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Atlanta organizers unveil plan to stop ‘Cop City’ at the ballot box

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Activists announced an effort Wednesday to force a referendum that would allow Atlanta voters to decide whether the construction of a proposed police and firefighter training center should proceed, in a potential last-ditch effort to halt the project that its opponents refer to as “Cop City.”A day after the City Council rejected protesters’ pleas to refuse to fund the police and firefighter training facility, the activists returned to City Hall to file a referendum petition, hoping to take the fight to the ballot box. Under the proposed referendum, voters would choose whether they want to repeal the ordinance that authorized the lease of the city-owned land upon which the project is being built.In order for the language to get on the ballot, though, organizers must first gather the signatures of more than 70,000 Atlanta voters over 60 days once the city clerk approves the petition. They would also have to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay canvassers ...

'Sooooo epic:' Taylor Swift's message to Chicago fans after Soldier Field concerts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Attention Chicagoland Swifties, Taylor has a message for you.The music artist posted to Twitter Tuesday night and addressed all the fans who attended her 'Eras Tour' stops at Soldier Field. The tour took over the Chicago stadium for a total of three nights. "Chicago that was sooooo epic. Playing 3 nights at Soldier Field and getting to sing ‘You All Over Me’ with Maren Morris who I adore. You guys were so much fun to play for, I love you." Taylor Swift fans line up for hours outside Soldier Field for ‘Eras Tour’ merch Swift's next tour stop is Detroit, Michigan this weekend.

Police working to identify body found in missing mother's vehicle on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department are conducting an investigation after a body was found inside a vehicle matching the description of a missing South Side mother's car.Police responded to the 9400 block of South LaSalle Street in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood around 9:40 a.m. Tuesday and found the body in the driver's seat of an abandoned vehicle.The car matched the description and license plate of Rena Baker's vehicle, a 39-year-old mother who has been missing since Wednesday, May 31.  ‘Stop, stop, stop’: Murder warrant issued for 18-year-old accused of shooting Crown Point teen to death Residents who live nearby noticed the vehicle was parked there for five days.Baker was last seen around 10:30 pm Wednesday evening near 76th Street and King Drive. She was seen leaving a friend's house. Her brother, Andre Baker, says she left her cell phone at home and the direction the car traveled was odd. The family reported her missing when she did not pick her son up from school on ...

Over $600K worth of counterfeit watches, socks, sunglasses seized at O'Hare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Over $600,000 worth of counterfeit goods, including fake Rolex watches, were discovered at O'Hare Sunday. Customs agents discovered the goods while inspecting a shipment labeled "fashion sunglasses."In the shipment, officers found 36 pairs of designer sunglasses bearing counterfeit trademarks of designers like Louis Vuitton, Versace, Chanel and others.Officers also found 25 pairs of socks bearing counterfeit Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Dior trademarks.The shipment was arriving from Thailand and was heading to a residence in Bedford, Indiana.In addition to the sunglasses and socks, officers intercepted 22 watches bearing the counterfeit trademarks of Franck Muller, Patek Phillipe, Adidas and Rolex. 10 of the best ‘post-Taylor’ June concerts around Chicago The merchandise would have been worth a total of almost $638,000 had the goods been genuine, authorities said.“CBP protects honest trade and hardworking businesses,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field ...

Shannen Doherty says breast cancer has spread to her brain, expresses fear

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

(WJW) – Shannen Doherty, known for her roles in "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed," has shared an update on her health. On Tuesday, the actress announced that a CT scan performed on Jan. 5 showed she had brain metastases, a condition caused by cancer cells spreading from their original site to the brain. The 52-year-old posted a video on Instagram receiving radiation therapy to treat the condition.In 2020, Doherty revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Jacky Oh, who appeared on ‘Wild ‘N Out’ with partner DC Young Fly, dies at 32 "On January 5th, my ct scan showed Mets in my brain," she wrote on Instagram. "January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like." Doherty added that th...

