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Surburban nonprofit ‘Tookie’s Voice’ answers call for domestic violence victims 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. — Sharon Pughsley says he taught her daughter everything. But the one thing she couldn't teach her, she admits, was how to dodge a bullet. It has been almost three years since Pughsley’s only daughter, Tanisha, was gunned down by an abusive ex-boyfriend. The Montgomery, Alabama police detective was killed in her home after taking out an order of protection against him. On Wednesday, the accused ex-boyfriend was sentenced for the July 2020 killing - life without the possibility of parole. SEE ALSO: GoFundMe created by mother of boy shot and killed in Palatine“There are some days I don’t even want to get up out of bed, but I listen to her, and I think about my daughter - the awesome young lady she was and is because she is still with me,” Pughsley said.  Tanisha Pughsley (Photo courtesy of Sharon Pughsley)In the wake of her daughter’s death, Pughsley started ‘Tookie's Voice,’ a nonprofit dedicated to helping women escape abusive relationships. Pughsley works with...

Gannett sued for alleged 'discrimination against non-minorities'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

(The Hill) — Five current and former employees at the newspaper giant Gannett filed a lawsuit against the company last week, alleging that its internal policies discriminate against white employees.The employees claimed they were either fired or passed over for promotions in favor of less-qualified women or people of color in order to comply with company diversity policy.The policies implemented by the company in 2020 state an intent for Gannett newsrooms to better represent the demographics of the communities they cover by 2025. Detained Trump co-defendant was arrested earlier this year "Gannett executed their reverse race discrimination policy with a callous indifference towards civil rights laws or the welfare of the workers, and prospective workers, whose lives would be upended by it," the lawsuit reads.Gannett owns hundreds of newspapers of all sizes across the country, including USA Today. The suit, which plaintiffs seek to make a class action, cites last month’s Suprem...

WWE wrestler Bray Wyatt dies at 36

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

(WFLA) — WWE wrestler Bray Wyatt has died, WWE officials confirmed Thursday. He was 36.Wyatt, whose real name is Windham Rotunda, died on Thursday, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Carlos Santana gives anti-trans speech during New Jersey concert "Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda — also known as Bray Wyatt — unexpectedly passed earlier today," Triple H said. "Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time."This is a developing story.

Accountability at Austin Energy? Historic documents reveal potential for independent board

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Jessica Parker vividly remembers the week she spent without power in her Austin apartment during the winter storm in 2021. "At one point, I had to give up on the refrigerator," she said. "I opened it, and it was warmer in the refrigerator than it was inside the apartment." INVESTIGATION: Whose power gets shutoff during winter storms and for how long? Across town, a woman named Julie logged onto Nextdoor, looking for where to buy food and clean water. She moved to Austin from Chicago the year prior and had not "stocked up" on supplies. "I wasn't ready for Armageddon because an inch of snow, to me, is like nothing," Julie said. She didn't expect the city to shut down. Through a thread on the site, Julie, Jessica and a group of other Austinites connected and started asking questions: why had their power had gone out? Who was responsible? Who is in charge of overseeing the utility?These two Austin residents met online in the wake of the 2021 winter storm and both s...

Lawsuit: Texas school districts ask court to temporarily stop new A-F ratings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

Del Valle, TEXAS (KXAN) -- Del Valle Independent School District and six other districts are suing the head of the Texas Education Agency over the agency’s decision to change how the state grades schools. The lawsuit against Education Commissioner Mike Morath alleges the changes will arbitrarily lower performance ratings for many school districts and individual schools even if their performance improved. The districts are asking a judge to temporarily stop the state from issuing ratings based on the new methods.  TEA refreshing ‘A-F’ accountability rating system “A school district that should receive an A rating for this component based on the 10 current measures, methods, and procedures could receive a D rating for this component even if performance has improved,” the lawsuit stated, referring to the College, Career and Military Readiness part of the accountability rating. The lawsuit also alleges the TEA did not give the legally required notice to school districts...

