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37 employees at Illinois developmental center accused of PPP fraud

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

PARK FOREST, Ill. -- An Illinois watchdog implicated several more state workers in an investigation into pandemic-era fraud.According to a report, 37 employees at the Ludeman Developmental Center in Park Forest have resigned, been fired, or face discipline for defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Great Grift: More than $200 billion in COVID-19 aid may have been stolen, federal watchdog says The employees-involved are being accused of receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans of at least $20,000 each for businesses that reportedly did not exist or did not earn the income claimed in the paperwork.Dozens of workers across the state, along with the Ludeman Developmental Center employees, will lose their jobs due to pandemic fraud.

Christie: GOP candidates who don't qualify for first debate should drop out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

GOP presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday that those in the 2024 primary who don’t qualify for the party’s first debate later this month should drop out of the running. “If you don't make the debate stage, you should leave the field. I think it’s that simple,” Christie said in a Fox News Digital interview, calling the debate requirements “the first winnowing process.”“If you haven’t made the stage, I think it’s time to go," he added said. The former governor called the Republican National Committee (RNC) requirements for the event “fair ones.” In order to get on the Aug. 23 stage in Milwaukee, candidates have to meet specific polling benchmarks, hit 40,000 unique donors and sign a loyalty pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee.Christie has said he's met the RNC’s donor requirements, and it appears he’s also met the polling bar. He said on ABC that he’ll do whatever he has to do to get on the debate stage, but he’s also called t...

LIVE: TCEQ public meeting on proposal to build private dam for recreation on South Llano River

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

JUNCTION, Texas (KXAN) — A private dam proposed on the South Llano River, a major tributary to the Highland Lakes, is the center of a debate in the Hill Country this week as a public hearing set for Thursday evening approaches.It all started in 2018 when then-CEO of Phillips 66, Gregory Garland, filed an application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, to dam up the river and create a private pool. KXAN First Warning Weather forecast But under extraordinary drought and low river flow conditions, neighbors are worried about the strain this may put on a scarce resource. Drying up: the South Llano RiverThe South Llano River in Junction is flowing at its lowest level since 2018, according to USGS data. (KXAN Photo)"It's too depressing to see it in the condition that it's in right now," Linda Fawcett said from the shores of the South Llano River in Junction, the water source for the community of 2,500 residents. Fawcett has been co...

Trial ends in Harris County election challenge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Attorneys delivered closing arguments Thursday in a lawsuit asking a Harris County court to nullify one November election result, posing an challenge the election administration in the state's largest county.On Nov. 8, Republican Erin Lunceford lost a race for district judge to incumbent Democrat Tamika Craft by 2,743 votes - a margin of 0.26%. She is calling for a do-over, joining the Harris County Republican Party and numerous other candidates in raising concerns about access to ballot paper and equipment malfunctions they say tainted the turnout and vote tally."It was run so poorly, you can't determine who the real winner is. And this is not on Erin Lunceford, or Judge Craft. This is on the county," Harris County Republican Party Chair Cindy Siegel said.About 20 of nearly 800 polling locations ran out of ballot paper on Election Night, or just about 2.5% of locations, according to an analysis by the Houston Chronicle.The county argues that, while errors are to...

AAC sees increase in canine distemper cases, asks for help moving healthy dogs out of shelter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Animal Center said it has seen an increase in dogs entering the shelter with the distemper virus and asked for help moving 60 healthy dogs out of the shelter and into foster or adoptive homes.“Since mid-July, AAC has seen six confirmed distemper cases and several presumptive cases. Additional disease control measures have been put in place to mitigate the risk of the virus spreading, however, because the shelter consistently operates above capacity, creating additional space for isolation has become increasingly difficult,” AAC said.The shelter said distemper is a virus that primarily affects unvaccinated dogs.“The virus can impact all systems in the body, but typically starts with upper respiratory symptoms and may progress to neurological symptoms if left untreated. The virus is spread through mucous, respiratory secretions, saliva, and urine. Fortunately, it does not live on surfaces for very long and is susceptible to many disinfectants,” AAC said.The shel...

