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‘A giant flying propane tank’: Congress gets serious about unsolved UAP mysteries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Age-old political concerns — national security, public safety, government oversight and the sanctity of taxpayer dollars — emerged Wednesday alongside the unlikeliest of bedfellows: the enduring mythology of UFOs.Rechristened as unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, the unsolved mysteries of the skies have undergone a dramatic image overhaul in recent years, thanks to ever-more credible tales of close encounters and diminished public trust in government. Gone are dismissive references to flying saucers and “little green men,” replaced by a much more modern and pervasive conspiracy theory reflective of 21st-century U.S. politics: your government is lying to you.That message came through loud and clear Wednesday as a trio of former military and intelligence officials urged lawmakers on Capitol Hill to get serious about exposing UAPs and top-secret government efforts to investigate them.“We need to tell the folks at the Pentagon they work for us, dadgum ...

Search extends into seventh day for Ukrainian man missing after swim in Quebec river

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

SAINT-ANSELME, Que. — Quebec provincial police spent a seventh day Wednesday looking for a missing Ukrainian refugee missing since last week after going for a swim in a river southeast of Quebec City.Police have not formally identified the missing man, but an official with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress says he is 21-year-old Sumit Shyder. Shyder has not been seen since heading out for a swim on the evening of July 19. His brother found his bicycle and personal effects by the shore of the Etechmin River in St-Anselme, Que., that night.Quebec provincial police had hoped to be able to send divers back into the river on Wednesday afternoon, something they haven’t been able to do since last week due to strong currents. But Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu said the current was still deemed too strong so the search continued from the shore and using helicopters.A candlelight vigil was to be held in honour of Shyder on Wednesday evening in front of the St-Anselme Church, the town noted on its w...

UK billionaire whose family trust owns Tottenham soccer club pleads not guilty to insider trading

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Lewis, the British billionaire whose family trust owns the Tottenham Hotspur soccer club, pleaded not guilty in New York on Wednesday to insider trading charges alleging that he fed corporate secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants, friends and his pilots, earning them millions of dollars illegally. Lewis was released on $300 million bail, using a yacht and private plane as collateral, after he entered the plea in Manhattan federal court. Two of his pilots, Patrick O’Connor and Bryan ‘Marty’ Waugh, also pleaded not guilty to related charges and were each released on $250,000 bail.All three must remain in the United States.U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who announced the charges Tuesday night in a video, said Lewis was accused of “orchestrating a brazen insider trading scheme” that utilized his access to corporate boardrooms to feed inside tips to friends and lovers.“Those folks then traded on that inside information — and made millions of dollars in the...

Court-appointed manager of Mississippi capital water system gets task of fixing sewage problems

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The independent manager working to fix the long-troubled water system in Mississippi’s capital city will also be assigned to oversee repairs to the city’s deteriorating sewer system, under a proposed order filed Wednesday by a federal judge.Officials from the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Jackson all agreed to give the extra duties to Ted Henifin.Henifin had decades of experience running water systems in other states before U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate appointed him late last year to run the Jackson system.Wingate had said during a hearing in May that he was considering putting Henifin in charge of the sewer system, as well.Todd Kim, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement Wednesday that the new agreement will lead to faster steps to improve problems, including “sewage ...

House Republicans grill Mayorkas on ‘disastrous’ border policy and renew calls to impeach him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faced a barrage of criticism Wednesday from House Republicans who, in recent months, have floated impeaching him over what they say is his dereliction of duty in securing the southern border. Mayorkas’ appearance before the House Judiciary Committee comes as the Biden administration’s immigration policies are facing legal attacks from across the political spectrum, despite a steep drop last month in the number of border crossings.“I know that today Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to paint a rosy picture of this disastrous mismanagement of our border,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the Judiciary Committee, said in his opening statement. “But the numbers don’t lie.”Jordan and other Republicans attributed the sudden falloff in migrant crossing to a new Biden administration asylum policy that allows migrants to use a Customs and Border Patrol app when seeking asylum. The new technology is att...

