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Was the Vermont shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent a hate crime? Under state law it might be

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — As authorities in Vermont push forward with their investigation of the weekend shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent, they are weighing whether to treat the violence as a hate crime.The three young men were shot and seriously injured Saturday while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington. The victims were speaking in a mix of English and Arabic and two of them were also wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, police said. The suspect, a white man in his 40s, fired at them with a handgun, police said.Jason Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder.The shooting has rocked the local community and comes amid an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war began.But whether it can be declared a hate crime is complicated.Vermont has a hate crimes statute that applies to someone whose crime is motivated “in...

Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. November 22, 2023. Editorial: State Budget Committee keeps questions of Indiana Gaming Commission secretAs part of a new legislative effort to limit the rule-making authority of state agencies, departments critical to government operations justified their fee and penalty schedules before the State Budget Committee last week.Given an opportunity to add more transparency on how such departments raise revenue through fee collections, Republican members of the committee curiously threw a shroud of suspicion over the Indiana Gaming Commission.In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 1623, a measure requiring fee-imposing agencies to first win the State Budget Committee’s approval of fee schedules. Without the go-ahead, state agencies will be unable to impose fines and penalties in the next calendar year.Ten departments presented nearly 50 fees, ranging from penalties for animal-quarantine violations to licensure exam fees for teachers. The ...

Banker involved in big loans to Trump’s company testifies for his defense in civil fraud trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

When Deutsche Bank loaned Donald Trump’s company hundreds of millions of dollars, the bank always followed its own guidelines that include checking out information that would-be borrowers provide, an executive testified Tuesday at the former president’s civil fraud trial. The loans — for projects in Florida, Chicago and Washington, D.C. — are a focus of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit contending that Trump and his company deceived lenders and insurers by giving them financial statements that baldly overstated his asset values and overall net worth. The defendants deny the allegations.Deutsche Bank reviewed the financial statements before making the loans through its department that works with rich individuals — a pathway that allowed for more favorable interest rates than likely available from the commercial real estate division, according to the lawsuit. The deals came with conditions about Trump’s net worth and, sometimes, liquidity, and they oft...

Saskatchewan starts tribunal to review Ottawa’s clean electricity regulations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is using its autonomy legislation for the first time to review the federal government’s proposed clean-electricity regulations.Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre says she’s implementing the Saskatchewan First Act to establish a tribunal to study the economic effects of the rules.The regulations would require provinces to work toward an emissions-free electricity grid by 2035. Eyre says the tribunal’s members are to submit a report outlining the costs. She adds the report could also be used as evidence in court, should the province file an injunction application in the future.On Monday, Alberta used its sovereignty act for the first time tabling a motion to empower Alberta officials and regulators to not co-operate with the federal rules.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2023.The Canadian Press

Storm closes schools in Cleveland, brings lake-effect snow into Pennsylvania and New York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — An early blast of cold and snow shut down shut down schools in Cleveland and other areas Tuesday and the blanket of snow made driving on heavily traveled Interstate 90 in northern Ohio treacherous.A lake-effect snow warning was issued by the National Weather Service for areas from Cleveland eastward into Erie, Pennsylvania, and parts of western New York were bracing for the first significant snowfall of the year. Forecasters said they expected up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) of snow in the greater Cleveland area. Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, the weather service said observers had reported 13 inches (33 centimeters) or more in Ashtabula County in Ohio and Erie County in Pennsylvania along with 11.6 inches (30 centimeters) in Lake County, Ohio.In Erie, forecasters said snow accumulation in some areas could amount to 8 inches (20 centimeters), blown by with winds up to 30 miles per hour (48 kmh) before the snow warning is set to expire Wednesday morning.The Cleveland ...

