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President Biden speaks at Stellantis plant in Illinois in support of labor unions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden visited Illinois on Thursday to celebrate the reopening of a suburban auto plant while highlighting his support of labor unions. Biden, the first sitting President to join a picket line, praised the tentative deal between the United Auto Workers Union and the three major US automakers. As part of the deal, a Stellantis plant will re-open in Belvidere, returning more than a thousand jobs to the community. The visit further highlighted Biden's support of organized labor as he prepares for the 2024 election. “The entire UAW proved what I already believed: Wall Street didn't build America, the middle class built America and unions built the middle class,” Biden said.  Stellantis closed its Belvidere assembly plant back in March. A resolution was struck following a 46-day strike of UAW members, however.“What saved Belvidere was UAW workers all over the country willing to do whatever it takes,” said national UAW president Shawn Fain.  Five takeaways from th...

Younger veterans feel uncomfortable when told thank you for service: Poll

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

(The Hill) — A majority of younger veterans said they feel uncomfortable when they are told “thank you for your service,” a new poll found.Ahead of Veterans Day on Saturday, a survey found disparities between young military members and their older counterparts in how they prefer to be recognized for their service.Among younger military members and veterans — age 18 to 29 — 70 percent said they feel uncomfortable or awkward when they are thanked for their service. Only 24 percent of older members, 65 years and up, say the same, the Endeavor Analytics and YouGov poll found. Winners and losers from the third Republican debate “This data shows that military service members and our veterans want Americans to go beyond small talk to connect with them on a deeper level, including learning more about their service, honoring each veteran’s service in ways in which they feel comfortable talking about it,” Robert F. Whittle Jr., retired Army major general and United Services Automobile Assoc...

Chicago City Council passes ordinance giving employees 10 paid days off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council has passed the paid leave ordinance with a 36-12 vote.It will require employers to provide a total 10 days of paid time off for employees. It includes five sick days and five vacation days. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Some opponents said the ordinance could create significant financial strain on small businesses.This story will be updated.

Burbank man accused of assaulting officers with wasp spray during Capitol riot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Two men in Indiana and Illinois were arrested this week and accused of separately assaulting peace officers with a flagpole and wasp spray during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.Troy Allen Koen, 53, of Brownsburg, Indiana, faces federal felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, destruction of government property and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.Koen also faces four additional misdemeanor charges in connection with the riot. Former Trump State Department official convicted for attacking police during Capitol riot No attorney was listed for Koen in federal court records, and he declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday evening. He was arrested Thursday in Indianapolis and was expected to make an appearance in the Southern District Court of Indiana that day, the attorney's offi...

Florida-bound flight took off with missing window panes, U.K. investigators report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- A plane flying from England to Orlando was forced to turn around when crew members discovered multiple window panes were missing. According to a report from the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), several passengers on the Oct. 4 flight noticed it was "noisier and colder than they were used to" after taking off from London's Stansted Airport. Universal Orlando reports ‘technical difficulties’ as guests complain of closed rides The 11 crew members and nine passengers on board the plane were identified as "employees of the tour operator or aircraft operating company," according to the AAIB report, and were seated near the over-wing exits. A man walked to the back of the plane and discovered "the window seal was flapping in the airflow and the windowpane appeared to have slipped down."The crew member described the noise to investigators as "loud enough to damage your hearing" as the plane reached 14,000 feet. After inspecting the windows,...

Austin could soon have another sister city — in Thailand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is taking steps to establish a new sister city in Thailand, with a kickoff event planned for this weekend.Mayor Kirk Watson and provincial governor of Chiang Mai, Thailand, Nirat Phongsittithaworn, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding at Austin City Hall Sunday, launching a sister cities initiative.A visiting delegation from Thailand will join Thai Ambassador to the United States, Tanee Sangrat, and U.S. Consul General in Chiang Mai, Lisa Buzenas, at the signing ceremony. A kickoff event will follow at Wat Buddhananachat, a Buddhist temple just southeast of Austin.Austin currently has 13 sister cities, in countries including Mexico, Peru, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and India. There are also three 'friendship cities' — in Cambodia, France and Mexico — that are in the process of becoming sister cities.The interactive map below shows all of Austin's sister and friendship cities."I am honored to support the launch of this new Austin-Chiang Mai Sister...

