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Newly appointed California Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek election to a full term in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Newly appointed California Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler will not seek election to a full term in 2024, avoiding what would have been a costly and competitive race for the seat held for three decades by the late Dianne Feinstein. Butler — who was named earlier this month by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to complete Feinstein’s remaining term — said in a statement she made the decision after considering “what kind of life I want to have, what kind of service I want to offer and what kind of voice I want to bring forward.” “Knowing you can win a campaign doesn’t always mean you should run a campaign. I know this will be a surprise to many because traditionally we don’t see those who have power let it go,” Butler added. “It may not be the decision people expected but it’s the right one for me.” Her candidacy would have complicated an already crowded race that includes several other prominent Democrats — U.S. Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff an...

Gaza under Israeli siege: Bread lines, yellow water and nonstop explosions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — There are explosions audible in the cramped, humid room where Azmi Keshawi shelters with his family in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis. The bombardments keep coming closer, he says, and they’re wreaking death and destruction. Keshawi, his wife, two sons, two daughters and tiny grandchildren are trying to survive inside. The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for a devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel almost two weeks ago and the Keshawi family’s sense of desperation is growing. Food is running out and Israel has so far stopped humanitarian attempts to bring it in. The family hasn’t showered in days since Israel cut off Gaza’s water and fuel supplies. They get drinking water from the U.N. school, where workers hand out jerrycans of water from Gaza’s subterranean aquifer to desperate families. It tastes salty. The desalination stations stopped working when the fuel ran out.Keshawi boils the water and ho...

CPS student's STEM project making an impact in the world of wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago Public School high school student took the Science Olympiad to an entirely new level.Nikita Agrawal’s research has not only racked up a ton of awards at both local and international science fairs, but the model she came up with was so impressive that it caught the attention of prominent scientists. Nikita, a senior at Whitney Young High School, was serious about not just placing at the CPS Science STEM Exhibit, but making sure her research was impactful. "I have this model that can predict where large wildfires will occur and we can then use that model to identify regions of the United States which are susceptible to wildfire risk,” she said.With her months of research data glued to trifold cardboard it quickly became apparent this was no average entry.  More from Erin: Chicago’s Hare BnB helping rabbits find homes "She took what other scientists had started and then found new ways of looking at it, interpreting it,” Anna Gallardo, Science Dept. Chair at W...

Teen sexually assaulted after accepting ride from woman claiming to be substitute teacher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is seeking information after a 15-year-old boy was sexually assaulted when a woman claimed to be a substitute teacher drove him to school.According to police, a woman picked up the 15-year-old boy from a bus stop near the intersection of 111th Street and Wentworth in Chicago's West Roseland neighborhood around 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Suburban man faces hate crime charges after allegedly threatening to shoot 2 Muslim men The woman first asked for directions to Cottage Grove then claimed to be a substitute teacher heading to Butler College Prep.The teen told the woman he was a student at Corliss High School, which is at the same location as Butler College Prep. The woman then offered the 15-year-old a ride to school.According to police, woman drove the teen to school where she allegedly made multiple sexual comments, advances, and attempted to unzip teen's pants.The 15-year-old swatted the woman's hand away, but the woman attempted agai...

Candace Parker makes WNBA history in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

BROOKLYN — One of the greatest players in the history of the WNBA and a native of the Chicago suburbs made some more history on Wednesday.That happened for Candace Parker despite the fact that she was on the sidelines to watch her team pull off a rare feat. In Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Liberty in New York, the Aces rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to win 70-69 to capture the league championship for a second straight year. By doing so, they became the WNBA's first repeat winner since the 2001 and 2002 Los Angeles Sparks. It completed a dominant season for Las Vegas as they went 34-6 in the regular season and 9-1 in the playoffs, including a two-game first round sweep of the Sky, to pull off a feat not seen in the league in 21 years. Parker also made some personal WNBA history during his first season with the Aces as she won her third championship. She becomes the first to do so with three different teams, having won it with the Sparks in 2016 and then with the S...

1 dead, 1 injured after high-speed crash, home invasion in Round Lake Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. — One person is dead and another is injured after a high speed crash followed a reported home invasion in Round Lake Beach Wednesday afternoon.According to the Round Lake Beach Police Department (RLBPD), officers were called to a domestic home invasion around 4:15 p.m. in the 100 block of Beachview Drive.Police said the caller told them the male subject trying to break in was involved in a previous relationship with the person living where the home invasion was taking place, and after the 911 call, the male subject left the property in a 2010 Nissan.As officers were driving to the residence on Beachview Drive, police spotted the 2010 Nissan fleeing the scene heading westbound on Rollins Road. According to police, they turned on their emergency lights to try and stop the Nissan, but the vehicle sped away at a high rate of speed, and officers declined pursuit to avoid any potential safety issues from engaging in a chase.Police said the Nissan kept driving at a h...

'Large-scale' water main break impacting Batavia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

BATAVIA, Ill. — The City of Batavia said a "large-scale" water main break on Thursday afternoon is impacting parts of the city.The water main break was reported on Wilson Street between Raddant Road and Johnson Woods Drive. Teen sexually assaulted after accepting ride from woman claiming to be substitute teacher According to the city, there is significant water, debris and equipment impacting traffic. People are asked to avoid the area.

Several Republicans say they were threatened for not supporting Jim Jordan for House Speaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- The U.S. House remains without a speaker and Republicans have been indecisive about how to move forward.The issue is also becoming even more heated as some Congress members and their families have been receiving threats over the issues. Several Republicans say their lives and family members were threatened for not supporting Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House."Jim Jordan needs to step up to the plate very strongly and condemn that. I mean not just say this is wrong, step up and condemn it," said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.).Congressman Don Bacon's wife was reportedly threatened, along with his political future. But Bacon isn't backing down."I hope he talks about a third vote and that he'll concede if he loses more votes," said Bacon (R-Neb.).During the second round of voting on Wednesday, Jordan lost support."We've got to figure out how to get Congress working again. I mean, we just can't be sitting here not moving forward," said Rep. David Trone (D-Md.).Some ...

Teens push Congress to make the internet safer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Teens from across the country are on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to make the internet safer.Many say they have fallen victim to harassment and grooming online. Now, they're pushing Congress to pass protections."It really had a negative impact on my mental health, a negative impact on my self-perception," Kayla Bethea said.Bethea says at age 14, she was bombarded with hateful messages after taking a stand in support of Black Lives Matter. She says hundreds of her peers face the same pressures."The algorithm isn't trying to keep them more engaged, it's trying to hurt children," she said.One by one, they shared their stories with senators during a roundtable Thursday morning."I would say my exploitation began when I was 13 years old," Olivia Littleton said.Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are leading the effort to pass the Kids Online Safety Act."We just need your voices to get it across the finish line," Blumenthal said.The...

These are the scariest non-horror movies, according to Reddit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — With spooky season in full swing, millions of Americans are beginning their annual horror movie marathons leading up to Halloween. But scares aren't just reserved for movies classified as horror — something can be scary for a million different reasons to a million different people.Forget "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie — which non-horror film is a scary movie? Yes, Olive Garden sells its cheese graters — along with several other non-menu items While "scary" is subjective, here are some of the most-cited non-horror movies users of Reddit named the scariest. Wondering where to watch scary movies? Below, find the various streaming platforms you can see these movies and more."No Country for Old Men" (2007)Javier Bardem's chilling performance as merciless killer Anton Chigurh won the Spanish actor an Oscar and helped propel this Western crime-thriller into horror movie territory for many. "No Country' is borderline cosmic horror," one Redditor mused. "Anton Chigurh will nev...