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Jury selection begins in final trial over foiled plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor in 2020

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Nearly three years after authorities foiled a bizarre plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the last defendants accused of taking part went on trial Monday.Eric Molitor and brothers William Null and Michael Null were among 14 men, described by prosecutors as anti-government extremists, charged in the scheme weeks before the November 2020 election. They were angered by Whitmer’s COVID-19 policies, which shut down schools and restricted the economy, investigators said in court filings.The plotters were members of paramilitary groups and spoke of attacking the state Capitol and police to ignite civil war, the documents said.Nine men so far have been convicted in state or federal court, including four who pleaded guilty. Two others were acquitted at trial.Jury selection in the final case began Monday. Opening arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in rural Antrim County, a tourist haven known for cherry and apple orchards, sparkling lakes and quaint ...

After school shooting, Tennessee lawmakers not expected to take up gun control in special session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee lawmakers will gavel in Monday for a special session stemming from a shooting at a Nashville elementary school that left six dead, including three young children.However, even after hundreds of community organizers, families, protesters and many more spent months asking lawmakers to consider passing gun control measures in response to the shooting, the GOP-dominated Statehouse is unexpected to do so.Instead, Republican leaders are focused on advancing proposals that would toughen penalties for violent criminals, arguing that placing limitations on weapons would do very little to deter those who want to cause harm. Other GOP members have introduced proposals to boost mental health resources and school security measures. On March 27, a 27-year-old shooter opened fire at a Nashville Christian elementary school and killed six people, including three young students. The shooting contributed to a record pace for mass killings in the U.S. this year and ren...

Chicago-area woman charged with emailing threats to shoot Trump and his son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal agents arrested a Chicago-area woman Monday on a complaint accusing her of sending emails threatening to shoot former President Donald Trump and his son Barron, according to federal prosecutors and a newly unsealed criminal complaint. Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was arrested Monday morning on a charge of transmitting threats to kill or injure, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. The case was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in southern Florida but was only unsealed this week. “I will state that I will shoot Donald Trump Sr. AND Barron Trump straight in the face at any opportunity I get!,” Fiorenza said in a May 21 email to the head of an educational institution in the Palm Beach, Florida, area, according to an affidavit accompanying the complaint. Donald Trump’s primary residence is in Palm Beach. Fiorenza allegedly wrote a similar email on June 5, saying she would “slam a bullet” into Barron Trump “with his father IN S...

Wildfire fight switches from defence to offence near capital of Northwest Territories

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Firefighters battling a wildfire near the capital of the Northwest Territories shifted from defence to offence Monday after a weekend of cooler temperatures, favourable winds and some rain.“We’re in a position to move to direct attack on that fire,” N.W.T. fire information officer Mike Westwick said Monday.Until now, firefighters had mostly focused on trying to stop the spread or reduce the intensity of the fire near Yellowknife. That means building fire lines to rob the fire of fuel or water-bombing it from the air to cool it off.“A lot of the tactics we’ve been using have been more indirect,” he said. “In this case, we’d be looking at putting out fire right on the perimeter, which is more of an offensive strategy.”Flames remained about 15 kilometres from Yellowknife, whose 20,000 people were largely evacuated by road and air. Most evacuees were staying in Alberta communities, while about 3,000 were flown to Manito...

Group of House conservatives unveil demands to support spending bill and avoid shutdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House conservatives in a group known as the Freedom Caucus have unveiled a list of demands that they want included in a stopgap spending measure to keep the federal government running after the end of September. It’s a smorgasbord of non-starters for the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House, signaling the challenges House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will face next month to get a bill passed in the House without alienating a sizeable share of his conference. Historically, members of the Freedom Caucus rarely support short-term spending bills to keep the government open, but with Republicans holding just a five-seat majority in the House, they have significant leverage over the agenda. Still, McCarthy will likely need votes from Democrats to pass a short-term funding measure than can also get through the Senate and be signed into law.Among the demands from the House Freedom Caucus: —Spending levels below the top-line numbers that McCarthy had agreed to w...

