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California hotline to provide legal help related to abortion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has joined with law firms and advocacy groups to create a hotline that provides access to information and pro bono services for people who need legal help related to abortion, as the state seeks to become a safe haven for reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned.State Attorney General Rob Bonta and officials with the Southern California Legal Alliance for Reproductive Justice made the announcement Tuesday, one year since the U.S. Supreme Court draft decision reversing Roe was leaked. Calling it a “dark anniversary,” Bonta said that in the ensuing year the national legal landscape surrounding abortion has become “confusing, and frankly, scary.” He said the new coalition seeks to put patients and care providers at ease by providing a wide range of legal services to people in places where abortion is restricted — including pro bono representation for anyone facing civil or criminal penalties for seeking, providing or assisting in re...

Man arrested outside Buckingham Palace with suspected weapon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

LONDON (AP) — London police said a controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution outside Buckingham Palace late Tuesday after a man was arrested there on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested the man after he approached the palace gates and threw items suspected to be shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds. A bag that police deemed suspicious was found in the suspect’s possession, the police force said.Police said the incident was not being treated as terrorism-related. “Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody,” Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said in a statement. “There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.”King Charles III and Camilla, the queen consort, were not at Buckingham Palace at the time of the arrest. Palace officials declined to comment, saying the incident was a police matter. Cord...

Florida man charged with throwing explosive at Capitol riot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida man accused of setting off an explosive and injuring several police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was arrested Tuesday, officials said.Daniel Ball, 38, of Homosassa, Florida, was arrested in Inverness, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Orlando, according to court documents. He is charged with multiple felonies, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.According to court documents, Ball joined with others in objecting to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, a Republican, authorities have said. Five people died in the violence.According to the criminal complaint, Ball entered the Capitol through the Senate wing door and pried a piece of a wooden shutter from a window in the Senate connecting corridor before exiting t...

Aritzia earns $37.3 million in Q4 as sales continue to climb in U.S. and Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

VANCOUVER — Aritzia Inc. says its net income for the fourth quarter was $37.3 million, up 9.1 per cent from $34.2 million a year earlier.The Vancouver-based clothing retailer saw its net revenue climb 43.5 per cent in the quarter ended Feb. 26 to $637.6 million.Retail net revenue rose by 38.4 per cent to $363.1 million, while e-commerce net revenue rose by 50.8 per cent to $274.5 million. Earnings per diluted share were 32 cents, up from 29 cents the same quarter a year earlier. Net income for the full fiscal year was $187.6 million, up 19.5 per cent from the prior year, while net revenue rose by 46.9 per cent to $2.2 billion. Aritzia CEO Jennifer Wong said in a press release Tuesday that the company has seen exceptional growth in the U.S., which now represents more than half of its total net revenue.“In Fiscal 2024, our focus will be on scaling our infrastructure to match our recent tremendous growth and make strategic investments to fuel our future growth and achieve our lon...

Utah judge delays implementing statewide abortion clinic ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah judge ruled on Tuesday that a recently passed state law banning abortion clinics cannot take effect next week as scheduled while the court deliberates over a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood.Judge Andrew Stone’s decision to grant Planned Parenthood’s request will allow the four clinics that provide abortions in Utah to remain licensed to operate fully. The law would have stopped abortion clinics from getting licenses on May 3 and fazed out existing ones by next year.Planned Parenthood argued the law would have effectively ended access to abortion throughout Utah, where clinics provide 95% of abortions. Abortion remains legal up to 18 weeks in the state as the court weighs another challenge that, if implemented, would ban abortions regardless of trimester, with several exceptions including instances of risk to maternal health as well as rape or incest reported to the police.Sam Metz, The Associated Press

'ComEd Four' found guilty in bribery trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- Every member of the "ComEd Four" were found guilty Tuesday evening.The “ComEd Four” on trial are former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty were found guilty on all counts Tuesday.The "ComEd Four" did plead not guilty to multiple charges, including bribery conspiracy.The federal prosecutors alleged the “ComEd Four” engaged in a criminal conspiracy to funnel $1.3 million to “ghost” subcontractors who did little to no work from 2011 to 2019. Pritzker, state health officials call attention to Medicaid change Potential jail time and fines for the “ComEd Four,” includes a guilty conspiracy verdict on Count 1 could lead to a maximum $250,000 fine or 5 years imprisonment or both, according to the US Attorney’s office.Also, a bribery conviction that could lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison with a $250,000...

