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Biden aide, Saudi prince see ‘progress’ toward Yemen war end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke by phone with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making “remarkable progress” toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict, according to the Biden administration.The crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, has had a strained relationship with President Joe Biden over human rights and oil production concerns. But the de facto Saudi leader and the president’s top national security adviser decided to talk amid encouraging signs on winding down the long and bloody war, a top priority for Biden.The call came after Saudi diplomat Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber met with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday for talks that were aimed at accelerating negotiations on ending the war.The White House said in statement that Sullivan “welcomed Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary efforts” to purs...

GOP attorney joins California race for Feinstein Senate seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Republican attorney announced Tuesday he’s entering the 2024 contest to replace outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, joining a growing field in a state known for its liberal political tilt. Eric Early — an unsuccessful candidate for state attorney general in 2022 and 2018 and for Congress in 2020 — said he will campaign for the votes of “forgotten” Californians contending with rising crime, drug use, high taxes and what he called “far-left” ideology creeping into government. He said in a statement on his website that he will “stand up to the Socialist, ‘woke’ interests that control Washington, D.C.” Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, said in February that she would not seek reelection. Her term ends in January 2025. Early, who lives in Los Angeles, will start at a disadvantage.A Republican hasn’t won a statewide race in California since 2006. Democrats dominate the Legislature and the congressional delegation, and regist...

District 113 holds security meeting following gun incident at Highland Park High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Township School District 113 held a community meeting on security Tuesday evening following an incident last week where a student brought a gun into Highland Park High School.The incident sent the school into lockdown, one family telling WGN before the meeting that their freshman daughter was hiding behind a science lab table, with her teacher instructing them to throw books at an intruder if someone were to come in."Our teacher, he was really prepared," said Lily Dahms, a freshman at Highland Park High School, during the meeting. "He had books and he's like if anyone comes in, throw them at the intruder."Police said a student brought a gun into the building. The gun in question was recovered off-site, and one person is now criminally charged in the case. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lockdown lifted at Highland Park High School; 5 students in custody "We are dealing with a problem that shows up at our door. The origin of the problem is not at our door, it's outside our...

Arnold Schwarzenegger, tired of potholes, fills one himself

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) - Potholes have been ravaging streets across Los Angeles and the rest of California, especially after the torrential downpours the region saw this past winter. Recently, nearly 50 drivers on the 71 Freeway in Pomona were forced to pull over, many of them with flat tires, due to massive potholes that opened in the northbound span of the freeway. The problem is affecting all California drivers, including former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Video posted on Twitter by Schwarzenegger on Tuesday showed him personally repairing a massive pothole in his Brentwood neighborhood. Potholes again causing problems for drivers across Southern California “After the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it,” the tweet said. In the video, a neighbor rolled down her car window and shouted her thanks at the action movie star.“You’re welcome,” said Schwarzen...

A few Bulls players know what an NBA play-in tournament is like

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

CHICAGO — The most recent addition to the NBA's postseason format but be new for the leader of the team, but it won't be for a few of his players. The Bulls' "win or go home" game against the Raptors on Wednesday in the 9-10 game of the play-in tournament will be a first for Billy Donovan as he hopes to keep his third season with the team going a little longer. But a couple of his key contributors have taken part in one, including the newest addition to the team after the All-Star break. Patrick Beverley, in fact, was there just last year."To some people, it's a Game 7, to some, it's 'Do or Die.' Obviously, you lose, you go home," said the guard, who was in a Western Conference 7-8 play-in game with the Timberwolves last season.Beverley would help Minnesota knock off the Clippers at the Target Center to advance to the NBA Playoffs as a seventh seed, scoring seven points with 11 rebounds and three assists on the evening. Now he'll be on the floor for the Bulls in a bit of a different...

