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United Autoworkers strikes spread to Chicago and Lansing as 7,000 more workers join the picket line

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

By DAVID KOENIG and TOM KRISHER (AP Business Writers)DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union says its two-week strike against Detroit automakers will spread to 7,000 more workers at a Ford plant in Chicago and a General Motors assembly factory near Lansing, Michigan.Union President Shawn Fain told workers on a video appearance Friday that negotiations haven’t broken down but Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress. Jeep maker Stellantis was spared from the third round of strikes.The GM plant in Delta Township, near Lansing, makes large crossover SUVs such as the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave. A nearby metal parts stamping plant will remain open, Fain said.The Chicago Ford plant makes the Ford Explorer and Explorer Police Interceptors, as well as the Lincoln Aviator SUV. The Explorer interceptor is the nation’s top selling police vehicle.“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress...

Fall-like weather expected in San Diego County this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego-style sweater weather may sweep the region this weekend, with high temperatures expected to be 10-20 degrees below average.According to the National Weather Service San Diego, the forecast shows cool, breezy conditions the next couple of days with a chance showers for some areas. 5 San Diego beaches for sunset bonfires Weather officials say though rainfall amounts are questionable, "the forecast has been trending wetter." Coastal areas are expected to hover right around 70 degrees on the coast Saturday, with Sunday showing similar expectations. This is also true for inland areas like Escondido, Ramona, Mira Mesa, and El Cajon.In the mountain areas -- like Alpine, Julian, Palomar, and Mt. Laguna -- temperatures should be in the mid to low 60s, with some areas dipping into the 50s. Oktoberfest San Diego: Celebrate Bavarian culture at these events NWS says light rain is possible just west of the mountains over the weekend.The deserts will still feel some h...

San Diego mayor issues statement on Sen. Diane Feinstein's 'legacy of service'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria issued a statement Wednesday morning to commemorate U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, following the news of her death.The oldest sitting U.S. senator, Sen. Feinstein died at age 90, sources confirmed to the Associated Press.Mayor Gloria issued the following statement on Sen. Feinstein and her impact over her five decades of public service: The top public high schools in San Diego County, according to Niche “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Senator Diane Feinstein.Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer, breaking down barriers for women in politics and serving the public for over 50 years. Her career was marked by a tireless commitment and unwavering dedication to the betterment of our nation. Her advocacy on critical issues such as gun safety, women’s rights, environmental protection and healthcare reform reflected her deep concern for the welfare of her fellow Californians and all Americans.As a former mayor, Senator Fei...

Michigan teen shooter eligible for life in prison, no parole, for killing 4 students, judge rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A teenager who killed four students at Michigan’s Oxford High School is eligible for life in prison with no chance for parole, a judge said Friday.Judge Kwamé Rowe announced the decision over video conference, weeks after hearing from experts who clashed over Ethan Crumbley’s mental health and witnesses who described the tragic day in 2021 in sharp detail.Rowe said prosecutors had overcome a presumption that life in prison would be unfair to a minor. Crumbley heard the decision with his lawyers while sitting in a room in the county jail.The 17-year-old will be formally sentenced in Oakland County court on Dec. 8, a day when survivors and families can tell the judge about how the shooting affected their lives.First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence for adults in Michigan. But the shooter was 15 at the time, which gives the judge options: life in prison or a shorter term — somewhere from 25 years to 40 years at a minimum — and an eventual opportuni...

Africa’s Eswatini, one of the last absolute monarchies, holds an election without political parties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The small southern African nation of Eswatini held elections Friday to decide part of the makeup of its Parliament, even as its extremely wealthy king retains absolute power, political parties are banned and elected representatives can merely advise a monarch whose family has reigned supreme for 55 years.Eswatini, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique, is the last absolute monarchy in Africa and one of the few remaining in the world. King Mswati III, 55, has been the monarch since 1986, when he became ruler days after his 18th birthday. His father was king for 82 years before him, although Eswatini only gained independence from Britain in 1968.It was formerly known as Swaziland.Parliamentary elections are held every five years. Candidates for the lower chamber, the House of Assembly, and for the Senate cannot belong to political parties, which were banned in 1973, and are nominated at a local level before they face a popular vote.Mswati III appoin...

