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Biden celebrating peace, family history in Irish visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — President Joe Biden embarked Tuesday on a journey of diplomatic and family celebration, highlighting the U.S. role of 25 years ago in ending deadly bloodshed in Northern Ireland while catching up with distant relatives in the Republic of Ireland. It’s his first trip back as America’s president. Biden arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night and was greeted at the airport by United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He will spend about half a day in the city on Wednesday, holding talks with Sunak before going to Ulster University to mark the Good Friday accord anniversary.The president will also “engage” with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main political parties but not as a group, the White House said.Monday marked a quarter-century since the Good Friday Agreement, signed on that day in April 1998, ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland that killed 3,600 people. Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is observing the ...

Fire causes evacuation order in Indiana city near Ohio line

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — Authorities urged people to evacuate Tuesday near a large industrial fire in an Indiana city near the Ohio border that sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky.The fire was in Richmond in Wayne County, 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. Indiana State Police said the blaze was at the former Hoffco factory, which closed in 2009. Mayor Dave Snow described it as a “serious, large-scale fire.”“Many units are on scene,” Snow said on Facebook. “Please avoid this area if possible, as it is dangerous, and allow our first responders room to get this under control.”The evacuation order applied to people living within a half-mile (0.80 kilometer) of the fire. People outside that radius who live downwind of the fire were advised to keep windows closed and pets inside. Bethesda Worship Center offered temporary shelter for people forced out of their homes, while other agencies were trying to arrange hotel rooms if necessary, Pastor Ken Harris told ...

Maine woman charged with buying guns that ended up in LA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman has been charged with buying dozens of guns that allegedly were provided to gangs in Southern California last year, federal prosecutors said.Jennifer Scruggs, 35, of Turner, attested that she purchased 55 guns from three federally licensed firearms dealers in Auburn, Turner and Whitefield for her own use while she was actually buying them for others, law enforcement officials said.Scruggs, who has been charged with 10 counts of making illegal straw gun purchases, made her first court appearance on Monday, according to prosecutors. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Her attorney declined to comment Tuesday.The purchases were made over a three-month period last year and were allegedly provided to gang members in California, but Scruggs also reported that two of the guns were stolen from her, law enforcement officials said.A law enforcement affidavit states two of the guns were recovered by Los Angeles...

District 113 to hold security meeting following gun incident at Highland Park High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Township School District 113 is set to hold a community meeting on security following an incident last week where a student brought a gun to Highland Park High School.The incident sent the school into lockdown, one family telling WGN that their freshman daughter was hiding behind a science lab table, with her teacher instructing them to throw books at an intruder if someone were to come in. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lockdown lifted at Highland Park High School; 5 students in custody "We are dealing with a problem that shows up at our door. The origin of the problem is not at our door, it's outside our door," said District 113 superintendent, Dr. Bruce Law. "The question tonight is what are we doing at our door to keep our students and staff safe? But the question for us, as a country, is what are we doing to solve this problem? So that the work and the focus in schools are on academics, athletics, the arts … getting students ready for their ideal life."The meeting ...

Illinois attorneys working to expunge old marijuana convictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A network of attorneys has been working to get old pot convictions wiped off of people's records since marijuana was decriminalized in Illinois.Officials said that this can be a game changer for lives going forward."Since 2020, we have been able to expunge about 800,000, a little over 800,000 convictions and arrest records, and that's huge," said Erin Johnson, acting cannabis regulation oversight officer. "You know, if you have drug conviction, you are not eligible for federal or student aid, which means a lot of people can't afford to go to college, and unburdening them from a criminal conviction or a drug related conviction can allow them to do that." Can I bring weed purchased in Illinois to other states? New Leaf is a state-funded legal network that puts people in contact with attorneys to help them navigate the expungement process.Attorneys said that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are eligible but have not yet taken advantage. This ca...

