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Court throws out Berkeley, California’s ban on natural gas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday overturned Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, agreeing with restaurant owners who argued the city bypassed federal energy regulations when it approved the ordinance.The measure, which took effect in 2020 to cheers from environmentalists, was intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. With some exceptions, it banned new residential and commercial buildings from installing natural gas piping in favor of electrical lines. A lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association claimed the regulation violated federal law that gives the U.S. government authority to set energy-efficiency standards for appliances such as stoves, furnaces and water heaters.The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected a lower court judge’s decision two years ago that had upheld the Berkeley ordinance. In her 2021 decision, U.S. District Judg...

Judge seals Alec Baldwin settlement terms in fatal shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The judge hearing the wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and an array of producers and crew linked to a fatal film set shooting agreed Monday to seal from public view the terms of a proposed settlement agreement in the case that benefits the son of slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.The New Mexico judge said the right to privacy for Hutchins’ 10-year-old son overrides obligations for public disclosure and ordered that settlement documents and approval hearings be sealed in the civil lawsuit that argues that Baldwin and other film crewmembers ignored industry gun safety standards on the set of the Western film “Rust” ahead of the 2021 shooting.“What is driving my decision is really the interests of the minor child. And that is one of the very most powerful reasons to seal a matter,” District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a videoconference hearing of the Santa Fe-based court.Baldwin, an actor and coproducer of the film, was po...

Twenty-year-old charged with murder following stabbing death of teen on B.C. bus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — A 20-year-old man from Burnaby, B.C., has been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a teenager on a Metro Vancouver transit bus last week.Seventeen-year-old Ethan Bespflug was killed on a bus in Surrey, B.C., last Tuesday. The province’s integrated homicide investigations team says 20-year-old Kaiden Mintenko was arrested Sunday and the charge was laid on Monday.Police say they are still working to determine the exact nature of the relationship between Bespflug and Mintenko but can confirm this was not a random attack.The teen’s family has said Bespflug’s mother realized something was wrong when she tracked her son’s phone to a hospital in New Westminster. When she arrived she was told he had died. The teen’s murder is among a series of violent incidents on commuter buses and trains in several Canadian cities recently. B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said Monday that he has spoken to his federal counterpar...

Police: Man charged with attempted murder after ax attack in Arlington Heights parking garage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — A man has been charged with attempted murder after he ran over another man with a bicycle, then hit him with an axe in an Arlington Heights parking garage early Sunday morning, according to the Arlington Heights Police Department.Mitchell Nowak, 50.Mitchell Nowak, 50, was charged with one count of attempted murder Monday in Cook County district court, which is a class X felony that carries a 6-30 year prison sentence, if convicted.Police said they were called to an underground parking garage in the 0-100 block of South Evergreen Avenue around 6:35 a.m. after a disturbance could be heard by a 911 telephone operator on an emergency call.When police arrived on scene, they found a man lying on the ground who was able to identify the offender who attacked him as a person he knew, giving police a description of Nowak. Dog attacks CPD officer on South Side, officer fires shots Police said the victim was asleep in the underground parking structure when an offende...

'We're so scared right now': Indiana couple caught in downtown Chicago violence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

CHICAGO -- A husband and wife drove from Indianapolis to see the sights on a warm spring weekend in Chicago, but their Saturday night ended with their minivan being attacked by an angry mob of young people and the husband hospitalized."For 4 hours after the incident my husband and I were just shaking,” the wife told WGN.The Indiana woman was a passenger in the car, while another relative was in the back seat and her husband was at the wheel as they drove near the Chicago Cultural Center. Weekend violence in the Loop worries businesses as summer nears “Suddenly a mob of teens between 16 and 18-year-olds began climbing and hitting our truck,” she said. "We even saw them get on top of a bus.”The husband was treated at a hospital for cuts; but his wife says the injuries are more emotional than physical."We're so scared right now,” she said. "We don't want to step out of the house.”WGN is not identifying the couple for their safety. The family is now back home in Indiana."One of our da...

