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Fox News pushes back against reporter’s suit claiming he was fired for challenging Jan. 6 coverage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fox News pushed back Friday against a former reporter’s lawsuit saying he was targeted and fired for challenging false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.The network argued that Jason Donner had not shown he faced illegal discrimination. The nation’s capital bans discrimination based on political party membership or endorsement, but Donner hasn’t shown he joined a political party, nor that his bosses knew and fired him for it, Fox lawyers said. “That law does not protect employees of news media organizations based on their differences of opinion over reporting and commentary on matters of public concern,” Fox attorneys wrote.Donner said in his lawsuit he was a longtime Republican who affiliated with Democrats more recently.The network also questioned whether he had properly informed managers when taking sick time after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether he filed the lawsuit within the time allowed by the law. Donner’s lawsuit s...

US, South Korean and Japanese national security advisers meet to discuss North Korean threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts Saturday in their latest three-way talks on the North Korean nuclear threat and other regional challenges.The meeting in Seoul comes at a time when tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerates the expansion of his nuclear and missile program and flaunts an escalatory nuclear doctrine that authorizes the preemptive use of nuclear weapons.The United States and its Asian allies have responded by increasing the visibility of their trilateral security cooperation in the region and strengthening their combined military exercises, which Kim condemns as invasion rehearsals.U.S. and Japanese officials said Saturday’s three-way talks would include discussions on North Korea’s recent launch of its first military reconnaissance satellite, which Kim has described as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South ...

11 dead in clash between criminal gang and villagers in central Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Eleven people were killed in a clash Friday between gunmen from a criminal gang and residents of a small farming community in central Mexico, authorities said. Dramatic video of the fight posted on social media showed villagers in cowboy hats with sickles and hunting rifles chasing down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire.Police in the State of Mexico, which abuts Mexico City, said the clash occurred in the hamlet of Texcaltitlan, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of the capital. State police said eight of the dead were members of the criminal gang, while three were village residents. Police did not identify the gang, but the violent Familia Michoacana drug cartel has been dominant in that area for a decade.The video appeared to show the attackers wore military-style uniforms, some with helmets. Villagers apparently set their bodies and vehicles on fire.Local media said Familia Michoacana gunmen had shown up in the village earlier deman...

Skilling: Chicago sees warmest Dec. 8 in 32 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicagoans enjoyed the warmest daytime high temperature — 56 degrees — in three weeks today. Not since Nov. 17's high of 60 degrees had it been warmer in the city — and as far as Dec. 8's go, it was the warmest Dec. 8 since 1991 — but what all does that mean for the weather moving into next week for the fine folks of Chicagoland?TONIGHT: Clouding over. A period of rain arrives toward midnight or 1 a.m. — sooner in areas west — and continues the remainder of the night. Isolated thunder is possible.  Mild overnight with a low of 52.SATURDAY: Opens mild — some lingering rain is possible — but will exit by mid-morning. A good deal of cloudiness lingers but with occasional cloud breaks and some mixed sun from time to time. High 52 early — but falling slowly to 40 by sunset. WGN Seven Day Forecast Online SATURDAY NIGHT and SUNDAY: Cloudy spells, breezy and turning noticeably colder. A few passing snow flurries possible. Low Saturday night 30. High Sunday 32.MONDAY: Mostly sunn...

A sweet story: Customers help Loba, a beloved Chicago bakery, move into new location

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Valeria Socorro Velazquez Lindsten's award-worthy pastries have attracted a loyal customer base.So when she needed financial help to get her acclaimed business into a new location, her customers stepped up. Turns out they're sweet on Velazquez Lindsten's story, not just on her pastries.Velazquez Lindsten is the owner of Loba Pastry + Coffee, which has been in the news a lot lately.In May, Velazquez Lindsten moved the business into its new home at 3600 N. Lincoln Ave., at the corner of the Addison, Lincoln and Ravenswood intersection, near the border of North Center and Roscoe Village.Velazquez Lindsten has also been nominated for Pastry Chef of the Year in the Jean Banchet Awards, which recognize local talent in the food industry. Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Jan. 28.Loba Pastry + Coffee moved into its new location at 3600 N. Lincoln Ave. in May.Yes, things are going well for Velazquez Lindsten and Loba Pastry + Coffee these days. But how she's reached this p...

