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Judge enters $120M order against former owner of failed Michigan dam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The former owner of a Michigan dam is on the hook for roughly $120 million sought by the state for environmental damage when the structure failed after days of rain in 2020, a judge said.But it’s not known how the state will ever collect: Lee Mueller has filed for bankruptcy protection in Nevada.“There isn’t that kind of money anywhere,” Mueller’s attorney, Troy Fox, said Tuesday.After three days of rain, the Edenville Dam collapsed in May 2020, releasing a torrent that overtopped the downstream Sanford Dam and flooded the city of Midland, located about 128 miles (206.00 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. Thousands of people were temporarily evacuated and 150 homes were destroyed. Wixom Lake, a reservoir behind the Edenville Dam, disappeared.U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney on Monday granted the state’s request for a $120 million judgment against Mueller, who didn’t contest it. The state said much of that amount is related to damage to fis...

Argentina’s president-elect tells top Biden officials that he’s committed to freedom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei met Tuesday with senior Biden administration officials at the White House in his first international trip since winning a presidential runoff earlier this month.The right-wing Milei had a “positive meeting” with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the president-elect’s office said in a statement. The visit by Argentina’s incoming leader occurred while President Joe Biden was away from Washington at a memorial for former first lady Rosalynn Carter in Georgia and then traveling to Colorado.The statement from Milei’s office said he had expressed “his views on the international geopolitical agenda aligned with the West and his commitment to the values of freedom.” It added that Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the administration, ”conveyed the willingness of the United States to cooperate in the transition of the incoming Argentine government, given the challenging political, economic and social...

Advocates say Ontario Place deal between province, Toronto falls short

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

Residents in the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood aren’t pleased with the new deal announced between the provincial government and the City of Toronto that will officially move the Science Centre to Ontario Place.Toronto agreed to allow the development of Ontario Place in exchange for the government uploading the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway, disappointing many who hoped to keep the Science Centre where it is.Floyd Ruskin, spokesperson for Save the Ontario Science Centre, said he believes this is a detriment to the community of Flemingdon Park.“I’ve taken my kids there. Everybody I’ve spoken to. We’ve all had a great experience there. And we want to maintain that science experience for future generations,” said Ruskin.Flemingdon Park residents aren’t the only ones who say the deal falls short of what the city needs.The deal includes $1.2 billion in operating funding over the next three years, including for transit and shelters. But advocates...

Judge rejects effort to dismiss case against former DA charged in Ahmaud Arbery killing’s aftermath

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A judge Tuesday refused to dismiss misconduct charges against a former Georgia prosecutor accused of hindering the investigation into the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery.The one-page ruling by Senior Judge John R. Turner comes 20 months after defense attorneys for former District Attorney Jackie Johnson filed a legal motion arguing the case against her should be scrapped for lack of evidence. Johnson served as the top prosecutor for coastal Glynn County when white men in pickup trucks chased and killed Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020, after they spotted the young Black man running in their neighborhood. The fatal pursuit was initiated by Greg McMichael, a retired investigator who had worked for Johnson. His adult son, Travis McMichael, fired the shotgun blasts that left 25-year-old Arbery dead in the street. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase and recorded cellphone video of the killing.More than two months passed before the McMichaels and Bryan were arre...

GOP impeachment effort against Philadelphia prosecutor lands before Democratic-majority court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Tuesday weighed whether the Legislature can proceed with an impeachment trial against Philadelphia’s elected progressive prosecutor and whether the court or lawmakers should determine what qualifies as misbehavior in office. What the justices decide after oral arguments in the Supreme Court chambers in Harrisburg will determine the future of efforts to remove District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, on claims he should have prosecuted some minor crimes, his bail policies and how he has managed his office. Krasner was impeached by the state House in November 2022, a year after he was overwhelmingly reelected to a second term, sending the matter to the state Senate for trial.Justice Kevin Brobson, one of the two Republicans on the bench Tuesday, questioned why the court should get involved at this point and suggested the Senate may not get the two-thirds majority necessary to convict and remove Krasner from office....

