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State immigration chief held for trial in migrant deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — A judge on Saturday ordered the immigration director of Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua to stand trial Saturday on charges of homicide, injuries and failure to perform his duties, for last month’s deadly fire at a migrant detention center. The judge ordered the director, Salvador González, held in prison pending trial. Judge Juan José Chávez said there was evidence that González failed to do his duty to protect the migrants. Forty migrants died in the March 27 fire in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, after a migrant allegedly set fire to foam mattresses to protest a supposed transfer.“In the end, everything depends on the head” official, Chávez said. “Not complying with standards does have its results.”Five other officials of the country’s National Immigration Institute, a guard at the center and the Venezuelan migrant accused of starting the blaze are already in custody facing homicide charges.The step is significant...

Curfew in Jamica district after gunmen wound 7 boarding bus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Police enforced a curfew in a community on the southern fringes of Jamaica’s capital Saturday after gunmen fired on people boarding a public minibus, wounding seven, including three children.The Jamaica Constabulary Force gave no information on the conditions of the wounded from the brazen attack, which occurred at midafternoon Friday in Seaview Gardens, a poor area of Kingston.There was speculation the gunmen were targeting one of the people trying to get on the bus, but authorities did not comment on a possible motive. Conflict among rival gangs has been blamed for an uptick in violence in the community.Authorities ordered a two-day curfew in Seaview Gardens, and police said they were looking for two men for questioning about the shooting.Crime statistics released by the police say 303 people were killed on the island in the first three months of this year, 20% fewer than during the same period of 2022. The Associated Press

6-year-old girl, man shot while inside home in Woodlawn, Chicago police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

CHICAGO — A 6-year-old girl and a 33-year-old man are hospitalized after they were shot while inside a home Saturday evening in Woodlawn, Chicago police said.The girl and man were inside a home around 5 p.m. in the 6600 block of South Drexel Avenue when at least one person inside started shooting, according to information from Chicago police. 3-year-old boy shot while inside home in Chicago, police say The girl was shot in the arm and taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition, police said. The man was shot in the back and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in unknown condition.No one has been arrested yet. The incident is still under investigation.

New Hyde Park collective wants to help Black-owned brands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

CHICAGO — Beauty is a huge industry in the U.S., but Black-owned brands are vastly underrepresented. A new beauty collecting with a location in Hyde Park is working to change that. On anniversary of Geraldo’s Al Capone vault broadcast, WGN unlocks another mystery safe Leslie Roberson knew she wanted to create a business in Hyde Park.She did market research to see what was missing and started visiting beauty stores in other parts of the city."There was one in particular that had a box and all the business owners were Black women and they were so proud," Roberson said. "And I thought to myself 'How dare they box us in?' And I thought, 'What if I created a space for Black entrepreneurs to give them a space to scale their businesses to the next level and gain national visibility? And that's what I did. I created it.The Black Beauty Collective opened near 53rd and Hyde Park Boulevard earlier this month.It features dozens of brand with a majority Black ownership. "We have skincare, we ...

Chicago Yacht Club organizes beach cleanup for Earth Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

CHICAGO — Even on a cool, damp day — Earth Day was marked around Chicagoland including along the lakefront.Dozens came out to the Belmont Harbor to clean up from straws to cigarettes. Hundreds clean up Humboldt Park on Earth Day Amanda Baker, an Earth Day volunteer, said they want to make sure the earth is safe for future generations. The Chicago Yacht Club and Alliance for the Great Lakes teamed up for the event. A spring cleaning from Belmont and Monroe Harbors sees more action in the summer months. 1-year-old dead after being found unconscious on West Side "It’s important because we are at these two locations that we are good stewards of the earth, especially boat owners," Addy Winker.To many's surprises, the cleanup in the area was light."Right.. it’s very clean we didn’t pick up as much trash as we thought we would, so that’s a good thing," Precious Kleimonov said. Winkler said smaller things break down slowly -- a cigarette butt takes about 14 years to break down.Perhaps...

