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HUD sets sights on aldermanic prerogative, says practice 'disproportionately harms' minority neighborhoods

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

CHICAGO — The federal government has their sights set on Chicago's use of aldermanic prerogative.Investigators with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said Wednesday that the city has wrongly limited affordable housing by allowing members of City Council to reject developments in their wards.In a letter first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, a fair housing official wrote, in part:"... The City affords each of its fifty wards a local veto over proposals to build affordable housing, and that many majority-White wards use the local veto to block, deter, or downsize such proposals. As a result, new affordable housing is rarely, if ever, constructed in the majority-White wards … By limiting the availability of affordable housing, the local veto disproportionately harms Black and Hispanic households."U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentHUD officials said they want Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration to enter talks for an informal resolution to it's...

$350K donation helping to house migrants in Chicago churches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

CHICAGO -- More than a dozen Chicago churches, with the help of a $350,000 donation, are helping to get asylum seekers off the streets.Pastor John Zayas and an army of volunteers at the Grace & Peace Church in Austin are focusing their energy on the dozens of migrants still sleeping at the Chicago’s 5th Police District.“They’re excited about getting on the bus. They’re excited about starting their lives and moving forward," Pastor John Zayas of the Grace & Peace Church said. Migrants battle cold as city looks to clear Chicago police stations But the news they haven’t learned yet is that they’re going someplace warm.“Today, we’re popping up a shelter for about 40 migrants," Pastor Justin Lake of the Life Center Church of God and Christ said.Pastor Justin Lake and his team from Life Center Church of God and Christ in Washington Park, among over 17 churches, stepping up for migrants.“We’re getting some supplies from toiletries to sheets and cots, and the whole thing enabling ...

When will thousands of students get bus service? CPS has few answers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

CHICAGO — More than three months into the school year — as freezing temperatures and snow descend on the City — 5,500 Chicago Public Schools students are still being denied bus transportation and are having to take the CTA or find another ride to school.“We are not writing-off this year,” CPS director of student transportation Kimberly Jones said on the WGN Evening News. However, Jones would not say when — or if — more students will get access to school bus transportation before the end of the school year. “We’re leaving no stone un-turned,” was her answer.General education students who attend selective enrollment and magnet schools and were previously given bus transportation are now offered free CTA passes instead. Even those who do receive bus service are enduring increasingly long commutes. The district acknowledges 116 students with disabilities are commuting more than an hour to get to and from school, compared to 47 students in August. More from Ben: Migrant camp in Brighto...

Family fighting over inheritance from sale of T. rex remains

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A legal battle is underway over the estate of the South Dakota couple who earned millions from the sale of Sue the Tyrannosaurus rex. In 1990, fossil hunters discovered Sue's massive skeleton on Maurice and Darlene Williams' property on the Cheyenne River Reservation in central South Dakota. Because of the location, people questioned who owned the rights to Sue, which led to years of court battles. Now, the controversy has shifted to who inherits what is left of the fortune created by the skeleton. Eventually, the Williams' were able to claim rights to the find. Then in 1997, Maurice and Darlene Williams made $7.6 million from the auction of Sue, who is still on display at Chicago's Field Museum. At 47 feet long, Sue is among the largest and best-preserved T. rex skeletons ever discovered. It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction Over a decade later, in 2011, Maurice Williams died. His wife, Darlene, then moved from their ra...

Armed Uber passenger taken into custody in Los Angeles after standoff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

(KTLA) – Helicopter footage captured an hourslong standoff between Los Angeles police and an armed Uber passenger who refused to leave the vehicle Wednesday morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.The original 911 call came in around 7:35 a.m. PT, police said, when an Uber driver contacted LAPD to report a passenger in the vehicle with a gun. The driver managed to make it out of the vehicle safely, telling authorities that the armed passenger was refusing to exit.Responding officers surrounded the vehicle in the Mount Washington neighborhood on the city's northeastern side.LAPD in a standoff with an armed Uber passenger on Nov. 29, 2023. (Sky5)LAPD in a standoff with an armed Uber passenger on Nov. 29, 2023. (Sky5)LAPD in a standoff with an armed Uber passenger on Nov. 29, 2023. (Sky5)LAPD in a standoff with an armed Uber passenger on Nov. 29, 2023. (Sky5)A train was being held at the station, and an LAPD officer was seen speaking with the train's conductor. (Sk...

