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A deal on US border policy is closer than it seems. Here’s how it is shaping up and what’s at stake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid grueling negotiations, the contours of a bipartisan border security and immigration deal are beginning to take shape, emerging even as Congress leaves town having failed to publicly unveil any details of the package that’s central to unlocking stalled aid for Ukraine.Talks between the White House and key senators have not veered widely from three main areas of discussion: toughening asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border; bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems; and deterring migrants from making the journey in the first place.As the Senate broke for the holidays, due back Jan. 8, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in a rare joint statement indicated negotiations are progressing. They also met Wednesday to discuss how to advance the border policy alongside President Joe Biden’s$110 billion package of wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other nat...

Unseasonable 50+ degree December "warmth" this weekend and Christmas Day

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

Thursday night and Friday rainy spells are forerunners of more significant rains Monday into next weekWGN WEATHER HEADLINESCHECK OUT THE MILD AIR WHICH IS TO PRODUCE THESE HIGH TEMPS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMP DEPARTURES EACH DAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAYChristmas Day temps this coming Monday will be VERY DIFFERENT than the chilly air which occurred a year ago.Current projections have the area of the Lower 48 with high temps at or above 50 degrees are to cover twice the size of last Christmas while nighttime sub-freezing temps will cover half the area than occurred a year ago.Here in Chicago Christmas day is likely to produce mid 50-degree temps, though SE winds will lower shoreline temps along with clouds and rain in the afternoon. A 55-degree high at O'Hare would come in 41 degrees warmer than last Christmas' 14-degree high!Forecast highs ThursdayForecast highs FridayForecast highs SaturdayForecast highs SundayForecast highs Christmas DayHERE'S THE STORM DRENCHING CALIFORNIA AND HEADED FOR...

Bay Area could see more rain next week

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

MONTEREY – Another round of rain could be in store next week for the Bay Area, forecasters said Wednesday night.Related ArticlesWeather | Bay Area rainfall chart: Three-day total exceeds 6 inches at wettest sites Weather | Thursday clear-up expected for Bay Area weather as holiday weekend approaches Weather | Real-time map: Where it’s raining in the Bay Area Weather | Bay Area rainfall chart: 48-hour totals exceed 4 inches Weather | More rain coming to Bay Area ahead of the holiday but today may be its grand finale Wet — and possibly windy weather — is expected to return to the region as early as Dec. 26, according to a briefing issued by the National Weather Service forecast office in Monterey.Forecasters noted that it was too early for specifics on timing and amounts, but precipitation is expected to be above average, forecasters said in a precipitation outlook.The rain may last into ...

Pizza delivery man shot dead in his car in Oakley

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

(KRON) -- A pizza delivery man was shot dead while sitting in his car in Oakley on Wednesday, the Oakley Police Department said. Police are working to identify a suspect. Officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Rutherford Lane at about 4:52 p.m. for the report of shots fired. They arrived to find the 24-year-old victim in his car with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. Mother charged, accused of killing daughter in Martinez DUI crash An OPD investigation has uncovered that the man was on his break from delivering pizzas and parked in front of his home when he was shot. A second vehicle pulled up and a passenger shot him at close range, police said. The passenger then got back in the car, which went left on Rutherford Lane and turned north onto Vintage Parkway. OPD Chief Paul Beard said the man's mother watched her son get shot. The shooting happened in what Beard called a "relatively quiet" area of Oakley, right across from Vintage Parkway Elementary School....

Three arrested, accused of stealing $50K worth of items from San Mateo homes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

(KRON) -- The San Mateo Police Department arrested three people accused of breaking into two homes in the area on Tuesday. The suspects allegedly stole property from the homes that totaled more than $50,000 in value.SMPD responded to Mission Drive at 7:22 p.m. after a person who lives on the street called to say he was watching a live feed from his security camera showing two people "ransacking his home," police said. Mother charged, accused of killing daughter in Martinez DUI crash Officers surrounded the neighborhood and found that the suspects had left the home. They conducted a search and learned that there was a third suspect, and the trio had also burglarized another home. Officers saw the suspects jumping over a fence to enter a backyard on the 700 block of West Capistrano Way. SMPD used a drone to locate and surround the suspects. One suspect was arrested hiding in a portable bathroom. Another was located running out of the backyard. The third was found hiding on a roof. ...

