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Chicago to move migrants from police stations to tent camps before winter under mayor’s plan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Nearly 1,600 migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. will be relocated from Chicago police stations to winterized camps with massive tents under a plan by Mayor Brandon Johnson, according to a report released Thursday.The relocations will occur “before the weather begins to shift and change,” Johnson said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.The tents could hold up to 1,000 migrants, he said, and the camps would provide meals and recreational and educational programming.Sixteen city shelters now house 13,500 migrants, with more arriving every day, at a cost to the city of about $30 million per month the newspaper reported.Johnson’s administration is working with the state and Cook County to create more shelters to relieve some of the pressure on Chicago, he said.“These families are coming to the city of Chicago. . . . If we do not create an infrastructure where we’re able to support and, quite frankly, contain these individuals who have experienced a great dea...

Teens killed in car by deputy in upstate New York were 15 and 17, police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

DEWITT, N.Y. (AP) — Two Black teenagers fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy in upstate New York as he tried to stop a stolen vehicle were 15 and 17 years old, authorities said Thursday.The deputy was in danger of being run over when he fired three shots into the vehicle near Syracuse on Wednesday morning, the Onondaga County sheriff said. Two of three people in the car were killed.The sheriff’s office identified the slain teens as Dhal Pothwi Apet, 17, and Lueth Mo, 15, of Syracuse.Pothwei Bangoshoth posted on Facebook that Apet was his son.“The traditional killing of the young people of colour is not something new in the US. RIP,” Bangoshoth posted. Noting that the deputy’s body camera was off when the shooting happened, he wrote, “Justice needs to be served accordingly.”The deputy was investigating a burglary at a nearby smoke shop in DeWitt, a suburb of Syracuse, when he responded to a 911 call about a group of people who had been seen transferring items between ...

Australian police are alleging a man killed a work colleague before fatally shooting himself

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

PERTH, Australia (AP) — A man who allegedly killed a colleague at an Australian grain silo Thursday died after turning the gun on himself, police said.The 25-year-old shot a man in his 40s at the silo in the town of Kellerberrin at about 8.40 a.m. and then fled the area, the Western Australia Police Force said.The police force issued an active shooter alert to warn members of the public to remain indoors as a search for the suspect got under way.The gunman was believed to be armed, dressed in camouflage clothing and on the move north of the town, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Perth, the Western Australia state capital, police said. A suspect was eventually located in a farm paddock about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Kellerberrin, Western Australian Police Regional Commander Rod Wilde said. Police on Thursday night said the 25-year-old had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.“Police were negotiating,” the commander told reporters, saying they had been talking to the ma...

California lawmakers vote to fast-track low-income housing on churches’ lands

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are considering nearly 1,000 bills during the hectic final two weeks of the Legislative session. Here’s action taken by the California Legislature Thursday:AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON CHURCHES’ LANDSReligious institutions and nonprofit colleges in California could soon turn their parking lots and other properties into low-income housing to help combat the ongoing homeless crisis, lawmakers voted on Thursday.The legislation would rezone land owned by nonprofit colleges and religious institutions, such as churches, mosques, and synagogues, to allow for affordable housing. They would be able to bypass most local permitting and environmental review rules that can be costly and lengthy. California is home to 171,000 homeless people — about 30% of all homeless people in the U.S. The crisis has sparked a movement among religious institutions, dubbed “yes in God’s backyard,” or “YIGBY,” in cities across the state, with a number of projects alre...

Joliet church owes SEC $300K, asking community for donations to help pay off debt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. -- Leaders of Messiah Lutheran Church in Joliet are praying for a miracle to keep the doors open after learning they owe the federal government hundreds of thousands of dollars by November.Messiah Lutheran Church has been around for more than 120 years and now are looking for help from the community to help raise $300,000 by Nov. 15. If they don't the church will be forced to close its doors.In 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against a local business claiming the business defrauded numerous investors.As part of that litigation, a receiver for the SEC was appointed to recoup money the business paid others, which included more than $780,000 in donations to Messiah Lutheran Church over ten years.Messiah Lutheran Church’s senior pastor Kurt Hoover says the money was spent on salaries, ministry, and daily operations."As a church you don’t have much of a reserve fund," Pastor Hoover said. "You’re really spending as much as you can every year on y...

