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US House chair probes ballot shortages that hampered voting in Mississippi’s largest county

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The chair of a congressional committee with oversight of U.S. federal elections says ballot shortages in Mississippi’s largest county could undermine voting and election confidence in 2024 if local officials don’t make changes.Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican from Wisconsin who chairs the Committee on House Administration, sent a letter, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, to the five-member Hinds County Election Commission, all Democrats. He demanded information on what steps local officials will take to prevent polling precincts from running out of ballots in future elections. The ballot shortages, which sowed chaos and confusion on the evening of the November statewide election, could undermine trust in election results, Steil said. “Situations like this reported ballot shortage and the distribution of incorrect ballot styles have the potential to damage voter confidence at a time when we can least afford it,” Steil wrote. In Mississippi’s ...

Inbound Kennedy work nearly done, IDOT says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

CHICAGO — Construction on the inbound Kennedy Expressway is nearing completion, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.A sequenced reopening to remove the work zone is scheduled to begin, weather permitting, Thursday.IDOT says overnight lane and ramp closures will be needed to safely remove the barricades and apply new pavement markings. At least one inbound lane will remain open at all times.Those closures include:Thursday, Dec. 7Starting at 8 p.m., the inbound Kennedy will be reduced to one lane between Kimball and Milwaukee avenues.At the same time, intermittent ramp closures between Belmont/Kedzie Avenue and Division Street will take place. Starting at midnight, the reversible express lanes will be fully closed.By 5 a.m. Friday the inbound Kennedy (lanes/ramps) will be fully reopened from Kimball Avenue heading south. The express lanes will remain open in the inbound direction only.  Friday, Dec. 8Starting at 8 p.m., the inbound Kennedy will be reduce...

Elgin police officer charged with possession of child porn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

DEKALB COUNTY — An Elgin police officer was charged with possession of child pornography Wednesday, according to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General (IAG).Jordan Collins, a 33-year-old Kirkland resident and five-year member of the Elgin Police Department (EPD), was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, a class 2 felony, with each charge carrying up to seven years in prison.“All child predators, particularly those in a position of authority, must be held accountable for the horrific crime of child pornography that can leave life-long scars on victims and their families,” Raoul said. Man shot in apparent road rage incident at gas station on South Side: police Investigators with the IAG and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office searched Collins' Kirkland residence Monday and discovered evidence of child pornography. With the cooperation of EPD, Collins was arrested later that evening.“This officer was placed on administrative leave immediately following th...

WHO pushes for higher taxes on alcohol, sugary drinks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

(The Hill) — The World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for higher taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks, arguing many countries are not using taxes to encourage healthier habits. The WHO on Tuesday released new data showing the global tax rates on products like alcohol and sweetened beverages and claimed such rates are "low." The UN health agency found 108 of its 194 member states are taxing some sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), though such excise taxes — which are applied for certain products — are only about 6.6 percent of the price of soda. At least 148 nations applied excise taxes to alcoholic beverages, but wine is exempt from such taxes in at least 22 countries, according to WHO. "Globally 2.6 million people die from drinking alcohol every year and over 8 million from an unhealthy diet, implementing tax on alcohol and SSBs will reduce these deaths," the organization wrote in a statement. The average excise tax rate imposed on the most sold brand of beer is 17.2 percent of i...

$2M scratch-off lottery ticket sold in Tinley Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

TINLEY PARK, Ill. — One lucky Illinois lottery player nabbed a winning scratch-off ticket valued in the millions.Purchased at the 1st Stop Tobacco, located at 8021 West 183rd Street in Tinley Park, the player won the $2 million top prize on a $64,000,000 Cash Blast ticket.As is customary, the win nets the convenience store a selling bonus (1% of the prize amount) of $20,000.Illinois Lottery officials say more than 60 million winning Illinois Lottery scratch-off tickets have been sold this year, netting over $1.3 billion in prizes.