Blackhawks put Pen's playoff streak in jeopardy after 5-2 loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Buddy Robinson and Andres Athanasiou scored 26 seconds apart in the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks dealt the Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff chances a significant blow in a 4-2 win on Tuesday night.Pittsburgh began the night needing wins in its last two games over Chicago and Columbus to extend the longest active playoff streak in major North American professional sports to 17 years.Instead, Petr Mrazek made 38 saves, Robinson scored just the fourth goal of his nomadic career to give Chicago a late lead and Pittsburgh finds itself on the outside of the playoffs looking in with just one game to go. A few Bulls players know what an NBA play-in tournament is like The Florida Panthers clinched one of the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference following losses by Buffalo and Pittsburgh. The New York Islanders can eliminate the Penguins with a win or an overtime loss against Montreal on Wednesday.Evgeni Malkin's 27th goal of the season 5:28 into the third ...

Large industrial fire prompts evacuation orders in Indiana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (WXIN) — Evacuation orders have been issued for those living near a roaring industrial fire in Indiana that sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky Tuesday.The fire broke out at an industrial site in Richmond, near the Ohio border, that lately had been used to store plastics and other materials for recycling or resale, Mayor Dave Snow said.“They were under a city order to clean up and remediate that site,” Snow told The Associated Press. “We knew that was a fire hazard the way they were storing materials.”Residents within a half mile of the fire were asked to evacuate by the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency. Those further than a half mile from the fire were encouraged to shelter in place.As of 9 p.m., Wayne County EMA said that over 2,000 people have evacuated the area. The fire is expected to burn for a few days, said Steve Jones, the Indiana State Fire Marshall on the scene."The smoke is definitely toxic," he added. When crews arrived, the fire "was ...

Central Health President, CEO stepping down by the end of 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Central Health President and CEO Mike Geeslin announced Monday he plans to "depart" the Travis County healthcare district by the end of this year, according to a news release from Central Health.Geeslin will mark six years with Central Health in May, the release said. “For the past year, I’ve met with the Board about Central Health’s ongoing transformation and thinking about the next generation of CEOs to lead the organization,” Geeslin said in the news release. “Organizations should be deliberate in embracing change and controlling their destiny, and this includes creating leadership change. It’s been almost six years since I started at Central Health, and the time is drawing near for me to move on to the next life phase. With Central Health becoming a more expansive and sophisticated hospital district, the stage is created for a climate of constructive transition.” Central Health to undergo performance review costing more than $845K Since Geeslin joined Central ...

Wild get physical with rival Jets as Central Division title hopes vanish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

The lonely Northwest Division banner that hangs in the rafters at the Xcel Energy Center will officially go another year without any company.After flirting with the Central Division title for a few weeks, the Wild officially cannot finish in the No. 1 spot.That much was decided on Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center when the Wild suffered a 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The result means the Wild will play either the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars in the first round of the NHL playoffs.After looking rather uninspired 24 hours earlier, the Wild got out to another slow start, allowing Jets center Adam Lowry to make it 1-0 minutes into the game.More concerning for the Wild this time around was that they entered the game with their full complement of players. Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin all returned the lineup after resting last game.No matter. The struggles continued for the Wild midway through the first period as Jets winger Mark Scheifel...

Saints use four-run 12th inning to finally put away Indianapolis 10-6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:55:21 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS — The St. Paul Saints pulled out a 10-6, 12-inning victory over Indianapolis on Tuesday. but the host Indians made them work for it.The Saints (5-4) were three outs from winning in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, but the Indians (5-5) rallied each time to get to another extra inning. St. Paul finished things with four runs in the top of the 12th, then held Indianapolis scoreless in the bottom half of the inning.The Saints took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the Indians scored two runs to send the game to the 10th. Both teams scored one run in the 10th and two more in the 11th before St. Paul exploded for four more in the 12th.In the 12th, Kyle Garlick’s RBI groundout with the bases loaded gave St. Paul a 7-6 lead. Mark Contreras followed with a two-run single, and Chris Williams added an RBI single to compete the big inning.The first half of the game seemed detached from the wild ending, but starting pitcher Brent Headrick was terrific for the Sain...