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Despite global uncertainties, Obama argues case for hope at Democracy Forum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were back in Chicago on Friday to head up this year's Democracy Forum at McCormack Place.The discussion takes place on the 15th anniversary of Obama’s first presidential election.No longer in the White House, the 44th President of the United States continues to look for other ways to make an impact. The forum is an effort, in part, to foster new leadership, especially among young people — and strengthen democracy.  President Biden to visit Illinois next week Friday's event comes at a precarious moment in history as authoritarian leaders around the world seek to destroy democracy. In the US, polarized political parties refuse to compromise, most would agree, paralyzed by dysfunction and negativity. Despite the fear and uncertainty, Obama argues there’s still a case for hope. "It is hard to feel hopeful. The images of families mourning, of bodies being pulled from rubble, force a moral reckoning on all of us," Oba...

Calumet City tickets reporter for asking too many questions, in latest First Amendment dustup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Officials in a suburban Chicago community have issued municipal citations to a local news reporter for what they say were persistent contacts with city officials seeking comment on treacherous fall flooding. The tickets from Calumet City, a city of 35,000 located 24 miles (39 kilometers) south of Chicago, allege “interference/hampering of city employees" by Hank Sanders, a reporter for the Daily Southtown, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.It's the latest of several recent First Amendment dust-ups involving city officials and news outlets around the country, following this week's arrest of a small-town Alabama newspaper publisher and reporter after reporting on a grand jury investigation of a school district, and the August police raid of a newspaper and its publisher's home in Kansas tied to an apparent dispute a restaurant owner had with the paper. 2 teens charged in shooting death of 86-year-old man in Auburn Gresham Sanders reported in an Oct. 20 sto...

Epaulette shark at Brookfield Zoo born via asexual reproduction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The Brookfield Zoo has welcomed an epaulette shark pup to its team, but this baby shark's family tree is missing a few branches.According to the zoo, the female shark pup, who hatched on Monday, Aug. 23, was born through parthenogenesis, which is "when an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg cell."Zoo officials say the pup's mother has not been housed with a male since she arrived at the facility in 2019 when she was 3 years old. Zoo officials say epaulette sharks reach sexual maturity at around 7 years of age. $400K winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket sold at 7-Eleven in Palos Heights Animal care staff at the zoo say the mother shark began laying between two and four eggs each month starting in 2022, which was typically infertile, but one egg laid within that period was fertile and after a five-month incubation period, the baby shark pup finally hatched. Staff say they believe the female shark was able to produce the fertile egg without needing to be fertilized by a male...

Shark surprises Illinois zookeepers by reproducing without a male

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

CHICAGO (WGNTV) — The Brookfield Zoo has welcomed an epaulette shark pup to its team, but this baby shark's family tree is missing a few branches.According to the zoo, the female shark pup, who hatched on Monday, Aug. 23, was born through parthenogenesis, which is "when an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg cell."Zoo officials say the pup's mother has not been housed with a male since she arrived at the facility in 2019 when she was 3 years old. Zoo officials say epaulette sharks reach sexual maturity at around 7 years of age. $400K winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket sold at 7-Eleven in Palos Heights Animal care staff at the zoo say the mother shark began laying between two and four eggs each month starting in 2022, which was typically infertile, but one egg laid within that period was fertile and after a five-month incubation period, the baby shark pup finally hatched. Staff say they believe the female shark was able to produce the fertile egg without needing to be fertilized b...

Target offering Thanksgiving meal for under $25 – here's what comes with it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

(KSWB) – With Halloween in the rearview mirror, the next holiday Americans have their eyes on is Thanksgiving.Putting together a Thanksgiving feast isn't cheap for the average consumer. However, Target on Wednesday announced it is featuring a turkey day meal for four that is under $25 online and in-store, the retail corporation said on its website.The deal includes a 10-pound frozen Good & Gather Premium Basted Young Turkey, a 5-pound bag of Good & Gather Russet Potatoes, a 14.5-ounce bag of Good & Gather Cut Green Beans, a 22-ounce can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, a 14-ounce can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce, a 6-ounce box of Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix and a 12-ounce jar of Heinz HomeStyle Roasted Turkey Gravy. The pre-tax total for the meal comes out to $23.24, according to Target's online prices. Two SuperLotto Plus tickets worth over $15K sold in Southern California "We know our guests are looking for incredible value and ease as the...

