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Drug dealer in crew blamed for actor Michael K. Williams’ overdose death gets 5 years in prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A member of a New York City drug-dealing crew blamed for the fentanyl-laced heroin death of actor Michael K. Williams was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison.Luis Cruz was the third of four defendants to be sentenced in connection with the drugs linked to the death of Williams, who overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment in September 2021. He died four hours after authorities said he bought the heroin from another member of the crew.A federal judge in Manhattan imposed the prison time on Cruz, who pleaded guilty in April to a reduced charge of narcotics conspiracy.Cruz’s lawyer, Deborah Colson, said in an email that Cruz “accepted responsibility and provided a genuine, heartfelt apology.” She declined further comment.In a letter to the judge, Cruz, who had been an electrician, said he was addicted to drugs and was selling them to support his habit and pay his bills. “It was a terrible mistake in judgment,” he wrote.Federal prosecutors, however, said...

Unifor ends strike less than 24 hour in after reaching tentative deal with GM

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

TORONTO — Unifor put a short-lived strike on hold Tuesday after General Motors agreed to a tentative contract that mirrors the one the union reached with Ford Motor Co. about two weeks ago. Close to 4,300 autoworkers at GM’s Oshawa assembly plant, St. Catharines propulsion plant, and Woodstock parts distribution centre had gone on strike at midnight after the company resisted the terms set out in the Ford deal.About twelve hours later though the company had relented, including on key sticking points like pensions, retiree income supports and converting full-time temporary workers into permanent employees.“Sometimes you have to take these tactics, sometimes we have to exercise our right to strike in order to get the kind of collective agreement that our members deserve,” said Unifor president Lana Payne at a press conference in Toronto.Workers at the three operations were expected to go back to work Tuesday afternoon, while Unifor said ratification votes would be sc...

Search underway for 16-year-old girl missing from South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

CHICAGO — Police say a search is underway for a teen girl missing from the city's South Side. According to Chicago police, 16-year-old Olivia Nickson was last seen leaving her home in Englewood on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and never returned. Officers say the teen girl, who has black hair and brown eyes, stands 5-foot-7 and weighs around 165 pounds. Nickson has black hair and brown. Recent photos provided by CPD also indicate that she has braces. Police say it is unclear what Nickson was wearing at the time of her disappearance. Charges filed against north suburban man accused of beating family member, hitting police K9 Officers notified the public about Nickson's disappearance in a news release sent out on Tuesday morning. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 16-year-old Olivia Nickson is asked to call CPD Area One SVU Detectives at 312-747-8380.Tips for police can also be filed at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

'Tough decisions need to be made:' Community activists grow louder over City's stance on migrant crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

CHICAGO — As the costs of housing and feeding Chicago's new arrivals skyrocket, more and more community activists have taken a stand, concerned the City is being too accommodating when it comes to the growing migrant crisis.With no end in sight, Chicago surpassed 18,000 new arrivals since late last summer Tuesday. The City and state have pledged support for arriving migrants, but resources are running thin, and historically underserved communities have voiced their grievances more and more as time has gone on."We're getting migrants every single day and tough decisions need to be made," said Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th Ward).The migrant crisis was at the top of the agenda Tuesday at a monthly meeting of faith and community leaders on the West Side."The Sanctuary City ordinance and the welcoming city policy has acted as a magnet on the Willis Tower," said Patricia Easley. "Attracting illegal immigration from all around the world." Frustrations mount at City Hall over Johnson’s hand...

Medicaid renewal deadline extended for some Texans as agency reviews eligibility for millions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is extending its renewal deadline for "certain" Medicaid recipients after the federal government required HHSC to redetermine eligibility for approximately six million Texans over a 12-month period, according to a release from HHSC.Those Medicaid recipients will receive an "additional 30 days to complete their renewal packets," HHSC said.A group of HHSC employees went public in August with concerns about delays and denials in coverage. Whistleblowers beg Abbott to ‘take action’ over Medicaid errors, food assistance delays Whistleblowers first flagged the concerns in an internal email to leadership in July. At the time, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) confirmed technical issues occurred while the agency reviewed the eligibility of its roughly six million Medicaid enrollees, in order to come into compliance with new federal guidelines.At the time, a spokesperson for the agency called the ...

