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Mexico celebrates an ex-military official once arrested on drug smuggling charges in the US

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A former Mexican defense secretary whose arrest in the United States in 2020 on drug charges strained relations between the two countries was celebrated Wednesday with an honorary military decoration. In October 2020, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested in Los Angeles and accused of ties to an international drug trafficking ring, but charges were dropped a month later under intense pressure from Mexico.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador presented Cienfuegos, who was head of Mexico’s army from 2012 to 2018, the award at a ceremony celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the Heroic Military Academy, which he used to direct.Almost three years ago to the day, Cienfuegos was arrested at a Los Angeles airport, accused of participating in an international drug trafficking and money laundering network. The U.S. later dropped their charges against him, ostensibly as a diplomatic concession, and he was returned to Mexico for further investigation.Mexico’s Att...

CPD: Des Plaines man charged after shooting at police in Englewood

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

CHICAGO — A man from the Northwest Suburbs was charged Wednesday after he was arrested for allegedly shooting at Chicago police officers in the Englewood neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.26-year-old Jose Rico (Courtesy: Chicago Police Department)According to the Chicago Police Department, 26-year-old Des Plaines resident Jose Rico was charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with no valid FOID card, and one misdemeanor count of being in possession of a firearm with no valid FOID card Wednesday.Rico was arrested Tuesday around 2:30 p.m. after police said he was identified as the man who pointed a gun and opened fire in the direction of Chicago police officers in the 1700 block of West 61st Street. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arrested after shooting at Chicago police officers in Englewood According to CPD, no officers were injured during the incident, and police did not return fire.Minutes later, officers were able to find Rico in the 6100 block of South Honore ...

NASA shows off samples from near-Earth asteroid delivered by spacecraft — and there's more to come

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

HOUSTON (KTVX) — If you can get a scientist to say "wow," then you're in pretty impressive territory. According to NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid researchers, they've been saying "wow" quite a bit since their asteroid sample landed on Earth.This is only the beginning. They haven't even opened the canister with the actual asteroid sample yet, said Sample Analyst Dr. Daniel Glavin.“We picked the right asteroid, and we brought back the right samples," Glavin said. "This stuff is an astrobiologist dream.”NASA held a press conference on Oct. 11 from the Johnson Space Center, in Houston to show samples from the OSIRIS-REx Mission. OSIRIS-REx continues to surprise scientists with sample collection On Sept. 24, OSIRIS-REx ended its nearly 4 billion-mile journey, exploring the solar system and gathering samples from near-Earth asteroid Bennu by releasing its sample capsule. The capsule made its way to the Utah desert floor. The sample canister was then removed and whisked from Dugway Proving G...

Walmart will be closed on Thanksgiving Day for 4th consecutive year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Walmart will be closed on Thanksgiving Day for the fourth year in a row, the company's U.S. president and CEO John Furner announced in a LinkedIn post on Monday. "Thanksgiving is a special day, and we want our store associates to have the chance to spend it with their families and loved ones," Furner said. "We have so much to be thankful for, and I'm especially grateful for our associates." Sam’s Club cuts membership to $15 before the holidays For decades, Walmart stores had typically remained open on Thanksgiving Day to kick off the holiday shopping season. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic happened.The retail giant parted with tradition in 2020 and made the decision to close its stores on Thanksgiving to express gratitude to its staff and give workers a break. USA TODAY reported that 2020 was the first year Walmart closed its stores for this particular holiday since the late 1980s. This year, Walmart will be open regular hours the day before and after T...

Vista Ridge High School teacher charged with indecency with a child

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) – Cedar Park Police have charged a math teacher at Vista Ridge High School with indecency with a child, a second degree felony, for having inappropriate interactions with her 15-year-old student, according to police documents.The Leander Independent School District placed 33-year-old Kristie Russell on administrative leave last month after learning about a potential inappropriate relationship, the school's principal said in a letter to parents Tuesday. According to Russell's arrest warrant affidavit, a student overheard a group of peers discussing an incident between Russell and the 15-year-old student and notified the police.An investigator with the Department of Family and Protective Services interviewed the adolescent involved and he told them he and had a sexual interaction in Russell's car after school one day. Russell told police that the victim was in her car one afternoon and that she was driving him home from the high school. She eventually admitted...

