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Rep. Jamaal Bowman triggered a fire alarm in a House office building amid voting on a funding bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman acknowledged triggering a fire alarm Saturday in one of the U.S. Capitol office buildings as lawmakers scrambled to pass a bill to fund the government before the midnight shutdown deadline. The fire alarm sounded out around noon in the Cannon House Office Building and prompted a building-wide evacuation at a time when the House was in session and staffers were working in the building.The GOP-controlled House Administration Committee, which oversees issues pertaining to the Capitol complex, posted a picture of a person pulling the fire alarm who appeared to be Bowman. The committee posted the picture on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, and said the incident was under investigation.A spokesperson for the New York lawmaker said in a statement to The Associated Press that the lawmaker did not intend to trigger a building-wide alarm as he was rushing to make it to the House floor. “The Congressman regrets any confusion,” the statem...

The police chief who led a raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday. Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid.Voice messages and emails from the AP seeking comment from Cody’s lawyers were not immediately returned Saturday. The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Cody’s suspension is a reversal for the mayor, who previously said he would wait for results from a state police investigation before taking action. Vice-Mayor Ruth Herbel, whose home was also raided Aug. 11, praised Cody’s suspension as “the best thing that c...

North Macedonia national park’s rising bear population poses a threat to residents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A rising bear population is posing a threat to people in an area in western North Macedonia, where bear break-ins are increasingly common. A dozen cases this year of bears attempting to break into houses in search of food have been reported by fearful villagers living in the mountainous area of the Mavrovo National Park, the country’s largest. Some villagers have demanded that authorities take urgent measures for their protection.The head of the national Crises Management Center, Stojance Angelov, told The Associated Press on Saturday that in the last five years the population of brown bears in the national park has doubled.“There are between 160 and 180 brown bears in Mavrovo National Park,” Angelov said. “Experts indicate that there should be up to 70 bears in this region, and their number now has doubled.”Angelov said that according to the residents of the village of Zirovnica, there are about 30 bears that feed in the area and oft...

Jimmy Carter admirers across generations celebrate the former president’s 99th birthday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — J. Edgar Hoover became the federal government’s top cop. Ellis Island closed as a portal for immigrants to the United States. France hosted the first Winter Olympics. And a baby in rural Georgia became the first future American president born in a hospital.The year was 1924, and that tiny fellow in Plains was James Earl Carter Jr., known as “Jimmy” from the start.The 39th president was celebrated Saturday at his presidential library and museum ahead of his 99th birthday on Sunday. The party was moved up a day to ensure it wouldn’t be canceled by a potential federal government shutdown that Congress was working feverishly Saturday to avoid. “I think of him as a man who did so much to help low-income people and minorities–and I was both growing up,” said Marcia Rose, who brought her grandchildren from suburban Marietta to the Carter Presidential Center near downtown Atlanta.A native of Buffalo, New York, Rose said she is not old enough to have voted for Carter, a ...

What would a government shutdown mean if Congress can’t reach a late-minute deal Saturday?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With a midnight deadline approaching, Congress was working to avert a government shutdown that would disrupt many services, squeeze federal employees and roil politics.The House on Saturday approved a 45-day funding bill to keep federal agencies open as Speaker Kevin McCarthy dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for passage to send the package to the Senate.House Republicans, fueled by hard-right demands to cut spending, had been forcing a confrontation over federal spending.In a shutdown, some government entities would be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, would still go out — and other functions would be severely curtailed. Federal agencies would cease all actions deemed nonessential, and many of the federal government’s roughly 2 million employees, as well as 2 million active-duty military troops and reservists, would not receive paychecks.A look at what could happen in the event of a shutdown Sunday.WHAT IS A GOVERNM...

