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N.C. board removes election officials who refused to certify

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s state elections board on Tuesday removed two local election officials who had refused to certify their county’s 2022 results after officials determined they violated state law.The state board voted unanimously to dismiss Surry County elections secretary Jerry Forestieri and board member Timothy DeHaan in one of the strongest disciplinary actions taken against local officials across the U.S. who have delayed or refused to certify election results. Controversies over election certification have roiled mostly rural counties across the country as conspiracy theories about voting machines have spread widely among conservatives.Forestieri and DeHaan had questioned the legitimacy of state election law and court decisions disallowing photo ID checks and voter residency challenges. They falsely claimed in a letter that the vote was “illegal” and “very uncertain.”“These rulings have stripped the election process of the trustworthiness they were desi...

Ex-Californian sentenced for child mutilation-sex scheme

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Southern California man who convinced troubled girls as young as 12 to perform masochistic acts and urged one to become his sex slave was sentenced Tuesday to 27 years in federal prison.Matthew Christian Locher was “a parent’s worst nightmare,” U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee said during his sentencing in Los Angeles, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.Locher pleaded guilty last August to one count of sexual exploitation of a child for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual depiction.In his plea agreement, prosecutors said Locher, 32, acknowledged that while living in Redondo Beach in 2020 and 2021, Locher got into online conversations targeting girls suffering from mental health issues such as depression, schizophrenia, anorexia and suicidal thoughts.“Locher groomed his victims to engage in self-mutilation and instructed a victim struggling with an eating disorder to starve herself, ordering her to film h...

Chicago-area native being hailed a hero after Nashville school shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Two police officers are being hailed as heroes after taking down the Nashville private school shooting suspect Monday, one of which is from the Chicago area.Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officer Rex Engelbert grew up in Forest Glen before moving to Ohio to study criminal justice at the University of Dayton, after which, he moved to Tennessee to become a police officer.Engelbert, who's now 27, is a four-year veteran of the MNPD who was one of two officers credited with firing at the suspect and ending their shooting spree.“They heard gunfire and immediately ran to that,” said MNPD Chief John Drake.Metro police said that Engelbert and fellow officer Michael Collazo rushed into the building, meeting the suspect on the second floor, where they opened fire and stopped the shooter."I’m just extremely proud of him and thankful that he’s okay," said Kevin Engelbert, Rex's older brother. "It’s a tragedy beyond my words for everyone involved, but I’m glad that his trainin...

Sunny Tuesday with a cloudy Wednesday to follow

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

CHICAGO -- The sun emerged Tuesday afternoon and the clearing increases prospects sky watchers will get a view of the 5 planet line-up in the night sky Tuesday night. Predicted clouds coverage over Chicago should come in around 12% of the sky at 7pm CDT; 12% AT 1am CDT Wed morning then increase to 80% by 7am CDT Wed morning.Just 2 days to go in March 2023—a month which has been wet and chilly. While the month's average temp will close within fractions of a degree of normal Friday night, the month is noteworthy in its lack of warm days. By this time last year, March had produced six days at or above 60-deg----three of them in the 70s. WE'VE HAD NO SUCH WARMTH THIS YEAR.And checking on Chicago temps since 1871, the city has recorded a temp of 60-deg or higher by this date. 70-deg and higher temps have occurred by now 62% of years since 1942—the year Midway Airport became the city's official observation site (O'Hare followed in 1980). Planet Palooza! When 5 planets will be visible in...

ComEd bribery trial: Key witness told to not 'put anything in writing' by Madigan associate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

CHICAGO -- It's day nine of the ComEd bribery trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.The four defendants on trial are accused of bribing associates of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.Juror were shown secretly recorded videos and phone conversations, as well as heard testimony from the government's key witness. Final week as Vallas, Johnson close in on Election Day Former Senior Vice President of ComEd Fidel Marquez took the stand for the second day Tuesday. In 2019, Marquez was approached by the FBI to cooperate in an ongoing bribery investigation and become the government's key witness.On Tuesday, he spoke about his role in the alleged bribery scheme to payout contracts of associates of former Illinois speaker Michael Madigan in the hopes of gaining influence of the speaker.The four defendants, ex-City Club President Jay Doherty, onetime ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, and Madigan associated Michael McClain, are being tried for bribery and falsifying ...

Cook County property tax due date nears

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — The due date is near for Cook County property owners who were given an extra month to pay their first installment of taxes this year.Property taxes must be paid by Monday, April 3 to avoid late charges.RELATED NEWS | Cook County property tax hike riles homeowners: ‘What would constitute such a big increase?’The extension was due to many Cook County tax bills arriving late last year. Payments must be made before 11:59 p.m. on April 3 to be recorded on time.Payments can be made online at cookcountytreasurer.com.

Freeland Delivers A Good Budget, With A Bit Of Something For Every Canadian

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

Scattered rain showers expected overnight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Cooler, cloudy conditions continue following our Tuesday morning cold front. As a weak disturbance moves over the area, light rain showers become more numerous late-evening through the overnight. Clouds with occasional rain showers continue on Wednesday and Thursday.Clouds/radar forecast at 6 a.m. WednesdayWinds turn back to the southeast late Wednesday, warming temperatures dramatically later this week.We are tracking another storm system moving out of the Rockies late-week, set to produce a large severe weather outbreak in the Plains and Deep South. The latest severe storm outlooks from the Storm Prediction Center do not show a severe storm threat for central Texas.Severe weather expected for much of the Mississippi Valley on Friday. Saturday is the annual ABC Kite Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Zilker Park. The forecast is for mainly dry weather under a partly cloudy sky with comfortable, low humidity. There is a chance of isolated showers and storms later in...

Woman in 70s breaks wrist, spends 2 nights in jail following 'misunderstanding' at AUS

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A nearly deaf Florida woman in her 70s was arrested by police after she allegedly caused a disturbance at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport in September 2022. Her wrist was broken during the arrest, and she spent two nights in the Travis County jail.Austin civil rights attorneys representing the woman said that she was not actually causing a disturbance and that it was instead a misunderstanding that led to a broken wrist, two nights in jail and severe psychological distress, her lawyers said. Karen McGee, 71, was traveling alone from Florida to Seattle to visit her sister on Sept. 13 with a layover in Austin. McGee started losing her hearing in her early 20s and now can hear very little, relying mostly on lipreading and her hearing aids, her lawyers said. McGee does not use American Sign Language.On Sept. 13, McGee landed in Austin and had a couple of hours before her next flight to Seattle. Since she is hard of hearing, she sat in front of her gate to...

'I saw his eyes fill with hope': Young Austin FC fan gets thrill of a lifetime after home match

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not everyone gets to meet their heroes, but a 10-year-old Austin FC fanatic stuck around Q2 Stadium long enough to get the surprise of his life after a match.Christian was in the stadium's parking lot with his mother Anne after Verde's 1-1 tie with the Colorado Rapids, and he saw a bunch of players leaving. The young soccer player himself, who does a spot-on impression of Maxi Urruti after he scores, thought he'd wave at the players as they pulled out and headed home.Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thrill of a lifetime after Austin FC players stopped to take photos and chat with him after Verde's 1-1 tie with Colorado on March 25. (Photo courtesy of Anne Leo)Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thrill of a lifetime after Austin FC players stopped to take photos and chat with him after Verde's 1-1 tie with Colorado on March 25. (Photo courtesy of Anne Leo)Christian, a 10-year-old Austin FC from Cedar Park, got the thr...