NATO will step up security in Black Sea region after Russia declares parts are unsafe for shipping

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

NATO said Wednesday it was stepping up surveillance of the Black Sea region as it condemned Russia’s exit from a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.The announcement came after a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which was launched at a NATO summit in Lithuania earlier this month to coordinate cooperation between the military alliance and Kyiv.The Kremlin doubled down on terminating the grain deal by attacking Ukrainian ports and declaring wide areas of the Black Sea unsafe for shipping.“Allies and Ukraine strongly condemned Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal and its deliberate attempts to stop Ukraine’s agricultural exports on which hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend. … NATO and allies are stepping up surveillance and reconnaissance in the Black Sea region, including with maritime patrol aircraft and drones,” read the NATO statement.Last week, Russia halted the breakthrough wartime deal that a...

4 arrested in break-and-enters targeting GTA auto shops, linked to street racing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

Peel Regional Police announced the arrests of four people connected to break-and-enters targeting automobile shops across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).Investigators said the break-and-enters involved car parts believed to be linked to illegal street racing rings. Peel Regional Police said search warrants were executed throughout the GTA with the assistance of York Regional Police and Toronto Police.Stolen items were recovered, including two vehicles, in what authorities called Project Erange.Peel Regional Police identified four people — three men and one woman — charged in the investigation. They include 27-year-old Devante Donaldson of Bowmanville, Ont., 26-year-old Vernacio Gardener of Brampton, 20-year-old Brishawn Zaydeek Mills of Brampton and 22-year-old Taylor Lee of Bowmanville, Ont.Donaldson faces the most charges, including 11 counts of break-and-enter, 27 counts of failing to comply with a release order, 14 counts of operation while prohibited and four counts...

Riquna Williams barred from WNBA’s Aces after felony domestic violence arrest in Las Vegas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Riquna Williams, a veteran WNBA player and member of last year’s championship-winning Las Vegas Aces, has been barred from the team after her arrest on felony domestic violence charges involving a person authorities say is her spouse.A judge on Wednesday allowed Williams, 33, to be freed from jail without bail less than a day after her arrest, but said she can have no contact with her alleged victim and must comply with alcohol monitoring pending another court appearance Aug. 2.The Aces issued a statement acknowledging Williams’ arrest and saying that she is “precluded from participating in team activities.” The Aces were traveling Wednesday and are scheduled to play in Dallas on Sunday. “We condemn domestic violence of any kind,” the team said. “Our thoughts are with the parties involved in this situation.”The league issued a statement saying it was gathering more information.Williams faces five felony charges including multiple counts of domestic...

Former Crown Point teacher sentenced to 1 year in jail for child seduction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. — The former head of Crown Point High School's theatre department received one year in jail following pleading guilty for child seduction.Christopher “Kit” Degenhart, 51, entered guilty plea in May to child seduction involving sexual intercourse, a level 5 felony. As a result of the plea agreement, the state dropped the other child seduction charge, which was a level 6 felony.According to the sentencing agreement, Degenhart will spend one year behind bars while participating in a work release program. After one year, he's scheduled to move into home detention while working in the program for six more months.After the year and a half in the work release program, Degenhart will be on two and a half years of probation.Conditions of the probation including obtaining employment and attending sex addiction meetings. Additionally, he also must register as a sex offender.Degenhart taught at Crown Point High School beginning in 1995 and ran the theatre department for severa...

I-65 closed both directions in NW Indiana after Hazmat situation involving tanker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — I-65 near Merrillville is closed in both directions until further notice after a crash involving a tanker led to a hazmat situation Wednesday afternoon.According to Indiana State Police, traffic is being diverted at U.S. 30 (exit 253) and S.R. 2 (exit 240). Stay with WGN News as this article will be updated once more information becomes available.