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Fresh D.C. breeze eases atmospheric angst as Canadian smoke chokes U.S. capital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

WASHINGTON — Tourists in the U.S. capital are taking Canada’s prodigious wildfire smoke in stride. Air quality alerts in Washington, D.C., reached “code purple” status today, one notch below the “maroon” levels in neighbouring Baltimore. But while the grey haze made making out the Washington Monument and the Capitol difficult from a distance, it was a different story on the ground. The usual crowds of visitors jammed the sidewalks along the National Mall, outside the White House and on the Capitol grounds, with only a relative handful opting for face masks. One German couple said their day turned out far nicer than what forecasters had suggested — although they’re now worried that flight delays may thwart their plans to get home. President Joe Biden says he has promised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau any additional help Canada might need to fight the wildfires ravaging Ontario and Quebec. The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center, which has already...

India angered by apparent Sikh parade float in Canada portraying assassination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

OTTAWA — India’s foreign minister is condemning images of a parade said to have occurred in Brampton, Ont., which seemed to portray the 1984 assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.The Canadian Press has not verified the source of a short video that appears to show a parade float on a suburban street with men in turbans pointing guns at a woman who resembles Gandhi.India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar argues the incident shows Ottawa’s lax approach to extremism.He says the incident “is not good for relationships” and “not good for Canada.”New Delhi has long argued that Canada’s free-speech approach to Sikh separatists goes too far, with some temples found to be openly venerating people connected with acts of violence like the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight.Canada’s envoy to India also condemned the parade, saying he was “appalled” by reports that it celebrated...

Family of ‘Serial’ podcast murder victim demands right to take part in hearings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The family of the murder victim whose case is chronicled by the hit podcast “Serial” asked Maryland’s highest court on Thursday to give crime victims a right to be heard and challenge evidence at hearings.Young Lee, whose sister Hae Min Lee was killed in 1999, says the family didn’t get sufficient notice to attend a hearing last fall where the man convicted of her murder, Adnan Syed, had his sentence overturned. An intermediate appellate court agreed with the family and reinstated Syed’s sentence, although he remains free while the case works its way through the courts.On Thursday, attorneys for Young Lee filed a petition asking the state Supreme Court to review legal issues raised by the family. The petition says the intermediate appellate court ruling falls short because it “leaves no one to speak on the Lee family’s behalf.”While Syed’s release last year was a high-profile example of a growing movement within the criminal justice system to acknow...

Second lawsuit filed in death of Schaumburg mother during Florida parasailing trip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

CHICAGO (AP/WGN) — The family of a Schaumburg mother killed in a 2022 crash while she and two children were parasailing in the Florida Keys filed a second lawsuit connected to her death this week and reflected on the tragic end to a family vacation about a year ago.Supraja Alaparthi, 33, was killed after being dragged across the water and slamming into a bridge last June while strapped into a parasail. Her husband, Srinivasrao Alaparthi, told reporters Thursday that his family has taken the last year “one day at a time” but misses her dearly.“I can’t help but think that if the people we trusted ... had done their jobs, my wife would still be with us today,” he said. “We trusted these companies, but they let us down in the worst possible way.” Family of Schaumburg mother killed in Florida parasailing accident file lawsuit The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the crash last year and found the boat captain cut the line holding Alaparthi and the two boys ...

Lionel Messi's MLS arrival has ticket sales, price impact on Soldier Field match vs Chicago Fire FC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

CHICAGO — The biggest news of the year in Major League Soccer has already had an impact on Chicago Fire FC.That concerns the first time that soccer's greatest player is expected to take the pitch at Soldier Field.Per a spokesperson for the Fire on Thursday, they've sold over 10,000 tickets for their match against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday, October 4 since the news of Lionel Messi joining that club broke on Wednesday morning. Before that, there were just under 10,000 total tickets sold from the contest.At the moment, according to a spokesperson, seats for the upper deck are not being sold yet, but they will monitor the ticket sales over the next few months. If need, it could be opened up, which would be a first for the club since returning to Soldier Field in 2020.As part of the demand, which has been consistent with the rest of MLS since the announcement, the ticket prices set by the club for the October 4 match have significantly increased. Per Ticketmaster, which is the official...

