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US ambassador marches in Warsaw Pride parade, sending message to NATO ally

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The United States ambassador held a U.S. flag high as he marched in the yearly Pride parade in Warsaw on Saturday, a clear message of Washington’s opposition to discrimination in a country where LGBTQ+ people are facing an uphill struggle.“America embraces equality,” Ambassador Mark Brzezinski said, as he marched with more than 30 other members of the U.S. Embassy and alongsides representatives from Canada, Austria and other Western countries in the Equality Parade.In recent years Western governments have been alarmed by a conservative government in Warsaw that depicts gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as threats to the nation and its children. The participation of the U.S. ambassador sent a clear message to the government of Poland, a NATO member on the alliance’s eastern flank where the United States has increased its military presence since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Poland has for decades considered W...

Government shutdown warnings rise as Republicans seek deeper cuts in budget battle

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid to appease Republican hard-liners and get the House moving again after a recent party rebellion on the floor has some Democrats warning of a difficult road ahead when it comes to passing legislation that will keep the government running. Republicans teed up votes this past week on guns and on censuring one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent critics, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Those votes helped get the House moving again, though the latter effort failed, with Schiff helped by some 20 Republicans. The most consequential move of the week, however, was an announcement from GOP leadership that arrived with little fanfare. Republicans said they plan to pursue appropriations bills, which fund government programs and agencies, with less spending than the top-line numbers they agreed to in a deal with the White House last month. That compromise avoided what would have been an unprecedented federal default.McCarthy arg...

Eviction filings are 50% higher than they were pre-pandemic in some cities as rents rise

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Entering court using a walker, a doctor’s note clutched in his hand, 70-year-old Dana Williams, who suffers serious heart problems, hypertension and asthma, pleaded to delay eviction from his two-bedroom apartment in Atlanta.Although sympathetic, the judge said state law required him to evict Williams and his 25-year-old daughter De’mai Williams in April because they owed $8,348 in unpaid rent and fees on their $940-a-month apartment. They have been living in limbo ever since. They moved into a dilapidated Atlanta hotel room with water dripping through the bathroom ceiling, broken furniture and no refrigerator or microwave. But at $275-a-week, it was all they could afford on Williams’ $900 monthly social security check and the $800 his daughter gets biweekly from a state agency as her father’s caretaker. “I really don’t want to be here by the time his birthday comes” in August, De’mai Williams said. “For his health, it’s just not right.”T...

Plane crash kills ‘Flying Wild Alaska’ pilot Jim Tweto and Idaho hunting guide

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Bush pilot Jim Tweto, known for his starring role in the Discovery Channel’s “Flying Wild Alaska” series, was killed along with a hunting and fishing guide from Idaho when their small plane crashed shortly after takeoff, Alaska State Troopers said. Tweto’s family-run rural aviation business in Unalakleet was featured in three seasons of the television series a decade ago. He and passenger Shane Reynolds of Orofino, Idaho, died Friday near the coastal village of Shaktoolik, roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) east of Nome, the statement said. The plane “was witnessed taking off but not climbing and then crashing,” their report said. Troopers were notified of an SOS activation around 11:48 a.m. Friday, followed by a report that a Cessna 180 had crashed 35 miles northeast of Shaktoolik.Troopers responding from Nome recovered both bodies. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating.The Anchorage Daily News reported that Tweto was a co-owner ...

What to know as King Charles takes part in his first Trooping the Color birthday parade as monarch

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III rode on horseback Saturday to take part in his first Trooping the Color ceremony as U.K. monarch, inspecting hundreds of soldiers and horses in a spectacular annual military display at central London’s Horse Guards Parade. Charles, 74, the colonel in chief, received the royal salute and watched as the most prestigious regiments in the U.K. army paraded to mark his official birthday. It was the first time in more than 30 years that a U.K. monarch has taken part in the pomp-filled ceremony on horseback. Earlier, Charles’ eldest son, Prince William, and the king’s siblings, Prince Edward and Princess Anne, also rode on horseback in procession from Buckingham Palace. All the royals were dressed in red and gold tunics and tall black bearskin hats, matching the uniforms worn by many of the 1,400 soldiers taking part. Others in the royal family, including Queen Camilla, Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her three young children, rode in horse...

