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Israel’s prime minister pitches fiber optic cable idea to link Asia and the Middle East to Europe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Israel’s prime minister on Sunday floated the idea of building infrastructure projects such as a fiber optic cable linking countries in Asia and the Arabian Peninsula with Europe through Israel and Cyprus.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s “quite confident” such an infrastructure “corridor” linking Asia to Europe through Israel and Cyprus is feasible.He said such projects could happen if Israel normalizes relations with other countries in the region. The 2020 U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and the Biden administration is trying to establish official ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.“An example and the most obvious one is a fiber optic connection. That’s the shortest route. It’s the safest route. It’s the most economic route,” Netanyahu said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.The Israeli leader’s pitch is itself an extension of proposed energy links w...

3 teens charged in 7 robberies on Saturday across Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Three teens are facing more than 10 felony charges each after Chicago police said they allegedly robbed several people Saturday across the city.The boys, 15, 16 and 17, were arrested around 3:20 p.m. in the Loop. Police investigate 5 separate robbery reports in one day The map below shows where the robberies happened, according to the Chicago Police Department.The 17-year-old is charged with 11 counts of robbery while armed with a firearm and one count of attempted robbery while armed with a firearm, according to CPD. The 16-year-old is charged with 10 counts of robbery while armed with a firearm, one count of attempted robbery while armed with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon, according to CPD.The 15-year-old is charged with 10 counts of robbery while armed with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.A woman and her family were packing a moving truck near East 48th Street and South Calumet Avenue when they were targeted by the teens.“Thes...

Man opens fire on driver after being hit in Garfield Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is dead after he hit a person while driving who then shot him in Garfield Park Saturday, Chicago police say.According to officers, a 30-year-old man was driving in the 3800 block of West Madison Street around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday when he hit another man with his car.  2 teens shot, 1 critical, after Mount Carmel HS football game in Woodlawn Police say the man who was hit by the car then pulled out a gun and shot the driver several times. The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead.There is no one in custody in connection to the shooting and officers say an investigation is now underway. $38,000 recovered after robbery, high-speed chase in Bensenville Anyone with information on the deadly shooting can leave a tip for police at CPDtip.com. Tips can be left anonymously.

Minnesota prison on emergency lockdown after inmates 'refuse' to return to cells

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota prison has been placed on emergency lockdown and members of a crisis negotiation team have been activated after about 100 inmates in one housing unit would not return to their cells, the state Department of Corrections said Sunday.The Special Operations Response Team was also deployed “out of an abundance of caution," a spokesperson said in a statement, adding the situation is “currently stable" and the reason inmates "are refusing to return to their cells remains unclear.”Two officers at the Stillwater correctional facility were reported to be safe in a secure control area and in contact with facility staff. No injuries had been reported.In total, about 1,200 inmates are at the facility just southeast of Stillwater, according to department records.

Wisconsin’s new liberal Supreme Court justice hasn’t heard a case, but Republicans may impeach her

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

MADISON, Wis. — Even before the newly elected justice who gave liberals a one-seat majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has heard a case, Republican lawmakers are talking about taking the unprecedented step of impeaching and removing her from office.And they have the votes to do it.Republicans worry that the legislative districts they drew 12 years ago, which are widely viewed as among the most gerrymandered in the country, will be undone in one of the court’s first actions under liberal control. It’s a legitimate concern, as Democratic-friendly groups brought two lawsuits in the first week of newly elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s term asking the new liberal-controlled court to toss the maps.They waited to bring the challenges until after Protasiewicz started her 10-year term the the court Aug. 1, flipping majority control to 4-3 liberals for the first time in 15 years.The moves came after Protasiewicz said during her winning campaign that the maps are “rig...

