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Guatemala Cabinet minister steps down after criticism for not acting forcefully against protesters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The sudden resignation of a Guatemalan Cabinet minister appears to signal a division within the administration of President Alejandro Giammattei over how to remove the protest roadblocks that have stretched into their third week.Interior Minister Napoleón Barrientos, a retired brigadier general, resigned late on Monday following a shooting near one of the roadblocks that killed one person and wounded two others. Barrientos had said publicly that he preferred to seek dialogue with protesters who have demanded the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras over her office’s ongoing investigations into the election of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo.Porras, on the other hand, had called for the blockades’ immediate removal with force if necessary and Monday, hours before Barrientos’ resignation, had called for him to be fired for not heeding a court order to clear them.Those responsible for Monday’s shooting were not immediately identified, but Barrien...

Brawl in Houston courtroom as murdered girl’s family tries to attack her killer after guilty plea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Family members of a murdered 16-year-old girl tried to attack her ex-boyfriend during a court hearing Tuesday after he had pleaded guilty to shooting her nearly two dozen times while she was walking her dog.Frank DeLeon, 19, agreed to plead guilty to murder in the January 2022 death of Diamond Alvarez in exchange for a 45-year prison sentence as part of an agreement with prosecutors.Alvarez was shot 22 times as she walked her dog in southwest Houston. She had planned to meet DeLeon, who was 17 at the time, to talk with him after finding out he had been in another relationship while they were still dating, prosecutors said. Alvarez’s family members had previously said DeLeon had texted her shortly before she was killed and had asked her to meet him in a field near her home.During a court hearing Tuesday, Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, took the witness stand to give a victim impact statement.Video of the court hearing shows Machado finishing her statement and walking t...

Deer struggling in cold Alaskan waters saved by wildlife troopers who give them a lift in their boat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two deer struggling in the waters of southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage finally made it to land, thanks to two Alaska Wildlife Troopers who gave the deer a lift in their boat.Sgt. Mark Finses and trooper Kyle Fuege were returning from a patrol in nearby Ernest Sound to Ketchikan on Oct. 10 when they spotted the deer, agency spokesperson Justin Freeman said in an email to The Associated Press.The deer were about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from any island in the channel, which is favored by large cruise ships taking tourists in summer months to locations such as Ketchikan and Juneau.The deer were floating down Clarence Strait about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) northwest of Ketchikan, but not toward any particular island, Freeman said. They were fighting the current during midtide.“Out in the middle of Clarence, they’re in rough shape, like on their last leg,” Finses said on a video he shot with his phone and that the troopers posted to social media.The troope...

Free legal advice on sexual assault launched by B.C. non-profit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

VANCOUVER — A free and confidential legal service is now being offered to people who have been sexually assaulted in British Columbia.The not-for-profit Community Legal Assistance Society officially launched the program Tuesday, which offers three hours of legal advice to people regardless of age, gender or income, or whether they have reported the assault to police.With funding from the federal government, Jennifer Khor, the supervising lawyer and project manager, said the Stand Informed project aims to fill a “gaping hole” on the under-reporting of sex assaults by helping an “underserved” group better understand their legal options. Khor said in an interview Tuesday that statistics show 37 per cent of women over the age of 15 have experienced sexual assault in B.C., but less than nine per cent of victims seek support from victim services.“Because there’s such a large number of unreported cases of sexual assaults, we hope that we can meet the dem...

More US ships head toward Israel and 2,000 troops are on heightened alert. A look at US assistance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of the horrific Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the U.S. were preparing to deploy if called on.One U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group is already in the eastern Mediterranean and a second one has left the U.S. and is heading that way. In addition, three Marine warships with are moving into the region. Scores of aircraft were dispatched to U.S. military bases around the Middle East, and American special operations forces are working with Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. And, as of Tuesday, five shipments of U.S. weapons and equipment had arrived in Israel. The buildup reflects growing U.S. concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel will escalate into wider regional conflict. So the key mission for American ships and ...

As Chicago migrant crisis strains resources, Johnson seeks additional support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

CHICAGO — City Council budget hearings are underway and alders say Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan for migrants doesn’t add up. The mayor has allocated $150 million for new arrivals, half this year’s projected costs.On Tuesday, Johnson attended a Personal PAC abortion rights group’s luncheon.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to allocate $150 million next year to care for migrants. (Photo/WGN) Arguments delayed in Amundsen Park migrant shelter legal battle "I want you to know as Mayor of Chicago, I, too, will continue to fight to make sure that this city is a national model for gender equity and championing reproductive rights," Johnson said. Despite promises of plans, Chicago migrant crisis gets worse As much as the mayor wants to hone in on progressive causes, the migrant crisis overshadows everything. WGN News spoke to Johnson about the existing issue."Look, over 300 buses have arrived since I took office," Johnson said. "We’ve stood up a shelter every single wee...

Crews evaluate potential site for camp to house migrants in Brighton Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

CHICAGO — On Tuesday, city and private construction crews were busy going in and out of a plot of land in Brighton Park as a spot for a camp to house migrants.The site near 38th Street and California Avenue would be used as a winterized camp. Emergency crews respond to home explosion in DeKalb County "We were never notified about something like this and they never asked for our opinion," a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said. "This just happened."Residents said over the years, the neighborhood has been improving and thriving with new developments. Now they're worried it'll go in the opposite direction."My initial thoughts that crime would increase, that loitering would increase," a neighbor said.The vacant lot is privately owned and managed by the Sanchez Group.It was previously used as a trailer truck parking lot.The 12th Ward Ald. Julia Ramirez is aware city departments have been working on the site to determine the feasibility of the location. She said if the water depa...

Paul Lisnek discusses latest on the vote for a Speaker of the House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

CHICAGO — WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek joined WGN Evening News to discuss the latest on the vote for a Speaker of the House. Jordan fails to win Speakership on first ballot Watch the video in the player above for this story.

United Airlines is about to completely change the way you board a plane

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

(WFLA) — United Airlines will be completely changing the way passengers board a plane later this month. First-class and business-class passengers will still board the plane first as they do now, but then the changes start, according to an internal memo obtained Tuesday by WFLA. Zillow reveals the weird 2024 trends that will increase home value After certain groups (seen below), United passengers flying economy and assigned window seats will board first. This will cut down on the amount of times people already seated have to stand in the aisle to let another person sit down, according to the memo. The new boarding process, known as "WILMA," will begin for flights on Oct. 26, the airline said. WILMA stands for window-middle-aisle. All window seat passengers will board the plane first, followed by passengers with middle seats, and then passengers with aisle seats.The boarding groups will be as follows:Boarding GroupPre-boarding- Customers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors- ...

$22M in public financing aims to turn shuttered Iron Range wood plant into cannabis factory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:25:11 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — A former wood plant in northern Minnesota may turn into a $67 million indoor cannabis grow and manufacturing facility after landing more than $20 million in public financing.The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board on Tuesday voted to award a $10 million loan to HWY35 LLC, which plans to employ 400 people and equip the former Ainsworth Lumber Co. oriented-strand-board manufacturing facility in Grand Rapids, closed since 2008, with “LED grow lights, HVAC systems and automated nutrient delivery systems.”The project has also received a $10 million loan from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and $2 million in tax-increment financing from the city of Grand Rapids, according to the IRRRB’s Tuesday meeting agenda.HWY35, led by Jack Mitchell, a Missouri-based cannabis entrepreneur, and John Hyduke, the lead Minnesota investment partner, is among the first businesses trying to capitalize on the state’s burgeoning recreational marij...