Solomon D. Stevens: Finding a path to healthy conflict

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

Spencer Cox, the new chairman of the National Governors Association, is promoting the idea of “healthy conflict.” The Utah governor has become concerned about the growing problem of toxic arguments in society. As the Washington Post reports, Cox wants people to learn how to “disagree better.”We should all try to think of ways we can join him in his quest because this is not just a political issue; it is a problem that permeates our society. Almost any disagreement these days escalates into an angry confrontation. We are better than that. Our disagreements are genuine, but the way we disagree can change.We have to start somewhere. I recommend that we begin by banishing all ad hominem arguments. What are these? “Ad hominem” is a Latin phrase that means “to the person.” I’m sure you have seen this kind of arguing. It is all around us. What it describes is an argument where instead of actually addressing what someone has said, we ins...

St. Paul man sentenced for rear-ending squad car while high, with marijuana blunt behind his ear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

After rear-ending a St. Paul police squad car, Joseph Laurence Forliti said his eyes were off the road and on a woman at the time of the July 2022 crash, which injured an officer.Meanwhile, a marijuana blunt that was tucked behind his ear led police to believe he might be high.Joseph Laurence Forliti (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Forliti, a six-time felon on federal probation for armed robbery, was charged in December after a blood sample taken after the crash confirmed the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active psychoactive component in marijuana.“This was brazen,” Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Cory Tennison said Monday at Forliti’s sentencing hearing. “The defendant was driving while high and even had a joint behind his ear as he was driving.”Tennison asked for District Judge Adam Yang to give Forliti six months in jail, followed by probation.His attorney asked for no additional jail time, which was what Forliti and the pr...

Bret Stephens: The ‘never-again Trumper’ sham

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

Shortly after last year’s midterms, when Republicans failed to take the Senate and eked out only a thin majority in the House, Paul Ryan gave an interview to ABC’s Jonathan Karl in which he described himself as a “Never-Again Trumper.” It’s worth recalling what Ryan and other Republicans said about Donald Trump the first time he ran to see what a sham this feeble self-designation is likely to become.In 2015, Ryan, then the House speaker, denounced Trump’s proposed Muslim ban as “not conservatism,” “not what this party stands for” and “not what this country stands for.” Then-Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana privately complained that Trump was “unacceptable,” according to GOP strategist Dan Senor, before he accepted the vice-presidential nomination. Sen. Ted Cruz called Trump a “sniveling coward” for insulting his wife, Heidi, before declaring that “Donald Trump will not be the nominee.”They all folded — and they all will fold again. Their point of principle wasn’t that Trump had crossed so...

St. Louis County prosecutor not licensed attorney, must resubmit 114 cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. – The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has a problem — 114 of them.The office must resubmit 114 traffic cases because the original prosecutor who signed off on them is not an active member of the Missouri Bar.The employee in question, whom FOX 2 has decided not to name, had just been rehired this past June after retiring due to an illness."A clerk in the courts noticed the cases were being kicked back when they entered his bar number," said Chris King, the spokesman for the prosecuting attorney's office and chief prosecutor Wesley Bell.King said the employee listed in his personnel file that he was an active member of the bar, but he actually is not, so it was his error. It's unclear if the prosecutor's office did any type of verification."Given the fact that he was part of the office for 25 years and was coming back in as a retiree, it came as a surprise to us and the courts," King said.King said the part-timer's license is considered inactive because he ...

Teen rescued from grain bin in St. Charles County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:21 GMT

ORCHARD FARM, Mo. – A teenager was rescued from a grain bin Thursday afternoon in unincorporated St. Charles County.According to Kyle Gains, St. Charles County Fire and Rescue, the incident happened around 4:30 p.m. in Orchard Farm, Missouri. A more specific address or location was not immediately provided.The Orchard Farm Fire Protection District and River Point Fire Protection District were first on scene and requested mutual aid.The teen was pulled from the grain bin and suffered serious injuries. He was airlifted to a local hospital.It's unclear how the teenager wound up in the grain bin.Courtesy: Kyle Gaines, St. Charles County Fire and RescueCourtesy: Kyle Gaines, St. Charles County Fire and RescueCourtesy: Kyle Gaines, St. Charles County Fire and Rescue