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Louisiana lawmakers have until Jan. 15 to enact new congressional map, court says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Legislature has until Jan. 15 to enact a new congressional map after a lower court last year ruled that the current political boundaries dilute the power of the state’s Black voters, a federal New Orleans appeals court said Friday. However, whether current Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards will call a special session to redraw the political boundaries and if Republican Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, who will be inaugurated Jan. 8, will have enough time to call a special redistricting session and meet the court’s deadline has yet to be determined. If the Legislature does not pass a new map by mid-January, then the lower district court should conduct a trial and “decide on a plan for the 2024 elections,” according to the order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth District.The political tug-of-war and legal battle over Louisiana’s GOP-drawn congressional map has been going on for more than a year and a half — which has included Edwards vetoing the po...

Feds, lawyers in First Nations child-welfare case reach $55M deal over legal fees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government and the class-action lawyers who worked on a historic settlement over First Nations child welfare have reached a $55-million deal over legal fees.The Federal Court approved a landmark $23-billion settlement last month to compensate more than 300,000 First Nations children and their families for chronic underfunding of on-reserve child-welfare services.The class-action lawsuit settlement came after a years-long battle with the federal government, which included a 2016 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision that the underfunding was discriminatory, and a 2019 ruling awarding $40,000 in compensation for each affected person.The proposed agreement reached today, not yet approved by the Federal Court, would see five firms receive $50 million in legal fees, plus $5 million for ongoing work to implement the settlement — with none of that money coming from the money earmarked for compensation.The lawyers involved in the class-action suit had initially argued...

Several people shot on Interstate 59 in Alabama, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Multiple people were shot Friday on Interstate 59 southbound in Birmingham, Alabama, police said.Emergency crews were on the scene of the shooting near the 20th Street Ensley exit, Birmingham Police confirmed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. No details were released on the exact number of victims, their condition or what sparked the gunfire.Birmingham Fire officials told WVTM-TV that at least two people were transported to an area hospital for treatment. All southbound lanes of the roadway were closed until further notice, authorities said.The Associated Press

Veteran honored for his heroics during Colorado night club shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

Nearly a year ago, a Colorado Springs nightclub became the scene of another American mass shooting. One that was stopped short, in part, because of the actions of U.S. veteran.Rich Fierro is retired U.S. Army Major. He served four tours in his 15 years, three in Iraq another in Afghanistan.He was inside Club Q in Colorado Springs the night a gunman came in November 19, 2022.“Everybody was wounded and it was everywhere,” he said.Fierro was there with his wife jess, his daughter Kassie, her boyfriend Ray supporting one of Kassie's best friends.Nineteen people were injured.  Ray was one of five people killed in the attack.“It just changes you forever. Period,” Fierro said. More Coverage: Veterans Voices It's a night that Fierro and his family are still working to process. Not only because they went through --- but for what he did that night. Because when the shooter, armed with a 9 mm pistol and AR-rifle came in to that LGBTQ nightclub, he and two others rushed toward the 2...

Boot camp in Des Plaines offers veterans a pathway to new career

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

DES PLAINES, Ill. — Getting a new lease on life – that’s the mission of a back-to-work boot camp for veterans in Des Plaines. Vania Veit emigrated to the US from Mexico in the early 2000s. After serving in Iraq, she left the Marines and got a bachelor's in science and biology. But she says missing the military led her to join the Air Force and become a military medic. Still serving in the reserves, Veit married and had four daughters. After deciding she wanted something new, she heard about the veterans' boot camp and went all in. Now, she says she is ready for the next challenge.  Veteran’s Voices: WWII pilot Ed McGuire’s long journey home to Chicago “We do have lots of skills that any recruiter can appreciate,” Veit said. “But sometimes it's hard to put that into a resume, translating those skills.” That’s where Andrea Biwer and Marne Deithorn come in – running their boot camp, which graduated its first class seven years ago. “We were hearing from t...

