio inmate was assaulted by another inmate in a prison recreation area and died the next day.The State Highway Patrol says it is investigating the attack that occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 at Mansfield Correctional Institution, about 70 miles northeast of Columbus.Patrol spokesman Lt. Robert Sellers says the victim was taken to a local hospital, then transported to a Columbus hospital, where he was pronounced dead Aug. 25. The prisoner's name has
  
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• Most dangerous intersections in Franklin County released by MORPC

  30-08-2017 18:23
  
  COLUMBUS -- The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) released its Top 100 Regional High-Crash Intersections list for the years 2014-2016. The top 100 intersections are ranked based on a formula that considers number of crashes, traffic volume and severity. The top 10 intersectionsin Franklin County include:East Livingston Avenue at Hamilton Road/Ohio 317Broad Street/Ohio 16 at James RoadCleveland Avenue at Innis RoadKarl Road at Morse RoadBroad Street/Ohio 16 at Lancaster Avenue/Reynold
  
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• Lawmaker to Consumer head Cordray: State 'political ambitions'

  30-08-2017 18:23
  
  Democrat Richard Cordray is facing increasing pressure to announce his intentions in next year's race for Ohio governor.House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, has written the 58-year-old Cordray urging him to reveal by Wednesday whether he plans to resign as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.Hensarling, a leading Cordray critic, also sought Cordray's "categorical denial" that political considerations are influencing his federal work. A message seeking
  
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• Floodwaters drop in Houston as Harvey takes a second swipe

  30-08-2017 17:16
  Harvey's floodwaters started dropping across much of the Houston area and the sun peeked through thinning clouds Wednesday in the first glimmer of hope in days for the besieged city. But the crisis was far from over, with the storm doubling back toward land and battering communities near the Texas-Louisiana line.The storm, meanwhile, began to give up some of its dead.The confirmed death toll from the hurricane climbed to 21 after a woman's body was discovered afloat in Beaumont. Also, the bodies
  
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• Floodwaters drop across much of Houston; death toll at 20

  30-08-2017 17:16
  
  HOUSTON — Harvey's floodwaters began to drop across much of the Houston area and the sun peeked through thinning clouds Wednesday in the biggest glimmer of hope in days for the besieged city. But as the crisis eases, the storm could begin to give up its dead."We have good news," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. "The water levels are going down. And that's for the first time in several days."The number of confirmed deaths rose to 20 when auth
  
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• US clears first 'living drug' for tough childhood leukemia

  30-08-2017 17:10
  
  WASHINGTON — Opening a new era in cancer care, the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first treatment that genetically engineers patients' own blood cells into an army of assassins to seek and destroy childhood leukemia.The CAR-T cell treatment developed by Novartis and the University of Pennsylvania is the first type of gene therapy to hit the U.S. market — and one in a powerful but expensive wave of custom-made "living drugs" being tested against blood cancers a
  
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• Ohio State football to donate $10,000 to help hurricane victims

  30-08-2017 16:46
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The devastation of Hurricane Harvey is on the minds of the Ohio State football team -- and so are the relief efforts.On Wednesday, coach Urban Meyer announced that the Buckeyes will donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross for its Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts.According to The Ohio State University, the players will each make a contribution, and Meyer and the assistant coaches will contribute additional funds to reach the $10,000 goal.The 2017 team includes seven pla
  
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• Ohio State football team will donate $10,000 to help hurricane victims

  30-08-2017 16:46
  
  COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The devastation of Hurricane Harvey is on the minds of the Ohio State football team -- and so are the relief efforts.On Wednesday, coach Urban Meyer announced that the Buckeyes will donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross for its Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts.According to The Ohio State University, the players will each make a contribution, and Meyer and the assistant coaches will contribute additional funds to reach the $10,000 goal.The 2017 team includes seven pla
  
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• Browns release cornerback Joe Haden after 7 seasons

  30-08-2017 16:05
  
  BEREA, Ohio — Former Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden has been released by the Cleveland Browns.Haden has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons. The Browns felt he was no longer going to help them and terminated his contract Wednesday. The team had been trying to trade Haden, who was one of its captains last season.The 28-year-old Haden made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014 before the team signed him to a five-year, $67.5 million extension. Haden's departure leaves the Browns, who went 1-
  
