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Garcetti confirmed as India ambassador after 20-month fight

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was confirmed Wednesday by a divided Senate as the nation’s next ambassador to India, 20 months after he was first nominated by President Joe Biden and after weathering doubts about his truthfulness in a sexual harassment scandal involving a top adviser during his time at City Hall.The 52-42 vote gave the administration a long-sought victory in filling one of the country’s highest profile diplomatic posts. The president “believes that we have a crucial and consequential partnership with India and that Mayor Garcetti will make a strong and effective ambassador,” White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton said after the vote.The session began with uncertain prospects for Garcetti, a two-term, progressive Democrat first nominated to the prominent diplomatic post by President Joe Biden in July 2021. With several Democratic defections, Garcetti’s fate rested with enlisting Republicans in a chamber often divided along partisan lin...

Review: Tomlin, Fonda anchor darkly comedic ‘Moving On’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

The on-screen pairing of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin is not exactly a novelty at the moment. Seven seasons of “Grace and Frankie” and the movie “80 for Brady” has, perhaps, spoiled us a little lately. And, unfortunately, second-act movies with Hollywood legends have a very hit or miss track record (sorry “Queen Bees” and “Poms”). But don’t let either of those facts dissuade you from trying out “ Moving On,” which was written and directed by Paul Weitz (“Grandma,” “About a Boy”) and opens in theaters this weekend. This is one of those rare films that balances a darkly comedic conceit with authentic, emotional resonance, allowing Fonda, Tomlin and co-stars Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree to actually act rather than be demeaned by cheap caricatures of senior citizens. It begins with a funeral. We never meet the deceased, but it brings the main characters back together again for the first time in a long time. Fonda is Claire, a devoted dog mom and grandmother to uninterested teens...

'A shock': Father devastated after single mother killed while pushing stalled vehicle in suburbs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — A father is devastated and worried about the future of his grandchildren after their mother was struck and killed while pushing her stalled vehicle last month in Bolingbrook."This is the worst thing that's ever happened in my life," Bob Cawthon told WGN News Wednesday.Back on Feb. 22, his daughter 30-year-old Jenna Cawthon, of Bolingbrook, was on her way to work when at some point, her car stalled near 107th Street and Joliet Road."She was a 'can do' person, so she attempted to push her car out of the way," Cawthon said. "A good Samaritan looked and said 'hey she needs help.'"According to a police report Cawthon saw, the witness performed a U-turn, got out of his vehicle and as he was crossing the street to help — Jenna was struck from behind and killed.Her father, who lives near Pittsburgh now, received the phone call nobody wants to get."'Your daughter has passed,' I was like, 'what?'" Cawthon said. "It was a shock." 1 dead, another seriously injured after he...

CPD: 10 armed robberies conducted in under 2 hours on Southwest Side

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

CHICAGO — Ten armed robberies were conducted in just under two hours Wednesday morning on the Southwest Side.A victim was pistol-whipped in one of the robberies. Police did not give additional information on the suspects, other than saying two were involved and they are not in custody.In one of the incidents, the suspects returned to the exact same block around an hour later and conducted another armed robbery. Alert issued after 2 liquor stores broken into, cash stolen on Northwest Side The following is a timeline of the incidents, per Chicago police.6:02 a.m. in the 4600 block of South Albany — A 49-year-old man was in a parked vehicle when two suspects exited a black sedan and robbed him at gunpoint.6:03 a.m. in the 2400 block of West 47th Street — A 37-year-old man was robbed and pistol-whipped. He denied treatment at the scene.6:06 a.m. in the 1700 block of West 47th Street — A 51-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint.6:07 a.m. in the 4300 block of South Archer — No further inf...

Illinois bill would make driving with pet in your lap illegal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) – If you drive with your pet on your lap, it could soon be against the law in Illinois.A bill in the State Capitol would make it a petty offense for drivers caught on the road with a pet on their lap, and they could face a $50 fine.Deana Corbin, the executive director of the Springfield animal shelter Animal Protective League, said it could be dangerous for people to have their pet sit on their lap while they drive.“If you get in an accident, and that pet isn't restrained, it could fly out of the car, it could get crushed against your steering wheel,” Corbin said.It’s not just a safety concern for the pet, but for the driver too, Corbin warns. Opening statements delivered in ComEd bribery trial “If you have more than one animal in your car, sometimes they'll react to each other and if they get in a fight in the car, then you're more worried about taking care of them and if you happen to glance back or something then you can get in an accident yourself,” Co...

