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Biden administration announces $250 million Ukraine military assistance package as US exhausts available funding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

(CNN) — The US State Department announced a $250 million Ukraine military aid package on Wednesday, the last such package the US will provide to Ukraine until Congress approves the Biden administration’s funding requests.“This package provides up to $250 million of arms and equipment under previously directed drawdowns for Ukraine,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “Capabilities provided in today’s package include air defense munitions, other air defense system components, additional ammunition for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition.”Last week, the Biden administration said it had one more Ukraine security package to announce this year, but it would be the final one the US could provide without lawmakers’ approval. Defense Department comptroller Mike McCord said in a letter to Congress that “once these funds are obligated, the Department will...

Pierce Brosnan cited for walking in thermal areas at Yellowstone Park, court document shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

(CNN) — Actor Pierce Brosnan was cited in Wyoming after allegedly walking in thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park, a court document obtained by CNN shows.The charges against Brosnan are “Foot travel in all thermal areas and w/in Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails … and Violating closures and use limits” and are listed as a petty offense, the docket filed in US District Court in Wyoming shows.Yellowstone’s website offers tips to stay safe within the sprawling national park known for its hot springs and geysers, indicating that “Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations.”“Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails. Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks,” the safety tips continue.The 70-year-old actor best known for his role as James Bond in multiple “007” films was cited Tuesday and is being ordered to appear at the Yellowstone Justice Center on January 23.CNN has...

Trump ballot ban appealed to US Supreme Court by Colorado Republican Party

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed that state’s supreme court decision that found former President Donald Trump is ineligible for the presidency, the potential first step to a showdown at the nation’s highest court over the meaning of a 155-year-old constitutional provision that bans from office those who “engaged in insurrection.”The first impact of the appeal is to extend the stay of the 4-3 ruling from Colorado’s highest court, which put its decision on pause until Jan. 4, the day before the state’s primary ballots are due at the printer, or until an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is finished. Trump himself has said he still plans to appeal the ruling to the nation’s highest court as well.The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was added after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from returning to government. It s...

‘Not acceptable’: MBTA police dispatch contract slammed by state watchdog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

The state’s top watchdog has concluded that the MBTA showed apparent bias and favoritism when selecting a police dispatch vendor five years ago, saying in a newly released report that two other interested companies were unfairly iced out.FULL TEXT: IG Report on MBTAIn a Wednesday report, Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro outlines a number of concerns with the T’s procurement process, pointing to steps that were taken to deter competition from the authority’s favored dispatch vendor, including “problematic” communications between that vendor and a Transit Police committee member tasked with evaluating the validity of all responsive bids.The report states that the MBTA and Transit Police favored the selected company, IXP Corporation, over two other companies that responded to a 2016 request for proposals. When this bid process did not result in a contract, the MBTA contacted only IXP, and not the two other interested parties, when seeking respondents for a final 2017 procurement.“Base...

Red Sox notebook: In aggressive pursuit of not pitching

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

Teoscar Hernández is the belle of baseball free agency this week, and the Red Sox are among his most aggressive suitors.Boston has been linked to or bid on several free agents this offseason, but thus far have spent exactly $1 million in free agency, only adding Cooper Crisswell for pitching depth.Though not a starting pitcher, Hernández checks off several other boxes on the Red Sox’s list of areas in need of improvement: health, power, defensive acumen among them. He’s proven himself to be one of the game’s most durable outfielders, playing 160 games this season, and 274 over the previous two. He’s prone to striking out – 211 times in ’23 – but averaged 31 doubles and 28 home runs over the past three years and won back-to-back Silver Sluggers in ’20 and ’21. He’s also an above-average defender who led American League outfielders in assists twice (’20, ’23) and double plays turned three times (’19, ’20, ’2...

