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Lease of Gulf waters delayed by whale protection debate must continue, court rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An auction of federal Gulf of Mexico leases for oil and gas drilling must be held in 37 days, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, rejecting environmentalists’ arguments against the sale and throwing out plans by the Biden administration to scale back the sale to protect an endangered species of whale. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling means the lease sale — once set for September, but postponed multiple times amid legal fights — will be held in December. And it must cover 73 million acres (30 million hectares), as originally planned when the administration announced the sale in the spring.The administration later scaled back the area covered by the lease sale to 67 million acres (27 million hectares) as part of an agreement to protect the endangered Rice’s whale. But the state of Louisiana joined oil and gas companies in opposing the changes. A federal judge in southwest Louisiana ordered the sale to go on without the whale protections, which a...

A Detroit officer to stand trial after photojournalists were shot with pellets during a 2020 protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit police corporal accused of shooting three photojournalists with rubber pellets while they covered protests against police brutality has been ordered to stand trial.Daniel Debono is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 28 in Wayne County Circuit Court on felonious assault charges, the county prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.Shortly after midnight on May 31, 2020, in downtown Detroit, MLive.com photojournalist Nicole Hester and two independent photojournalists, Seth Herald and Matthew Hatcher, encountered Debono and two other officers.Each of the photojournalists was wearing press credentials, identified themselves as news media and raised their hands as they asked to cross the street, Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at the time.Debono, dressed in riot gear, struck all three with rubber pellets that inflicted bruises and other injuries.The photojournalists were covering the protest in downtown Detroit, which was sparked by the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd in...

Work resumes at Montana mine where 24-year-old worker was killed in machinery accident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

NYE, Montana (AP) — Work has resumed at a precious metals mine in south-central Montana a day after a 24-year-old worker died in an underground machinery accident, mine officials said.Noah Dinger of Post Falls, Idaho, died just before 1:30 a.m. Monday when he was operating a machine that bolts wire panels onto the stone walls of an underground area to prevent falling rock during future mining, said Heather McDowell, a vice president with Sibanye Stillwater, the owner of the Stillwater Mine near Nye.“His dad was working in the area and actually was the one that found him,” McDowell said. No one witnessed the accident, but Dinger apparently got caught in the rotating shaft on the bolter, she said.McDowell confirmed Dinger’s name after a family friend posted an online fundraiser for his wife Kaylei and their two sons, ages 3 and 1.Work was halted Monday at the only platinum and palladium mine in the U.S. and resumed Tuesday. Each shift of workers will be instructed about the risk...

Dispute involving student unions at York University reignites long-standing tensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

A student group issues a statement condemning Israel and defending the Palestinian right to resistance, and the university administration pushes back, accusing the students of being out of step with the institution’s values. It’s a tension that has surfaced on many campuses – in Canada and abroad – since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, but at York University, the friction has stirred up long-standing issues on a campus that has for decades faced criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel groups over its messaging on the Middle East conflict.The standoff between three student unions representing all graduates and undergraduates at York has also triggered debate about the limits of free speech on campus. The latest tensions began simmering with an Oct. 12 statement from the unions, expressing “solidarity with Palestine.”The statement — which came less than a week after Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli communities in a brutal rampage that ...

Education 'grows on trees' at 137-year-old one room school house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

WILLOW SPRINGS, Ill. — Daniel Burnham’s celebrated Plan of Chicago envisioned a string of greenspaces, filled with trees, plants, and gardens – known as the city’s “emerald necklace.” Today, the most expansive stretch of preserved nature is in the Southwest suburbs – a swath of emerald green, with an important splash of ruby red.The Little Red Schoolhouse in Willow Springs is located less than 20 miles from downtown Chicago.Little Red SchoolhouseBuilt in 1886 as the first grammar school in the area, it served the children of farmers. In the 1940s, modern schools were built, and development consumed much of the farmland.By 1948, just two students attended the class in the white one room schoolhouse, but it was such a community cornerstone, it was preserved, and moved rather than demolished.  “(It was moved) with horses and log rollers to take that schoolhouse that was closer to maple lake, move it across this, to where it was at Camp Kiwanis, and then move it again,” said Debora...

