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Gypsy Rose Blanchard out of prison years after persuading boyfriend to kill her abusive mother

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the Missouri woman who persuaded an online boyfriend to kill her mother after she had forced her to pretend for years that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses, was released Thursday from prison on parole.Blanchard was released early in the day from the Chillicothe Correctional Center, said Karen Pojmann, a spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Corrections. Blanchard was granted parole after serving 85% of her original sentence, Pojmann said.Blanchard’s case sparked national tabloid interest after reports emerged that her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who was slain in 2015, had essentially kept her daughter prisoner, forcing her to use a wheelchair and feeding tube.It turned out that Gypsy Blanchard, now 32, was perfectly healthy, not developmentally delayed as her friends had always believed. Her mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek ...

Satellite images show Russian navy ship burning after Ukrainian strike in Crimea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

(CNN) — Satellite images have revealed severe damage caused to the Russian tank landing ship Novocherkassk following Ukrainian strikes on a port in Crimea on Tuesday.In images taken by Maxar, the ship can be seen burnt out and detached from the port, seemingly partially submerged, with smoke billowing from the vessel.Ukraine claimed to have destroyed the ship in its attack on the port of Feodosia in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Moscow claimed the ship had been “damaged.”The image, when compared with a previous image showing the ship before the strike, suggests a successful Ukrainian operation targeting the port.The number of those who may have been killed in the strike may become more clear over time as the peninsula is currently under Russian control, a Ukrainian Navy spokesperson said Wednesday.“This territory, unfortunately, is occupied now, and it’s not an easy thing to do the relevant intelligence. And I think that ove...

5 financial new year’s resolutions for 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

By Chanelle Bessette | NerdWalletThe new year is upon us, and it’s a great time to plan for your financial future. Here are five financial resolutions to consider for 2024.1. Get a high-interest savings accountInterest rates are still high on savings accounts right now, especially high-yield online savings accounts. Some accounts are offering more than 5% annual percentage yield, which is 10 times more than the national average on savings accounts. Take advantage of this “free” money by opening a new account with a high rate or upgrading your current one. Just make sure you avoid fees as much as possible, and choose a bank or credit union that is easy for you to access, either through remote customer service or in person.2. Focus on student loan repaymentFor many, student loan payments resumed in 2023. If you’re feeling anxious or uncertain about how much you owe, it’s best to face the numbers head-on and see if there’s any way you can reduce your payments. For example, if you earn ...

Scattered showers expected in San Diego County this weekend, maybe thunderstorms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Scattered showers are expected across San Diego County this weekend, as well as a chance of isolated thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service. From Thursday to Friday, NWS anticipates dry weather with morning low clouds and fog for both the coastal areas and valleys. High temperatures at lower elevations Friday should be slightly above average to 5 to 10 degrees. Drivers’ warning: CHP to implement Maximum Enforcement Period for new year From there, a low pressure system from the west is expected to bring cooling and a chance of showers late Friday night and into Saturday, the forecast shows. Those rain showers will move from northwest to southeast through the day Saturday before tapering off after sunset, weather officials explained.High temperatures for inland areas over the weekend are anticipated to be around 10 degrees cooler than those of Thursday and Friday, said NWS.For most areas ...

Last at-large suspect in stabbing of off-duty officer at Scarborough Best Buy arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

All four suspects in the stabbing of an off-duty police officer at a Scarborough Best Buy store earlier this month are now in custody facing charges after the last remaining suspect was arrested on Wednesday.Toronto police arrested Preston Calladine, 48, of Toronto, and charged him with nearly a dozen charges including robbery with a weapon, aggravated assault on a peace officer and assault with a weapon.Calladine was the last of the four suspects to be nabbed.The first arrest came in dramatic fashion last Wednesday when police say they spotted one of the suspects driving a stolen U-Haul truck in the Danforth and Warden Avenues area.Officers tried to make an arrest, but the suspect allegedly abducted a citizen at gunpoint and took off in the U-Haul, sparking a long pursuit that resulted in numerous crashes through parts of the GTA. The abduction victim managed to jump out of the vehicle at one point and was unharmed.Police vehicles finally cornered the suspect, making a daring dayli...