Skilling: Sunny, but windy Wednesday ahead for Chicagoland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

IT'S COLD---and UNSEASONABLY SO!!  Only 7 Nov 28's since official records began here in 1872 have been colder.  BUT WARMING IS ON THE WAY!!  TEMPS WED AFTERNOON ARE LIKELY TO SURGE NEARLY 20-DEG HIGHER THAN TODAY'S LOW 20S.......Chicagoans shivered through the coldest weather in 8 months.  The high temp only made it to 23-deg today, tied with the 23-deg reading on tthis date 46 years ago in 1977.  It's been 47 years—since the 16-deg high on this date in 1976---that a Nov 28th has been colder.A combination of events have led to the current early season chill: among them a jet stream which roared southward from the northernmost arctic reaches of North America and the presence of a reflective snow pack which limits the warming effect of any sunshine on an income cold air mass.  Snow is said to have a high "albedo"--in other words, it's a highly reflective surface which diminishes the warming effect of incoming sunlight. It's no accident the coldest weather here follows t...

The 'center' of Illinois is likely a spot you've never visited

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — When you think of the heart of Illinois, maybe you think of Chicago or its capital, Springfield. Geographically speaking, maybe you think of the area around Decatur.If it's the latter, you aren't far off. Since the first census in 1790, the U.S. Census Bureau has been calculating the “center of population” in the country. This is a point where an imaginary, flat, weightless, and rigid map of the U.S. would balance perfectly if everyone were of identical weight. It is the average location of where people in the U.S. live, according to the Census Bureau. Data from the 2020 census found Hartville, Missouri, is the “heart” of America. Since 1980, Missouri towns have been the population centers, but the first-ever center in 1790 was in Maryland, just east of Baltimore. When will the sun start setting later in Chicago? In addition to calculating the center of population for the U.S., the Census Bureau is also able to calculate the “heart” of each sta...

New survey shows girls' self-confidence has plummeted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

A recent survey of more than 12,000 girls in grades five through 12 showed a more than 10% decrease in girls who report feeling confident.But what's the reason behind the decline?Katie Gallagher, director of education at Candor Health Education, joined WGN Evening News at 4 p.m. to discuss. "Young kids, girls and boys, are getting social media at a younger age," Gallagher said. "Common Sense Media ... found that the average age for young people to start using social media is actually about 12 1/2 years old, meaning that there's a good number of young people, girls in this survey in particular, starting social media younger than 12."Watch the full interview in the video player above.Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team including the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments as well as personal features related to peo...

Chicago woman accused of fraudulently obtaining $75,000 in SBA loans, unemployment benefits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Charges have been filed against a Chicago woman accused of fraudulently obtaining around $75,000 in federal Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and unemployment benefits, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday.25-year-old Briana Jackson has been charged with one count of theft (Class 1 felony), five counts of theft (Class 2 felonies), one count of loan fraud (Class 2 felony), three counts of wire fraud (Class 3 felonies), eight counts of forgery (Class 3 felonies), and one count of state benefits fraud (Class 3 felony). Johnson unveils plan to move migrants into churches as tent camp construction to begin According to Raoul, Jackson allegedly obtained around $40,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans after fraudulently filing applications for the program. Jackson is also accused of having collected around $35,000 in unemployment benefits from the state, money Raoulalleges she was not entitled to.“Millions of Americans across the country were forc...

Reliever Liam Hendriks and outfielder Cody Bellinger selected MLB's Comeback Players of the Year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Reliever Liam Hendriks and outfielder Cody Bellinger were selected Major League Baseball's Comeback Players of the Year on Tuesday.The pair, both free agents, were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.Hendriks, a 34-year-old right-hander, made his season debut on May 29 following treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He went 2-0 with one save and a 5.40 ERA in five appearances for the Chicago White Sox, the last on June 9. He went on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and on Aug. 2 had Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him until late in the 2024 season or 2025.A three-time All-Star, Hendriks is 33-34 with a 3.82 ERA and 116 saves in 140 appearances in 13 major league seasons for Minnesota (2011-13), Kansas City (2014), Toronto (2014-15), Oakland (2016-20) and the White Sox (2021-23).Hendriks went 8-3 with a 2.54 ERA and a career-high 38 saves in 2021, his first year after signing a $54 million, three-year deal with Chicago as a free agent, then 4-...