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New York governor dodges questions on who paid for her trip to wartime Israel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is refusing to disclose who paid for her to travel to wartime Israel last week for a self-described solidarity mission, a trip that her office said is still awaiting clearance from a state ethics board.The Democratic governor and a handful of staff and state police were in Israel between Oct. 18 and Oct. 20, meeting with government officials and families displaced by the conflict, while touring various parts of the country. Hochul, who as governor has no direct role in diplomatic affairs, has sidestepped multiple questions on who funded the trip, with her office saying only that a nonprofit group had pledged to cover the costs. She has said taxpayers paid for her state police detail. “I just said I have to get over there. Follow all the ethics rules and get me there,” Hochul said this week when asked about the trip’s funding, directing follow-up questions to a spokesperson. In an email, Hochul spokesperson Avi Small wrote, “...

‘I know who I am:’ Buffy Sainte-Marie calls Indigenous identity questions hurtful

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

Buffy Sainte-Marie, a musician known for decades of Indigenous activism, says she’s always been honest that she doesn’t know the identity of her birth parents ahead of a CBC report expected to question her First Nations ancestry. “I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know. Which is why to be questioned in this way today is painful,” Sainte-Marie said Thursday in a statement.“To those who question my truth, I say with love, I know who I am.”Sainte-Marie, who’s in her early 80s, said she was contacted last month by CBC and called allegations about her identity “deeply hurtful.” CBC’s investigative show “The Fifth Estate” is scheduled to air an episode titled “Making an Icon” on Friday. A description of the episode does not name Sainte-Marie but says an icon’s “claims to Indigenous ancestry are being called into question by family members” and its investigation includes genealogical documentation and historical research.Chuc...

Sudan’s army and rival paramilitary force resume peace talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — The Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force resumed peace talks Thursday in a new push to end the nearly seven-month conflict between Sudan’s warring factions, Saudi Arabia said.The revived talks between representatives from the Sudanese army, led by Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Force paramilitary, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, are underway in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, the kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The talks are being brokered by both Riyadh and Washington, the statement said.The RSF and the army both confirmed on Wednesday that they would participate in the talks.Sudan was plunged into chaos in mid-April, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas across the east African nation.The conflict has reduced the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields, wrecking the country’s already dilapidated infrastructu...

Rogers shuts down CityNews Ottawa radio station, lays off newsroom staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

Rogers Communications Inc. is closing its CityNews Ottawa radio station and laying off newsroom staff, citing dwindling audiences and regulatory challenges.Rogers Sports & Media spokeswoman Charmaine Khan said the closure of the station, formerly known as 1310NEWS, is “due to low audiences, declining revenue and restrictive regulatory policies for AM radio.”In a statement, she called it a “difficult decision.”“We deeply appreciate and thank our listeners, and all the employees and contributors for their dedication over the years,” Khan said.The number of employees cut is less than 10. Khan said the layoffs were effective Thursday.Khan said the outlet would maintain an online presence supported by two digital reporters, allowing audiences to get news, traffic and weather updates through the CityNews Ottawa website and its social media channels.No other CityNews radio or television stations are affected by the closure.“The station had ongo...

Maine passed a law to try to prevent mass shootings. Some say more is needed after Lewiston killings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Barely four years before a gunman’s deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives.It was called a “yellow flag” law, different from the “red flag” laws cropping up in other states to seize weapons from gun owners viewed as a threat. In a sign of the pro-Second Amendment mindset in Maine, a gun-rights group helped write the law, and critics said that, while it was a first step toward stronger gun safety measures, the state could save more lives by doing more — like passing a red flag law.The yellow flag law and permissive gun measures in Maine are coming under greater scrutiny in the aftermath of a massacre that authorities say was carried out by a man who was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer and had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.It w...