John Shipley: It had been a while since we’d seen the Bad Twins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

Target Field was host to one of the two or three biggest games in its 13-year history on Tuesday afternoon, and the Bad Twins showed up.You remember the Bad Twins — couldn’t hit, dodgy defense. Would draw a timely walk then fail to drive in a guy from second. The team that led all of baseball with 1,654 strikeouts during regular season and skidded into the all-star break a game under .500 after a 15-2 loss to Baltimore.That team.That’s the one that showed up for the second decently deep playoff game in the relatively brief history of the Twins’ ballpark. It’s too bad, but it’s not fatal. That will come tomorrow if the Twins can’t find a way to rebound from a 9-1 loss that has pushed them to the brink of elimination in the American League Divisional Series.The Twins had 41,017 fans on their side Tuesday, the biggest baseball crowd here since 41,121 showed up for Game 3 of the 2019 ALDS against the Yankees. With memories of the Twins’ two-game sweep of Toronto planted firmly in their ...

Ammunition laws remain in effect after stay denied

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEWS10) -- New York's new background check laws for gun and ammunition purchases remain in effect after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for a stay that would have stopped the laws from being enforced.Justice Clarence Thomas held a conference last week to discuss a lawsuit filed by gun rights supporters, who argued the laws violate the Second Amendment. Under the new system, background checks are completed through New York State Police instead of the FBI. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Opponents said the new system is overly complicated and confusing and question if it will reduce gun violence. Supporters of the new background checks, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, applauded the Supreme Court's decision to reject a stay. Hochul said the law is necessary to improve public safety.The law passed in 2022 in response to the deadly mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket in Buffalo and went into effect in September.

Keeler: Can Avalanche win Stanley Cup without Gabe Landeskog? Colorado’s new forwards have zero doubts.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

Big Val Nichushkin wasn’t the only one who vanished. According to Moneypuck.com, the Colorado Avalanche last spring trotted out six offensive combos that logged at least 10 minutes of postseason ice time without stars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.In seven games, those six lines gave up (checks notes) three goals and scored (checks notes again) … once.Good night, Irene. And hello, Cancun.“Nate and Mikko are very elite,” new Avs left winger Jonathan Drouin told me earlier this week in advance of Colorado’s season-opening puck drop at Los Angeles on Wednesday night. “And on a lot of those nights, they’re going to be players to make the difference.“There’s going to be nights where somebody has to step up. And I think that’s that we have and the new guys we brought in … we’re going to have to make sure that secondary scoring is there, and we’re helping these two top guys not have to carry the whole team ...

Tony Boselli, Woody Paige, Rudy Carey headline Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

Pro football legend Tony Boselli, former Denver Post columnist Woody Paige and record-setting high school boys basketball coach Rudy Carey are among a group of five who were selected for induction into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.The three will be joined by former Broncos defensive end Barney Chavous and longtime sports writer Scott Stocker in the Class of 2024, the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday afternoon.All five will be inducted at the 59th annual banquet April 17 at the Hilton Denver City Center.Denver Post fileWoody Paige waits for a homerun ball in 1998.Such honors are becoming old hat for Boselli, the one-time Fairview High School star offensive lineman who’s also been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. The USC product was drafted second overall by Jacksonville in the 1995 NFL draft, then went on to earn three All-Pro and five Pro Bowl nods over seven seasons with the Jaguars.Paige has covered Colorado sports since the 1970s, working as a...

Quay Miller building on highs, learning from lows in final year with CU Buffs women’s hoops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:59 GMT

Unless you’re the team cutting down the nets at the very end of the Big Dance, every NCAA Tournament run ends with heartbreak.It was no different for Colorado’s Quay Miller when she and her teammates trudged off the floor on March 25 on the wrong end of an upset bid against Iowa that ended the tourney run for the Buffaloes in the Sweet 16.Miller could have taken her basketball and gone home, and it wouldn’t have been much of a trip. That Sweet 16 loss against Iowa occurred in Seattle, just a few minutes from Miller’s suburban hometown of Renton. The start of Miller’s offseason began with a faceoff with a critical decision. Yet even in the gut-wrenching moments after that loss, Miller knew the somber flight back to Colorado wasn’t going to mark the beginning of her end in Boulder.There always is a sense of unfinished business when a season ends in the tournament, but rarely does the same team get to return essentially intact to finish that business. With Miller and guard Jaylyn Sherr...