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Sudan army says it will help foreigners leave amid fighting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army said Saturday it was coordinating efforts to evacuate foreign citizens and diplomats from Sudan on military aircraft, as the bloody fighting that has engulfed the vast African nation entered its second week. Army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan said he would facilitate the evacuation of American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan after speaking with the leaders of several countries that had requested help. The prospect has vexed officials as most major airports have become battlegrounds and movement out of the capital, Khartoum, has proven intensely dangerous. Burhan “agreed to provide the necessary assistance to secure such evacuations for various countries,” Sudan’s military said.Questions have swirled over how the mass rescues of foreign citizens would unfold, with Sudan’s main international airport closed and millions of people sheltering indoors. As battles between the Sudanese army led by Burhan an...

Two still in critical condition after plane crashes into house southwest of Montreal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police say two people are in critical condition after a small plane crashed into a home southwest of Montreal on Friday night.The small plane crashed into a private residence in St-Remi around 7:30 p.m. Authorities say two men in their 30s were taken to hospital where they remain in critical condition today.No one on the ground was injured.Police say the plane hit a home, hydroelectric lines and a parked vehicle before hitting a second home in a residential neighbourhood in the town about 45 kilometres south west of Montreal.Major crimes detectives from the police force will collaborate with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to determine the cause of the crash.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2023.The Canadian Press

Longtime Trump ally Laxalt joins PAC supporting DeSantis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a longtime Donald Trump ally, will help lead a political action committee encouraging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.Laxalt, who roomed with DeSantis at the Naval Justice School, will serve as the chairman of the Never Back Down super PAC, the organization confirmed Saturday.Laxalt chaired Trump’s campaign in Nevada in 2020 and has repeated Trump’s false claims of fraud about that race, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Laxalt was a public face of many of Trump campaign’s lawsuits in the swing state that challenged election rules and results. Trump endorsed Laxalt in the 2022 Senate race won by Catherine Cortez Masto, who was considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the midterm elections.But Laxalt has remained a close friend of DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a White House campaign soon. Both were Navy judge advocate generals and served in ...

Faith lifted Pittsburgh Jews in long wait for massacre trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Three Jewish congregations, resolute in their defiance of the hatred that tried to destroy them, are still waiting for justice.But united in their horror and grief, they haven’t been standing still as the criminal case for the massacre that changed everything has crawled through the federal court system. Four and a half years ago, a gunman invaded the Tree of Life synagogue on a Sabbath morning and killed 11 worshippers from the three congregations that shared the building — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. The shooting, in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood at the heart of Jewish Pittsburgh, was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.On Monday, jury selection is scheduled to begin in the long-delayed trial of the suspect, accused of dozens of charges including hate crimes resulting in death.The three congregations are wary of what’s to come. Some members may be called to testify, and they’re bracing for graphic evidence and testimony that ...

2024 Republican hopefuls set to meet with Iowa evangelicals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican White House hopefuls are courting influential religious conservatives at an event in Iowa that marks the unofficial start of the state’s 2024 caucus campaign.The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual spring fundraiser on Saturday evening is attracting, among others, former President Donald Trump, who’s already a candidate, as well as former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who are expected to enter the race. Trump is to appear via video. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered a top rival to Trump, is not attending.The event hosted by a Christian group gives the presidential prospects the chance to make their pitch to evangelicals in a state where Republicans will kick off the nominating process next year. It’s also a shot at making an impression on activists who may be open to an alternative to Trump at a time when he is mired in legal problems and was recently charged in New York in a hush m...

Are Illinois employers struggling to hire workers more than in other states?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

ILLINOIS (WTVO) – Across the U.S., hiring is still a major challenge for employers, even as the national unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in March.However, a new study suggests depending on where you live, some employers may be having a harder time finding people to work than employers in other states.A recent ranking from WalletHub, a personal finance website, sought to rank “states where employers are struggling the most in hiring.” Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on two metrics involving job openings.Those metrics concerned the rate of job openings for the latest month and for the last 12 months.WalletHub ranked Illinois 26th, meaning the state is right in the middle of the pack, not fairing better nor worse than any other state in the nation.Below is the list of the top 10 states where employers are struggling to hire the most, according to WalletHub:AlaskaGeorgiaWest VirginiaLouisianaV...

The scandalous story of how the 'World's Littlest Skyscraper' ended up in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — They say everything is bigger in Texas, but when it comes to skyscrapers in a town just south of the Red River, that couldn't be further from the truth.(Photo courtesy Joshua Hoggard/KFDX/KJTL)The Newby-McMahon Building, better known as "The World's Littlest Skyscraper," sits at the corner of 7th Street and La Salle in Downtown Wichita Falls, Texas. The red brick structure stands a meager 40 feet tall, and its four habitable floors are barely larger than a typical bedroom, measuring 9 feet wide by 12 feet long. It may seem underwhelming today, over 100 years after it was constructed in 1919. But to the residents of a once-booming North Texas city a century ago — residents who were expecting an actual skyscraper — it was downright embarrassing. That's because, according to local legend, The World's Littlest Skyscraper is the result of one of the greatest architectural scandals of all time. The story begins in 1918. Wichita Falls was experiencing a rapid ex...

How to improve your lifestyle this Earth Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

Lifestyle specialist Maisha Wynn joins WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about how she made some lifestyle changes to happier and healthier self.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.

Austin man arrested on murder charge for north Austin shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – U.S. Marshalls arrested an Austin man in connection with a north Austin shooting Tuesday that left another man dead. The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Stacey Easley, 52, for allegedly shooting and killing Johnny Edmondson, 29, at a north Austin apartment complex located in the 8300 block of north Interstate 35 Service Road. Easley has been charged with murder.  PREVIOUS: APD investigating deadly shooting at north Austin apartment complex Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to a 911 call about a shooting Tuesday night just after 10:00 p.m. Officers found Edmondson lying on the ground, and ATCEMS attempted lifesaving measures. Edmondson died on the scene. After his arrest, Easley was booked into the Travis County Jail to await judicial proceedings.     MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? This case is being investigated as Austin’s 24th homicide in 2023.

Traffic alert: I-35 main lanes to close for Williams Drive bridge demolition in Georgetown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:24:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Late-night drivers should plan for Interstate 35 main lane closures in Georgetown overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. The Texas Department of Transportation said the overnight closure is for the demolition and partial removal of the original Williams Drive bridge over I-35. PREVIOUS: Demolition starts on Georgetown bridge, I-35 to close This is part of a $61.7 million project to build a new bridge over I-35 with a diverging diamond intersection, according to TxDOT. Construction began in 2020 and is scheduled to finish in late 2023. Here are the closures that will start at 10 p.m. Saturday:Northbound and southbound I-35 lanes will close between SH 29 and Lakeway Drive. NB I-35 traffic will exit at Williams Drive (exit 262) and re-enter after Northwest Boulevard. Southbound I-35 traffic will exit at Williams Drive (exit 262) and re-enter at SH 29. Eastbound Williams Drive traffic will detour to SB I-35 frontage road and use the U-turn at SH 29 to access Williams...