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Surburban driver suspected in deadly head-on crash was allegedly high on cocaine, deputies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A Crystal Lake man suspected of being under the influence of drugs amid a deadly head-on collision last February now faces multiple felonies in connection with the crash, the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday.Traffic crash investigators conclude that Craig B. Muzard, 74, was under the influence of cocaine while driving on Route 59 south of Route 132 in unincorporated Lake Villa the night of Friday, Feb. 3. Investigators said the influence of drugs played a "direct role" in the crash and death of George V. Giannakakis, who was 73 years old at the time. Man, 55, hit by 2 different vehicles while crossing street on Northwest Side Muzard was arrested on Wednesday and charged with aggravated driving under the influence of drugs, resulting in death and reckless homicide.Deputies say Muzard was driving a GMC Acadia northbound on Route 59 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered into the southbound lanes. The GMC struck a Kia driven by Giannaka...

Ed Burke trial: Third day of jury deliberations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Jury deliberations continue for a third day in Ed Burke's federal corruption trial.A jury of nine women and three men have been discussing the case for nearly 13 hours across three days.They are spending time going through a complex list of charges that include racketeering, extortion and bribery. The main question the jury is asking on each count is whether the government met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.Burke is accused of four different alleged schemes of using his public power to enrich himself and win favors for friends.On Tuesday, the jury sent three written notes to Judge Kendall. One note requested more copies of the indictment. The other involved questions on how to interpret the law in specific cases.One of Burke's co-defendants, Peter Andrews, was hospitalized Tuesday. He is back at the Dirksen Federal Building Wednesday. Ed Burke trial: Previous coverage from Tuesday The jury is scheduled to deliberate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this whole week un...

Trump blocked from Colorado ballot: 5 takeaways

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

The Colorado Supreme Court’s extraordinary decision disqualifying former President Trump for office under the 14th Amendment ignited a firestorm among politicians and legal observers, who now stare down the possibility of Trump being removed from the ballot next year. The full ruling, which includes the majority opinion and three separate dissents, spans 213 pages filled to the brim with analysis of the amendment’s text and the use of Colorado election law to enforce it. Trump and his allies have broadly attacked the ruling, which marks the first state to kick Trump off the ballot, as unconstitutional and partisan. Trump’s team has vowed to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s ruling. Decision wades into ‘uncharted territory’ The Colorado Supreme Court’s landmark ruling raises the possibility that a major candidate for the presidency could be left off the ballot. In their decision, the state justices made clear tha...

SiriusXM accused of trapping customers in unwanted subscriptions in New York lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — New York's Office of the Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM, accusing the company of trapping customers in subscriptions.New York AG Letitia James said in a statement released Wednesday that SiriusXM forces customers to call the company or chat online with a representative to cancel a subscription. She added that the process is intentionally long to stop customers from canceling.According to James, SiriusXM representatives have been trained to "not take 'no' for an answer when customers try to cancel." Through their investigation, New York's OAG said it also found agents are trained to keep customers on the phone when they try canceling subscriptions using a "lengthy six-part conversation." During that conversation, authorities said agents make as many as five retention offers to keep customers. Parents sue Michigan school district over pronouns The OAG also found that while SiriusXM can cancel a subscription with a "click of a button,"...

Florida man arrested after tossing 16-year-old dog in dumpster, deputies say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man has been arrested after deputies said he tossed his 16-year-old dog in a dumpster last week.Deputies said employees at a Lehigh Acres Family Dollar found a trash bag inside a dumpster with something moving inside it on Thursday, Dec. 14.Stuffed inside the trash bag was Xyla, a 16-year-old Shih Tzu, with a rope around her neck, the sheriff's office said.(Lee County Sheriff's Office)The employees rushed Xyla to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital for evaluation and called the sheriff's office to report the incident.Investigators with LCSO's Animal Cruelty Task Force and East District detectives were called to the scene and were able to find surveillance footage of what happened.Deputies said the video showed the suspect remove a bundled-up trash bag from his trunk and toss it into a dumpster from several feet away, deputies said."You can see on this video that he has absolutely zero regard for Xyla," Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a news conference. "N...

