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Born in a typhoon: Many, including newborns, remain without electricity as Guam recovers from storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — About a week after Typhoon Mawar tore through Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in over two decades, most of the island remained without electricity and the governor appealed for patience during a recovery process expected to take at least a month. Even though Mawar caused no deaths or catastrophic destruction, officials said that as of Wednesday only 28% of power had been restored on the oppressively hot and humid island. About 44% of cell towers were functional Wednesday and about half the water system was operational, Bob Fenton, regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Associated Press via phone from Guam.Mawar briefly made landfall as a Category 4 storm late on May 24 on the northern tip of the island of roughly 150,000 people, flipping cars, tearing off roofs and leaving trees bare. There have been long lines for gas and officials estimate it will be four to six weeks before power is fully restore...

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein until after his 2019 arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has testified that he never heard of Jeffrey Epstein and his crimes against teenage girls and young women until the financier was arrested in 2019, according to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released Wednesday.Dimon said he first heard about it “when the story blew wide open. He was arrested, and all the stories came out about all the people he knows. And the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didn’t know about it before.”Asked by a lawyer if he’d ever heard the name Jeffrey Epstein before his arrest, Dimon responded, “Not that I recall.”Dimon made the revelation during a videotaped deposition recorded last week in connection with lawsuits filed against the nation’s largest bank.The lawsuits on behalf of Epstein victims and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Manhattan federal court seek to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein’s decadeslong abuse of teenage girls and young women.The bank, besides denying t...

Court: No lawsuit immunity for Michigan official who had rifle during online meeting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A lawsuit can go forward against a Michigan official who flashed a rifle during a public meeting over video conference, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.Patricia MacIntosh is suing Ron Clous, alleging he tried to silence her right to free speech when he displayed the rifle during a 2021 meeting of Grand Traverse County commissioners.Clous has no governmental immunity at this stage of the litigation, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 opinion.“Virtually smirking and displaying a high-powered rifle at someone during a tension-filled public meeting is pregnant with dangerous meaning,” said judges Jane Stranch and Stephanie Dawkins Davis.The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when the county board met over video conference. During the public comment period, MacIntosh urged commissioners to make a statement opposing anti-government militia groups, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.That’s when Clous, a commissione...

5 children hospitalized after smoking vape pen at Chicago elementary school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

CHICAGO -- Five children were taken to local hospitals after reportedly smoking a vape pen in gym class at a Chicago elementary school Wednesday.According to the Chicago Fire Department, five children were transported to local hospitals after reportedly "smoking a substance" at Harvard Elementary School on Chicago's south side just before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Waukegan man trying to stop fight outside bowling alley shot, killed A source told WGN that the students were on a field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo Tuesday when one of them picked up a discarded vape pen and brought it to school Wednesday.According to the Chicago Police Department, several students vaped during gym class. It's unclear what substance the vape pen contained.The children involved are reportedly 9 to 10-years-old and are all in good condition, according to the CFD.WGN has reached out to Chicago Public Schools for comment, but have yet to hear back.No further information has been provided at this time.Stay with WGN as ...

White House, GOP both claim victory on student loans in debt limit bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

The hot-button issue of student loans has found its way into the high-stakes debt ceiling deal, with Republicans claiming a victory that the end of the pandemic-era payment pause is locked in, and the White House arguing that no concessions were made.The debt deal outlines that the pause ends 60 days after June 30 and removes the possibility of another extension, which advocates were hoping to extract from President Biden. Biden had outlined in November that payments would resume either 60 days after the Supreme Court rules on his student loan forgiveness plan or 60 days after June 30, whichever came first. But the final bill text doesn’t factor in the high court decision at all.The locked-in date is causing fury among student loan advocates who were looking for another reprieve and creates more concerns for borrowers as the bill faces hurdles on its way through Congress.“Borrowers got sold out. That's, I mean, the general feeling that I'm having, and I know a lot of our supporters ...