Lowell hurdler takes 60

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

Very few athletes are close to top form in December, but even not at his absolute best, Lowell’s Khai Lin is still a heavy favorite to win or show.Racing against a tough field at Wednesday’s competitive Boston Holiday Challenge, the junior blitzed the competition for an 8.19 seconds win in the 60-meter hurdles on the New Balance Track infield. Attleboro’s Maxwell Crawford was a close second in 8.25.The Div. 1 champion in the 55 hurdles last winter, Lin will be looking to improve on his disastrous All-State race where he was tripped up and finished seventh. His block moved in the final Wednesday, but Lin never panicked.“I slipped in the beginning a bit,” said Yin. “I caught back up at the second hurdle. I went to my arms and held on to the end.”The meet was the first this season where Lin’s footwork at the hurdle felt strong, particularly getting his trail leg over clean. “I couldn’t get my trail leg over in the first few me...

Slim Jim promotional car stolen in California is recovered outside Chicago-area hotel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

Ilana Arougheti | (TNS) Chicago TribuneA cross-country charcuterie con job came to a close Friday afternoon when a custom Slim Jim promotional car stolen in California was discovered outside of Chicago.Slim Jim, a Conagra brand, first discussed the theft publicly on Dec. 16. The car was reported stolen on Dec. 13, while on its way to a video shoot in Los Angeles, Conagra spokeswoman Amy Morgan told the Tribune.“We were incredibly surprised,” Morgan said. “I think we had all assumed we would never see it again.”The car was recovered Dec. 22 from the parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express in Hillside. Police came to the hotel after receiving a ping from Sirius XM around 1 p.m., Hillside police spokesperson Andrew Mack told the Tribune. The car had been loaded onto a transport trailer.Some cars equipped with Sirius XM radio have a tracking feature, which can be used by law enforcement to recover stolen vehicles, Mack said.“I suppose the fact that it’s a fancy-looking car probably contrib...

Herb Kohl, former US senator and owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, has died. He was 88

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

By TODD RICHMOND and FREDERIC J. FROMMER (Associated Press)Herb Kohl, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin and former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, has died. He was 88.His death Wednesday was announced by Herb Kohl Philanthropies, which did not give a cause but said he died after a brief illness.“More than anything, Herb loved Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and that is where he chose to live out his days,” Kohl’s foundation said in a statement. “He touched an incalculable number of lives, and those who love him would remark that he is among the most decent people to ever walk the earth.”Kohl was a popular figure in Wisconsin, purchasing the Bucks to keep them from leaving town, and spending generously from his fortune on civic and educational causes throughout the state. He also used his money to fund his Senate races, allowing to him to portray himself as “nobody’s senator but yours.”In the Senate, a body renowned...

Illinois babysitter charged with stabbing 2 young girls is denied pretrial release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago woman accused of stabbing two girls ages 4 and 1 while babysitting them was denied pretrial release by a judge Wednesday.Jennifer Kouchoukos, 51, of Naperville is charged with two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery to a child under 13 and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.Police responding to a call about a suicide attempt Nov. 17 at the girls’ home in Lisle found one in the kitchen and the other in a bathroom, both covered in blood, prosecutors and police said in a joint news release.Kouchoukos also was in the bathroom and soaked in blood, the news release said.The girls were initially taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the release said. Both had been stabbed multiple times in the back and chest but are recovering.DuPage County Circuit Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s motion to deny pre-trial release to Kouchoukos.Prosecutors also filed a mot...

Texas highway chase ends with police ripping apart truck’s cab and pulling the driver out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:20:53 GMT

CHANNELVIEW, Texas (AP) — Texas police on Wednesday ripped apart the cab of a tractor trailer and pulled the truck’s driver out after pursuing him in a slow highway chase that shut down the road for hours.The dramatic confrontation on a stretch of highway east of Houston came hours after sheriff’s deputies began trying to pull over the truck, which could be seen on television news footage crawling along the interstate. The driver’s arrest left questions about what prompted his behavior and the heavy police response. Deputies finally brought the 18-wheeler to a stop on the shoulder of Interstate 10 using spike strips to puncture its tires.For hours, the driver had ignored police commands to exit and continued to rev the engine of the disabled vehicle, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Even after it was stopped and surrounded by police cruisers and armored vehicles, one wheel of the truck could be seen continuing to spin in its punctured tire.Police eventually ...