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Altar to devil, death found in Mexico fuel thieves’ tunnel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hundreds of police and government agents raided an underground fuel theft terminal in a tunnel in central Mexico on Thursday where thieves had erected an altar to the devil and another to La Santa Muerte, a skeletal folk saint. Prosecutors in the state of Hidalgo said a hidden entrance led them to a 25-yard (meter) long tunnel that reached 12 feet (4 meters) beneath the surface. Inside, they found fuel cisterns and illegal taps drilled into government pipelines. There were approximately 10,000 gallons (38,000 liters) of stolen fuel inside the poorly ventilated space, and hoses to move the fuel. Ten suspects were arrested at the site, and 12 vehicles and drugs were seized.Photos of the tunnel showed that offerings of food and candles had been left recently to the Devil and “Santa Muerte,” a female skeletal figure worshipped by petty criminals, drug traffickers and the poor. Some believe that making offerings to Santa Muerte will protect them. President Andrés Manue...

Fatimah Ashgar wins $150,000 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A debut novel by the poet and screenwriter Fatimah Ashgar has won the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, a $150,000 honor named for the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and given for outstanding work by a woman or non-binary person in the U.S. or Canada.Ashgar’s “When We Were Sisters,” the story of three Muslim-American siblings, was praised Thursday by judges for weaving “narrative threads as exacting and spare as luminous poems, their fragility a mere guise for their complete, unflinching indestructibility.”Ashgar is known for the poetry collection “If They Come for Us” and as the co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series “Brown Girls.” Shields, who died in 2003 at age 68, was an American-born author who spent much of her life in Canada. She won the Pulitzer in 1994 for her novel “The Stone Diaries.” The Shields prize is overseen by the Carol Shields Prize Foundation, which provides grants and other forms of assistance to women and non-binary writ...

Ken Lum wins $50,000 Scotiabank Photography Award

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

TORONTO — Vancouver artist Ken Lum has won the Scotiabank Photography Award.In addition to $50,000, the honour nets the photographer a solo exhibition at the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival in 2024 and a published book of his work, to be distributed worldwide.Prize organizers say Lum uses his art to express his dissatisfaction with the world.Laura Curtis, Scotiabank’s chief marketing officer, says Lum’s works have “inspired a global audience,” including through permanent public art installations.Runners-up Sandra Brewster and Chris Currieri, who are both from Toronto, will each receive $10,000.The annual Scotiabank Photography Award recognizes mid-to-late career artists and was co-founded by Scotiabank and Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky in 2010.Lum is also the founding editor of the Yishu Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, and an officer of the Order of Canada.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2023.The Canadian Press

Chicago police: 3 shot near home in Fuller Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Two women and a man were shot near a home Thursday evening in Fuller Park, according to Chicago police.Two people got out of a car and started shooting at three people near the front of a home around 6 p.m. in the 300 block of West Root Street. Friday classes canceled after fire at Glenbrook South High School According to information from the Chicago Police Department, all three were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in unknown conditions.A woman 19, was shot multiple times, a woman, 37, was shot in the hand and a man, 44, was shot in the leg, according to police.No one has been arrested yet and the incident is still under investigation.

Community voices opinions about Chicago PD Superintendent search

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

CHICAGO -- As the City of Chicago continues to search for the new CPD Superintendent, since David Brown stepped down in March, community members have voiced what they want for the next top cop.Community forums have been going on a weekly basis for a month now. Chicago hires consulting firm to help with search for next top cop Each meeting has taken place on different sides of the city to make sure the decision is reflective of all community members and their desires for the department's leadership.An intimate crowd filled the auditorium of Roosevelt High School in Albany Park for a fourth town hall meeting. Who Might be Chicago’s ‘next’ Top Cop? For the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, having an emphasis on community input is key in their search to nominate three candidates for Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to choose from. The entire process must be complete by July 14.Community members expressed accountability for police misconduct must be a priority for...

Amazon settles case after driver totaled woman's car in her driveway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

LAND O' LAKES, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida woman received a settlement check after contacting WFLA in Tampa's Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken with her story: her car was hit by an Amazon delivery driver and declared totaled.Sara Dooley's troubles started in February when the Amazon driver hit the gas to leave her Land O'Lakes driveway, was going the wrong way and slammed into her car. Even though the damage on her 2018 RAV-4 didn't appear that bad, the insurance company for Amazon deemed it totaled. RECALL: Advil sold at Family Dollar may have been improperly stored "When we got the final estimate for the damages it was about $15,000 worth of damages, so it was over that threshold," she said. "And that's where they declared it a total loss."What's worse — Dooley says she had just finished paying off the vehicle.Dooley signed over rights to the car, but says she received no check and then the runaround. That changed after WFLA reached out to Amazon to find out what the hold up wa...

Lockport man arrested after robbing 7-Eleven at knifepoint

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. -- A 28-year-old has been taken into custody after robbing a 7-Eleven in Joliet early Thursday morning.According to the Joliet Police Department, officers responded to the 7-Eleven on the 1600 block of East Cass Street after 4 p.m. Thursday on reports of an armed robbery. Police: Dating app meet-ups go wrong in Lawndale armed robberies Upon arrival, a man in a facemask and armed with a knife entered the store and demanded money while threatening the clerk. The man then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.Joliet police officers later overserved a passenger in a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect near McDonough Street and South Chicago Street. Officer performed a traffic stop on the 300 block of South Ottawa Street and spoke with the suspect.Joseph Weber, 28, of Lockport, was later identified as the individual who robbed the 7-Eleven in Joliet. A knife, facemask, and cash were in Weber's possession at the time of the arrest.When officers a...

Navy turns to drag to attract new recruits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

(NewsNation) — The U.S. Navy has received harsh criticism after appointing an active-duty drag queen to be a "digital ambassador" in a new effort to attract recruits as it is not expected to meet recruiting goals this year. The military branch designated Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley as the first of five Navy Digital Ambassadors in a pilot program that ran from October to March, according to the New York Post. Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels and who identifies as non-binary, joined the Navy in 2016 and said their experience as a sailor has "been a blessing." If you use TurboTax you may be owed money. How settlement payments will work "This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors," Kelley said in an Instagram post.However, this move by the Navy has received major backlash, some even comparing it to Bud Light's advertisement partnership with TikTok creator Dylan Mulvaney.Former...

Teen arrested after gun found at Kenosha high school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

KENOSHA, Wis. -- A 15-year-old was taken into custody Thursday after bringing a gun to a high school in Kenosha.According to the Kenosha Police Department, officers responded to Bradford High School just before 2 p.m. Thursday after staff became aware of a social media post depicting a student in possession of a weapon while in the school. Police: Dating app meet-ups go wrong in Lawndale armed robberies Further investigation identified a 15-year-old student as the person in the social media post. Officers were able to recover a handgun from the student without incident.Kenosha police report that threats were not made towards any student or staff members.No injuries were reported.

Austin receives nearly 6K comments on light rail design options

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:36:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Transit Partnership received nearly 6,000 community feedback comments on five light rail design options up for consideration since debuting them in late March.The five initial investment proposals were first presented at a community open house March 21. ATP collected feedback on the design considerations through Tuesday, with the entity expected to release its final design recommendation in the coming weeks. ICYMI: New Project Connect renderings feature light rail buildout opportunities in the future At Project Connect's community advisory committee meeting Thursday, staff said they received a wide range of feedback from the public. An initial review of the comments shows strong support for light rail but variations on preferences for individual designs, as well as questions surrounding costs, grade level, route scope and future extension opportunities.Project Connect leaders will release an analysis report comprising community input by May 16. That rep...