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Ukraine uses US-provided long-range ATACMS missiles against Russian forces for the first time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has quietly delivered the long-range ballistic missiles that Ukraine said it urgently needed and that President Joe Biden promised last month, U.S. officials said Tuesday, and Ukraine has already begun using them on the battlefield against Russia.The missiles arrived in Ukraine within the last few days, one of the officials said. Their delivery to the warfront gives Ukraine a critical ability to strike Russian targets that are farther away, allowing Ukrainian forces to stay safely out of range. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter before an official announcement and spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.The delivery of the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, was shrouded in secrecy, with the expectation that the first public acknowledgement would come when the missiles were used on the battlefield. Because of lingering U.S. concerns about escalating tensions with Russia, the ATACMS version that went to ...

Wisconsin Republicans withhold university pay raises in fight over school diversity funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Leaders of the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature withheld pay raises for Universities of Wisconsin employees while approving raises for other state workers on Tuesday in an ongoing fight over the school system’s diversity, equity and inclusion spending.Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who co-chairs the Legislature’s employment relations committee, has promised to block pay raises for UW employees until the school system cuts its so-called DEI spending by $32 million.“We’re only doing half our job today,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard said. “We are denying pay increases to half of our state workforce because of one person’s resistance to inclusion on our campuses.”While writing the budget in June, Republicans slashed UW’s funding by $32 million because they estimated that’s what the system’s 13 campuses put towards DEI efforts over two years. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers used his veto power to save 188 DEI p...

Sweden’s players take overnight flight home and return to clubs after deadly shooting in Belgium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Sweden’s players returned to their clubs Tuesday after taking an overnight flight from Brussels following the suspension of their European Championship qualifying soccer match against Belgium at halftime because a gunman killed two Swedish nationals before kickoff.European soccer governing body UEFA said a moment of silence will be observed at all Euro 2024 qualifiers on Tuesday to honor the Brussels victims.It remained unclear whether the Belgium-Sweden match would be completed at a later date. UEFA said it was too early to make any decision and that “further communication will be made in due course.”Belgium and Austria have qualified for next year’s tournament in Germany but both teams can still win Group F.The Sweden squad went directly to the airport and flew back home once they were allowed to leave King Baudouin Stadium, which was locked down for 2 1/2 hours for security reasons before officials began an evacuation process around midnight.It was abo...

Vigil to be held Tuesday for 6-year-old boy fatally stabbed in apparent hate crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

PLAINFIELD, Ill. — The Plainfield community will continue to remember and honor the 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was killed over the weekend in what prosecutors said was a hate crime.The vigil Tuesday night will not only honor Wadea Al-Fayoume, but show a united front in rejecting hate. It comes just a day after the boy's funeral.Hundreds made their way to a Bridgeview mosque Monday to pray and say goodbye to Wadea, who was fatally stabbed more than two dozen times over the weekend.According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, authorities responded to the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway in unincorporated Plainfield Township on reports of a woman being attacked by her landlord with a knife Saturday morning. Funeral held for 6-year-old boy killed for being Muslim 71-year-old Joseph Czuba allegedly attacked Hanaan Shahin, 32, with a large blade following an argument about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Shahin suffered over a dozen stab wounds...

Pedestrian struck and killed on DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was struck and killed by a vehicle after attempting to cross all lanes of DuSable Lake Shore Drive Tuesday morning.Police said it happened around 5:25 a.m. in the 800 block of North Lake Shore Drive when two men attempted to cross Lake Shore Drive, not in a crosswalk.One of the men was struck by a BMW X-3 that was traveling southbound. He was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.According to police, the second male pedestrian was not injured. Woman, 40, fatally shot during altercation on South Side The 63-year-old male driver of the BMW remained on the scene. Police said the driver was not injured, but was transported to Northwestern Hospital for panic symptoms.The crash is under investigation.

