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Residents mourn as damage to Ocean Beach Pier makes reopening uncertain

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The Ocean Beach Pier has been closed since last year in anticipation of storm season with hopes of reopening in 2024. Now, after the structure sustained more damage from massive waves over the weekend, that timeline is looking unlikely.City officials said in a statement Monday that crews will assess the condition of the pier, which has seen multiple prolonged closures due to storm damage over the few years, at the end of the season to determine next steps."We ask that anyone who is in the area be aware that debris from the pier may be found in the ocean and may wash ashore," officials continued. Rescuers search for possible missing swimmer near Ocean Beach Pier Over the last five years, the 57-year-old pier has been battered by various weather events, prompting repeated repair efforts that have cost the city over $1.7 million. During that period, city engineers say it has been closed off for nearly 30% of the time.By 2018, a city-conducted survey of the pier determined...

Argentine court suspends labor changes in a blow to President Milei’s economic plan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Javier Milei suffered a judicial blow Wednesday as a court suspended labor rule changes he recently announced as part of sweeping deregulation and austerity measures aimed at reviving Argentina’s struggling economy.The ruling by a three-judge court came on a legal challenge brought by the main union group, the General Labor Confederation, which argued that the changes affected workers rights.Milei’s decree announced in December established several changes in labor rules, including increasing job probation from three to eight months, reducing severance compensation and allowing the possibility of dismissal for workers taking part of blockades during some protests.Alejandro Sudera, one of the three judges, said the administration went beyond its authority to decree labor changes, which first needed to discussed and approved by Congress.Mile’s government said it would appeal the court’s ruling.The union confederation appl...

Police say man slid under washroom stall at restaurant to sexually assault victim

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Toronto police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a downtown restaurant after sliding on the floor to crawl into the bathroom stall she was occupying.Investigators say it happened on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at around 4:47 p.m at a restaurant in the Spadina Avenue and Queen Street West area.The victim was in the washroom when police say the suspect “slid along the floor from the adjacent stall and prevented the woman from leaving the stall.”While confined, police say the woman was sexually assaulted. The suspect also allegedly took her phone when she tried to call for help and demanded cash before stealing property from her.Staff at the restaurant heard a commotion in the locked washroom and kicked down the door in an effort to intervene.The man tried to run off but was arrested by officers after a brief foot chase.Police believe the same man was the culprit in another disturbing incident a few weeks earlier at a business in the Bloor Street...

US warns Houthis to cease attacks on Red Sea vessels or face potential military action

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and 12 allies issued what amounted to a final warning to Houthi rebels on Wednesday to cease their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea or face potential targeted military action.The Yemen-based militants have carried out at least 23 attacks in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since Dec. 19.A senior Biden administration official declined to detail rules of possible engagement if the attacks continue, but underscored that the Iranian-backed Houthis should “not anticipate another warning” from the U.S. and its allies. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, spoke soon after the countries issued a joint statement earlier on Wednesday condemning the attacks and underscoring that international patience was strained. The statement was signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingd...

Person killed by troopers in shootout on New York State Thruway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

HILLBURN, N.Y. (AP) — New York state troopers killed a person in a shootout on a major highway Wednesday after stopping a vehicle identified in a homicide investigation, authorities said.Two troopers stopped the vehicle on the New York State Thruway, or Interstate 87, in Hillburn near the New Jersey line just before 3 p.m., after discovering it was the subject of a “be on the lookout” alert tied to a homicide, state police said.The driver opened fire on the troopers, who shot back and killed the person, authorities said.One trooper had minor injuries and the other was not harmed, state police said.Officials did not immediately release the name of the person killed or details of the homicide investigation. It was not clear if the person was a suspect in the homicide. The shootout and ensuing investigation shut down the southbound lanes of the thruway for several hours, causing a major traffic jam that lasted into the evening.Hillburn is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of New Yor...

