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Lawmakers warn leaky, crumbling UK Parliament at risk of ‘catastrophic’ event

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Parliament building is an architectural masterpiece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by 1 million people a year. It’s also a crumbling, leaky, asbestos-riddled building at “real and rising” risk of destruction, lawmakers said Wednesday.In a hair-raising report, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said the seat of British democracy is “leaking, dropping masonry and at constant risk of fire,” as well as riddled with asbestos.“There is a real and rising risk that a catastrophic event will destroy” the building before long-delayed restoration work is done, the committee said.In the most urgent in a series of warnings stretching back years, the committee said renewal work had been painfully slow and mostly amounted to “patching up” the 19th-century building, at a cost of about 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) a week.The committee slammed “years of procrastination” over the building’s future. In 2018, after years of dithering, lawmakers voted t...

Musk says he’s not stepping down as Tesla CEO, tells shareholders the company will advertise

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

Elon Musk on Tuesday dismissed speculation that he might step down as Tesla’s CEO and told the company’s annual shareholders meeting that the the electric car and solar panel company would start doing some advertising.“Say it ain’t so,” one shareholder asked Musk about stepping down as Tesla’s leader. “It ain’t so,” he replied without further discussion.When another shareholder suggested that Tesla try advertising, Musk said he is open to it. “This has some merit,” he said to the shareholder at the meeting at Tesla’s factory site near Austin, Texas. “We’ll try a little advertising and see how it goes.”Tesla famously has avoided paying for advertising like its competitors, relying a lot on Musk’s ability to generate free publicity — he has 140 million followers on Twitter, the social media company bought for $44 billion last fall. Musk told shareholders that the company’s “Full Self-Driving” software is getting close to where it’s safer than ...

Firefighters battling blaze at abandoned lumber yard near The Stockyards

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

Toronto firefighters are on scene of a fire at an abandoned lumber yard in the Stockyards area.Emergency crews were called to Weston Road and Gunns Road near Keele Street and St. Clair West just after 6:30 p.m.Firefighters are actively fighting the fire at this location and residents are asked to avoid the area as there are road closures near the blaze.Weston Road is blocked in both directions from St. Clair Avenue to McCormack Street.

Father 'overjoyed' after reuniting with child abducted in South Elgin; mom charged

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. — A girl who was allegedly abducted in South Elgin in 2017 by her noncustodial mother has been found safe in North Carolina after she was spotted at a business, authorities said.Officers found a woman and a minor child at the business in Asheville, North Carolina, and were able to confirm their identities, police said. They said the woman, Heather Unbehaun, 40, was wanted on an extradition warrant out of Illinois for child abduction.Unbehaun posted a $25,000 bond Tuesday and was released from custody, the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office said. Unbehaun declined to waive extradition, the office said.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: South Elgin dad asks for public’s help on anniversary of 10-year-old’s abductionIt wasn’t clear whether Unbehaun has an attorney who might comment on the allegations against her."I'm very pleased to find out the little girl is safe," said Amy Schaff, who lives nearby.South Elgin, Illinois, police said they were notified Saturday by police in Ashev...

Former Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club president accused of embezzling $160K

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

LAKE ZURICH, Ill. -- The former president of the Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club was arrested on Tuesday after being accused of money laundering.According to the Lake Zurich Police Department, law enforcement were approached by the executive board members of the Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club NFP in January 2023.The board members told Lake Zurich PD that a past organization president, James Sherer, 55, of Lake Zurich, may have embezzled over $160,000 over a two-year period. 1 killed, 1 critical after Fox Lake restaurant shooting Sherer served as Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club president from August 2020 to November 2022. He reportedly withdrew funds from the Lake Zurich Lacrosse Club bank account for personal use.Newly appointed board members identified the unauthorized withdraws and alerted authorities.The Lake County State's Attorney's Office issued an arrest warrant for Sherer, who was taken into custody by Lake Zurich police following a traffic stop on Tuesday.Sherer's bond has been set at $20...

