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Florida’s GOP chairman is a subject in a rape investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The chairman of Florida’s Republican Party is the subject of a rape investigation, though no charges have been filed and his lawyer said he will be exonerated.Still, the investigation into Christian Ziegler comes at a critical time for the Republican Party of Florida: Two Florida Republicans — former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis — are running for president and the state GOP is working to reelect U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. Florida was also key to Republicans winning a slim majority in the U.S. House in 2022 and the party will be defending the newly won seats.The Florida Center for Government Accountability was first to publicly report about the investigation into Ziegler, who is married to Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler. The Associated Press asked the Sarasota Police Department for documents related to an investigation into Christian Ziegler. It provided a heavily redacted incident report. It has several mentions of rape and sexu...

Longtime Kentucky lawmaker Kevin Bratcher announces plans to seek a metro council seat in Louisville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky state Rep. Kevin Bratcher announced his plans Thursday to run for a Louisville Metro Council seat next year, which would culminate a long statehouse career that put the Republican lawmaker at the forefront of school safety, juvenile justice and a host of other issues.Bratcher has been a fixture in the Kentucky House since 1997. He was part of House leadership as majority party whip when Republicans took control of the chamber in the 2017 session, following a tidal wave of GOP victories statewide in the 2016 election. That completed the GOP’s control of the Kentucky legislature, since the party already was in charge of the Senate. Bratcher is now chairman of a House committee that wields jurisdiction over election legislation and proposed constitutional amendments. Bratcher becomes the second Louisville-area lawmaker within days to pass up a House reelection run to instead seek a metro council seat in 2024. Democratic state Rep. Josie Raymond anno...

Shipper costs to rise as regulator approves preliminary interim Trans Mountain tolls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

CALGARY — The Canada Energy Regulator has approved preliminary interim tolls for the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline.The approval will enable Trans Mountain Corp. to begin charging oil shippers once the pipeline expansion, which is still under construction, becomes operational early next year.The newly approved benchmark fixed toll of $10.88 per barrel means oil companies will be paying nearly twice the amount that Trans Mountain had previously estimated back in 2017.The company applied to increase the tolls in an effort to recoup some of its costs after the pipeline expansion project’s construction costs spiralled to $30.9 billion from a 2017 estimate of $7.4 billion.The regulator says its preliminary decision is intended to ensure a tolling structure is in place in time for the pipeline’s start-up. But it says it still plans to complete a more detailed assessment, which will include a formal hearing, of the proposed interim tolls.This report by The Canadian Press was ...

Indiana man suspected in teen girl’s disappearance charged with murder after remains found

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

ARLINGTON, Ind. (AP) — A 59-year-old man suspected in the June disappearance of a 17-year-old neighbor has been charged with murder after human remains were found buried in a pit on his central Indiana property.Patrick Scott of Arlington appeared Thursday in Rush County Circuit Court for an initial hearing. Scott also is charged with obstruction of justice and false informing.He was ordered jailed without bond. A public defender has been appointed to represent him, court records show. A person who answered the phone at the Rush County Public Defender’s office said Thursday that the office had no comment on the case.Valerie Tindall told her parents on June 7 that she was going to work. She worked for Scott who owned a lawn mowing business, according to court documents which detailed that Tindall met Scott and he drove her back to his home early that afternoon.Arlington is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Indianapolis.Tindall later was reported missing.On Oct. 11, cadaver-s...

Publishing industry heavy-hitters sue Iowa over state’s new school book-banning law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

The nation’s largest publisher and several bestselling authors, including novelists John Green and Jodi Picoult, are part of a lawsuit filed Thursday challenging Iowa’s new law that bans public school libraries and classrooms from having practically any book that depicts sexual activity.The lawsuit is the second in the past week to challenge the law, which bans books with sexual content all the way through 12th grade. An exception is allowed for religious texts.Penguin Random House and four authors joined several teachers, a student and the Iowa State Education Association — the state’s teachers union representing 50,000 current and former public school educators — in filing the federal lawsuit.The law went into effect this fall after the Republican-led Legislature passed it earlier this year and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed it in May. In addition to the the book ban, the law forbids educators from raising gender identity and sexual orientation issues with students through grade s...