Amateur Missouri investigator, YouTube creator helps break decade-old missing person cold case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A decade-old cold case centered on a Navy veteran who disappeared without a trace in rural Missouri is hot again after an amateur sleuth and YouTube creator’s help led police to unidentified human remains. Donnie Erwin, a 59-year-old Camdenton resident, went missing on Dec. 29, 2013, after he went out for cigarettes and never returned. His disappearance piqued the interest of longtime true crime enthusiast and videographer James Hinkle last year, and the Youtuber spent a year tracing generations of Erwin’s relatives and spending his free time searching for him after work, documenting his efforts on his channel. He eventually discovered Erwin’s car hidden in a small pond.Deputies and firefighters pulled Erwin’s algae-encrusted Hyundai Elantra and a titanium hip from a roadside drainage pond less than 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from his home in December 2023, almost exactly a decade after he went missing. “While a forensic pathologist w...

Cicero PD investigating connections between 2 women killed in shooting; man found dead in nearby park, 10-month-old shot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

CICERO, Ill. — Police are investigating a series of incidents where two women were killed, one man was found dead in a park, and a 10-month-old was shot in Cicero on Tuesday night.The Cicero Police Department held a press conference early Wednesday evening, where Cicero police superintendent Thomas Boyle said they identified the suspect in the double fatal shooting as 21-year-old Rafael Vega. Police said the shooting took place inside a home around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of South 48th Court, and that Vega had a relationship with one of the victims, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office (CCMEO) as 19-year-old Myeshia Newby.The CCMEO also identified the other victim in the shooting as 29-year-old Jessica Hughes.According to Boyle, officer showed up to a chaotic scene Tuesday night — 14 people were found at the scene of the incident, which included a mixture of men, women and children.Boyle said two males led officers into the basement of the home on Sout...

Skilling: Flurries possible for Chicagoland

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Though chilly by recent standards, Wednesday's 36-deg high came in 3-deg above normal and the day, as a whole, ends up the 15th consecutive day of ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS.Flurries and a bit of freezing drizzle occurred sporadically during the day but amounted to little.Chicago's ground remains FREE OF SNOW.  An in-house look for January 3rd snow coverage over the past 100 years (back to 1923) indicates BARE GROUND IS NOT AN ANOMALY.  38 of the past 100 years (38% of them) have recorded no snow on the ground Jan 3rd.  But snow HAS been on the ground on this date 62 of the past 100 years----and 40 of the past 100 years have had an inch or more of snow on the ground this date.  Eight have had more than 6" down and 3 of the past 100 years have recorded a 10" or greater snowpack—this heaviest of them the 17" on the ground on this date in 1999.Lower 48 U.S. snow cover remains far below levels observed last year at this time. Just over 20% of the continental U.S. had snow on the ground---r...

What to know about competing GOP town halls, debate in Iowa

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Republican presidential candidates are set to appear in several competing town halls and debates this month, offering some of the final opportunities to boost their campaigns before voting kicks off in the Iowa caucuses.The first set of events will take place Thursday. CNN is hosting back-to-back town halls in Des Moines, Iowa, with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The DeSantis town hall will take place at 9 p.m. EST, moderated by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, and the Haley town hall will be at 10 p.m. EST, moderated by anchor Erin Burnett. Fox News Channel will host another set of town halls Monday and Tuesday at 6 p.m. EST in Des Moines with Haley and DeSantis. The town halls will focus on women’s issues and be co-moderated by anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Haley will appear at Fox's first town hall Monday, followed by DeSantis’s on Tuesday. Haley and DeSantis have been battling for months to be the main alternative to former Pres...

All 4 Republicans in Minnesota’s congressional delegation back Trump’s latest White House bid

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Republicans in Minnesota’s congressional delegation coalesced on Wednesday behind former President Donald Trump in his bid to win back the White House.A newly released statement included endorsements from Reps. Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber.The Emmer nod, which also came in a separate statement, is notable because Trump sharply criticized Emmer and helped derail the congressman’s run for House speaker in October.Emmer is the House majority whip, the third-highest position in the chamber. He said in his statement in support of Trump: “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner.”The first votes of the 2024 nominating season come Jan. 15 in the Iowa caucus, where polls show Trump with a commanding lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.Minnesota’s presidential primary falls on March 5, part of Super Tuesday.Emmer...