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Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial is over. Here’s what led to his acquittal and what’s next

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The GOP-dominated Texas Senate acquitted fellow Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday, putting him back in office and showing no political damage after a two-week impeachment trial on allegations of corruption. The impeachment charges centered on allegations that Paxton improperly used the powers of his office to protect Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, who was indicted in June on federal charges of making false statements to banks.The trial reached its final stages Friday after closing arguments from the bipartisan group of House managers prosecuting Paxton and the attorney general’s defense lawyers.“We discovered unprecedented abuse in the Texas attorney general’s office by Mr. Paxton,” said state Rep. Andrew Murr, a Republican. “He has betrayed us, and the people of Texas.”In a fiery defense, Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee insisted the House had not proved their case and called the impeachment a “political witch hunt.”“There is sh...

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is going on leave to be with his wife for the birth of twins

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli spends most of his life around a bunch of Twins.His future is going to be a little different.Baldelli is going on paternity leave after Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. His wife, Allie, is expecting twin boys in the coming days.“We’re excited. It’s twins, and we didn’t know what to expect and we didn’t know or even anticipate making it this far,” Rocco Baldelli said. “So we’ve made it basically to the end of kind of the term that they laid out for us, so that’s exciting and I think good for the babies. Allie’s still feeling pretty good, so I mean we’re lucky.”Rocco and Allie got married during the All-Star break in 2021. They welcomed a daughter, Louisa, on Sept. 6, 2021.After Sunday’s series finale against the White Sox, the AL Central-leading Twins visit Cincinnati for a three-game series and then begin a six-game homestand on Friday night against the Los Angel...

Atlantic storm Lee makes landfall in Canada with winds of 70 miles per hour, 1 man killed in Maine

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Storm Lee made landfall late Saturday afternoon in Nova Scotia, Canada, at near-hurricane strength, but not before it brought high winds, rough surf and torrential rains to a large swath of New England and Maritime Canada, toppling trees, swamping coastlines, cutting power to tens of thousands and claiming one life. With sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the center of the post-tropical cyclone came ashore about 135 miles (215 kilometers) west of Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. That’s about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Eastport, Maine, U.S. weather officials said.The storm was expected to weaken as it moves into New Brunswick and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, forecasters said.In the United States, a tropical storm warning was in effect for a 230-mile (370-kilometer) stretch from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to the eastern end of Maine. That included Bar Harbor, the touristy gateway to Acadia National...

Lee leaves flooded roads, downed trees and power outages in path through Maritimes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

A powerful cyclone brought flooded roadways, toppled trees and downed power lines to parts of the Maritimes Saturday as it swept past the western tip of Nova Scotia and headed toward New Brunswick.But as post-tropical storm Lee left some coastal areas with a considerable cleanup, particularly in the region surrounding Nova Scotia’s famed Peggy’s Cove lighthouse, it left others virtually unscathed.“I feel a whole lot better than I thought I would,” said Pam Mood, the mayor of Yarmouth, N.S., where forecasters previously anticipated Lee might have the strongest impact. But aside from a few fallen trees, the town had escaped significant damage as of late Saturday afternoon.“We’ve gotten a lot less harm than we anticipated,” Mood said in an interview. “I’m not sure what happened with the (storm’s) track.”It was a similar story in St. Andrews, N.B., where mayor Brad Henderson said gusty conditions early in the day had largely subsided as the afternoon progressed. ...

Alberta’s top doctor says more sites will be closed, sanitized after E. coli outbreak

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

CALGARY — Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says he has been made aware of additional daycare sites in Calgary where children have tested positive for E. coli.Dr. Mark Joffe issued a statement late Friday night saying the additional facilities will be closed out of an abundance of caution.He said the sites will be required to be cleaned and sanitized, and all children will be tested to confirm their negative status before returning to the centres.All facility operators have been contacted, and Joffe said parents with kids at these facilities will be directly notified as soon as possible by the operators working with Alberta Health Services.The statement noted some of the children who have tested positive at the added centres are connected to daycares from the original outbreak.“What appears to have happened is that some parents who were at the affected facilities moved their children over to other daycares,” Premier Danielle Smith explained during her provi...

