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US makes deal with Iran to swap prisoners and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the deal late last week, but Congress was not notified of the decision until Monday, according to the notification, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The waiver is likely to draw criticism of President Joe Biden from Republicans and others that the deal will boost the Iranian economy at a time when Iran poses a growing threat to U.S. troops and Mideast allies.The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not run afoul of U.S. sanctions in converting the money frozen in South Korea and transferring it to Qatar’...

Wisconsin wolf hunters face tighter regulations under new permanent rules

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wolf hunters in Wisconsin would have to register their kills faster, face a limited window for training their dogs and couldn’t disturb dens under new regulations being finalized by state wildlife officials.The state Department of Natural Resources plans to hold a public hearing on the new regulations Tuesday afternoon via Zoom. The agency plans to bring the regulations to the agency’s board for approval in October. The DNR has been relying on emergency rules crafted after then-Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation in 2012 creating a wolf season. The new regulations would be permanent. They largely duplicate the emergency provisions but make some changes to reflect goals in the agency’s new wolf management plan. That plan doesn’t set a specific population goal, instead recommending the agency work with advisory committees to determine whether local packs should be maintained, grown or reduced.The major changes in the new rules include shri...

Sheriff in New Mexico’s most populous county rejects governor’s gun ban, calling it unconstitutional

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The sheriff in New Mexico’s largest metro area vowed Monday not to enforce an emergency order by the governor to temporarily suspend the right to carry firearms in public in and around the city of Albuquerque.“It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order,” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said during a news conference. “This ban does nothing to curb gun violence.”Reaction has been swift after Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the order Friday, telling reporters that she expected legal challenges and that state police would handle enforcement. “I welcome the debate and fight about how to make New Mexicans safer,” she said, while also acknowledging that criminals surely would ignore her order. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, a Democratic party leader who was appointed by Lujan Grisham, joined Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Harold Medina saying they too would not enforce it. A ...

Man accused of walking into FBI office, confessing to killing Boston woman in 1979

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A 68-year-old man walked into an FBI field office in Oregon and confessed to bludgeoning a woman to death more than four decades ago in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, prosecutors said.John Michael Irmer, 68, was arraigned Monday in Boston. Irmer, who prosecutors say is also being looked at after allegedly confessing to another slaying, was ordered held without bail pending another court appearance on Oct. 17 on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated rape. Investigators said Irmer had been free for 10 years after serving three decades in prison for a homicide in California. He told FBI agents in Portland, Oregon, last month that he’d met a woman with red hair — identified as Susan Marcia Rose — at a skating rink just before Halloween in Boston in 1979.Irmer said the two walked around the Back Bay before entering an apartment building that was under renovation at the time, prosecutors said. Just after entering the building Irmer told investigators, he grabb...

'This one hurts': Bears deal with blowout loss to open 2023 season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There was one thing that Justin Fields wanted to give to those around him and watching at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon -- that was an apology. The Bears quarterback offered that up towards the end of his news conference after a 38-20 drubbing at the hands of the rival Packers in front of a crowd that was just as frustrated as the players. "I mean, it definitely hurts. Not only because it's the first game of the season, it's a loss, but it's a loss to them. So, I want to say sorry to teammates, all the fans that were rooting for us," said Fields. "Yeah, we'll bounce back. We'll be good."If there is some skepticism, it's hard to blame after the first 60 minutes of the Bears season on Sunday. The passing game, led by Fields with coordinator Luke Getsy making the calls, couldn't push the ball upfield as D.J. Moore was only targeted twice the entire afternoon, with the Bears getting 216 yards through the air.Fields had a fumble along with a "pick six" late that s...

Hey Dude to pay $1.95 million to FTC for suppressing negative reviews, other violations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The popular online shoe retailer Hey Dude has been ordered to pay the Federal Trade Commission $1.95 million to settle charges that it misled customers by "suppressing negative reviews" and violated one of the Commission's rules "in several ways." In a press release Monday, the FTC said Hey Dude suppressed 80% of reviews that provided three or fewer stars on a five-star scale. Instead, between January 2020 and June 2022, the Commission alleges Hey Dude showed only all five-star reviews on its website. "In many instances, however, it rejected and did not publish less-favorable reviews," the FTC alleged, adding that the company — which was acquired by another comfort shoe brand, Crocs, in 2022 — instructed staff to only publish good reviews of its products. They maintained that practice until learning the FTC was investigating the company. Additionally, the FTC said Hey Dude violated its Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule on multiple fronts. That includes ...