Russians and Belarusians allowed to compete as neutral athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Russians and Belarusians will be allowed to compete as neutral athletes at next year’s Paralympics in Paris after avoiding a full ban from the event following the invasion of Ukraine.The International Paralympic Committee voted 74-65 at an assembly in Bahrain on Friday against suspending Russia’s membership entirely — which would have meant a full ban from the Paralympics — but then voted 90-65 in favor of “partially” suspending the country through 2025.The IPC said Russia’s national Paralympic committee was being partially suspended because of “breaches of its constitutional membership obligations.”Later Friday, the IPC said members similarly rejected a full ban for Russia ally Belarus and imposed a partial suspension.Russians “will be eligible to participate in an individual and neutral capacity” at the Paralympics and other IPC-governed sports events, the IPC said. It didn’t spell out the exact criteria, but said the athletes w...

Rush-hour storm floods New York City area, swamping streets and stranding people in traffic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A potent rush-hour rainstorm swamped the New York metropolitan area on Friday, shutting down parts of the city’s subway system, flooding streets and highways, and delaying flights into LaGuardia Airport.Up to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain fell in some areas overnight, and as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) more was expected throughout the day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.“This is a dangerous, life-threatening storm,” Hochul said in an interview with TV station NY1. “Count on this for the next 20 hours.” Traffic was at a standstill, with water above cars’ tires, on a stretch of the FDR Drive — a major artery along the east side of Manhattan. Some drivers abandoned their vehicles. Priscilla Fontallio said she had been stranded in her car, which was on a piece of the highway that wasn’t flooded but wasn’t moving, for three hours. “Never seen anything like this in my life,” she said. Photos and video posted on social media sh...

Palestinian security force deploys in school compound in Lebanon refugee camp following clashes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

SIDON, Lebanon (AP) — A Palestinian security force deployed Friday in a school complex in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp in the country’s south, replacing gunmen who had occupied it since fighting broke out in late July leaving more than 30 people dead.The deployment raises hopes that a nearly two-week cease-fire in the Ein el-Hilweh camp, near the southern port city of Sidon, will hold. On Sept. 14, members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group and two Islamic militant factions, Jund al Sham and Shabab al Muslim, agreed to a cessation of hostilities. The complex includes eight schools. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has been urging gunmen to evacuate the compound ahead of the school year that is supposed to start in early October.In the afternoon, the security force, consisting of 55 fighters from factions including Hamas, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Asbat al-Ansar, took over the badly damaged compound. ...

New York man who served 18 years for murder acquitted at 2nd trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York man who spent 18 years in prison for a murder he said he did not commit was found not guilty at a second trial.Paul Scrimo, 66, was acquitted on Thursday in Nassau County Court in the strangulation death of Ruth Williams in 2000, Newsday reported.Scrimo was convicted of murder in 2002, but an appeals court overturned the conviction in 2019, saying Scrimo had been denied a fair trial.The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal said in its ruling that DNA under the victim’s fingernails was not Scrimo’s.Scrimo said his acquittal after a trial that started on Sept. 18 will give him a chance to make up for lost time with his family.“I missed all of the graduations, all of the weddings,” Scrimo, a married father of three, said. “The kids always loved me. They never said, ‘Dad, you weren’t here.’ With my wife … she’s been hurt by this. But she’s a good girl, and I’m gonna make it up to her forever.”Scrimo was accused of strangling Williams inside her Long Isl...

First-degree murder charge in connection with human remains found in Quebec City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:08:12 GMT

QUEBEC — A Quebec man is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with human remains that were found in the provincial capital area.François Bouchard, 31, was charged today at the Quebec City courthouse in the killing of Santiago Gaona.His co-accused, Cassandra Major, 31, and Jean-Phillipe Lamontagne, 44, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.The three suspects were arrested on the evening of Sept. 17 in the Montreal-area Mohawk territory of Kahnawake and originally charged with committing an indignity to a body.Human remains were found Sept. 17 in the Quebec City area, but police have said the killing likely occurred between Sept. 8 and Sept. 16 some 200 kilometres away in Contrecoeur, Que., northeast of Montreal.The case returns to court in Quebec City on Nov. 24.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2023.The Canadian Press