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Illinois city backs abortion pills ban, defying legal risks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois city on Tuesday banned the mailing or shipping of abortion pills, defying the state's Democratic attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union, who have repeatedly warned that the move violates Illinois law's protection of abortion as a fundamental right.The ordinance passed the City Council in Danville, near Illinois' eastern border with Indiana, by one vote, a tiebreaker cast by Mayor Rickey Williams.This is not the first time since Roe v. Wade was overturned that local abortion restrictions have been adopted. Five local governments in Democrat-controlled New Mexico passed them, but the state’s supreme court in March blocked enforcement for now. And last year, a town in Ohio decided to rewrite its restrictions rather than defend them in court. US Supreme Court won’t take up Indiana’s abortion burial law It's not clear how Danville officials intend to enforce the ordinance. Illinois law has long shielded abortion rights. In 2019...

Police name woman shot, killed by husband in north Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police released the name Wednesday of a woman shot and killed by her husband in their north Austin apartment earlier this week. Joyce Pingul Clarke, 55, died Monday evening from the shooting that happened at the apartment at 10015 Lake Creek Parkway. Police said her husband, 56-year-old Gary Clarke, shot and killed her before he took his own life. APD investigating homicide in northwest Austin after 2 found dead in apartment Police responded to the couple's apartment a little after 5:30 p.m. Monday after a neighbor reported hearing an argument and then gunshots. Officers went into their apartment and found Joyce inside with gunshot wounds. They said they later found Gary in a back bedroom with a gunshot wound. Both died at the scene. Police are asking anyone with information about this murder-suicide to contact them at (512) 974-TIPS. People can also submit tips anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Programs by visiting the group's website or by call...

Victim, suspect identified in April 27 suspected murder/suicide investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released an update surrounding an April 27 homicide investigation.APD said officers responded at approximately 12:12 p.m. to the 1200 block of Kenyon Drive in reference to a welfare check.Police said the caller had not heard from 47-year-old Shannon Norton and requested officers to check on her. According to a release, the caller also stated that Norton lived with her boyfriend, 52-year-old James Flom. PAST COVERAGE: APD says south Austin double homicide was ‘domestic violence incident’ At the residence, APD said officers entered the home and found Norton and Flom each with a gunshot wound.“Investigators determined that Flom shot and killed Norton and then shot and killed himself,” APD said. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Austin Police said this case was being investigated as Austin's 26th homicide of 2023.

City of Dallas issues statement after ransomware attack compromises city servers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

DALLAS (KXAN) -- On Wednesday, the City of Dallas confirmed in a statement that a number of its servers were compromised with ransomware.The city's security monitoring tools notified the agency's Security Operations Center (SOC) that a "likely ransomware attack had been launched within our environment," the statement said.Furthermore, the city also confirmed "a number of servers" were compromised with ransomware, which impacted several functional areas, including the Dallas Police Department website.The city team and its vendors were actively working to isolate the ransomware to prevent its spread, to remove the ransomware from infected servers and to restore any services that were impacted, the statement said.The Dallas mayor and city council were notified of the incident, as per the city's Incident Response Plan (IRP), according to the city. The city was still working to assess the complete impact of the incident and also said the impact on the delivery of city services to its res...

Congress Mobile Home Park Tenants sue developer over intimidation, coercion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Former residents of the Congress Mobile Home Park filed a lawsuit Wednesday against California developer Reza Paydar, claiming that he violated the Deceptive Trade Practice Act (DTPA). Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that they were not given the legal amount of time to move out of their former homes.KXAN reached out to Paydar for comment, and will update the article when received. Assisting the plaintiffs are lawyers from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Austin Community Law Center and organizers with Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA)."The developer we are suing today forced our clients out of their homes much faster than the law allowed, just to speed up their project and their profits," said Austin Community Law Center in a press release. "The developer's ongoing, callus indifference to the harm they inflicted is obscene. Our clients should not have been forced to abandon their homes and community on short notice. Their strength in standing up ...

