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Romney gets 1st likely challenger in ’24 Utah Senate primary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

FARMINGTON, Utah (AP) — A potential challenger to Republican first-term Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah took a major step Thursday toward jumping into next year’s race, expected to be one of the GOP’s hardest-fought primary contests in 2024.With memories of Romney’s two votes to impeach former President Donald Trump stillfresh, Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson announced he was forming an exploratory committee 14 months before the scheduled primary.Utah needs a “conservative fighter” who represents its values, not a “professional career politician,” Wilson told The Associated Press in an interview at his real estate office in northern Utah.“I don’t have any illusions that, as speaker of the house, I’m a household name. But that’s really not what this is about. What this is about is me going out and understanding what people care about,” he said.The move is just shy of making his campaign official and allows Wilson to raise money and campaign statewide. Romney has not yet ann...

Apple Books – Top Books

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List):1. Romantic Comedy (Reese’s Book Club) by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House Publishing Group)2. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria Books)3. Over My Brother’s Dead Body, Chase Andrews by Piper Rayne (Piper Rayne Incorporated)4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)5. The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)6. I Will Find You by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing)7. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover (Atria Books)8. Blue Moon by Lee Child (Random House Publishing Group)9. Searching for Caryn by Susan Stoker (Stoker Aces Production, LLC)10. Rizzoli & Isles: Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen (Random House Publishing Group)The Associated Press

Nunavut Inuit organization revokes enrolment of sisters, says first-of-its-kind case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

The organization responsible for enrolling Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement has removed twin sisters from its list in what is calls a first-of-its-kind case. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated announced March 30 it was investigating alleged fraud involving the enrolment of 24-year-old Nadya and Amira Gill. The organization said the women were enrolled in 2016 after their mother claimed she adopted them from an Inuk woman. That woman’s family recently disputed the claim and said they have no biological relationship to the twins.Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated said in a statement Thursday that it asked the Gills to provide evidence they have an Inuk birth parent but did not receive a response. The Iqaluit community enrolment committee decided to remove them from its list April 6.The organization and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association have both called for the RCMP to investigate.Neither sister responded to requests for comment and The Canadian Press was unable to reach their mother, Kar...

Judge tosses 40th murder conviction tied to disgraced ex-CPD detective

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

CHICAGO – After 24 years, a man who has spent nearly a quarter of a century in prison for a murder he insisted he did not commit will soon be freed.Richard Kwil saw a Cook County judge overturn his conviction in court on Thursday, the latest in a series of reversed judgments linked to disgraced former Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara.Kwil's daughter, 25-year-old Aixa Hernandez, applauded her father's impending release from prison. New lawsuits filed against former Chicago cop bring old allegations to light "Really happy," she said. "He was away a really long time. I’m just glad we get to build a relationship finally."Hernandez said she has only known her father through short visits, letters and phone calls. It made the moment a judge tossed out her father's murder conviction more profound."It didn’t feel real but it’s really exciting," she said. "Just glad it’s all over."Undated booking photo of Richard Kwil. (Photo: Pontiac Correctional Center)Kwil says not only was he ...

Skilling: Scattered clouds, unseasonable temps for Chicago

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

A second day of July level warmth with temps flirting with the day's 82 degree record—last set in 1941. The day is to finish 25 degrees above normal!AND THE WARM WEATHER has two more days to run! It plans to stick around—courtesy of a blocking pattern over the country in the higher levels of the atmosphere. The so-called REX BLOCK—which occurs when warm air becomes trapped between cool rainy air to the south and north---slows bears the name of the meteorologist—DANIEL REX—who in 1950 first identified this upper air configuration's tendency to slow the eastward progress of weather across the country.It may surprise some—but the fact is, by a margin of well over two to one, days in 2023 have been WARMER THAN NORMAL 68% of the time. COOLER THAN NORMAL DAYS have only occurred 27% of the time since January 1st.The warmth is expansive and has been eating away at the snow pack—only a week ago nearly 3 feet deep in parts of the North Woods of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan—and it's doing it B...