Family searches for man who disappeared after 2019 solo car crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

(NewsNation) — After a single-car crash on a Colorado highway, Jacob Paddock-Weeks walked away from his vehicle, apparently unharmed. But four years later, his family is still searching for answers. Even the joy of a new grandchild is muted for Amanda Weeks, still missing her stepson. "In my heart, I still believe he's out there," Weeks said. Family fears missing teen is human trafficking victim She has refused to give up on Paddock-Weeks, hoping for his return. On Feb. 2, 2019, the 27-year-old man lost control of his truck on a stretch of Highway 285 in Jefferson County, Colorado. "Jacob had been going about 80 miles an hour down the mountain, and he hit about 500 feet of the inner guardrail coming down the mountain," Weeks said.Witnesses say Paddock-Weeks got out of the truck, seemingly unhurt. He ran across the road and headed east, into the wooded hills. According to an accident report, his wallet, ID and two cellphones were left behind in his vehicle, along with a small bag o...

Austin man reindicted on 2020 aggravated sexual assault, other charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man was reindicted on four charges surrounding a November 2020 incident in east Austin.According to indictment records, 25-year-old Steve Martin Guerrero was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping involving bodily injury and sexual abuse, as well as aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.On Nov. 24, 2020, Guerrero was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in connection with a Nov. 9 aggravated sexual assault in east Austin. A previous affidavit said several tips were submitted during the investigation about Guerrero as a suspect. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect wanted in connection with east Austin sexual assault case arrested According to a past KXAN report, law enforcement databases were used to gather more details about him, including pictures, and investigators also collected Guerrero’s DNA from a cigarillo butt, which was compared to Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) evidence taken from the vi...

After working on a new stride, Twins’ Matt Wallner called an audible in spring training

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

Like a lot of young baseball players, Matt Wallner spent a good chunk of his offseason working to refine his major league swing. The goal was to cut down on his movement in the batter’s box and get the bat through the zone more quickly.Part of that was working with Twins hitting coaches David Popkins and Derek Shoman at Shoman’s baseball and softball training facility in Elgin, Ill. Using at-bats from Wallner’s first major league experience last September, the coaches presented the 25-year-old outfielder with some solutions for refining his stride, the goal being to cut down on strikeouts.Wallner made a good first impression with the Twins, hitting a pair of home runs and driving in 10 runs in 18 games. He also batted .228 with 25 strikeouts.“And then right out of the gate in camp, it was good,” Shoman said.Briefly.“My rhythm didn’t really work with it, so I kinda banged it in spring training,” Wallner said.That’s OK, Shoman said. Wallner was clearly hitting well enough in St....

Brittney Griner working on memoir about Russian captivity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

NEW YORK — Saying she is ready to share the “unfathomable” experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia, basketball star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir that is scheduled for spring 2024.Griner was arrested last year at the airport in Moscow on drug-related charges and detained for nearly 10 months, much of that time in prison. Her plight unfolded at the same time Russia invaded Ukraine and further heightened tensions between Russia and the U.S., ending only after she was freed in exchange for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.A WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury, Griner had flown to Moscow in February 2022 to rejoin UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women’s team she has played for in the off-season since 2014.“That day (in February) was the beginning of an unfathomable period in my life which only now am I ready to share,” Griner said in a statement released Tuesday by Alfred A. Knopf.“The primary reason I traveled back to Russia for work that day was b...

No injuries after fire at Schenectady sports complex

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:32 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Multiple fire departments responded to a fire at a sports complex Tuesday. The fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. at SPORTIME in Schenectady.Officials said some kids were inside at the time attending a school vacation week program. The chief of the Carman Road Fire Department said everyone got out safely. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "The staff and the counselors did a really good job getting the kids out," Chief Scott Sloan said. "They were across the road, most of them were on this side, over by the outdoor tennis course when we got here."Officials faced obstacles getting to the scene because of some downed power lines on a nearby road. They're investigating whether the downed wires caused the fire.