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Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh independence advocate whose killing two months ago is at the center of a widening breach between India and Canada, was called a human rights activist by Sikh organizations and a terrorist by India’s government.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was investigating “credible allegations that agents of the Indian state were linked to the killing of a Canadian citizen” after Nijjar was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia. India denied any role in the killing, calling the allegations absurd. Nijjar was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and at the time of his death was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora with the organization Sikhs For Justice.He also owned a plumbing business and served as president of a local Sikh temple or gurdwara.Nijjar was a wanted ...

Millennial Money: 5 options if you’re crushed by student loan and credit card debt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

The return of federal student loan payments in October has the potential to derail your finances, especially if you’re already struggling with credit card payments.One in five student loan borrowers have risk factors that suggest they could struggle with student loan payments when they resume, according to a June blog post at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.The impact won’t be as significant during the initial 12-month student loan on-ramp period from Oct. 1 to Sept 30, 2024. You won’t default on student loans or see credit scores plummet after missing payments during that time. But interest will continue to accrue, making the growing debt more difficult to manage. Use the next 12 months to make progress with consistent payments. You’ll save more money over time and pay down debt faster.Here are some strategies to consider as you’re getting started.1. REVAMP YOUR BUDGETAn updated budget clarifies how much money is available to pay down debts. Review your debit and credit ca...

Instagram post may shed new light in death of former NFL player's mother

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

MAYWOOD, Ill. — The search continues on Monday for a missing former NFL player whose mother was found dead in a creek in the western suburbs over the weekend.Authorities say they are searching for 35-year-old Sergio Brown, a Proviso East graduate who played in the NFL from 2010 to 2016 with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.Sergio was reported missing alongside his mother, Myrtle Brown, hours before she was found dead. Homicide investigation underway after mother of former-NFL player found dead in creek A new post appeared on an Instagram account that is believed to be run by Sergio on Monday. In the post, which was shared as a story, Brown makes vague statements regarding the FBI and Maywood police and claims that he thought his mother was on vacation.The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Myrtle Brown died in an assault and a homicide investigation into her death is underway."You just feel for the family, what they’re going through," Angel Rivera, a...

Attorneys for man charged in Delphi murders argue girls died in ritual sacrifice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

DELPHI, Ind. – A ritualistic killing involving cultists. A conspiracy among prison guards.Investigators fixated on a single suspect.Those are among the stunning allegations made in court documents filed by defense attorneys on behalf of Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen. Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen want search warrant evidence thrown out Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 killings of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi. Investigators announced his arrest in October 2022, more than five years after the killings.Attorneys Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin filed a 130-page motion that lays out, in their opinion, the reasons the October 2022 search warrant for Allen’s property should be thrown out.The attorneys filed an amended motion to suppress the search warrant last week. They’ve now requested a Franks hearing, alleging that investigators withheld information from a judge in order to get the warrant approved. Richard Allen...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s with rain and storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Cloudy, rain with t'storms Tuesday and a wide temperature range. Winds: S 5-15 G20. High: 67. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mainly cloudy tonight with rain and storms. Winds: SE 5-10 G15. Low: 60.Wednesday Forecast: Mostly cloudy Wednesday with a 20 percent AM rain chance. Winds: SSW 5-10. High: 82.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Chick-fil-A plans return to UK after past anti-LGBTQ+ backlash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

(KTLA) - Chick-fil-A is planning to open restaurants in the United Kingdom by 2025, officials announced.The planned expansion comes four years after the company opened a temporary storefront in Reading, a town west of London, in 2019. LGBTQ activists and supporters protested the company’s arrival due to comments made by former Chick-fil-A CEO Dan T. Cathy regarding same-sex marriage in 2012. McDonald’s to phase out self-serve soft drink fountains In the past, Chick-fil-A has also faced criticism for its donations to Christian organizations, such as the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which have expressed opposition to gay rights.In 2019, the company announced it would give money to charities that focused on “education, homelessness and hunger and expanded its partnerships with Junior Achievement, Covenant House and local food banks,” USA Today reported. The company no longer donates money to the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes but still rec...

Suspicious fire damages family-owned tire shop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) -- The Lockhart Police Department said it is investigating a suspicious fire that damaged a family-owned tire shop in the town, as the business owners turn to the community for financial help. Ashley and Gilbert Rodriguez own and operate Legion Tire on Colorado Street in Lockhart. The business has been in the same building for about ten years. The fire started behind the building in an area where they store tires. The level of damageThose tires became fuel on the night of September 10 as the fire raged behind the building. The flames entered into the building through a fan on the wall and damaged machinery inside. "It's really just a huge mess," Ashley Rodriguez said while standing in the middle of where the fire started. Surrounding her was thousands of dollars of damage just to tires. The building is safe enough to go inside, but the electricity has been shut off until it can be repaired. The carnage after a fire ripped through a tire shop. (Photo Courtesy: ...

HAAM Day underway with over 250 musical performances across Austin area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians is hosting its 18th annual HAAM Day fundraising event on Tuesday.This is the largest fundraiser for the organization, wherein hundreds of Austin musicians perform at venues all across Central Texas in support of its mission to provide affordable access to health and wellness care for Austin-area low-income, working musicians.Funds raised go directly toward providing healthcare services for the musicians HAAM serves.Since 2005, HAAM has helped nearly 6,700 musicians access more than $144 million in healthcare services, ranging from primary and specialty care, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, basic needs, and other services. Support Local Musicians During The 18th Annual HAAM Day On September 19th, 2023 “Bringing the community together on this special day, we aim to bridge the gap between Austin's thriving music culture and the need for accessible healthcare for its artists,” HAAM CEO Paul Scott said.Throughout the year...

Austin launches emergency preparedness pop-up classes, events

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin emergency preparedness officials are taking newer steps to keep residents informed on what to do in the event of a weather-related emergency event.The City of Austin's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management launched emergency preparedness classes this year. HSEM will host 10 pop-up events at Austin Public Library branches across the city, said Billy Callis, public information officer with HSEM."The intention is really to help get people prepared and aware, and thinking about how to prepare themselves, their home, their family, their pets and their community for emergencies," Callis said.Why the City of Austin began offering emergency preparedness classesThe events feature HSEM staff alongside officials from Austin-Travis County EMS, the Austin Fire Department, Austin Energy and the Austin Watershed Department, among others. Callis said the need for these publicly accessible classes is especially important, given the onslaught of weather-related e...

Americans freed from Iran arrive home, tearfully embrace their loved ones and declare: ‘Freedom!’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:25 GMT

WASHINGTON — Americans detained for years in Iran arrived home Tuesday after being freed as part of a politically risky deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.The prisoners landed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with clapping and cheers heard in the predawn hours. Siamak Namazi, the first off the jet, paused for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before leaving the plane. Loved ones, some holding small American flags, tearfully enveloped them in hugs and exchanged greetings in English and Farsi, the main language of Iran.“The nightmare is finally over,” Namazi’s brother, Babak, said at the airport.U.S officials arrange a group photo after freed Americans Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Shargi, as well as two returnees not yet named by the U.S. government, who were released in a prisoner swap deal between U.S and Iran, arrived at Davison Army Airfield, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Jonathan Er...