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Turkey’s Erdogan takes oath of office, ushering in his third presidential term

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s longtime leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took the oath of office on Saturday, ushering in his third presidential term that followed three stints as prime minister.Erdogan, 69, won a new five-year term in a runoff presidential race last week that could stretch his 20-year rule in the key NATO country that straddles Europe and Asia into a quarter-century. The country of 85 million controls NATO’s second-largest army, hosts millions of refugees and played a crucial role in brokering a deal that allowed the shipment of Ukraine grain, averting a global food crisis.Erdogan was sworn in during a session in parliament before an inauguration ceremony at his sprawling palace complex. Supporters waited outside parliament despite the heavy rain, covering his car with red carnations as he arrived.All eyes are on the announcement of his new Cabinet later on Saturday. Its lineup should indicate whether there will be a continuation of unorthodox economic policies or a r...

Delegates working to end global plastics pollution agree to craft a draft treaty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Global negotiators have agreed to craft a draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step toward tackling one of the most lasting sources of human waste.Environmental advocates cautiously welcomed the outcome of five days of U.N. talks in Paris on plastic pollution, but expressed concern that the petroleum industry and some governments would water down the eventual treaty. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels.Delegates at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics agreed Friday evening to produce an initial draft before their next meeting in Kenya in November, participants said. The committee is charged with developing the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, on land and at sea.A coalition of “high-ambition” governments led by Norway and Rwanda, along with environmental groups, want to end plastic pollution altogether by 2040 by slashing production and limiting some chemicals used in making plastics.“Pro...

Man found dead after hourslong SWAT standoff in Humbolt Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

CHICAGO — An hourslong standoff in the city's Humboldt Park neighborhood ended with a man dead Friday.Authorities tell WGN News that Chicago police and SWAT responded to a 'call to service' in the 4100 block of W. Chicago Ave Friday morning. Arriving officers reported seeing a man on the rooftop of a building with a rifle and flamethrower. An antisemitic sign was visible on the roof as well. ‘He wanted better:’ 14-year-old killed, 4 wounded after shooting involving police on South Side; 1 in custody SkyCam9 flew above the scene and witnessed the man standing close to the edge of the building with what appeared to be a propane tank.SkyCam9 over a SWAT situation in the 4000 block of W. Chicago Ave in Humboldt Park. (Photo/WGN)Eric McNair, who lives and works in West Humboldt Park, says over the last three months, he has noticed an ever-changing display of flags, mannequins, and most recently, antisemitic signage on the roof of the building. Englewood man convicted of attempting to...

Saturday Forecast: Temps reach 90s, chance of thunderstorms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

Saturday: Mostly sunny & warm. Chance of PM isolated thunderstorms in NW Indiana. NE 5-15 mph. Air quality is in the moderate category for today. High: 90, lakeside mid 70s. Saturday Night: Mostly clear & comfortable. NE 5-10 mph. Low: 63Sunday: Mostly sunny & not quite as hot. NE 5-15 mphHigh: 84, lakeside 70 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Extended outlook calls for Monday temps to stay in the mid 80s and a chance of afternoon/evening much needed rain. Cooler for Wednesday with highs in the low 70s. We'll stairstep the temps back towards the upper 80s by the weekend. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)

A little rain today with more coming Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Rain with a few isolated thunderstorms moved west to east across our southern viewing area. A rain gauge near Harper measured .02". A measurement of .01" was found at Fredericksburg, Luling, and San Marcos, among others.Upper-level low pressure is over the Panhandle Saturday morning. It will be the main feature influencing the weather locally. Most of this afternoon's showers and thunderstorms will be over the Hill Country. The rain will spread eastward across I-35 into some of our eastern counties this evening. Most of the rain should be wrapped up by 2 a.m. Sunday.Evening showers and thunderstorms move to the eastThe Storm Prediction Center has our area in a Marginal Risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with the main threats from hail and gusty winds. Low risk of severe weather this afternoon and eveningThe Weather Prediction Center also has the area under a Marginal Flash Flood Threat from I-35 westward today. Watching the Hill Country to I-35...

