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Alberta Premier Smith, with election looming, announces new limits on media questions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, four days after announcing she won’t answer questions on her ethics investigation, now says she will limit questions on all other topics.Smith told reporters in Calgary that given an election is looming, she will now only allow reporters to ask a single question at news conferences and not allow them the traditional followup query.Smith says the change is because her United Conservative Party wants to get in questions from more reporters during the election campaign, which is set to begin May 1 with voting day on May 29.Political scientists say Smith is making the change to avoid accountability, particularly over her phone call with the accused in an active criminal case which is now the subject of an investigation by Alberta’s ethics commissioner.They say followup questions to politicians are crucial as they are typically used to clarify or, if necessary, challenge the content of the first answer.Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley s...

Brazil judge orders police to question Bolsonaro on uprising

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered the federal police Friday to take testimony from former President Jair Bolsonaro as part of the investigation itno the Jan. 8 attacks on government buildings in the capital.Justice Alexandre de Moraes gave the federal police 10 days to question the former president, acting on a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office.Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters trashed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and Congress one week into President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s third term in office.The leftist Lula narrowly beat the far-right Bolsonaro in an October runoff election. Bolsonaro never explicitly conceded he lost the election and sought to sow doubt about Brazil’s electronic voting system.Bolsonaro was in Florida during the attacks, but prosecutors want to know whether he encouraged his supporters to wreak havoc. Hundreds are in jail awaiting trial, but hundreds of others have been released.The former president’s legal t...

Friend of slain kids’ mom describes ‘zombie’ claims to jury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A mom accused of killing her two youngest children and a romantic rival described some people as possessed or “zombies,” four of whom were later killed or shot at, the woman’s former friend told jurors. Melanie Gibb testified Thursday in the Idaho trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, telling jurors that the two became friends at a church event in 2018 but that Vallow Daybell’s spiritual beliefs soon veered away from what they had been taught at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prosecutors say Vallow Daybell and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, used those religious beliefs to justify the deaths of anyone who stood in the way of their romantic relationship. Both are charged with murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday. They face the same charges in connection with the death of Daybell’s late wife, Tammy Daybell. Both hav...

Man shot, killed in broad daylight shooting on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago police are investigating a homicide that left one man dead on the city's south side Friday afternoon.According to the Chicago Police Department, officers responded to the 7400 block of South Dorchester Ave in the Grand Crossing neighborhood just after 1 p.m. Friday on reports of a shooting. Driver dies after falling out of Jeep, being struck by 2 vehicles on Dan Ryan Expressway CPD said a 22-year-old male was inside a vehicle when he was shot in the armpit area. The victim was transported to the University of Chicago Medical where he was later pronounced dead.No arrests have been made at this time. The investigation is ongoing.Stay with WGN as this story develops.

Air National Guardsman suspected of Pentagon leak faces espionage charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- The 21-year-old Air National Guardsman accused of stealing and leaking Pentagon documents appeared in court Friday.According to court documents, authorities were able to track down the suspect through billing records of the social media platform he was using.Jack Teixeira, 21, faces charges under the Espionage Act.“There are very serious penalties associated with that,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said.Authorities say Teixeira was the leader of the private chat group where the military documents were first leaked in December. The Justice Department says it will seek the most serious consequences.“We intend to send that message, how important it is to our national security,” Garland furthered.Court documents reveal that before his arrest, Teixeira tried to find out if authorities were on to him by searching the word "leak" in a classified system.“This individual and any of his accomplices need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They b...

Chaos erupts in Illinois courtroom after murder sentencing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) -- A courtroom in Urbana erupted into chaos on Wednesday after a teenager was sentenced for his role in a Champaign murder that happened in the fall.About 30 spectators were in the courtroom to see Thomas Woodson, 17, be sentenced in connection to the murder of 18-year-old Nizeri Carter the night of Nov. 4, 2022. Judge Randy Rosenbaum decided on 10 years in prison, which was met with outrage from the friends and family of both Carter and Woodson.Carter's mother had wanted the maximum 15 years in prison and viewed the sentence as too light. Woodson's family and friends wanted less than eight-and-a-half years and viewed the sentence as too harsh. Source: Chase with possible armed robbery suspect in stolen car ends in Elmhurst crash The unfolding chaos prompted Rosembaum to retreat to the safety of his chambers. There were 10 security officers in the room, plus four Champaign Police detectives watching the proceedings. They tried, but failed, to restore order.The ...