iLottery player wins $1 million through Mega Millions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

ILLINOIS — Someone in Illinois is $1 million richer after missing the Mega Millions jackpot by one number.The player, who bought their ticket electronically, matched all five regular numbers in Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing. Those numbers were: 6 - 12 - 23 - 29 - 57. The Mega Ball was the number 4 and would have come with a $218 million prize if anyone had matched all six numbers. Bears CEO Kevin Warren, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson release statement after meeting Whoever won the $1 million is the fourth Illinois Lottery player of 2023 to win at least that much by playing Mega Millions, according to the Illinois Lottery.The next Mega Millions drawing is set for Friday night at 10 p.m. with the new jackpot of $240 million.

Out of Space, Winnetka Music Festival getting ready for 2023 editions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

WINNETKA, Ill. — With summer pretty much here, Out of Space and the Winnetka Music Festival are getting ready for their time to shine.Ahead of their sixth festival in downtown Winnetka, which takes place June 16 and 17 on Father's Day weekend, it was announced this year they're going back to their original two-day format.Eight artists play Friday, which begins at 5 p.m. on multiple stages, with 90s icons The Wallflowers headlining.On Saturday, 18 artists play with Michael Franti & Spearhead set to headline. Chicago-based up-and-comer Neal Francis will be a sub-headliner Saturday as well.One of the four stages will be inside The Winnetka Chapel.This year, the festival announced a new partnership with Valslist founder and Winnetka resident, Val Haller. Haller, along with the team behind the venue SPACE, co-produced the 2023 lineup.SPACE, in partnership with the City of Evanston, is once again is taking over Canal Shores this July.On four consecutive nights from July 27 through Jul...

Trump requests new trial in E. Jean Carroll case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

Former President Trump is requesting a new trial in the case brought against him by writer E. Jean Carroll after a grand jury last month found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation against her and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages. In a Thursday filing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Trump’s team argues that the court "should order a new trial on damages or grant remittitur." They wrote the $2 million awarded to Carroll for the sexual abuse verdict was “grossly excessive” because the jury found Trump did not commit rape, but rather committed sexual abuse. “Such abuse could have included groping of [Carroll's] breasts through clothing or similar conduct, which is a far cry from rape. Therefore, an award of $2 million for such conduct, which admittedly did not cause any diagnosed mental injury to [Carroll], is grossly excessive under the applicable case law,” the filing reads. Carroll had accused Trump of raping her in a New Y...

Working on Womanhood: Chicago doctors talk impact of school-based counseling for girls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

CHICAGO — A new study shows high school-aged girls in Chicago have post-traumatic stress disorder at a rate twice as high as Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans.  Working on Womanhood: How a non-profit is giving young women tools to boost their mental health and academic success Yet the study also found an outreach program, “Working on Womanhood," is making a significant difference. Key finds include:The study found that 38% of 9th to 11th-grade adolescent girls in Chicago’s neighborhood schools exhibit signs of PTSD.Participation in WOW is highly effective in reducing those symptoms, as participation in WOW led to a 22% decrease in PTSD and a 38% decrease in moderate trauma-related distress.At a per-participant cost of $2,300, WOW results surpass widely accepted thresholds for cost-effectiveness and provide evidence for a promising model that can be replicated at scale within resource-challenged public schools across the country.Dr. Nacole Milbrook and Dr. Monica Bhatt joined WGN E...

Surgeon general: 'Kids can't afford to wait' on mental health

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Calling it the "defining public health issue of our time," the U.S. surgeon general on Thursday told before Congress about the root cause of what he has labeled a youth mental health crisis. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that the suicide rate for Americans age 10 to 19 jumped by 40% from 2001 to 2019."The bottom line is our kids can't afford to wait longer," he said.He said that Congress must do more to help a surge of youth people battling loneliness, anxiety and depression. He said kids need more access to resources like psychiatrists and more protections online."I talk to parents all over the country and to kids as well who say that they're exposed to content that's violent and sexual in nature, that they're often bullied and harassed online," Murthy said.Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are already pushing legislation that would enact age requirements for social media and block websites from collecting data about and targeting ads to minors."This...