Man accused of fatally shooting New York woman who went to the wrong address

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

WASHINGTON CO., N.Y. (WTEN) - A woman was fatally shot Saturday night after a homeowner allegedly opened fire on her and her friends, who mistakenly drove to the wrong address in upstate New York, authorities said.According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis and her friends mistakenly found themselves at the wrong home in the town of Hebron, located roughly 55 miles north of Albany along the Vermont border. The property owner, 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, allegedly opened fire on the group's vehicle without any provocation. Man charged in shooting of Black Kansas City teen who went to the wrong house "This is a very sad case of some young adults that were looking for a friend's house and ended up at this man’s house,” said Sheriff Jeff Murphy during a Monday press conference. “While they were leaving the residence, once they determined they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch, [and] for whatever reason and fired two shots. One...

Chicago woman suing Netflix, filmmakers of Kanye West documentary: TMZ

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago woman has filed suit against Netflix and the filmmakers of the Kanye West documentary "Jeen-Yuhs" claiming she was exploited with the film's release, according to TMZ reports.Cynthia Love filed a suit against Netflix and filmmakers Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah on Monday, claiming the filmmakers and studio both exploited her with the documentary release, according to TMZ. Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making The Chicago woman said she originally made an appearance in Kanye West's "Through the Wire" music video that was released in 2003. Simmons and Ozah both directed the music video.The music video reportedly served as Kanye West's breakout hit and opens with Love dancing inside a restaurant. She claims she was paid $20 for her role in the music video.Love alleges the footage has now caused her emotional distress and harmed her reputation, according to TMZ. She says her appearance represents a part of her past she'd like to ...

Inmate dies while in custody at Travis County Jail, TCSO says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- On Monday, the Travis County Sheriff's Office confirmed an inmate died in-custody while in the Travis County Jail Sunday, according to a news release from TCSO.At approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday, 27-year-old Timothy Roberts, of Austin, was brought into the Travis County Jail Central Booking Facility without incident and was charged with a parole violation, TCSO said.According to the release, Roberts became unresponsive during the booking process. TCSO staff immediately began CPR and the Austin-Travis County EMS medics took over when they arrived on the scene.Roberts was pronounced dead at 7:19 p.m., TCSO said.The incident remained under investigation by TCSO's Internal Affairs Unit, Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Rangers and the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, the release said.TCSO said an autopsy was conducted Monday, and the final report was pending.

Tim Tebow scheduled to speak at Austin church event April 22

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Heisman Trophy winner and former professional football and baseball player Tim Tebow is slated to appear at a worship event April 22 in Austin.Tebow, a devout Christian who is also a New York Times best-selling author, is part of the lineup of speakers for Life Surge, an event at Shoreline Church, located at 15201 Burnet Road.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersTebow rose to national prominence while leading the Florida Gators to a BCS National Championship in 2008 while also being part of the 2006 Gators team that won the title. His charisma and heavy lean into his faith helped propel him to motivational speaking engagements and religious events across the country following his NFL and professional baseball careers. He played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets from 2010-2012, and then made practice squads for New England in 2013 and Philad...

Rochester ABC news anchor leaving for NBC role in Duluth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:33 GMT

ABC 6 News anchor Laura Lee’s path to TV news was different from that of most young reporters. She didn’t bounce out of college into an anchor job right away. She was already enmeshed in life’s responsibilities.Lee, 38, was the mother of three young children when, in perhaps the biggest gamble of her life, she made the move to Austin, Minn., from Minneapolis to launch her on-air news career.Now 13 years later, she is making another career move. Lee is heading to Duluth to become the main anchor of the NBC station in Duluth, Northern News Now.With her oldest child graduating from Rochester’s John Marshall High School this spring, Lee felt the time was right.“The decision may be a surprise to some, to be honest,” Lee said on Facebook. “It was a surprise to me, too. Duluth was my first choice more than a decade ago when I started my career as a reporter, but God took me to southern Minnesota. Now, God is taking me back there.”You started as an evening repo...