Texas impeachment: Here's why Ken Paxton was acquitted

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

(The Hill) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) was acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment in a Texas State Senate trial Saturday.Paxton was impeached by the Texas State House of Representatives for alleged inappropriate favors done for donors, interference in federal investigations and retaliation against whistleblowers. The Texas state House also unveiled new evidence against Paxton last month,  including a fake Uber account he used with a real estate investor whose connections to Paxton had already been scrutinized in the earlier impeachment. If a conviction occurred on just one of the articles Paxton faced, he would have been ousted. After eight days of witness testimony and another day of closing arguments, jurors cast their votes on each article on the Senate floor Saturday.Why was Ken Paxton acquitted?Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement at his office, May 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)It’s not fully clear why he was acquitt...

Woman found dead in Maywood identified by family as mother of former NFL player

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

MAYWOOD, Ill. — Police in the western suburbs are investigating the death of a woman who is the mother of a former NFL player, family members say.Family members say the Melrose Park and Maywood Police departments are investigating the death of Myrtle Simmons-Brown, the mother of former NFL player Sergio Brown.Loved ones say Myrtle had just celebrated her 73rd birthday on Sept. 8th. 14-year-old boy fatally shot after Hillcrest HS football game ID’d: Police Sheila Simmons, the sister of Myrtle Simmons-brown told WGN TV News that she last talked to Myrtle on Thursday, Sept. 14.According to Sheila Simmons, early Saturday morning around 3 a.m. she received a phone call informing her that Myrtle and her nephew Sergio were missing. Sheila Simmons says she then went to her sister and nephew’s house in Maywood and noticed things around the house were out of the ordinary.Sheila says she searched the creek behind the house with police and initially didn’t find anything, but later in the day,...

Drying trend begins after a wet few days

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Rain has disappeared from radar and most should stay dry the rest of the day. Only a low chance for a spotty sprinkle or light shower remains. LIVE RADAR Most areas picked up 0.5"-1.0" of rainfall today. Check out how much was picked up where you live at the link below. CENTRAL TEXAS RAINFALL TOTALS Going into tonight we'll maintain a low chance for a spotty shower, but coverage appears very isolated. Overnight lows drop into the upper 60s thanks to the rain cooled air settling in.Tonight's forecastSunday begins the first of several mainly dry days with a mix of sun and clouds. There's a low chance for a spotty shower in the morning and again later in the afternoon, but most areas should be dry for the second half of the weekend.Sunday's forecastThe start of the week should be dry and warm with highs in the low 90s along with more sunshine than clouds.Highs the next few daysLater this week we'll be watching for some low chances for some rain to drop in from the ...

No. 4 Texas looks to start 3-0 for 1st time since 2012 vs. Wyoming

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On a day when many highly-ranked teams are struggling against unranked opponents, No. 4 Texas is hoping to avoid all of that drama as they take on the Wyoming Cowboys at home.Coming off a mammoth win over Alabama last week on the road, the Longhorns won't have an easy time with the Mountain West Conference squad. In the first week of the season, the Cowboys upset Texas Tech 35-33 in overtime and then followed it up with a 31-17 win over FCS Portland State last week. Quarterback Andrew Peasley does it all for Wyoming, throwing for two scores and rushing for another against the Red Raiders. Whittington’s attitude, consistent play help glue the Texas Longhorns offense together Texas will be without freshman running back CJ Baxter and sophomore linebacker Morice Blackwell Jr. Baxter has a foot injury and Blackwell is coming back from a knee sprain. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier in the week both players would be game-time decisions in regard to their ava...

Gophers can’t keep up in 31-13 loss to No. 20 North Carolina

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:27:29 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The Gophers football team looked at Saturday’s game against No. 20 North Carolina as a chance to gauge how they stack up against one of the nation’s best teams this season.CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 16: Kamari Morales #88 of the North Carolina Tar Heels makes a touchdown catch against Aidan Gousby #7 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half of their game at Kenan Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)They will end up looking in the mirror.First-half miscues put Minnesota in a 21-3 hole, but 10 points on both sides of halftime got them back in the game. Then backup quarterback Cole Kramer threw a back-breaking interception in what became a 31-13 loss at Kenan Stadium.Down 24-13 with nine minutes left, Minnesota faced a fourth and 4 at their own 40, but P.J. Fleck opted to punt, and North Carolina put together an 11-play touchdown drive to put the game away.The G...