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Belarus outlaws prominent rights group Viasna, declaring it extremist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities Wednesday declared the country’s oldest and most prominent human rights group an extremist organization. The move against Viasna, founded by imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, comes amid a yearslong crackdown on dissent in Belarus and exposes anyone involved in its activities to criminal prosecution. Belarus was swept by massive protests, some of which drew more than 100,000 people, after the August 2020 presidential vote handed a sixth term to the country’s authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The election was rejected as fraudulent by the opposition and the West. Authorities responded with a brutal crackdown. More than 35,000 people were arrested, thousands were beaten by police while in custody, and hundreds of nongovernmental organizations and independent media outlets were shut down and outlawed as extremist.The move against Viasna significantly ramped up the pressure on dissenters in Belaru...

Police officer who shot driver sitting in car is being suspended, will be fired, commissioner says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s police commissioner says a police officer who shot and killed a driver who was sitting in his car last week in north Philadelphia is being suspended and will be fired.Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said Wednesday that Officer Mark Dial will be suspended with intent to dismiss him in 30 days for refusing to cooperate in the investigation of the Aug. 14 shooting death of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry.She cited administrative violations of insubordination, refusal to promptly obey proper orders from a superior officer and a conduct unbecoming violation for “failure to cooperate in any departmental investigation.” Outlaw said the investigation into the shooting itself continues.Irizarry was shot as he sat in his car by Dial after officers spotted a car being driven erratically shortly before 12:30 p.m. Aug. 14 and followed it for several blocks, then approached as the driver turned the wrong way down a one-way street and stopped, po...

Signs return to Tennessee statehouse grounds after judge blocks new House GOP rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — People held signs without problems at the Tennessee Capitol complex Wednesday after a judge agreed to temporarily block a new rule advanced by House Republicans that had banned the public from doing so during floor and committee hearings.The ruling came in a lawsuit that was filed after state troopers removed three people Tuesday who held small signs urging gun control at a hearing on the same statehouse grounds where Republicans also drew attention this year for expelling two young Black Democratic lawmakers for breaking procedural rules.This week’s removals came at the order of a GOP subcommittee chair, who later instructed troopers to kick the rest of the public out of the committee room after deeming the crowd too unruly. That included grieving parents closely connected to a recent Nashville school shooting, who broke down in tears at the decision.The emotional and chaotic scene irked both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, while others pointed ou...

Betty Tyson dies at 75, spent 25 years in New York prison before murder conviction was overturned

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

Betty Tyson, a woman who spent 25 years in prison for a 1973 murder until being exonerated on the basis of new evidence, has died in upstate New York, her sister said Wednesday.Tyson, 75, died at a Rochester hospital on Aug. 17 following a heart attack and will be laid to rest Friday, said sister Delorise Thomas. Thomas noted her sister had recently marked a milestone, having spent as much time in freedom after her incarceration as she had behind bars.“It felt good. She was free,” Thomas, 72, said by phone from her Rochester home, where Tyson also lived. “She enjoyed herself, going out driving, playing cards, going out to different parties … She enjoyed her life.”Tyson was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in February 1974 for the death of Timothy Haworth. The Philadelphia business consultant had left his Rochester hotel around midnight on May 24, 1973, apparently to look for a prostitute, and was found strangled with his necktie in an alley the next day.In May 1998, a j...

Suburban Cook County resident dies from West Nile virus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

CHICAGO — A suburban Cook County resident in their 90s is the first human in the state to die from the West Nile virus in 2023, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday. The individual had an onset of symptoms of West Nile virus in early August and died soon after, IDPH added. The state's health department confirms 11 non-fatal cases of West Nile virus thus far this year. CDPH spraying Beverly, Washington Heights to protect against West Nile virus Of the 12 human cases reported this year, seven were reported from Cook County, including two in Chicago. To date, Kane, Macon, Madison, Will, and Woodford counties have each reported one human West Nile virus case.Health officials reminded Illinoisians to prevent West Nile virus by practicing the "3 R's"Reduce: Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut. Eliminate, or refresh each week, all sources of standi...

