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Federal agents, prosecutors going after machine-gun conversion devices in Tennessee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Twenty-six people in Tennessee have been recently convicted or face charges for possessing “switches,” devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into a machine guns, which can be made with 3-D printers and bought on the internet, federal law enforcement officials said during a news conference Monday.Federal investigators and local law enforcement officers in Memphis and Jackson have been trying to slow down the proliferation of switches as they work to stem a growing wave of gun violence, said Kevin Ritz, the U.S. attorney for the federal district in West Tennessee.A Memphis native who was nominated by President Joe Biden and sworn in last September, Ritz said communities “are reeling from gun violence” — a problem worsened by the increased number of switches found in the region. “Switches are illegal and highly dangerous devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into machine guns,” Ritz said. “These devices threaten public safety and make the gun vi...

Actor Jeremy Renner wants tax credits for film projects in northern Nevada but he may have to wait

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Actor Jeremy Renner’s hopes to expand a measure for the film industry to northern Nevada were effectively dashed Monday when the bill’s sponsor said it’s too late to entertain in the current legislative session.A bill moving through the Nevada Legislature would provide $190 million annually in tax credits over at least 20 years aimed at bringing film productions to two sites in southern Nevada, including a $1 billion Sony expansion. Renner, who played the sharp-shooting Hawkeye of the Avengers squad in Marvel’s sprawling movie and television universe, lobbied lawmakers Monday for a third site in northern Nevada that he said could rival film production studios in Atlanta and New Mexico where he shot Avengers and other films.Democratic Sen. Roberta Lange of Las Vegas, the bill sponsor, and Brandon Birtcher, a developer who spearheaded the project said it was too late in the project to add another site. But Lange said a potential amendment cou...

“Mother Nature has no mercy:” Man gets stuck waist-deep in Alaska mud flats, drowns as tide comes in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man who was walking on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him, authorities said.Zachary Porter, 20, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, was submerged Sunday evening as the tide came in, and his body was recovered Monday morning, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel told The Associated Press. A member of Porter’s group called 911 when they couldn’t get him out, but it was too late, authorities said.The accident was the latest tragedy at Turnagain Arm, a 48-mile-long (77-kilometer-long) estuary carved out long ago by glaciers that travels southeast from the Anchorage area and parallels a major highway. At low tide, the estuary is known for its dangerous mud flats made of silt created by glacier-pulverized rocks. At least three other people have gotten stuck and drowned there over the years. Many more have be...

Grenade kills man, injures 2 teens as family looked at relative’s belongings in Indiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

LAKES OF THE FOUR SEASONS, Ind. (AP) — A hand grenade exploded as a family went through a grandfather’s belongings in Indiana, killing a man and wounding his two teenage children, police said.The explosion occurred Saturday in a garage area at a home in Lakes of the Four Seasons, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, the Lake County sheriff’s department said.Bryan Niedert, 47, died and a 14-year-old boy and 18-year-old girl were taken to a hospital with shrapnel wounds.“Investigators are still trying to determine elements of the case including, but not limited to: whether the device may have self-detonated due to its age or other factors, whether the pin was pulled or whether any other circumstances may have been involved,” the sheriff’s department said.The Associated Press

Fire razes Guyana dormitory, killing at least 19 children, mainly Indigenous girls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — An overnight fire raced through a dormitory in Guyana, killing at least 19 students who were trapped and injuring several others at a government boarding school as authorities probe whether it was intentionally set. All but one of the victims were Indigenous girls, officials said Monday.“This is a horrific incident. It’s tragic. It’s painful,” President Irfaan Ali said, adding that his government was mobilizing all possible resources as he requested help from the region to identify the remains of 13 bodies.The fire broke out at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday in the dormitory building of a secondary school that serves remote, mostly Indigenous villages and is located in the border town of Mahdia, a gold and diamond mining community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the capital, Georgetown, the government said in a statement.Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland said “the fire was maliciously set” and began in the building’s southwest corner. However...