Twin brothers suing NCAA in federal court over eligibility dispute involving NIL compensation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Twin brothers have sued the NCAA in federal court, alleging they were ruled ineligible because of compensation they received for use of their name, image and likeness while they were playing for an Atlanta prep sports academy.The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Matthew Bewley and Ryan Bewley, 19-year-old twins from Florida, in U.S. District Court in Chicago on Wednesday. The Bewleys played for Overtime Elite Academy for two seasons before accepting scholarships from Chicago State University in June.The brothers are seeking damages and an injunction that would clear them to play for the Cougars, who visit Bowling Green on Monday night for their season opener. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman scheduled a hearing for Tuesday in the case. ‘I’ve just been locked in:’ Justin Fields answers questions on thumb injury recovery after Bears practice Daniel McGrath, one of the lawyers representing the Bewleys, declined comment when asked if he had anything to add beyond the ...

Can daylight saving time seriously affect your health? The answer is yes, and here's how

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Brunch dates and flag football games might be a little easier to get to this Sunday, when phones grace early risers with an extra hour of rest before alarm clocks go off.The downside: Next week across most of the U.S., the sun will set well before many folks step foot out of the office, leaving them to run errands or take walks in utter darkness. Come Nov. 5, daylight saving time is out and standard time is in and will last until March 10.No need to wait till the midnight hour to prepare for the time change that clocks in early Sunday, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. Before bed beckons Saturday night, rewind the clock on the microwave, oven, car, or any other device not yet clever enough to make the leap on its own.Besides scheduling stumbles and sleep habit disruptions, experts say the twice-yearly ritual can have more serious effects on human health.Many Americans are already sleep-deprived, and a change in time messes with sleep schedules even more, says Dr. Phyllis Zee...

Second suspect in robbery, murder of St. Paul man also charged with earlier robbery, kidnapping

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

A second man charged in the robbery and killing of 22-year-old Alex Becker near his St. Paul home in December is also accused of an unrelated carjacking in the Merriam Park neighborhood less than three weeks earlier.Ramsey County prosecutors charged Detwan Cortell Allen with kidnapping and first-degree aggravated robbery last week. Allen’s DNA was found in a Porsche that he and his co-defendant, Arteze Owen Kinerd, stole from a 56-year-old man at gunpoint Dec. 9 in St. Paul, the criminal complaint says.Detwan Cortell Allen (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)Kinerd was charged with the same two offenses the same day he was charged in Becker’s killing.Allen, 19, of St. Paul, Kinerd, 20, of Minneapolis and Shaun Lamar Travis, 25, of Brooklyn Park, all face aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the ambush killing of Becker, who was walking home from work on the city’s North End just before midnight Dec. 27. Becker was shot six times in his alley. Police fo...

Lake Elmo, Stillwater School District settle with developer over bus terminal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

Lake Elmo and Stillwater Area School District officials have reached a settlement with a developer over the $7 million terminal for Stillwater school buses in Lake Elmo.Under the terms of the settlement agreement, which was approved Oct. 24, the school district will receive $400,000 from EN Properties, while the city will pay EN Properties $75,000.“It’s a fair settlement that allows all parties to move forward,” said Superintendent Mike Funk.The $75,000 that Lake Elmo will pay to EN represents half of the funds the company paid as a cash contribution for the parts of its proposed development that were to be tax-exempt. Only the school-bus terminal development moved forward, but a proposed Metropolitan Transit park-and-ride facility did not, said City Administrator Kristina Handt.“The city is glad to be able to put this behind us and focus on working with our partners to serve all of our residents and businesses,” Handt said Friday.An attorney for EN Properties did not immediately re...

Questions remain over central warehouse development

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:24 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Over the years chunks of concrete have fallen from the Central Warehouse posing a threat to the public, the city of Albany said. The city plans to ensure public safety at that privately owned property after the owners failed to comply with a citation to install nets to keep more concrete from falling.“Many consider the Central Warehouse building Albany's greatest eyesore,” Democrat Assemblymember Patricia Fahy said. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The dilapidated building has been an ongoing issue in her district, she said. The developer estimated one wall was likely compromised and now they estimate it’s two maybe three walls that are compromised, creating new financial estimates and concerns.The city of Albany is moving forward with plans to install netting around the Central Warehouse.The city said this is due to noncompliance by the property owner. However, the property owner released a statement say...