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An American soldier is detained by North Korea after crossing its heavily armed border

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier crossed the heavily armed border from South Korea into North Korea “willfully and without authorization,” U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.There were no immediate details about why or how the soldier crossed the border or whether the soldier was on duty. The four U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement.The American-led U.N. Command overseeing the area tweeted earlier Tuesday that the detained U.S. citizen was on a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. The U.S. military in South Korea said in a statement that he “willfully and without authorization” crossed the military demarcation line into North Korea.It said he is believed to be in North Korean custody and that the U.N. Command is working with its North Korean counterparts to resolve the incident. ...

Torontonians need to earn more than double minimum wage to afford apartment: Report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

A new report finds there would need to be a huge boost to the minimum wage for low-income earners in Toronto to even come close to comfortably affording a two-bedroom apartment.The findings from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggests people living in the city would need to earn $40 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment and then still have money left over for food and utilities. For a one bedroom apartment they would need to earn close to $34 an hour.Ontario currently has the second highest minimum wage in the country at $15.50, and will have the highest in October 2023 when it increases to $16.55. The report finds the climbing cost of housing in Toronto has wiped out any gains made by recent minimum wage increases.“The discrepancy between the rental wage and the minimum wage is such that, in most Canadian cities, minimum-wage earners are extremely unlikely to escape core housing need,” reads the report. “They are likely spending too much on rent, ...

A look at some American who crossed into North Korea over the past years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S.-led United Nations Command is trying to secure the release of an unidentified American soldier who entered North Korea from the South Korean side of a border village. It’s not immediately clear what motivated the soldier to cross into North Korea during a time of high tensions as the pace of both the North’s weapons demonstrations and U.S.-South Korean joint military training have intensified in a cycle of tit-for-tat.There have been cases of Americans crossing into North Korea over the past years, including a small number of U.S. soldiers. Some of the Americans who crossed were driven by evangelical zeal or simply attracted by the mystery of a severely cloistered police state fueled by anti-U.S. hatred. Other Americans were detained after entering North Korea as tourists. In one tragic case, it ended in death.Here’s a look at Americans who entered North Korea in the past years:___CHARLES JENKINSBorn in Rich Square, N.C., Charles Jenkins was one of...

High court upholds cash-free bail in Illinois, takes effect in September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law ending cash bail, ordering implementation in mid-September. The ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties.”Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Ann Theis delivered the court’s opinion, approved 5-2, saying that the constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public.”The General Assembly dominated by Democrats approved the plan in January 2021 as part of an expansive overhaul of the state’s criminal justice system known as the SAFE-T Act. It followed the police-involved murders of George Floyd in Minnesota the previous spring. The Kankakee County judge’s ruling did not block implementation of the law, set to take ef...

Tourists and residents warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Officials warned residents and tourists packing Mediterranean destinations on Tuesday to stay indoors during the hottest hours as the second heat wave in as many weeks hits the region and Greece, Spain and Switzerland battled wildfires. In Italy, civil protection workers monitored crowds for people in distress from the heat in central Rome, while Red Cross teams in Portugal took to social media to warn people not to leave pets or children in parked cars. In Greece, volunteers handed out drinking water, and in Spain they reminded people to protect themselves from breathing in smoke from fires.“Heat waves are really an invisible killer,” Panu Saaristo, the emergency health team leader for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said during a Geneva briefing. “We are experiencing hotter and hotter temperatures for longer stretches of time every single summer here in Europe.”The new heat wave in several parts of southern Europe is expected to p...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed as earnings reporting season gears up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting Tuesday following some mixed reports on the economy and corporate profits.The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in morning trading, with the majority of the stocks in the index on the upswing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 237 points, or 0.7%, at 34,823, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.Charles Schwab jumped 11.7% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. Several other financial giants also reported stronger results than forecast for the latest quarter, including Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.On the losing end was Masimo, which makes medical sensors and patient monitors and also runs a consumer audio business home to the Bowers & Wilkins and Denon brands. It tumbled 21.8% after it said it expects to report weaker-than-expected revenue for the spring in part because of fewer patients at U.S. hospitals. It also said a decline in demand for audio products ...

The search for children lost in a Pennsylvania flash flood continues into a fourth day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) — The search for a missing 2-year-old girl and her 9-month-old brother who were swept away from their car during flash flooding over the weekend carried into a fourth day, with officials acknowledging people seeking to volunteer to help but saying they won’t be needed. Upper Makefield Township police in a social media post Tuesday thanked the countless volunteers who’ve come forward to help but said their assistance isn’t necessary. Some 100 officials, as well as drones and cadaver dogs, combed the area near the creek that drains into the Delaware River. A news conference has been set for Tuesday afternoon. Missing are Matilda Sheils, 2, and her 9-month-old brother Conrad Sheils, members of a Charleston, South Carolina, family who were visiting relatives and friends when they got hit by a “wall of water” Saturday, according to Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer.The children’s father, Jim Sheils, grabbed their 4-year-old son, while t...

Illinois Supreme Court rules cash bail can be eliminated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law ending cash bail, ordering implementation in mid-September.The ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge's opinion in December that the law violated the constitution's provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties."Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Ann Theis delivered the court's opinion, approved 5-2, saying that the constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public.” Illinois’ SAFE-T Act explained The General Assembly dominated by Democrats approved the plan in January 2021 as part of an expansive overhaul of the state's criminal justice system known as the SAFE-T Act. It followed the police-involved murders of George Floyd in Minnesota the previous spring.The Kankakee County judge's ruling did not block implementation of the law, set to take effect on ...

COPA to provide update on Chicago police sexual misconduct investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

CHICAGO — An update is expected Tuesday on an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability into sexual misconduct allegations at the 10th District police station.The press conference will be held at 10 a.m.According to a spokesman with the Chicago Police Department, an internal investigation was launched into allegations that several officers engaged in sexual relationships with migrants who were living at the West Side police station.One of the migrants is now pregnant and officials are investigating if some of the women involved were minors. CPD officers under investigation for sexual relationship with migrants living at station Migrants at the station were removed and relocated after the accusations, but other districts are still serving as temporary shelters.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

Family looking for missing Lyft driver last seen in Harvey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:49 GMT

HARVEY, Ill. — Family is looking for a missing mother of three who was last seen Lyft driving early Monday morning in Harvey.Lachion Pierce, 36, of Washington Heights in Chicago, contacted her daughter just after 4:15 a.m. Monday saying she was on her way home. She has not been seen or heard from since.Family said Pierce's last Lyft ride was around 3:20 a.m. in Harvey.Pierce was driving a black 2023 Toyota Corolla with plate number DW27225. Family said she leases it from Lyft in order to make money. ‘Not going to cut it’: Suburban boy thriving in national mullet contest Pierce has a 17-year-old, a 16-year-old and an 11-month-old.Anyone with information can call 911 or family at 773-524-1997.