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US sanctions Russia, Iran entities for detaining Americans

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Thursday sanctioned Russia’s Federal Security Service and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence organization for wrongfully detaining Americans.It’s the first rollout of new sanctions authorities established last year by President Joe Biden for use against those holding Americans unjustly captive. Still, the sanctions are largely symbolic, since both organizations already are under sweeping existing sanctions for an array of malevolent behavior — from election interference and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to support for terrorist activity.Senior administration officials declined to specify which detentions specifically underpinned the sanctions, saying they were a response to a pattern of actions by the two countries in unjustly holding Americans both currently and in the past. A U.S. Treasury news release stated that Iranian authorities frequently hold and interrogate detainees in Evin Prison in T...

Nate Diaz surrenders after brawl; lawyer says self-defense

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mixed martial arts fighter Nate Diaz turned himself in to police in New Orleans on Thursday to face a battery charge arising from a weekend street brawl. Police said the fight happened early Saturday outside a pizza restaurant and left a man unconscious. Diaz went to police with his attorney Thursday and turned himself in, a police news release said. His attorney has told New Orleans news outlets Diaz acted in self-defense. Diaz posted bond and was cleared to return home to Stockton, California, Zach Rosenfield, Diaz’s public relations representative, said.“We appreciate how we were treated by the New Orleans Police Department, the court and their staff,” Rosenfield said in an email.Diaz, 38, has been one of the most popular fighters in MMA since 2016, when he split two entertaining bouts with Conor McGregor. Diaz and his older brother, former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz, are well-known for their brash fighting style, their strict training standards, thei...

‘Broken system:’ Policing shortages facing N.B. communities highlight national issue

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

FREDERICTON — Some New Brunswick communities are being forced to find creative solutions to law enforcement because of RCMP policing shortages, a phenomenon experts say is symbolic of what much of small-town Canada is experiencing. Residents of McAdam, N.B., a historic village of about 1,100 people northwest of Saint John, have organized overnight patrols to compensate for a lack of police presence. While 200 kilometres north, the small town of Tobique Valley hired private security guards over one weekend last year after a wave of thefts.The officer shortage in Tobique Valley is causing a rise in theft and vandalism, district Mayor Tom Eagles said in a recent interview.“They work shifts and there’s times you don’t see them here for days,” Eagles said about RCMP officers. “I still think we have the best police force in the world. But they’re working under a broken system.”The RCMP — aside from combating major crime such as terrorism and human...

West Virginians fear log plant’s potential health risks

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Residents of a small West Virginia town less than two hours from the nation’s capital are worried that their health and quality of life in the Allegheny Mountains will be upended by a logging company’s plans to relocate a toxic-spewing fumigation factory to their backyard. Regulators will hold a public hearing next week in response to outrage over Allegheny Wood Products’ proposal to move the factory 16 miles (26 kilometers) within the same county from Moorefield to Baker. An existing air permit allows the Moorefield facility, which treats logs before overseas shipment, to annually emit nearly 10 tons of the ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide into the atmosphere.Hardy County, which is along the Virginia border, has about 14,000 residents, considerable poultry and other agricultural operations, and offers tourists a network of river float trips and hiking and cycling trails.Allegheny Wood Products applied for an air quality permit for ...

The wealthy want business jets, even as economy softens, says Bombardier CEO

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

MONTREAL — Demand for private planes remains strong even as the economy cools, according to Bombardier Inc. executives.CEO Éric Martel said Thursday that business jets are not among the sluggish markets threatening to drag down Canada’s economic output this year.“We still have about the same proportion of high-net-worth individuals,” he told analysts on a conference call, adding that despite the economic environment, people still need to move around. “We did a lot of work by Microsoft Teams or Zoom in the last couple of years, but still going and visiting a factory and really assessing what’s going on and talking to customers remain very important,” he said, noting that interest is “really picking up” in Asia.Charter services are becoming increasingly popular, even if ownership by businesses and the ultra-wealthy may be slowing slightly, Martel said.“Some corporations make the choice to say, ‘I don’t have my own fleet...