'Merry Swiftmas!' Naperville family goes viral with Taylor Swift-themed holiday lights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Merry Swiftmas, Swifties! A family's house in Naperville has gone viral for their enchanted Taylor Swift holiday light display.Amy Scott and her daughters, Rebecca, 18, and Emily, 21, have been longtime fans of the pop icon. Unfortunately, like many of us, the family did not go to the 'Eras Tour.' But after seeing Swift's concert movie in theaters, the ladies were inspired.Amy told WGN News that her family has been doing huge light displays for years, but this is the first time they would pay tribute to T. Swift.She said the decorating began in early November and ended late last week after her daughters came home from college for Thanksgiving break."We made almost everything. My husband, Brian, is a printer. We thought of and then he created our vision. The girls and I did all the glittering, of course," Amy told WGN.And oh, what a vision! The two-story Naperville house, located near Atlas Lane and Tupelo Avenue, has completely transformed into a Taylor Swift...

Winter overnight parking rules in Chicago start Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

CHICAGO — 'Twas this 'dibs' season, a reminder for locals who park on Chicago streets.The city's winter overnight parking rules begin on Friday, Dec. 1 at 3 a.m. As a result, no parking is allowed from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. on 107 miles of streets, regardless of whether it snows.  Johnson unveils plan to move migrants into churches as tent camp construction to begin The rule remains in place until April 1.Last year, the city towed 242 vehicles on day one. Drivers face a minimum $150 towing fee and a $60 ticket.  There is also the two-inch rule on 500 miles of city streets, meaning that no parking is allowed — day or night — if snow accumulates more than two inches.  Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Click here for a map of streets impacted by the ban. 

Spread of latest COVID-19 variant is moving faster than estimated — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

For Tuesday, Nov. 28, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Spread of latest COVID strain increasingThe BA.2.86 variant has caused nearly one in 10 new COVID-19 cases in the US. This is about triple what it was just two weeks ago. The World Health Organization also noted a substantial rise in cases but the symptoms did not appear to be worse or different from previous strains. Unusual cluster of eye syphilis casesHealth officials are concerned about what could be a new strain of syphilis. The concern follows the case of five women ages 40 to 60 whose eyes became infected with syphilis after encounters with the same man. While the pathogen can affect the eyes, it usually happens among people with late-stage syphilis, those over 65, intravenous drug users, and those who are HIV positive. None of the women matched those categories, however.It's also the first reported cluster linked to heterosexual transmission. The CDC i...

Sandy Hook families offer to settle Alex Jones' $1.5 billion legal debt for a minimum of $85 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

Sandy Hook families who won nearly $1.5 billion in legal judgments against conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for calling the 2012 Connecticut school shooting a hoax have offered to settle that debt for only pennies on the dollar — at least $85 million over 10 years.The offer was made in Jones' personal bankruptcy case in Houston last week. In a legal filing, lawyers for the families said they believed the proposal was a viable way to help resolve the bankruptcy reorganization cases of both Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.But in the sharply worded document, the attorneys continued to accuse the Infowars host of failing to curb his personal spending and “extravagant lifestyle,” failing to preserve the value of his holdings, refusing to sell assets and failing to produce certain financial documents.“Jones has failed in every way to serve as the fiduciary mandated by the Bankruptcy Code in exchange for the breathing spell he has enjoyed for almost a year. His time is up," lawyer...

Georgetown ISD proposes new attendance zones to keep up with growth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:57 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Georgetown ISD began a series of meetings this week to gain input from parents about the rezoning of 7 elementary and middle school campuses.According to GISD, the addition of two campuses next school year are the catalyst for the rezoning. The district has proposed creating attendance zones for San Gabriel Elementary School in the Santa Rita Ranch neighborhood, and the new Benold Middle School in the Parmer Ranch neighborhood.The campuses that may be impacted by this zoning are Wolf Ranch Elementary, Williams Elementary, Mitchell Elementary, Cooper Elementary Forbes Middle, Tippit Middle, and Wagner Middle School.Superintendent Devin Padabil said these new attendance zones are in an effort to accommodate the rapidly growing population of Georgetown.This summer, estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed Georgetown to be the fastest-growing city in the nation. Several local cities are among the fastest-growing in the country, new population estimates...