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Mississippi absentee ballot law harms voters with disabilities, lawsuit says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s new restrictions on absentee ballots could disenfranchise voters who have disabilities by preventing them from receiving help from people they trust, according to a lawsuit that seeks to block the restrictions.The law — set to take effect July 1 — sets a short list of people who can “collect and transmit” an absentee ballot. The list includes employees of the U.S. Postal Service or other mail carriers, plus any “family member, household member or caregiver” of the person receiving an absentee ballot.The lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of Disability Rights Mississippi, the League of Women Voters of Mississippi and three residents of the north Mississippi city of Okolona. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, Disability Rights Mississippi, Mississippi Center for Justice and Southern Poverty Law Center.“Every voter in the state of Mississippi has the right to participate in their democr...

Post-mortem exams being performed on 2 dead whales seen floating off New York this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Two dead humpback whales were spotted floating in the waters off New York this week, officials said, part of a troubling rise in whale deaths in the region.Necropsies were being performed Friday to determine what killed the two whales that were first seen Wednesday, one off eastern Long Island and one in Raritan Bay between New Jersey and the New York City borough of Staten Island.The Long Island whale was spotted Wednesday about five miles (eight kilometers) off Wainscott, New York, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries spokesperson Andrea Gomez said.Southampton town police reported Thursday that the whale had floated into Shinnecock Bay. Police and staffers from NOAA and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society worked to secure the animal to the beach front and then drag it onto the shore where the necropsy could be performed, Sgt. Eric Sickles said.Also on Wednesday, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society received a report of a dead ...

Federal government lawsuit accuses Wisconsin town of trespassing on tribal reservation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to force a northern Wisconsin town to pay unspecified damages for failing to renew access easements on American Indian tribal land.U.S. Attorney Timothy O’Shea filed the action in Madison on Wednesday seeking a declaration that without easements the town of Lac Du Flambeau is trespassing within the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. It seeks unspecified damages.The town’s attorney, Greg Harrold, didn’t respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment Friday.The lawsuit opens another front in a long-running legal dispute between the town and the tribe. According to court documents, the tribe granted the town road easements within it’s 86,600-acre reservation in the 1960s. The easements enabled non-tribal people to move within the reservation and build homes there.The easements expired about 10 years ago, however, and the town and tribe have not...

Warrant issued after man beaten, stomped in Munster Taco Bell parking lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

MUNSTER, Ind. — A warrant was issued after a man was seemingly beaten at random outside of a Taco Bell in Northwest Indiana.On May 4 at around 2:40 p.m., a witness reported to police he observed a man being kicked in the head in the parking lot, located in the 7900 block of Calumet Avenue in Munster, and the suspect fled in a burgundy 2016 Ford Fusion.The victim, who requires around the clock care due to a neurological problem, told police he had no recollection of what happened.During the course of the investigation, police identified a suspect through surveillance footage.Dominique Jones, of Chicago, was seen arguing with a woman he was with at a nearby Target, according to court records. A short time later, the two are seen in the parking lot of the aforementioned Taco Bell with the woman driving.Jones is seen attempting to block the car from driving away when the victim was walking nearby, documents state. Police: Crown Point man followed home from casino, robbed at gunpoint J...

A few Chicago pro sports teams continue an alliance in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Once again, five of Chicago's professional sports teams are joining forces to help the city which they call home. In fact, their partnership is now in its sixth year to tackle a major problem both here and around the country.The Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, & White Sox today announced the continuation of the Chicago Sports Alliance..They’ll give financial support to 5 programs/organizations in Chicago that are helping to find solutions to gun violence..The alliance began in 2017..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/Zs1w7FHflC— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) June 2, 2023The Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox are continuing the Chicago Sports Alliance which they started in December 2017 in which they are giving financial support and resources to find solutions to gun violence. Friday's announcement coincides with National Gun Violence Awareness Day, which is June 2-4. As part of the effort, the alliance and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation will give $1.5...

