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Identifying victims of the Maui wildfire will be a challenging task. Here’s what it entails

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The challenge is formidable: identifying the remains of more than 100 victims as agonized loved ones yearn for information about those missing in Maui after the United States’ deadliest wildfire in more than a century. It is a painstaking process, and one that other communities have endured following disasters and mass casualties. The advent of DNA technology and subsequent advances have provided powerful tools. But finding remains, zeroing in on genetic material or other clues and amassing the information needed to get a match still takes time — if certainty comes at all. As Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said this week when asked about the death toll: “You want it fast … We’re going to do it right.” Here’s a look at how the work of identification unfolds.WHAT IS KNOWN SO FAR? As of Thursday afternoon, the toll stood at 111, though the search continues, and Gov. Josh Green has warned scores more could be found. Maui County said nine victims have been i...

'I feel good': More than 80 Chicago CRED graduates receive diplomas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Dozens of Chicago CRED students are taking center stage Thursday as they receive their high school diplomas and embark on bright futures.The graduation took place drive-thru style, there was a DJ and a red carpet. How one anti-gun organization is helping in fight against violence amid pandemic After dropping out of high school, Leneaha Gist, 27, never thought she would return to school.But on Thursday, she proudly received her high school diploma."I feel good," Gist said. "I'm happy. I'm excited."Gists is just one of more than 80 graduates taking center stage on the red carpet for earning their high school diplomas.Chicago CRED, with sites on Chicago's West and South sides, works with young men and women at high risk for gun violence.By looking at her, you wouldn't know. But Gist was shot 11 times last year."I was like depressed, PTSD, going through a lot and the program helped me come out that shell," Gist said. "They helped me get my diploma and I'm going to college."R...

7-year-old accidentally shoots himself inside home in Humboldt Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

CHICAGO — A 7-year-old boy is hospitalized Thursday evening after accidentally shooting himself in the hand inside a home in Humboldt Park, according to police.Chicago Police Department officers were called to the shooting around 5:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of West North Avenue. Teen, 15, critical after shooting in Palatine: police According to police, the boy was inside a bedroom handling a gun when he accidentally shot himself.He was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.Two firearms were recovered at the scene.No arrests have been made.The incident is still under investigation by Area Five detectives.

Federal appeals court rules in favor of abortion pill restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – A federal appeals court handed down a ruling Wednesday that restricts mifepristone, one of the two main drugs used for medication abortion in the United States.The ruling says the Food and Drug Administration should roll back the use of the abortion drug mifepristone, but the new rules won’t take effect until the Supreme Court decides the next step in the case.The Alliance Defending Freedom argued the lawsuit before the court.“The court ruled that the FDA is required to protect their health by having common sense safeguards,” said Julie Blake, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom.Blake applauds the ruling and the restrictions, including “things like requiring a doctor, having office visits before receiving these pills and not letting them be given out through the mail.”The court ruling also says the abortion pill can't be prescribed after seven weeks of pregnancy or via telemedicine.In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the latest c...

Two Florida Jan. 6 rioters sentenced to prison; 3 co-defendants still on the run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Two Tampa Bay area men were sentenced to prison this week for multiple offenses connected to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols handed down an 18-month prison sentence to Joshua Doolin, 25, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).Doolin traveled to the Capitol with a group of family and friends, including Michael Perkins, of Plant City; Olivia and Jonathan Pollock, of Lakeland; and Joseph Hutchinson III, of Georgia. The Pollock siblings are Doolin’s cousins. Brother of Polk County Capitol rioter arrested for acting as fiancé’s lawyer: State Attorney’s Office Court documents state that Doolin considered bringing a semi-automatic rifle to the rally outside the Capitol, but decided against it "at the last minute." Doolin documented the following events on his cellphone, in various text messages and videos obtained by the DOJ.Doolin texted a friend, “We ...

