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Children face solitary confinement in cells at Illinois juvenile detention facility, ACLU says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Children as young as 11 are confined alone to cells the size of parking spaces up to 23 hours a day at a juvenile detention center in Southern Illinois, according to a lawsuit filed by ACLU of Illinois.Young people at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center in Benton must ask staff permission to flush the toilet, and they can go days or weeks without access to schoolwork. Black mold grows on the walls, according to the lawsuit filed Friday, and there are no mental health professionals employed at the facility. The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the facility to improve conditions immediately, on the basis of deprivation of their rights under the 14th Amendment.“These are not conditions that anybody, let alone any child, should be subjected to,” said Kevin Fee, the lead lawyer on the case, describing the situation as “inhumane to the level of being unspeakable.”In general, the conditions of juvenile detention centers in the U.S. have been slowly improving ...

Adam Yates beats twin brother Simon Yates to win initial stage of Tour de France

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

BILBAO, Spain (AP) — Adam Yates pulled away from his twin brother Simon Yates to win the first stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, with race favorites Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard finishing not far behind.The Yates brothers escaped to the front with about seven kilometers (four miles) to go and Adam had the strongest finish to take the initial yellow jersey in the three-week race that began in Basque Country territory in northern Spain.Pogacar, the two-time Tour de France champion who is teammates with Adam Yates with UAE Team Emirates, finished third after leading a group of chasers that also included Vingegaard, the defending champion of team Jumbo-Visma.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

United States winger Weah signs 5-year deal with Juventus

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

TURIN, Italy (AP) — United States winger Tim Weah completed a transfer to Juventus on Saturday, fulfilling a dream his father once had of playing for the storied Italian club.The 23-year-old Weah, who is the son of former FIFA Player of the Year and current Liberian President George Weah, signed a five-year contract with Juventus on the day the transfer market opened in Italy.“Honored & Blessed to finally be Bianconeri. None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my wonderful family,” Weah wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you to everyone at Juventus for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to represent this legendary club.“GRAZIE (thank you) to all the supporters for all the love they’ve shown me since day one and I can’t wait to meet you all very soon.”Weah’s father also played in Italy, for AC Milan, but recently told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that he would have loved to play for Juventus.“I have always been a Juve...

Governing body FIA agrees to hear McLaren’s request to review Norris penalty

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Formula One’s governing body has agreed to hold a hearing to address McLaren’s request to review the time penalty given to Lando Norris at the Canadian Grand Prix.The hearing will take place with a McLaren representative summoned to appear before stewards on Sunday morning at the Austrian Grand Prix, ahead of the race later in the day. If stewards decide that a “relevant new element” is worth considering then a second hearing will take place at a later date. Norris was handed a five-second penalty during the race in Montreal for what the stewards called “unsportsmanlike behavior.”After Mercedes driver George Russell triggered a safety car by crashing into the wall and sending debris on the track, McLaren told its drivers Oscar Piastri and Norris to pit for new tires. Norris was then accused by stewards of driving deliberately slowly in order to create enough of a gap for McLaren to more easily change tires on both cars.The time penalty dropped Norris ...

As Nanterre mourns Nahel, locals fear violence will continue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

NANTERRE, France — Hundreds gathered on a rainy Saturday next to the Ibn Badis Mosque. The gray, modern building stands just a few blocks from where Nahel, shot dead by the police four days ago, lived. The teen’s white coffin entered the mosque as long queues of men and women waited on both sides to pay their respects in a very tense atmosphere.The killing of the 17-year-old unleashed days of violent demonstrations in the once quiet suburban town, reigniting long-simmering tensions between the youth and the police, accused of brutality and racial discrimination.Amira, 39 and mother of a young boy, said she came to denounce “the violence of some police officers” and to support “the uprising” of suburban people during the last few days. “All the mothers that you can see here — we identify with what happened to Nahel. What this police officer did was wrong. He could have shot the wheel of Nahel’s car, or his leg. … We wouldn’t see all that,” she added.Violent outbursts that...