Live: Trump arrives in Georgia, headed to county jail for booking on 2020 election charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump arrived in Georgia on Thursday evening to surrender on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in that state, a county jail booking expected to yield a historic first: a mug shot of a former American president.Trump's surrender, coming amid an abrupt shake-up of his legal team, follows the presidential debate in Milwaukee the night before featuring his leading rivals for the 2024 Republican nomination — a contest in which he remains the leading candidate despite broad legal troubles. His presence in Georgia, though likely brief, is swiping the spotlight anew from his opponents after the debate in which they sought to seize on his absence to elevate their own presidential prospects.Trump landed in Atlanta around 7 p.m. and was to be driven, though rush-hour traffic, to jail for a booking process.The Fulton County prosecution is the fourth criminal case against Trump since March, when he became ...

Raul Meza: Interview with victim's daughters, catch up on the case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

KXAN crime reporter Brianna Hollis and digital reporter Sam Stark dive into the investigations into Raul Meza Jr. on "KXAN Live: The Meza Case" to give you a look behind the curtain at the team's coverage. You can watch the streams live on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Raul Meza, 62, is a convicted murderer who now faces charges in the 2019 death of his neighbor and the May 2023 death of an 80-year-old man. TIMELINE: What we know of Raul Meza’s criminal history The Austin Police Department arrested him in May after he called and confessed to the murder of Jesse Fraga, 80, of Pflugerville, and implicated himself in the death of Gloria Lofton, 65, of east Austin. Meza's criminal history dates back to his juvenile years and includes a murder conviction in the death of 8-year-old Kendra Page, who he killed while on parole for an aggravated robbery sentence. Brianna and Sam address the following topics in this week's episode:Sam's interview with Lofton's daughtersAPD...

Gus Varland earns first big league win as Dodgers beat Guardians, 6-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

CLEVELAND — Mookie Betts matched his career high with five hits and drove in two runs, and North St. Paul graduate Gus Varland earned his first major league victory as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Guardians, 6-1, on Thursday in the completion of a suspended game.Betts singled four times in the first six innings and had a two-run double in the eighth for the National League West-leading Dodgers, who are 18-3 in August. The seven-time All-Star, who also had five hits for Boston against Kansas City on Aug. 26, 2016, is batting .561 during an 11-game hitting streak and has a .456 average this month.Varland, the older brother of Twins prospect Louie Varland, worked 1⅓ innings, striking out three, for his first big league win as seven pitchers combined for a four-hitter. In three appearances since joining the Dodgers this month, Varland has allowed one earned run in five innings pitched.Guardians starter Xzavion Curry (3-2) gave up three runs in three innings.The teams were to play th...

Dairy is in, pickles are out: Our definitive rankings of the State Fair’s new foods for 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

The sun is shining. The crowds are ready. The Minnesota State Fair is on. It’s time to go outside and eat.As usual, the Pioneer Press crew started bright and early on Thursday, the first day, to taste through all 34 official new foods. But this year, we’re not simply giving you a list of our thoughts — no, we’re ranking the best, the worst and everything on a stick in between. Some foods didn’t make the top 15 or the bottom 10, so those are your call.Family, friends and fairgoers offered their tastebuds and opinions for our rankings, too.Here’s what we tried and what we think. What was your favorite new food? Think we screwed up? Let us know at [email protected] BESTCounting down to our No. 1 favorite 2023 Minnesota State Fair new food.15. Cheese Curd Stuffed Pizza Pretzel ($9)Cheese Curd Stuffed Pizza Pretzel from Green Mill at the 2023 Minnesota State Fair. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)What is it: Scratch-made jumbo pizza dough pretzel, hand-twisted...

St. Paul City Council apologizes for hiring process around Hmong city staffer to Black reparations commission

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:12:45 GMT

The St. Paul City Council issued a joint written apology on Thursday for the hiring process surrounding the sole staffer for its new Community Reparations Commission.The apology follows a public protest Tuesday outside St. Paul City Hall, where some 15-20 Black civic and elected leaders said the council had erred in offering the role of senior policy analyst to a Hmong woman rather than a Black descendant of American chattel slavery or a descendent of the city’s historically-Black Rondo neighborhood.The council’s apology, released by Director of Council Operations Brynn Hausz, noted the “council and its central staff would like to acknowledge and apologize for the pain caused in the course of this process.”It was still unclear on Thursday the circumstances surrounding the hiring process, including how many applicants were interviewed for the staff position and by whom.Nathaniel Khaliq, president emeritus of the St. Paul NAACP and an appointee on the commissio...