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US nuclear weapons modernization plan spurs cost questions

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. agency that oversees development and maintenance of the nation’s nuclear arsenal is moving ahead with plans to modernize production of key components for the weapons, but some watchdog groups and members of Congress are concerned about persistent delays and cost overruns.The National Nuclear Security Administration released its annual plan on Monday, outlining the multibillion-dollar effort to manufacture plutonium pits, the spherical cores that trigger the explosion in thermonuclear weapons, at national laboratories in New Mexico and South Carolina.The Savannah River Site in South Carolina faces a 2030 deadline to make 50 pits per year. Officials already have acknowledged they won’t meet that timeline, and this year’s report no longer includes a target date for Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, to meet its goal of 30 pits per year. Last year’s report had pegged 2026 as the year when manufacturing would be up and running at Los Al...

Man stabbed to death during fight inside Irving Park apartment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was stabbed to death Wednesday afternoon during a fight inside an apartment in Irving Park, according to Chicago police.Chicago Police Department officers were called to the apartment around 1 p.m. in the 4700 block of North Kilpatrick Avenue. Woman carjacked at gunpoint by 5 men in Lincoln Park: police According to information from police, the man, 56, was stabbed by another man, 23, during a fight.The identities of those involved haven't been released. The incident is still under investigation by Area 5 detectives.

81-year-old woman killed in Antioch crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

ANTIOCH, Ill. -- An 81-year-old driver was killed Tuesday evening after colliding with a pickup truck in Antioch.According to the Lake County Coroner's Office, authorities responded to Route 59 near Bowles Road in Antioch just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on reports of a vehicle crash. Gurnee middle school teacher assaulted while breaking up fight, police say Investigators determined that a Kia Sportage traveling southbound on Route 59 crossed the centerline and collided with a Ford F-250 pickup truck.The driver of the Kia, 81-year-old Gayle Thielke, of Antioch, was flown by a medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where she later succumbed to her injuries.The crash is under investigation.

Indiana moves closer to state-funded teacher gun training

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana state lawmakers are inching closer to sending the state’s Republican governor a bill that would create a state-funded handgun training program available for teachers, something critics have said could wrongly increase the number of guns in schools.Final approval from the state Senate is expected later in the day. Efforts by Indiana lawmakers to offer additional training failed in recent years amid opposition from both gun-rights advocates, who said training mandates would overstep local control, and gun-control proponents, who argued against steps they see as arming teachers. Machine gun switches will become illegal under Indiana bill Supporters have also said the 40 hours of optional training could help teachers learn how to defend themselves and students if needed, especially in situations with an active shooter.“This is not a solution, and there are no guarantees,” GOP Rep. Jim Lucas, the bill’s author, said before the 72-20 vote. “This is a tool tha...

Fugees rapper Pras found guilty in political conspiracy

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Fugees rapper accused in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies was convicted Wednesday after a trial that included testimony ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.The defense argued the Grammy-winning rapper from the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice as he reinvented himself in the world of politics.Michel first met Malaysian financer Low Taek Jho in 2006, when the businessman usually known as Jho Low was dropping huge sums of money and hobnobbing with the likes of Paris Hilton. Low helped finance Hollywood films, including “The Wolf of Wall St...

White Sox struggles to start 2023 are historic

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

TORONTO — For a second-straight year, the club is off to a bad start, but this one in 2023 has been historically poor. In fact, there have been few beginnings as forgettable as this one in the 123 seasons the White Sox have played baseball.They were swept for a second-straight series, losing 8-0 to the Blue Jays on Wednesday, who cruised to three-straight wins in Toronto by a combined score of 20-2. Couple that with a three-game sweep by the Rays last weekend & a defeat to end the last homestand to the Phillies, the White Sox have lost seven in a row to fall to 7-18 on the season. So how bad is this start in terms of club history? Through 25 games, the 2023 White Sox are off to their third-worst start since the franchise began play in 1901. They've matched their beginning to the 1986 campaign, when the club fired Tony La Russa mid-season and finished 72-90, along with 1932, when they finished 49-102-1.It's still a few wins above the White Sox worst start through 25 games, as the...

VIDEO: Kenosha police save elder driver after flat tire sparks vehicle fire

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

KENOSHA, Wis. -- A minivan burst into flames Tuesday night when an 84-year-old kept driving with a flat tire that was emitting sparks.According to the Kenosha Police Department, officers attempted a traffic stop just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday when a minivan's wheels started sparking on the road. VIDEO: Indiana deputy saves woman from choking on french fries The 84-year-old driver kept driving until the sparks ignited the minivan and quickly engulfed the vehicle in flames.When the minivan stopped, Kenosha police officers ran from their cruisers and pulled the 84-year-old from the burning vehicle, the video shows.No injuries were reported.

Travis County Emergency Services rescues woman from sewers, who was possibly stuck for up to 2 days

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 25, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) –  Pflugerville Emergency Services rescued an adult woman who was lost in the storm sewers for up to two days, per a witness’ account.The Travis County Emergency Services Department No. 2 (ESD No. 2) said they received a call Tuesday night after 7 p.m. about a woman who was stuck in the storm sewers. ESD No. 2 Assistant Chief Mark Moellenberg said she was neither injured nor distressed when crew members found her. “[She] had wandered into the storm sewer. [I’m] not really sure how [she] got access into there,” Moellenberg said. “[She] wandered into there and basically became lost -- didn't know how to get back out.” Moellenberg said it was relatively easy to get her out. The incident took only 30 minutes and required one crew. She was also able to return home that night, he said.  Travis County Emergency Services Department No. 2 (ESD No. 2) rescues woman from storm s...

MAP: Tracking deaths near Lady Bird Lake in Austin

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — People in Austin are questioning a series of deaths in lake waters in Austin.Online reports have been swirling in recent weeks about a possible connection between the deaths in Lady Bird Lake. Texas expert explores why conspiracies swirl around Lady Bird Lake deaths This report aims to provide KXAN viewers with full transparency and facts. As of now, there is no strong connection to the deaths, according to Austin Police. “There are a lot of allegations that there’s a serial killer, but there’s no proof or evidence in any of our investigations to sustain that,” APD Assistant Chief Jeff Greenwalt told KXAN in April.APD said the "circumstances, exact locations and demographics surrounding these cases vary.”“One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake,” the department continued.Deaths in Lady Bird LakeSo far this year, there have been at least four bodies that were found in Lady Bird Lake. Last ...

Drug overdoses leading cause of Travis County accidental deaths in 2022

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:52:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For the second year in a row, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office reported drug toxicity was the leading cause of accidental deaths countywide in 2022. Last year, the trend marked the first time in a decade there were more accidental drug-related deaths than motor vehicle fatalities or fatal falls.The medical examiner's office released its 2022 annual report Wednesday, noting 417 people died from accidental drug toxicity last year. Among other accidental deaths, motor vehicle fatalities and falls rounded out the top three causes, at 193 deaths and 149 fatalities, respectively. RELATED: Travis County fentanyl deaths more than double between 2021, 2022 It comes as Travis County leaders navigate a continued public health crisis related to drug overdoses, particularly those involving fentanyl. Of the 417 accidental drug deaths recorded last year, 245 of those involved fentanyl, per TCME. Beyond fentanyl, accidental drug deaths involving illicit substances in 2...