One of 2 missing canoeists from Minnesota is found dead in northwestern Wisconsin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

Searchers on Wednesday evening recovered the body of one of two Minnesota men who disappeared while canoeing in northwestern Wisconsin last month.Ryan J. Busch, 26, of New Ulm, Minn., was found dead in the Minong Flowage in Wascott. Authorities are still searching for Andrew DeRock, 27, also of New Ulm, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release Thursday morning.The two men went out in a canoe on Oct. 28 and were reported missing after family found their capsized canoe Oct. 29. A search effort with drones and personnel took place for the next few days but became a recovery effort earlier this week.A GoFundMe site has been established for the families.Related ArticlesOutdoors | MSP airport undergoing $242 million upgrade of concourses, 75 gates Outdoors | State DFL senator will seek Dean Phillips’ congressional seat next year Outdoors | Submissions for a new Minnesota flag and state seal are now available for ...

I-94 closes this weekend for Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit construction work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

Interstate 94 will be closed over the weekend between St. Paul and Oakdale while construction crews on the Metro Gold Line project set beams for a new pedestrian bridge over the freeway in St. Paul.The closure starts at 10 p.m. Friday with eastbound lanes closed between U.S. 52 and U.S. 61 and westbound lanes closed between I-494/I-694 and I-35E.The eastbound lanes will reopen Saturday at 8 p.m. while the westbound lanes will reopening Monday at 5 a.m. I-35E and I-694 will be the detour routes.Interstate 94 will close for the weekend beginning Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, as crews working on the Metro Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit line set beams for a new pedestrian bridge over the freeway in St. Paul. (Courtesy of Metro Transit)In addition to the pedestrian bridge, crews also will be working on the westbound I-94 to Mounds Boulevard exit.The $505 million Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit service will make 16 stops between St. Paul and Woodbury, including in Maplewood, Landfall and Oakdale. Ramse...

State volleyball: Caledonia sweeps Concordia Academy in Class 2A quarterfinal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

The Concordia Academy Beacons lost in three sets to the Caledonia Warriors in the Class 2A volleyball state tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center.After getting blown out in the first set 25-12, Concordia Academy rebounded and was much more competitive in the second set, making it extremely close but losing 29-27. They then dropped the third and final set 25-14.The loss to the third-seeded Warriors didn’t come as a total shock, as the Beacons were at a height and defensive disadvantage. Concordia Academy coach Kim Duis said her team knew what to expect from its opponent after playing Caledonia earlier in the season, and the Warriors didn’t do anything that surprised them.“We knew they were going to have a big block, and I think a big part of it was trying to hit around that,” she said. “It makes things very tough, to us, of just communication and passing. I think those were the two biggest things. They’ve got some big hitters, but I think the blocking ...

Reallocation on Friday will determine winner in 2 St. Paul City Council races

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:36:51 GMT

While results are more or less final in most of St. Paul’s city council races, Ramsey County election officials on Friday will work to determine winners in races where no candidate reached the threshold needed to automatically win.Since no candidate got 50% or more of the vote in Ward 1 and Ward 7, St. Paul’s ranked-choice instant runoff voting rules for city elections call for a “reallocation” to determine winners in those races. Officials will have to process more than 11,000 ballots.Wards 1 and 7 aren’t the only races headed for another count. Ward 3 candidate Isaac Russell on Thursday requested a full ballot count and reallocation, even though he conceded the election to Saura Jost on election night.Ramsey County spokesperson Megan Fournier said elections workers will recount and reallocate ballots in that race on Monday. Russell got a little more than 30% of the vote and Jost got around 48.5%. Voters cast more than 13,000 ballots in that race.St. P...