Minnesota Legislature completes $72B budget; Democrats celebrate successes as GOP decries tax hikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Legislature put the final touches on a $72 billion state budget Monday as Democrats celebrated enacting an ambitious agenda that ranged from protecting abortion rights, to providing more resources for education, to legalizing marijuana.The big tax bill of the session, which cleared its final test Sunday evening, included $3 billion in tax cuts, including modest one-time rebates from the state’s $17.5 billion budget surplus. But lawmakers also approved tax increases to provide ongoing funding for long-term initiatives like transportation improvements and a new paid family and medical leave program.Democratic Gov. Tim Walz called it “clearly the most successful legislative session” in many Minnesotans’ lifetimes when he spoke to reporters Sunday.Top Democratic legislative leaders agreed Monday as they worked toward an adjournment deadline of midnight. They said they met all the major goals they laid out at the start of the session in January ...

Lil Durk announces Chicago show as part of US Tour

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- On the cusp of his highly-anticipated new album, Lil Durk announced he will be hitting the road once again at the end of summer.Lil Durk will be taking his "Sorry For The Drought Tour" to the United Center on Friday, August 11. His 2023 album "Almost Healed" will be released on Friday, May 26.The Chicago-native has been nominated for three Grammy's for his work on Kanye West's "Donda," and his 2020 collaboration hit "Laugh Now Cry Later" with Drake. LL Cool J, first tour in 30 years, to stop in Chicago With over 24.3 million Spotify listeners each month, Lil Durk also took over the main stream with his hit songs "Broadway Girls" and "3 Headed Goat."Special guests Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, and DD Osama will also be performing during the Chicago event, according to Live Nation.The event will begin at 7 p.m. on August 11.Tickets can be purchased here.

White House threatens to veto GOP measure targeting student loan debt relief program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

(The Hill) - The White House on Monday threatened to veto a Republican-led bill in the House that would block the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program.In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House expressed its concerns with a House resolution to disapprove of the student loan forgiveness plan, which provides up to $20,000 in relief for millions of eligible student loan borrowers."This resolution is an unprecedented attempt to undercut our historic economic recovery and would deprive more than 40 million hard-working Americans of much-needed student debt relief," the administration said in a statement, adding that President Biden would veto the measure if it came to his desk. Future of student loan forgiveness looms over Biden in 2024 The White House further warned that overturning the student loan relief program would disproportionately hurt middle class Americans, noting that roughly 90 percent of the student debt relief is expected to go to individ...

K-Pop group Aespa heading to Chicago in fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- One of the biggest K-Pop groups will be coming to the Windy City this fall.The South Korean group Aespa announced their first global tour "SYNK: KYPER LINE" will make a stop in Chicago at the Rosemont Theatre on Wednesday, August 30."Aespa’s name is derived from a combination of “ae” (avatar and experience) + “aspect.” Each of the four members of Aespa has a correlating avatar in the virtual world created from their personal data," according to Live Nation. The group includes Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning. Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making K-Pop girl group aespa perform during the Circle Chart Music Awards in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)K-Pop girl group aespa perform during the Circle Chart Music Awards in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)K-Pop girl group aespa pose for photos during the red carpet of the Circle Chart Music Awards in Seoul, South Kore...

Manor PD identifies woman killed in apparent hit-and-run near U.S. Highway 290

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:30 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- The Manor Police Department is investigating after a woman was found overnight Sunday into early Monday morning. Manor police said a call came in at 2:48 a.m. about a body in a ditch near Gregg Manor Road and U.S. Highway 290 westbound. MPD identified the woman Monday afternoon as 54-year-old Alisa Allen, a Manor resident.MPD said it's investigating her death as a hit-and-run, and the department is asking that anyone who was in the area between 12:10-12:25 a.m. Monday should contact them if they have information relevant to the case.The Travis County Medical Examiner is examining the cause of death, according to Manor police.