Analysis suggests Texans work longer hours than workers in any other state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Everything is bigger in Texas, including an employee's drive to work long hours, apparently. According to an analysis of 2022 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, folks in Texas clocked more time on average than any other state.The analysis by personal finance website Wealth of Geeks showed that employees in Texas work around 34.42 hours a week on average. Louisiana came in second with employees working 34.37 a week, and then West Virginia at around 34.11 hours weekly. These findings come soon after Financial Buzz published an analysis showing Austin as the third most overworked city in the U.S. The finance website looked at factors like hours worked per week, percentage of active workers over 65, and percentage of workers with two plus jobs in the analysis. In its study, Financial Buzz found that Austin had a high number of households where more than one person worked a full time job and that Austinites worked a high number of hours per week ...

Wimberley's New Year polar plunge returns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Wimberley's Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday its annual Polar Bear Plunge & 5K event returns Jan. 1.The 5K course begins at Blue Hole Regional Park — located at 333 Blue Hole Lane — and travels through downtown Wimberley before ending with a plunge into Cypress Creek. Event check-in begins at 9 a.m. Jan. 1, with a 5K start time slated for 10 a.m. The polar bear plunge is set to wrap at 1 p.m.Festivities include music, food and drink vendors, games, prizes and a warming fire pit visitors can gather around, the release added.Regular registration costs $35 a person, while day-of registration goes for $45 a person. Those interested can sign up online. Registration includes access to the 5K, an event t-shirt, drink tickets and a swag bag, officials said."We're thrilled to invite everyone to join us for the Polar Bear Plunge & 5K – an event that symbolizes the spirit of adventure, community, and a fresh start in the New Year...

Minnesota Ice Festival canceled because of warm weather that could turn structures ‘hazardous’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

The 2024 Minnesota Ice Festival has been canceled. Organizers said that unseasonably warm weather raises safety concerns for both ice construction workers and visitors.The festival, which would have run from Jan. 5 to Feb. 11 at Viking Lakes in Eagan, was set to have included the world’s largest ice maze, plus other structures and sculptures. These can become hazardous if temperatures are too warm, organizers said.If you already have tickets, the festival is issuing automatic refunds that should be processed within seven to 10 days.“We were really looking forward to celebrating the beautiful Minnesota winter with everyone, but the weather hasn’t cooperated, and we won’t be able to deliver the experience we had hoped for,” said Robbie Harrell, the CEO of ice company Minnesota Ice, in a statement Wednesday. The festival plans to return next year, he said.As for the ice itself, it has already been delivered to the festival site in Eagan, so organizers are keeping it under insulation fo...

Suburban favorite Andiamo set to open on Snelling Avenue next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

St. Paul’s Italian food scene will grow one size bigger next month: Longtime East Metro favorite Andiamo Italian Ristorante is headed our way.The restaurant, which has locations in Eagan and Woodbury, plans to open a third spot on Snelling and Ashland avenues, where Buffalo Wild Wings used to be. They’ll be up and running in January, the restaurant announced on social media.Andiamo originally opened almost exactly 13 years ago in Eagan — during its first week, then-Pioneer Press critic Kathie Jenkins praised the food as “irresistible” — and launched its Woodbury location in 2020.The restaurants are owned by chef Ramon Ruiz, who had previously spent over a decade and a half at Bucca di Beppo in St. Paul.For Ruiz, the name Andiamo is a reminder to keep moving forward, he said when the Eagan location opened in 2011.“It means, ‘Let’s go, Let’s go,'” he said. “”It injects energy.”Andiamo Italian Ristorante: Opening January 2024 at 80 N. Snelling Ave.; ...

Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Minnesota’s program to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income is costing the state more than expected because of a jump in demand.When Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the legislation last spring, advocates said the free meals would ease stresses on parents and help reduce childhood poverty while lifting the stigma on kids who rely on them. Thousands of schoolchildren who didn’t previously qualify have been getting the free meals since Minnesota this fall became the country’s fourth state to offer universal free school meals. The number has since grown to at least eight.Republican lawmakers objected to the program as it moved through the Legislature, saying it was a poor use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize meals for students whose parents could afford them. Now, with costs rising faster than expected — $81 million more over the next two years and $95 million in the two years after that — some question whether the state can a...