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In rift with Biden, Manchin vows to block oil, gas nominee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sign of a deepening rift among Democrats on energy issues, conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he will not move forward on President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee oil and gas leasing at the Interior Department. Manchin, of West Virginia, chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and has great influence on energy and environmental issues in the closely divided Senate. In an op-ed Friday, he cited a leaked memo signed by nominee Laura Daniel-Davis that proposed charging oil companies higher rates for drilling off the Alaska coast.Manchin said the higher rates backed by Daniel-Davis for the proposed drilling project in Alaska’s Cook Inlet “were explicitly designed to decrease fossil energy production at the expense of our energy security.”Even though he had supported Daniel-Davis in the past, “I cannot, in good conscience, support her or anyone else who will play partisan politics and agree with this misguided and...

Ontario’s 2025 accessibility goals impossible without urgent action, report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

A new report says Ontario will not meet its goals of making the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025 unless the government takes urgent action.The blistering report that examines the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act says a lack of basic leadership, accountability and data will make meeting the 2025 target “difficult, if not impossible to achieve.”Report author Rich Donovan, who was appointed by the province to conduct a legislative review of the act, says it has been 17 years since the law came into effect but Ontarians with disabilities still consistently face barriers in everyday experiences.In the report, which was based on consultations with the disability community, Donovan asks Ontario Premier Doug Ford “do you care?”The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The report is an interim one that Donovan says he released to emphasize the urgent need for the province to make ...

Meeting Muti at age 10, Rustioni knew he wanted to conduct

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Daniele Rustioni was a 10-year-old in the La Scala children’s chorus when he saw Riccardo Muti for the first time.“I want to be him,” Rustioni recalled thinking. “I was very — how can say? — loud as a kid. He said: `You should be a conductor because you are very extroverted.‘”With his 40th birthday approaching on April 18, Rustioni is music director of the Lyon Opera in France and the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland. He serves as principal guest conductor of Munich’s Bavarian State Opera and will be on the podium for the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Verdi’s “Falstaff” starting Sunday.“Rustioni belongs to the old style of conductors that take music and operas very, very seriously,” the 81-year-old Muti said from his home in Ravenna, Italy. “He’s a very good conductor and a serious musician — I underline the word serious because I see that today many conductors don’t concentrate, especially in operas, and they are not prepared. They don’t know anything about th...

Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown denies Arizona altercation allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown is speaking out about an alleged altercation in Arizona that triggered a complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council. Brown is denying details in a newspaper story published Thursday that reported allegations he “harassed” a group of friends during a Jan. 28 encounter at a Scottsdale resort.The Vancouver Sun cites a police report in which the complainant, Jon Crump, accuses Brown of being intoxicated and “creeping out the group” before punching the justice twice in the face.The newspaper also reported that Crump accused the judge of shoving him before he punched Brown and that the police report indicated “no crime was determined.”In a statement, Brown denies Crump’s account and says he was invited to join the group before what he calls an unprovoked attack.He says Crump, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment, falsely accused him of instigating the encounter in an effort to avo...

Wife of Chicago firefighter dies days after Montclare house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- The mother of the 7-year-old boy who died after a house fire on the Northwest side earlier this week has passed away.According to the the Cook County Medical Examiner, 36-year-old Summer Day-Stewart died Friday following her injuries sustained in Tuesday evening's fire.The fire broke out at the Stewart home on the 2500 block of North Rutherford Avenue in the Montclare neighborhood Tuesday night.According to a statement on a fundraising page for the family, the father, Chicago firefighter was on duty when he overheard his home address on the fire radio. When he arrived, he found his wife and children in serious condition as the fire continued to burn his house.Police said the 36-year-old mother, a 2-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl and boy were transported to the hospital in critical condition due to smoke inhalation. 7-year-old Ezra Stewart succumbed to his injures Wednesday evening.Officials reported that the fire started in the kitchen and was accidental.If you would like...

66 names on Cook County State's attorney's do-not-call list — mostly former cops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO — The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office keeps a list of police officers who will never be called to testify as witnesses for the prosecution.The do-not-call list — also known as the “Brady List” or “Giglio List” — is not a publicly available document, but the state’s attorney’s office recently produced a copy as part of a lawsuit that accused the office of violating the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.The majority of the 66 officers on the list have faced criminal charges or accusations of other serious misconduct. With that kind of baggage, prosecutors have determined that those officers’ testimony would hinder a case more than help.A WGN Investigates review found that the vast majority of those on the list are, in fact, no longer cops. Of the 66 names on the list, only 18 remain certified by the state to be law enforcement officers. Of those, 13 work for the Chicago Police Department. Three of those officers are detectives, according to the CPD.Though most of those...

Snow to clear out for remainder of the day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO — A Winter Weather Advisory for the Chicago area has expired.Slush and snow made for a messy morning commute in some areas.Accumulating wet snow is expected with 2-7 inches possible. Highest totals near Illinois/Wisconsin line. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here In Chicago, the Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed more than 200 salt spreaders to treat the roads. According to the department, they will focus on addressing snow and ice along the city's arterial routes and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.You can track Chicago's snow plows in real-time online. Friday Forecast: 50% chance of snow mainly early, cloudy with breezy conditions. High: 35.Full forecast details at the WGN Weather Center

Atmospheric rivers flood California with more rain, snow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders Friday as a new atmospheric river brought heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding several major highways during the morning commute.In Santa Cruz County, a creek bloated by rain destroyed a portion of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000 people, isolating several neighborhoods. Crews were working to remove trees and other debris and find a way for people to cross the creek, county officials said. County authorities asked the town's residents to stay indoors. Heather Wingfield, a teacher who runs a small urban farm with her husband in Soquel, said she and her neighbors were, for the time being, trapped in their homes as Bates Creek rushed through what was once Main Street.“It’s horrible,” she said. “Hopefully no one has a medical emergency.”Wingfield said her neighbors’ water infrastructure was also washed out, but that her family’s well would kee...

'I'm excited': Illinois' Brad Underwood keeping faith in team ahead of NCAA Tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO - For a second-straight year, it's an early exit for his program at the Big Ten Tournament.For a third time in the 2022-2023 season, they've lost to Penn State, each time in frustrating fashion. Once again, inconsistency is keeping Illinois from finding a way to build sustained momentum over the last five months. Great NCAA Tournament resume-building victories were follow by forgettable defeats from November through March. Unfortunately, one of the latter happened in the Illini's first game of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at the United Center. Facing Penn State for a third time after getting swept in the regular season, Illinois surrendered a 17-4 run late in the second half and couldn't recover.The Nittany Lions' 79-76 win knocks Brad Underwood's team out of the Big Ten Tournament after just one game for the second-straight season. The third loss to Penn State drops Illinois' overall record to 20-12, which thanks to their resume will be good enough to get in the tourn...

Crews put finishing touches on trail fence, lighting near Rainey Street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) is wrapping up the installation of four sets of solar-power lights and a fence on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail near Rainey Street. The project should wrap up by Friday afternoon, ahead of the official start of spring break and SXSW.Last week, friends and family members of people who went missing near the trail spoke at the City Council Public Safety Committee meeting. These loved ones called for additional safety measures like lighting and surveillance cameras on the trail.Some of them plan to walk to the trail Friday night to check out the lights for themselves.The fence and solar lighting are part of the project's "temporary infrastructure installation."The project also has permanent infrastructure plans that include new signage, a kiosk, and additional lighting. A lighting breakdown part of The Trail Conservancy and PARD's Rainey Street Trailhead project."The plan will prioritize amenity reliability by con...