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Grand jury refuses to indict officer for fatal mall shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A grand jury has refused to indict a former northern Virginia police officer after he fatally shot an unarmed shoplifting suspect outside a busy shopping mall in February.Authorities presented the case to a grand jury for an indictment against Wesley Shifflett, who shot and killed Timothy McCree Johnson outside Tysons Corner Center on Feb. 22.Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano — who ran for office on a reform agenda that included holding police accountable for misdeeds — had called a press conference Monday, presumably to announce criminal charges.But the noon press conference was first delayed, then canceled. Later in the day, Descano issued a statement saying he’s “evaluating all options” following the grand jury’s decision. “Since, by law, no prosecutors were permitted to be present in the room when the investigating officers made their presentation to the grand jury, I can’t say for sure what information was conveyed to the grand...

Kenya’s Obiri breaks late to win women’s Boston Marathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Hellen Obiri took one key lesson away when she ran her first major marathon in New York this past November: Be patient.She put it to use late in Monday’s Boston Marathon, breaking away over the final 2 miles to win the title during a foggy and wet 127th edition of the race.Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, claimed the women’s top spot on the podium, maneuvering down the 26.2 mile course in 2 hours, 21 minutes and 38 seconds. Amane Beriso of Ethiopia was second, 12 seconds back, followed another seven seconds behind by Israeli Lonah Salpeter. Obiri’s victory also completed a Kenyan sweep on the day, with Evans Chebet winning his second straight title in the men’s race. Obiri said she felt a lot more comfortable in her approach after finishing sixth in the New York Marathon last year.“I thought I could do my fastest in New York, but it never worked as planned,” she said. “So what I learned from New York was to be patient and for t...

Sudan hospitals struggle with casualties, damage in fighting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — At the Khartoum Teaching Hospital, people wounded during street battles flowed into the wards. Supplies were running low, with doctors, nurses, patients and their relatives trapped inside for days as the Sudanese capital turned into a war zone.Then early Monday, one of the wards was heavily damaged by shelling. “We are running out of everything,” Dr. Amin Saad told The Associated Press. “We are working with the least possible capabilities. … We’re all exhausted, but there is a shortage of physicians.”Not long afterward, the hospital shut down completely — with staff, patients and relatives stuck inside as clashes raged throughout the neighborhood. It was one of at least six hospitals shuttered either because they were damaged in fighting, were inaccessible because of clashes or had run out of fuel, according to the Doctors’ Syndicate. Khartoum’s hospitals have been thrown into chaos by the explosion of violence between Sudan’s two top generals. People have been unable t...

Chicago Public Library awarded $2M grant to digitize Black History archives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

The Chicago Public Library was awarded a new grant Monday that will go toward digitizing thousands of Black History archives and make them available at every branch throughout the city.The library  system will receive a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.The grant will allow the library to digitize documents related to Black History from the 1800s to the present. It is a four year grant that will expanded the access of the collection beyond the walls of libraries in the city and allow students and historians increased understanding of stories that may not be taught in regular curriculum.“In Chicago we celebrate that history and champion our residents’ fundamental right to read and learn about who we are, where we have been and where we are headed,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at an event announcing the grant.

Soldier Field to host Chicago Veteran Job Fair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Veterans looking for a job are encouraged to visit one of Chicago's most historic venues for assistance on Thursday. Disabled American Veterans is teaming up with RecruitMilitary to host the Chicago Veterans Job Fair this Thursday, April 20, at Soldier Field. The career event will begin at 11 a.m. and last through 3 p.m.Sixty area employers such as Sysco, Walgreens, Eaton, Liberty Mutual are expected to attend. Registration is free and is open to transitioning military service members, veterans, military spouses and dependents. The Job Fair will take place in Soldier Field's 1st Floor United Club.

US arrests two in connection with 'secret' Chinese police station in NY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

Federal authorities in New York made two arrests Monday in connection with the establishment of a Chinese-government run police station in Manhattan where officials allegedly monitored pro-democracy activists.The clandestine station, run by China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS), was announced alongside a complaint charging 34 individuals accused of working at a “troll farm” run by the MPS designed to target Chinese dissidents online.While it appears in some cases the office was helping Chinese citizens with services such as driver licenses, consular activities require approval by U.S. authorities, and law enforcement said Monday that the station's employees were not registered as foreign agents.“New York City is home to New York's finest, the NYPD. We don’t need or want a secret police station in our great city,” Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a press conference.“Just imagine the NYPD opening an undeclared, secret police station in Beiji...

Missing California teen believed to be held 'under duress' by man, former detective says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

(NewsNation) — A California teen who has been missing since Jan. 1, is believed to be alive and possibly held captive, a private investigator says.Sixteen-year-old Alinka Castaneda left her family’s home in Carson, California, and was seen "entering an unknown vehicle" at 5 a.m. that day, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A neighbor’s camera recorded her leaving, and her family hasn’t seen her since.While her brother thought perhaps this was her first attempt at running away, time and distress calls appear to be signs of how much danger she could be in.Castaneda's family has received three disturbing calls from her."In this phone call, she actually shared with her sister and her mom that she didn't know where she was then and wouldn't be allowed to leave. She sounded like she was under duress and stressing out," Moses Castillo, a retired LAPD detective and a private investigator working on her case, told NewsNation. The Sheriff's Department said the girl cont...

What should parents do over the summer to counter pandemic learning loss?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

(The Hill) -- The fast-approaching summer offers a precious opportunity for parents of students suffering severe learning loss from the coronavirus pandemic.Schools and policymakers have been scrambling since the 2022 Nation’s Report Card last fall showed that students lost decades of progress in reading and math when they missed out on in-person classes. Now, students are set to leave the classroom again for three months. Summer learning loss is not a new concept in education, but the focus on how to keep students academically and socially engaged for the vacation has new urgency as parents look for ways to ensure their children don’t fall further behind. “I would say this is absolutely even more of a concern because so many of our kids, you know, really lost time learning time,” said Jodi Grant, the executive director of Afterschool Alliance. Some of the more common tips parents have seen for years regarding summer learning are making sure their children play outsid...

DeSantis floats building prison on land next to Disney World

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

(The Hill) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Monday that the state might consider building a prison or potentially another amusement park next to land owned by Disney amid his administration's ongoing feud with the entertainment giant.The governor’s clash with Disney started when the company came out against his education plan that limits the instruction of gender identity and sexuality in public schools. In response, DeSantis signed a bill that dissolved the private government that oversaw Walt Disney World in the state.But outgoing Disney-friendly members of the board that oversees the district approved an agreement with the company that gave it developmental authority over its theme park. New board members handpicked by DeSantis said the agreement stripped them of their ability to oversee the park’s development.Now DeSantis, who is weighing a 2024 presidential campaign, is publicly floating how to respond.“If you look at this whole special district, Walt Disney Corporation obv...

Austin ISD to appeal state intervention of its special education department

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Independent School District leaders began the process of appealing the state appointment of a conservator management team to oversee its special education operations on Monday. “We understand the severity of this problem and take full ownership in addressing it,”said Superintendent Matias Segura. ‘We want to ensure the best possible alignmentbetween our efforts as a district and the efforts of the state for the ultimate benefit of ourstudents.”The Austin school district has been under investigation by the Texas Education Agency since 2021 for repeatedly missing state and federal deadlines to evaluate students suspected of needing special education services.The agency heightened its intervention on March 31 – announcing its plan to add a state-appointed management team to oversee the district special education operations.The district has since held multiple meetings with parents and stakeholders explaining the impact of a more severe intervention from the state...