The St. Louis roots of NHL playoff hero Matthew Tkachuk

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Well before he carried the Florida Panthers to their upcoming Stanley Cup Final quest, rising star Matthew Tkachuk was a St. Louis kid with big ambitions. Matthew is the oldest of three children of former St. Louis Blues great Keith Tkachuk. His brother Brady Tkachuk is the captain of the Ottawa Senators. His sister Taryn is also a field hockey star for the University of Virginia.Matthew was born in Arizona while his father played for the then-called Phoenix Coyotes. The Tkachuk family moved to the St. Louis metro after Keith was traded to the Blues in 2001. Matthew was heavily involved in local junior hockey programs as a kid, and his path to stardom took off in the early 2010s. At the start of the decade, he represented St. Louis through the 2010 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Up north, he was joined by fellow St. Louis-raised youngsters and future NHLers Clayton Keller, Luke Kunin and Logan Brown. RELATED - Five things to know for NASCAR’s Enjoy Il...

A new law was supposed to revamp Colorado’s towing industry. Lawmakers say Wyatts Towing is flouting it.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

On Aug. 10, a revamped set of regulations governing Colorado’s towing industry took effect — a sea change that lawmakers and consumer advocates promised would shift the balance of power back to vehicle owners and away from “predatory” companies looking to make a buck off your sedan.HB22-1314, dubbed the “Towing Bill of Rights,” mandated towers give 24-hour notice in most cases before they take your car. No longer could a vehicle be towed for expired tags.The big-ticket item: Tow yards would be required to hand back your vehicle if you pay 15% of the total fees upfront, not to exceed $60. Drivers would still owe the balance, but could pay it off over time — a crucial change for Coloradans living paycheck to paycheck and unable to stomach bills that could run into the hundreds of dollars.But nine months after the law took effect, advocates and state legislators who sponsored the bill are sounding the alarm over what they call a blatant disrega...

Bellarmine homecoming: Who is David Diaz-Infante and what are his plans for Bells’ football program?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

SAN JOSE — David Diaz-Infante played for Jack Elway and Claude Gilbert at San Jose State and Mike Shanahan with the Denver Broncos. He blocked for John Elway in a pro career that stretched well over a decade.Since retiring with two Super Bowl rings on his fingers, he has worked for ESPN as a broadcaster and helped coach in the NFL.Now, Diaz-Infante is coming home.And to hear him tell it, he couldn’t be happier about moving from Arizona to take over as the football coach of his high school alma mater, Bellarmine College Prep.“No one has what Bellarmine has,” Diaz-Infante, 59, told the Bay Area News Group. “That’s the history and tradition of one of the oldest high schools in the state of California and with a rich and incredible tradition of football and doing great things.”Diaz-Infante’s buddies from back when he was a team captain at the San Jose Jesuit school in the early 1980s nudged him toward adding his name to the list of candidates when Jal...

Opinion: Simplify financial aid process for undocumented students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

Growing up undocumented in this country instilled plenty of doubt and uncertainty about my future, especially while navigating the education system.Throughout elementary and middle school, I thrived academically and was placed in advanced courses. But when I got to high school, my immigration status began to cast a shadow over my plans for the future. The realization that my dreams were slipping away broke me.California has led the nation in opening up in-state tuition and financial aid opportunities to undocumented students. However, the path through college for undocumented students in California is daunting, riddled with obstacles and largely unaffordable. According to a new report by the California Student Aid Commission, only 14% of California’s undocumented college students received financial aid in the 2021-22 academic year.Why are so many undocumented students still struggling to afford college, and what can California’s policymakers do to ensure that undocumented students a...

Rockville bank employee sentenced for fraud scheme targeting churches, religious organizations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:46 GMT

A man from Rockville, Maryland, was sentenced Friday to three years in federal prison for a yearlong bank fraud scheme that stole millions from local churches and religious organizations.The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said that Diape Seck, 29, helped carry out the fraud scheme that stole nearly $2 million in checks from the mail of religious institutions between January 2019 and January 2020.Federal prosecutors said Seck, who was a customer service representative at a bank, opened 412 bank accounts with fake identities by mainly using Romanian passports and driver’s license information in exchange for cash bribes.Seck was paid to open accounts for his at least eight co-conspirators, while at the same time working and conducting legitimate bank activities.Checks payable to, and written from, churches and other institutions were deposited into many of those accounts and then withdrawn at ATMs in cash.Co-conspirators also used fraudulent debit cards...