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• Restaurant Review: Ranchero Kitchen

  30-08-2017 16:00
  Ranchero Kitchen sits in a strip mall on Morse Road just East of 71. It should be easy to get to, but things can go catywaumpus on Morse, and here, Siri suggests an adventurous path that includes driving over a lawn. It’s worth the ride. With a shimmering chandelier at the center of the joint, […]
  
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• Office Suites Concept Coming to Hilliard and Westerville

  30-08-2017 16:00
  Indianapolis-based Elevate Office Suites is expanding into the Columbus region with plans to build new office buildings in Hilliard and Westerville. The Hilliard proposal calls for a two-story, 36,000 square foot building on the northwest corner of Britton Parkway and Davidson Road, just west of I-270. Work could start as soon as November on the […]
  
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• Joel Osteen blames 'false narrative' for Harvey criticism

  30-08-2017 15:56
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Joel Osteen is defending the decision not to open his Houston megachurch as a shelter during the initial flooding from Harvey in the face of withering criticism on social media.The televangelist maintained on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday that his Lakewood Church was inaccessible due to floodwaters during the early part of the storm. He says the 16,000-seat former basketball arena is prone to flooding and that "the last thing we would do is put people in it right at
  
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• Elliott appeal to NFL over domestic case headed for 2nd day

  30-08-2017 15:51
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Dallas running back and former Ohio State player Ezekiel Elliott's appeal of his six-game suspension for domestic violence is headed for a second day with no timeline for completion of the hearing.The appeal before arbitrator Harold Henderson is held at an undisclosed location. The NFL suspended its 2016 rushing leader after concluding he was physically abusive toward his then-girlfriend in Ohio last summer. Prosecutors declined to pursue the case.The league's letter detail
  
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• Former Expedia CEO takes helm of Uber on Wednesday

  30-08-2017 15:38
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — New Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will begin work with an employee meeting Wednesday morning at the company's San Francisco headquarters.The ride-hailing company confirmed late Tuesday in a note to employees that the former Expedia CEO had accepted the top job. The note says Uber's eight-member board voted unanimously to offer him the job on Sunday.Khosrowshahi has led Expedia since 2005 and helped to build it into one of the largest travel booking sites in the world. Ana
  
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• Public schools grappling with Confederate names, images

  30-08-2017 15:25
  
  With a new school year dawning, education officials are grappling with whether to remove the names, images and statues of Confederate figures from public schools — especially since some are now filled with students of color.The violence at a white nationalist rally over a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, is giving school officials a new reason to reconsider whether it's appropriate for more than 100 schools to be named after Confederate generals and politicians from the O
  
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• Harvey horror: Shivering tot found clinging to drowned mom

  30-08-2017 15:25
  
  BEAUMONT, Texas — Authorities found a shivering toddler clinging to the body of her drowned mother in a rain-swollen canal in Southeast Texas after the woman tried to carry her child to safety from Harvey's floods.Capt. Brad Penisson of the fire-rescue department in Beaumont said the woman's vehicle got stuck Tuesday afternoon in the flooded parking lot of an office park just off Interstate 10. Squalls from Harvey were pounding Beaumont with up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain an hour a
  
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• Harvey horror: Shivering girl, 3, found clinging to drowned mom

  30-08-2017 15:25
  
  DALLAS — Authorities found a shivering 3-year-old clinging to the body of her drowned mother in a rain-swollen canal in Southeast Texas after the woman tried to carry her child to safety from Harvey's floods.Beaumont police on Wednesday identified the mother as 41-year-old Colette Sulcer and said her daughter was being treated for hypothermia but doing well.Capt. Brad Penisson of the fire-rescue department in Beaumont said the woman's vehicle got stuck Tuesday afternoon in the flooded park
  
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• Teen jailed after loaded handgun found at Ohio school

