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Monster waves pound California, Hawaii

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

VENTURA, Calif. — Bulldozers built giant sand berms Friday to protect beachfront homes in one of California’s coastal cities hit hard this week by extraordinary waves generated by powerful swells from Pacific storms.Dozens of people watched construction of the emergency barriers in the Pierpont area of the city of Ventura, where a rogue wave on Thursday smacked spectators and vehicles as it overran the beach and flowed into a neighborhood.“We have had water down the lane once before but never like this,” said Karris Kutivan, a 9-year resident of the scenic shoreline city about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.“What it has taught me is I want to live by the beach, not on the beach,” Kutivan said.Eight people were taken to hospitals for treatment of injuries after the Pierpont incident, according to Ventura County authorities, who closed beaches, piers and harbors through Dec. 31.Similar waves overran beaches elsewhere Thursday on the California coast, flooding parkin...

Maine secretary of state who opted to keep Trump off primary ballot is facing threat of impeachment

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

By DAVID SHARP (Associated Press)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s top election official could face an impeachment attempt in the state Legislature over her decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the Republican primary ballot.At least one Republican lawmaker has vowed to pursue impeachment against Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows despite long odds in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. Bellows said Friday that she had no comment on the impeachment effort, but said she was duty-bound by state law to make a determination on three challenges brought by registered Maine voters. She reiterated that she suspended her decision pending an anticipated appeal by Trump in Superior Court.“Under Maine law, I have not only the authority but the obligation to act,” she said. “I will follow the Constitution and the rule of law as directed by the courts,” she added.Bellows’ decision Thursday followed a ruling earlier this month by the...

Missing teenager found in man’s bedroom under trap door

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

STANFORD, Ky. (AP) — Police in Kentucky found a missing 16-year-old North Carolina girl under a trap door in the bedroom of a 34-year-old man after the man’s mother called authorities to report a domestic dispute between the two, according to arrest reports.When deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home on Christmas Day, Zachary Jones told them the girl had fled, but his mother disputed that and deputies began searching to check on her safety, the reports said. She was found “inside a bed room in a cut out door in the floor covered by a rug,” the report said. Deputies later determined that she had been reported missing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Dec. 6.The girl told deputies that Jones picked her up after making contact a few weeks earlier and that he originally told her he was 19. When they met and she questioned why he looked older, he told her he was 25, but she found out after getting to his home and meeting his family tha...

Trump’s lawyers say he may testify at January trial over defamation damages in sex abuse case

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump say he may testify at a mid-January civil trial set to decide how much he owes a columnist for defaming her after she said he sexually abused her three decades ago in a Manhattan luxury department store.The lawyers filed papers in Manhattan federal court late Thursday to request that Trump’s October 2022 deposition transcript in the case not be shown to the jury because Trump “has been named as a witness to testify at this trial.”The lawyers — Alina Habba and Michael Madaio — did not respond to an email Friday seeking comment.The columnist, 80-year-old E. Jean Carroll, is planning to testify at the trial, slated to start Jan. 16, about how her life has been affected and threats she has faced since Trump claimed that he never knew her and that she was making false accusations against him.The former Elle magazine columnist is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and substantially more in punitive damages after a jury at ...

Quebec provincial police suspend search for girl who fell into river on Dec. 22

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

DOLBEAU-MISTASSINI, Que. — Quebec provincial police say they’ve suspended the search for a four-year-old girl who fell into a river one week ago.The child has been missing since Dec. 22, when she fell into the Mistassibi River in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Que.–about 240 kilometres north of Quebec City — while sledding with her mother near the riverbank.Police officers shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission on Boxing Day, but there’s been no sign of the girl.In a statement, police say that specialized units deployed in the past week include officers walking the shorelines, divers in the water and drones and helicopters from above.Police divers will be deployed when the ice cover permits and authorities could mobilize various units if new information emerges.Authorities say an investigation into the event is ongoing.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 29, 2023.The Canadian Press

Air in Times Square filled with colored paper as organizers test New Year’s Eve confetti