Search for survivors, bodies from sunken migrant boat continues in the Mediterranean off Greece

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities continued their search and rescue operation following the sinking of a trawler overcrowded with migrants in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea, the country’s coast guard said early Saturday afternoon.The coast guard said that one Greek Navy frigate and four other vessels are operating 47 nautical miles (54 miles; 87 kilometers) southwest of the town of Pylos in Greece’s southwest. Earlier, two helicopters from the navy and coast guard had joined the operation, the coast guard said.To date, 104 survivors have been rescued and 78 bodies have been retrieved from among the passengers of the trawler that carried as many as 750 men, women and children from Syria, Egypt, Palestine and Pakistan. No survivors or bodies have been found since Wednesday, the day of the accident. Greek authorities continue to face criticism, however, over their failure to act more quickly. They say the migrants insisted they didn’t need any help, but N...

Multiple shot near Lincoln Park Zoo: Chicago Police

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago Police reported that several people were shot in Lincoln Park early Saturday morning. Police reported of multiple shots fired in the 1900 block of North Stockton Drive around 4:40 a.m., near the Lincoln Park Zoo. Reports said that a group of people were gathered when an argument ensued and an unknown individual opened fire, striking five victims. A 23-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds throughout the body and self-transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition. Another 44-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound throughout the body and self-transported to Northwestern memorial in critical condition. A 31-year-old man also sustained gunshot wounds throughout the body and self-transported to Northwestern Memorial in critical condition. Another man, 27, was also shot and self-transported to Northwestern and is in critical condition. A 17-year-old girl sustained a gunshot wound to her buttocks and was transported to Northwestern Memorial in good cond...

See how Chicago pro sports teams are celebrating Juneteenth in 2023

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

CHICAGO — A few Chicago professional sports teams are celebrating the Juneteenth holiday in 2023, whether on Monday, June 19, or at other times before or after the day.Declared a federal holiday in 2021, it celebrates Union troops arriving in Galveston Bay to proclaim freedom for the slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865.Here are a few of the events being held by teams in the city.Chicago Cubs - Wrigley FieldOnce again, the Cubs are hosting a Juneteenth celebration at Wrigley Field entitled "A Black Entrepreneurs Experience.”It will happen on Sunday, June 18 when the Cubs complete their homestand with a game against the Baltimore Orioles. The event is being put on in conjunction with Christi Harber of With an Eye PR.At Gallagher Way just outside the ballpark, a market featuring a few Black-owned businesses will open two hours before the game and close an hour after the game. Here are the businesses being featured. HospitalityTwisted Eggroll Momentum Coffee Hecky’s BarbecueCheS...

Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce: Tackling wild violets, creeping Charlies and more

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

Check out Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce where WGN's 'Plant Daddy' tackles questions on the 'creeping Charlie' and tacking wild violets.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

NBA veteran Tony Snell reveals autism diagnosis at 31: 'It was like a clarity'

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:32:47 GMT

(KTLA) – A ten-year NBA veteran is coming forward to share his recent autism diagnosis at the age of 31. Tony Snell, who played in the NBA between 2013 and 2022, shared his story with Today show reporter Craig Melvin.Snell revealed to Melvin that autism had affected his family in more than one way.Snell and he wife Ashley noticed that their son, Carter, was missing some important developmental milestones. At 18 months, he wasn't talking, and was showing signs of stimming — a term used to describe "self-stimulatory behaviors" that include repetitive movements and sounds, according to the National Autism Society.Snell and Ashley said Carter is always on the move and often has "six or seven toys in his hands," one of which is always a basketball.Their doctor recommended Carter be tested for autism, which revealed a positive diagnosis. Seeing similarities between himself and his child, Snell opted to get tested as well."I was always independent growing up, always been alone. I just coul...