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Illinois will provide burial for migrant toddler who died on bus

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois will provide for Thursday's funeral and burial for the migrant toddler who died last week on a bus headed to Chicago from Texas, officials said.Jismary Alejandra Barboza González, who would have turned 4 next week, died Aug. 10 while on a chartered bus, part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's program begun last year of sending migrants crossing into the state to Democratic-led cities across the country. Rachel Otwell, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services, confirmed the girl's name and said the Illinois Welcoming Center, a partially state-funded program, will cover burial costs for Jismary. The child's great aunt, Gisela Gonzalez, said the family set out for the United States in May from their home in Colombia, where Jismary was born.The funeral service for the girl is scheduled for Thursday at a church in Warsaw, Indiana.Welcoming centers offer comprehensive services for migrants. But Otwell said the family has not requested other hel...

Disneyland's attendance and visitor spending gains undermined by inflation, report says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

(KTLA) – The “Happiest Place on Earth” recently saw an increase in attendance and guest spending, thanks mainly to higher ticket prices, but these gains were impacted by inflation, according to the latest Disney quarterly report.Analysts found that higher attendance and visitor spending at the Disneyland Resort were largely offset by higher costs driven by inflation, the report said. New water play area to open at Disneyland Resort Ticket prices to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure increased by 8% in October 2022.  The price of a one-day, one-park ticket now ranges between $104 to $179, while one-day Park Hopper tickets cost $244 per day.The cost of an annual pass, known as Magic Keys, also increased last year. The resort previously told media outlets that Magic Key prices increased by 16% across the four different Magic Key types last year. Regardless of the increased admission prices, guests still flocked to the Disneyland Resort to celebrate Disney 100, a celebration f...

Itchy hands lead to California woman's $1 million lottery win

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

(KTLA) - If Elena Penaloza wasn’t a fan of Itchy & Scratchy on "The Simpsons," she might be now.Penaloza recently won $1 million on a California Lottery Scratcher ticket that she purchased in West Covina, lottery officials said.Just days before she won the big prize, her family says her hands began to itch.“You know that superstition where when your hands get itchy, it means you’re going to get money? She said she felt that the week before she won,” Penaloza’s daughter, Ariana, told the California Lottery. “She thinks it was fate.”Elena Penaloza won $1 million on a California Lottery Scratcher ticket that she purchased in West Covina, lottery officials said. (California Lottery)Superstition or not, Penaloza bought the winning Diamond 8 ticket at the 7-Eleven on North Azusa Avenue and uncovered the million-dollar prize on the 16th of the 20 squares.According to her daughter, neither of them initially believed they had won, so they went back to the 7-Eleven the following day to sc...

How will 'deepfake' political videos affect elections?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A consumer advocacy is raising concerns that advanced artificial intelligence tools used to create "deepfake" versions of politicians could affect the 2024 presidential election.Deepfakes are digitally altered images. They've already been used to dupe high-profile politicians like former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif."Fake videos, fake audio clips … that look real, convincingly real," Robert Weissman of progressive think tank Public Citizen explained deepfakes.Public Citizen is calling for deepfakes to be banned in campaign ads. Last week, the Federal Election Commission agreed to consider it. It will take public comment for 60 days before making a decision."The technology is at a high enough quality that we're going to see political deepfakes that will fool people, that may fool everyone and that could turn an election," Weissman said.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for president, and the Repu...

Trans teen testifies in court over Texas ban on gender-related healthcare

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (Nexstar) — For the first time since the law was passed, a state court heard from a Texas transgender teenager Wednesday about how that law that banning gender-transition health care for minors will impact him.16-year-old Nathan Noe — a pseudonym he uses out of fear of being targeted — testified in a Travis County district court about how he felt uncomfortable in his skin before beginning hormone therapy to transition from female to male. “It felt like something was wrong with me, or something wrong was happening to me, and I couldn’t describe that," Noe said. About two years ago, Noe began taking testosterone after seeking mental health care and said he and his family consulted with his primary care physician. "When I started taking testosterone, it really improved my life to a point where gender dysphoria didn’t bother me as much," he said. "It felt like a weight being lifted…I felt better about myself."Noe represents one of the five Texas families with transg...

