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Prosecutors drop felony charges against Iowa man who had guns, ammunition in Chicago hotel room

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped all felony charges against an Iowa man who was arrested in 2021 by Chicago police for having guns and ammunition in his hotel room overlooking a popular tourist attraction.Cook County prosecutors dropped the felony charges against Keegan Casteel on Monday after he pleaded guilty to reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.The Ankeny, Iowa, man had faced two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, but no evidence was ever produced in court files that Casteel had anything nefarious planned, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.Casteel was arrested on July 4, 2021, when a housekeeper found the guns and ammunition in his room at the W Hotel. The weapons — a rifle with a laser sight, a handgun and ammunition — were found on the sill of a 12th-floor window that had a view of Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier, a major tourist attraction along Lake Michigan.Police video showed he told officers he “didn’t mean to startl...

Palestinians clash with their own security forces in a West Bank refugee camp, leaving 1 dead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Fighting erupted in a refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday between Palestinians and their own security forces, leaving a 25-year-old Palestinian dead, officials said. The unrest underscored the challenges facing Palestinian police trying to impose order in the restive territory.In Jerusalem, Israeli police said a Palestinian assailant stabbed an Israeli man near a light-rail station before the attacker was shot and killed by an officer. Israeli paramedics pronounced the attacker dead and said the Israeli man in his mid-20s was moderately wounded.The incident occurred along the invisible line straddling east and west Jerusalem. Police later released a photo of what they said was the knife, its tip stained with blood. Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli security forces shot a Palestinian man who they said tried to ram his car into soldiers at a military checkpoint, hitting and lightly wounding a soldier, authorities said. Wednesday’s inci...

Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case for withholding information

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, ruling that the former New York city mayor gave “only lip service” to complying with his legal obligations while trying to portray himself as the victim in the case.U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said the punishment was necessary because Giuliani had ignored his duty as a defendant to turn over information requested by election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss, as part of their lawsuit.Their complaint from December 2021 accused Giuliani, one of Donald Trump’s lawyers and a confidant of the former Republican president, of defaming them by falsely stating that they had engaged in fraud while counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. In a statement Wednesday, the women said they had endured a “living nightmare” and an unimaginable “wave of hatred and threats” becaus...

N.W.T. extends state of emergency, premier tours Edmonton evacuation centre

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

EDMONTON — A state of emergency in the Northwest Territories has been extended until Sept. 11 and its premier says she understands the frustration of those forced from their homes. “I want to go home, too. We all want to go home. It’s hard being evacuated,” Premier Caroline Cochrane said Wednesday following a visit to an Edmonton evacuation centre alongside federal ministers Randy Boissonnault and Dan Vandal, Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.“We can’t control fire. We can’t control the wind and temperature, so we’ve got high temperatures still in the North,” said Cochrane.“What I’m telling people is as soon as it’s safe to go home, as soon as the fire’s in control, then it will take about four or five days at least.”The territorial government declared the state of emergency on Aug. 15 as wildfires threatened several communities, including the capital, Yellowknife. The ...

Canadian Armed Forces doing away with mandatory duty to report policy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

The Canadian Armed Forces will end its “inflexible and inhuman” mandatory reporting policy this winter, its chief of professional conduct and culture said on Wednesday.Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan said military members will still be able to report misconduct, but they will no longer face possible penalties for failing to report something they experience or witness.“The repeal of duty to report will not limit a member’s ability to report incidents,” she said. “The intention is to remove the obligation to report.”The change is meant “to create space for members to exercise discretion” when it comes to incidents of an interpersonal nature.“In many cases (the duty to report) has caused survivors additional harm by taking away their agency and control over the reporting process,” Carignan said.Carignan said there have been lengthy discussions and consultations aimed at ensuring the changes don’t inadvertently make things...

Residents offered bus visits to burned homes in and around West Kelowna, B.C.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

Officials in British Columbia’s Central Okanagan say people whose homes were destroyed by the wildfire in and around West Kelowna are being contacted to schedule escorted bus visits to assess the damage.A statement from the regional emergency operations centre says only people whose properties are completely destroyed or damaged to the point they’re uninhabitable will be invited to participate at this time.It says the process is aimed at ensuring people who have lost their homes “have the privacy, time and space to be the first to see their properties.”It adds that bus visits are being offered before officials lift any further evacuation orders in neighbourhoods ravaged by wildfire nearly two weeks ago.The 126-square-kilometre McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn out of control in the hills above the area, and is part of a complex of fires that destroyed or damaged nearly 190 properties.To the north, in the Shuswap region, the threat of the Bush Creek E...

Man charged, sexually assaulted women during job interviews in North York

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

A man has been charged after two women responded to online job postings, received an interview and were sexually assaulted as they performed breathing exercises in a North York office.Toronto police said that between March and August, two women responded to online job postings and attended an office space on the sixth floor at 1 Concorde Gate in North York.It’s reported that both women met with a man who portrayed himself as a business owner looking for employees.During the interviews, police said the man would ask the victims to perform breathing exercises and instruct them on how to meditate. The man sexually assaulted the two women during these job interviews.On Wednesday, police arrested and charged 55-year-old Ajay Gupta of Toronto with two counts of sexual assault. He was scheduled to appear in court this morning.Police believe there may be more victims.

North suburban Starbucks robbed at gunpoint

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — A Starbucks in Glenview was robbed at gunpoint on Tuesday evening.Just after 7:35 p.m., officers responded to a Starbucks, located in the 3800 block of Willow Road, on the report of an armed robbery.Employees told officers at the scene that a man, wearing a black hat, a black long-sleeve shirt, khaki pants and a blue surgical mask entered the location.He then walked behind the counter, displayed a handgun and grabbed cash from the register, police said. Dundee-Crown High School placed on lockdown due to ‘swatting’ call The man left the Starbucks with an unknown amount of money and fled on foot heading east.No employees were injured. The man is not in custody at this time.Anyone with information on the incident can call police at 847-901-6055.

Opioid overdose antidote Narcan will be available over the counter in days

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

(The Hill) – The opioid overdose antidote Narcan will be available to purchase over the counter in a few days, making it the first treatment of its kind accessible to the public without a prescription. In a statement Wednesday, manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions announced the first batch of the nasal spray has “officially” shipped to leading drug stores, pharmacies, groceries and online retailers. The original version of the prescription-strength Naloxone 4mg nasal spray, whose brand name is Narcan, will be available beginning in September. The suggested retail price for the two-dose package of Narcan is $44.99.Major retailers including CVS, Walmart and Walgreens have said they expect Narcan to be available online and in many stores early next week.Narcan can potentially reverse the effects of overdoses from opioids, including fentanyl. Fatal overdoses have skyrocketed in recent years, becoming the current leading cause of accidental deaths, Emergent said in its state...

Illinois residents get free admission to the Shedd on select days this fall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Starting Labor Day, the Shedd Aquarium will offer free admission to Illinois residents on select dates this fall. With proof of residency, Illinois residents will receive free admission to Chciago's aquatic animal world on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in September and October. Free admission to the Shedd includes access to all exhibits. The 4-D Experience admission is a $4.95 upgrade for all guests, however. SKY STRIKER: Midwest’s tallest pendulum thrill ride coming to Six Flags Great America in 2024 Entry times vary.Tickets must be secured ahead of a visit through Shedd Squarium's website or by phone at (312) 939-2438. A $3-per-order transaction fee applies to all Illinois Free Day ticket reservations.Free admission will not be granted to Illinois residents who walk up without a reservation. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThis summer, the Shedd Aquarium offered free admission to Illinois residents on certain nights as part of their 'Night Dives' experie...