Police search for missing 13-year-old girl last seen in Austin neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are searching for a missing 13-year-old girl last seen in the city's Austin neighborhood.According to Chicago police, officers are searching for Jamariae Lee who was last seen leaving her home on Friday. Truck crash in Illinois kills 5, seriously injures 5 and forces an evacuation due to ammonia leak Police say the teen girl stands 5-foot-1 and weighs around 120 pounds. Lee, who has black hair and brown eyes, was last seen wearing a black jacket and brown pants with grey shoes. According to officers, Lee may be in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. Police notified the public about the teen's disappearance in a news release on Saturday afternoon.  2 stabbed during altercation in Chicago’s Loop Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 13-year-old Jamariae Lee is asked to call CPD Area Five Detectives at 312-746-6554.Tips for police can also be filed at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Congregation Beth Israel hosts congregation in new space nearly two years after arson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — "Just a battering of our soul," said former president of Congregation Beth Israel Laura Corman said of a 2021 fire that burned the synagogue. After using worship space at nearby St. Matthew's for nearly two years, the congregation is back at home - just one building over, and just in time for Yom Kippur. ORIGINAL STORY: Arson investigators respond to fire started outside central Austin synagogue "We weren’t able to gather in our home with our worship in our community," Corman said. "Our spaces have changed...but the elements, the essence of or worship hasn’t changed – just in a new space."  The sanctuary itself still has too much smoke damage to hold services there, so staff and clergy converted another building on the property into the new worship space. The original sanctuary - which still smells of smoke - is not usable, Corman said. (KXAN photo/Brianna Hollis)Congregtion Beth Israel converted a nearby gathering space into its new worship space. (KXAN photo/Bri...

Truck crash in central Illinois causes 5 deaths, 5 injuries and ammonia leak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ill. (AP) - Five people were killed and five were seriously injured after a truck overturned in central Illinois, causing a toxic substance to leak from its cargo and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of area residents, authorities said Saturday.A semitruck carrying caustic anhydrous ammonia toppled about 9:25 p.m. Friday night in Teutopolis, spilling more than half of its 7,500-gallon (28,390- liter) load, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said the five dead included three from the same family — one adult and two children under 12. The other two were adult motorists from out of state, Rhodes said. Additionally, five people were airlifted to area hospitals, their conditions unknown. Wainwright gets at-bat, huge ovation in series opener of grand sendoff Names of the victims were not released, nor would authorities discuss causes of death.Emergency crews worked overnight Saturday trying to control the plu...

Officer shoots man who opened fire, allegedly threatened family in south St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS - An investigation is underway as police report an officer-involved shooting Saturday morning in south St. Louis. Police confirmed that shots were fired in the 3800 block of Shenandoah around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reports responded to a call for a subject threatening family members with a gun. Police were initially told the subject was suffering from a severe mental health crisis. The subject reportedly made his way to the porch near officers and became extremely agitated. Investigators say he pulled out a gun and shot at an officer. One officer returned fire and ended up shooting the subject. He was sent to a hospital with critical injuries. No officers were injured in the shooting. Additional circumstances surrounding the shooting are not clear at this time. This is a developing story. FOX2 news crews are headed to the location. This post will be updated with more information as it comes into the newsroom.

Search underway for 'dangerous' prisoner who escaped Phelps County Jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:17:41 GMT

PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. – The Phelp County Sheriff's Office reported that two inmates escaped Saturday morning from the Phelps County Jail. One remains on the run, and one has since turned himself in. Inmates Steven Timothy Scott and Jonathan Eugene Schmidt O'Dell both managed to escape from the jail, with Scott later turning himself to authorities.O'Dell is described as a 33-year-old white male. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 200 lbs. At the time of his booking, he had brown hair, blue eyes, and a full beard; however, he may have shaved his beard to alter his appearance. He was last seen wearing a maroon-colored shirt bearing the Phelps County logo and brown slacks with a tan stripe. It's important to note that O'Dell should be considered dangerous and is currently detained on multiple weapons charges.According to a memo from the FBI, O'Dell is also facing federal charges and allegedly planned to travel to Texas to confront immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. A fede...