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Longtime Trump ally Laxalt joins PAC supporting DeSantis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, a longtime Donald Trump ally, will help lead a political action committee encouraging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.Laxalt, who roomed with DeSantis at the Naval Justice School, will serve as the chairman of the Never Back Down super PAC, the organization confirmed Saturday.Laxalt chaired Trump’s campaign in Nevada in 2020 and has repeated Trump’s false claims of fraud about that race, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Laxalt was a public face of many of Trump campaign’s lawsuits in the swing state that challenged election rules and results. Trump endorsed Laxalt in the 2022 Senate race won by Catherine Cortez Masto, who was considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in the midterm elections.But Laxalt has remained a close friend of DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a White House campaign soon. Both were Navy judge advocate generals and served in ...

Faith lifted Pittsburgh Jews in long wait for massacre trial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Three Jewish congregations, resolute in their defiance of the hatred that tried to destroy them, are still waiting for justice.But united in their horror and grief, they haven’t been standing still as the criminal case for the massacre that changed everything has crawled through the federal court system. Four and a half years ago, a gunman invaded the Tree of Life synagogue on a Sabbath morning and killed 11 worshippers from the three congregations that shared the building — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. The shooting, in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood at the heart of Jewish Pittsburgh, was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.On Monday, jury selection is scheduled to begin in the long-delayed trial of the suspect, accused of dozens of charges including hate crimes resulting in death.The three congregations are wary of what’s to come. Some members may be called to testify, and they’re bracing for graphic evidence and testimony that ...

2024 Republican hopefuls set to meet with Iowa evangelicals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican White House hopefuls are courting influential religious conservatives at an event in Iowa that marks the unofficial start of the state’s 2024 caucus campaign.The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual spring fundraiser on Saturday evening is attracting, among others, former President Donald Trump, who’s already a candidate, as well as former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who are expected to enter the race. Trump is to appear via video. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered a top rival to Trump, is not attending.The event hosted by a Christian group gives the presidential prospects the chance to make their pitch to evangelicals in a state where Republicans will kick off the nominating process next year. It’s also a shot at making an impression on activists who may be open to an alternative to Trump at a time when he is mired in legal problems and was recently charged in New York in a hush m...

Are Illinois employers struggling to hire workers more than in other states?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

ILLINOIS (WTVO) – Across the U.S., hiring is still a major challenge for employers, even as the national unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in March.However, a new study suggests depending on where you live, some employers may be having a harder time finding people to work than employers in other states.A recent ranking from WalletHub, a personal finance website, sought to rank “states where employers are struggling the most in hiring.” Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on two metrics involving job openings.Those metrics concerned the rate of job openings for the latest month and for the last 12 months.WalletHub ranked Illinois 26th, meaning the state is right in the middle of the pack, not fairing better nor worse than any other state in the nation.Below is the list of the top 10 states where employers are struggling to hire the most, according to WalletHub:AlaskaGeorgiaWest VirginiaLouisianaV...

The scandalous story of how the 'World's Littlest Skyscraper' ended up in Texas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — They say everything is bigger in Texas, but when it comes to skyscrapers in a town just south of the Red River, that couldn't be further from the truth.(Photo courtesy Joshua Hoggard/KFDX/KJTL)The Newby-McMahon Building, better known as "The World's Littlest Skyscraper," sits at the corner of 7th Street and La Salle in Downtown Wichita Falls, Texas. The red brick structure stands a meager 40 feet tall, and its four habitable floors are barely larger than a typical bedroom, measuring 9 feet wide by 12 feet long. It may seem underwhelming today, over 100 years after it was constructed in 1919. But to the residents of a once-booming North Texas city a century ago — residents who were expecting an actual skyscraper — it was downright embarrassing. That's because, according to local legend, The World's Littlest Skyscraper is the result of one of the greatest architectural scandals of all time. The story begins in 1918. Wichita Falls was experiencing a rapid ex...

How to improve your lifestyle this Earth Day

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

Lifestyle specialist Maisha Wynn joins WGN Weekend Morning News to talk about how she made some lifestyle changes to happier and healthier self.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Austin man arrested on murder charge for north Austin shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – U.S. Marshalls arrested an Austin man in connection with a north Austin shooting Tuesday that left another man dead. The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Stacey Easley, 52, for allegedly shooting and killing Johnny Edmondson, 29, at a north Austin apartment complex located in the 8300 block of north Interstate 35 Service Road. Easley has been charged with murder.  PREVIOUS: APD investigating deadly shooting at north Austin apartment complex Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services responded to a 911 call about a shooting Tuesday night just after 10:00 p.m. Officers found Edmondson lying on the ground, and ATCEMS attempted lifesaving measures. Edmondson died on the scene. After his arrest, Easley was booked into the Travis County Jail to await judicial proceedings.     MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? This case is being investigated as Austin’s 24th homicide in 2023.

Traffic alert: I-35 main lanes to close for Williams Drive bridge demolition in Georgetown

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Late-night drivers should plan for Interstate 35 main lane closures in Georgetown overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. The Texas Department of Transportation said the overnight closure is for the demolition and partial removal of the original Williams Drive bridge over I-35. PREVIOUS: Demolition starts on Georgetown bridge, I-35 to close This is part of a $61.7 million project to build a new bridge over I-35 with a diverging diamond intersection, according to TxDOT. Construction began in 2020 and is scheduled to finish in late 2023. Here are the closures that will start at 10 p.m. Saturday:Northbound and southbound I-35 lanes will close between SH 29 and Lakeway Drive. NB I-35 traffic will exit at Williams Drive (exit 262) and re-enter after Northwest Boulevard. Southbound I-35 traffic will exit at Williams Drive (exit 262) and re-enter at SH 29. Eastbound Williams Drive traffic will detour to SB I-35 frontage road and use the U-turn at SH 29 to access Williams...

Austin Energy sends crews to Arizona for Navajo Nation electric grid project

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Soon, many families in the Navajo Nation will be able to turn on the lights in their homes for the first time.A group of utility companies, including Austin Energy and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, are partnering to make this possible. On Friday, Austin Energy sent 11 crew members and 10 trucks to Leupp, Arizona, where they will spend two weeks working on the Light Up Navajo project. The goal is to connect Navajo families to the electric grid. Last year, Austin Energy sent eight crew members to Arizona to work on the project."We went to a place where people had never had lights, some people who have never had power in their homes for generations. And so to get lights on for people who have never had it - to see the appreciation they had is pretty humbling," said Paul Peterson, an Austin Energy distribution electrician supervisor. Austin Energy said the project is important because Navajo families otherwise may have issues accessing running water, reliable ligh...

Timberwolves’ backs are firmly planted against the wall. Can they at least delay their season’s end?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:28:47 GMT

The Timberwolves were frustrated, maybe a little embarrassed and clearly stunned after Friday’s Game 3 defeat to Denver that left Minnesota staring down the barrel of a potential first-round sweep in the NBA playoffs.Anthony Edwards left the locker room after the game without even speaking to the media.A team that entered the playoffs on a high after winning a number of critical games to close out the regular season and dominating its play-in victory over Oklahoma City, the Wolves are suddenly missing their mojo.“Yeah, I didn’t think we’d be here. Honestly, I didn’t think anybody in this room did,” Wolves veteran guard Mike Conley said. “We had been playing really good basketball, playing hard, and doing a lot of really, really good things to get into the playoffs. So, it’s frustrating. Guys are upset.”But the pity party must be short lived. Because the fate of Minnesota’s season, which was originally expected to extend at ...