Chicago agricultural students serve Thanksgiving dinner to seniors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Students and seniors came together Tuesday on the South Side of Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving a little bit early.Students at the Chicago Agricultural School were cooking all day to serve 400 senior citizens in the community. Semi-truck fire shuts down portion of I-294 in Willow Springs It's an annual event and there's a whole lot of preparation and collaboration that goes into it."Food is always what I like to do," Noah Howe-Brown said. "I can share with people in my own way."The turkeys were raised at the farm."There were kids in animal science who raised them, cleaned them, fed them all," Howe-Brown said. "They got to the point where they were big enough, shipped off and came back to us."Amonte Campbell has been guiding the kids through it all with some help from Jason Ison from Smith Village. He said an event like this is truly a win for everyone."It feels great, amazing," Ison said. "Something I wish I had in high school. The kids get a lot out of it and I know t...

EMWQ Fund steps in to help family of fallen firefighter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A day after Chicago lost its fourth firefighter this year, an organization established by the City's tight-knit firefighter community is stepping in to help the family of fallen firefighter Andrew Price.The organization, Ende, Menzer, Walsh & Quinn (EMWQ) Retirees', Widows' and Children’s Assistance Fund, is a non-profit organization that helps Chicago families who are grieving the loss of a loved one who died in the line of duty as a Chicago Fire Department firefighter."We can't lose sight on the fact that this is a dangerous job," said Tony Martin, from the EMWQ Fund. "Every day that we go to work ... We've got to try to do it the best we can." More from Julian: Faith leaders join Johnson in call for patience amid Chicago’s migrant relief efforts For those interested in learning more about the EMWQ or making a donation toward helping families deal with the loss of a loved one, visit their website.WGN's Julian Crews has more on the story in the video above.

Decreasing number of migrants arriving in Chicago, but shelters still remain in question

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

CHICAGO -- The wave of migrants coming to Chicago seems to be slowing down, but housing continues to be a topic of discussion for lawmakers and residents.With the number of migrants living at police stations around Chicago reaching it's lowest since late September, there are still many living outdoors with tents moving into nearby neighborhoods.In the parkway at Leland and Harding Avenue in Albany Park, migrant tents line the block across from the 17th Chicago police district, which some neighbors aren't happy about.The sidewalk in front of the police district is now clear of tents, but women and children are reportedly still living inside the lobby of the building. Even several children in an outdoor encampment.1,444 migrants are still living at police stations around Chicago awaiting shelter placement, a number that is actually down nearly half from the beginning of November. Illegal border crossings into the US drop in October after a 3-month streak of increases Mayor Brandon J...

MedWatch Digest: The connection between diabetes and colon cancer — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

For Tuesday, Nov. 14, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Diabetes can lead to colon cancerA diabetes diagnosis leaves people more susceptible to getting colorectal cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The association was most significant in low-income communities and among African Americans. The study of nearly 55,000 people revealed patients with diabetes have a 47,000 increased risk for colon cancer compared to people without diabetes. The same highly processed, high-fat, high-sugar foods associated with diabetes have also been shown to contribute to colon cancer.  Experts say the study indicates a need to screen people with diabetes earlier for colon cancer. Northwestern study on preterm birthsPremature births are a significant problem in the Black community in the United States. Doctors say it's a huge wake-up call to address inequities and the impact on children. Northwest...

Biden announces $6B climate resiliency initiatives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- President Joe Biden said the latest national climate assessment reaffirms what he already knew -- that climate change "is the ultimate threat to humanity."Biden highlighted how not doing enough in the past contributed to the ever-worsening natural disasters."I met with families in Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi where catastrophic winter storms and tornadoes devour everything in their path, schools, businesses, police stations," the president said.That's why Biden announced a more than $6 billion investment in climate resiliency initiatives to reduce "flood risk in communities, improving drought resilience, supporting conservation for our national parks."The plan also includes projects to bury power lines in order to strengthen the electric grid and prevent fires. This week marks the 2-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that provided funding for many climate-related projects.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the law helped "p...