CPD cautions business owners after rash of burglaries on Near West Side

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are warning business owners on the Near West Side following a rash of burglaries and attempted burglaries over the past month.  Thieves targeted 15 bars, taverns and restaurants spanning several Chicago neighborhoods, including West Town, Ukrainian Village, Little Italy,  the Lower West Side and the Near West Side. Police say in each incident, the offenders use a rock or brick to break a window of the business. Once inside, a crowbar is used to access the cash registers and safe. Second man charged in robbery, shooting that critically injured Dakotah Earley last year A list of the incident is below: 1700 block of West Grand, Saturday, April 15200 block of North Ashland, Sunday, April 162100 block of West Chicago, Sunday, April 161400 block of West Taylor, Sunday, April 16200 block of North Ashland, Tuesday, April 251300 block of West Erie, Tuesday, April 251400 block of West Taylor, Tuesday, April 252100 block of West Chicago, Tuesday, April 252100 block o...

Wanted Ohio man tells police to be 'quicker' looking for him on Facebook post

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

NEWARK, Ohio (WCMH) – A convicted felon in Ohio was in a humorous mood Tuesday when local police asked for help catching him.The Newark Division of Police posted on Facebook that Tanner Rhinehart, 20, had a warrant out for his arrest after failing to appear at his sentencing hearing for a probation violation. However, Rhinehart didn't shy away from responding to the Newark police post from his own account, which saw laugh reactions from over a hundred other users."Y'all almost had (me) the other day you gotta be quicker than that (sic)," Rhinehart wrote.Rhinehart's probation violation stemmed from a charge of failing to comply with an officer on February 26, 2023. He originally had received the one-year probation sentence from a November 2021 case in which he was convicted of receiving stolen property, according to the Licking County Municipal Court Clerk's Office. 5-year-old hospitalized after being stung by scorpion in pool at Las Vegas home Rhinehart was arrested, then bailed o...

Taco Bell petitions to end trademark of 'Taco Tuesday'

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

(The Hill) - The restaurant chain Taco Bell filed a petition on Tuesday to end the chain Taco John’s trademark of the phrase “Taco Tuesday,” arguing that it should be available for all who sell tacos. Taco Bell said in a release that the trademark, which has been in place since 1989, has put companies at risk of legal action if they want to use the phrase. It said the chain is not seeking any damages or trademark rights but wants “common sense for usage of a common term.” “Taco Bell believes ‘Taco Tuesday’ should belong to all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos. In fact, the very essence of ‘Taco Tuesday’ is to celebrate the commonality amongst people of all walks of life who come together every week to celebrate something as simple, yet culturally phenomenal, as the taco,” the release states. Taco Bell has also started a petition for “fans and taco lovers” to support the efforts to remove the trademark.  Your Mai Tai may give you island vibes, but it...

Some in Austin concerned over Zilker Park vision plan, poll shows

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some people in Austin are worried about proposed changes that could be coming to Zilker Park.For the last two years, the city has discussed the Zilker Park vision plan which, city officials say, would improve access and make improvements to the park."It really is supposed to provide a framework and a guide for us," Gregory Montes with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department said. "A roadmap, if you will, on how to restore and enhance the park so citizens can continue to use it."The plan proposes at least three parking garages throughout the park, more bike paths and pedestrian access and more bus stops. There are other improvements being proposed as well."The whole idea of parking structures in the park, it really developed pretty early on in the process, because of the parking situation and the issues we have had in the park and so this was part of the solution, but it was not the only solution," said Montes."I enjoy it from ACL to just a weekend at Barton Spring...

Vandegrift wins 6A girls golf crown, medalist races goes to playoff holes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:59 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The final round of the Class 6A girls golf championships was a wild one Tuesday at Legacy Hills Golf Club.Katy Seven Lakes senior Maelynn Kim emerged from a three-person playoff to win the individual state championship, beating defending champion Sydney Givens from Vandegrift and Kate Pickrell from Lake Travis on the first extra hole. Givens won runner-up honors with a win on the second playoff hole against Pickrell. All three players ended the two-round tournament with a 4-under-par 140.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersGivens and Pickrell shot identical rounds of 68 and 72, and both were tied for the lead after the first day Monday. Kim shot a pair of 70s to find her way into the playoff and claim the medalist honors.In the team race, the Vipers led wire-to-wire to win the title and avenged last year's second-place finish. Led by Givens and f...