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Kenya jails 7 foreigners for life over drug trafficking

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Six Pakistanis and one Iranian national who were found guilty of trafficking heroin via the Indian Ocean to Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa have been sentenced to life in prison.The foreigners have been in custody since 2014 when they were arrested and charged with trafficking heroin worth 1.3 billion Kenya shillings ($10 million).Each of the convicts will also be fined 3.9 billion Kenya shillings, the Mombasa court said Friday. They all have a right to appeal to the higher court.The seven were crew members of a ship Amin Darya, also known as Al Noor, and were arrested while on board while the ship was at sea. The ship was destroyed in an operation that was supervised by then President Uhuru Kenyatta, who reiterated the country’s strict stance against drug trafficking.During the trial, the foreigners accused police of tampering with evidence after the ship was destroyed before the case was concluded. The magistrate, however, said the court was satisfied with th...

CTA looking for bus operators, mechanics in Friday career fair

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority is looking for bus operators and mechanics during a career fair Friday.The career fair is being held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at CTA's headquarters — located at 567 W. Lake St.Starting hourly-rates for a bus mechanic are $40.59 and the starting rate for a bus operator is $28.99. ‘She was only 25’: Woman trying to find family of Chicago artist from 1952 To register, click here.

Crib bumpers recalled for violating federal ban

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) – Baby crib bumpers sold online are being recalled because they violate a federal ban.The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall involves NO1 and NO2 baby crib bumpers sold on Aliexpress.com and Temu.com from November 2022 through January 2023. The NO1 crib bumpers are white and gray and have a cloud pattern. The NO2 crib bumpers are white.Photo//CPSCPhoto//CPSCThe recall was initiated because they violate the federal crib bumper ban. The ban was put in place because infants can suffocate if they roll or move on the crib bumper in a position that obstructs breathing. “The use of padded crib bumpers poses an unnecessary threat to the health and safety of infants everywhere, there is no reason the sale of these items should continue,” Sen. Rob Portman said in a press release.  Crib bumper ban: Products blamed in baby deaths can no longer be sold Anyone with the recalled crib bumpers should cut the tie strings and send Meiling Hou a...

Chicago reaches $23M settlement with JUUL over youth marketing claims

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago announced Friday that a $23.8 million settlement has been reached with JUUL Labs regarding claims they marketed their products to juveniles.The agreement resolves a lawsuit brought by Chicago officials in May 2020. In it, they alleged JUUL violated ordinances by engaging in a marketing campaign that targeted minors and sold products without implementing strict age verification requirements.According to the settlement, JUUL has agreed to pay Chicago $2.8M within 30 days of the execution of the agreement. The city would receive an additional $21M payment later this year and may potentially receive up to $750,000 additional, court-awarded payments. PAWS Chicago teams up with Rick Bayless to increase adoptions “E-cigarette businesses cannot be allowed to come in our city and boost their profits at the expense of minors. The use of any tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, among youth is a serious public health concern — to CDPH and parents across Chic...

Mental health money for Chicago and Illinois schools

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

CHICAGO — Fourteen million dollars in new federal funding is on its way to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the Illinois State Board of Education.U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is scheduled to unveil the details of the funding alongside CPS CEO Pedro Martinez at a Friday event. Northwest Side high school students walkout over gun safety concerns According to a press release from Durbin's office, the federal dollars are for "trauma-informed care and mental health personnel in schools," and were approved through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.This post will be updated following the event. Check back later for additional details.

People found living in tunnel under Colorado highway flyover

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) — Police say they found people living in a tunnel beneath a highway flyover in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and now the state is working to clean out the encampment.The Wheat Ridge Police Department released a video showing cluttered conditions inside the tunnel, located under the Highway 58 flyover at Interstate 70. Police said an officer found the encampment after spotting someone climbing into the tunnel. Delays continue after homeless camp found in Oregon tunnel "It turns out people have been trespassing, living there and storing excessive amounts of trash and property throughout the length of the flyover," the department said in a release.In the video released Thursday, officers navigate through piles of boxes and other clutter, alongside hanging clothes, canned goods and other pantry items lined up on a table.People were found living in a tunnel under the Highway 58 flyover in Wheat Ridge (Credit: Wheat Ridge Police Department)The Colorado Department of T...

Summer blend fuel: What it is and why it's more expensive

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - It may not feel like summer in much of the country, but gas pumps nationwide are starting to deliver their summer blends. Though it has environmental benefits, the switch may hurt your wallet. Within a week, prices at pumps across Wisconsin jumped by roughly 20 cents, sending the cost of a regular gallon of gasoline from around $3 to as much as $3.27, Nexstar's WFRV reports. A spokesperson for AAA said the rollout of the summer fuel blend may be partially to blame for the price hikes. It isn't just Wisconsin that receives special fuel for the warmest time of the year. 87, 89, 93: Are you picking the right gas at the pump? AAA spokesperson Devin Gladden tells Nexstar the summer blend stems from regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that were enacted by Congress in 1990. "The EPA sets regulations in the summer for communities that suffer from high and rather poor air condition based on smog and other particulate matter," Gladden explains. "In the sum...

Canadians Sickened By Conservative MP Cooper’s Verbal Assault on Female Colleagues

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

'It's the wild west': Texas legislature may decide future of kratom in state

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – This session, the Texas legislature will look at two bills related to regulating kratom products – an herbal substance that can produce opioid-and-stimulant-like effects– which are easily accessible for anybody over 18 in the state. While Texas looks at ways to make the substance safer for consumers, others states are contemplating whether it should be banned. What is kratom?Kratom products are derived from the leaves of a tropical tree grown in the South Pacific. It has two psychoactive alkaloids – mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine. To feel the effects, the leaves are chewed; dried and smoked; or powdered and put into capsules to be taken orally – how it is commonly sold in Texas.Kratom has been used in southeast Asia for hundreds to thousands of years. It is used to combat fatigue, in cultural ceremonies and to treat medical conditions, such as opioid use disorder. Mac Haddow, senior fellow on public policy for the American Kratom Association, said kra...

Vikings release veteran receiver Adam Thielen after no agreement reached on a pay cut

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:56:09 GMT

Adam Thielen, the Detroit Lakes native who became a Vikings star receiver after making the team as an undrafted free agent, was released Friday after the two sides could not come to an agreement on a pay cut.Thielen was on the books in 2023 for a base salary of $11.817 million and a salary-cap number of $19.967 million. The move will save the Vikings $6.417 million on the cap for 2023 and they will incur $13.55 million of dead money.Thielen is the second longtime veteran to be released by the Vikings after they entered this week more than $24 million over the salary. On Monday, they let go of linebacker Eric Kendricks to save $9.5 million on the cap. The Vikings are still about $8 million over the cap, so they will need to make more moves to get under it by Wednesday’s start of the new league year.After being undrafted out of Division II Minnesota State Mankato in 2013, Thielen was signed after taking part in a Vikings tryout camp. He ended up making the practice squad that se...