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Hong Kong democracy activist Agnes Chow jumps bail to stay in Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

TORONTO — A prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist says she’s decided to live permanently in Canada, after jumping bail from the Chinese territory.Agnes Chow says on social media she plans to stay in Toronto, where she has been studying for the past three months at a university she doesn’t name, and may never return to her home city.Chow, who served several months in prison for organizing unauthorized protests and was on bail for national security offences, said on Instagram on Sunday that she had been due to return to Hong Kong this month to check in with officers.She said in posts marking her 27th birthday that she purchased return plane tickets but recently decided to stay in Canada to recover her mental health after what she described as years of psychological trauma.Chow said she had been living under constant fear of being detained again after her release from prison in June 2021 for her role in anti-government protests.The Hong Kong Police Force says in a writ...

Police investigating ‘suspicious’ fire that destroyed unoccupied homes in Burlington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

An investigation is underway after a home in a Burlington neighbourhood was the site of two suspicious fires in a matter of days, Halton Regional Police Service said in a release on Monday.Firefighters were first called to the residence on Lodi Road near Dundas Street and Walkers Line after a fire caused minor damage on Saturday, December 2, 2023.Two days later, at around 4:15 a.m. on Monday, crews were back at the same address, but this time the fire was more destructive.“No injuries were sustained, however, the fire destroyed three unoccupied homes on Lodi Road and is considered to be suspicious,” a release states. “Two additional homes were damaged (including one occupied home).”Police say the residential neighbourhood contains a mix of occupied home, along with unoccupied homes under construction.

George Santos is offering personalized videos for $200

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — George Santos already has a new gig.The former congressman, fresh off his historic expulsion last week, has created a Cameo account where the public can pay for a personalized video message.Screenshots of his account — with the bio “Former congressional ‘Icon’!” — started to spread online Monday morning. By the afternoon, users, including several lawmakers, were posting clips of Santos offering advice, blowing kisses and making cracks about Botox. “Screw the haters. The haters are going to hate,” he said in one of the videos shared by Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt. “Look, they can boot me out of Congress but they can’t take away my good humor or my larger-than-life personality nor my good faith and the absolute pride I have for everything I’ve done.” The price for a personalized video from Santos started at $75 and by Monday evening went as high as $200. He is also selling text messages for $10.Santos did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment on Mon...

New North Carolina congressional districts challenged in federal court on racial bias claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Black and Latino voters sued in federal court on Monday seeking to strike down congressional districts drawn this fall by Republican state legislators that they argue weaken minority voting power in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court challenges four districts where the plaintiffs contend GOP leaders in charge of the General Assembly moved around groups of voters that minimizes the voting strength of minorities while beefing up the Republican’s partisan advantage. They want a new map drawn. The map enacted in October puts Republicans in good shape to win at least 10 of the state’s 14 congressional seats next November. Under the iteration of the congressional map that had been drawn by state judges for the 2022 elections, Democrats and Republicans each won seven seats. The shift could help Republicans on Capitol Hill retain control of the U.S. House.“North Carolina’s minority populations have long suff...

Naperville woman charged after fatal shooting at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- A Naperville woman has been charged with murder after she reportedly shot and killed a 34-year-old Saturday night at a Oakbrook Terrace hotel.According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, 51-year-old Latrice Phillips was arrested and charged for the murder of 34-year-old Calvin Truitt after she reportedly shot and killed him at the Hilton Suites in Oakbrook Terrace on Saturday. ORIGINAL: Man ID’d after fatal shooting at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace; person in custody The Oakbrook Terrace Police Department responded to the Hilton Suites hotel on the 10 block of Drury Lane on reports of a shooting around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.Upon arrival, officers discovered Truitt had been shot twice in his back and side area. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Further investigation showed that Phillips got into a verbal altercation with a person in a group of people who she reportedly knew, including Truitt, at the h...

