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Chicago City Council discusses ordinance meant to ease reporting, tracking of hate crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council is reacting to the surge of hate crimes across the city and state with a proposed ordinance meant to make it easier to report and track how often they are happening.The city's Public Safety Committee took up the newly revised ordinance on Friday and will be sending it to the full city council next week. Chicago officer relieved of police powers after deadly pedestrian accident in River North Experts say it is estimated that 90% of hate crimes or incidents go unreported due in large part to uncertainty about who to report it to, or whether an ugly incident or harassment rises to the level of a hate crime.“'Chi vs Hate' finally gives Chicagoans a safe, accessible and responsive reporting environment,” said Alderwoman Debra Silverstein (50th Ward), who sponsored the ordinance.According to the ordinance, a 'hate incident' includes, "hateful graffiti or vandalism, derogatory insults, bullying or gestures, verbal online or written abuse and harassment,...

With Panera facing lawsuits over 'Charged Lemonade,' dangers of highly caffeinated beverages come to forefront

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

CHICAGO — A second lawsuit has been filed against the fast-casual food chain Panera Bread because a man in Florida died after drinking the chain's highly caffeinated "Charged Lemonade" beverage.According to court documents filed in Delaware and obtained by multiple outlets, the family of 46-year-old Dennis Brown of Fleming Island, Fla., is suing Panera over Brown’s October death. Brown’s family says the man drank three of the "Charged Lemonades" after finishing a work shift at Publix on Oct. 9.It's the second such lawsuit filed since October, and Panera is now warning customers to drink its "Charged Lemonade" in moderation. Read more: Panera faces second lawsuit after ‘Charged Lemonade’ blamed for Florida man’s death Dr. Nick Cozzi, EMS medical director at RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago, joined WGN-TV's Ben Bradley for Medical Watch to discuss the dangers of consuming highly caffeinated beverages such as "Charged Lemonade.""The concern on some of the...

Keanu Reeves' Hollywood Hills home reportedly raided by burglars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

(KTLA) – The Hollywood Hills home of actor Keanu Reeves has once again been targeted by burglars. On Wednesday night, police responded to an anonymous call of a trespasser on Reeves' property at around 7 p.m., sources with the Los Angeles Police Department told TMZ.Officers responded and found no suspects.The outlet said that around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, police were alerted once more when an alarm on the property went off. Actor Alan Ruck sued over Hollywood pizza shop car crash Law enforcement sources told the site that security cameras on the property caught "multiple men with ski masks smashing a window" to break into the home.The suspects reportedly stole a firearm, but it's not known if anything else was taken.Reeves was allegedly not home during the incident. Detectives are looking through the camera footage on the property to get more information. Sources told TMZ that police are investigating whether or not the initial call was from someone attempting to scout the pr...

Pregnant Kentucky woman sues over state's two abortion bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

(The Hill) — A pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit on Friday demanding the right to an abortion, challenging the state’s six-week ban as well as its near total “trigger” ban. The lawsuit was filed in state court on behalf of an anonymous woman using the pseudonym Jane Doe, who is about eight weeks pregnant and can’t legally obtain an abortion in her home state. Doe is seeking class-action status on behalf of all Kentuckians who are pregnant or may become pregnant and can't legally access abortions because of the state’s laws.   Harvard president apologizes after backlash over remarks at antisemitism hearing The lawsuit seeks a court ruling that declares the state’s trigger and six-week bans unconstitutional and blocks them from being enforced any longer. Doe and the others in the class are suffering “medical, constitutional, and irreparable harm because they are denied the ability to obtain an abortion,” the lawsuit stated. She is joined in the lawsuit by the...

Elizabeth Shackelford: Ukrainians won’t submit to Russian rule. The horrors of the Holodomor help explain why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

The last Saturday in November this year marked Holodomor Memorial Day, the 90th anniversary of the Great Famine when Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s autocratic regime ruthlessly starved 4 million Ukrainians to death.This horrific event is part of the historic backdrop shaping Ukraine’s response to Russia’s war. This experience is why, even as a stalemate sets in and winter approaches, the Ukrainian people oppose the idea of negotiating an end to this conflict.Ukraine has good reason not to trust that its people would be safe under Russian rule. Russia has a long history with Ukraine, but that history is a far cry from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people.”Rather, Russia’s history with Ukraine is one of abuse, exploitation and horror.This was true of the Russian empire and the Soviet Union, and it remains so under Putin’s autocratic Russia today. But Holodomor is perhaps the starkest remind...

