Unclear who would aid Taiwan in a war, foreign minister says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Unclear who would aid Taiwan in a war, foreign minister says CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Taiwan intends to fight for itself in any armed conflict with China and is unclear as to what countries might stand beside it, the self-governing island’s foreign minister said. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and concerns are rising about a possible armed conflict. In an interview last Friday with Sky News Australia, Joseph Wu said Taiwan, with a population of 23 million compared to China’s 1.4 billion, has to defend itself and is not asking other countries to fight for it. However, asked who might fight alongside Taiwan in the event of a war with China, Wu answered, “This is a very good question.” “A lot of people are debating strategic ambiguity or strategic clarity, but to us, we know our own responsibility,” Wu told the news channel from Taipei.“Taiwan has to defend itself, the people have to defend Taiwan, this country, and we are determined to defend ourselves and we are no...

Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane and Sharon Hampson on Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘genius’ and influence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane and Sharon Hampson on Gordon Lightfoot’s ‘genius’ and influence TORONTO — Anne Murray carried many tunes throughout her singing career but she says the lyrical quality of a Gordon Lightfoot song rose above most others.The retired East Coast performer recalled her memories of Lightfoot, who died of natural causes on Monday at age 84, as they both came up in Canada’s music scene.Lightfoot was several years ahead of her on the road to fame, which meant that as a cast member on CBC’s music television show “Singalong Jubilee” in the 1960s, she sometimes performed covers of his songs.“We used to do all of them — ‘For Lovin’ Me,’ ‘Steel Rail Blues’ — the songs were just so good,” she said by phone from Halifax.“The lyrics were easy to wrap your voice around. They were so personal and yet they all had such a universal feel to them and appealed to a lot of people … anyone would want to sing them.”Murray was among the Canadian musicians who paid tribute to the folk singer&...

West suburban woman charged after recovery of $2.1 million in counterfeit luxury goods

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

West suburban woman charged after recovery of $2.1 million in counterfeit luxury goods COOK COUNTY, Ill. — Cook County authorities announced Tuesday a suburban woman was charged after investigators found more than 1,400 counterfeit luxury items worth $2.1 million inside her Bellwood home in mid-April.Roynette Cavanaugh, 54, with evidence collected by the Cook County Sheriff's Office and DHS.Roynette Cavanaugh, 54, was charged with unauthorized use of trademark and selling 500-2,000 items, which is a class two felony, on April 19. According to investigators, the Cook County Sheriff's Police Special Operations Unit (PSOU) and the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Cavanaugh's residence that resulted in the recovery of more than 1,400 fake Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci from her home.Counterfeit items found included footwear, handbags, jewelry and clothing. A brand representative reviewed the recovered items and confirmed they were fake, investigators said.Investigators also said they recovered evidence that Cavanaugh w...

CPD: Man wanted for child luring in Rogers Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

CPD: Man wanted for child luring in Rogers Park CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department sent out a community alert Tuesday evening to notify the public of a man who is trying to lure juvenile girls into his vehicle.Police said two female juveniles were walking to school on North Ashland Avenue when they said a white Jeep Cherokee with an unknown white male driver pulled alongside the curb of the street and stopped.According to police, the man leaned over to the open passenger side window and said, "Do you want a ride?"The two girls said, "No" and continued walking southbound on North Ashland Avenue.Police said the man approached them again in the 7000 block of North Ashland Avenue, asking, "Are you sure you don't want a ride?"The girls then became scared and ran into a nearby school.Police describe the offender as being a white man around 50-60 years in age, fair complexion, clean shaven with a crew haircut, heavy set with a distinct double chin, and was wearing a collared grey buttoned shirt and a black coat. His vehicle is desc...

Texas man banned from United Airlines after allegedly assaulting employee

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Texas man banned from United Airlines after allegedly assaulting employee SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – A passenger who allegedly assaulted a United Airlines employee aboard a flight on Sunday was arrested and banned from all future United flights, Nexstar's KRON has confirmed. Airline representatives contacted the San Francisco Police Department Airport Bureau just before midnight on Sunday, April 30, after the suspect allegedly assaulted an employee while boarding. Frontier Airlines launches all-you-can-fly pass "Our team at San Francisco International Airport immediately contacted law enforcement after a disruptive customer assaulted one of our service employees during boarding," a United spokesperson told KRON.SFPD officers responded to the incident at Terminal 3, which exclusively serves United. ‘Disruptive’ passenger forces Israel-bound United flight back to Newark after 3 hours A description of the suspect was provided to officers, and he was detained in the terminal. The suspect, 47-year-old Cody Benjamin Lovins of Montgomery, Texas, was arrested and...

