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Reporter wins support after Nebraska governor dismissed story because the journalist is Chinese

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

Advocates and Nebraska lawmakers are defending a reporter after Gov. Jim Pillen said her story about environmental concerns at his farms wasn’t worth discussing because the reporter was from “communist China.”The Asian American Journalists Association, the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and some state lawmakers have condemned Pillen and demanded that he apologize to Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu.The comments, which received a flood of publicity this week when the online media organization’s executive director wrote a scathing column, is just the latest in the nation in which an elected official has personally attacked a reporter. The scrutiny the story is getting also comes amid a wave of pandemic-driven anti-Asian racism and new laws restricting foreign ownership of farmland.Pillen’s staff has not responded to emails or phone messages seeking comment, although he likely will be asked about it Friday during a news conference to di...

Workers at Mexico’s federal courts launch a 4-day strike over president’s planned budget cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hundreds of judicial employees, from administrative staff to judges, took to the steps of Mexico City’s largest federal court Thursday to launch a national, four-day strike against proposed budget cuts.In the first labor action to emerge in Mexico’s judiciary in decades, workers are protesting planned reductions in funding for the judiciary in next year’s federal budget. Pending Senate approval next week, 13 of the 14 special funds used to finance employee benefits will be closed. The lower house of Congress approved the measure on Tuesday.Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who floated the cuts in Congress, blamed senior legal officials for inciting the strike. That prompted courthouse workers to call for unity, chanting “we are all the federal judiciary” and cheering when judges joined the picket line.The strike will last at least until an open session of the lower house of Congress on Tuesday, which leaders of the Federal Jud...

Chicago delegation tours migrant situation at Texas border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A delegation of leaders from Illinois, including several Chicago City Council members and state politicians, travelled to the United States' southern border in Texas Tuesday to gain more insight on how the migrant crisis is impacting the City.According to the delegation, their conclusion is that the process and reality for thousands of people trying to cross into the United States is a disaster, with more money needed to be spent on humanitarian re-settlement efforts versus border patrols."This is a serious crisis," said Ald. William Hall (6th Ward). "What we need is congress to act immediately, change these border policies."Hall and fellow aldermen Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) and Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) were among the delegation that made the trip South, where they gained a firsthand look at the migrant crisis happening at the Texas border.These pictures were taken inside of a city shelter in El Paso, Texas, and the delegation also visited a base camp along the bord...

FBI warning Chicago residents about growing threat of hate crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Head of Chicago's Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) office is warning the community about the growing threat of hate crimes.Special Agent in Charge Robert "Wes" Walker Jr. told WGN-TV that his team's are working to deal with an alarming surge in hate crimes. State Department issues ‘Worldwide Caution’ and warns of potential for violent protests and terror attacks “It’s a priority for us to work those matters, particularly for historically victimized or vulnerable populations," Walker Jr. said.Agent Walker said ongoing relationships can often lead to valuable information to short circuit hate crimes before they happen. He also said his team will continue to work with the Chicago Police Department to address the persistent presence of street crime around the city. FBI crime statistics show anti-LGBTQ hate crimes on the rise The FBI encouraging community organizations to contact them when it comes to hate crimes or other urgent issues.“The Jewish community, the ...

Is it legal to leave a child home alone in Illinois?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

CHICAGO (KTVI/WGN) - Parents make many important decisions each and every day for their children. The responsibility of deciding when it's appropriate to leave children home alone is a significant consideration. Some states have restrictions on leaving children alone at home depending on circumstances like age, time and location. Others give parents the power to make those decisions based on their best judgment. Illinois’ No.1 ‘hidden gem’ for fall foliage not far from Chicago, according to survey Is it legal to leave your child home alone in Illinois? And at what age can parents legally leave their children at home? IllinoisIllinois has one of the most important laws when it comes to decisions on whether to leave a child home alone. In short, all children left at home should be at least 14 years old for it to be legal. According to Illinois state statutes, a parent could be held liable for neglect if: "Any minor under the age of 14 years whose parent or other person responsible ...