Ready, set, travel: The holiday rush to the airports and highways is underway

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

It’s beginning to look a lot like a hectic holiday travel season, but it might go relatively smoothly if the weather cooperates.Travel over Christmas and New Year’s tends to spread out over many days, so the peaks in the U.S. are likely to be lower than they were during the Thanksgiving holiday. That is making airlines and federal officials optimistic.But the debacle at Southwest Airlines over Christmas last year should guard against overconfidence. Just this week, the Transportation Department announced a settlement in which Southwest will pay $140 million for that meltdown, which stranded more than 2 million travelers.So far this year, airlines have canceled 1.2% of U.S. flights, down nearly half from 2.1% over the same period last year. Cancellations were well below 1% during Thanksgiving, according to FlightAware.“I don’t want to jinx us, but so far 2023 has seen the lowest cancellation rate in the last five years,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said ...

Today in History: December 21, Gen. Sherman concludes ‘March to the Sea’ during Civil War

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

Today in HistoryToday is Thursday, Dec. 21, the 355th day of 2023. There are 10 days left in the year. Winter begins at 10:27 p.m. EST. Today’s Highlight in History:On Dec. 21, 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman concluded their “March to the Sea” as they captured Savannah, Georgia.On this date:In 1620, Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts.In 1891, the first basketball game, devised by James Naismith, is believed to have been played at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. (The final score of this experimental game: 1-0.)In 1913, the first newspaper crossword puzzle, billed as a “Word-Cross Puzzle,” was published in the New York World. In 1914, the U.S. government began requiring passport applicants to provide photographs of themselves.In 1945, U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton, 60, died in Heidelberg, Germany, 12 days after being seriously injured in...

Australia to send military personnel to help protect Red Sea shipping but no warship

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia will send 11 military personnel to support a U.S.-led mission to protect cargo shipping in the Red Sea, but it will not send a warship or plane, the defense minister said Thursday.Defense Minister Richard Marles said Australia’s military needs to keep focused on the Pacific region.The United States announced this week that several nations are creating a force to protect commerecial shipping from attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.Marles said 11 military personnel will be sent in January to Operation Prosperity Guardian’s headquarters in Bahrain, where five Australians are already posted.“We won’t be sending a ship or a plane,” hs told Sky News television. “That said, we will be almost tripling our contribution to the combined maritime force.”“We need to be really clear around our strategic focus, and our strategic focus is our region: the northeast Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the East ...

Graham Ike scores 22 points, No. 15 Gonzaga rebounds with 100-76 win over Jackson State

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Graham Ike scored 22 points in 17 minutes, Braden Huff added 17 points off the bench, and No. 15 Gonzaga ran away in the second half for a 100-76 win over Jackson State on Wednesday night.The Zags (9-3) rebounded from their loss to No. 5 UConn last Friday and picked up a resounding victory in their last game before Christmas.“We put a lot into that UConn game. I was really happy with our guys’ effort,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I’m telling you, I think Jackson State will win their league. They’ve got some guys who are older. They’ve got a great plan. … They had our full attention.”Ike and Huff were part of a dominant effort on the interior. Gonzaga scored 50 points in the paint and shot 52% as a team.Nolan Hickman scored 18 points and Ryan Nembhard added 11 points and six assists. Anton Watson finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, and moved into second place on the school’s all-time steals list, trailing only John Stockt...

House scores 20, New Mexico takes down UC Irvine 78-65

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:04:25 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jaelen House had 20 points in New Mexico’s 78-65 win over UC Irvine on Wednesday night.House added five assists for the Lobos (11-1). Nelly Junior Joseph added 12 points while going 3 of 6 and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line, and he also had seven rebounds and three steals. Donovan Dent finished 5 of 12 from the field to finish with 12 points. The Lobos prolonged their winning streak to 10 games.Justin Hohn finished with 14 points for the Anteaters (7-5). Andre Henry added nine points and two steals for UC Irvine. In addition, Derin Saran and Andre Henry had nine points apiece.___The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.Source