Mexico says a drug cartel kidnapped 14 people from towns where angry residents killed 10 gunmen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A drug cartel in central Mexico has kidnapped 14 local residents, including four children, in apparent retaliation for an uprising by angry farmers earlier this month that killed 10 cartel gunmen, officials said. Farmers in the village of Texcaltitlan and a neighboring hamlet had apparently grown tired of cartel extortions. Armed only with sickles and hunting rifles, they chased down suspected gang members amid bursts of automatic gunfire on Dec. 8, hacking, shooting and burning them. Four villagers also died in the clash. Prosecutors said late Wednesday that the cartel then abducted 14 people, including four children between the ages of 1 1/2 and 14. The abducted adults include three policemen who were seized at a cartel roadblock, and a wounded villager the gang snatched from a hospital soon after the clash. It was unclear if there was an intentional symbolic meaning in the fact that 14 gunmen were killed by the farmers in the clash and that 14 people were kidna...

Quebec reaches tentative deal with teachers union on strike since Nov. 23

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

MONTREAL — The Quebec government has reached a tentative deal with a union representing about 40 per cent of the province’s teachers, who have been on unlimited strike since Nov. 23.Fédération autonome de l’enseignement — or FAE — said Wednesday night that after 22 days of striking it is ready to present a deal to its leadership.Shortly after, Treasury Board Chair Sonia LeBel and Education Minister Bernard Drainville confirmed that the deal involved salaries and working conditions for the roughly 66,000 members of the union.The FAE took the most hard line out of all the public sector unions negotiating new contracts with the government, launching an unlimited general strike in November that shut about 800 schools. The union says if its leadership approves the deal, the agreement in principle will be presented to members in the new year.On Wednesday the government said it had reached tentative deals on working conditions with all the unions that are part of a labour alliance re...

Election officials see a range of threats in 2024, from hostile countries to conspiracy theorists

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — For election officials preparing for the 2024 presidential election, the list of security challenges just keeps growing.Many of the concerns from four years ago persist: the potential for cyberattacks targeting voter registration systems or websites that report unofficial results, and equipment problems or human errors being amplified by those seeking to undermine confidence in the outcome.Add to that the fresh risks that have developed since the 2020 election and the false claims of widespread fraud being spread by former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies. Death threats directed at election workers and breaches of voting equipment inside election offices have raised questions about safety and security. Some states have altered their voting and election laws, expanded legislative control of local elections and added penalties for election workers who violate rules.The turmoil has contributed to a wave of retirements and resignations among election staff...

Bulgaria and Romania overcome Austria’s objections and get partial approval to join Schengen Area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria and Romania have received permission to join Europe’s passport- and visa-free Schengen Area starting in March, the governments of the two countries said. The move initially will apply only to travelers arriving by air and sea, while Austria has committed to continuing negotiations over the need for border checks when crossing from the two countries by land, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov told reporters Thursday.Austria previously blocked Bulgaria’s and Romania’s entry into the Schengen Area over concerns about illegal immigration but reached an agreement in principle with the two fellow European Union members.“Negotiations with Austria will be combined with substantial support from the European Commission to protect the EU’s external borders with Turkey and Serbia in order to reduce the flow of illegal migrants to Europe,“ Denkov added.Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu confirmed the admission of his country into the border-free travel zo...

Surveillance video released of 3 wanted in killing of Chatham security guard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

CHICAGO — Surveillance video has been released by Chicago police of three people wanted in the slaying of a security guard outside of a Chatham store last week.On the afternoon of Dec. 20 at around 1 p.m., officers responded to DTLR, located in the 700 block of East 87th Street, on the report of a shooting.Edward Creamer, 53, of Calumet City, who was working as a security guard for the store at the time, was involved in an altercation with two males and a female.CPD said one of the suspects shot Creamer three times. He later died at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Previous: Security guard fatally shot in Chatham ID’d Surveillance footage below, released by police Wednesday night, shows the two males and female stealing merchandise from the store prior to running out.The group fled in a Nissan Maxima, stolen on Dec. 19, with Illinois plate number CW 25426.No one is in custody. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.