3 men accused in $100K soda-syrup scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – A major soda heist has fizzled out. Three men in Oklahoma City have been charged in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars worth of Dr. Pepper syrup which they allegedly re-sold to the owner of a local gas station, Oklahoma County District Court records reveal.The suspects are accused of scheming to steal whole pallets of the syrup from a Keurig Dr Pepper facility in Oklahoma City over the course of several months. A representative for the company estimates that over $100,000 worth of the syrup was stolen during that time. Master of deception admits guilt in $109K Walmart heist Jimmy Robinson III was first caught breaking into the Keurig Dr Pepper facility in October by a security guard, according to court documents. Following his arrest, a regional manager for the company identified Robinson as a former employee who had quit in August.The manager added that whole pallets of the syrup — known as Dr. Pepper 5-Gallon Bag in a Box — had...

Retail group retracts claim that half of losses were from theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

A much-publicized claim from the National Retail Federation that “nearly half” of the $94 billion in retail losses in 2021 were due to organized retail crime has now been retracted. The report gained considerable attention because it came at a time when crime rates were soaring in many cities, including Chicago, and retailers were closing brick-and-mortar stores for a host of reasons.  Now the National Retail Federation says the claim was based on faulty data and an unconfirmed statement made during a Senate hearing.“We stand behind the widely understood fact that organized retail crime is a serious problem impacting retailers of all sizes and communities across our nation,” a NRF spokesperson said in an emailed statement to WGN Investigates. “At the same time, we recognize the challenges the retail industry and law enforcement have with gathering and analyzing an accurate and agreed-upon set of data to measure the number of incidents in communities across the country.”Sur...

DOJ charging four Russian soldiers with war crimes, says AG Garland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – In an historic move, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department is charging four Russian soldiers with war crimes.“The charges include conspiracy to commit war crimes, unlawful confinement, torture and inhuman treatment,” Garland said.Garland went on to say that it's the first time the U.S. has used the war crimes statute.According to the indictment, the Russian soldiers kidnapped, beat and tortured an American living in Ukraine during the Russian invasion.He announced, "We allege that as they interrogated him, they tortured him, they beat him again with a gun, they punched him in his chest and stomach, they threatened to shoot him.”Garland said the American victim wasn't participating in the war and was a protected person.“When an American citizen’s human rights are violated, their government will spare no effort and spare no resources to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.Mayork...

Senate approves hundreds of military promotions after Tuberville ends blockade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, (R-AL), held up the confirmations to protest a Pentagon abortion policy, which offers travel expenses and time off for service members and their dependents seeking legal abortions."This fight is not over," Tuberville said on the Senate floor Wednesday. "These young, unborn will never have a chance for a promotion because they want to kill them before they're born."The policy was a response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Tuberville argues lawmakers should have had the ultimate say."I'm 110 percent military, but I'm also for the people of this country having the opportunity to have their representatives vote on legislation that goes through this Congress," he said.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-NY), applauded the Republicans who ultimately stood up to Tuberville."After all the damage he caused, Senator Tuberville has nothing, absolutely nothing to show for his obstruction, except for the harm done to our...

Connor Bedard is living up to the hype, but the Blackhawks remain one of the NHL's worst teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Asked how he processes losing, Connor Bedard recalled one of his seasons with the Regina Pats — his junior hockey team in Canada.He didn't have to look back very far. After all, the rookie center just turned 18 in July.“I remember my 16-year in Reg, we didn’t make playoffs and had a slow patch, kind of similar to what we’ve had right now just at the start of the year," he said. "It was pretty slow, we had a losing streak and stuff. It sucks, you never want to lose games.“We know we’re a better team than what our record shows. We just got to keep coming to the rink every day and being positive and trying to get better, and hopefully that shows in the win column.” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf meets with Nashville mayor during Winter Meetings While Bedard has lived up to the considerable hype he brought with him to Chicago, he can only do so much. The Blackhawks still look like a team at the beginning of a rebuilding project, albeit with a budding offensive star ...