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Looking Glass: I’ve heard of ‘keep the change,’ but this goes way too far

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

A man stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in coins from coin-cashing machines in grocery stores and other businesses in multiple states over two years by disguising himself as an employee of a coin-cashing company, and pretending to service the machines. Authorities found laundry baskets and bags filled with millions of coins in his hotel room in Vancouver, Wash. He was jailed and ordered to pay around $582,000 in restitution.BUT LOOK, IT’S REALLY NOTHING TO CRY OVER: A tanker truck crashed on the M6 Highway in Lancashire, England, spilling 5,300 gallons of milk across all of the northbound lanes.BUT OFFICER, I’M SURE I WON’T CRASH INTO ANYTHING: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested a man for being too drunk to canoe on Christina Lake in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, after he tried in vain to hide under a dock. The Mounties released him from custody as soon as he sobered up.MESS WITH ME, WILL YOU!?: A bunch of spectators tormented a bull from behind wooden b...

Injured Yankees star Aaron Judge still debating All-Star trip to Seattle: ‘It’s important to the fans’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

Aaron Judge is “still debating” whether or not he wants to venture to Seattle for the All-Star Game on Tuesday.Judge, who is recovering from a torn ligament in his right big toe, would not make the journey to play in the exhibition. Rather, he’s thinking about whether or not he wants to participate in the festivities, such as being on the field for introductions.Fans voted Judge into the game, and that means something to him.“It is important to the fans,” Judge said. “Getting voted in and getting a chance to represent the Yankees, it’s a special honor. This is what the fans want to see. They want to see the guys they voted in go to the game and participate and be there, so we’re still debating.”Gerrit Cole will also represent the Yankees at the game.Judge, who has earned four other nods for the Midsummer Classic, said that he enjoys being around other All-Stars. He likes being there to pick the brains of fellow superstars and vet...

US soccer star Megan Rapinoe announces she’ll retire after the NWSL season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Days before heading to her fourth World Cup, Megan Rapinoe announced Saturday she’ll retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.Rapinoe, 38, made the announcement on Twitter, saying she “never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever.”“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” the Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion said.The U.S. team is aiming for a third consecutive title when the Women’s World Cup kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThe Associated Press

A mob storms Tbilisi Pride Fest site forcing the event’s cancellation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Hundreds of opponents of gay rights on Saturday swarmed the site of an LGBT festival in the capital of the country of Georgia, vandalizing the stage, setting fires and looting the event’s bar.Deputy Georgian Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said participants in the Tbilisi Pride Fest were safely evacuated from the scene. The event’s organizers called on people not to come to the lakeside park where the fest was to be held. Georgian news media estimated about 5,000 people marched toward the site. Many of them waved Georgian flags and carried religious icons. Animosity toward sexual minorities is strong in Georgia, which is predominantly Orthodox Christian, and some previous LGBT events have met violent disruptions. Darakhvelidze said police tried to obstruct the protesters but could not hold all of them back. But the event organizers criticized police as ineffectual, saying in a statement that “The police did not block the access road to ...

Six people dead after plane crashes and catches fire in Southern California

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Six people died after a plane crashed over a Southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames.The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwest Riverside County, located between Los Angeles and San Diego.The flight had originally departed from the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas before crashing into the field, KTLA reported. The plane was a a Cessna C550 business jet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.The six plane occupants were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after authorities found the burning plane after 4:15 a.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The identities of those killed in the crash have not been released.The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are both investigating the crash.The Saturday morning crash marked the second fatal crash ...

Man dead, 3 others shot at UpTop Lounge in NW Indiana: Police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

GARY, Ind. -- Gary Police are investing a shooting that left a man dead and three others injured at UpTop Lounge in Northwest Indiana. According to police, officers responded to a shooting at UpTop Lounge and Events bar near the 900 block of East 21st Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Police said upon arrival, they found a 37-year-old man deceased and three other individuals with gunshot wounds. Woman, 22, dead after shooting in Roseland Two men and a woman, all in their thirties, were hospitalized, police said.Police think shots were fired inside and outside the business. This incident is still under investigation and WGN will update as more information is recovered.

Man swept into Omaha manhole during heavy rain was washed down sewer pipes for 1 mile before getting stuck

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters rescued two men who fell into a manhole during heavy rain in downtown Omaha on Friday, including one who was washed about a mile (1.6 kilometers) through sewer pipes before getting trapped behind a metal grate.The men, who were workers for a private contractor, Ace Pipe Cleaning, were swept into a manhole near the Old Market just after 9 a.m., the Omaha World-Herald quoted Lt. Neal Bonacci of the Omaha Police Department as saying.Two men were swept into a manhole while working for a private contractor in Omaha on Friday, July 7, 2023. One of the men was tethered to a safety system. The other was carried through the sewer about a mile away and was found trapped behind a metal grate. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)One of the men, who was tethered to a safety system, was quickly pulled out. A large-scale rescue effort ensued for the other, who was apparently not tethered. He was found around 10:20 a.m. Woman, stuck in swamp for 3 da...

8 injured in El Paso shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) - Eight victims, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old, were injured after a shooting Friday, July 7 in El Paso's Upper Valley, according to El Paso Police Department. Police said six of them were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuriesAt 9:07 p.m. Friday, officers responded to the 4500 block of Swan on a shots fired call. That's in the neighborhood between Doniphan and River Bend Road.Photos by Nigel Wickens - KTSMThe investigation revealed there was a party being held at the residence and uninvited guests arrived at the party.Police say an argument ensued between the groups when the suspect began to shoot into the crowd striking several people.The El Paso Police Department Gang Unit is continuing with the investigation.Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to please call the non-emergency line at (915) 832-4400 or to remain anonymous Crime Stoppers of El Paso at (915) 566-8477 or (915) 566-TIPS.

6 dead after a plane crashes, catches fire in Southern California, officials say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Six people died after a plane crashed over a Southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames.The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwest Riverside County, located between Los Angeles and San Diego.The flight had originally departed from the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas before crashing into the field, KTLA reported. The plane was a Cessna C550 business jet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.The six plane occupants were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after authorities found the burning plane after 4:15 a.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The identities of those killed in the crash have not been released.The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are both investigating the crash.The Saturday morning crash marked the second fatal crash ne...

Your Money: Tax-law changes are coming; be prepared

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:11 GMT

Bruce Helmer and Peg WebbSeveral significant tax-law changes are looming on the horizon — even if they may not arrive until the end of 2025. Because changes to tax policy often can be anticipated, and certain steps are taken to lessen their impact on taxpayers, now is the time to consider the implications for your investment portfolio and financial plan.What’s changingThe lower tax rates authorized under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025. Along with large cuts to corporate profits, the act significantly slashed individual tax rates by restructuring tax brackets across the board, nearly doubling the standard deduction from $13,000 to $24,000, and decoupling the income threshold for capital gains taxes or ordinary income brackets to benefit higher-income earners.In addition, the law basically doubled the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption, from $5.5 million to $11.2 million. Barring Congressional action, the “non-permanent” changes ...