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Biden plan aims to stem border migration as restrictions end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With COVID-19 immigration restrictions set to expire, the Biden administration on Thursday announced measures meant to stop migrants from illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, both by cracking down on many of those who do come, and by creating new pathways meant to offer an alternative to the dangerous journey.The effort includes opening processing centers outside the United States for people fleeing violence and poverty to apply to fly in legally and settle in the United States, Spain or Canada. The first processing centers will open in Guatemala and Colombia, with others expected to follow. The administration also plans to swiftly screen migrants seeking asylum at the border itself, quickly deport those deemed as not being qualified, and penalizing people who cross illegally into the U.S. or illegally through another country on their way to the U.S. border.But it is unclear whether the measures will do much to slow the tide of migrants fleeing countries marr...

Federal public service strike drags on but no suggestion back-to-work law is coming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

OTTAWA — The Liberal government is showing no hints it will legislate public servants back to work as experts warn choosing that path to ending the dispute could come with political repercussions.Federal workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada walked off the job nine days ago after contract negotiations with the government couldn’t find agreement on issues such as wage increases and remote work.On Thursday, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan refused to weigh in on the negotiations and the possibility of back-to-work legislation and said “we want and need an agreement soon.” “Sorry for being so evasive, but I have to be,” O’Regan said. “I want a deal.”The government has avoided any questions about back to work legislation since the strike began April 19 and continues to even as the strike drags on and ministers are admitting the impact it is having on government services.Michael Wernick, who headed the federal public servic...

2nd Mississippi jail escapee found; arrested near Houston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A man who escaped from a Mississippi jail last weekend and fled to Texas after allegedly stealing a public works vehicle has been arrested in a Houston suburb, authorities announced Thursday. Jerry Raynes was apprehended in Spring Valley days after he and three other inmates escaped Saturday night from the Raymond Detention Center near Jackson, Mississippi’s capital, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said. Raynes is the second escaped prisoner to be found in a multi-agency hunt. Dylan Arrington died after barricading himself in a central Mississippi home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies Wednesday. He is suspected of killing a man and stealing his pickup truck after the escape. The other two, Casey Grayson and Corey Harrison, are still on the loose, and authorities had no updates Thursday on their possible whereabouts.The U.S. Marshals Service, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Spring Valley Police Department assisted with Rayn...

Train derails in Wisconsin, sends 2 cars into river

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A freight train derailed along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin Thursday, possibly injuring one crew member, emergency officials said. The train derailed in Crawford County along the Mississippi River at about 12:15 p.m., WKBT-TV reported. About 20 BNSF Railway cars were involved, said Crawford County Emergency Management Specialist Marc Myhre.Two cars ended up in the river but washed ashore. Hazardous materials believed to be batteries were onboard, but they’ve been contained and don’t pose a threat to the public, officials said. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page that there was no need to evacuate.BNSF Railway spokesperson Lena Kent said in a statement that two of the train’s three locomotives and an unknown number of cars carrying “freight of all kinds” derailed on the eastern edge of the river. All crew members were accounted for, with one receiving a medical evaluation, she said. The cause of the derailment i...

South Carolina Senate again rejects near-total abortion ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina senators rejected a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in a conservative state that has increasingly served patients across a region where Republican officials have otherwise curtailed access.A 22-21 vote Thursday marks the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed in the Republican-led chamber since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last summer. Six Republicans helped block motions to end debate and defeated any chance the bill passes this year.The chamber’s five women filibustered the proposal in speeches highlighting the Senate’s male majority that they criticized for pushing debates on abortion over other pressing issues.Republican Sen. Penry Gustafson spent over 30 minutes Wednesday detailing the bodily changes throughout every stage of pregnancy. Gustafson said she spoke so long because the millions of women addressed in the bill had not been heard. She emphasized her “pro-life” position but said the proposal l...

Motive may never be known in Canada killings of 11, cops say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

MELFORT, Saskatchewan (AP) — Police in Canada said Thursday they may never know why a man went on a stabbing rampage that left 11 people dead and 17 injured last year.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police released details at a news conference on the Sept. 4 killings in James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby Saskatchewan village of Weldon, but they did not pin down the motive.Myles Sanderson, the 32-year-old accused in the attacks, died in police custody a few days later.Supt. Joshua Graham, the officer in charge of major crimes, said Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien Sanderson went to the James Smith Cree Nation to deal drugs on Sept. 1.The day before the massacre, Damien Sanderson told people at a nearby bar they had a “mission to do” and that “people would hear all about it in the next few hours.” Damien Sanderson, however, was one of the first people killed the morning of the rampage.Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said since...

Nebraska 6-week abortion ban fails to advance in Legislature

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An effort to advance a bill that would ban abortion around the sixth week of pregnancy fell one vote short of breaking a filibuster in the Nebraska Legislature on Thursday.This means the bill is unlikely to move forward this year.It was the second straight year that an effort to restrict abortion access in the state failed. Nebraska currently bans abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, a law that has been in place since 2010.The bill would have banned abortion once cardiac activity can be detected. On Thursday, a vote to end debate so the bill could advance to a final round of debate failed 32-15. The motion needed 33 votes. It failed to get that crucial vote when Republican Sen. Merv Riepe abstained. Riepe is a cosigner of the bill, but expressed concern that a six-week ban might not give women enough time to even know they were pregnant. She introduced an amendment Thursday that would have extended the proposed ban to 12 weeks and add to the bill’s ...

Suspect in fatal Hawaii cockfight shooting pleads not guilty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A man accused of firing into a large crowd at a Hawaii cockfight in a shooting that killed two people pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Thursday. At a brief arraignment for Jacob Borge, 23, his attorney, Mark Kawata, entered the pleas on behalf of his client, who appeared via video from a jail where he’s being held without bail.Borge was indicted on 11 felony charges including murder and attempted murder stemming from the April 15 shooting that wounded three other people at the illegal cockfight in a rural and remote neighborhood outside Honolulu. The medical examiner’s office identified those killed as Gary Rabellizsa, 34, and Cathy Rabellizsa, 59.Borge and a 16-year-old boy turned themselves in to Honolulu police after they were identified as suspects. Police have said petitions were filed against the juvenile for the same charges as Borge.Borge’s supporters who attended the arraignment declined to comment after the hearing. He is sch...

Jurors in 'ComEd Four' bribery trial face daunting challenge, legal experts say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

CHICAGO -- The second day of jury deliberations in the "ComEd Four" bribery trial took place Thursday.The “ComEd Four” on trial are former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty. All have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including bribery conspiracy.On Thursday, jurors had several more questions for Judge Harry Leinenweber, including a pair of requests for hard copies of trial transcripts and transcript binders. As the jury grapples with a complicated nine count indictment, the defendants potentially are looking at serious jailtime. Cow located in Niles after ‘senior prank’; students cited Potentional jail time and fines for the "ComEd Four," includes a guilty conspiracy verdict on Count 1 could lead to a maximum  $250,000 fine or 5 years imprisonment or both, according to the US Attorney’s office.Also, a bri...

1 dead in 4-car crash on Jane Adams Tollway in Schaumburg

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:54:28 GMT

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — One person is dead in a crash involving several cars Thursday afternoon on the Jane Adams Tollway in Schaumburg, according to Illinois State Police.The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 near Meacham Road. Cow located in Niles after ‘senior prank’; students cited Four vehicles were involved, state police said. One driver died and the three other drivers were taken to a hospital with unknown injuries.As of 4:45 p.m., traffic is still moving on the shoulder while investigators are on the scene.The identities of those involved haven't been released.