Family of Elk Grove Village man shot, killed by police seek answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. -- The family of an Elk Grove Village man who was shot and killed by police announced a civil investigation on Monday.According to the family, 24-year-old Jack Murray was shot just a few doors away from their family home on the 200 block of Fern Drive just before 4:30 p.m. on Friday. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. ORIGINAL: Man armed with a knife shot dead by officers in Elk Grove Village The Elk Grove Village Police Department said they responded on reports of a man with a knife, something the Murray family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, questions.Murray was known by the Elk Grove Village Police Department from previous encounters, the family said. The 24-year-old had called the Elk Grove Village police in the past asking for help if he felt his own health and wellness were in danger and that he had occasionally checked himself in the hospital for the same reason.The law firm of Romanucci & Blandin representing...

Skilling: Cloudy, wet snow ahead for Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

Chicagoans were dealt another cloudy day with 0% of its possible sunshine recorded by Frank Wachowski at Midway Airport.Monday has been the 4th consecutive day to allow NO SUNSHINE! The past 4 days have been the cloudiest open to a December here of the past Chicago in 15 years---since 2008 when, like this year, the opening 4 days of the month.Interestingly, despite all the cloudiness, each of the opening four days of December have posted a temp surplus and Dec 1-4 is averaging 5.8-deg MILDER THAN NORMAL.  It's been a clean sweep the past four months (since September) with each of those months posting a temp surplus. The 3-month METEOROLOGICAL AUTUMN SEASON, consisting of Sept, Oct and Nov, ranked among the 8% warmest such period in 153 years of weather records extending all the way back to 1871.AND THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS ARE TO CONTINUE this week---WITH THE MILDEST AIR OF ALL DUE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  High temps surge into the 50s each of those days and may even move within striking...

A mother's mental health during pregnancy could impact a child's birthweight — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

For Monday, Dec. 4, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Prenatal depression & fetal growthA study in the Journal of the American Medical Insitute reveals depression during pregnancy is linked to slower fetal growth in critical stages before delivery. Femur length, abdominal circumference, and weight between 30 and 37 weeks are impacted. Doctors say the research points out the need to both screen expectant mothers for mental health issues during pregnancy and intervene to protect the health of the newborn. Brain implants & cognitive abilitiesA novel way to repair the brain following a traumatic injury. Stanford medicine scientists used brain implants to revive cognitive abilities in TBI patients. The deep brain stimulation worked long after the initial injury. They tailored the level of electrical activity to each patient's brain. Researchers say they were surprised at how well the technique worked in people with b...

PAWS Chicago takes in displaced dogs, cats from Dominica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

CHICAGO — More than 75 dogs and cats rescued by PAWS Chicago from Dominica seek a new and forever home. The animals arrived in Chicago on a Wings of Rescue flight Saturday night after the only shelter on the Caribbean island suddenly closed down. Many of the dogs and cats had been abused before being taken in by the shelter. Chicago named one of the most fun cities in America: report "These pets have been through a lot. The worst abuse we’ve ever seen," a PAWS Chicago Facebook post read. "Burned, beaten, unspeakable acts…in the midst of those horrors, this shelter was there to rehabilitate them. It’s a terrible loss that they had to shut their doors, but we’ll make sure every single happy ending they worked so hard for comes to fruition."The PAWS Chicago veterinary team immediately examined them to begin treatment. To help these new arrivals, locals can adopt any cat or dog in the PAWS program.  Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone interested in fostering a...

Palos Park police offer warning about scam targeting seniors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:14 GMT

PALOS PARK, Ill. — Police in Palos Park are offering a warning about a scam targeting seniors.Police say the warning comes after a woman in Palos Park fell victim to a "grandparent scam," something officers say is also referred to as an “emergency scam."According to police, the scams are carried out over the phone by people claiming to be a relative of the victim, usually a grandchild, who claims to be in trouble and in need of money immediately. Police warn that scammers may also pose as police officers or lawyers who claim to represent the family member. Community programs, staff return to Amundsen Park after city scraps migrant shelter plans Officers say the scammers ask for cash and then send an associate who poses as a police officer, bail bondsman or official to collect the money from the victim.According to police, during many of the scams, the victims are told that they have to keep quiet and not speak about the situation for a variety of reasons.Palos Park police urge res...