'Graduates over Guns' march for violence prevention ahead of summer break

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

CHICAGO — Some Chicago high school and elementary school students marched against gun violence on Wednesday as they head into their summer break. Locals who passed by Corliss High School in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood witnessed a stand for peace. There, area seniors asked incoming freshmen to step up and make their community a better place. Salutatorian Ivory Nola-Scoot and Valedictorian Vincent Smith passed the baton, so to speak, to students graduating from nearby Wendell Smith Elementary as part of the 'Graduates over Guns' program, which started in 2015.  Already a college graduate, CPS high schooler taking success to new degree  "We're just passing the torch to the next generation. Just setting a new tradition that started about seven years ago," Nola-Scott told WGN News. "We did this march to empower students to graduate high school and not pick up guns," Smith added. Co-founded by Umi Brooks, 'Graduates over Guns' aims to kickstart a commitment to a safe summer for every...

Teen riding bike critically injured after driver hits him in Batavia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

BATAVIA, Ill. — A teenage boy is in critical condition after a driver hit him while he was riding a bike Wednesday afternoon in Batavia, police said.The boy was riding a bike around 2:30 p.m. near South Batavia Avenue and Union Avenue when the driver hit him, according to a news release from the Batavia Police Department. 5 children hospitalized after smoking substance at Chicago elementary school The boy was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to the release. The driver of the car, who hasn't been identified, wasn't injured.Details surrounding the incident remain under investigation by police and the Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team.Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information is asked to call detectives at 630-454-2500.

Man pleads guilty to disturbing Yellowstone bison calf that later had to be killed by rangers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (NEXSTAR) - A Hawaii man has pleaded guilty to disturbing a bison calf Yellowstone National Park rangers were later forced to kill earlier this month, the park announced Wednesday.The man, identified as Clifford Walters, was seen approaching the calf, which had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River, on Saturday, May 20. He then allegedly pushed the calf away from the river and onto a nearby roadway.According to Yellowstone visitors, the calf then walked up to and followed cars and people.Park rangers tried “repeatedly” to reunite the bison calf with its herd but “these efforts failed,” Yellowstone officials said earlier this month. “The calf was later killed by park staff because it was abandoned by the herd and causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway,” authorities wrote in a news release. These are America’s deadliest national parks: data Walters pleaded guilty to one count of fee...

Biden preps for extreme weather as climate change fuels natural disasters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – Ahead of hurricane and wildfire season, President Biden received the yearly extreme weather briefing as the government prepares to deal with extreme weather and continues fighting the climate change that fuels it.The National Hurricane Center is predicting a normal hurricane season, which NHC Director Michael Brennan says is not good news.According to Brennan, this includes "12 to 17 named storms of at least tropical strength or greater. Five to nine of those becoming hurricanes, and one to nine of those becoming major hurricanes."Climate change is making hurricanes stronger, fueling wildfires and making other weather events more disastrous and expensive.“Over the past two years, a third of Americans have been impacted by extreme weather conditions,” President Biden said.As we enter hurricane and wildfire season, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell explains that extreme weather is also becoming more erratic including California's atmospheric rivers in January a...

Oreo brings back beloved flavor after nearly a decade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:18 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - The summer of 2015 brought songs like "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran, Paul Rudd in "Ant-Man," and a beloved Oreo flavor you probably haven't had since then. But that's about to change.After nearly a decade, Oreo is bringing back its Cotton Candy Oreos. Available starting June 5, Cotton Candy Oreos have side-by-side, "double-stuffed" pink and blue cotton candy flavored creme sandwiched between two golden cookies. It's a special offering fans have asked for time and time again, Oreo shared on its Instagram. In a video posted Tuesday, the company shows multiple messages to bring back a certain variation that's blurred out. Popular Android app reportedly started spying on users, making recordings Wednesday morning, Oreo confirmed the sandwiches reminiscent of a fair time favorite will be available once again after eight years. If you're hoping to snag your own package, you may need to act fast - the company says Cotton Candy Oreos will only be available while supplies last. O...