Orland Park pastor says he won't make plea deal in Georgia election tampering case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

CHICAGO -- A local pastor, indicted along with former President Donald Trump in Georgia's election tampering case, says he will not take a plea deal.Reverend Stephen Cliffgard Lee of Orland Park has been charged with conspiring to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results. ORIGINAL: Man with ties to Orland Park church named in indictment against former President Trump The Chicago Tribune reports at a fundraiser for his legal fees last night, Lee said he would not take a please as other have done, resulting in less severe penalties.Reverend Lee reportedly said "I'm not going to cooperate with evil."Donald Trump and 18 other associates were charged in Georgia as part of a sweeping indictment in August alleging they schemed to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss and stop the peaceful transition of power.If convicted Lee said he faces a minimum of five years in a Georgia state prison.

Chicago man charged in connection with fatal shooting in Douglas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Charges have been filed against a Chicago man accused of fatally shooting a man on the South Side, police say.According to Chicago police, 25-year-old Quntin Buchanan is facing three felony counts, including first-degree murder, for his alleged role in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man on Tuesday. The Cook County Medical Examiners Office later identified the victim as Jeremiah Pruckler. Calumet Fisheries closed after failing inspections; dead mice, hundreds of droppings found Chicago police say the deadly shooting happened on the 2900 block of South State Street in the city's Douglas neighborhood at around 7 p.m.Police say Buchanan, a Near South Side resident, was arrested less than three hours after the shooting in the 200 block of West 95th Street. Veteran honored for his heroics during Colorado night club shooting Buchanan appeared in court on Thursday for a detention hearing.Currently, it is unclear what led to the deadly shooting and authorities have not yet...

After Cubs' Craig Counsell hire, a look at similar Chicago sports coaching moves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

CHICAGO — It could end up being the most stunning move of the baseball offseason, and it was the north siders that made it happen. On Monday, the Cubs fired manager David Ross after four seasons and hired Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell, signing him to a reported five-year, $40 million contract. It caught many people off guard around baseball as the team made an aggressive move to begin the offseason after narrowly missing the playoffs. With Counsell, the Cubs got the most coveted managerial candidate this offseason, beating out the Brewers to retain him along with the Mets, who were also in the running to hire the 53-year-old skipper.While this was quite a shock, it certainly has happened in Chicago sports before, including the Cubs. Here are a few instances of that through the years.(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)2014 - Cubs fire Rick Renteria to hire Joe MaddonAfter just one season and their third rebuilding under team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, th...

0-3 in 1-score games this year, TCU's losing record is not indicative of their talent level

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's easy to write off TCU because of the Horned Frogs' losing record and injury trouble on offense, but like College GameDay's Lee Corso always says — not so fast, my friend.TCU hosts No. 7 Texas at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, and they're doing so with a 4-5 overall record and 2-4 mark in the Big 12 Conference. They were blown out by Kansas State 41-3 the week before the Wildcats took Texas to overtime, but in every other loss, the Horned Frogs were in the game the entire way. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian knows that and isn't expecting an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. Quinn’s back: Ewers to start Saturday vs. TCU 2 weeks after shoulder injury "They've been in a lot of tough games, a lot of tight games," Sarkisian said Thursday. "They didn't finish them the way they would have liked, but they are very capable with a veteran defense."TCU starting quarterback Chandler Morris has been sidelined with a sprained MCL ...

Google’s Holiday 100 Guide gives gift ideas based on top-trending searches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:58 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.You can’t go wrong with top-trending Google searches as giftsThis holiday season, there’s a surefire way to get the most popular gifts for everyone on your list. Google released its Holiday 100 Guide, which is based on the top-trending product searches from the year.Here’s how it works: Google compiled search data from everything consumers Googled all year. It then turned those trending searches into a list of the top 100 products across categories like Home and garden, Apparel and accessories, Electronics, Beauty, Toys and games and Health and wellness. The final list includes some of the most-searched-for products of the year, from claw clips to lab-grown diamonds to (of course) the TikTok-famous Stanley tumbler.We’ve put together a selection of some of the hottest items that are sure to be must-have gifts this year, no matter who you have to shop for.Shop this article: ...