Reports: Bruins sign forward James van Riemsdyk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

The Bruins kicked off free agency in an expected manner – with a bargain bin pick-up.According to multiple reports, the B’s signed forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract.The 34-yer-old right left wing played the last four years back with the team that had originally drafted him second overall in 2007, the Flyers. Last season, van Riemsdyk had just 12-17-29 totals in 61 games, but he had 24 goals the season before. His highest goal total came in 2017-18 when he had 36 for the Maple Leafs.If Tyler Bertuzzi signs elsewhere as expected, the 6-foot-3, 208-pound van Riemsdyk would serve as a decent replacement as the net-front presence on the power play. That is an area of he game in which he excels.

‘Nana’s Garden’ in El Cajon recognized as water-wise landscape

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- A retired grandmother in East County built an award-winning water-wise landscape with some help from the kids in her neighborhood.Lois Scott, who once worked as a registered nurse, decided to address years of high-water usage, a lack of rain and "rabbit-yard invaders" by converting her once green front lawn into a water-wise landscape she now calls “Nana’s Garden.” Instead of rose bushes and grass, Lois turned to native California plants like succulents which require less water to maintain. With help from her best friend and young neighbors, Lois gradually made the transition. VIDEO: Moon jellyfish swarm spotted near Coronado Cays This all started in 2020 when Lois applied for and received a $4,161 rebate from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Landscape Transformation Program to remove 1,387 square feet of turf.After that, the retired grandmother applied for the San Diego County Water Authority’s WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program the...

Strike gets underway for more than 7,400 port workers across B.C.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

VANCOUVER — The organization employing port workers across British Columbia says thousands of staff are on strike as of today.The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association says federally mediated talks with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada took place throughout the night, but no deal was reached and workers walked off the job this morning. The union previously served a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday, but could not immediately be reached for comment today.The strike affects about 7,400 terminal cargo loaders and 49 of the province’s waterfront employers at more than 30 B.C. ports.The union says contracting out, port automation and cost of living are key issues in the dispute.On Friday both the union and employer confirmed the strike would not affect cruise ships docked in Vancouver, Prince Rupert or Vancouver Island.This report from The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2023.The Canadian Press

Sierra Leone’s main opposition calls for presidential election re-run after incumbent named winner

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s main opposition party on Saturday demanded a re-run of last weekend’s presidential election after incumbent President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner and swiftly sworn in for a second term in the West African nation.The opposition All People’s Congress party, or APC, accused Sierra Leone’s electoral commission of conspiring with Bio’s party to rig the results. In a statement, the party also called for the resignation of electoral commission chairman Mohamed Konneh and his entire team among others.“What culminated in the rogue announcement of fraudulent election results on June 25 was not just a naked theft of the votes of the suffering masses who needed change, it represents the biggest threat to our democracy, unity and survival as a nation,” it said.According to official results, Bio received 56.17% of the vote, enough to beat his man challenger Kamara while avoiding run-off. Electoral officials said Kamara had rece...

Man who fatally shot 2 at Moldova airport is wanted for a kidnapping in Tajikistan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:51 GMT

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — A Tajikistan national who fatally shot two security officers at Moldova’s main international airport is wanted in his native country in relation to the kidnapping of a Tajik bank official, authorities said.The General Prosecutor’s Office of Tajikistan named the assailant as Rustam Ashurov and alleged he was a member of an “organized criminal group” that kidnapped the deputy chairman of a bank in Dushanbe, the Central Asian country’s capital, on June 23. The prosecutor’s office said Ashurov, 43, a resident of Dushanbe, fled to Moldova via Turkey after a criminal investigation was launched “with the aim of going into hiding in EU countries.”After arriving at Chisinau International Airport on Friday, he was denied entry into the country and grabbed a guard’s weapon as he was being escorted away by officials, according to authorities. He fatally shot two security officers. One traveler was also wounded in the attack. Ashurov sustained serious injuries and ...