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Police video shows police knew Maine shooter was a threat. They also felt confronting him was unsafe

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine feared that confronting an Army reservist prior to the worst mass shooting in state history would “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,” according to video footage released by law enforcement.The footage release on Friday documents a call between Sgt. Aaron Skolfield of the Sagadoc County Sheriff’s Office and Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer. Skolfield was following up with Reamer about the potential threat posed by Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist from the Lewiston area.Skolfield mentioned Maine’s yellow flag law after Reamer said Card had refused medical treatment after his hospitalization during his Army service. Under Maine’s yellow flag law, a warning to police can trigger a process where an officer visits an individual and makes a judgment call on whether that person should be placed in temporary protective custody, triggering assessments that with a judge’s approval can lead to a 14-day weapons restriction. A full c...

Man charged following armed carjacking robbery in Mississauga

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

Investigators from the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) and Peel police’s Central Robbery Bureau (CRB) have charged a 35-year-old man after an armed carjacking in Mississauga. On Dec. 19, at approximately 11:45 p.m., a 34-year-old woman from Mississauga was allegedly in a parking lot near Queen Frederica Drive and Bloor Street. The suspect, armed with a firearm, approached her and demanded her vehicle. Fearing for her safety, the victim complied and the suspect drove away in her car. The victim did not sustain any injuries from the robbery.The PCJTF and CRB quickly located the suspect a short distance away and he was taken into custody without incident. At the time of arrest the suspect had an edged weapon and a replica firearm that were seized by police. The victim’s vehicle was recovered.Michael Birchall, a 35-year-old man from Mississauga, has been charged with robbery, use imitation firearm while committing an offence, two counts of possession of property obt...

Aurora City Council calls special meeting to discuss unscheduled arrival of migrants bused to city from Texas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

AURORA, Ill. — The Aurora City Council scheduled a special meeting Friday afternoon to discuss the recent influx of migrants arriving by bus from Texas.Aurora city officials say buses coming from Texas have started dropping migrants off at the Aurora Transportation Center. According to city officials, the migrants are then encouraged to board Metra trains and head to Chicago. WGN Investigates: ‘We are not all bad’: Migrants stuck waiting at O’Hare, facing uncertain future in latest kick of ‘political football’ from Texas The Aurora City Council scheduled the special meeting Friday afternoon to discuss the migrant issue. The agenda calls for discussion of a proposed ordinance that would define and prohibit the types of "unscheduled bus stops" that are dropping migrants off. The ordinance would also require transportation companies to give the city at least five days of notice to get approval for a drop-off, which would only be granted if a detailed care plan is provided for the pas...

Push for federal help as more migrants arrive to Chicago

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

CHICAGO — More migrants arriving in Chicago on Friday as Illinois lawmakers increase pressure on the White House to help with the migrant crisis.A group of migrants were dropped off at a truck stop along Interstate 57 Thursday in Kankakee. Some were picked up from there, while others began to walk the more than 60 miles towards Chicago. Those migrants should have been taken to 800 South Des Plaines Street, which is the landing zone for new asylum seekers coming into the city. Planeload of migrants sent to O’Hare Airport by Texas emergency management officials, City of Chicago confirms Following the incident, suburban leaders are taking action. The village of Tinley Park has issued a community alert, urging residents to contact police if they see any buses in the area attempting to drop off passengers.Other municipalities have scheduled special meetings to discuss the arrival of migrants.More than a dozen migrants were dropped off at a Greyhound station in the Loop Friday morning. ...

US to begin 2024 with smallest military in over 80 years

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The United States is set to enter the new year with its smallest military in over 80 years.  According to the Department of Defense, the Army, Navy and Air Force missed their recruiting goals in 2023 by a combined 41,000 personnel. “We didn’t get into this problem overnight and it’s not going to be solved overnight,” Pentagon Press Secretary, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. “But we are confident that we will continue to see those numbers increase and it’s something that will obviously continue to work very hard at.” Ryder says heading into 2024, the Defense Department’s greatest challenge is recruitment. “We don’t take anything for granted,” Ryder said. “At the end of the day one of the strengths is that we are an all-volunteer military and each of us here takes the oath of office and the oath to protect and defend the constitution by choice, no one is making us do this.” But Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) says Congress is partly to blame for t...