5 things to watch at the first GOP primary debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

The majority of the 2024 GOP presidential contenders will descend on Milwaukee on Wednesday for the primary’s first debate of the cycle. Wednesday’s televised event on Fox News will mark the first time most of the candidates have been onstage at the same time and could be their biggest national audience in the cycle so far. But arguably the biggest story heading into the debate is former President Trump’s absence. Here are five things to watch ahead of Wednesday’s GOP debate. What will candidates say about Trump? Trump’s absence will loom large over the event, given his commanding lead in polling and his status as a former president. His grip on the GOP primary base has forced many of the candidates to walk a fine line between differentiating themselves from the former president and criticizing him.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was once one of Trump’s most vocal allies, could be in the most difficult position of all of the candidates. DeSantis needs ...

$1.35 million federal grant given to Illinois to aid workforce equity in construction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Labor announced a $1.35 million grant Wednesday aimed at supporting tradeswomen in Illinois. Crews battle fire at Chinatown Supermarket amid extreme temperatures Gov. JB Pritzker joined U.S. Labor Department Acting Secretary Julie Su to make the announcement. They were are also joined by Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan and Chicago Women in Trades' (CWIT) Board Chair Japlan Allen.The money is being given to the Illinois Department of Labor to train and support the entry of more women into infrastructure and construction careers.The CWIT is one of the organizations who will benefit from the funding. They will be able to provide guidance on program design and best practices to construction companies, unions, and other stakeholders to promote workforce equity, according to a press release from the governor's office.The grant was made possible through the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Bill passed in Nov. 2021.

MedWatch: Screen time may be tied to developmental delays in toddlers — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

For Wednesday, Aug. 23, WGN’s Jewell Hillery has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Screen times linked to developmental delays According to research published in JAMA Pediatrics, one-year-olds who spent long stretches of time on screens showed delays in communication and problem-solving at ages two and four. Toddlers who spent four hours a day on screens were twice as likely to have those delays. Additionally, toddlers who spent more than four hours a day were five times as likely. Those same children were also more likely to have problems with fine motor skills and with social skills. Lead exposure from secondhand smokeSecondhand smoke could be exposing children to lead. A new study analyzed lead levels in the blood of 2,800 children. Researchers say they found higher lead levels in kids who also had higher indicators of nicotine. Exposing children to lead can damage their brains and organs. 40% of heart patients are taking recommend...

Drowning death of former President Obama’s personal chef on Martha's Vineyard ruled an accident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — The drowning death of former President Barack Obama’s personal chef near the family’s home on Martha’s Vineyard last month has been ruled an accident by the Massachusetts medical examiner.Tafari Campbell, 45, of Dumfries, Virginia drowned while using a paddleboard in Edgartown Great Pond on July 24, the Massachusetts State Police said.Campbell was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha’s Vineyard. The Obamas were not present at the home at the time of the accident.Campbell's death was determined to be an accidental drowning following “submersion in a body of water,” Timothy McGuirk, a spokesperson for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, said Wednesday.In a statement following his drowning, the former president and his wife, Michelle Obama, called Campbell a “beloved part of our family.”“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,” the ...

Ohio court system trading ankle bracelets for smartwatches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:01:19 GMT

CINCINNATI (NewsNation) — Cincinnati is experimenting with a first-of-its-kind technology for electronic monitoring of some low-level offenders, swapping out ankle bracelets for smartwatches. The Southwest Ohio County Court System is piloting a new program that would change electronic surveillance, working to do away with the stigma surrounding electronic monitoring. Officials say they will still be able to keep an eye on those who break the law, but in a more discreet way. But some say the technology still needs more testing before the switch is made. In Warren County, Judge Robert Peeler is at the forefront of the effort to help criminal offenders re-integrate into society using a device called the VeriWatch. Hundreds of San Francisco federal employees working from home due to crime Similar to a smartwatch, the device would replace the clunky and often uncomfortable ankle bracelet with a smaller, less conspicuous option. The device would still be able to track a person's moveme...