Suspected accomplice charged in St. Charles home invasion that left 1 dead, 1 wounded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — A second person wanted in connection with a January home invasion that left one man dead and another injured is now in police custody, officials said Thursday. Jose Melendez was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 25, more than 10 months after the Jan.14 double shooting-home invasion in the 100 block of Walnut Drive. Melendez is charged with several felonies, including first-degree attempted murder, two counts of home invasion and unlawful use of a weapon by a convicted felon.In January, Kane County prosecutors also implicated 26-year-old Panagiotis Koutroumbis with similar charges for his alleged role in the attack. RECENT ST. CHARLES NEWS: St. Charles police arrest 5 in human trafficking case in suburbs, ChicagoInvestigators conclude that Melendez, Koutroumbis and 26-year-old James Gherardini entered the St. Charles-area apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door. Once inside, the group reportedly zip-tied the hands of several occupants and demanded undisc...

17-year-old boy dies after accidental fall in Round Lake Beach backyard: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. — A 17-year-old boy has died after an accidental fall in his own backyard in Round Lake Beach.It happened just after midnight Thursday in the 2000 block of Evergreen Lane. According to police, the teen appears to have been climbing a fence in the backyard of his home when he fell.Residents of the home, as well as neighbors, heard a loud crash and investigated the incident — then called 911. Police said lifesaving measures were performed on the teen, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. 17-year-old killed in Carpentersville triple shooting Preliminary investigation indicates the boy's fall was accidental in nature and not suspicious.

The Bulls already have drama - and Billy Donovan says that's good

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

CHICAGO — They've only played 48 minutes of basketball, but already there is drama surrounding the Bulls in the 2023-2024 season. From an unhappy All-Star's conversation with his coach to a players-only meeting after the game, Billy Donovan has a lot to deal with after just a single game. "I had just walked in there to talk to them, and they were talking, and I said 'Do you guys need space?' and they just said 'Yes,' and I walked out," said the head coach after the Bulls' 124-104 season-opening loss to the Thunder at the United Center on Wednesday night. That conversation that didn't include Donovan was preceeded by one he did have on the bench with Nikola Vucevic after a technical foul in the third quarter that was caught by broadcast cameras. "I was just unhappy with some of the stuff we were doing, I obviously expressed it a little bit, maybe a little more aggressive than I should have in that moment of the game," said Vucevic. "Heat of the moment. You're trying to win, trying to...

Man accused of killing Maryland judge found dead: deputies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — The man suspected of fatally shooting a Maryland circuit court judge has been found dead, according to authorities.In a Thursday morning post to Facebook, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said Pedro Argote, 49, of Frederick, was found dead in a heavily wooded area of Williamsport, not far from where the shooting unfolded, ending a weeklong manhunt that rocked the largely rural community.WCSO said that his body was found about one mile northwest of the area in which deputies recovered his SUV. Officials said Thursday morning that they had returned to the area to conduct “additional evidentiary searches.” They said there was no safety concern.Argote was accused of killing Judge Andrew Wilkinson, 52, of Hagerstown.Investigators believe Argote, angry about losing custody of his children, went to Wilkinson's home on Oct. 19 and shot him in his driveway. Wilkinson died at an area hospital, and authorities had been searching for Argote ever since.Argot...

'Taylor Swiftkin' unveiled, a giant pumpkin taking stage in Dublin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:26 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Meet Taylor Swiftkin, a 399-pound pumpkin grown by a central Ohio woman who for 35 years has decorated pumpkins to look like celebrities.Jeanette Paras, 68, of Dublin, Ohio, unveiled Swiftkin this week with hair made from more than nine wigs, ears made from sweet potatoes and a football pumpkin by her side dedicated to Swift's boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. For more than three decades, Paras has captured pop culture through her giant celebrity pumpkin creations. List: 2023 Trick-or-Treat dates in central Ohio "With so much going on in the news today, much of it disturbing, Taylor SwiftKin stood out. I considered 'pumpkinizing' others, but Taylor is a bright star in today’s pop culture," Paras said. "And then, when she was romantically linked to two-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, that certainly made her more interesting. As I like to say, I don’t make the news, I pumpkinize it."(Courtesy Photo/ParasPumpkins)(Courtesy Photo/Pa...