As funding for Ukraine runs out, U.S. leaders still hope to support the war effort

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Aid for Ukraine is about to run out, but U.S. leaders say they aren't abandoning the country. They're still expressing support for the ally's war effort as they continue to pressure Congress to approve more funding. The Pentagon is preparing to send one last round of military aid to Ukraine at the end of December. "Once those funds are obligated, we will have exhausted the funding available for us to provide security assistance to Ukraine," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said. That leaves the U.S. extremely limited in how it can help."There is no magical pot of money we can draw from," Sec. of State Antony Blinken said. U.S. leaders aren't giving up on supporting the war effort, though. On Friday President Biden signed an executive order targeting financial institutions that help Russia restock its military arsenal. Plus, the Biden Administration is still hoping Congress will approve the supplemental funding request ...

Mothers with high-risk pregnancies more likely to face mental health concerns, specialist says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This hospital visit is different for Heather Friedman and her husband Dr. Andrew Well. Together, they breathe a sigh of relief as they walk into Dell Children’s Hospital with their 17-month-old son, Alex. It's an exciting reunion between Alex and the trio of people who helped him and his parents settle into family life. It wasn’t too long ago that Heather and Andrew were worried their son may not even make it out of the NICU. KXAN anchor opens up about postpartum complications; how new parents can get help “At our 20-week scan, he was measuring way too small,” Friedman told KXAN’s Britt Moreno. The pregnancy was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction. “They said he could make it to term, he could not, he could pass,” Friedman said. Just as the parents were trying to process this devastating news, they were then faced with a traumatic labor and delivery. Alex was born three months early weighing just 1.5 pounds. Feeding and breathing tubes kept Alex alive ea...

What’s at stake for Vikings over the next few weeks? Here’s how they can make the playoffs.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

Technically, the Vikings still control their own destiny as they work toward locking up a playoff spot.Though they can’t win the NFC North without some help, if the Vikings go 3-0 to end the regular season, they have a 100 percent chance of at least making the playoffs.Even if they go 2-1, according to a New York Times simulator, they have a 98 percent chance of making the playoffs as a wild card.Naturally, it gets much murkier if they go 1-2, with the odds evaporating completely if they go 0-3.That sets the stage for the Vikings’ home game against the NFL North-leading Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve at U.S. Bank Stadium.It will be the first matchup between the teams with the second matchup coming in a couple of weeks when the Vikings travel to play the Lions in Detroit in the season finale the first week of January.Sunday is an important game spliced in between with the Vikings playing host to the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve at U.S. Bank Stadium.How are th...

Gophers QB Cole Kramer’s pre-wedding plan takes backseat to first start

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

Before tying the knot, Cole Kramer wants to put a bow on his Gophers football career.The fifth-year senior quarterback will marry Katie Miller in Rochester, Minn., in early February, but first he wants to cap his U career with a win over Bowling Green in Tuesday’s Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.Kramer’s playing days were set to end in a behind-the-scenes supportive role in late November. The backup QB notified coaches he would hang up his No. 12 jersey after the regular-season finale against Wisconsin. He took part in the pregame Senior Day festivities that day as part of a sendoff.But within days, starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and third-stringer Drew Viotto exited the program via the NCAA transfer portal.Gophers coaches had been supportive of Kramer’s decision to retire, but given the circumstances, they soon contacted him about running it back for one more month.Getting in the habit of saying vows, Kramer quickly said yes.“As a kid that grew up in Minnesota, that was my...

St. Louis man sentenced to 20 years for transporting over 31 pounds of meth

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 16:15:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A 56-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole on December 22. Cregg L. Matthews was caught with over 31 pounds of methamphetamine in his luggage at a Kansas City bus station. He was found guilty on June 6, 2023, for possessing and intending to sell drugs.Back on March 9, 2019, investigators received a tip that Matthews, traveling by bus from California, would arrive in Kansas City with a large amount of meth. The K9 unit detected drugs in Matthews' suitcase and a black bag he was carrying. St. Peters man catches state record fish from Missouri River Matthews, previously convicted for drug offenses and statutory rape, had been released from parole a year before committing this federal offense. He was also involved in a jail fight while in pre-trial custody.