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Visitors to Times Square got a small preview of New York City’s famed New Year’s Eve party on Friday, as the event’s organizers heaved handfuls of colored paper skyward in a promotional event to test their confetti.With crowds of celebrants expected to pack into Times Square for the festivities, even the smallest details can’t be overlooked, said Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment. That includes the 2-by-2 inch (5-by-5-centimeter) slips of paper that will flutter to the ground at the stroke of midnight Sunday.“This is a whole process,” Straus said. “We got to feel the confetti. We got to fluff it up. We got to make sure it’s going to float.”While the test may have been more promotional than practical, the actual New Year’s confetti release — which has been part of the event since 1992 — remains a labor-intensive operation. An estimated 3,000 pounds (1,361 kilograms) of confetti are trucked into midtown Manhattan each year, then carried to r...

Former WGN News reporter John Hogan dies

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

Former WGN News reporter and Chicago native John Hogan has died.Hogan started at WGN Radio and Television as a college graduate in 1962.He reported on some of Chicago’s biggest stories including the 1968 Democratic Convention and the trial of mass murderer Richard Speck.After 16 years, he left journalism to work for a public utility company.He also published half a dozen books.He died earlier this month from complications following a heart surgery.He was 82.

Police seek information after 1 injured in Irving Park hit-and-run

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are looking for information as officers investigate a hit-and-run crash in Irving Park that left a person seriously injured last week. Chicago police say they are searching for the driver involved in the crash that unfolded on Wednesday, Dec. 20, along Irving Park Road beneath US Interstate 90/94.  FBI searching for man who robbed bank in Buffalo Grove Police say the victim exited the CTA Irving Park Blue Line train station just before 1:10 a.m. and attempted to cross Irving Park Road when they were hit by an unknown vehicle.According to police, the pedestrian was seriously injured in the crash and the driver involved fled the scene.Police say the driver was believed to be traveling eastbound on Irving Park Road toward Pulaski Road, from the underpass of the interstate.Police did not provide a description of the vehicle involved and authorities have not identified or provided updated details on the condition of the victim. Oswego man charged in connection with S...

String of burglaries in Hyde Park prompts warning from Chicago police

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A string of burglaries on the city's South Side has prompted a warning from Chicago police. According to officers, four burglaries unfolded in Hyde Park over the course of about two weeks between Dec. 11, and Dec. 23. FBI searching for man who robbed bank in Buffalo Grove Police say during each burglary, the thief entered the property through a door or window before stealing items from inside.Officers say the burglaries happened at several different times of the day and police did not provide details on what types of items were stolen. Chicago police offered the following timeline of the burglaries that took place in Hyde Park between Dec. 11, and Dec. 23: 5400 block of South Ellis Avenue on Dec. 11, between 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.5400 block of South Greenwood Avenue on Dec. 16, at 9 p.m.1100 block of East 54th Place on Dec. 16, at 12 a.m.1100 block of East 54th Place on Dec. 23, at 8 a.m.5400 block of South Ellis Avenue on Dec. 23, between 12 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Chicag...

FBI searching for man who robbed bank in Buffalo Grove

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:50:24 GMT

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — FBI agents say an investigation is underway after a bank robbery in Buffalo Grove on Thursday afternoon. According to the FBI, the robbery took place at a BMO Harris Banks in the 500 block of West Half Day Road just before 3:30 p.m.  Oswego man charged in connection with South Side shooting Agents say the man entered the bank and displayed a note demanding money and implying that he had a handgun. During the robbery, the man was spotted wearing a long-sleeved black jacket, a baseball cap, dark pants, and white sneakers. Photos provided by the FBI show the suspected Buffalo Grove bank robberAgents say they believe the man responsible is between 30 and 40 years of age, stands around 6 feet tall, and weighs around 180 pounds. He also has acne scars on his face and had facial hair at the time of the robbery.No injuries were reported from the incident and the suspect remains at large. Body found in suburbs concludes search for missing St. Louis mother;...