Poll shows Ted Cruz approval rating increases as Colin Allred announces Senate challenge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — New polling out Wednesday shows U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's approval rating among Texas voters increased from a net negative to a net positive, as the incumbent senator gets his first major Democratic challenger for his seat in 2024. Pollsters from the Texas Politics Project asked 1,254 registered voters about the job the Cruz is doing. Up from a February poll, 45% said who approve of his job performance and 41% disapprove. It comes as U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, announced Wednesday he will be challenging the junior senator for reelection. The third-term congressman and former NFL linebacker made his announcement in a three-minute video posted to his social media accounts. In the launch video, Allred talks about his upbringing of being raised by a single mom and his record in Congress, while accusing Cruz of not working in the best interest of Texans."We deserve a senator whose team is Texas and Ted Cruz only cares about himself, you know that," Allred sa...

After pandemic spike, Minnesota traffic fatalities may be trending down again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

Following an almost two-decade-long decrease in traffic fatalities, Minnesota saw a spike in deaths on its roadways following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.While it’s still too early to tell for sure, those deaths may be on the downturn, according to Mark Wagner, assistant state traffic safety engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.Wagner, who spoke at a Toward Zero Deaths workshop Wednesday in Rochester, said those deaths are concerning and that his team, along with MnDOT, are working to make roads safer.“It’s really sad to see the loss of life and the life-changing injuries that increased during the pandemic,” he said. “But at the same time, looking back 20 years when Toward Zero Deaths started, that was a hard time, too, and we found a way to make it work.”Minnesota has seen a 33% decrease in traffic-related deaths since Toward Zero Deaths began in 2003 as a state traffic safety program that works to lessen roadwa...

Split Rock Lighthouse to shine tonight in honor of Gordon Lightfoot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

Split Rock Lighthouse will shine its beacon Wednesday night in honor of the late Gordon Lightfoot.It’s a rare honor: The beacon is seldom lit, with an annual exception being Nov. 10 to mark the anniversary of the 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. A 1976 song by Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” has moved millions of listeners with the true story of the Lake Superior catastrophe.“He was an amazing storyteller,” Split Rock site manager Hayes Scriven said when reached by phone Tuesday. “When you listen to that song, you feel like you’re there. You can see what he’s talking about, very vivid.”In fact, said Scriven, it was Lightfoot’s song that inspired former lighthouse manager Lee Radzak to initiate the tradition of lighting the beacon for the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1985, the 10th anniversary of the shipwreck.“He was coming home one day,” said Scriven, “and the song ‘The Wreck of th...

Rachel Banham is confident, comfortable entering fourth season with Lynx

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

Rachel Banham was informed of a “no stepback three” message from Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve this week.“I know. We’ll have to meet about that,” Banham said with a smile. “She said I had the green light, so, honestly, if I make it, we’re good. You’ve just got to make the shot.”Banham did admit her first shot of the season would not be a stepback jumper.“Maybe like my third or fourth,” she said. “Once I’ve got my feel, ya know?”That exchange showed Banham’s current comfort level — with both her relationship with the Lynx’s basketball boss and with the state of her game.The 29-year-old’s seventh WNBA season last summer was her best to date, as the Lakeville North High School and University of Minnesota alum averaged eight points and two assists per game while shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Above all else, Banham liked the confidence level she brought on a daily basis.“I thought that I came out every game playing confident and at good pace and just being myself again and having fun...

New History Theatre season includes world premiere musicals about Betty Crocker and Harold Stassen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:30:42 GMT

Five world premieres, including musicals about Betty Crocker and the late Minnesota governor Harold Stassen, are on tap for the History Theatre’s 2023-24 season.“I am most interested in stories of joy, triumph and determination that appreciate and celebrate the human experience,” said the St. Paul theater’s new artistic director Richard D. Thompson in a news release. “The expansive season examines over 100 years of history from the 1920s through today. All the stories are relevant to today’s world, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to the theater to experience them.”Season subscriptions are now available at $270 (five shows), $220 (four shows) and $179 (three shows), with discounts available for seniors. Single tickets go on sale July 11. See historytheatre.com for details.The lineup includes:“The Boy Wonder” (Oct. 5-29): Minnesota’s youngest governor, Harold Stassen, is the subject of this musical from Keith Hovis. Stassen was elected in 1938 and went on to esta...