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Utah attorney general drops reelection bid amid scrutiny about his ties to a sexual assault suspect

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, facing scrutiny for his decadelong friendship with the embattled founder of an anti-child-trafficking organization, announced Friday he will not seek reelection in 2024.The Republican had previously announced in September that he would seek a fourth term. Reyes is now backtracking his decision to run again and has pledged to dedicate his final year in office to investigating the sex abuse claims against his friend, Tim Ballard.Ballard, the now-ousted founder of nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad, has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women and is the subject of a criminal investigation. His organization rose to prominence last summer as a focal point of the film “Sound of Freedom,” which was widely praised by conservative moviegoers.A bipartisan group of more than two dozen Utah state lawmakers initiated an audit of Reyes’ office last month, calling into question his administrative practices, spending and close t...

Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines reject a contract their union negotiated with the airline

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines flight attendants have voted down a contract offer reached by negotiators for the airline and the union.The Transport Workers Union Local 556 said Friday that the proposal was voted down 64% to 36%.The local’s president, Lyn Montgomery, said the vote followed five years of negotiations during which the flight crews have not received pay raises.“We will go back to the table to achieve the collective bargaining agreement that meets the needs of the hardest-working flight attendants in the industry,” she said in a statement.Montgomery had previously said the offer would have given Southwest flight attendants industry-leading pay, 16% above crews at Delta Air Lines, who are non-union.Dallas-based Southwest said, “We are disappointed the industry-leading agreement reached between the negotiating committees was not ratified.” The airline said it would wait to hear about next steps from the union and the National Mediation Board, which has been involved in ...

Nashville Police investigation into leak of Covenant School shooter’s writings is inconclusive

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville Police have “exhausted all available investigative avenues” in the hunt for the person who leaked pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator, the department announced in an email sent to media late on Friday. The writings are part of an ongoing legal battle over whether they should be released as public records. The Metro Nashville Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability led the investigation into the leak, interviewing officers and forensically examining their electronic devices, according to police. Investigators determined that three cellphone photos were taken of the journals just after they were discovered in the shooter’s vehicle by two detectives with the Specialized Investigations Division. One former police detective who had images from the journal declined interview requests.“The department does not have the ability to compel statements or cooperation from former employees,” the police stat...

Indiana secretary of state appeals ruling for US Senate candidate seeking GOP nod

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana secretary of state is appealing a ruling that a law stipulating voting requirements for a candidate’s party affiliation is unconstitutional in a decision that lifted the hopes of a U.S. Senate hopeful who wants to run as a Republican.The Indiana attorney general’s office filed the notice of appeal Friday with the Indiana Supreme Court on behalf of Secretary of State Diego Morales. The filing came a day after a Marion County judge granted an injunction sought by John Rust, former chair of the egg supplier Rose Acre Farms who is running to replace Sen. Mike Braun. Rust filed a lawsuit in September against Morales, the Indiana Election Commission and Jackson County Republican Party Chair Amanda Lowery to challenge the law and ensure the possibility of his place on the ballot. The law in question says a candidate’s past two primary elections must be cast with the party the candidate is affiliated with or a county party chair must approve the c...

Fox News pushes back against reporter’s suit claiming he was fired for challenging Jan. 6 coverage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fox News pushed back Friday against a former reporter’s lawsuit saying he was targeted and fired for challenging false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.The network argued that Jason Donner had not shown he faced illegal discrimination. The nation’s capital bans discrimination based on political party membership or endorsement, but Donner hasn’t shown he joined a political party, nor that his bosses knew and fired him for it, Fox lawyers said. “That law does not protect employees of news media organizations based on their differences of opinion over reporting and commentary on matters of public concern,” Fox attorneys wrote.Donner said in his lawsuit he was a longtime Republican who affiliated with Democrats more recently.The network also questioned whether he had properly informed managers when taking sick time after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether he filed the lawsuit within the time allowed by the law. Donner’s lawsuit s...