Skilling: Cloudy, cooler temps continue into the weekend

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

THE COOLING TREND CONTINUES—and temps have moved into a BELOW NORMAL phase which is to hold each of the coming 9 days.  A TASTE OF AUTUMN IS ON ITS WAYIn fact, the season's first LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS are possible overnight into Friday morning as "NNE" winds runs southward the length of Lake Michigan give them plenty of time to entrain lake moisture.Lake effect precip occurs when you have the full fetch winds I just mentioned---but ALSO when cool air sweeps over COMPARATIVELY WARM lake waters---precisely the set up taking shape tonight.  Water temps average out to 73-deg while temps later tonight will have dropped to 46 degrees just a mile above. That steep vertical drop in temps—what meteorologists refer to as a "steep adiabatic lapse rate"---encourages lake warmed air to become buoyant and to rise, cooling as it does. This sets the stage for cloud—and ultimately scattered shower development.  Later in the season, when temps grow cold, this is the type of meteorologica...

'Largest number of claims ever filed': 17M people validated to receive Facebook settlement payment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The number of claims filed in the $725 million Facebook privacy settlement may constitute the largest class in a lawsuit in U.S. history, lawyers said in a San Francisco court Thursday. The administrator in charge of vetting claims has received more than 28 million applications for a payment, said Lesley Weaver, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the case. “As far as we can tell that's the largest number of claims ever filed in a class action in the United States," Weaver said. Of the 28 million filed, about 17 million have been preliminarily validated, meaning at least 17 million people will be getting a piece of the massive settlement if and when it's given final approval. Facebook’s $725M settlement is huge, but how much will you actually get? About 2 million claims were duplicates, 8 million were flagged as potentially fraudulent, and there were still about 1 million left to review, the lawyers explained. Once the total number of eligible people is finalized, w...

Justin Fields gets a major endorsement ahead of the 2023 season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears' top quarterback has a major endorsement deal as he gets ready for his third season in the National Football League. On Thursday, Reebok announced a new partnership with Justin Fields ahead of the season opener against the Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field. As of Thursday, they've posted a number of products in a section designated for the signal caller on their website.It comes as the Boston-based company looks to break back into team sports a the end of 2023, looking to increase the number of athletes endorsing its products along with its presence in major leagues. “Reebok holds an incredible legacy in the sports world that has always inspired me,” said Fields in a news release from Reebok. “Not only have they launched iconic offerings with legends like Allen Iverson and Shaq that shaped sports culture in the ‘90’s, but they also have the attitude and energy to reshape the future of Sport once again. I’m excited to join Reebok and help kick off this ...

Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro convicted of contempt of Congress

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

Peter Navarro, a former Trump economic adviser, was found guilty Thursday of contempt of Congress following a jury deliberation that lasted nearly five hours.Navarro faced two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a subpoena served by the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6. The first charge pertained to his failure to produce documents and the second was for failing to appear for a deposition. The former Trump aide stood off to the side of the defense table as the verdict was read — the same posture he maintained throughout the day-long jury trial. His face and posture remained unchanged as the verdict was read. Just after the verdict was read, Navarro attorney Stan Woodward called for a mistrial, claiming the jurors went outside during their break were exposed to protestors toting Jan. 6-related signs. Government prosecutors said they did not see any protestors outside the exit the jurors purportedly used. U.S. District Judge A...

Jury hears final testimony before sentencing in Sixth Street mass shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – ”Everything came crashing down,” Adriana Salazar said through tears while describing the Sixth Street mass shooting event June 12, 2021. Salazar was out with a friend in a different portion of Austin’s downtown. She told the court that she was passing through Sixth Street when she heard gunshots. “Next thing I know, I stopped moving. I just fell to the ground,” Salazar said. “It went through my whole right leg.” Police body camera footage showed her screaming in pain moments after being shot. Salazar’s femur shattered, and it took eight months before she could walk again. She told the court she has physically healed from her injuries but not emotionally. After a jury found De’Ondre White, 21, guilty Wednesday of the murder of Douglas Kantor in the Sixth Street mass shooting incident on June 12, 2021, the jury returned for the punishment portion of the trial. The jury will choose how long White must serve in prison—anywhere from five to 99 years. Whatev...