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Noah Gragson to get 2nd chance in NASCAR after personal growth journey following suspension

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Noah Gragson has spent the last five months working on personal growth and maturity after his “like” of an insensitive meme of George Floyd nearly cost him his NASCAR career.He’ll get a chance to show if he’s truly evolved with Stewart-Haas Racing, which said Wednesday it has hired Gragson to drive the No. 10 Ford in the Cup Series. It’s a second chance Gragson is not taking lightly after his career imploded in August.Social media users noted that a meme circulating of Floyd, a Black man who was killed in 2020 by white police officers, had been “liked” by Gragson. NASCAR suspended the 25-year-old and he parted ways with Legacy Motor Club, which had hired the Las Vegas native for his first full season racing in the top Cup level.Gragson, who had built a reputation as an aggressive driver both on and off the track in the second-tier Xfinity Series, reached out to good friend Brandon McReynolds and wondered why everything was falling apart in hi...

Glenview man arrested, charged with 3 felony counts of manufacturing child pornography

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

GLENVIEW, Ill. — A Glenview man has been arrested and charged with three felony counts of manufacturing child pornography.According to the Glenview Police Department, Bruce Claver, 58, of Knollwood Lane was arrested and charged Tuesday. He was taken to the Skokie Courthouse on Wednesday for a detention hearing.The charges are Class X felonies, which carry mandatory prison sentencing, for a victim under 13 years of age.Police say an investigation was started on Dec. 1 after agents with the U.S. Secret Service identified that Claver was posting child pornography content online. Glenview Police detectives conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and and the County State’sAttorney’s Office.There is no further information available at this time. If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Glenview Police Tip Line at 847-901-6055.Claver, however, was...

These are Illinois' Top 5 favorite Christmas movies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS - There's a good chance you'll sit down to watch a Christmas movie with family members or friends sometime soon. Almost everyone has a favorite, but choosing what to watch within a close group isn't always an easy choice. If you live in Illinois, you're likely a fan of a holiday classic. 6 Christmas films set in and around Chicago Research teams from IllinoisBet.com recently published lists naming the Top 5 favorite Christmas movies in the state. The most popular Christmas movies in Illinois were based on Google Trends research, specifically search results for dozens of movies over the last three Christmas holidays. Interestingly enough, the research finds Illinois and nearby Missouri share their top choice in common. That would be Home Alone. The 1990 film stars Macaulay Culkin, and much of the filming took place in Chicago. These Illinois towns make America’s Most ‘Christmassy’ list According to IllinoisBet.com, these were the Top 5 favorite Christmas films among I...

Hillary Clinton to Bill: 'Our ability to keep talking' has helped our marriage

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

(The Hill) -- Hillary Clinton says while she’s not one to dole out relationship advice, her and former President Bill Clinton’s “ability to keep talking” is one of the reasons they’re still married.“We have carried on a conversation now for more than 50 years,” the former secretary of State said to her husband, who appeared as a guest on her iHeart podcast “You and Me Both” on Tuesday.“Part of, I think, the real core of our relationship, our marriage, has been we started a conversation and we never stopped,” Clinton told the 42nd president.“Through good times and hard times, through happy times and sad times — it doesn't mean we don't get frustrated and upset with the other because that's human nature. But we always kept talking,” she said. Trump unveils digital trading cards ‘mugshot edition’ The Clintons tied the knot in 1975.The former first lady has previously said she had “no regrets” about choosing to stay in her marriage following her husband’s affair with th...

Travis County DA’s office pursuing 337 sexual assault cases out of 1,000+ reported

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — There have been more than 1,000 sexual assault cases reported in Travis County over the last two years, according to the Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (SARRT).So far, the district attorney's office said it has decided to move forward with 337 of them, according to details provided during Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court meeting.Out of those accepted, 252 were brought before a grand jury with 246 indictments.However, county leaders said the program needed more funding.Because the SARRT coordinator was not a full-time position, Shelli Egger with the Texas Legal Services Center said there was an imbalance within the team.“Not having more funding that is just dedicated to the SARRT really helps maintain the power imbalance,” Egger said.Officials said more funding for the program would also go toward training and maintaining a database for sexual assault investigations.

