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Iraqi man arrested in Germany over alleged involvement in war crimes as a member of IS

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities on Wednesday arrested an Iraqi man accused of involvement in the killing of prisoners and the amputation of a person’s hand in his homeland as a member of the Islamic State group.The suspect, identified only as Abdel J.S. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in the western city of Wuppertal, federal prosecutors said. He is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and participation in war crimes.Prosecutors said in a statement that he joined IS by June 2014 and in the following months participated twice in the extremist group’s “draconian public punishments.” In one case, they said, he was involved in the execution of at least six prisoners. In another, he is accused of providing security while the hand of an alleged thief was amputated.He and other IS fighters also allegedly took a person prisoner and beat and kicked the captive to extract information, the German authorities said. A judge on Wednesday ordered t...

New Hampshire’s presidential primary filing period opens with candidates critical of Biden and Trump

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — In a ritual unruffled by either a changing of the guard or changes to the nominating calendar elsewhere, the filing period for the New Hampshire presidential primary started Wednesday with a Democratic candidate who criticized President Joe Biden and paid a chunk of his filing fee in $2 bills. For the first time in more than four decades, candidates are filing paperwork with a new secretary of state thanks to the retirement last year of longtime elections chief Bill Gardner. But his successor, David Scanlan, is carrying on the tradition of ensuring New Hampshire remains first, waiting for the dust to settle in other states before scheduling the 2024 contest.“I’m really in no hurry,” he said in an interview Tuesday.In contrast, the candidates themselves — particularly the long shots — often are in a race to sign up first in hopes that a bit of media attention will boost their campaigns. In 1991, a writer from New York drove 11 hours in a snowstorm only to find an...

Statistics Canada reports value of building permits up 3.4% in August

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says the total monthly value of building permits in Canada rose 3.4 per cent in August to $11.9 billion, as gains in the non-residential sector offset modest declines in residential construction plans.The agency says the total monthly value of non-residential permits rose 14.8 per cent to $5.0 billion in August.The increase came as permits were issued for hospital renovations in Toronto and North Vancouver, B.C., a new university building in Kelowna, B.C., a new correctional facility in Thunder Bay, Ont., and a new arena in Whitby, Ont.On the residential side, the total monthly value of permits issued fell 3.7 per cent to $6.8 billion in August as the value for permits for multi-unit construction intentions fell 9.5 per cent to $3.9 billion. However, the value of single-family home permits rose 5.5 per cent to $2.9 billion in August, marking the fourth consecutive monthly increase.The indicator comes as politicians across the country look for ways to incre...

Man from Las Vegas charged after climbing Accenture Tower in Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

CHICAGO — A 24-year-old man from Las Vegas has been charged after climbing the Accenture Tower in the city’s West Loop on Tuesday.Maison Des Champs faces one misdemeanor count of reckless conduct and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to land.Des Champs climbed the building, located at 500 West Madison Street, around 9 a.m. Tuesday. The 42-story tower houses the Consul General of Israel.Des Champs reached the rooftop and was immediately taken into police custody.He has been identified as an alleged anti-abortion activist who goes by the name “Pro-life Spider-Man” on social media. A video of him climbing the Accenture Tower was livestreamed on his Instagram account. Man arrested after climbing Accenture Tower in Chicago Des Champs was reportedly calling attention to a non-profit called Let Them Live.This is the eighth time he has climbed a high-rise.

Vanna White says she knows a 'good replacement' for herself

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

(WJW) —Vanna White and Pat Sajak are back together for one final season of the long-running game show "Wheel of Fortune."Come next season, the longtime host is giving over the helm to Ryan Seacrest, but questions have swirled around what is to come for the show's puzzle board handler. Thankfully, we now know that White is in until the 2025-2026 season, with a reported contract extension through that time. TV personality quits after alleged murder plot However, like when White, 66, was out sick last week, it's important to have a backup, and that's where Sajak's 28-year-old daughter Maggie comes in. Vanna White, Maggie Sajack and Pat Sajack. (Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)"I think she's a good replacement if I can't be there for some reason," White recently told E! News. "She's been around it her whole life, so I think she can fill in for me for sure." Get a free ’emergency’ pizza! Maggie has previously filled in for White's role when the letter-turner was a contestan...

