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Moscow blames Kyiv for attacks in south Russia as Kremlin forces hit Ukrainian buildings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people.President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, marked Ukraine’s Statehood Day by reaffirming the country’s sovereignty — a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn’t exist as a nation to justify his invasion.“Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world,” Zelenskyy said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv. “To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history -– of its people, its land, its state. And of our children -– all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!”He also honored servicemen and handed out first passpo...

Record number of homeless people have died in Alaska’s largest city, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A record number of people believed to be homeless have died on the streets of Alaska’s largest city in the last seven months, and the count could increase before the year is out, according to police report data compiled by a newspaper.The death count stood at 29 on Friday, surpassing the previous record of 24 set for all of last year, the Anchorage Daily News reported.Of this year’s count, more than half of the people died after the city closed its mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena on May 1, according to police incident reports.“That’s very unfortunate,” Alexis Johnson, the city’s homeless coordinator, told the newspaper when hearing about the deaths for the first time on Thursday. “Takes your breath away a little bit. It’s unacceptable.”The Anchorage Daily News began tracking deaths of people found outdoors and with no fixed addresses in 2017. It notes the system doesn’t catch all deaths of those experiencing homelessness.Six deaths occurred over a four-da...

Toronto man charged in sexual assault allegedly recorded the act on camera: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

Toronto police have arrested and charged a man in an alleged sexual assault that occurred last year when the accused committed the indecent act and recorded it on camera.Investigators were notified of a sexual assault on November 23, 2022, at 1 p.m. in the Eglinton Avenue and Scarlett Road area in the city’s west end.It’s alleged that a victim attended the apartment of the accused, who allegedly sexually assaulted the victim and recorded the interaction on a hidden camera.Investigators executed a search warrant at a home in Toronto, and police said electronic and computer equipment was seized.Police arrested and charged 55-year-old Dean Roberts of Toronto. He’s facing charges that include sexual assault, voyeurism and publishing intimate images without consent.He was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.Police are concerned there may be more victims.

Supreme Court’s student loan decision will lower US deficit according to new White House projection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruling that upended President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loan debt changed his budget math, modestly lowering the projected deficit for this year, his budget office reported Friday. The White House expects to pare back $259 billion in spending that otherwise would have gone to erasing student loans. This contributed to lowering expected red ink this year under Biden’s budget plans from $1.569 trillion to $1.543 trillion.The Office of Management and Budget’s Mid-Session Review represents the administration’s first recalculations of the loan program since the court’s June decision, which will affect millions of borrowers. The court decision initially was expected to reduce the deficit by $400 billion. But a portion of that money will instead be used to pay for a smaller income-driven loan repayment program that goes into effect this summer, according to the report. Millions of Americans with student loans will be abl...

Stock market today: Wall Street returns to rallying following reports on profits and inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is back to climbing on Friday following more encouraging profit reports and the latest signal that inflation is loosening its chokehold on the economy.The S&P 500 was 1% higher in the late afternoon, with less than an hour remaining in trading, and near its highest level in more than 15 months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 182 points, or 0.5%, at 35,465 after breaking a 13-day winning streak the day before. The Nasdaq composite was up 1.9% as Big Tech stocks led the market.Stocks have been rallying recently on hopes high inflation is cooling enough to get the Federal Reserve to stop hiking interest rates. That in turn could allow the economy to continue growing and avoid a long-predicted recession. The S&P 500 is on track to close out a third straight winning week and its ninth in the last 11. A report on Friday bolstered those hopes, saying the inflation measure the Fed prefers to use slowed last month by a touch more than expected. Pe...

Tennessee governor declines to say if he has enough votes for gun proposal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee on Friday wouldn’t say whether his proposal to keep firearms away from dangerous people has enough support inside Tennessee’s Republican-dominant Statehouse to survive the upcoming special legislative session. In roughly three weeks, lawmakers are expected to be called back to Nashville to address possible changes to the state’s gun laws, an effort that gained momentum after a shooter opened fire at a Nashville elementary school earlier this year and killed six people, including three 9-year-old children. Yet even as traumatized families closely connected to the shooting have pleaded and lobbied for more restrictions on who can access guns, GOP lawmakers have appeared hesitant to adopt any pro-gun control proposals. Back in May, Lee announced that he would call a special session after the Republican lawmakers initially refused to consider his proposal designed to keep guns away from people who could harm themselves or others.Si...

Former Blue Jay Pompey now with Hamilton police, force introduces baseball caps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

If you were reminiscing about the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays and wondered what one Canadian baseball player on that team was up to today, now you have an answer.Former Blue Jays outfielder and Mississauga native Dalton Pompey, who played parts of four seasons in Toronto, was photographed as a member of the Hamilton Police Service on Friday.Pompey, 30, retired from pro baseball in 2022 and pursued a career in emergency services. Previously, he was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 16th round of the 2010 draft and moved his way up the system, making his MLB debut in 2014.In all, Pompey played 64 games with the Blue Jays and hit .221/.289/.372, with three home runs, 10 RBIs and eight stolen bases. The speedy outfielder was utilized as a pinch runner during Toronto’s playoff run in 2015 and stole four bases across two series.Pompey was photographed donning a newly introduced baseball cap that Hamilton police officers will be able to wear while on patrol.“This transition represents...

President Biden to host the leaders of Japan and South Korea for an August summit at Camp David

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Japan and South Korea next month for a summit at Camp David, the White House announced Friday.The Aug. 18 meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the latest sign of warming relations between Japan and South Korea as they move to set aside generations of tensions and mistrust while the United States deepens its commitment to Asia.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the leaders “will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” Expected topics include the threat posed by North Korea and ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and with the Pacific Islands.The invitation spun out of a brief photo-op that the three leaders had at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. The Biden administration has been urging stronger economic and defense ties between South Korea and Jap...

Meteorologist Q&A: Friday's heat advisories, warnings and severe weather risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

CHICAGO WEATHER LIVE — Most of the Chicago area is currently under a heat advisory or excessive heat warning, while all of the region sits in an enhanced risk for severe weather.WGN meteorologist Demetrius Ivory took the time to take your questions on WGN's interactive, weather-centric livestream Chicago Weather Live. It ran live from 1-2 p.m. and was hosted by WGN News Now's Chip Brewster.Watch the full discussion in the video above. Friday Forecast: Dangerous heat, evening storms likely Have a weather-related question for Demetrius? Watch for the next livestream of Chicago Weather Live to get it answered.

Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly are the next White Sox pitchers to be traded, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:23:59 GMT

CHICAGO — For the second time before the Major League Baseball trade deadline, the White Sox are trading a pair of pitchers together as they continue to sell in the midst of a disappointing season.Once again, they're making a deal with a team in California. Per reports from Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the White Sox have traded starting pitcher Lance Lynn and reliever Joe Kelly to the Dodgers. This comes less than days after trading Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels for two highly-touted prospects,Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the White Sox will receive minor league right-handed pitchers Nick Nastrini (9th-rated prospect in the Dodgers system by MLB.com) and Jordan Leasure. Also in the deal is outfielder Trayce Thompson, who was originally drafted by the White Sox and played for them in 2015 and then in 2018.The club has yet to confirm the trade.This comes as the club remains mired in a terrible season, sporting a 41-63 record just two year...