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Georgia officials won’t take over elections in state’s largest county, debunk conspiracies

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s State Election Board won’t take over running elections in the state’s most populous county, ending an investigation that had sparked fears of partisan meddling.The board voted unanimously on Tuesday to end its performance review of Fulton County nearly two years after it had begun.Multiple board members said that they want the county to continue to work on improvements before the 2024 election and not to backslide on work already done.“The question is, are we going to draw a line in the sand and say let us go, be done with this, and leave us alone, which is a little bit of what I’m hearing… or are we going to say it’s time to change?” said State Election Board Chair Bill Duffey.Fulton County officials noted that the review panel found no violations of state law or rules across nine elections that it monitored. “I’m proud of the work of Fulton County and what we’ve achieved in the last few years and feel fully confident moving into the future that...

Armie Hammer and his wife, Elizabeth Chambers, reach settlement in divorce

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Armie Hammer has reached a divorce agreement with his wife, Elizabeth Chambers, nearly three years after she filed to end their marriage. Hammer’s attorney filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday informing a judge that the actor and Chambers have come to terms over child custody, child support, spousal support and division of assets. A judge will need to sign off on the proposed agreement and declare the two divorced. The settlement comes weeks after LA County prosecutors declined to charge Hammer in an investigation stemming from a woman’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2017. They cited a lack of evidence to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Hammer said on Instagram that after a long public silence that “I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name has been cleared.” Allegations of sexual violence from women early in 2021 derailed Hammer’s ...

Tesla technology inches closer to becoming industry standard as Rivian joins its charging network

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Electric vehicle maker Rivian says it will follow General Motors and Ford and join Tesla’s charging network next year.The startup truck, SUV and delivery van maker says Tuesday that like GM and Ford, it also will adopt Tesla’s charging connector, another step toward making it the industry standard. Existing Rivian vehicles will need an adapter to link to a Tesla charger. But Rivian says vehicles manufactured in 2025 and beyond will come standard with a Tesla charging port. It is another domino to fall as the auto industry considers switching to Tesla’s connector, which it calls the North American Charging Standard. At present, nearly all automakers other than Tesla use what is called a CCS connector developed with the Society of Automotive Engineers.Tesla’s Superchargers are coveted by other automakers because it has more direct current fast-charging plugs in the U.S. than any other network, and its stations are in prime locations along freeway...

‘Like going to another planet’: What it’s like to visit the remains of the Titanic

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

Five explorers eager to view the underwater wreck of the Titanic remained lost at sea Tuesday as a massive search operation continued in the North Atlantic.OceanGate Expeditions’ underwater submersible, dubbed Titan, was headed more than 700 kilometres off the coast of St. John’s, N.L., when it lost contact with its support ship.The trip was just the latest excursion to a haunted site that has lured adventure-seekers since its discovery in 1985.A look at the expedition:WHY VISIT THE TITANIC?The deadly sinking of the massive ocean liner in 1912 has captured the fascination of historians, scientists and average observers alike. More than a century later, few don’t know it struck an iceberg on its doomed maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York and pulled more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.Don Lynch, official historian of the Titanic Historical Society, visited the site twice in 2001, and said from California that the Titanic is “part of our history and folklore. It’s ...

Trial begins for Virginia school administrator charged with perjury in probe of sex assault case

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — A lawyer for a school system official accused of perjuring himself during a high-profile investigation of two school-based sexual assaults told jurors Tuesday that her client is “the fall guy” for a series of administrative failings.The perjury case against Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman Wayde Byard is the first prosecution to go to trial from a special grand jury investigation commissioned by Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares at the request of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.The grand jury examined the school system’s handling of two sexual assaults at two different high schools in 2021. The assaults became a major issue in that year’s gubernatorial election in part because the boy who committed the assaults was allowed to transfer to another school after the first attack and in part because the boy was wearing a skirt when he committed the first attack in a school bathroom. At the time the county was considering a policy change to a...

