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Well-known leader of a civilian ‘self-defense’ group has been slain in southern Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Bruno Plácido, a well-known leader of a civilian “self-defense” group, was shot to death Tuesday in southern Mexico, eliminating one of the last true chiefs of the country’s armed vigiliante movements that sprang up a decade ago.Vigilante squads in other parts of southern and western Mexico still call themselves “self-defense” groups, but almost all are now infiltrated or funded by drug cartels. Plácido was slain in the Guerrero state capital, Chilpancingo, said a state official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name. No suspects or motive was immediately announced. Chilpancingo has been the scene of turf battles among warring drug gangs.Plácido rose to prominence in violence-plagued Guerrero in 2013 when he organized a rag-tag army of farmers to capture suspected gang members. His group held about 50 suspects for weeks in improvised jails, before handing them over to civilian prosecutors. He organized hundreds of villagers armed with old hunting rifle...

Biden will stress humanitarian aid, avoiding deeper conflict in Israel but is scrapping Jordan stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s efforts to tamp down tensions in the escalating war between Israel and Hamas faced major setbacks even before he departed for the Middle East on Tuesday, as Jordan called off the president’s planned summit with Arab leaders after a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds. The White House confirmed while Biden was preparing for takeoff from Washington that he now only plans to visit Israel. The Amman summit was scrapped after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas withdrew in protest of the explosion, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza blamed on an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.“This war and this aggression are pushing the region to the brink,” Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told al-Mamlaka TV, a state-run network. He said Jordan would only host the summit when all participants agreed on its purpose, which would be to “stop ...

Malaysia says landslide that killed 31 people last year was caused by heavy rain, not human activity

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A landslide that killed 31 people at an unlicensed campground last year was caused by persistent heavy rainfall, not human activity, a Malaysian government investigation concluded.Ninety-two people were sleeping at a campsite on an organic farm when soil and debris crashed down from a road about 30 meters (100 feet) above and covered about 1 hectare (3 acres) of the site in Batang Kali in central Selangor state. Most of the campers were families enjoying a year-end vacation, and 11 of the 31 dead were children. Rescuers found the bodies of a mother and her toddler daughter locked in an embrace, and a man buried under the landslide was uncovered still clutching his dog. Rain had fallen for five straight days before the Dec. 16 landslide, amounting to 118.6 millimeters (4.67 inches), Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in a statement late Monday. The cumulative rainfall for the preceding 30 days was 444.8 millimeters (17.5 inches), he said.“This...

Vigil held for 6-year-old boy fatally stabbed in apparent hate crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

PLAINFIELD, Ill. — The Plainfield community gathered on Tuesday evening to remember and honor the life of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy who was killed over the weekend in what prosecutors said was a hate crime.The vigil on Tuesday night not only honored Wadea Al-Fayoume, but showed a united front in rejecting hate. It came just a day after the boy's funeral.Hundreds made their way to a Bridgeview mosque Monday to pray and say goodbye to Wadea, who was fatally stabbed more than two dozen times over the weekend. Funeral held for 6-year-old boy killed for being Muslim According to the Will County Sheriff’s Office, authorities responded to the 16200 block of South Lincoln Highway in unincorporated Plainfield Township on reports of a woman being attacked by her landlord with a knife Saturday morning.71-year-old Joseph Czuba allegedly attacked Hanaan Shahin, 32, with a large blade following an argument about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Shahin suffered...

Southerly winds to boost temperatures within striking distance of 70 degrees Wednesday afternoon ahead of next round of showery weather

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

CHILLY START TO THE DAYTuesday AM low temperaturesWidespread frost for many outlying areas away from the warmth of Lake Michigan and the urbanization of the cityNEXT WEATHER SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWESTRain chances peak Wednesday night into ThursdayRAINFALL AMOUNTSWhile rainfall amounts are not likely to be heavy, the next round of showers arrives late Wednesday and will continue at times ThursdayMIXED SUNSHINE EARLY WEDNESDAYSome mixed sunshine early Wednesday, but clouds will increase by/during the afternoon ahead of an approaching weather systemFORECAST HIGHS AND HOW MUCH ABOVE/BELOW NORMALNear or slightly above normal temperatures the next few days before a cooldown arrives this weekendTRACKING THE INCOMING WEATHER SYSTEMDESPITE RAPID LOSS OF DAYLIGHT, WEATHER HISTORY SUGGESTS MILD TEMPERATURES NOT TOTALLY DONE YETTHANKS TO THE GUYS AT ExploreFall.com FOR THE LATEST FALL FOLIAGE UPDATEForecast next Wednesday, October 25Fall colors are expected to accelerate rapidly in th...

