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Suspect in stabbing death of eastern Nebraska priest had no connection to priest, prosecutor says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

FORT CALHOUN, Neb. (AP) — The suspect in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest in eastern Nebraska had no connection to the priest or the small town where the stabbing occurred last week, prosecutors said during a court hearing Thursday.Kierre Williams, 43, was ordered held without bond while he awaits trial on first-degree murder, burglary and two felony weapons counts in the Sunday killing of the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell in the rectory next door to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun. The 65-year-old priest called 911 before dawn Sunday to report that a man had broken into the rectory and was in his kitchen holding a knife. When a deputy arrived at the home minutes later, he said he found Gutgsell lying near the kitchen, bleeding profusely from stab wounds. Gutgsell was rushed to a hospital in nearby Omaha, where he died of his wounds.The murder charge alone carries a possible death penalty, the judge noted.Williams, who attended the hearing via video conference we...

IDOT: Ramp on inbound Stevenson to Cermak Road/Chinatown to reopen Tuesday morning

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that the elevated ramp from the inbound Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55) to Cermak Road/Chinatown is scheduled to reopen, weather permitting, by 5 a.m. Tuesday.The ramp has been closed since mid-September for repairs.IDOT says the $1.5 million project repaired the bridge deck, replaced joints and installed a new bridge deck overlay.Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,000 miles of highway andnearly 10 million square-feet of bridge deck as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program, whichis investing $33.2 billion into all modes of transportation. According to IDOT, accomplishments through year four of Rebuild Illinois have included approximately $12.1 billion of improvements statewide on 5,339 miles of highway, 533 bridges and 762 additional safety improvements.At the start of this week, after nine months of construction work, IDOT fully reopened the inbound Kennedy and Edens exp...

Ed Burke trial: Prosecution continues closing arguments

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

CHICAGO — Jurors in the Ed Burke trial are hearing the prosecution's closing arguments on Thursday.In a show of support, Chris Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, exchanged a handshake and pleasantries with Burke.Judge Kendall asked for verbal acknowledgement from Burke that he would not take the witness stand. For the first time in weeks, he spoke in open court."Yes your honor, I have talked to my attorneys and I've declined to testify," Burke said.A jury of nine women and three men are tasked with making a judgement after listening to testimony of more than 35 witnesses, reviewed hundreds of documents and dozens of secret recordings.Burke, the longest serving member of City Council, is charged with 14 counts of racketeering, bribery and extortion.Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur reviewed four alleged schemes in which Burke is accused of using his public office to enrich his private business and to gain personal favors."Edward Burke used his public authority, his power, t...

CPS Board of Education holds meeting on school choice policy

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

CHICAGO — A greater focus on Chicago's neighborhood public schools, and less on school choice, is being considered at a board of education meeting Thursday.The Chicago Public Schools board meeting is expected to vote on a resolution that has several policy goals. The main one is to transition away from admission and enrollment policies that the board says further stratifies and causes inequity in the school system, driving enrollment away from neighborhood schools.Becky Vevea, Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Chicag"Think about resourcing schools where kids haven't gotten the resources because as students left their neighborhood schools so did the money that followed them so a lot of those schools ended up being less resourced," said Becky Vevea, Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Chicago.That issue is top of mind as the CPS board meets, a resolution on the agenda would change the school choice system that's been in place for years.The proposed change is part of campaign promises made by Mayor Brandon ...

Experimental vaccine combination reducing melanoma deaths by half — and more

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

For Thursday, Dec. 14, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Experimental vaccine combination reducing melanoma deaths by half An experimental treatment is delivering some good results against the deadliest form of skin cancer. Moderna and Merck are testing the combination of a cancer vaccine with Merk's Keytruda therapy. That combination has been shown to reduce the risk of death in melanoma patients by half after three years of treatment. It also reduced the risk of other kinds of cancer by over 60%. Moderna and Merck are now testing the combination on different types of tumors. Increases in reported overdoses of weight loss/diabetes drugPoison control centers across the US say they're seeing a sharp increase in accidental overdoses of injected medication used for diabetes and weight loss. From January through November, the centers reported nearly 3,000 calls involving semaglutide, more than 15 ti...