'My hands are everything': 'Cake Boss' star Buddy Valastro gives update on impaled hand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

(WJW) – “It was pretty gruesome.”Buddy Valastro, the “Cake Boss” star, is talking about his recovery after impaling his hand in a bowling accident. He talked with Extra this week. ‘Still illegal:’ Helicopter helps bust local marijuana grows Valastro was at home with his family in September 2020 when his hand was impaled.According to his representatives, this is what happened:(Editor’s Note: Some may find the details disturbing.)“There was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter, a common fix in the past, but it turned into a terrible accident.”“After trying to release the bowling pin from the cage mechanism, his right hand became lodged and compressed inside the unit,” they continued. “Unable to remove his hand, he can see a 1-1/2″ metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger.”Valastro’s sons who were 13 and 16 at the time used a saw to cut through the metal rod to free him.Valastro says his progress has been incredible.NEW...

Thursday was the third-hottest day ever recorded in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the record-breaking heatwave continues, Thursday was the third-hottest day ever recorded in the city of Austin.Camp Mabry, Austin's official weather reporting site, hit a high temperature of 110° at 3:16 p.m. Thursday.That ties as the third-hottest temperature ever recorded in the city. It's also the second-hottest day ever observed in the month of August. Records for Austin date back to the 1890s. Temperatures, rain, severe storms: Tracking Austin’s 2023 weather by the numbers Only Sept. 5, 2000, and Aug. 28, 2011, were hotter than today. Both of those days saw high temperatures of 112°. What is the hottest month on record in Austin? Meanwhile, Thursday was the fourth-hottest day ever at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, with a high temperature of 109° set at 3:17 p.m.As of Thursday, Camp Mabry has hit 100° or above for 41 days in a row, smashing the previous record of 27 days, set in 2011.

3 local restaurants make top 10 on Yelp’s Top 100 places to eat in Texas in 2023 list

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

Editor's Note: In the video above, a Texas State professor explains why Texans have so much state pride.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three local food locations made the top 10 on Yelp’s list of the top 100 places to eat in Texas in 2023.Yelp said Jim’s Smokehouse in Austin ranked in the No. 5 spot with a 5.0-star rating. The restaurant was under the category of Food Trucks, Barbeque. Best BBQ spots in Austin, Central Texas In the No. 8 spot was B's Kitchen, a Vietnamese, Asian fusion restaurant in Austin. B's Kitchen also had a 5.0-star rating.Following closely behind was Cajun Skillet in the No. 9 spot on the list. The Cedar Park restaurant focuses on Cajun/Creole cooking and had a 5.0-star rating. Yelp said it identified businesses in its restaurant category and ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 1, 2023, to determine the Top 100 Places to Eat in Texas in 2023.

TABC: Austin clerk arrested, charged with online solicitation of minor, illegal alcohol sales

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Department of Public Safety arrested an Austin convenience store clerk Aug. 11 for selling and giving alcohol to minors.Pedro Enrique Flores-Vasquez, 48, was a clerk at Hyde Park Market on Duval Street, which is close to the University of Texas at Austin campus.Flores-Vasquez was charged with online solicitation of a minor, sale of alcohol to a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor, according to the TABC.KXAN has reached out to attorneys connected with Flores-Vasquez. This story will be updated if we receive a response.Officials said Flores-Vasquez was booked into the Travis County jail and remained in custody on bonds totaling $34,000.“Online solicitation of a minor is a third-degree felony punishable by a prison sentence of between two to 10 years, along with a fine of up to $10,000. Selling alcohol to a minor and furnishing alcohol to a minor are both class A misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and a ...

Texas’ motorcycle fatality rate ranks highest nationwide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:58 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Texas has the number one highest motorcycle fatality rate nationwide, according to quotewizard.com.QuoteWizard says Texas, Arkansas and Missouri had the highest rates of motorcycle fatalities in 2021, with Texas landing at the very top of the list. Taken from quotewizard.com.QuoteWizard says warmer, southern states with favorable weather have the highest rates of motorcycle fatalities. QuoteWizard also says motorcycle fatalities went up 22 percent over the last decade with 5,636 motorcycle fatalities taking place in 2021. Taken from quotewizard.com.Quotewizard's website also shows that helmet usage declined from 71 percent to 68 percent nationwide from 2020 to 2021 and alcohol was involved in 36 percent of motorcycle fatalities in 2021. Taken from quotewizard.com.For more information on the most dangerous states for motorcycle riding, click here: Dangerous States for Motorcycle Riders - QuoteWizard.