Motorcycle-riding dog survives crash that killed owner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) – A man who loved hitting the open road with his motorcycle-riding dog Snoopy was killed in a crash Sunday in Tennessee, but friends say the dog walked away with barely a scratch.The Shelby County Sheriff's Office said Vincent Beard, 55, collided with a car in Cordova. He later died at the hospital.Carol Neeley said when she found out what had happened to Beard, she began searching for his dog. She found Snoopy hiding in a neighbor's yard not far from the crash site."I was afraid he was hurt," said Neeley. "As soon as I called him, he came."He had some road rash on his back left leg, but I took him to the vet yesterday, and he got through a check-up, and everything is fine, amazingly."Vince Beard and Snoopy pictured on Beard's motorcycle. (Photo courtesy: Carol Neeley)Neeley said Beard started out as her contractor but became a close friend. She said she and her husband helped Beard get through lung cancer, and now they plan to take care of Snoopy."He's very sm...

Prince Harry testifies in court, accuses tabloid of phone-hacking: 'Beyond any doubt'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry entered a London courtroom on a mission to prove that the publisher of the Daily Mirror tabloid had hacked his phone and unlawfully snooped on his life.He left the witness box Wednesday having shown that he was highly suspicious of how Mirror Group Newspapers obtained information for stories about him, but without offering phone records or much other evidence to support his hacking claim.“I believe that phone hacking was at an industrial scale across at least three of the papers at the time,” the Duke of Sussex asserted in his second day of testimony in London's High Court. “That is beyond any doubt.”Phone hacking is central to his case against Mirror Group and two related lawsuits against other British tabloid publishers that he claims invaded his privacy by eavesdropping on emails and using other illegal methods to report on the smallest details of his life, causing him great emotional turmoil. Federal Court to hear challenge over Prince Harry’s US vis...

Canada fires bring dystopian haze, air-quality alerts in US. Is it safe to go outside?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

Intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay inside.The effects of hundreds of wildfires burning across the western provinces to Quebec could be felt as far away as New York City and New England, blotting out skylines and irritating throats.U.S. authorities issued air quality alerts. Hazy conditions and smoke from the wildfires were reported across the Great Lakes region from Cleveland to Buffalo.A smoky haze that hung over New York City much of the day Tuesday thickened in the late afternoon, obscuring views of New Jersey across the Hudson River and making the setting sun look like a reddish orb. In the Philadelphia area, dusk brought more of a lavender haze. Here's where Canadian wildfire smoke is making air quality worst Sal and Lilly Murphy, of Brooklyn, likened the burning scent to a campfire. They said they could even smell...

Victims killed in graduation mass shooting identified; suspect charged

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Seven people were shot, two fatally, when gunfire rang out Tuesday outside a downtown theater in Richmond, Virginia, where a high school graduation ceremony had just ended, causing hundreds of attendees to flee in panic, weep and clutch their children, authorities and witnesses said.The two people killed in the shooting were 18-year-old Shawn Jackson and his father, 36-year-old Renzo Smith, according to a family representative.Shawn Jackson (Family photo)Renzo Smith and Shawn Jackson (Family photo)Shawn Jackson (Family photo)According to court records, 19-year-old Amari Ty-Jon Pollard has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the incident. He will be held without bond until further proceedings. Pollard’s status hearing in court is scheduled for June 21.Police said five other people were shot. A 14-year-old boy, a 32-year-old man, a 55-year-old man and a 58-year-old man all have non-life-threatening injuries. A 31-year-old has ...

Kyle PD: 16-year-old fentanyl overdose first week into summer break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:42 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — It's been about two weeks since many school districts let out for summer break and the Kyle Police Department said they've already seen one teen-related fentanyl overdose. "Fortunately, both law enforcement and paramedics were able to arrive and safely revive that child and they've recovered," said Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett. Chief Barnett said the teenager was 16 years old. They've seen others leading up to this one as well."We had one two weeks prior to that, and one a couple of weeks prior to that. So the danger has not necessarily gone away," Chief Barnett said. It was around this time last year that Hays County saw a spike in fentanyl overdoses among teens. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Three Hays CISD high school students die from suspected fentanyl overdoses in past month "In the summer of 2022, we saw a rise in deaths of young people related to fentanyl. We had several students in our local school district that had taken fentanyl, and it cost them the...