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IOC’s Bach defends Russia stance amid pro-Ukraine protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

ESSEN, Germany (AP) — International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach defended his organization’s efforts to create a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition in a speech in his home country of Germany which took place amid a pro-Ukraine protest Wednesday.Bach reiterated the IOC’s position that it would be discriminatory to exclude Russians and Belarusians based on citizenship alone and argued the Olympics can help promote dialogue at a tense time. Public broadcaster WDR reported nearly 200 pro-Ukraine protesters gathered outside the venue calling for Russia to be excluded entirely from the Olympics.The IOC recommended excluding Russia and Belarus on safety grounds soon after the invasion last year but now argues for letting the two countries’ athletes compete as neutrals without national symbols ahead of a packed calendar of qualification events for the 2024 Paris Olympics.Bach said he opposed political influence on sports and any...

Jill Biden: It’s time for men to step up for women’s rights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden on Wednesday used a Women’s History Month event at the White House to call on men to step up and fight to protect women’s rights.The first lady, speaking ahead of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, didn’t mince words as she lamented that women find themselves relitigating “battles that we thought we had won a long time ago.”“We need more men to hold each other accountable when women are being hurt or being left behind,” she said.The Supreme Court declared last June that states can ban abortion. Since then, Republican-controlled legislatures across the country have rolled out regulations shortening the period when a woman can get an abortion and otherwise restricting abortion access.“The fight for women’s equality should have an end,” the first lady said.President Biden in his remarks vowed that his administration remained focused on improving the economic status of women, and argued that all maj...

Uniquely New Orleans mayoral recall effort fails

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Because it happened in New Orleans, an effort to oust the mayor over typical big city complaints — high crime rates, slacking services, alleged misuse of taxpayer property — was anything but typical.Recall petition signatures were gathered during Mardi Gras parades. A brass band played and people danced on the sidewalk as organizers lugged boxes of signatures into City Hall. Disgruntled residents complained that dead people were still populating the voter rolls. It was political tumult, Louisiana style.In the end, the effort failed. The petition to force Mayor LaToya Cantrell into a recall election resulted in only 27,243 valid signatures, state officials announced Tuesday — about 18,000 short of what organizers needed. “Clearly, a weight lifted,” Cantrell, the city’s first woman mayor, said at a Wednesday news conference. She also made it clear she doesn’t think her political battles are over.“There’s been intentional orchestration to discredit ...

North Carolina House passes bill limiting racial teachings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House passed a previously vetoed proposal Wednesday to restrict how teachers can discuss certain racial topics that some lawmakers have equated to “ critical race theory.”The House voted 68-49 along party lines for legislation banning public school teachers from compelling students to believe they should feel guilty or responsible for past actions committed by people of the same race or sex. United in their opposition, House Democrats challenged Republican claims that the bill would reduce discrimination and argued that a comprehensive history education should make students uncomfortable.Republican seat gains in the midterm elections give them greater leverage this year to override any veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who successfully blocked a similar proposal in 2021 and urged legislators this month in his State of the State address, “Don’t make teachers re-write history.” But Republicans, who are one seat ...

Texas university students protest drag show’s cancellation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

CANYON, Texas (AP) — Protests continued Wednesday at a university in the Texas Panhandle after the school’s president said a planned campus drag show wouldn’t be allowed and expressed the view that such events “discriminate against womanhood.”Dozens of students gathered for the protests for a second day at West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, just south of Amarillo. The students have been waving gay pride flags and holding signs that included the sayings “Women for Drag,” “Drag is Rad” and “Everybody Say Love.” In a Tuesday opinion column laden with religious references, the university’s president, Walter Wendler, wrote that “drag shows are derisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny, no matter the stated intent.” He also wrote that “drag shows stereotype women in cartoonlike extremes for the amusement of others.”In recent months, drag shows across the country have been targeted by right-wing activists and politicians, with Republica...

