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Blinken heads to Middle East in an effort to contain the war

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - U.S. officials are concerned that the conflict in Gaza could spread throughout the region. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is traveling to the Middle East to make sure progress is made on that front.As Israel continues its efforts to crush Hamas, the Biden administration is doing everything it can to prevent a region-wide war from breaking out.Secretary of State Blinken is headed to the Middle East to focus on fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt outside of Gaza."It is no one's interest… For this conflict to spread beyond Gaza," said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.This is Blinken’s fourth time traveling to the region in three months."He believes we need to make progress on continuing to try to keep the conflict from escalating which is why he's returning to the region," Miller added.Earlier in the week a senior Hamas leader was killed by an alleged Israeli strike in Lebanon.With international criticism of Israel’s operations in Gaza on t...

Winter storm is forecast to hit Northeast, Mid-Atlantic with heavy snow, dangerous ice

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

(The Hill) -- A substantial winter storm is set to hit much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend, with the worst of the weather expected on Saturday and Sunday.Snow is expected to pile up from western Maryland to southern Maine, with the wide-range Nor'easter also bringing severe ice that could make roads treacherous, the National Weather Service warned Friday.The worst of the snow is set for the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut, Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Manchester, New Hampshire, could see between six and 12 inches of snow, according to local meteorologists.Heavy ice is also forecast for Appalachia as the storm moves north and east, threatening travel. Northeast, mid-Atlantic facing first chance of significant snow in almost two years The major East Coast cities are expected to miss out on much of the storm. Significant snow is not forecast to fall in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, or Philadelphia due to high temperatures that are predicted to bring r...

Dean's Reviews: 'All of Us Strangers'

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

In his latest Dean's Reviews, WGN's Dean Richards reviews "All of Us Strangers," playing in Chicagoland theaters this weekend. And don't forget: The 81st Golden Globes, hosted by Jo Koy, kicks off the awards season Sunday night. Jo Koy talks about hosting Golden Globes with short notice Dean’s Weekender: An Elvis tribute, Tony Award winners and stand-up comedy highlight Chicagoland entertainment Get Dean’s reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean’s Downloads weekly newsletter. You’ll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Weekender: An Elvis tribute, Tony Award winners and stand-up comedy highlight Chicagoland entertainment

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

WGN's Dean Richards highlights this weekend's Chicagoland entertainment options in his latest Weekender, including an Elvis Tribute Spectacular at Hard Rock Casino in Gary, Ind., to honor what would've been the King's 89th birthday, Tony Award-winning musicals, stand-up comedy and more. Dean’s A-List Interview: Real-life subjects of the Bradley Cooper-directed film ‘Maestro’ Dean’s Home Video: Dan Levy stars in ‘Good Grief’ and much more in the first picks of 2024 Get Dean’s reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean’s Downloads weekly newsletter. You’ll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius freed on parole after serving nearly 9 years for girlfriend's murder

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was released from prison on parole early Friday morning and was believed to be at his uncle’s mansion after authorities secretly moved the world-famous double-amputee athlete who killed his girlfriend at an undisclosed time to avoid the glare of news crews waiting outside the jail.South Africa's Department of Corrections announced in a two-sentence statement at around 8:30 a.m. that Pistorius had been released and was “now at home.” It gave no more details other than to confirm Pistorius' new status as “a parolee.”Pistorius, 37, served nearly nine years of his murder sentence of 13 years and five months for the fatal shooting of model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013. He became eligible for early release from prison having served at least half his sentence and was approved for parole in November.Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told The Associated Press that Pistorius was pr...

NYC sues bus companies bringing migrants from Texas-Mexico border

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) -- The City of New York has filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen Texas charter bus and transportation companies that have taken migrants to the Big Apple on behalf of the State of Texas, officials announced on Thursday.New York Mayor Eric Adams and Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix announced a lawsuit against 17 bus companies seeking to recoup costs incurred by providing emergency shelter and services to those migrants. Suburbs put brakes on migrant bus arrivals after crackdowns in Chicago and New York New York officials said they are trying to recoup approximately $708 million in expenses incurred in the last 20 months. They argue that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has admitted to facilitating the transport of more than 33,600 migrants to New York City without having the companies transporting those migrants pay for the cost of care, which they say violates New York's Social Services Law.The money for which New York City is suing would also ca...

Win tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

Win four tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters play at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 3 p.m. The contest opens Jan. 8 and closes Jan. 14./**/

Meeting set for $13.9M Minnesota pipeline that would source natural gas from dairy farms

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

BENSON, Minn. — Swift County and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will co-host a public information meeting later this month on a proposed $13.9 million pipeline project.The Swift County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Jan. 2, approved hosting the joint meeting, set for 6 p.m. Jan. 30 at McKinney’s in Benson, Minn.Dooley’s Natural Gas , headquartered in Willmar, is proposing a 28-mile-long pipeline to capture renewable natural gas from the four Riverview dairy operations located in Swift, Chippewa and Kandiyohi counties. Riverview, based in Morris, operates several large dairies in the region.The renewable natural gas will be transported to the Alliance Transmission Pipeline at a connection site in Swift County.Renewable natural gas, often referred to as RNG, is produced by capturing and recycling organic waste materials from farms, landfills, food waste, wastewater facilities and other sources.The Dooley’s Natural Gas project consists of laying 28 miles of two- and four...

SUNY Cobleskill to develop workforce initiatives

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- SUNY Cobleskill will be using $2.7 million to expand existing workforce development initiatives. This funding is coming from the Mohawk Valley's $10 million Regional Economic Development Council Challenge Competition award that was part of Governor Kathy Hochul's annual REDC awards program. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! SUNY Cobleskill's main focus with their portion of the award will be to expand both agribusiness micro-credentialing through its Institute of Rural Vitality and the Project SEARCH program through a partnership with The Arc Lexington. The Mohawk Valley REDC wants to focus on eliminating barriers to employment as well as meeting the growing demand for agribusiness and STEM-intensive industries within the region.The Institute of Rural Vitality aims to boost its farm, food business and entrepreneur micro-credential program to reach a wider audience. The program compresses course sched...

When are Missouri & Illinois getting snow? Tracking the storms

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:50:43 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- When should we expect the two rounds of winter weather in the forecast? Meteorologists Angela Hutti and Chris Higgins have an update on the timing of Friday's snowfall and next week's major weather event.Friday & SaturdayHiggins says that a light mix of rain and snow is likely to spread across much of the region on Friday evening. Temperatures will be just above freezing, so like last week, much of what falls will not stick to road surfaces but may stick to grass and elevated surfaces like decks and car tops.At this time, the most likely areas to see some very light, slushy, snow accumulation Friday night. They are roughly along and south of I-44 in Missouri and through much of southern Illinois. This area may see a dusting or up to a half inch of snow. One or two spots may be close to one inch, but that's going to be the exception.Snowfall potential for MissouriThe timing for the Friday night "mini-storm" is centered between 5 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday mornin...