US, South Korean and Japanese national security advisers meet to discuss North Korean threat

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts Saturday in their latest three-way talks on the North Korean nuclear threat and other regional challenges.The meeting in Seoul comes at a time when tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerates the expansion of his nuclear and missile program and flaunts an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons.The United States and its Asian allies have responded by increasing the visibility of their trilateral security cooperation in the region and strengthening their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns as invasion rehearsals.U.S. and Japanese officials said Saturday’s three-way talks would include discussions on North Korea’s recent launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite, which Kim has described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South ...

11 dead in clash between criminal gang and villagers in central Mexico

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Eleven people were killed in a clash Friday between gunmen from a criminal gang and residents of a small farming community in central Mexico, authorities said. Dramatic video of the fight posted on social media showed villagers in cowboy hats with sickles and hunting rifles chasing down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire.Police in the State of Mexico, which abuts Mexico City, said the clash occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of the capital. State police said eight of the dead were members of the criminal gang, while three were village residents. Police did not identify the gang, but the violent Familia Michoacana drug cartel has been dominant in that area for a decade.The video appeared to show the attackers wore military-style uniforms, some with helmets. Villagers apparently set their bodies and vehicles on fire.Local media said Familia Michoacana gunmen had shown up in the village earlier deman...

Skilling: Chicago sees warmest Dec. 8 in 32 years

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicagoans enjoyed the warmest daytime high temperature — 56 degrees — in three weeks today. Not since Nov. 17's high of 60 degrees had it been warmer in the city — and as far as Dec. 8's go, it was the warmest Dec. 8 since 1991 — but what all does that mean for the weather moving into next week for the fine folks of Chicagoland?TONIGHT: Clouding over. A period of rain arrives toward midnight or 1 a.m. — sooner in areas west — and continues the remainder of the night. Isolated thunder is possible.  Mild overnight with a low of 52.SATURDAY: Opens mild — some lingering rain is possible — but will exit by mid-morning. A good deal of cloudiness lingers but with occasional cloud breaks and some mixed sun from time to time. High 52 early — but falling slowly to 40 by sunset. WGN Seven Day Forecast Online SATURDAY NIGHT and SUNDAY: Cloudy spells, breezy and turning noticeably colder. A few passing snow flurries possible. Low Saturday night 30. High Sunday 32.MONDAY: Mostly sunn...

A sweet story: Customers help Loba, a beloved Chicago bakery, move into new location

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Valeria Socorro Velazquez Lindsten's award-worthy pastries have attracted a loyal customer base.So when she needed financial help to get her acclaimed business into a new location, her customers stepped up. Turns out they're sweet on Velazquez Lindsten's story, not just on her pastries.Velazquez Lindsten is the owner of Loba Pastry + Coffee, which has been in the news a lot lately.In May, Velazquez Lindsten moved the business into its new home at 3600 N. Lincoln Ave., at the corner of the Addison, Lincoln and Ravenswood intersection, near the border of North Center and Roscoe Village.Velazquez Lindsten has also been nominated for Pastry Chef of the Year in the Jean Banchet Awards, which recognize local talent in the food industry. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Jan. 28.Loba Pastry + Coffee moved into its new location at 3600 N. Lincoln Ave. in May.Yes, things are going well for Velazquez Lindsten and Loba Pastry + Coffee these days. But how she's reached this p...

Charges filed against man accused of burglarizing 8 Chicago businesses

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:48:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Charges have been filed against a man accused of burglarizing eight businesses across the city over a three-and-a-half-month period.According to Chicago police, 18-year-old Vernon Edwards, a Chicago Lawn resident, has been charged with eight felony counts of burglary.  Logan Square resident faces eviction over display of Palestinian flag Officers say Edwards was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged role in the burglaries that unfolded across several neighborhoods around the city between June 9 and Sept. 17. Officers provided the following timeline for the alleged burglaries: 4200 block of West 55th Street in West Elsdon on June 9 & August 22.5200 block of South Archer Avenue in Archer Heights on June 17.4300 block of West 51st Street in Archer Heights on June 17.900 block of West 35th Street in Bridgeport on June 23.5000 block of South Archer Avenue in Archer Heights on June 26.4400 block of South Archer Avenue in Brighton Park on June 26.6500 block of South Pu...