Report: Notre Dame finalizing deal to hire Penn St's Shrewsberry as new head coach of men's basketball team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame has found the successor to long-time men's basketball coach Mike Brey after his retirement at the end of the Fighting Irish's 2022-23 season.According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Notre Dame is finalizing a deal to sign Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry as the next leader of their men's basketball program. Chicagoland’s Caden Pierce, Blake Peters power Princeton to Sweet 16 Shrewsberry's Nittany Lion squad finished the year 23-14 with a 10-10 record in the Big ten and is fresh off an impressive run to the Big Ten Tournament at the United Center. Penn State advanced all the way to the title game as a no. 10 seed before being ousted by eventual champion Purdue, 65-67, back on March 12. The Nittany Lion's run helped propel them to a no. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they beat no. 7 seed Texas A&M in the first round, 76-59, before succumbing to no. 2 seed Texas in the second round of the tournament, 66-71. UCLA beats Northwestern 68-63 to ad...

Kansas family lived with man's dead body for 6 years, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (WDAF) – Six years: that's how long Overland Park Police say a dead body was at a home southwest of Kansas City. Relatives said the body of Mike Carroll wasn't there alone. As many as four other people may have been living with that body since 2016.Overland Park Police found Carroll's body on a bed when they visited the home in October 2022. He was 81 years old at the time of his death.The Social Security Administration is now in charge of the criminal investigation into what happened, a spokesperson for the Overland Park Police Department told Nexstar's WDAF.Other family members, blindsided by the news, told WDAF they are shocked the lies lasted this long. Family said investigators told them that they were able to look at the pacemaker and determine Carroll's heart stopped on July 1, 2016. Possible tornado damages buildings near Los Angeles WDAF connected with Carroll's nieces who live out of town. They said Mike was living with his daughter all this time, or ...

Illinois native, community share excitement for her 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' on 'The Voice'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) -- It's not every day you see a hometown teenager on national television, but this was the case for many people in Paxton on Monday while watching 18-year-old Gina Miles on NBC's singing competition "The Voice.""It was so exciting to watch her live on television," said Virginia Buler, Gina's aunt. "She has been working hard on her music these last few years, and being on the show is such a huge step for her in her career."Gina performed a cover of Katy Perry's song titled "The One That Got Away" on Monday's episode. Judges Kelly Clarkson and Niall Horan turned around in their chairs for her during the performance. Will Ferrell spotted in Central Illinois “Performing on national television was a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Gina, who now lives in Sacramento, Calif. with another aunt. "I’m so grateful that I was given the opportunity. I was nervous because I’d never done a performance of that scale before, but I’m so excited that things went well!” P...

Rockford native teams with Steven Spielberg to bring 'Smash' to Broadway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES (WTVO) — Rockford native and former WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt is teaming with Steven Spielberg to bring the TV show "Smash" to Broadway.Greenblatt, who attended Boylan Catholic High, started his career with FOX Broadcasting and helped develop shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, The X-Files and Party of Five before moving over to Showtime, where he oversaw the development of shows such as Dexter, Californication, and Weeds.As head of NBC Entertainment, Greenblatt shepherded shows such as Chicago Med and Chicago Fire, The Black List, This is Us, and The Voice. Lollapalooza 2023 official lineup revealed Greenblatt became head of WarnerMedia Entertainment in 2019 and oversaw the launch of the streaming service HBO Max before being let go when the company restructured in August 2020.In the series "Smash," viewers watched the long process of casting, composing, mounting and rehearsing a ...

Judge orders no bond for 18-year-old accused of killing CPD officer Andres Vasquez Lasso

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Steven Montano, the 18-year-old accused of shooting and killing Chicago police officer Andres Vasquez Lasso, appeared in court Wednesday afternoon.A judge in Cook County Criminal Court ordered no bond for Montano, who faces first degree murder charges, after ruling he posed a danger to the community and is a flight risk. Harvey man sentenced in Will County after high-speed chase from Cook County Prosecutors alleged Montano and his 37-year-old girlfriend were arguing at their Gage Park home in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue back on March 1. According to a bond proffer, Montano allegedly "charged with his hands outstretched at his girlfriend who stepped out of the way to avoid being struck."Court documents showed that Montano allegedly threatened to get a gun and his girlfriend left the house to call 911.Court documents also showed that officers said when police arrived at the home, Montano, "jumped out of the window of the residence, into the gangway and fled t...