Helicopter crashes at California airport; multiple others broken into

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

(KTXL) -- Multiple helicopters were broken into and one was operated before crashing on Wednesday morning at the Sacramento Executive Airport, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Police said they received several reports of multiple helicopters being broken into early Wednesday morning.Officers that responded found a helicopter with major damage that "appeared to have been operated," police said in a statement. There are currently no reported injuries from the crash and no one is in custody. "This investigation is in its early stages and this information is preliminary as detectives work to learn exactly what occurred," the statement continued.

Markets shudder on fears about banking crisis, recession

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Worries about a spreading banking crisis and how badly it will hit an already fragile economy caused markets to shudder Wednesday, as stocks fell and bond yields tumbled on both sides of the Atlantic.The S&P 500 was 1% lower in afternoon trading, while markets in Europe fell more sharply as shares of Switzerland’s Credit Suisse dropped to a record low. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 324 points, or 1%, at 31,831 as of 2:20 p.m. Eastern time after earlier being down as many as 725 points. The Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.Credit Suisse has been fighting troubles for years, including losses it took from the 2021 collapse of investment firm Archegos Capital. Its shares in Switzerland sank 24.2% following reports that its top shareholder won’t pump more money into its investment.“They've had issues,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise. “It's just coming at a time when there’s more uncertainty and there’s less confiden...

Obituary: “Auntie Beverly” Cottman shared African culture through art and stories

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

Beverly Cottman was known as a woman who refused to sit still.After serving 30 years as a teacher, Cottman’s “retirement” was to throw herself into the arts and storytelling, creating work based on African and African-American folktales, myths, fables and traditions in collaborative spaces throughout the Twin Cities.Undated courtesy photo of Beverly Cottman, a former artist and storyteller for COMPAS and North High School biology teacher, in Egypt where she died March 11, 2023. (Courtesy of Kenna Cottman)Cottman, known affectionately as “Auntie Beverly” by many, died in her sleep on March 11 at the age of 80 on a trip to Egypt with some of her oldest friends.Born in California and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Cottman moved to Minneapolis in the ’60s with her husband, Bill, whom she met as a student at Howard University. The duo would become forceful creators and educators in the city, Beverly a science teacher at schools such as North High Sch...

CR-14 reopens in Berne, officials still urge caution in hill towns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany County is still dealing with the aftermath of Tuesday's snowfall. The varying landscape, from the cities to the hill towns, means different travel challenges, and approaches to clean-up.County Route 14 in Berne was closed for a period of time Tuesday morning due to whiteout conditions from the massive snow piles blowing around. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "The snowbanks and the high winds up there, it's making it impossible for people to see," said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy.The roads in that area, outside of CR-14, are also patchy. The winds that followed the nor'easter created those conditions on roads in East Berne and Westerlo, where some of the highest snow totals were reported.McCoy commended the work of the DPW for clearing over 700 miles of roadway and making it passable after over two feet of snow landed in some areas of the county. Winter lovers brave the sto...

At least 21% of New York black bears hunted in 2022

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:49:34 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Every year, hunting season in New York is a way to control and track the population numbers of some animals around the state. 2022's bear season is one of those - and on Tuesday, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) posted the year's numbers. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said that an estimated 1,318 black bears had been harvested during the 2022 hunting season. That's at least 21% of the between 6,000 and 8,000 black bears the DEC estimates to currently live in New York - but if that number sounds dangerously high, think again.“New York’s black bear populations remain robust, particularly in the Catskill and Adirondack regions,” said Seggos in Tuesday's announcement. “Regulated bear hunting is a necessary tool for population management, especially with numbers increasing in recent years. I’m pleased to see hunters across the state logged another succ...