APD: DPS to start patrolling different areas of town as part of the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

APD: DPS to start patrolling different areas of town as part of the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force AUSTIN (KXAN) -- During an Austin City Council briefing on the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) patrols in Austin, Austin Police chief Joseph Chacon said the department is willing to shift its strategy regarding where DPS focuses its patrols. "I think you will see some changes in the coming weeks," he said. "You'll probably see them in some areas you haven't before."APD's decides where to deploy troopers based on 911 call data for violent crimes. For the first time Tuesday, law enforcement disclosed the locations troopers are more heavily patrolling based on that data:RundbergCameronRiverside DPS has made 12K traffic stops since APD partnership started A new report shows violent crime is down 28% compared to the week before the partnership began this year.But some people who live in the more heavily patrolled areas remain uneasy."I feel like I can't make a tiny mistake without getting pulled over," said Jessica - who lives off Montopolis Drive in the Riverside neighborhoo...

Texas left-hander Gordon named Big 12 co-pitcher of the week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Texas left-hander Gordon named Big 12 co-pitcher of the week AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a stellar outing to get the Texas Longhorns on the right track against TCU, starting pitcher Lucas Gordon was recognized by the Big 12 Conference.Gordon was named a co-pitcher of the week by the conference after he tossed eight innings against the Horned Frogs in an 8-4 Longhorns win April 29. He allowed four runs on six hits with five strikeouts to earn his fifth win of the season.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersGordon is the Big 12's leader and No. 11 in the country with a 2.16 ERA and he's No. 25 in the country with a 1.02 WHIP.West Virginia's Blaine Traxel was who Gordon shared the award with. He threw his nation-leading fifth complete game to help the first-place Mountaineers beat Baylor 10-0.Another Mountaineer, JJ Wetherholt, was named the conference player of the week. He hit .529 with three home runs and a 1.726 OPS to help West Virginia ...

Western Wisconsin bar owner sentenced to 18 years for arson, insurance fraud

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Western Wisconsin bar owner sentenced to 18 years for arson, insurance fraud A 71-year-old bar owner in western Wisconsin was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday for setting fire to his own establishment five years ago to collect the insurance money.Following an eight-day trial, Kevin Grant in February was found guilty by a jury of four criminal counts related to intentionally setting fire to the Cubby Hole bar and restaurant in Woodville, including arson of a building with intent to defraud, second-degree reckless endangerment, unsafe burning of one’s own building and fraudulent insurance claims greater than $2,500.Firefighters responding to the fire on Dec. 29, 2018, detected an odor of gasoline and requested the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to assist in the investigation.The fire resulted in severe damage to the restaurant, for which Grant was paid more than $500,000 through insurance for property damage and losses, according to a sta...

Assemblymember seeking to reinstate Limo Task Force to keep unsafe vehicles off the street

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

Assemblymember seeking to reinstate Limo Task Force to keep unsafe vehicles off the street ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — More than four years after the Schoharie limo crash, New York State lawmakers continue to work on legislation to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said the New York State Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force finished its study in October, and now their recommendations are being used for a new bill this year to improve driver and passenger safety.“It came from their report, and I think they can continue to rely on that valuable information so that we can do our jobs here,” he said. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! David Brown, CEO and President of Premier Transportation, was a part of the task force, and he says he noticed a significant change since releasing the study.“A lot of what we implemented, a lot of what we pushed forward was better communication between DOT and the DMV, so an accident like this can never happen again,” he said.From the DM...

$100M jury verdict awarded to victim of childhood sexual abuse

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:16:54 GMT

$100M jury verdict awarded to victim of childhood sexual abuse BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A woman who was a victim of childhood sexual abuse has been awarded $100 million in a jury verdict, the Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP law office announced Tuesday. The settlement is believed to be the largest in New York State history for a lawsuit filed under the Child Victims Act. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The law office says that the victim is a 26-year-old woman who was sexually abused for four years beginning when she was 12 years old by a man named Joseph King, of Buffalo, now 39. King was a close friend to the victim's family.The jury awarded the $100 million verdict on Monday. It is compromised of $30 million for past damages, $20 million for future damages, and $50 million for punitive damages. "No amount of money will ever be able to give my client back what was taken from her by the despicable acts of this child molester," said attorney Robert Korp, who represented the woman in cour...