Russian space agency chief blames decades of inactivity for Luna-25 lander’s crash on the moon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The head of Russia’s space agency said Monday that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he blamed the country’s decades-long pause in lunar exploration for the mishap.The pilotless Luna-25 had been scheduled to land Monday while aiming to become the first spacecraft to touch down on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe important reserves of frozen water and precious elements may exist.Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov said the spacecraft’s engines were turned on over the weekend to put Luna-25 into a “pre-landing orbit” but did not shut down properly, plunging the lander onto the moon.“Instead of the planned 84 seconds, it worked for 127 seconds. This was the main reason for the emergency,” Borisov told Russian state news channel Russia 24. Roscosmos had contact with the spacecraft until 2:57 p.m. local time Saturday, when communication was lost and “the d...

Man on meth, other drugs found guilty after killing pedestrian in suburbs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — A man who caused a deadly crash in 2021 while high on meth and other drugs has been found guilty.Brian King, 41, was facing the charge of aggravated driving with any amount of drug in urine, which is a class 2 felony.In June 2021, King was driving on Route 12 and Route 59 in Lake County. Eyewitness testimony during the trial states that King was swerving repeatedly for approximately 13 miles.He eventually struck 53-year-old Michael Brennan, who was walking next to the shoulder, near Stanton Point Road in Ingleside.Brennan died from his injuries on June 16, 2021. 36-year-old motorcyclist killed in front of Midway Methamphetamine and seven other controlled substances were found in King's blood after the crash, authorities said.He has been held on a $500,000 bond. After the verdict, a judge revoked his ability to post bail.King's sentencing date is set for Sept. 13.

CPS students killed ahead of new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two different CPS students were shot and killed this past weekend ahead of the new school year. Rayjohn Harshaw, 14, was fatally shot near his home near 87th Street and Cregier Avenue and Monday would have been his first day of Freshman year at Hyde Park High School. "Everywhere he went, he was just a sweetheart," his legal guardian and aunt --- Harshaw said. Mayor Johnson visits Chicago Public Schools ahead of new school year Just hours before that incident, two teen girls were shot at a party in Galewood Park in North Austin Saturday afternoon. Ashuntice Wilburn, 17, was killed and was supposed to begin her senior year at Shurtz High School on the Northwest Side. "She was an exceptional individual, and for her life to be taken like this, why?" Ashuntice's grandmother Patty Ringo said. Officer shot, suspect in custody after barricade situation in Bolingbrook Chicago police have no one in custody for either shooting. If any information is recovered on either inciden...

Mayor Johnson visits Chicago Public Schools on first day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped by a few Chicago Public Schools Monday morning ahead of a new school year, swearing in six new school board members. Johnson visited a Garfield Park elementary school that CPS considered closing more than a decade ago. This will also be the earliest start to the school year for the district's more than 3,000 students. Traditionally, kids did not return until after Labor Day. The Board of Education approved a new calendar year that is more closely aligned with the schedules of suburban school districts and local colleges. New challenges include helping migrant children learn English and help them navigate the trauma of making their journey to the U.S.CPS estimates an additional 3,000 migrant children with many of them still living in migrant shelters and police stations. Aerial performances on display over Lake Michigan for annual Chicago Air and Water Show Funding for bilingual education will be increased by $15 million and other challenges ...

Wynonna Judd announces Rosemont stop on Back to Wy Tour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Country music artist Wynonna Judd is launching a solo tour, 16 months after her mom, and The Judds singing partner, Naomi Judd, died of suicide.The theatre tour, Back To Wy, will be produced by Live Nation and feature the songs of her first two solo albums; Wynonna (1992) and Tell Me Why (1993). The plan is to perform both albums track by track, front to back, and then conclude each show with other hits and The Judds classics. The Judds, Ray Charles join the Country Music Hall of Fame Judd's 15-city tour will kick off Tuesday, Oct. 26 in Indianapolis, IN and wrap-up in Knoxville, TN on Friday, Dec. 1. Her fourth stop on Nov. 2 will bring her to Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, IL.A quote attributed to Judd in the tour announcement press release states, “Getting to share this tour with the fans who have been with me for 40 years, means the world to me. Deep diving into my first two solo albums, 'Wynonna' and 'Tell Me Why,' track by track, will be a trip down memory la...