Why is Walmart closing some locations?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (NewsNation) — Walmart has been faced with some tough decisions lately, closing more than 20 stores across the country so far this year. In Overland Park, Kansas, customers said they were shocked after the Walmart Neighborhood Market shut down this spring. Dozens of people parked their cars in the Walmart lot and walked up to the doors only to find a sign that told them the store was closed permanently.Walmart customer Robb said it was a "total shocking surprise," while customer Camille Tague said the closure was "really sad." How to start paying your student loans this summer The Overland Park Walmart had been there since the early 2000s, and customers who spoke with Nexstar's NewsNation said it was always packed. Still, the location is part of a series of closures announced earlier this year. And given that Walmart's earnings are up this year, people have said the closings just don't make sense. "Never in a million years did you think this would close or see ...

SWAT responds to man on rooftop of Humboldt Park building

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

CHICAGO — A SWAT situation is unfolding in the city's Humboldt Park neighborhood, Chicago police said Friday.Authorities tell WGN News that police responded to a 'call to service' in the 4000 block of W. Chicago Ave. SkyCam9 is flying above the scene and shows a man on the rooftop of a building with what appears to be a propane tank.SkyCam9 over a SWAT situation in the 4000 block of W. Chicago Ave in Humboldt Park. (Photo/WGN) ‘He wanted better:’ 14-year-old killed, 4 wounded after shooting involving police on South Side; 1 in custody Commuters are asked advised to avoid the area. A WGN News crew is on scene and working on learning more.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Jacky Oh, who appeared on 'Wild 'N Out' with partner DC Young Fly, dies at 32

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Jacky Oh, a model, actress and entrepreneur who formerly appeared on the comedy improv series “Wild ‘N Out,” has passed away at the age of 32, according to the show’s social media pages.Jacky Oh, whose real name was Jacklyn Smith, shared three children with her partner DC Young Fly, a cast member on the VH1 series."We thank everyone for their well wishes and ask for privacy during this difficult time," a representative for DC Young Fly wrote in a statement provided to USA Today.Jacky Oh (back row, second from left) is seen with partner DC Young Fly (center) and members of their family at a screening of "PAW Patrol: The Movie," in Atlanta on Aug. 15, 2021. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)Jacky Oh died Wednesday, sources for TMZ said. A since-deleted social media post, viewed by the outlet, indicated she had been in Miami for a “mommy makeover” when she passed.Her cause of death has not been made public. Prolific actor John Beasley dies at 79 "W...

Navy removes Pride Month posts from Instagram, Twitter accounts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

(The Hill) - The Navy’s official Instagram and Twitter accounts have apparently taken down posts celebrating the start of Pride Month.The service’s Instagram account Thursday featured a post depicting a fighter jet with the LGBTQ flag colors in its wake, but by Friday morning the image was gone.  The move is the latest in a string of Pentagon efforts to shy away from culture wars, with top Defense officials earlier this week moving to ban drag performances on all military installations.  In a statement to The Hill, a Navy spokesperson acknowledged the original posts but would not say why or when they were removed.   “The US Navy posted graphics in support of the start of Pride month to honor the service, commitment, and sacrifice of the LGBTQ+ Service members and personnel who volunteer to defend our country,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “As we do with all Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) observance months, we w...

Most expensive Spider-Man comics on eBay cost $1M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:58 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — The world's favorite web-slinging superhero swings back into theaters this weekend with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," the latest computer-animated installment in Columbia Pictures and Sony's "Spider-Man" film saga. The new film is the second theatrical outing of Miles Morales, one of several Marvel Comics characters to take over the role of Spider-Man. Morales is perhaps the best known Spidey besides "first" Spider-Man Peter Parker — and he was only just introduced in 2011's "Ultimate Fallout #4: Spider-Man No More." Phil Dunster reveals he ‘cried so much’ saying goodbye to ‘Ted Lasso’ In that story, Morales, who possesses many of the same spider-bite-induced powers as Parker, takes over the Spider-helm after Parker's death in an alternate universe. The introduction of Afro-Latino New Yorker Morales was highly controversial but the character has gone on to enjoy popularity outside of Parker's shadow.The polarizing 2011 death of Peter Parker brought an end to t...