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Justice Department opens probe of police in small Mississippi city over alleged civil rights abuses

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation Wednesday into alleged civil rights violations by police in a majority Black Mississippi city, stepping in following accusations that officers used excessive force and arrested people without justification.The federal probe will focus on numerous reports from residents of Lexington, a city of about 1,600 people some 65 miles (100 kilometers) north of the capital of Jackson. The lawsuit claimed officers targeted Black drivers with illegal roadblocks, retaliated against people for recording police activity, committed sexual assault and even made arrests of people for using profanity.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, announced the investigation at a news conference. “Community members have offered troubling accounts of how these alleged practices have affected their lives, of injuries caused by gratuitous and excessive force, of alleged se...

NYC mayor retains lawyer in federal fundraising probe, but plays down concern

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Facing a room full of reporters for the first time since federal agents raided the home of his chief fundraiser, Mayor Eric Adams said he didn’t have anything to fear from the investigation, even as an attorney for his administration acknowledged being in contact with federal authorities.“It would really shock me if someone that was hired by my campaign did something that’s inappropriate,” Adams said, flanked by eight of his top deputies in City Hall. “Not only would it shock me, it would hurt me.”He then laughed off a question about whether he could personally face federal charges, while noting that he had hired a lawyer from the law firm WilmerHale to represent him.Lisa Zornberg, chief counsel at City Hall, confirmed the Adams administration was also in touch with federal prosecutors in Manhattan about the matter, though she declined to go into detail about their communications.A spokesperson for Adams’ campaign previously said they had not been contacted abo...

Glenview woman with dementia missing after failing to arrive at church

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — A Glenview woman with early onset dementia has been reporting missing after failing arrive to her church on Tuesday.Regina Hurd, 61, was last seen leaving her residence, located in the 500 block of Poplar Lane, on Tuesday at around 4:25 p.m.Family members told police she was headed to church, but never arrived.Hurd has been seen driving a 2015 Honda Civic, with Illinois plate Z428778, and was spotted twice in the area since then.Her vehicle was seen on Route 59 and Marathon Lane in Plainfield at around 11:06 p.m. Tuesday and in the Coal Valley area at around 9:05 a.m. Wednesday.Hurd is 5'7" and 145 lbs. She has blue eyes, blonde hair and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a light blue top, a cream-colored parka, brown loafers and black-rimmed glasses.Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 911 or police at 708-865-4896.

Israel-Hamas fight heats up in Gaza City, accelerating exodus of Palestinians to the south

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said Wednesday they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions, accelerating the exodus of thousands of civilians as food and water become scarce and urban fighting between Israel and Hamas heats up.The Israeli army has not given specifics on troop movements as it presses its ground assault, vowing to crush Hamas after its deadly Oct. 7 assault inside Israel. But residents said Israeli forces had moved into inner neighborhoods of Gaza City amid intense bombardment all around the surrounding north.Clashes took place within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the territory's largest hospital, Shifa, which has become a focal point in the war.The Israeli military says Hamas’ main command center is located in and under the hospital complex and that senior leaders of the group are hiding there, accusing the militants of using the facility as a shield.Hamas and hospital staff d...

1 dead, another critical following double shooting in Austin, police say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are investigating a double shooting that left one man dead and another injured in the city's Austin neighborhood.Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to the 200 block of S. Cicero Avenue for a shooting. At the scene, police found two men on a sidewalk suffering from gunshot wounds by an unknown offender.According to police, a 46-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the right flank and the back, and was transported to Stoger Hospital in critical condition. Another male victim, age unknown, was shot in the chest. He was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced. A firearm was recovered at the scene. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.Area Four Detectives are investigating.

Blinken warns Israel against long-term Gaza occupation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Biden administration is pushing back on assertions that Israel would occupy Gaza in the aftermath of the war.Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Tokyo Wednesday, meeting with G7 leaders. Not only did he push back on a broader occupation, but G7 allies called for urgent action to help civilians trapped in Gaza."All of us want to end this conflict as soon as possible," Blinken said.In Tokyo, Blinken and G7 leaders stressed the need to protect civilians amid the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza.He also warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against permanently occupying the Gaza Strip."There can't be a return to the situation, the status quo, before October 7th," Blinken said.As the death toll rises and essential goods run low, U.S. lawmakers are promising to include humanitarian aid in their massive package designed to help Israel defeat Hamas."We will work hard, hopefully in a bipartisan way, to get this done," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.B...

Travis Scott performing at United Center this December

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

CHICAGO — Travis Scott is coming to Chicago this December.Dubbed "The Utopia - Circus Maximus Tour," the rapper's fourth concert tour will stop at Chicago's United Center on Friday, Dec. 15. The Eagles announce second farewell show at United Center due to high demand Scott's latest album, UTOPIA, inspired the tour, featuring collaborations with music's biggest stars, including Beyonce, Drake, Future, Bad Bunny and 21 Savage.The Utopia - Circus Maximus Tour is the artist's first since the deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival. Bad Bunny bringing his ‘Most Wanted’ tour to Chicago’s United Center Tickets remain on sale. Click here for access.

Andrew Luck, Desmond Howard among former players to attend White House event on student-athletes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

White House officials Wednesday hosted former college and NFL players for a discussion on the rights of student-athletes amid the ongoing debate over revenue and other benefits for players.Andrew Luck, Desmond Howard, Ryan Clark and Rod Gilmore were among the former college and NFL stars who visited the White House for the meeting, a Biden administration official said.The discussion was expected to focus on "why all student-athletes deserve consistent safety standards, to have voice, and to benefit from the revenue they produce," the official said.The meeting marks a rare instance of the White House weighing in on the complex issues around college athletics and benefits for student-athletes, particularly when it comes to name, image and likeness (NIL) deals that allow players to benefit financially.The Biden administration has always been unabashedly pro-union, and the meeting was expected to focus at least partly on efforts to organize among players.While the NCAA lifted a ban ...

Will the US get giant pandas back?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

WASHINGTON D.C. (The Hill) — The National Zoo’s three giant pandas departed Washington, D.C. on Wednesday morning, marking the beginning of their trip back to China and an end, at least for now, to 50 years of “panda diplomacy” with Beijing.Giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xioa Qi Ji were loaded into crates Wednesday morning by zoo and FedEx staff, and then brought to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. The pandas will be transported on the custom-designed “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777F aircraft for the 19-hour journey with a stopover in Alaska. The pandas’ departure follows a series of other pandas being pulled from multiple Western zoos as agreements expire, with some foreign policy experts noting it could be indicative of growing diplomatic tensions between Beijing and several Western governments. But zoo officials say it was simply time for the panda parents to go home, with a three-year extension to their stay set to expire. Mei Xiang is...

Lawsuit against city regarding South Terminal closed following settlement

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 19:53:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The lawsuit over closing the South Terminal to expand Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has come to an end with the parties involved claiming the matter was “amicably settled,” according to court documents. PAST COVERAGE: Austin wants to expand its airport to the South Terminal, company operating it files lawsuit The documents, filed Monday and Tuesday in federal court, showed the lawsuit between the City of Austin and LoneStar Airport Holdings officially ended.In June, the Austin City Council approved an $88 million settlement with LoneStar.The city attempted to take the South Terminal property from LoneStar in the summer of 2022, claiming eminent domain. That previous offer was for less than $2 million, despite LoneStar signing a 40-year lease for the terminal in 2016 and making upgrades to the space.