Repaving project to affect Minnesota 62 in Mendota for next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

Eastbound Minnesota 62 in Mendota will shut down Tuesday morning between Minnesota 13 and Lexington Avenue for a two-week repaving project, according to the state Department of Transportation.Signs will direct drivers on a detour using Minnesota 5, Interstate 494 and Interstate 35E for the 15-day closure.Westbound lanes will remain open and then will close for up to 15 days after the eastbound lanes are paved.All lanes are expected to be open by early October.Call 511 or go to www.511mn.org for current road conditions.Related ArticlesLocal News | St. Paul Public Schools brings back yellow buses for students at Central, Harding and Washington Tech — but not Como Local News | Frey vetoes Minneapolis City Council’s minimum wage ordinance for Uber, Lyft drivers Local News | MnDOT will now use cellphone alert system for major road closures in emergencies Local News | Transit advocates push for new option as MnDOT take...

Want to build more vibrant cities? Just look to the State Fair’s urban design, geographers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

With its grid street structure, tree-lined sidewalks and ‘districts’ like the animal barns or the old Machinery Hill, the Minnesota State Fair has the look of a real city. It even has its own branded water tower and police chief.If the State Fair were in fact its own city, it would be the world’s most bustling metropolis, by a significant margin. By average daily attendance, its population density trounces St. Paul’s by over 50 times.That kind of vibrancy is the stuff of city planners’ dreams — and clearly Minnesotans’, too, given the hundreds of thousands of us who flock to the fairgrounds during each of the Fair’s 12 precious days.However, in ways that notably differ from some actual American cities — including Minneapolis, as Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea humorously pointed out when he was in town — the Great Minnesota Get-Together offers plenty of public amenities to support people actually getting together. Benches are widely available, water fountains and restrooms are fr...

Stillwater prison on lockdown after 100 inmates reportedly decline to return to their cells

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

The Stillwater prison was placed on emergency lockdown Sunday after about 100 prisoners in a living unit declined to return to their cells, authorities said.It’s not yet clear why the inmates are refusing orders, according to a Minnesota Department of Corrections press release. No injuries have been reported.Staff have been removed from the housing unit’s common areas at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater.Two correctional officers are safe in the unit’s secure control area and “in communication with facility command personnel,” the press release said.The department said it has activated a crisis negotiation team and deployed a special operations response team “out of an abundance of caution.”Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Man shot to death and found lying outdoors in Frogtown early Sunday Crime & Public Safety | Hastings man dies in car crash on Highway 55 Friday night Crime & ...

Aurora Walmart evacuated after upset customer threatens to “shoot up the store”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

A Walmart in Aurora was evacuated Sunday morning after an upset customer allegedly threatened to “shoot up the store,” according to the Aurora Police Department.It happened around 9 a.m. at a Walmart Neighborhood Market located at 10400 East Colfax Ave., in Aurora.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Two suspects arrested in connection to Aurora shooting death Crime and Public Safety | Aurora homicide suspect arrested; allegedly beat man to death at RTD station Crime and Public Safety | Six face murder charges in Aurora organized crime investigation Crime and Public Safety | Why Denver police quietly stopped using no-knock warrants Crime and Public Safety | Aurora dentist accused of killing wife by poisoning her protein shakes expected to plead not guilty The man was located at a nearby bus stop and arrested on an active warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, according to Joe Moylan with...

Identifying an NFL coach goes way beyond hiring the hot coordinator under an established coach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:00 GMT

What makes a good NFL head coach?Few things are more elusive than an accurate formula to answer a question that has been around since the league was founded 103 years ago.College coaches — even the most successful ones — are hit and mostly miss. So teams tend to look to former NFL head coaches or, more likely, hot young coordinators in hopes of taking a losing franchise and leading it to the promised land.In the end, it’s still a roll of the dice because of myriad factors that determine success, such as the coach/general manager relationship, how much interference comes from ownership and even blind luck when it comes to injuries to key players.49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is six years in along with general manager John Lynch and has lost three assistants to head coaching jobs: former defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans went to the New York Jets and Houston Texans, respectively, and former offensive assistant Mike McDaniel was hired by the Miami Dolph...