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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — BNSF will become the second major freight railroad to allow some of its employees to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without fear of discipline. The Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday that the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to let its roughly 650 dispatchers participate in the program that all the major railroads promised to join after last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio. “Rail workers deserve to know they’re safe when they’re on the job — and if they experience anything that compromises their safety, they should be able to report it without worrying if their job is in jeopardy,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg has been urging the railroads to improve safety ever since the February 2023 derailment. Until NS became the first railroad to sign onto the anonymous reporting system in January, all the major freight railroads resisted joining because they wanted the ability to discipline workers who use the hotline in certain circumstances. The Association of American Railroads trade group has said railroads were worried that the system could be abused by workers who try to avoid discipline by reporting situations a railroad already knows about. But the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the entire purpose of such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution, unions and workplace safety experts said. That’s especially important on the railroads where there is a long history of workers being fired for reporting safety violations or injuries. The Norfolk Southern program is also limited in scope. Only about 1,000 members of the two unions representing engineers and conductors who work in three locations on that railroad can participate. Besides Norfolk Southern and now BNSF, only Amtrak and several dozen small railroads use the government reporting program. Part of why the big railroads — that also include Union Pacific, CSX, CPKC and Canadian National — have resisted joining the federal system is because they all have their own internal safety reporting hotlines. But railroad unions have consistently said workers are reluctant to use the railroads’ own safety hotlines because they fear retribution. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City residents may soon see warning labels next to sugary foods and drinks in chain restaurants and coffee shops, under a law set to go into effect later this year. The rule requires food businesses with 15 storefronts or more to post a warning icon — a black and white spoon loaded with sugar — next to menu items containing at least 50 grams of added sugar. Businesses will also have to post the following written label to accompany the logo: “Warning: indicates that the added sugar content of this item is higher than the total daily recommended limit of added sugar for a 2,000 calorie diet (50g). Eating too many added sugars can contribute to type 2 diabetes and weight gain.” The city’s health department posted its proposed rule language last week and set a public hearing for late May. City officials and Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, approved the law last year. The rule is scheduled to go into effect June 19 for prepackaged food items and Dec. 1 for other items. Asked about the policy in a 1010 WINS radio interview Thursday, Adams said, “We have an obligation and responsibility as a city, not only to react to the healthcare crisis, but to be proactive to prevent some of the healthcare issues. Sugar is one of the leading causes of health-related items and issues and diseases.” “I say over and over again in my personal journey of health, “Food is medicine,” said Adams, a self-styled healthy eater who has claimed to be vegan but admitted he sometimes eats fish. The incoming rule isn’t a New York City mayor’s first foray into public health policy. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg got artificial trans fat banned from chain restaurants and required chains to post calorie counts on menus. He also banned smoking indoors at restaurants and bars. Bill de Blasio, the mayor before Adams, pushed a rule to notify customers of high sodium in foods. Critics of such regulations have long argued that officials are turning the city into a “nanny state.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — The decision by New York’s highest court to overturn the rape conviction of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 and helped launch the #MeToo movement. Here’s what you need to know about why Weinstein’s rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next: New York’s Court of Appeals found the trial judge in the rape case prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that Weinstein wasn’t charged with. In its 4-3 decision, the court’s majority said it was an “abuse of judicial discretion” for Judge James Burke to allow testimony from these other women about “loathsome alleged bad acts and despicable behavior.” “Without question, this is appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct that could only diminish defendant’s character before the jury,” they said. Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala had argued that Burke also swayed the trial by giving prosecutors permission to confront Weinstein, if he chose to testify, about his past history. He said Weinstein wanted to testify but opted not to because he would have had to answer questions about more than two-dozen alleged acts of misbehavior dating back four decades, including fighting with his movie producer brother, flipping over a table in anger, snapping at waiters and yelling at his assistants. Weinstein, 72, will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Weinstein has been serving time in New York, most recently at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has indicated it plans to retry Weinstein, which means his accusers could be forced to retell their stories on the witness stand. “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault,” the prosecutors’ statement said. Weinstein was convicted in New York on charges of criminal sex acts involving forced oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013. Weinstein maintains his innocence and contends any sexual activity was consensual. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ governor is blocking an attempt by Republican legislators to give the state’s National Guard a “border mission” of helping Texas in its partisan fight with the Biden administration over illegal immigration. Top Republicans in the Kansas House were considering Thursday whether their chamber can muster the two-thirds majority necessary to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of immigration provisions in the next state budget. The Senate’s top Republican promised to mount an override effort, but the House would vote first. Kelly on Wednesday vetoed a budget provision that would have directed her administration to confer with Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, and send Kansas National Guard personnel or equipment to the border. The GOP proposal would have helped Texas enforce a state law allowing its officials to arrest migrants suspected of crossing into the U.S. illegally. She also vetoed a provision setting aside $15.7 million for the effort. Abbott is in a legal battle with Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, which insists the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government control of border security. In her veto message, Kelly said border security is a federal issue and suggested that the budget provisions improperly encroached on her power as the Kansas National Guard’s commander in chief. “It is not the Legislature’s role to direct the operations or call out the National Guard,” she wrote. “When a governor deploys soldiers as part of a federal mission, it is done intentionally and in a manner that ensures we are able to protect our communities.” Kansas legislators reconvened Thursday after a spring break and are scheduled to wrap up their work for the year Tuesday. Republicans nationwide have expressed support for Texas, and Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson acknowledged Thursday that the $15.7 million in spending by Kansas would represent mostly “moral support” for Texas’ much larger effort. Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said the state constitution gives legislators the authority to pass laws to give directions to agencies under Kelly’s control. “She’s tied in with the Biden administration, so she’s not motivated to help solve that problem,” he said. Earlier this year, the Kansas House and Senate approved separate resolutions expressing support for Texas. Democrats said the Texas governor’s stance is constitutionally suspect and has created a humanitarian crisis. Masterson said Republicans would try to override the veto. However, because the provisions were tucked into a budget bill, it’s not clear that GOP leaders have the necessary two-thirds majorities in both chambers — though they would if all Republicans were present and voted yes. “We try to give all options available to support our border, support our fellow states and make sure our nation’s safe,” said House Majority Leader Chris Croft, a Kansas City-area Republican. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities investigating New York’s Gilgo Beach killings have launched a sprawling search of a wooded area on Long Island, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The case has fueled national speculation after years of dead ends. Months ago, prosecutors charged a New York architect with murder in the death of four of the 11 women whose remains were found buried along a remote beach highway in 2010 and 2011. Dozens of police canine units and officers started searching Tuesday through woodlands in Manorville, New York, the law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. The Suffolk County district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the suspect, Rex Heuermann, said only that the search related to an ongoing investigation. “The Suffolk County Police Department, the New York Police Department and the New York State Police are working with the District Attorney’s Office on an ongoing investigation,” prosecutors said in a statement. “We do not comment on investigative steps while they are underway.” Heuermann has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has said Heuermann denied committing the crimes. Investigators have insisted since Heuermann’s arrest that the probe is far from over. They said Heuermann, who lived in Massapequa Park across the bay from where the bodies were found, was probably not responsible for all the deaths. Some of the victims disappeared in the mid 1990s. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com