The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan dies at 46 following 'brief illness'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

(NEXSTAR/KTLA) — Mark Sheehan, co-founding member and guitarist of the Irish pop-rock band The Script, best known for their no. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)," has died at the age of 46. Sheehan had been dealing with a "brief illness," the band announced on social media Friday. The Script confirmed news of his death via its official social media accounts, writing: "Much loved husband, father, brother, band mate and friend Mark Sheehan passed away today in hospital after a brief illness. The family and group ask fans to respect their privacy at this tragic time." Disneyland has paused the sale of select Magic Key annual passes Mark Sheehan, member of The Script, an Irish indie rock band from Dublin, appears on the NBC "Today" television program, in New York, Friday, June 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)The band was formed in 2001 by Sheehan and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, who the Guardian reports had been best friends since the pair were 12. O'Donoghue a...

A Century of Champions: The 100th anniversary of Chicago's Golden Gloves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

CHICAGO — These are men who might not be training in places like this anymore, but it's safe to say they became who they are because of them. Nick Petrecca is showing off some of the medals he won in the sport of boxing to Frank Smith as the sun shines through the windows on an unusually warm April day at Sam Colonna Boxing on West 35th Street in Chicago. Tim Adams isn't far away, sitting as he watches those former competitors talk while new generations in the sport are training at other spots in the gym.They are here as part of the leadup to the event that links all three of them along with thousands of other boxers over the past century: The 100th anniversary of the Chicago Golden Gloves. It's a centennial celebration for the tournament that will stage its championships at Cicero Stadium, 1909 South Laramie Avenue from Thursday until Saturday, with the bouts beginning at 7 p.m.Petrecca added to that in his career in the Chicago Golden Gloves, winning the 1963 and 1964 featherweigh...

'TikTok trickster' wanted in 4 states arrested in Lexington, Kentucky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WDKY) — A so-called "TikTok trickster" wanted in four states was arrested on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky, according to police.According to Nexstar's WKRG in Mobile, Alabama, local police identified the man as 54-year-old Brenton Fillers. This was after a Spanish Fort, Alabama, woman told WKRG she was scammed by a "trickster" who told her his name was Jason Mitchell. Police later determined that the man she knew as Mitchell was actually Fillers.Authorities told WKRG that Fillers was wanted in Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Kentucky. Man she met on TikTok scams Alabama woman, may be on the run in Texas The woman, identified by WKRG as Tricia, said she met Fillers on TikTok, and they spent several days hanging out together. Tricia said he won her trust and even offered to house-sit for her. After she agreed, Tricia said he stole her car and she eventually lost contact with him. “He kept texting me, telling me he had my car,” Tricia told WKRG. “And he only called me a...

Skilling: Beautiful weekend ahead for Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:15 GMT

The weather's been so gorgeous this week—you begin to run out of superlatives. We're headed for a second consecutive 83-deg high at O'Hare Friday making this the warmest April 14th in 20 years (since 2003). An April 14th has been warmer over the past 151 years in only 2 other years------1941 (and) 2003 (85).The most recent four days (since Tuesday) have averaged an eye-catching 20.3 degree above normal. April 2023 ranks 8th warmest of the past 151 years with a month to date temp departure of. +7.4-deg. And the opening 14 days of the month are running 10-deg warmer than the same period a month ago.It's interesting to note that while today's air temp was 34-deg warmer than Friday a week ago. But in that same period, Lake Michigan has only warmest 4-deg----underscoring how slowly water warms compared to the air above it. It one reason it so easy to generate cool lake breezes in spring here in Chicago. Lake Michigan's average water temp is just 46-deg which leads us to caution again tha...