Skokie man charged after several alleged bomb threats targeting schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

SKOKIE, Ill. — A man has been charged with conducting alleged bomb threats targeting schools in the area.Jacob Spiro, 23, of Skokie, is facing two counts of falsely making a terrorist threat and one count of disorderly conduct.Skokie police said they have received 16 bomb and violence threats from September into October.Throughout the area this year, several schools and libraries have been the targets of phony bomb threat calls.Skokie police told WGN News the charges are connected to schools an additional charges for "other locations" are pending. Niles police said 11 of the incidents took place in their community. Northwest Indiana Hardee’s employees accused of stealing credit card numbers to bond inmates out Spiro was taken into custody Monday in the 8300 block of West Golf Road in Niles.

Dean cooks Texas-style beef chili with butternut squash & beans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

Dean Richards shares his recipes for Texas-style beef chili with butternut squash & beans Ingredients3 lbs. chuck roast, cut in 1/2 inch cubes1 - 14.5 oz. can pinto beans1 medium butternut squash (about 2 cups) , peeled, seeded and cut in 1/2 cubes. (buying it pre-peeled and pre-diced will save a lot of time)1 - 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes1 - 8oz. can roasted garlic tomato sauce2 tbsp. tomato paste1 chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle in adobo), chopped fine. (Add more if you like it hotter.)1 dried ancho chili pod, chopped fine or 1 tsp. ground.10 oz. whole kernel corn (or the corn from 2 cobs)1 - 15.5 oz. can dark red kidney beans1 - 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives12 oz of your favorite dark beer4-6 oz. chicken stock or water.1/4 cup red chili powder2 tbsp garlic powder1 onion, chopped fine1 green pepper,  chopped fine.1 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano1/2 tsp. paprika1 1/2 tsp cumin, ground2 tbsp corn masa flour (Masa Ferina)...

Groundbreaking for new Uvalde school on Oct. 28

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) – A nonprofit foundation Tuesday announced plans to hold a ground-breaking ceremony later this month for an elementary school to replace Robb Elementary. The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation said the ceremony would happen on Oct. 28 at the site of the new school. The location will include a tribute to the 21 victims who were killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in 2022.The proposed tribute is a tree, designed with two large branches to represent the teachers and 19 smaller branches to represent the students who lost their lives. PAST STORY | Renderings of new Uvalde school include tribute to Robb Elementary victims The new campus is expected to accommodate 800 students, which is nearly twice as big as Robb Elementary.It’ll also have safety measures including fencing around the playfields, keyless entry points and privacy gates that are nine feet tall, and a secure waiting space at the front of the campus for visitors, as well as a new ...

Other voices: The world must support Israel’s war against terror

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

The images from Israel these past few days have been horrific. Almost exactly 50 years after the Yom Kippur War, Israeli forces again appear to have been taken by surprise by their enemies.This murderous Palestinian assault deserves only one response from the world: outrage, and unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself. U.S. President Joe Biden has rightly pledged to stand with Israel “full stop,” as has the European Union. Even as Israel takes the necessary military actions to protect its citizens, all parties in the region need to work to restore some semblance of stability and avoid a broader conflict.An Israeli invasion of Gaza to rescue Israeli captives and reassert control over the territory could last months, if not years. For that reason alone, Israel’s old, new and prospective partners in the Arab world do themselves no favors by not condemning the Hamas attack more forcefully. They understandably fear public opinion, which has never em...

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have been separated for 7 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:22 GMT

For years rumors have swirled about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's relationship being on the rocks. Amid the talk, the two have kept up public appearances as a happy married couple, even during the infamous Red Table Talk where Pinkett Smith revealed her "entanglement" with singer August Alsina. Now the actress is revealing that she and the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" have been separated since 2016. Presenter Chris Rock, right, speaks onstage as Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, bottom left, look on after Smith went onstage and slapped Rock at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)She told Hoda Kotb of the Today Show that she and Smith aren't together romantically. Kotb pointed out that the "Set It Off" actress is a "straight talker" except she's "not sometimes," referring to her marriage. Pinkett Smith revealed that she just wasn't ready to speak the truth about her relationship. “(We were) still trying to figure out between...