Report: Former CPD chief expected to be named interim superintendent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago may have found the new interim police superintendent, according to a Chicago Tribune report.Fred Waller, the former Chief of Patrol for the Chicago Police Department, could be coming out of retirement after almost three and a half decades to serve as CPD interim police superintendent.The decision has yet to be finalized, but Waller does fit Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson's stated preference of putting a CPD veteran in the position. Police: Chicago carjacking suspect could be elementary student Waller was passed over for the CPD superintendent job that went to Eddie Johnson, which he said hurt him.Waller stepped away from the Chicago Police Department several years ago to take a job in private security. He grew up in the Englewood and Pullman neighborhoods, graduated of Luther South High School before attending both Augustana College and Chicago State University.Waller was intricately involved in responding to the unrest that followed the shooting death of Laquan Mc...

Indiana teacher charged with stalking allegedly sent 600 messages to student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

GREENSBURG, Ind. (WXIN) — An Indiana high school teacher has been charged with stalking after sending a 15-year-old student more than 600 text messages which included lewd and smutty jokes and memes. The teacher reportedly even showed up to one of the student's baseball games after he quit responding to her messages, according to court documents. Police: Video shows student being told to eat his own vomit with a spoon as staffers watched Paige Simon, 28, of Osgood, was arrested on Friday. She is charged with stalking and official misconduct, both Level 6 felonies, along with a misdemeanor charge of battery. Booking photo of Paige Simon (Decatur County Jail)According to the Decatur County Sheriff's Department, the investigation into Simon began in early April after reports of possible inappropriate behavior between the teacher and the student. In addition to sending hundreds of text messages to the student between February and April, Simon allegedly had sexual-related conversation...

Apple releases first-ever 'Rapid Security Response' iOS update: What to know

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - If you use an iPhone or other iOS device, you may want to download Apple's latest software update immediately.On Monday, the tech giant launched Rapid Security Responses, which are meant to "deliver important security improvements between software updates.""They deliver important security improvements between software updates — for example, improvements to the Safari web browser, the WebKit framework stack, or other critical system libraries," Apple explains. "They may also be used to mitigate some security issues more quickly, such as issues that might have been exploited or reported to exist 'in the wild.'" This feature may be making your iPhone charge slower: How to turn it off Apple initially announced the Rapid Security Responses last year, according to The Verge. Not only are the updates meant to target important security fixes, they're meant to be faster to install than standard iOS updates. They are, however, still found where traditional iOS updates are - unde...

Child given new teddy bear with late mom's heartbeat after accidental donation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:30 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Thanks to a group effort between Build-A-Bear, a radio station and Goodwill, a 4-year-old girl has received a new teddy bear with her mother's heartbeat after her bear was lost last month.In mid-April, the girl's father told WATE that the bear belonging to his daughter was accidentally donated to a Goodwill Store in Tazewell, Tennessee. The girl's mother passed away, and her grandmother made her a bear with her mom's heartbeat in it, he explained. Toddler with rare condition is called ‘Little Ninja Turtle’ Local radio station WRIL said that the father went to the Goodwill to see if the bear was still there, but it was not, so a sign was placed at the store. The radio station shared a photo of that sign and the bear on social media, which garnered national attention. During the search for the bear, Build-A-Bear contacted WRIL for a description of the custom stuffed animal, and Public Relations Director Jamie Ludwig shared that they were heartbroken to hear...