WATCH LIVE: Jim Jordan faces Speakership test on House floor — Live coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

NEXSTAR (The Hill) — The House is set to vote Tuesday for Speaker, but it appears GOP nominee Jim Jordan (Ohio) doesn't have the votes — at least on the first ballot.Today's session of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is expected to include the vote for Speaker, will be livestreamed within this story beginning shortly before 12 p.m. ET.Jordan gained some major momentum on Monday, picking up endorsements from four key players who had initially said they would not vote for him: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (Ala.), along with Reps. Ann Wagner (Mo.), Ken Calvert (Calif.) and Vern Buchanan (Fla.). Holdouts could blunt Jordan’s momentum as House braces for Speaker floor vote But at least six Republicans on Monday said they did not intend to vote for Jordan on the floor — enough to keep him from the gavel, assuming every member of the House votes — and others remained coy about their plans.The vote is expected to take place at noon.Follow along for liv...

Great Dane gives birth to 15 pups, a record at North Carolina rescue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A Great Dane named Meadow just gave birth to the largest-ever litter observed by a North Carolina rescue.Meadow, who taken in by Perfectly Imperfect Pups in Raleigh just days before going into labor, birthed a whopping 15 puppies on Tuesday morning.All 15 pups are doing well and gaining weight, according to a release from Perfectly Imperfect Pups. Meadow is also doing well at making sure all her babies are eating, though they are being supplement-fed in between."Mama Meadow is an incredible mom to all her pups!" said her foster mom Shari.Photos of Meadow and her 15 puppies courtesy of Perfectly Imperfect Pups Rescue of Raleigh.Photos of Meadow and her 15 puppies courtesy of Perfectly Imperfect Pups Rescue of Raleigh.Photos of Meadow and her 15 puppies courtesy of Perfectly Imperfect Pups Rescue of Raleigh.Photos of Meadow and her 15 puppies courtesy of Perfectly Imperfect Pups Rescue of Raleigh.Photos of Meadow and her 15 puppies courtesy of Perfectly Imperfec...

Travis County receives funds for DWI program's alcohol monitoring devices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Funding accepted by Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday will help aid and add new resources to the county's DWI Court Program, a 15-year-long endeavor to counsel and assist repeat DWI offenders and divert them from jail.Judge Elisabeth Earle oversees Travis County Court No. 7 and has served as judge of the DWI Court Program for the past 15 years. That program works with high-risk DWI offenders and offers both individual and group counseling services along with treatment. Earle said the program is designed to help provide treatment and support resources for people struggling, with the 12-month program incorporating local criminal justice resources, case management and substance abuse treatment. She added the program's participant graduation rate is more than 90%."It's a day-to-day process for them," Earle told commissioners Tuesday.For a year now, county officials have been working to secure funds to purchase alcohol monitoring devices, which offic...

Travis County burn ban extended to October 24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A burn ban for Travis County has been extended to the end of the month.Travis County Court Commissioners voted Tuesday to extend the ban until Oct. 24 due to forecasted weather conditions, according to the county's social media. The ban was due to expire on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The burn ban means that outdoor burning is not allowed in unincorporated county areas. The county also asked residents to use caution when grilling and conducting hot works operations. For details, visit the Travis County Emergency Services website.

Creators Space art gallery, cafe is latest Lowertown business to call it quits in St. Paul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:36 GMT

It was a coffee shop, an art gallery and a two-level “sanctuary” for yoga, dancing, drumming, meditation and the visual arts.Creators Space, a coffee house and arts hub in downtown St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood, has stopped serving coffee and announced it will shut its doors permanently on Oct. 31, the latest in a string of closures for venues popular with artists and everyday Lowertown residents.The arts-driven coffee house opened in 2018, the brain child of Melissa Dessart, who had left a career in the corporate world after 19 years to branch out on her own.Together with her husband Kevin, the two reclaimed some 34,000 square feet of space on two levels of a 134-year-old building — a former parking garage and furniture store at 218 E. Seventh St. — transforming it into a destination for amateur music acts, spoken word performers and non-traditional art shows.Among them, Creators Space repeatedly showcased the paintings and other art work assembled...