  30-08-2017 15:21
  
  A 14-year-old boy has been jailed after a loaded handgun was found in his backpack at a central Ohio high school.The gun was found during a search of bags inside a classroom Tuesday at Sidney High School after a girl told a teacher about a text message chain that said a ninth-grader had showed other students a gun.School officials pinpointed a classroom where they believed the gun was, told students to leave and found the weapon.The Sidney schools superintendent says no threats were made. He sai
  
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• Fiery crash kills 84-year-old woman, injures 2 other drivers

  30-08-2017 15:19
  
  The Ohio State Highway Patrol says an 84-year-old woman was killed and two other people were hospitalized in a fiery three-vehicle crash in northeastern Ohio.Police say Joanne Grogan, of Montville, failed to stop for a stop sign in Geauga County on Tuesday and slammed into the side of a large truck. The impact caused the vehicles to then collide with a pickup truck driven by a 64-year-old Willowick man.Police say all three vehicles caught fire.Grogan was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash
  
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• Medical examiner rules 15-month-old's death a homicide

  30-08-2017 15:18
  
  The death of a 15-month-old girl near Cleveland has been ruled a homicide.A medical examiner said Tuesday that Morgan Dillard suffered blunt impact injuries to the head and abdomen, including a fractured skull. The girl was found unresponsive Saturday morning at a Warrensville Heights home and died later that day at a hospital.The girl's mother, La'Shea Mitchell, says the child was being watched by a family member.No charges have been announced. Police and prosecutors continue to investigate.
  
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• Some recall Sandy struggle as Congress ponders Harvey relief

  30-08-2017 14:48
  
  Republicans from New York and New Jersey are pledging unconditional support for those devastated by Hurricane Harvey. But their resentment lingers.But as historic floods wreaked havoc across the Gulf Coast, Northeastern Republicans recalled with painful detail the days after Superstorm Sandy ravaged their region in 2012. At the time, Texas' Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, overwhelmingly opposed a disaster relief package they argued was packed with wasteful spending.The debate delayed
  
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• Judge to hear Ohio killer's request to delay execution

  30-08-2017 14:44
  
  A judge plans to hear arguments from lawyers trying to delay the September execution of a condemned Ohio killer.Attorneys for death row inmate Gary Otte argue the state hasn't shown it can ensure inmates are rendered deeply unconscious during lethal injection.The attorneys say that puts the 45-year-old Otte at risk of suffering serious pain from two of the three drugs that Ohio uses.Magistrate Judge Michael Merz has scheduled a Sept. 6 hearing in federal court in Dayton for arguments by Otte's l
  
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• Southfield Sidewalks Expansion 8/29/17

  30-08-2017 14:23
  
  
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• Columbus man given 13-plus years for trafficking heroin

  30-08-2017 14:14
  A Columbus man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for trafficking heroin.
  
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• Mattis assembling panel to discuss transgender troops

  30-08-2017 12:55
  
  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is assembling a panel of experts to discuss the matter of openly transgender individuals already serving in the U.S. military.President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely a ban on transgender individuals joining the military, but he gave Mattis the authority to decide those already serving.Mattis says in a statement released Tuesday that the Pentagon, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, will develop a plan that "
  
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• Ohio bill would protect campus speakers, punish disrupters

  30-08-2017 12:43
  A Republican proposal in Ohio seeks to protect speakers' appearances at Ohio colleges and calls on campuses to punish students who disrupt them.State Reps. Wesley Goodman, of Cardington, and Andrew Brenner, of Powell, announced the Campus Free Speech Act Tuesday.It would restrict creation of campus "free speech zones" and require colleges to establish sanctions for students who interfere with "the free expression of others." Campuses could be sued if someone feels First Amendment rights were res
  
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• Closures on I-270 as crews work to clean up overturned semi, smoldering cat food

  30-08-2017 11:15
  
  The Ohio Department of Transportation has closed the far right lane on I-270 south between Cemetery Road and Roberts Road to remove an overturned tractor trailer that crashed overnight.The ramp from eastbound Cemetery Road to I-270 south will also be closed.Detour: I-270 north to Tuttle Crossing Blvd. to I-270 south.ODOT says it's unclear when the closures will be lifted, because smoldering cat food has to be removed before the overturned semi can be towed away.If the mess is not cleaned up by t
  
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