DraftKings Sportsbook apologizes for 9/11-themed betting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

(WHNT) — On the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attack against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, a popular sportsbook has apologized after receiving heavy criticism following a parlay themed after the events.For a short time on Monday, DraftKings users had the ability to wager on a parlay titled "Never Forget," which featured the New York Jets, New York Yankees and New York Mets all to win Monday. For those unfamiliar with sports betting, at its core it's exactly what it sounds like -- you put money on an outcome and you get paid if that outcome is achieved. However, there's a lot of "lingo" that can be confusing. If a bet is on the winner of the game, that is called a "moneyline" bet. If you're betting that a team will win or lose by a certain amount of points, that's a "spread" bet. If you combine multiple outcomes into one bet, that is called a "parlay." The odds for all three teams to win was set at +651, meaning a $100 wager would have netted $651. Novak Djokovic wins t...

Another primetime start for No. 4 Texas against Baylor in Waco

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's another late kick for the Texas Longhorns when they face the Baylor Bears on Sept. 23.Set for McLane Stadium in Waco, the No. 4 Longhorns and Bears will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on ABC, Texas Athletics announced Monday. Texas and Baylor have split their last four games in Waco with the Bears claiming victory 31-24 the last time the teams played at McLane Stadium in 2021. Last season in Austin, the Longhorns topped the Bears 38-27 in the regular season finale. ‘The taste of victory is very sweet’: Longhorns’ strong 4th quarter a welcomed sign going forward Texas is 6-4 against Baylor in the previous 10 games and leads the overall series 80-28-4. Texas is 31-18-2 all-time in Waco.It will be the third consecutive primetime kickoff for the Longhorns who host Wyoming at 7 p.m. Saturday. Texas is 2-0 coming off perhaps the biggest win in recent program history 34-24 over Alabama on the road. Baylor, meanwhile, is 0-2 after losses to Texas State and No. 12 Utah to start...

State report: Minnesota saw 8.6% decrease in violent crime in 2022

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

Violent crime in Minnesota dropped by 8.6% in 2022, acccording to a crime report by the state Department of Public Safety.The 2022 Uniform Crime Report is a collection of data supplied by law enforcement agencies from across the state.In the seven-county metro area, violent crime dropped by 6.9%, according to the report. In Greater Minnesota violent crime dropped 12.9%.Other statistics from the 2022 report include:• There were 182 murders in Minnesota in 2022, compared to 201 in 2021, a 9.5% decrease. In the case of murders, firearms made up 70.4 percent of the weapons used in 2022, a decline from 73 percent in 2021.• Last year saw 10,342 aggravated assaults, which is 5.7 percent lower than 2021.•There were 10,342 aggravated assaults in 2022, which is 5.7 percent lower than 2021.• Rapes decreased as well last year. Almost half of the victims were minors — 44% — and 73.2% occurred in a home.• Theft of motor vehicles rose 12.9 percent last year as 16,743 vehicles were stol...

Missouri jury awards $745 million in death of woman struck by driver who used inhalants

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:51:48 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri jury has awarded $745 million to the parents of a young woman killed on a sidewalk outside an urgent care center by a driver who huffed nitrous oxide canisters right before the accident.The verdict was reached Friday in the lawsuit brought by the parents of Marissa Politte, 25, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Politte was leaving her workplace at the Ballwin Total Access Urgent Care in St. Louis County on Oct. 18, 2020, when she was struck by an SUV.The two-week trial focused on whether the company that distributes nitrous oxide under the name Whip-It! conspired with a smoke shop to sell the product to customers they knew intended to illegally inhale the gas to get high.Police discovered that the 20-year-old driver, Trenton Geiger, had passed out behind the wheel after abusing Whip-It! nitrous oxide. Police found Whip-It! containers they say Geiger threw into the woods. Geiger purchased the canisters at a smoke shop before he struck and killed Pol...