With a wide-open competition, Longhorns are buying into running back by committee

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas had more than 2,000 rushing yards speed out the door after Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson were selected in the NFL Draft. Now with returning backs ready to shine plus newcomers who could see significant time in the backfield, the competition at running back in fall camp is one of the most intriguing for the Longhorns.With the pounding running backs take, having a handful of guys trusted to pack the pigskin is essential at any level of football. The Longhorns certainly have that, and as far as senior Keilan Robinson is concerned, everybody is going to get a chance to have the ball this season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters"The way we see it, everybody is going to eat," he said. "It doesn't matter how many bites someone takes, everybody's going to eat in some kind of way, and the better we are as a unit, the better everybody looks individually...

Austin pharmacy to pay $200K to resolve allegations against Controlled Substances Act

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin pharmacy agreed to pay $200,000 in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), according to the Department of Justice.The DOJ said a routine inspection was conducted at People’s Pharmacy Inc., or Peoples Rx, in June 2022. Peoples Rx operates five retail pharmacies and one compounding laboratory in the Austin area, according to the DOJ.A release said investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration determined the pharmacy violated certain regulatory recordkeeping provisions, improperly dispensed controlled substances to practitioners for office use and issued prescriptions without authorization.“During their inspection, DEA diversion investigators also learned that Peoples Rx had sold pseudoephedrine products without self-certifying as required by the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA),” the DOJ said.According to the release, the Diversion Control Unit in DEA’s San Antonio District Office...

Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison in concussion protocol

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison was not on the field for Wednesday’s joint practice against the Tennessee Titans. Asked about his absence, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that Addison is in concussion protocol after making a catch late in a practice earlier this week.“Just had some very, very light symptoms,” O’Connell said. “He’s working his way through that right now.”It sounds like the Vikings are being cautious with Addison as he goes through the process of getting back onto the field.“No reason to risk anything,” O’Connell said. “He’ll be back ASAP when the doctors clear him.”There’s hope within the organization that Addison could be back on the field by early next week. That timeline would prevent him from playing in Saturday’s preseason game between the Vikings and Titans.Though it doesn’t sound too serious, this is still an unfortunate setback for Addison. He has...

Two charged in shooting undercover Minneapolis police officer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

Two people were charged Tuesday in connection with last week’s shooting of a Minneapolis police officer who was in plain clothes and driving an unmarked vehicle.The Hennepin County Attorney’s office announced that it charged Frederick Leon Davis, 19, with one count of attempted second-degree murder and charged Nevaeh Lee Page, 20, with one count of aiding an offender. The two were expected to appear in court on Wednesday.Frederick Leon Davis, left, and Nevaeh Lee Page (Courtesy of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)The investigation continues with forensic testing of the crime scene, the vehicle the two were in and two firearms that were recovered.“We experienced a disturbing level of gun violence over the weekend. The danger that comes with all gun violence is intensified when firearms are modified to make them fully automatic, as occurred in this attack,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Our office will continue to prioritize prosecution of this ty...

Lawmakers, developers celebrate clean energy project

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:53:49 GMT

SCHODACK, N.Y. (NEWS10) – 55-miles of transmission lines, running through Rensselaer, Columbia and Dutchess counties, have increased the amount of energy that flows down state. The developer said the project makes the New York State power grid more reliable and helps the state meet its nation-leading clean energy goals.The electricity delivery system, called the New York Energy Solution (NYES), was rebuilt on an existing transmission corridor, according to New York Transco President Vic Mullin.“It helps the clean energy initiative of New York state and our goals to improve the resiliency of the transmission system,” said Mullin, adding it alleviated a strain on the system. “That area was historically congested, unable to transmit as much power as it can today.”New York Transco, NYES, and lawmakers celebrated the project’s increased capacity on Wednesday  – which is now able to transfer an additional 2,100 megawatts. The new monopoles were designed to deliver energy more ef...