$4.5M greenlit for Austin Playhouse's proposed new arts center

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Council approved an allocation of $4.5 million to go toward Austin Playhouse to support the organization's new arts center.The $4.5 million will go toward the new center's projected $7.5 million costs, per a city release. The project will cover two new theaters, rehearsal and classroom spaces, as well as a lobby in the multi-purpose facility that will be open to the public. “We’re intent on raising the profile of Austin’s arts community with our decades-long history of supporting emerging arts organizations through subsidized rent, mentorships, and collaborations,” Austin Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Lara Toner Haddock said in the release. “Having flexible and affordable spaces throughout the city is essential to the sustainability of Austin's cultural ecosystem. We will still need to raise the remaining funds necessary to complete the project, but this tremendous support from the city makes it a gap and not an insurmountable chasm.”For more than...

Wild will play host to Calgary without their two top defensemen

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

Days after placing blue line anchor Jonas Brodin on long-term injured reserve, the Wild learned Thursday that the team’s other top defenseman, Jared Spurgeon, will be unavailable for a 7 p.m. puck drop against Calgary.Head coach John Hynes said Spurgeon, who missed the first 14 games of the season because of an upper-body injury suffered in an Oct. 5 preseason game, is day to day with a lower-body injury.Hynes said the injury “wasn’t directly related” to Spurgeon’s last game, a 3-0 victory at Seattle on Sunday. The team recalled defensemen Dakota Mermis and Daemon Hunt from Iowa on Wednesday, and Mermis will be in the lineup against the Flames at Xcel Energy Center.“Obviously, you’re missing two big-time forwards from your club, but we talk about depth, and obviously I’m a part of that,” Mermis said. “So, it’s our job to step up and play a big role, and that’s what I plan to do.”Brodin was averaging a team-high 23 minutes, 59 seconds a game when he was injured on a reckless hi...

Thacher Park designated National Natural Landmark

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

VOORHEESVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The National Park Service (NPS) recognized John Boyd Thacher State Park as a National Natural Landmark (NNL) on Wednesday. Thacher earned the distinction from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland due to the extraordinary value of the Helderberg Escarpment. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Thacher Park earned the distinction because it has "the most complete and minimally disturbed record of Middle Paleozoic rock layering in the Appalachian Plateaus region, and perhaps across North America," NPS said in the announcement. "The uniquely accessible fossil-rich deposits provide a visible geologic cross section spanning 63 million years that is foundational in the early study and understanding of North American geology and of widespread ancient mountain creation."The park's natural features highlight America’s character, rarity, and value to science and education, NPS said. And according to a statement from the park, t...

Amsterdam Free Library offering free technology tutorials

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Amsterdam Free Library announced they will now be offering their patrons free self-paced technology courses on their public computers. The tutorials will be provided in both English and Spanish. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The self-guided courses will range from beginner computer literacy such as navigating websites and accessing email, to more intricate life skills like creating a resume and buying a plane ticket online. The library will have certifications of completion available to guests. The Amsterdam Free Library is located at 28 Church Street. Patrons can also set up a one-on-one technology assistance appointment by calling the library at (518)842-1080.

St. Charles County joins court battle to defend Missouri county taxes on marijuana sales

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:15:59 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - Officials in St. Charles County will head to court with hopes of defending the right for Missouri counties to collect a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana purchases.St. Charles County announced the efforts Thursday in tandem with St. Louis County, which is facing a lawsuit from Florissant-based company Robust Missouri Dispensary.The lawsuit accuses St. Louis County of unconstitutionally collecting a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana purchases, while municipalities within the county also extend their rights to collect a 3% sales tax on such purchases. 15-year-old charged as adult in fatal carjacking from January By challenging the lawsuit, St. Charles and St. Louis counties are both claiming that based on the way that Missouri's laws are written, they allow a county to impose a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana purchases, even if cities within the county have already done so.“We’re intervening in this St. Louis County suit because we think t...