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Synagogue gunman had traumatic childhood and couldn’t function as an adult, defense expert testifies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The perpetrator of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre has led a deeply unstable life dominated by serious mental illness and family dysfunction, and has attempted suicide several times, a clinical psychologist testified Thursday.“This was a person who from the beginning had a childhood that was just laden with trauma, neglect and abuse from before he was born,” Katherine Porterfield testified for the defense during the sentencing phase of Robert Bowers’ trial. Bowers, 50, of suburban Baldwin, killed 11 worshippers from three congregations and wounded other worshippers and police officers on Oct. 27, 2018, when he opened fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. He was convicted last month on 63 counts and could face the death penalty in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.Porterfield’s second day of testimony focused on Bowers’ teen and adult years. He showed some improvement around age 13 after an extended hospitalization in a ju...

Ottawa’s new round of sanctions on Russians includes celebrities, Wagner Group heads

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada is sanctioning more Russians whom Ottawa accuses of supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and mercenary violence in Africa.Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has announced new sanctions against 38 individuals and 25 entities.The list has a focus on the paramilitary Wagner Group, which has sent combatants to Ukraine and across Africa.The sanctions also target Russia’s nuclear, drone and cultural industries, in response to that country’s attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear and cultural sites.The people sanctioned cannot have business dealings with Canadians or travel to Canada. Those added to the list Monday include pop singer Zara and actress Maria Shukshina, as well as the media outlet Readovka, Russia’s cultural ministry and mobile-network operators.French MPs have asked the European Union to add the Wagner Group to its terror listing, after countries such as Lithuania applied their own domestic labels to the group. The Conservatives have...

NFL owners unanimously approve the $6.05B sale of the Commanders from Snyder to Harris group

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders on Thursday from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and including Magic Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.All 32 team owners voted for the sale, which is the highest price paid for a North American professional sports team. After the finance committee approved the agreement with the new ownership group, Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, a special league meeting was called to consider and vote on it before the 2023 season begins.Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones beamed as he walked off an escalator and headed toward the meeting room, granting a brief interview with reporters about the impending sale of his team’s division rival.“It’s a hallmark day,” Jones said. “I’m excited about the prospects of going into Washington and giving them some capital punishment.”Snyder had owned his favorite boyhood team since 1999, when he bought it for $800 million. Success was flee...

Oil and gas companies would pay more to drill on public lands under new Biden rule

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Energy companies would have to pay more to drill on public lands and satisfy stronger requirements to clean up old or abandoned wells under a new rule announced Thursday by the Biden administration.A rule proposed by the Interior Department raises royalty rates for oil drilling by more than one-third, to 16.67%, in accordance with the sweeping climate law approved by Congress last year. The previous rate of 12.5% paid by oil and gas companies for federal drilling rights had remained unchanged for a century. The federal rate was significantly lower than what many states and private landowners charge for drilling leases on state or private lands.The new rule does not go so far as to prohibit new oil and gas leasing on public lands, as many environmental groups have urged and as President Joe Biden promised during the 2020 campaign. But officials said the proposal would lead to a more responsible leasing process that provides a better return to U.S. taxpayers.The plan...

Texas is largest state to leave bipartisan national effort to prevent voter fraud

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The state of Texas resigned Thursday from a national, bipartisan effort to prevent voter fraud, becoming the largest state and ninth GOP-led state to leave the initiative since 2022.The exit from the Electronic Registration Information Center, commonly known as ERIC, comes after Texas Republicans began showing a willingness this year to leave the group, which has been targeted by conspiracy theories about its funding and purpose. Republicans elsewhere have cited other reasons for leaving the initiative and said they have been working on an alternate system. On Thursday, Texas submitted a letter to ERIC giving notice that the state would withdraw from the program, effective in 91 days, according to a Secretary of State spokesperson.As fewer states participate in the effort, which allows states to share government data to maintain accurate voter lists, the costs for participating states are set to increase, spokesperson Alicia Phillips Pierce said. There is no imm...

Firefighters battle apartment fire in Elmwood Park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

ELMWOOD PARK, Ill. — Firefighters are battling an apartment fire Thursday in Elmwood Park.Flames could be seen coming from the apartment in the 2400 block of North 72nd Court.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesSkycam 9 is over the scene. You can watch it live in the player above.This story will be updated.

Police seek help identifying girl found on Chicago's Northwest Side

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are seeking the public's help in identifying a child who was found the city's Northwest Side.Police said the girl is between the ages of 3 and 6-years-old and was found Thursday just before 1 p.m. in the 4700 block of West Fullerton Avenue in the city's Belmont Cragin neighborhood. She is 42 inches tall and 40 pounds. She has brown eyes and black hair. was wearing a white t-shirt and light blue shorts. She was not wearing shoes. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesPolice believe her name may be Samiya or Miles.Anyone with any information should called Chicago detectives at 312-746-6554.

Former Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips speaks out amid hazing scandal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A former Northwestern athletic director is speaking out for the first time after a hazing scandal continues to play out where he worked for 13 years.Jim Phillips, the current commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, released a statement on Wednesday after he was named in a lawsuit being brought by a former Wildcats football player on Tuesday. This comes as the school continues to deal with the fallout of the allegations of hazing in that program along with accusations of mistreatment in other sports. This led to the ouster of longtime football head coach Pat Fitzgerald, baseball coach Jim Foster, and the filing of lawsuits by former players against Northwestern while others have retained the services of attorneys for possible litigation. Ben Crump, former Northwestern players discuss hazing allegations Here is Phillips' statement through the ACC's media relations."This has been a difficult time for the Northwestern University community, a place that my ent...

'Be nice to each other:' 7 residents of a suburban senior living home offer advice on living 100 years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

WHEELING, Ill. — At Villa Addolarata in northwest suburban Wheeling, seven residents have lived a century.Some, like Cecilia Pedtke, have even surpassed it. She’s 106-years-old.The centenarians were recently honored during a celebratory mass.Peter Lococo attributes “good genes” for his 100 year run.“And being lucky,” he said. “I went through WWII and North Africa and South Pacific and never heard a shot fired.”“And I’m Irish and I never tell my age,” Laverne Washburne said.   At 101-years-old, she makes her own rules.“Sometimes I think, ‘Gee whiz, Lord what else am I going to have to face in my life?’” Clara Antram, 100, said.But what the collective group does know is an honest answer to what it feels like to live so long.“It’s rather boring to be honest with you it’s the same routine every day,” Lococo said.“It feels great,” Stephanie Ziemba, 100, said. “I have my faculties. I’m not in diapers.” Related: At 109, education pioneer Edith Renfrow reflects on ‘The greatest ...

Democrats push legislation for Supreme Court ethics

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Democrats are pushing for a more stringent ethics code at the Supreme Court after recent reports highlighted questionable ties between some justices and donors.Democrats are advancing efforts to beef up oversight at the Supreme Court."This legislation will be a crucial first step for restoring confidence in the court,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL.Durbin said ethics reforms are needed after reports revealed conservative justice Clarence Thomas and others failed to disclose gifts and dealings with donors. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said Congress has an obligation to step in."This can't go on," said Whitehouse. "Because the highest court in the land has the lowest standard of ethics anywhere in the federal government.”The bill would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a code of conduct and create new methods to investigate alleged violations. Senate committee approves a bill to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court just...