Skilling: Chilly rain, possible snow for Friday around Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

Chicagoans basked in warmer Pacific air Thursday with high temps which reach 51 at O'Hare and 55-deg at Midway.This was the warmest day since a 54 degree high back on Nov 19th----11 days ago.This final day of November finished close to 7-deg above normal—and in so doing, matched the ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS which have occurred 20 of the past 30 days.  Today marks the final day of the 3 month METEOROLOGICAL/CLIMATOLOGICAL FALL SEASON—and 2 of this season's 3 months have come in well above normal. IT'S BEEN A WARMER THAN NORMAL season here in Chicago.Though 66% of November days have produced temps of 50-deg and higher this month—the fact is, only 26% of the past Nov 30th's have generated temps 50-deg or higher.  So that places today among the 16% warmest closing days of November in the 153 years since 1871.Low pressure is developing on the Texas/Oklahoma border and ingesting a moisture rich flow off the Gulf of Mexico which is to allow its precip shield to grow.  The nor...

Police: Gary man held woman hostage, assaulted her for 3 months

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

GARY, Ind. -- A 34-year-old man from Gary was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly held a woman hostage for three months.According to the Gary Police Department, officers responded to a home on the 2500 block of Jefferson Street after a Lake County dispatcher received a call from a distressed woman just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Baby shot in head, critical after Washington Park shooting A 27-year-old woman told the dispatcher that she was battered by a man in the home and he had broken her nose. She also reportedly said that she was afraid of the man, and that she was calling from the kitchen while he was in the bedroom.The woman asked that the police not be notified as it would "make things worse." The dispatcher notified emergency medical services and the Gary Police Department.When officers arrived they attempted to contact the woman, but a man behind a closed door told them to go away and no "such person" lived there.Officers then heard a woman's voice state that ...

Glen Ellyn police arrest man who allegedly exposed himself to kids on their way home from school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — The Glen Ellyn Police Department have arrested a man for allegedly exposing himself to school children in the western suburbs earlier this fall.Matthew T. Morgan, arrested by the Glen Ellyn Police Department for allegedly indecently exposing himself to minors on Sept. 6, 2023.According to GEPD, officers served an arrest warrant around 1 p.m. Thursday for Matthew T. Morgan in Downers Grove. The warrant included four felony charges — two counts of sexual exploitation of a child under 13, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a child under 13 - expose self, which were the results of an investigation that began in early September. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suburban man showed his genitals to children walking home from school, police say On Sept. 6, GEPD received information that two school children were walking home from class around 4 p.m. when a man exposed his genitals to them. Allegedly, the man told the children they dropped something, before dropping his pants.Mor...

Woman dumped on side of road in north suburbs was strangled, coroner finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — New details have emerged about the woman whose body was found on the side of a road Wednesday morning in Old Mill Creek, prompting a homicide investigation.The Lake County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 39-year-old Megan Lewis of Chicago. Preliminary autopsy reports indicate the woman was strangled to death.The development comes one day after Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded to Hunt Club Road, south of Route 173, following reports of a possible body on the side of the road.Deputies later recovered the body, adding that they believed Lewis was killed before her body was dumped.As of Thursday evening, no one is in custody. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Chet Holmgren called trip back to Minnesota ‘a blessing’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:33 GMT

Chet Holmgren spent a lot of time at Target Center growing up. Well, under it, at least. Holmgren grew up roughly two miles from the home of the Timberwolves and Lynx, and would take the bus or the train downtown to play at the Lifetime Fitness Center located just below the arena.“So I’ve been in this area a lot over my years. It brings back some memories, I guess,” the Oklahoma City rookie center said after Tuesday’s loss to the Timberwolves. “Kind of seeing everything when you’re driving by, it’s like, ‘I used to live here,’ which is kind of weird to think about, I guess.”But something he’s grateful for.“This is my first time playing at home in my home city, which is a blessing,” the Minnehaha Academy alum said. “There’s only 30 NBA cities in the world, and I was lucky enough to grow up in one of them, so it’s obviously a cool moment.”Holmgren had a large contingency of friends, f...