APD officer's new murder trial, following hung jury, reset to Sept. 2024

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A judge set the date for Christopher Taylor's retrial for Sept. 23, 2024, in court Wednesday. Taylor was charged with murder in the 2020 shooting death of Michael Ramos. PREVIOUS: Austin police officer’s murder trial ends in hung jury, mistrial Last month, a mistrial was declared after jurors could not come to a unanimous decision. Prior to that, a judge also granted a mistrial in May due to various issues during jury selection.Taylor also faces a murder charge for the 2019 death of Mauris Nishanga DeSilva. Taylor's attorneys requested that the courts try Taylor on DeSilva's death in September instead of Ramos' due to Taylor's invocation of his right to a speedy trial in the DeSilva case. Attorneys said they've now waived the right to a speedy trial in the Ramos case.The State said it intends to retry Taylor on the Ramos case.Attorneys on both sides will now provide briefings to the judge and meet for a hearing in February or March to determine which of Taylo...

Texas Attorney General sues company for alleged veteran benefits fraud

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office announced Tuesday he has sued an Austin company for allegedly "engaging in deceptive trade practices to defraud veterans seeking disability benefits," according to a release.The company, VA Claims Insider, LLC., is an "education-based Coaching/Consulting company for disabled veterans exploring eligibility for increased VA disability benefits and who wish to learn more about that process," per the company's website. Paxton's office alleged the business' advertisements "mislead and confuse veterans as to the cost of these memberships."“We respectfully disagree with the basis of the lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general’s office. Founded by a veteran to serve veterans, VA Claims Insider is a mission-driven organization and stands behind that mission. We welcome the opportunity to present our case in court,” VA Claims Insider spokesperson Jeff Eller said in a statement."Even though VACI frequently uses the word 'free,' its...

Cuban boxer David Morrell Jr. adopted the Twin Cities as home. He’s returning with a newfound purpose.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

David Morrell Jr. defected from his native Cuba in June 2018. He left his family behind and escaped to Mexico via speedboat under the cover of darkness. He spent more than a year there waiting for a work visa to legally enter the United States with hopes of starting a professional boxing career.Then he settled in the Twin Cities, of all places.Now a rising star at 168 pounds, Morrell got his start fighting out of The Armory in Minneapolis, and he will forever be grateful for that. He proudly reps the Twin Cities as home, and while he much prefers the summers to the winters, he still has vivid memories of running around the frozen lakes to stay in shape.Not only has Morrell gone undefeated since making his professional debut, he has flashed his generational skill set, demolishing anybody who dares to stand across from him.Everything will come full circle on Saturday night when Morrell (9-0-0, 8 KOs) returns to The Armory to defend his WBA Super Middleweight title against challenger S...

Man acquitted in St. Paul triple murder convicted in earlier kidnapping and shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

Antonio Wright, recently acquitted of a triple murder on St. Paul’s East Side, has been found guilty of kidnapping and shooting a man two days earlier in the city’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.Jurors, following a seven-day trial in Ramsey County District Court, deliberated for about four hours Tuesday before convicting Wright of two counts of kidnapping and one count of attempted murder. Prosecutors argued that Wright shot the 37-year-old man on Sept. 2, 2022, because Wright thought he was going to snitch on him after he heard Wright discussing a 2017 murder.Antonio Dupree Wright (Minnesota Department of Corrections)Wright, 42, of Minneapolis, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 29.Wright had waived his right to a jury trial in the Sept. 4, 2022, triple homicide case, allowing a judge to decide his guilt or innocence. Judge Kelly Olmstead, citing insufficient evidence, found him not guilty this fall.Attempted murder casePolice officers were called to a shooting in the 1000 block...

Defenses are supposed to travel. The Timberwolves’ hasn’t yet.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:15:04 GMT

The Timberwolves have been lights out at Target Center this year. Minnesota is 10-1 in Minneapolis, outscoring opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions.Seven of the Wolves’ 10 home victories have come by double figures. At Target Center, Minnesota has beaten the likes of Denver, Boston and Oklahoma City.When playing at home, the Wolves have the look of legitimate championship contenders.On the road? Not so much. Not yet, anyway. Which is fine. Frankly, many great teams are dominant at home and just above average, at best, on the road.That’s the Wolves to date. They are 7-4 on the road with a positive net rating (plus-0.7 — tied for seventh best in the NBA). Those are impressive numbers. But those numbers are propped up by a pair of 20-plus point victories over Memphis’ decimated roster.Remove those games and the Wolves have been outscored by 26 points on the road this season. They have yet to beat a healthy, quality team on the road, unless you count a Go...