Former New Mexico governor remembered as Hispanic role model

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Jerry Apodaca, a Democrat who became New Mexico’s first Hispanic governor in 54 years when he took office in 1975, has died. He was 88.He died at his home in Santa Fe on Wednesday after what may have been a stroke, his son Jeff Apodaca said. His son talked about the legacy his father left behind, one that fellow Democratic politicians say paved the way for more minorities to enter public office and take on leadership roles in corporate boardrooms across the country.He took his role seriously, said the younger Apodaca, an Albuquerque businessman and former media executive.“I used to meet with people in Fortune 500 companies, and there was not a meeting that went by where I wouldn’t run into a Latino executive who’d ask me, ‘Are you Jerry’s son?’ They would tell me so many stories about what he’d done,” Jeff Apodaca told the Santa Fe New Mexican. “General Motors, McDonald’s … he opened doors for Latinos in the ’70s and ’80s.”Apodaca ran an insurance b...

'All clear' given at Glenbard West High School following bomb threat

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — Glenbard West High School is back open after it was evacuated following a bomb threat Thursday morning.Just after 10:05 a.m., Glen Ellyn police said students and staff were evacuated as a precaution.While the investigation is ongoing, just after 12:10 p.m., Glen Ellyn police said an "all clear" was given and the building can now be accessed. Roadways around the area are also available.A student told WGN News they were evacuated to Ackerman Sports and Fitness Center.At this time, it's unknown if the school is in session for the rest of the day.WGN News will update this story once more information becomes available.

MLS vs Semi-Pro: Chicago's unique night of soccer

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

CHICAGO - It was a classic sports story that played out over a couple of hours on a chilly night in Bridgeview.Here was Chicago Fire FC, the Major League Soccer franchise for the city, taking the pitch against a club that is semi-professional in its third year of existence at SeatGeek Stadium.The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup brought them together to face each other in a third-round match-up on Wednesday evening.Naturally, the squad in the top level of North American soccer was the favorite, but an upstart Chicago House AC club was on a special run of their own the past few months. After three wins in the qualifying tournament late in 2022, they won first and second round games in the US Open Cup over the last month. Learn more about Chicago House AC's story That earned them the date against the Fire in Bridgeview, with the chance of not only pulling a major upset in American soccer but also advancing in the country's oldest soccer tournament. Meanwhile, the MLS club was hoping to preven...

Bill that would restrict access to gender-affirming care passes Texas Senate, heads to House

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Senate Bill 1029, which would prevent state-funded health insurance from covering gender-affirming care (GAC), passed the Texas Senate this week and will soon head to the House for a vote. The bill was introduced in February by Republican Senator Bob Hall. It's one of 80 he's filed during the 88th Legislative Session. PREVIOUS: Texas Senate Bill aims to restrict access to gender affirming care, allow malpractice lawsuits for care Other bills filed by Hall include liability protection for providers and pharmacists who prescribe ivermectin to patients with COVID-19 (SB 301) and a bill to prohibit discrimination against people who choose not to get COVID-19 vaccinations (SB 308).Allison Chapman, a transgender activist and independent legislative researcher, told KXAN in February the bill “effectively bans” GAC coverage for children and adults in Texas.“I think the impact is going to be that doctors aren’t going to feel comfortable providing gender-affirming care,” C...

Sen. Ted Cruz introduces U.S. 'tranq' bill, sits down for a Q&A with KXAN

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:01:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced a bill Wednesday to enhance understanding of the street drug xylazine, or “tranq” – an animal tranquilizer increasingly showing up nationally in illicit drug supplies. Cruz and Welch introduced the Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act to develop new tests for detection and establish better resources for the people working with the affected communities.  MORE: Xylazine, a sometimes deadly animal tranquilizer, detected in Texas supply Cruz talked with KXAN’s Sam Stark about how he hopes this new legislation will thwart the emerging threat so that xylazine won’t become as prevalent as fentanyl in the U.S. and Texas. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.  What is xylazine, and how rampant is it in the U.S. and Texas? “We're seeing that more and more law enforcement is encountering people who are taking a drug called xylazine,” Cruz said...