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Judge: No contempt of court for St. Louis prosecutor

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The city’s elected prosecutor was not in contempt of court as a result of her office’s failure to have a prosecutor present when a murder trial was due to begin, a St. Louis judge ruled Monday.Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office let “fall through the cracks” the fact that the prosecutor for the case, Alex Polta, was out on medical leave and no replacement was assigned, Judge Scott A. Millikan determined after a 45-minute hearing. But Millikan said the mistake didn’t rise to the level of contempt of court.The ruling comes amid efforts by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to remove Gardner from office. A hearing is scheduled for September. Bailey alleges that too many cases, including homicides, have gone unpunished under Gardner’s watch, that victims and their families are left uninformed, and that the prosecutor’s office is too slow to take on cases brought by police.For her part, Gardner alleges that the Republican attorn...

Mob in Haiti capital burns to death 13 suspected gangsters

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A mob in the Haitian capital beat and burned 13 suspected gang members to death with gasoline-soaked tires Monday after pulling the men from police custody at a traffic stop, police and witnesses said.The horrific violence underlined the increasingly lawless situation in Port-au-Prince where criminal gangs have taken control over an estimated 60% of the city since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.Haiti National Police said in a brief statement that officers in the city’s Canape Vert section stopped and searched a minibus for contraband, and had confiscated weapons from suspects before they were “unfortunately lynched by members of the population.” The statement did not elaborate on how members of the crowd were able to take control of the suspects.A witness who gave his name as Edner Samuel told The Associated Press that members of the crowd took the suspected gangsters away from police, beat them and stoned them before puttin...

Closing arguments Monday in 'ComEd Four' bribery trial

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

CHICAGO — Closing arguments are underway Monday in the ComEd bribery trial.The defense rested its case Friday after just two of the four defendants chose to testify.ComEd lobbyist, John Hooker, admitted Wednesday to hiring allies of then-House speaker Michael Madigan. He claimed they were just political referrals and not part of a bribery scheme. Defense rests in ‘ComEd Four’ bribery trial Prosecutors said the "ComEd Four" funneled jobs and cash to associates of Madigan, to curry his favor on legislation important to utility.The “ComEd Four” are former Madigan 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.

'Large rock' used in string of business burglaries on Northwest Side

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A large rock was used in several business burglaries to smash the door open on the Northwest Side.Chicago police issued a community alert and a timeline of the incidents is below.4200 block of North Central Ave. April 15 between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.4600 block of North Central Ave. April 15 at 5:03 a.m.4300 block of West Irving Park Rd. April 17 at 1:06 a.m.1800 block of North Milwaukee Ave. April 17, 2023 at 1:39 a.m.4700 block of West Foster Ave. April 23, 2023 at 12:54 a.m.4700 block of West Foster Ave. April 22 at 9:30 p.m., April 23 at 4:36 a.m.4700 block of West Foster Ave. April 23 at 4:30 a.m.3200 block of North Pulaski Rd. April 24th at 2:23 a.m.In the incidents, police believe a group of four males, wearing black face masks and dark clothes, used a large rock to get into each business. Once inside, cash from the registers and bottles of alcohol were taken.The group was driving a dark-colored SUV, police said.No one is in custody. Anyone with information can leave an ...

Monday Forecast: Temps in low 50s with increasing clouds

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A Freeze Warning is in effect until 8 a.m. Monday with increasing clouds. Winds: W 5-10 G15. High: 52. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly cloudy tonight with slight early morning rain chance. Winds: SSW 5-10. Low: 39.Tuesday Forecast: Mostly cloudy with 40% chance of scattered rain chance, cooler lakeside. Winds: N 5-10 G15. High: 48/45.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Northern lights visible 'as far south as Alabama' Sunday: Where can you see them tonight?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Many Americans will be rewarded with a treat Monday night if they stay up late, cross their fingers for clear skies, and look up. The northern lights will be visible for a second night in a row in several U.S. states. The dazzling display is thanks to a severe geomagnetic storm that erupted Friday. The effects of the storm were so strong Sunday night, that the aurora was possibly "visible as far south as Alabama and northern California," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.The storm was caused by a coronal mass ejections, or CME. CMEs are explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the Sun that can reach Earth in as little as 15 to 18 hours, NOAA explains. Slower CMEs, like the one observed Friday, can take days to impact us.Sunday night's events qualified as a "G4" rating on NOAA's space weather scale. Monday night's events are expected to be weaker. A NOAA spokesperson told Nexstar Monday afternoon that a "G2 Watch" was in effect. MORE:...

