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New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus, suggesting the pandemic may have originated from animals, not a lab, international experts say. Other experts have not yet verified their analysis, which has yet to appear in a peer-reviewed journal. How the coronavirus began sickening people remains uncertain. The sequences will have to be matched to the genetic record of how the virus evolved to see which came first.“These data do not provide a definitive answer to how the pandemic began, but every piece of data is important to moving us closer to that answer,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday. He criticized China for not sharing the genetic information earlier, telling a press briefing that “this data could have and should have been shared three years ago.”The samples were collected from surfaces at the Huanan seaf...

Jim Gordon, rock drummer who killed mother, dies at 77

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jim Gordon, the rock ‘n’ roll session drummer who played on classic records by Eric Clapton, George Harrison and The Beach Boys but suffered from growing mental health problems and spent the second half of his life in prison for killing his mother, has died at 77.Gordon died Monday at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed Thursday. It’s believed he died of natural causes, but the official cause will be determined by the Solano County coroner. Gordon, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been in prison for four decades.From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, few drummers were more in demand than Gordon, a Los Angeles native and protege of the all-time versatile session man, Hal Blaine. Gordon had been drumming since his teens and — early in his career — was part of Phil Spector’s celebrated studio ensemble, “The Wrecking Crew,” which featured Blaine.“When I didn’t have the ...

Three dead in apparent stabbings inside Montreal apartment, police arrest suspect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

MONTREAL — Three people were found stabbed to death inside an east-end Montreal apartment Friday and police have a suspect in custody.Montreal police Const. Julien Lévesque said a 911 call was received at about 9:20 a.m. for a person in need at an address on Bélanger Street, in the city’s Rosemont neighbourhood.Lévesque says officers found three bodies inside bearing marks of violence that appeared to be from a sharp object.The police service is calling the three deaths “suspicious.” Lévesque said it was too early release details about the link between the victims and the suspect.The suspect was arrested outside the apartment building and will be questioned by investigators.Authorities have barricaded off the street consisting of low-rise apartment buildings, across the street from the Montreal Heart Institute. An ambulance with lights flashing remained on scene, along with a police mobile command post and a large number of police vehicles.A spokesperson for the Ur...

Parent company of Silicon Valley Bank files for bankruptcy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

NEW YORK — The parent company of Silicon Valley Bank filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday, a week after the tech-focused bank failed in a sudden collapse that set off fears of wider problems in the global banking system.The filing from SVB Financial Group was widely expected, with much of the company now under the control of banking regulators. The bank was seized last week by the federal government.In other developments, the bank, its CEO and its chief financial officer were targeted in a class action lawsuit that claims the company did not disclose the risks that future interest rate increases would have on its business.SVB Financial Group is no longer affiliated with Silicon Valley Bank after the bank was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The bank’s successor, Silicon Valley Bridge Bank, was not included in the Chapter 11 filing.The bankruptcy filing by SVB Financial Group creates a legal battle over the bank’s remaining assets between th...

Little Village woman missing since January found dead in laundry cart on West Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The family of a woman, reported missing from Little Village in January, has confirmed her body has been found.Relatives said the body of 21-year-old Rosa Chacon was found Wednesday in a laundry cart in an alley near 24th and Western Avenue on the city's West Side. Police identified Chacon by the multiple tattoos on her body, family members said.She was last seen by relatives outside her home on Jan. 18. Home security video captures Chacon getting into an Uber rideshare in the 2800 block of South St. Louis. Woman, 21, missing from Little Village since January, family says It is unclear where she was headed, but relatives said Chacon wasn’t the one who called for the ride. According to family members, Uber refused to give them the identity of the person who requested the rideshare.The Cook County medical examiner has not yet determined a cause of death.WGN has reached out to Uber for a response but have not yet heard back.

Ticketmaster gives partial refund, lower fees to Cure fans after Robert Smith's crusade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

After saying he was "sickened" over Ticketmaster's fees, Robert Smith has gotten partial refunds for attendees of The Cure's upcoming tour.Additionally, Smith said lower fees will be offered for future shows on the tour which have not gone on sale yet."AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH," Smith wrote on Twitter.He went on the say the company has offered a $5 to $10 refund for verified fan accounts as a "gesture of goodwill."On Tuesday, the band announced their upcoming tour will use Ticketmaster’s verified fan system in an effort to reduce scalping.Smith said the band declined to use Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing and platinum tickets, calling it a “greedy scam.” Previous — ‘Sickened’: Robert Smith blasts Ticketmaster fees ahead The Cure’s upcoming tour Once tickets went on sale, he noticed several tickets did end up in the hands of online resale marketplaces for much-higher prices than face value.One ma...

Woman bitten twice by deadly blue-ringed octopus, sent to Australia hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

SYDNEY, Australia (WJW) – A woman swimming by a beach near Sydney, Australia, was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon after she was bitten twice by an extremely venomous blue-ringed octopus, according to local reports. The woman, who is in her 30s, picked up a shell while swimming at Chinamans Beach in Mosman, according to The Australian newspaper. The octopus, which was inside the shell, fell out and bit the woman in the stomach.Paramedics quickly jumped into action to help the woman, who was experiencing abdominal pain around the bite. She was taken to a Royal North Shore hospital for treatment, according to The Australian, which obtained photos of the small octopus after capture. Lost pet snake hitches ride across Virginia in U-Haul; owner plans to reunite According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science, blue-ringed octopus venom is extremely dangerous and stings have led to at least three known human deaths. Its venom is 1,000 times more potent than cyanide and c...

WATCH LIVE | Biden cabinet member discusses Chicago gun violence, mental health

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

CHICAGO — U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra is in Chicago Friday to focus on mental health and gun violence in the area.Becerra will join a community roundtable at Kennedy-King College alongside U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01) and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The trio will then hold a media availability following the roundtable discussion. AG: Illinois lottery employee stole, redeemed winning tickets WGN plans to livestream the media availability within this story beginning at approximately 11:45 a.m.

Trudeau Launches $4 Billion Housing Accelerator Fund To Create 100,000 New Homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

Police chase ends with vehicle crashing into Travis County courthouse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police said after a chase overnight Thursday into Friday, the driver of a vehicle crashed into a building. The building was the Travis County Civil Courthouse off Guadalupe Street in downtown Austin.APD said on Friday at approximately 12:22 a.m., officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the 700 block of East 11th Street.According to police, that incident resulted in a chase that ended with the driver of the vehicle crashing into a building in the 1000 block of Guadalupe Street.APD said four people were found in the vehicle, and they were later taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.