Burnsville charter school must make reforms after alleged misuse of funds by former officials

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

A Burnsville charter school will have to make internal reforms after the school’s founder and two ex-board members, who have also been charged in the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, allegedly misused nearly $300,000 in funds.Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Friday announced a settlement with Gateway STEM Academy after an investigation by his office found former school leaders steered school money to companies they owned or controlled.The attorney general said that wouldn’t have happened if the previous leadership had more oversight of school founder and former executive director Abdiaziz Shafii Farah and had policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest. Farah co-owned one of the companies that got money from the school.“Nonprofit charter schools must use their resources to further their educational mission, not to benefit insiders,” Ellison said in a news release announcing the settlement.Farah stopped leading the school he helped found after his indictment for wire f...

Ellenville man arrested on drug sale charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

ELLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Ellenville man has been arrested following a drug sale investigation, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Office. Joshua Lasanta, 28, is facing multiple charges. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! In June 2021, members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (U.R.G.E.N.T.) began an investigation into cocaine sales in Ellenville. Police say the investigation revealed that Lasanta allegedly sold cocaine around the area.Lasanta was indicted by a grand jury on November 21. A warrant for his arrest was then issued by the Ulster County Court. On December 2, Lasanta was arrested in Orange County by the New Windsor Police Department on an unrelated charge before being remanded to the Orange County Jail. Jury convicts Schenectady man in fatal 2022 stabbing On December 4, Lasanta was released after making bail, but was then arrested by members of URGENT. He was charged with two counts of third-d...

Cardinals trade Tyler O'Neill to Red Sox, acquire two pitchers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - After six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, the last few marred by injuries, outfielder Tyler O'Neill is on the move. The Cardinals have agreed to trade O'Neill to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for two pitchers, Nick Robertson and Victor Santos. Robertson will join the 40-man roster, while Santos will begin next season in the minor leagues. The Cardinals announced the move just after 5 p.m. Friday with initial reports of the deal coming in the 4 p.m. hour. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak made it clear that the Cardinals would explore the trade market for O'Neill after announcing Lars Nootbaar, Jordan Walker and Tommy Edman as the team's projected starting outfield next season. Blues trade veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to Islanders “As we look to add pitching depth, as well as address concerns on potential playing time in the outfield, we felt this deal worked well in addressing both of those issues,” said Mozeliak via a news release on Friday'...

Jonathan Drouin is comfortable, making impact at time when Avalanche need it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

There aren’t many NHL players who have been as open about their mental health as Jonathan Drouin.The former phenom struggled to cope with meeting the great expectations that accompanied his return home to his native Montreal to play for his beloved Canadiens.When he arrived in Denver, it felt like a fresh start. So when the early part of this season didn’t go the way he had originally envisioned, Drouin was more prepared to handle the adversity than his younger self back in “la belle province.”“Way differently,” Drouin said when asked how he handled it. “… Me and Tuna (Tomas Tatar) got scratched that one day. You could take that so many bad ways. I think me and him took it the right way. We just put our heads down and went to work.“You look at Nate (MacKinnon), every day he does the same thing. He’s always working on stuff. Some games are good and some aren’t, but if you’re doing your work good stuff is going to happen.”The...

Task No. 1 for Broncos’ offensive front Sunday: Slow down Chargers pass-rusher Khalil Mack, who at 32 is “playing out of his mind”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

By most general metrics, the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense isn’t particularly daunting.It ranks No. 24 overall in estimated points added per play and is relatively balanced against the pass (No. 23) and against the run (No. 20).Brandon Staley’s defense, however, does two things really well: Win third down and get after opposing quarterbacks.Those two, of course, end up being related when teams are forced to throw the ball on third down.The Chargers are tied for third in the NFL with 41 sacks. Even in recent weeks without star defensive end Nick Bosa (on injured reserve with a foot injury), they’ve been able to generate heat. L.A. had two sacks against Baltimore on Nov. 27 and five last week in a 6-0 shutout win against New England.The driving force: Who else but veteran Khalil Mack. The 32-year-old is putting together one of the most productive years of his storied career, racking up 15 sacks through the Chargers’ first 12 games. He’s at 99.5 for his career, so the next one will tip...