Alabama education director ousted over book's stance on race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday announced she replaced her director of early childhood education over the use of a teacher training book, written by a nationally recognized education group, that the Republican governor denounced as teaching “woke concepts" because of language about inclusion and structural racism.Barbara Cooper was forced out as as head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Ivey expressed concern over the distribution of the book to state-run pre-kindergartens. Ivey spokesperson Gina Maiola identified the book as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, 4th edition. Maiola said she understands that the books have been removed from the state classrooms.“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission. Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to ...

State of Texas: Uvalde families wait hours to speak on bill to raise age for buying semi-automatic guns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In an overnight hearing, families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting gave tearful testimony to a Texas House panel, begging lawmakers to pass reforms they think would have stopped the state's deadliest school shooting.Kimberly Rubio, who lost her daughter Lexi, waited nearly 13 hours before she was able to take the witness stand in the House Committee on Community Safety hearing Tuesday. With more than 100 people signed up to testify, the hearing went on until nearly 4 a.m. Wednesday."I arrived here today at 8 a.m. and as we waited more than 13 hours, I'm reminded of May 24 2022 when we waited hours to be told our daughter would never come home," she said. In her emotional testimony, Rubio told lawmakers how she replays that day in her head over and over — wondering what might have been different if Lexi had been sick that day, or if she would have pulled her out of school after the award ceremony earlier that morning. Rubio reiterated the one thing she says...

Remembering Joe Vela: Long-time East Austin boxing coach who got kids away from drugs, gangs dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Austin's old-time boxing legends is being remembered and honored for touching, and changing countless lives in Central Texas.Joe Vela began bringing his mentees to Lord's Boxing in East Austin in the 70s, after Vela met his lifelong friend Richard Lord. “Oh, this is of Joe Vela," said Lord in his gym's front office, pointing to a picture of Vela. "He’s a dear friend of mine...he unfortunately passed away as we all will.”Coach Joe Vela's photo on the wall of Lord's boxing. (KXAN photos/Ed Zavala).Lord will be one of the first to tell you that Vela saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives in and outside of the boxing ring. “Joe has been in the boxing world, his whole life," Lord said. "And he was a very positive influence to lots of people that wanted to box he helped train a lot of kids gave a lot of direction to a lot of kids that needed direction. And he was always facilitating helping people learn how to box and how to deal with life to the boxing world.”Lo...

No. 14 Texas drops 1st game of doubleheader with Oklahoma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 14 Texas Longhorns baseball team fell into a deep hole they couldn't dig itself out of in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader against Oklahoma at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.The Sooners built an 8-0 lead after two innings and hung on to beat the Longhorns 9-6 in the day's opening game. The threat of rain Sunday forced the teams into playing a double-dip Saturday. The second game of the day and the last of the series is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersStarting pitching was again an Achilles heel of the Longhorns as Travis Sthele lasted just an inning, allowing three runs on a hit with three walks. He faced seven hitters before Zane Morehouse took over. Morehouse also walked three Sooners in 1.2 innings of work, and he allowed five earned runs on two hits in 10 batters faced.Chase Lummus kept the Longhorns in it wi...

Ober is day’s big winner as Saints rout RailRiders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:53 GMT

The St. Paul Saints’ clubhouse celebration following Saturday afternoon’s 11-6 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at CHS Field had just died down when manager Toby Gardenhire gathered the team again to do something that never gets old: share the news that another player was going to “The Show.”This time it was starting pitcher Bailey Ober, who was told that he was being called up by the Twins, a moment that already has been experienced this season by fellow pitchers Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson and Brent Headrick.“It was pretty exciting,” Ober said when asked his reaction. “It always is. And to hear all my teammates be happy for me, too, it’s big time. It makes me feel good.”Ober said the news did not catch him by surprise.“I had some people in my ear saying I could be going up this week,” he said, “so I was looking forward to it. I got scouting reports for teams up there. I was just kind of playing it by ear and waiting.”Ober, who made 11 starts for the Twins l...