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Solis to testify in Ed Burke trial as prosecution plans to rest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- Prosecutors are using recordings made by ex-alderman turned FBI mole Danny Solis to make their case against the once powerful Ed Burke.Prosecutors decided months ago to not to put Solis on the stand. Burke's attorneys told the judge they will call Solis to the stand and plan to question him for hours about the recordings alone.Jurors have heard the conversation between Burke and Solis from the Spring of 2017.Prosecutors say "tuna" was business for Burke's private law firm from developers of the Old Post Office. "I think I've got some good news. I talked to Skydell today," Solis says in the recording. Burke responded."So, did we, uh, land the tuna? If we land the tuna, there certainly will be a day of accounting, you can count on that," Burke replied.Over the weekend, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to prevent Solis' testimony, arguing that the defense is simply calling Solis to discredit him.The defense said its questioning of Solis will add context to the secre...

Which apps do teens spend the most time using?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

(The Hill) -- YouTube remains the most widely used online platform by U.S. teenagers, followed by TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. Some 93 percent of teens between 13 and 17 years old said they use YouTube, while 63 percent said they use TikTok, 60 percent said they use Snapchat and 59 percent said they use Instagram, the survey found.Facebook and Twitter, now known as X, have declined substantially in popularity among teens in recent years. Only 33 percent in the Pew poll said they use Facebook, while 20 percent said they use X.Facebook dominated teens’ social media use in surveys conducted between 2014 and 2015, with 71 percent saying they used the platform. Twitter was never quite as popular as Facebook, with just a third of teens saying they used the platform at the time, but it has fallen steadily in popularity since.About 7 in 10 teens said they visit YouTube daily, with some 16 percent saying they are on the platform “almost co...

Austin FC, Q2 award $150K in grants to 3 area nonprofits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC and Q2 Holdings, Inc. named area nonprofit organizations CareBOX Program, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and Seedling Foundation recipients of the third annual Q-mmunity Gives grant program.Each of the three local nonprofits were awarded $50,000 grants to "focus on advancing underrepresented communities in Central Texas," per a news release.CareBOX Program focuses on mitigating malnutrition, infections and injuries traditionally not covered by insurance, per the release. The organization offers free essentials to cancer patients undergoing treatment, with the nonprofit delivering more than 3,000 CareBOXes and over $1 million in supplies.HAAM connects lower-income working musicians within the greater Austin area with affordable healthcare. The organization has aided more than 6,000 musicians across a seven-county area, connecting them with more than $144 million in healthcare services since the organization began in 2005, per the release. TREN...

Sweat grabs fourth first-team All-America honor, Worthy named to third team by AP

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As bowl season approaches, the All-America team honors are rolling in for the Texas Longhorns.Defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat leads the pack thus far, picking up four first-team honors from the Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press, The Athletic and CBS Sports. He was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year and the 2023 Outland Trophy winner for the nation's best interior lineman.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/newslettersWide receiver Xavier Worthy has picked up two first-team selections that honor him as a punt returner as well. The Athletic tabbed him as a first-team all-purpose player while CBS Sports named him a first-team punt returner. Worthy was named a second-team all-purpose player by the FWAA and third-team all-purpose by the AP. Worthy finished the regular season with 73 catches for 969 yards and returned 20 punts for 358 ...

Local filmmaker Charlie Ainsworth wants to make the Twin Cities the ‘hotbed of Deaf Cinema’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

Filmmaker Charlie Ainsworth is wearing an incredibly Charlie Ainsworth T-shirt: a bit niche, a bit nerdy, a bit sarcastic; all about Deaf cinema.“I vlogged before it was cool,” the shirt reads, next to a stylized photo illustration of a man whose crisply slicked hair and angular face stand in contrast to Ainsworth’s own wild shoulder-length curls and dark beard.The man on the shirt is George Veditz, one of the first people to capture American Sign Language on film. His 1913 recording, “Preservation of the Sign Language,” is essentially a 14-minute monologue by Veditz himself, in ASL, on the development and ongoing importance of signed communication. It’s become a bedrock of Deaf history.But 110 years later, Deaf filmmaking is still an underdeveloped genre.Ainsworth, himself a prominent deaf filmmaker, hopes to change that.The St. Paul native is the founder of Angry Deaf People Productions, an indie film company. His short films, including “Hamburger Airplane” and “How To Caption You...

