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Israel to buy more F-35 fighter jets from US. Deal expands fleet by 50% and deepens partnership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will buy 25 F-35 aircraft from the United States, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced Sunday, in a deal that increases Israel’s arsenal of the stealth fighter jets by 50%.The F-35 is the world’s most advanced fighter jet, and Israel is the only country in the Middle East to fly them. The $3 billion purchase, which increases the Israeli fleet of F-35 jets from 50 to 75, is set to be finalized in the coming months, the ministry said. It said the deal would be financed through American military aid to Israel and that the maker of the plane, Lockheed Martin, and the maker of its engine, Pratt & Whitney, had committed to involving Israeli companies in the production process.“The new agreement will ensure the continuation of cooperation between American companies and Israeli defense industries in the production of aircraft parts,” the statement read.The move to expand the Israeli arsenal comes at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel,...

Pope’s pick to handle sex abuse allegations has refused to believe some victims, US group says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

ROME (AP) — A U.S.-based group that tracks how the Catholic hierarchy deals with allegations of sexual abuse by clergy says Pope Francis made a “troubling” choice in appointing an Argentine prelate to a powerful Vatican office that handles such cases. On Saturday, the Vatican announced the pontiff had picked Monsignor Victor Manuel Fernández, archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, to head the Holy See’s watchdog office for doctrinal orthodoxy. Its mandate includes handling sex abuse allegations lodged against clergy. BishopAccountability.org, a 20-year-old Massachusetts organization that maintains an online archive of abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, said in a statement that the prelate in 2019 refused to believe victims who accused a priest in the La Plata archdiocese of sexually abusing boys. Francis “made a baffling and troubling choice,” the group said in statement emailed late Saturday in the U.S., citing how Fernández handled the case.“In his response to allegations, he s...

LIVE BLOG: Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago: Loop 121 race canceled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

Organizers are hoping the weather cooperates Sunday for Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago.Torrential downpours have caused flooding issues throughout Chicago Sunday morning. Latest forecast updates here. Gates were scheduled to open at 9 a.m. but officials tweeted that it would be delayed due to weather. They opened at 10:15 a.m.Below are real-time updates on the course and timeline for Sunday12:41 p.m. — NASCAR has announced it is suspending the NASCAR Xfinity Series race due to weather.Organizers released a statement that said: “With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the racetrack and throughout the city, there was no option to return to racing prior to shifting to NASCAR Cup Series race operations. Throughout the entire planning process for the Chicago Street Race, our relationship with the City of Chicago has been strong and among the most valuable assets in reaching this historic weekend. In the spirit of that partnership, returning on Monday for the completion of a N...

Grandmother of French teen shot dead by police officer pleads with rioters to stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The grandmother of the French teenager shot dead by police during a traffic stop pleaded on Sunday with rioters to stop as the nation faced a sixth straight night of unrest, while authorities expressed outrage by the targeting of a mayor’s home with a burning car that injured family members.The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, “Don’t break windows, buses ... schools. We want to calm things down.”She said she was angry at the officer who killed her grandson but not at the police in general and expressed faith in the justice system as France faces its worst social upheaval in years. Her grandson, identified by only his first name, was buried on Saturday.The violence appeared to be lessening. But as a new night approached, the office of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets to counter anger over discrimination against ...

Powerball jackpot surpasses half a billion dollars: Can you increase your winning odds?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - For just the second time this year, a Powerball jackpot worth more than half a billion dollars is up for grabs after no ticket matched all six winning numbers drawn Saturday night. Numbers drawn were 4, 17, 35, 49, 61, and Powerball 8. Ahead of the next drawing, set for Monday night, Powerball officials say the jackpot has reached an estimated $522 million. This is now the second-largest Powerball jackpot of 2023. A Washington woman won a jackpot worth $754.6 million in February, pocketing the cash option of approximately $407.2 million. It stands as the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot in history and had been building since November 2022.  Why the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot winner only received $997.6 million as his payout The current $522 million jackpot has been growing since mid-April when a ticket sold in Ohio matched all six winning numbers for a jackpot worth $252.6 million. Though it has crossed the half-billion mark, the newest jac...