Community meeting held as city considers Gage Park Fieldhouse as migrant shelter site

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

CHICAGO -- Residents in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood will get their chance to speak out on Tuesday over plans to use the fieldhouse as a temporary migrant shelter.About 300 single men, who are currently living at different police stations across the city, are expected to move to the Gage Park Fieldhouse as early as Saturday, July 1.On Tuesday, neighbors will be able to ask questions at the St. Clare De Montefalco Catholic Chapel in Gage Park on their concerns about the city's plan to house hundreds of migrants at the local field house. Gage Park Fieldhouse expected to house over 300 migrants While Gage Park's campus will stay open to the public and accessible for general use, the field house will be converted into a respite center.Improvements to the Gage Park Fieldhouse, include a dining hall, two separate shower rooms, activity rooms and other spaces for health, cultural and educational usage.15th Ward Alderman Raymond Lopez said he volunteered this building because it's loc...

Search underway for missing elderly man from Mount Prospect

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. -- The Mount Prospect Police Department is asking for the public's help locating a missing 84-year-old man who was last seen driving to an auto repair shop in Arlington Heights this morning.George Kunz, 84, of Mount Prospect, was last seen driving to an auto repair shop on Arthur Avenue in Arlington Heights around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Search underway for missing Irving Park teen Kunz is reportedly driving a brown colored Ford Edge.The Mount Prospect Police Department also requested that the Illinois State Police activate a Silver Alert for Kunz.Anyone with information regarding George Kunz's whereabouts are asked to contact the Mount Prospect Police Department at 847-870-5656.

'He will be moderately missed': Viral obit unveils the eccentricities of Kentucky man

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

SOMERSET, Ky. (WDKY) — A father's obituary written by his son shares a humorous take on his life.“He will be moderately missed" might be how some imagine a loveless obituary would end, but James Loveless, from Somerset, was a loved man, if his memorable obituary shows anything.The obituary said Loveless was born in Kentucky in 1963.“We might add — Jamie, a divorcee, father, grandfather, and proud owner of a few lots in the trailer park, had enough and up and died on us on June 14 in order to avoid another Presidential stolen-election mishap in the near future," it begins. ‘Kay’s fudge’: Late Utah grandmother’s recipe, engraved on tombstone, goes viral Loveless was said to be known for his appetite, social events, and memorable catering.“On many occasions in life, James was seen in his backyard at the trailer park during the early hours of the morning, hammering beers, standing over country-style ribs, and yelling, 'It's got a head like a cat on it!', while nearby neighbors would p...

Pflugerville-based foster & adoption agency under state investigation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN)-- A social service agency based in Texas with branches across the state has lost its contract with the state and is being investigated for violating state code, The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services issued a termination letter to Lonestar Social Services on April 20, effective June 15. The agency was contracted with the state to help connect children and families for foster care and adoption. According to the Texas Health and Human Services website, Lonestar is based in Pflugerville, with branches in Dallas, Nueces, Smith, Lubbock, Bexar and Harris counties. In its letter, DFPS said Lonestar violated terms of its Child Placing Agency contract, finding it noncompliant with the following rules: The operation must have reasonable financial stability and solvency to provide servicesThe operation must provide services in accordance with contract requirements and Health and Human Services Child Care Regulation minimum standards for CPAsThe opera...

Letters: Cherry-picking data can’t change the facts of climate change

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:01:34 GMT

True and falseTwo pieces in the Sunday, June 18, Pioneer Press made for an interesting contrast.One was Joe Soucheray’s column, which I invariably read. He indicated that nature is very powerful, which is absolutely true, but also that human influence on nature is negligible, which is false. He cherry-picks data, specifically that it was exceptionally hot for four days in 1956, thus implying that climate change isn’t really a thing, because of a hot spell 67 years ago.The other piece was a letter to the editor by Leslie Martin, who I do not know. Martin argues that the “climate catastrophe is here, scary as all get-out,” and appropriately credits the fossil fuel industry and its supporters for it. Martin challenges the Pioneer Press to do its job: “Tell the real story about the climate catastrophe and keep telling it because lives are literally at stake.”Martin’s comments reflect the understanding of the vast majority of scientists. Soucheray’s comments reflect, well, I’m not sure. ...