With mortalities on the rise, Black Maternal Health Week raising awareness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, is meant to raise awareness of the disparities Black mothers face when giving birth and caring for their babies.Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. From 2020-2021, maternal mortalities rose by 60%, according to data from the CDC.State Representative Robin Kelly (IL-02) joined WGN Evening News at 4 p.m. via Zoom to discuss maternal health and her efforts to pass new legislation in Congress. "We, women, need to advocate for ourselves," Kelly told WGN News. "We need to speak up. We need to challenge where necessary. We need to ask questions. We have to really be our own best advocates."Click here for more information about 2023's Black Maternal Health Week.

What parents need to know about sextortion crisis impacting kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

The FBI is sounding the alarm on sextortion, the shakedown of people who have been threatened to have information about their sexual activity revealed. In 2021, there were 700 cases reported to the FBI across the country. That number jumped to 4,000 in 2022,  a 463% increase. Chicago saw an even bigger spike. The FBI says the targets tend to be young men and boys, typically between 10 and 17 years old. Special agent Siobhan Johnson with the FBI's office in Chicago joined WGN Evening News to talk about their findings and offer tips on prevention. Traditional sextortion typically targets young women and girls for the purposes of obtaining sexual content. The current jump in sextortion reports is related to a new version: financial sextortion.Targets of financial sextortion tend to be young men and boys. Typically, victims are aged 10 to 17, but victims can be any age (and have been noted as young as 7). Rather than sexual gratification, motivation appears to be largely financial....

Indiana prison employee 'will not survive' after inmate struck him with steel pipe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — The Indiana State Prison has announced that Mike Keel, a maintenance foreman at the state prison in Michigan City, will not survive the injuries he endured after a prisoner struck him on the head with a steel pipe earlier this week. Keel recently celebrated his 29-year anniversary with the Indiana Department of Corrections and was called a "key part of the team responsible for keeping the historic (Michigan City prison) running every day." "(Keel) was known across the agency for his quality workmanship, including the bell that sits at our Fallen Staff Memorial which he will join later this year," Indiana State Prison wrote in tribute to Keel. Indiana prison employee hit over the head with a steel pipe, inmate taken into custody Mike Keel awarded for years of service. (Photo provided by Indiana State Prison)Mike Keel (provided by Indiana State Prison)The Indiana State Police previously reported the Keel had been assaulted by an inmate at the Michigan City pri...

Fans thank Jonathan Toews as he plays his last game with Blackhawks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

CHICAGO -- "Captain Serious" will take the United Center ice for the final time Thursday.Longtime captain Jonathan Toews will play in his last game as a Chicago Blackhawk Thursday after a historic career.“Tonight will be his final game as a Blackhawk, and it was very important to us to provide the proper send off to Jonathan and our fans,” said general manager Kyle Davidson in a statement on Thursday morning. Oh, Captain! A look at Jonathan Toews’ Blackhawks career "He has done so much for our organization, and no matter where he plays next, we’re excited our fans get the chance to show Jonathan exactly how much he means to them.”Fans made their way to the United Center Thursday to witness the final curtain call for the Blackhawks longtime captain.The Blackhawks are set to face off against their 2010 Stanley Cup opponent, Philadelphia Flyers. Puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.Toews was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2006. made his debut with the team in 2007, and has been at the ...

Don't you want to smell like Fanta?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:25 GMT

(WBRE/WYOU) — Fanta announced Wednesday the creation of its first-ever fragrance, the limited-edition "Scent of Fanta," which the company made available online Thursday.Fanta, which is owned by The Coca-Cola Company, describes its "wearable version" of the brightly colored soda as having "bubbly aspects of bright and juicy orange essence infused with a glimmering splash of tart lime and a sweet sprinkle of soft sugar." IRS warns of deadline to claim $1.5B in 2019 tax refunds: These states are owed the most According to Fanta, the orange-scented fragrance awakens the senses and allows fans to breathe in the energizing smell of Fanta Orange anytime, anywhere. (Courtesy: Fanta)In creating the scent, Fanta joined a number of other companies experimenting with sometimes shocking fragrance-based promotions. In 2022, Velveeta released a cheese-scented nail polish evocative of the product's "rich, creamy texture and cheesy, melty goodness." In 2019, Dunkin' partnered with a candle maker t...