Catch this land-walking fish in Illinois? Don't toss it back - do this instead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - A new sighting of the so-called "Frankenfish" has prompted renewed warnings from wildlife officials that you shouldn’t just throw it back. While Frankenfish can conjure nightmarish images, it’s really a northern snakehead fish, or Channa argus. It may appear like a normal fish, but it has a special ability: it can breathe air, allowing it to slither onto land to find better water to swim in.If they are able to stay moist, the snakehead can survive for up to four days out of the water, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says. The freshwater fish is originally from East Asia and is considered invasive because it preys on and competes with native species, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Invasive Species Information Center. Texas largemouth bass confirmed as world record catch The first discovery of the Frankenfish was in California in 1997, according to the U.S. Geological Society. Since then, the species has been observed ...

Man pleads guilty to 2021 murder, aggravated robbery in Buda

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a 2021 murder in Buda. Jason Oliver Martinez, 22, pleaded guilty in April to four charges: capital murder and three counts of aggravated robbery. His plea bargain agreement has a 20-year sentence, which began April 10, including 803 days of jail credit. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 3 minors, 1 adult from Austin arrested in connection to Buda murder Martinez and three minors were charged in connection to the murder in January 2021. Giancarlo Arman Perez was found shot on Jan. 21, 2021, in the 6900 block of Sunfield Parkway, the Hays County Sheriff's Office said at the time. He was taken to the hospital after first responders arrived around 6:20 p.m., and he later died.The plea bargain agreement said Martinez shot Perez with a firearm while attempting to commit or committing a robbery and also committed theft of property with a firearm while threatening three others. Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmate ...

Woman takes plea deal in connection with 2018 crash that killed 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A woman was sentenced June 26 to 10 years of probation in connection with a 2018 crash incident that killed a man, according to Travis County court documents.Image of Dawn Denny (APD photo)Records said Dawn Denny, 55, pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge.According to past coverage, Pflugerville police said Denny hit and killed 36-year-old Donald Alan Waller, whose car had stalled on the side of the road.As a part of the plea agreement, records showed Denny would serve three days in jail each year during her probation on the weekend closest to the crash anniversary.Documents showed Denny’s license would also be suspended for two years beginning July 26, and she must attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting once weekly for five years, among other conditions.Denny worked at KXAN as a reporter for a 10-month period in 2013-2014.

Business People: Ford exec Bozeman takes over at C.H. Robinson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

OF NOTEDave BozemanC.H. Robinson Worldwide, an Eden Prairie-based global provider of third-party shipping logistics for business, announced the appointment of Dave Bozeman as chief executive officer and member of the board of directors, effective June 26. Bozeman succeeds Scott Anderson, who has been serving in an interim role and will continue on the company’s board. Bozeman most recently served in two vice president roles at Ford Motor Co.FINANCIAL SERVICESStearns Bank, St. Cloud, announced the retirement of Thomas “Tom” Williams from the board of directors and that Roger Voit has been named Stearns Bank Upsala board director emeritus.HEALTH CAREMNSure, the State of Minnesota‘s public health insurance exchange, announced that Stephanie Stoffel and Andrew Whitman have been reappointed to the board of directors, with Stoffel named chair. Stoffel is a IT executive; Whitman, an attorney, is a professor of insurance at the Carlson School of Management. … Pathway Healt...

Multiple officers injured in Coxsackie prison melee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:45 GMT

COXSACKIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Staff at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility were attacked by a 20-year-old inmate serving a 5 year sentence for weapons possession, according to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOBA). Multiple officers were injured in the melee. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On June 27, during a residential rehabilitation unit program, officers say an inmate was being removed from his chair when he managed to free himself from his handcuffs and engage in a physical altercation with another inmate. According to staff, the second inmate then pulled out an unidentified object from their sock and began stabbing at the first inmate.A sergeant approached the two, placing the first inmate in a body hold, when he was stabbed in the wrist by the second inmate, who had still been striking at the other prisoner. The sergeant forced the first inmate into a wall and applied h...