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Heavy rains leave parts of England and Europe swamped in floodwaters

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Residents of riverside towns in England that were swamped by rains that washed over Europe this week bailed out Friday as flooding disrupted train service and officials warned that waters could rise in the days ahead.A powerful storm that brought damaging winds inundated more than 1,000 homes and businesses and left several communities under muddy brown water, officials said. Buildings and cars were submerged as streets turned to streams, farmland was flooded and boats were torn from their moorings.A landslide and floodwaters disrupted train travel on several lines operating out of London and on routes in southwest England that stretch into Wales.“It’s been a terrible start to the new year,” Ken Button said as he pumped water out of the furniture shop where he works in the town of Newark-on-Trent. “We’ll have to see what we can salvage.”Heavy rains also left parts other parts of Europe under water as a cold snap gripped northern areas of the continent.Water levels rema...

NYC subway service is disrupted for a second day after low-speed collision that injured more than 20

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City subway service was disrupted for a second day Friday as transit workers labored in the cramped confines of a tunnel beneath Manhattan to remove two trains that collided and derailed, causing minor injuries to about two dozen passengers.The crash happened at about 3 p.m. Thursday when a northbound 1 train carrying about 300 passengers was switching from the express track to the local track at the 96th Street station, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said. The 1 train collided with an out-of-service train with four workers on board.“We’re grateful that this low-speed collision did not injure more people,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said at a briefing in front of the station on Friday.Lieber said partial service would be restored once workers are able to rerail the derailed passenger train and move it out of the way. Nine of the train’s 10 cars had been rerailed by Friday morning, he said.NYC Transit President Richard Davey said gett...

Two people dead after overnight house fire north of Montreal

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

RAWDON, Que. — Quebec provincial police say two people died overnight in a residential fire in Rawdon, Que., about 60 kilometres north of Montreal.Police spokesperson Éloïse Cossette says emergency services responded to a call from someone reporting a fire in their home at around 1:30 a.m.Cossette says police and firefighters arrived to find the blaze had spread throughout the residence.Firefighters later discovered the two bodies.Provincial police are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.Police have confirmed that two people lived at the Rawdon residence, but Cossette says authorities have yet to formally identify the bodies.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2024.The Canadian Press

House Republicans ready contempt of Congress charges against Hunter Biden over a subpoena he defied

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after the president’s son defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition last month. The Republican chairmen of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees announced Friday that they will hold full committee votes on contempt charges against President Joe Biden’s son as the GOP moves into the final stages of its monthslong impeachment inquiry. If the charges pass the committees, they would then go to the House floor for a final vote. “Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” Rep. James Comer, chair of Oversight, and Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of Judiciary, said in a joint statement. “We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name.” Hunter Biden and his lawyers have repeatedl...

Blaine Luetkemeyer, longtime Missouri Republican congressman, won’t seek reelection

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

Missouri Republican U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer will not seek reelection, though his departure in what is considered a safe Republican district is unlikely to impact the balance of power after the 2024 election.Luetkemeyer, 71, announced his decision Thursday. He joins a growing list of House members who plan to retire or seek other office.“It has been an honor to serve the great people of the Third Congressional District and state of Missouri for these past several years,” Luetkemeyer said in a statement. “However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December.”Luetkemeyer, who was first elected in 2008, represents a large geographic area that stretches from the western suburbs of St. Louis to Jefferson City and Columbia in central Missouri. Luetkemeyer narrowly defeated Democrat Judy Baker in 2008, but in every subsequent election has won the general election by more than 30 percentage ...

Man charged after Dunkin' employee, 90-year-old robbed in Arlington Heights

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — A man is facing charges after allegedly robbing a Dunkin' employee and a 90-year-old customer inside an Arlington Heights store.Officers responded to the store, located in the 2100 block of South Arlington Heights Road, just after 5:05 p.m. Tuesday.Antwoin Mason, 18, is facing multiple counts of aggravated robbery and one count of identify theft, according to police.Mason walked into the store and implied he had a firearm, police said. He was not able to take cash from the store and robbed a 90-year-old customer and an employee each of personal property, detectives allege.Mason was arrested just after 7:05 p.m. at Suburban Studios Motel, where he had a registered room, police said. ‘Stop coming here’: Suburban man pleads guilty after killing wife considering court order One of the pieces of property was a stolen credit card later recovered. No one was injured.Mason was not held following a detention hearing. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 26.

David Soul, the actor who portrayed the blond half of TV's 'Starsky and Hutch,' dies at 80

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Actor-singer David Soul, a 1970s heartthrob who co-starred as the blond half of the crime-fighting duo “Starsky & Hutch” and topped the music charts with the ballad “Don't Give Up on Us," has died at the age of 80.His wife, Helen Snell, said Friday that “David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family."“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend," Snell said in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”Born David Solberg, Soul was a Chicago native whose acting career dated back to the 1960s, when he joined the avant-garde Firehouse Theater in Minnesota. He continued to appear on stage and screen well into the 20th century, but he was best known for his work in the 1970s. Soul portrayed detective Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson alongside dark-h...

Man, 53, found dead in street in Austin: CPD

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- A 53-year-old man was found dead in the street in Austin Friday morning, police said.According to police, the man was found unresponsive in the street near the 4900 block of West Van Buren Street between 6:20 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. 4 women injured after Jeep rollover crash in Little Italy Police said the man had sustained head trauma and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The situation is under investigation and there is no additional information provided.

Teacher shot by her 6-year-old student reflects 1 year later

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) -- "A lot has changed." It's been a year since the classroom shooting in which a 6-year-old shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia. The incident that occurred on Jan. 6, 2023, shook the whole community. A 6-year-old boy, using his mother's handgun, pulled the gun out while inside his first-grade classroom and fired one shot at Zwerner, his teacher. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest. Zwerner said not only does she have physical scars from that day, but also emotional scars that will never go away. The mother of the child and owner of the firearm, Deja Taylor, was sentenced back in November in connection with the incident. Zwerner is now suing the school for not taking action that could've prevented the shooting. The former first-grade teacher said that since that day, it has felt as though her life has been put on hold. "I was moving forward in my career and looking forward to continuing my ...

Florida gets first-ever FDA approval to import drugs from Canada

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:36:17 GMT

(The Hill) -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved Florida’s plan to import certain prescription drugs directly from Canada, the first time a state has ever been allowed to do so.The approval marks a major shift in U.S. drug policy, and comes despite fierce opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, which is likely to sue. The FDA has also raised safety concerns about importing drugs from outside the U.S. because it can’t guarantee their safety.Individuals are allowed to buy from Canadian pharmacies, but states have long sought to purchase cheaper drugs directly from Canadian wholesalers.Prescription drugs are cheaper in Canada, as in most other countries, because the government can directly negotiate the price with drug companies. The approval marks a political victory for both President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate. Both Biden and DeSantis have been prioritizing lowering drug ...