Troy Police investigating 5th Avenue shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department announced they are investigating a shooting that occurred on December 10. The incident took place on Fifth Avenue. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! On Sunday at 1:30 a.m., police responded to 445 Fifth Avenue following reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers observed multiple people fleeing the area. The initial investigation yielded evidence of a shooting on the nearby sidewalk, but no victims or suspects were found near the scene. Police later located a victim that had been transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. Highland man sentenced to 56 years on rape charges The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Troy Police Department at (518)270-4421.

How living snow fences help keep snow off New York roads

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- During the winter, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) works to remove fallen snow from the roads. After the snow is initially plowed off the roads, snowdrifts, which are mounds of snow that the wind pushes onto roads and highways, can cause major problems. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! "Fine drifts can refreeze on pavements to form treacherous, unexpected patches of ice," said NYSDOT. "Moderate drifts can slow one side of a car, sending it into a spin. In the extreme, deep drifts may accumulate and make a road impassable, unless frequent plowing is done."How does NYSDOT try to prevent these snowdrifts? Sometimes plowed snow built up on the side of the road is enough to stop the wind from carrying snow into the road. Other times, forests can shield fallen snow from being picked up by the wind. In some cases, if there is a large area along the side of a road without any vegetation or large ...

Things of My Very Own seeks new clothing donations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

ROTTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Saturday, December 16, Schalmont High School student volunteers will collect donations for the special one-day clothing drive for Things of My Very Own. The clothing drive will be held at the Dunkin' at 1128 Duanesburg Road from 10 a.m. to noon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Things of My Very Own is an organization that provides crisis intervention services to children who have been abused or neglected. The organization accepted a $3,000 donation from Dunkin' at the end of November."We are proud that Dunkin’ has recognized the ongoing needs of children in crisis in our area,” said Things of My Very Own Founder Rayn Boncie. “More than that, our local franchisees have committed themselves to changing the world around them, one child at a time. We thank Dunkin’ and the Teixeira family for their generosity.” Union College offering expedited transfer application to St. Rose Students Things of My Very Own is...

Great-aunt sentenced to 36 years in prison for beating 8-year-old Denver boy to death

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

The woman who pleaded guilty to beating her 8-year-old great-nephew to death in October has been sentenced to 36 years in prison in Denver District Court.Susan Baffour, a 63-year-old woman from Denver, pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, a Class 2 Felony, on Oct. 16 — a plea deal that dropped the charge of first-degree murder from her case, according to the district court case file.On Nov. 27, Denver District Judge Alex Myers sentenced Baffour to 36 years in prison, 5 years of mandatory parole and $1,928.50 in monetary fines. Myers could have sentenced Baffour to a maximum 48 years in prison.“Dametrious Wilson’s death was a terrible tragedy for his family and friends and for the entire City of Denver,” District Attorney Beth McCann said in an emailed statement. “This sentence all but ensures that Susan Baffour will never be able to hurt anyone again. I want to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office, as well as the detectives with the De...

Colorado wants to curtail use of gas-powered lawn equipment in bid to clean the air. But how far will state go?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:30 GMT

Colorado wants to curtail the use of gas-powered lawnmowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers and other hand-held lawn and garden equipment, but just how expansive those restrictions will be rests with an eight-member commission charged with regulating air pollution in the state.On Wednesday, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission will consider two proposals — including a potential ban on the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment along the Front Range — as part of its efforts to clean the air. One proposal was created by a state agency, the Air Pollution Control Division, and the other was written by a nonprofit whose board is appointed by the governor: the Regional Air Quality Council.Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment contributes to the poor air quality along the Front Range because those tools release tons of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides — two key ingredients in the ground-level ozone pollution that is particularly bad on hot summer days, when ...