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Louisiana prisoner suit claims they’re forced to endure dangerous conditions at Angola prison farm

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Men incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary filed a class-action lawsuit Saturday, contending they have been forced to work in the prison’s fields for little or no pay, even when temperatures soar past 100 degrees. They described the conditions as cruel, degrading and often dangerous.The men, most of whom are Black, work on the farm of the 18,000-acre maximum-security prison known as Angola — the site of a former slave plantation — hoeing, weeding and picking crops by hand, often surrounded by armed guards, the suit said. If they refuse to work or fail to meet quotas, they can be sent to solitary confinement or otherwise punished, according to disciplinary guidelines.“This labor serves no legitimate penological or institutional purpose,” the suit said. “It’s purely punitive, designed to ‘break’ incarcerated men and ensure their submission.”It names as defendants Angola’s warden, Timothy Hooper, and officials with Louisiana’s department of cor...

Woman and father charged with murder, incest after 3 dead infants found in cellar in Poland

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Police discovered the bodies of three newborns in the basement of a house in northern Poland, and have detained and charged a 54-year-old man and his 20-year-old daughter with murder and incest, Polish media reported Saturday.The body of a newborn, identified as the child of the 20-year-old woman, was found Friday in the village of Czerniki south of Gdansk. A further search of the premises revealed another body in an advanced state of decomposition on Friday followed by a third on Saturday, according to Polish media reports.Prosecutor Mariusz Duszynski from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdansk, told the all-news broadcaster TVN24 that the woman was charged with two counts of murder and one of incest.The woman’s 54-year-old father was also brought to the prosecutor’s office. In the afternoon, prosecutor Duszynski announced that the man had been charged with three counts of murder in the case of the newborns and two of incest.Polish media suggested that was...

Trump skips Iowa gathering of evangelical Christians. His rivals hope for a chance to gain ground

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Some of Donald Trump ‘s top rivals for the Republican presidential nomination will address a gathering of influential Iowa evangelical Christians on Saturday night, hoping to woo them away from the former president at an event he is skipping.Former Vice President Mike Pence planned to attend the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual banquet and town hall in Des Moines along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Also on the schedule of speakers were Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, as well as Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican who has not endorsed a candidate, was expected.The crowd will largely consist of devout and well-connected social conservatives whose ranks are large enough to play a decisive role in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation R...

Cyclist struck near Jane and Finch

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

A cyclist has been injured after they were struck by a vehicle near Jane and Finch.Toronto police were called to Yorkwoods Gate and Driftwood Avenue just before 12 p.m. to reports of a collision.The cyclist was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver involved remained on the scene.Driftwood is closed at Yorkwoods as police investigate.

Trial by social media: Court struggles under weight of ‘Freedom Convoy’ evidence

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

OTTAWA — As thousands of demonstrators clogged the streets around Parliament Hill in early 2022, many of them had phones in hand, taking video of the different scenes around them for almost three weeks. For some participants, the “Freedom Convoy” protests had a festival-like atmosphere. For those who weren’t part of the fun, it felt more like an occupation. And for millions watching online, the massive demonstration played out online, often in real time, through social media posts, videos and livestreams. More than a year later, lawyers are trying to use those loud and sometimes chaotic digital posts in a courtroom that was very much designed in the analog era. The second week of the criminal trial for two of the convoy’s most prominent organizers has been slow-rolled by issues related to social media evidence, both from a legal perspective and a practical one.The disconnect is emblematic of some of the problems with trying cases in the social media age.There...

Winemakers, NDP call for removal of Ontario retail winery tax

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

Jakub Lipinski recounts a long-running joke in Ontario’s Niagara Region: if you want to make a small fortune in wine, you start with a big fortune.Lipinski, whose family runs Big Head Wines, was recently at the Ontario legislature to show support for a private member’s bill local New Democrat representative Wayne Gates plans to introduce in the fall to eliminate a tax on wineries.Ontario winemakers have long raised concerns about the province’s tax regime. Lipinski says 65 per cent of the price of a bottle is taxes and especially after the challenges that COVID-19 brought, it would help the industry to have one of them cut.“Especially after the last few very difficult years, it would be nice to have a little bit more relief from the government,” he said at a press conference with Gates.Gates’ bill, which he also introduced in 2020 but which did not go anywhere before the legislature prorogued a year later, would eliminate a 6.1-per-cent basic tax on all on-si...

14-year-old boy fatally shot after Hillcrest HS football game ID'd: Police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. -- A 14-year-old student who was fatally shot near Hillcrest High School after a homecoming football game Friday night has been identified by the medical examiner's office. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the boy as 14-year-old Marshawn Mitchell from Hazel Crest, Illinois. Officers responded to shots fired near the 17000 block of Pulaski Road after the homecoming varsity football game against Oak Forest High School around 9 p.m. 2 critical after shooting in Palatine: Police Police found Mitchell with gunshot wounds and was transported to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m.The Hillcrest Hawks Football team posted a statement on their Facebook page:"We are all saddened by the events that happened tonight after our Homecoming Football Game against Oak Forest. There is an active investigation by all the appropriate authorities! We are praying for all involved! Please pray for our staff and s...

A 'playoff' stretch begins for Chicago Fire FC

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

CHICAGO - If they want to go to the postseason in another year filled with ups and downs, they'd best have a playoff mindset now. That's because Chicago Fire FC has seven matches between Saturday and October 21, and every point matters in their quest to end a six-year playoff drought. This is especially true as the club is in the midst of a losing streak where they've dropped in the Eastern Conference standings."Every game we play is a playoff game," said manager Frank Klopas of his team. We can't hide from that. You can't sugarcoat that. The players see the standings. They know where we are. But it's important for us just to make sure that we have a really good game plan, we prepare really well, give the players as much confidence as we can in front of the goal but also our ability to defend well as a unit."This stretch begins on Saturday when the Fire faces CF Montreal on the road on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. central time. That club is three points ahead of them for the eighth spot in...

2 restaurants in St. Louis claim they invented toasted ravioli: Which story do you believe?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – In St. Louis, in a neighborhood known as the Hill, one dish stands out as a true local legend: toasted ravioli. The dish — made by breading and deep-frying ravioli, which is then topped with parmesan and served with dipping sauce — is generally believed to have been invented in St. Louis. But two different restaurants in the Hill have laid claim to the invention for decades — and both insist it was the product of a kitchen mix-up from back in the '40s. You won’t believe what Denny’s was originally called In 1987, the New York Times interviewed a local restaurateur named Louis Amighetti, who credited a restaurant called Angelo Oldani's with the invention. He said the owner of that restaurant told his new assistant, a German cook, to prepare the ravioli. Misunderstanding the instructions, the cook dumped the ravioli into a pot of hot oil, rather than boiling water, Amighetti said.Trying to salvage the dish, the owner of Angelo Oldani's allegedly brushed some grate...

Alternatives, Inc.: A move towards restorative practices in schools

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:10:10 GMT

A new study shows restorative practices are more beneficial than traditional discipline for students. Dr Anjali Adukia from the University of Chicago and executive director Bessie Alcantara of Alternatives Inc. joined WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on their initiative towards restorative justice.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.