SMPD: Apartment complex filled with crime, health code violations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) --- There's an apartment complex in San Marcos that's caught the attention of law enforcement, the city's code department and the fire marshal.It's in the Blanco Gardens neighborhood, an area KXAN recently reported on that's seen an increase in high priority calls to the San Marcos Police Department. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: People concerned about crime, lack of streetlights in San Marcos neighborhood Specifically at the Sutton Apartments, SMPD said there's been 82 calls for service since this June for things like assaults, weapons concerns and criminal trespassing.'It's not safe whatsoever'A woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she's lived at the complex for nearly a year. "It's not safe whatsoever in the apartment complex," she said.In that time, she's seen and heard a lot. "Mainly drug dealing," she said. "Shootings seven times in a week. We just recently had another one."She said there's been issues both around the complex and in the units. "I have mo...

Police investigating east Austin deadly crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is investigating a deadly crash that occurred in east Austin last week, the agency said in a news release Tuesday.At approximately 6:20 a.m., Oct. 12, officers responded to a crash involving a pickup truck, a sedan and a pedestrian in the 1100 block of Airport Boulevard, the release said. Both drivers remained on the scene and cooperated with police.The pedestrian, who was not identified Tuesday, was pronounced dead by Austin-Travis County EMS, according to police.This incident is being investigated as Austin's 71st fatal crash of 2023, which has resulted in 74 fatalities for the year, the release said. On the date of this crash in 2022, police said 84 fatal crashes resulted in 86 deaths.Anyone with any information should contact APD's Vehicular Homicide unit at (512) 974-8111. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling (512) 472-8477.The crash remain...

Timberwolves’ preseason victory provides young guys a chance to show their stuff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted there “has to be a light at the end of the tunnel” for young players who are not getting much run during an NBA season.With a roster like Minnesota’s — which is flush with experienced NBA players, even guys who are used to playing regular minutes who may not this season — breaking into the rotation as a first- or second-year player may be an impossible feat.So, if there is no light, Finch noted, “guys will otherwise lose faith.”That’s why it was important for Finch and Co. to approach Tuesday’s preseason home game against Maccabi Ra’anana — a professional club from Israel — the way that Minnesota did. The Timberwolves’ top-10 rotational players were dressed in sweats. All the minutes belonged to everyone else.“To get these guys real minutes in block minutes in situations to be able to evaluate them a little bit better,” Finch said. “They work hard, they’re super engaged.”It was a chance for the Timberwolves’ co...

On special night for Marc-Andre Fleury, special teams go Wild

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

MONTREAL — On a night the Wild wanted to belong to Marc-Andre Fleury, the future hall of fame goaltender was nearly upstaged by his teammates.Nearly.Playing in what might be his last game in his native Quebec, Fleury added another win in his quest to catch, and pass, Patrick Roy for second all-time for an NHL goaltender as Minnesota beat the Canadiens, 5-2, at Bell Centre on Tuesday.When it was over, Fleury had made 26 saves, and when he came back to the ice as the game’s No. 1 star, he took a proper curtain call in the arena that has meant so much to him over 19 NHL seasons.“I just wanted to take a mental picture,” he said. “Such a nice feeling. Didn’t want to stay out there too long. I don’t want to say they think it’s my last game here and I come back again next year. That’s enough attention. It’s very flattering.”Joel Eriksson Ek scored two power-play goals, and Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar scored short-handed goals 26 seconds apart in the first period as the Wild rebounded ...

Damaged apple crops find new purpose as cider

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:29:25 GMT

KINDERHOOK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local cider company is helping farms in New York State recoup some of the losses felt during rough weather earlier this year. Nine Pin Cider pressed apples at Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook on Tuesday.The orchard was one of the apple growers that experienced a large crop loss after the late spring frost. As a result, some of the apples were too damaged for sale but made the perfect apples for juice or cider. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "We have a smaller crop than normal," owner Jake Samascott said. "Some of the apples are kind of misshapen, funny looking, and it makes them very hard to market, so it's not a retail apple or something someone wants to eat, but they still taste good. Very good for a cider, so having an outlet for that into hard cider has been a great advantage for us to get through these harder years."The frost also damaged the farm's strawberries, chestnuts and kiwi berries.