Relieving postpartum depression without medication — and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

For Wednesday, Nov. 29, WGN’s Dana Rebik has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Exercise decreases postpartum depression symptoms Aerobic exercise can both prevent and treat postpartum depression, according to researchers presenting evidence in the journal Plos One. Long known to improve mental health for men and women, after pregnancy, exercise also reduces negative emotions, including anxiety associated with hormones. Analyzing 26 different studies, scientists say they discovered 3-4 moderate-intensity workouts per week were significant for reducing symptoms of postpartum depression. Earlier menopause associated with loss of muscle massThe loss of hormones in menopause wreaks havoc on a woman's mental and physical health and now doctors have found one more problem. Women who go through menopause at a younger age have a greater risk of loss of muscle mass. A shorter reproductive life span is associated with several adverse health impacts, ...

North Dakota State makes new scholarship to compete with Minnesota free tuition program

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota State University on Thursday announced a new scholarship program amid higher education leaders’ worries of losing Minnesota students eligible for free tuition in their home state under a new program beginning next year.The university is offering its Tuition Award Program for the 2024-25 school year. Minnesota’s North Star Promise program begins in fall 2024. It will cover undergraduate tuition and fees at the state’s public post-secondary schools and tribal colleges for Minnesota residents whose family income is under $80,000, after they have used other sources of financial aid, such as grants and scholarships.North Dakota State University President David Cook has spoken of “catastrophic implications” due to North Star Promise. North Dakota State is the No. 1 out-of-state choice for first-year Minnesota students, who make up nearly half its student body. The Fargo-based university is just across the Red River from Minnesota.The Tuition Award Program cam...

Arizona man who crashed into St. Paul police squad car arrested, faces federal drug charge

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

An Arizona man who authorities say fled law enforcement and crashed into a St. Paul police squad car at about 80 mph — injuring his passenger and an officer — has been arrested and charged in federal court with attempting to possess and distribute cocaine.Paris Jackson, 38, fled agents with Homeland Security Investigations and St. Paul police Nov. 18 after picking up a package that earlier had contained about 2 kilograms of cocaine, according to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.Paris Jackson (Courtesy of Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office)Earlier that day, St. Paul police received a call that the package was delivered to a residence along Lafond Avenue in the city’s Frogtown neighborhood and that it appeared to contain cocaine. Police recovered the package, which tested positive for the drug.Law enforcement officers removed the cocaine from the package and placed a GPS tracking device in it. Officers put the package back on the fron...

Climbing gym workers at Vertical Endeavors unionize across Minnesota

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

Employees of Vertical Endeavors gyms throughout the state voted this month to join the United Food and Commercial Workers, making them the first climbing gym workers to unionize in Minnesota.The election took place by mail ballot beginning Nov. 13, and results were counted Wednesday, with more than 81% of employees agreeing to join UCFW Local 663 and 1189.Hailey Jarmon, a team coach in Bloomington, said in a written statement that workers look forward to a bargaining contract that offers “better pay and healthcare, and a voice in the decisions that are going to affect employees and customers.”Vertical Endeavors gyms are located in Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth. A call to the company for comment was not returned Wednesday.The new bargaining unit will cover about 90 people, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers, including most employees who are not shift managers or guards.A filing of intent to unionize in August included employees of Nicros, ...

3 candidates vie for Dakota County state House seat in Dec. 5 special election

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

A special election for a vacant south Twin Cities suburban House seat next Tuesday could give Republicans a chance to chip away at Democratic-Farmer-Labor control of Minnesota government.On Tuesday voters will choose a new representative for House District 52B. It’s a three-way contest for a seat that covers portions of the south metro suburbs of Eagan and Mendota Heights.The district has favored Democrats in recent years, though a special election could be an opportunity for Republicans, as there’s no incumbent and turnout could be lower than normal. The last time a Republican won in the district was in 2016 when the seat was open. But the DFL and even Democrats on the national level aren’t taking the district for granted.Bianca VirnigLast week, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee named DFL candidate Bianca Virnig a “spotlight candidate” and in a statement said the special election is essential for “maintaining a strong and durable Democratic majority.”Bianca Virnig...