Dane Mizutani: This time feels different for the Twins. The future is bright in Minnesota.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

If the Twins proved anything this season, it’s that the future is bright in Minnesota.This isn’t the same collection of players that made a habit of bowing to the New York Yankees whenever the lights got bright. This is the group that finally snapped the historic 18-game playoff losing streak with a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card Series, then gave the almighty Houston Astros everything they could handle in the American League Division Series.As thrilling as the past week has been, the Twins ended their season with a 3-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday night at Target Field. The cliche is that teams need to take their lumps in the playoffs to learn what it takes to climb the mountaintop. This could be that for this team.No doubt the Twins have room to improve. The team that struck out more than any other team in the regular season struck out 73 more times in the playoffs. Truthfully, the Twins might be a player away from being a team that ...

Woman disputes police account in I-44 road rage shooting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - We're hearing more from a woman who said her husband is the one who was shot in the hand during what police described as a road rage incident Tuesday morning on Interstate 44 in Fenton. The woman claims that the shooter was the aggressor, not her husband. On Wednesday morning, she shared her side of the story on 105.7 The Point’s Rizzuto Show. She said they’re upset that the out-of-state shooter has not been charged.St. Louis County Police said the shooting happened just after 8 a.m. Tuesday on the side of I-44 eastbound near the Bowles Avenue exit. They said the shooting victim “aggressively pursued” the shooter. Monthly $500 payments coming soon for some St. Louis families Sources close to the case tell FOX 2 that a nearby bank surveillance camera caught the entire incident on video. The video allegedly shows the man who was shot walking up to the other man’s car, standing there for 23 seconds, and then reaching for his waist. They said that’s when the ma...

New videos uncover truth in Downtown St. Louis shooting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A suspect admitted to federal prosecutors and a judge this month that he unleashed a barrage of gunfire in a well-known downtown St. Louis park.Local prosecutors originally said they did not believe police who investigated the incident, but now the FOX Files obtained newly-released videos that appear to paint the real picture of what happened.The videos are from March 2022 at Kiener Plaza. In the videos, you can see a suspect right here in the middle of downtown – firing into the air. You can also see him shoot at a passing van. Monthly $500 payments coming soon for some St. Louis families Former St. Louis prosecutors accused police of lying about the man last year. That man then admitted what he did to federal prosecutors.The videos show defendant Allen L. Robinson, who pleaded guilty to a gun charge. Federal prosecutor Don Boyce secured Robinson’s guilty plea, which comes with a 27-month prison sentence.Boyce told us, “Federal law prohibits people from possessing fir...

Support for Israel on display at solidarity gathering in St. Louis County  

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A solidarity gathering for Israel brought out a standing-room-only crowd to the Jewish Community Center in St. Louis County on Wednesday. Candles were lit and prayers said for the victims of the unprecedented attack on Israel. More than 1,000 people have died since Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, launched attacks against Israel last weekend. “I think there’s a yearning to be together,” said Abby Kelman, an attendee. She said her daughter lives in Tel Aviv and is terrified right now.   Monthly $500 payments coming soon for some St. Louis families Snir Dagan was one of the speakers. The Israeli native has lost friends in the attack. He says the violence against Israel has had a ripple effect on the Jewish community in St. Louis.“It’s our friends. It’s our families. It’s our communities that were just slaughtered,” said Dagan.  The Jewish Federation of St. Louis is directing anyone wanting to support victims to an emergency fund. Click here fo...

Five key comments from Doug Armstrong before the new Blues season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:58:21 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues are back in business Thursday and look to turn the page from last season's disappointing campaign. It was one of few times the Blues missed playoffs under the reign of Doug Armstrong, the longest-tenured general manager in franchise history and the only one to bring a Stanley Cup to St. Louis.Entering his 14th year as Blues GM, Armstrong returns after some speculation about his future during the offseason. This summer represented one of his biggest challenges yet: Putting the Blues in a position to be competitive once again, and through his own words, finding out what makes his guys tick. Armstrong seems confident about the current state of the Blues. He's brought back former Stanley Cup champions Sammy Blais and Oskar Sundqvist after moving some veterans on expiring contracts. He's reaffirmed his commitment to several veterans with long-term contracts, and has two record-setting deals beginning with year with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. While it ...