One Chicagoland native won't play vs Bears Sunday, but another could

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS — While one native of the Chicago area isn't likely to start at quarterback against the Bears on Sunday, there is a good chance that another could take his place. Per multiple reports, the first from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Arlington Heights native Jimmy Garoppolo will miss Sunday's game at Soldier Field due to a back injury. He's not practiced the last two days for Las Vegas after getting hurt against the Patriots in a win on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, but the team has not officially ruled him out.Should that be the case, Long Grove native Aidan O'Connell could be the signal caller that head coach Josh McDaniels chooses to fill in for Garoppolo against the Bears. Brian Hoyer, who played in Chicago during the 2016 season, could also be chosen to be the starter.O'Connell, who played at Stevenson High School before being a two-time All-Big Ten second team selection at Purdue in 2021-2022, is in his first season with the Raiders, who drafted him ...

Behind the scenes of the Delphi defense team's dismissal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. -- When Allen Superior Judge Fran Gull took the bench a half-hour later than anticipated Thursday afternoon to announce that Delphi defendant Richard Allen’s defense team was stepping down, there was an audible gasp mostly from social media watchers in the courtroom.From my location in the gallery seated behind Allen’s wife and another woman, I had watched the comings and goings of the attorneys and family the previous half-hour and suspected the judge was going to show the lawyers the door. ‘Unexpected turn of events’: Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect withdraw from case Judge Gull was displeased and forced to call today’s hearing after she learned a week ago that a leak of sensitive crime scene evidence from one of Allen’s attorneys made its way to the Delphi social media posters.Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin then engaged his own legal counsel, veteran Indianapolis barrister David Hennessy, to plead his case before the judge.Hennessy never got the chance e...

CVS is pulling these common cold medicines from its shelves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

(The Hill) — CVS is pulling some common cold medicines from its shelves in the wake of a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee's finding that an active ingredient in them is not effective. “We are aware of the FDA Advisory Committee’s position on oral phenylephrine (PE) and will follow direction from the FDA to ensure products we sell comply with all laws and regulations,” CVS said in an emailed statement to The Hill.  McCarthy scolds Gaetz in GOP meeting: ‘Sit your a-- down’ “We are removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores. Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be offered to meet consumer needs,” the statement continued.Last month, the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee voted on whether evidence supported the oral use of phenylephrine, an ingredient in products like Sudafed PE Sinus Congestion and Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion ULTRATABS, is an...

New bill would allow Texas to deport migrants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Texas lawmakers on Thursday gave initial approval to legislation that would create a new state-level offense for illegally entering the state from a foreign nation and allow officers to order migrants to leave the country, effectively deporting them.House Bill 4 would empower peace officers to "remove" a person detained for entering illegally by transporting them to a port of entry and "ordering the person to return" instead of arresting them. If the person refuses the order, they would be charged with a second-degree felony."The Biden Administration continues to ignore the repeated demands for aggressive prosecution of illegal entry offenses and refuses to protect border states against invasion," the bill's author David Spiller, R-Jacksboro, said in a statement. "This landmark bill allows Texans to protect Texas, to send illegal immigrants back, and to incarcerate those that refuse to leave."Local governments expressed concern of the burden that enforcing a new ...

Fatal drug overdoses remained high last year but plateaued, Minnesota Department of Health says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

Drug overdose deaths in 2022 remained at historically high levels following several years of sharp spikes, but they held steady compared with 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Thursday.The annual report on drug-related mortality found a slight 0.8% decrease in overdose deaths from 2021 (1,354) to 2022 (1,343), based on preliminary death certificate data. The decrease in deaths is more noticeable in greater Minnesota, with a 5% reduction in fatal overdoses from 2021 to 2022.Opioid-involved overdose deaths increased by 3% — from 977 to 1,002 — and MDH said that fentanyl was involved in 62% of all fatal drug overdoses in 2022. The potent, synthetic opioid contributed to 92% of the 1,002 opioid-involved overdose deaths in Minnesota.Minnesota Department of HealthHowever, fatal overdoses from heroin, methadone and prescribed opioids decreased, with deaths from heroin reaching a 10-year low after falling 56% — from 103 to 45 deaths.Psychostimulants (metham...