A lookback at the weekend in Chicago sports

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

CHICAGO — It wasn't the best of weekends for a teams in the Windy City, with the highlight of the weekend coming before it even started. Both baseball teams in town lost their games on Friday and Saturday while the soccer teams struggled away from home. Here's a quick lookback at what happened in Chicago sports this weekend.(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)After Drew Smyly came six outs from a perfect game in a 13-0 Cubs' win on Friday, the Dodgers controlled the series in their Los Angeles got three runs in the final inning to break open a tight game on Saturday, pulling away for a 9-4 victory at a chilly Wrigley Field. Things didn't get much better on a similar afternoon on Sunday as fans looked forward to a premier pithching match-up between Marcus Stroman and Clayton Kershaw.After taking an early 2-0, the Dodgers got to the Cubs starter for two in the third on a homer by Mookie Betts and then back-to-back long balls by Max Muncy (2-run) then J.D. Martinez (solo). Like they did...

Police release cause of death for Florida 2-year-old found in alligator's mouth

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Police in Florida released the cause of death of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley, who they say was killed by his father last month.In a Monday release, the St. Petersburg Police Department confirmed that the toddler died of drowning. St. Pete mother stabbed over 100 times before toddler thrown in lake: affidavit Taylen was initially reported missing after his mother, 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery, was found dead in her apartment's bathroom with over 100 stab wounds on March 30, according to police.(Credit: Family of Pashun Jeffery)The following day, Taylen's body was found in an alligator's mouth at Lake Maggiore. Police said it was believed that Taylen was thrown or placed into the water by his father, Thomas Mosley.Officers allege that Mosley murdered both Jeffery and their son before showing up at his mother's house with wounds on his hands and arms "consistent with injuries caused by slippage during a knife attack.” He then went to St. Anthony’s Hospit...

Severe weather timeline: Storms possible Tuesday and Wednesday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe storms affected part of Central Texas this past Friday and Saturday evenings. There were hail reports of 1 to 2.5 inches Saturday evening that did damage in some parts of Central Texas. Large hail pounded some the western Hill CountryGillespie County had the most hail reports between 9 and 10:30 p.m. with eight. Four of them were two inches in diameter, two around Fredericksburg, one at Doss and the fourth near Crabapple, a community north of Fredericksburg and west of Willow City.There was also a funnel sighted at 10:09 p.m. two miles west of Fredericksburg. It didn't last long.Another round of potentially severe thunderstorms is in our Tuesday forecast. Unfortunately, the area is looking at another hail threat Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Another upper-level disturbance will move west-to-east in the upper flow encountering ins...

Wilson Tower's upper half gone in high-rise's updated plans

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:40:59 GMT

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- Wilson Capital’s plans for Wilson Tower are moving along, but now call for a significant reduction in height.The downtown apartment tower’s original plans would have made it the tallest building in all of Texas at 1,035 feet tall, but new plans call for a trimming of floors: from 80 to 45, Wilson Capital President Taylor Wilson said. The developer — which is bringing online thousands new apartments across the metro — returned to the drawing board for its most ambitious project in the area after the city of Austin’s Design Commission did not approve of the high-rise’s original design during a January review. PREVIOUS: 80-story tower plan unveiled in downtown Austin Add to that the current poor conditions for many commercial real estate developers, and it yields a building pegged for 410 E. Fifth St. that will still be significant to the downtown skyline — but it won't be a super-tall by this city's standards.Read the full story at Austin Business...