Charges filed against man accused of burglarizing 8 Chicago businesses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Charges have been filed against a man accused of burglarizing eight businesses across the city over a three-and-a-half-month period.According to Chicago police, 18-year-old Vernon Edwards, a Chicago Lawn resident, has been charged with eight felony counts of burglary.  Logan Square resident faces eviction over display of Palestinian flag Officers say Edwards was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged role in the burglaries that unfolded across several neighborhoods around the city between June 9 and Sept. 17. Officers provided the following timeline for the alleged burglaries: 4200 block of West 55th Street in West Elsdon on June 9 & August 22.5200 block of South Archer Avenue in Archer Heights on June 17.4300 block of West 51st Street in Archer Heights on June 17.900 block of West 35th Street in Bridgeport on June 23.5000 block of South Archer Avenue in Archer Heights on June 26.4400 block of South Archer Avenue in Brighton Park on June 26.6500 block of South Pu...

Ryan O'Neal, star of 'Love Story,' 'Paper Moon,' 'Peyton Place' and 'Barry Lyndon,' dies at 82

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan O'Neal, the heartthrob actor who went from a TV soap opera to an Oscar-nominated role in "Love Story" and delivered a wry performance opposite his charismatic 9-year-old daughter Tatum in "Paper Moon," died Friday, his son said.“My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” Patrick O'Neal, a Los Angeles sportscaster, posted on Instagram.No cause of death was given. Ryan O'Neal was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, a decade after he was first diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He was 82. “My father, Ryan O’Neal, has always been my hero,” Patrick O’Neal wrote, adding, “He is a Hollywood legend. Full stop.”“He meant the world to me. I loved him very much and know he loved me too," Tatum O’Neal told People magazine in a statement. "I’ll miss him forever. and I feel very lucky that we ended on such good terms.”Ryan O'Neal was among the biggest movie stars in the world in the 1970s, working ...

Weather headlines: El Nino continues to propel warm December

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

Chicagoans enjoyed the warmest daytime high temperature — 56 degrees — in three weeks Friday.  Note since Nov. 17's high of 60 degrees in the city, has it been warmer here. The high of 56 Friday was 17 degrees above normal and the warmest Dec. 8 in Chicago of the past 32 years (since a 60-deg high on Dec 8, 1991).Only five Dec. 8's in the 81 years since 1942 (the year Midway Airport became the official weather Chicago observation site, with O'Hare to follow in 1970) have been warmer. That means Friday was among the 6% warmest Dec. 8's on the books here over the past 81 years—and it put today's warmth in rare meteorological territory.The warmth Friday was the result of Pacific air — and indications are that a temperature downturn Sunday and into the open days of next week will be temporary. Westerly upper winds are to keep the warmer than normal temperatures dominant over the coming two weeks, which takes up to Christmas week itself.The El Nino pattern — known for producing above nor...

Man walks with long rifle in front of Austin schools, 'terrorized' students and parents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Parents of students at two north Austin schools told KXAN they are terrified of seeing a man with a long rife walk the path in front of their children’s schools for several days, sometimes twice a day, in December. The Austin Police Department confirmed to KXAN that Isaiah Smith, 28, who walked in front of St. Francis School and Webb Middle School with weapons, has also been seen downtown at the Austin Public Library.Isaiah Smith, 28, carries a long rifle in front of an Austin school (Photo Courtesy E.Johnson)“We've seen the individual. He has come in to take care of Library business – he checked out a book. But this is a public place,  and this is an open-carry state, unfortunately. So there's no way we can keep them out at the moment,” said Roosevelt Weeks, Director of the Austin Public Library. “[People] feel the library is a safe and welcoming place,” Weeks continued. “With someone with a long rifle, that's kind of upsetting for a lot of people. That doesn't...

LIST: Holiday events happening this weekend - December 9 & 10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In need of holiday plans this weekend? Below is a list of events taking place Saturday and Sunday in Austin and Central Texas.Saturday, Dec. 9:Lost Pines ChristmasThe Bastrop Lost Pines Christmas Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature Christmas caroling, hot cocoa, popcorn, hot dogs, s’mores, window decorating, letters to Santa and so much more.  The 2023 Lost Pines Lighted Christmas Parade will also take place in Downtown Bastrop at 6 p.m. The parade is expected to have floats, firetrucks, unicycles, vintage cars, dancing, Santa and more, according to the city.“This tradition literally lights up the Bastrop Christmas festivities,” the city said. 59th annual Austin Trail of Lights returns Dec. 8-23 YMCA Snow EventCHASCO Family YMCA’s Christmas Dreams and Snowy Things Celebration in Round Rock begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Santa is expected to arrive between 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.YMCA said the spirit of C...