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Debt ceiling: McCarthy says ‘no progress’ ahead of talks Tuesday with Biden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday there’s been “no progress” on debt ceiling talks ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders scheduled for Tuesday at the White House, as the country pushes closer to a crisis over the need to raise its legal borrowing limit.“It’s very concerning to me,” McCarthy, the Republican speaker, told reporters as he opened the House chamber.“There’s no progress that I see,” he said of the staff-level talks that extended through the weekend. “And it really concerns me with the timeline of where we are.”McCarthy confirmed that he and the other congressional leaders are heading back to the White House on Tuesday to meet with Biden. The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue through the weekend. Time is narrowing as Biden prepares to depart for the Group of Seven summit in Japan on Wednesday. The standoff comes as the Treasur...

Ghana’s Mahama to run for president again after winning opposition’s ticket

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Former Ghanian President John Mahama, who has received the main opposition party’s nomination to run for president next year, said Monday that he thinks the current administration has failed citizens of the West African nation.A day after clinching the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket in the party’s presidential primary, Mahama accused the administration of incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of misusing public funds and mismanaging the economy.“The current government has blatantly mismanaged the country’s economy, and we cannot allow them to hold the country’s development in reverse gear,” the ex-president said during his acceptance speech in northern Ghana’s Tamale city. “Corruption and raid on the public purse have reached a crescendo,” Results announced Sunday from the primary showed Mahama received 99% of votes cast by about 335,000 delegates to beat Kojo Bonsu, a former mayor of Kumasi. The outcome shows he still enjoy...

Buona giving away free sandwiches for National Italian Beef Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Longtime Italian beef chain Buona is giving away free sandwiches to celebrate National Italian Beef Day.The giveaway takes place on May 27, which is National Italian Beef Day.Anyone interested on receiving a free beef, with up to one topping, will need to download the company's "MyBuona" app. Existing users will already get a free sandwich in their reward section. The company is also offering their plant-based beefless sandwich as well. Top 5 Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago area — according to Chicagoans There is a limit to one free sandwich per user.To also celebrate, from May 22 through May 29 — Buona is offering free delivery through the app and 25% off nationwide shipping products online with the code "BuonaDay."

Five years after his Obama portrait, Kehinde Wiley is taking his art everywhere all at once

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Kehinde Wiley was already well into his influential art career when his portrait of Barack Obama — arms crossed, perched on a chair amid brilliant foliage — was unveiled in 2018. But there’s no doubt it changed the artist's life.Here’s one way he describes the shift: Now, should he ever show up at the bank and realize he’s forgotten his ID — which hasn’t happened yet, but still — he could say: “You know that portrait of Obama? I’m that guy, and I didn’t bring my ID, so if you could just Google that…”But Wiley, proud as he is of the groundbreaking work — an official portrait of a Black president by a Black artist — does wonder how long he'll be referred to in that context.“I wonder if I will ever be able to do anything that lives up to the gravity of that moment,” he says. “Everybody wants to be seen in a number of different contexts ... but I mean, what a great project to be involved in. So, come on, here’s the world’s smallest violin, playing just for me.”If Wiley, ...

Bears add two big names to OTA coaching staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

LAKE FOREST — The Bears will have two people added to their coaching staff who will be recognizable to both college and NFL football fans. But they will only be with the staff for a short time. The Bears have announced that Eddie George and Randy Shannon are joining the the team’s coach staff for OTA workouts as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. .George, the head coach at Tennessee St., will be with the team for 2 weeks..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/LUXfZL8YLW— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) May 15, 2023On Monday, the Bears announced that Eddie George and Randy Shannon are joining the staff during OTA workouts this spring as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Shannon, who is currently the linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator for Florida State, will be on the staff for the entire OTA period. George, who is the head coach at Tennessee State University, will be on the staff for two weeks. It's being done as part of the fellowship that ...

'Epic!': Martha Stewart is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model at 81

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

(WJW) - "When we said this year was going to be epic, we meant it."That's what Sports Illustrated is saying about its 2023 swimsuit cover models.The magazine announced on Monday that this year's issue "celebrates 28 incredible women." The cover models include Martha Stewart, Megan Fox, Kim Petras and Brooks Nader. Each will be featured in one of four 2023 covers. Lizzo lives best life in Cleveland, eats La Plaza tacos Perhaps the already most talked-about name on the list: 81-year-old Martha Stewart.Sports Illustrated says Stewart will be the oldest cover model in the publication’s history.LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14: TV personality Martha Stewart attends The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber at Sony Pictures Studios on March 14, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)MIAMI BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 27: Martha Stewart attends a Tribute Dinner Honoring Jonathan Waxman, Rob Sands and Richard Sands With Master Of Ceremonies Tom Colicchio Presen...

Man sentenced to 22 years for McDonalds drive-thru carjacking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. -- A Cook County man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his involvement in a carjacking at a Lombard McDonalds drive-thru last month.According to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, an individual was waiting in his car in the drive-thru on the McDonalds on the 300 block of East Roosevelt Road in Lombard just after 2:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 23. Chicago off-duty officer, 33, found dead inside her home on West Side Two men reportedly wearing ski masks approached the driver, pointed a gun at him and ordered him to get out of the car. The suspects then fled the scene in the driver's vehicle.The Lombard Police Department was able to locate the vehicle a short time later and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspects sped off reaching 100 mph on Roosevelt Road. Lombard PD called off the pursuit for safety purposes.A short time later, the Elmhurst Police Department located the vehicle and attempted another traffic stop. The Elmhurst officers pursed the s...

No pool? No problem. Service lets you rent someone else's backyard oasis 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

Want to spend your summer poolside but don't have one of your own? An Airbnb-esque platform can hook you up with someone else's backyard pool by-the-hour.Swimply allows pool owners to list their private getaways publicly for anyone to rent. A search of their listings within 50 miles of Chicago shows 42 pools available for rent ranging from $25/hr in Monee or Yorkville, up to $225/hr in Winnetka. Most expensive home for sale in the Midwest found in Indiana for nearly $48 million According to a 2021 TechCrunch interview with co-founders Bunim Laskin and Asher Weinberger, the home pool rental marketplace began in 2018 with four pools in the New Jersey area. It took off in 2020 largely due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when people were looking for local, outdoor excursions.If the idea of wearing your swimsuit and sunning yourself in a stranger's backyard is a bit off-putting, you're not alone. Swimply sports a Trust and Safety Center on its website to try and address any conce...

3 dead, 2 officers injured after shooting in New Mexico: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – At least three people are dead and two officers injured following a shooting in Farmington, New Mexico Monday, according to the Farmington Police Department. “There are multiple civilian victims,” Farmington police said in a Facebook post, adding that one suspect “was confronted and killed on scene.”The two officers that were shot, a Farmington police officer and a New Mexico State Police officer, are currently at the San Juan Regional Medical Center being treated for their injuries. They are both in stable condition. “The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” the police message said, adding that city, San Juan County and state police were involved.Apache and McKinley elementary schools, Central Kitchen, and the CATE Center were placed on lockdown. As of 1:05 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted. Busses will pick up students and drop them off following their normal runs.Nexstar's KRQE has a crew on the way and ...

Is it legal to collect rainwater in Illinois?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:47 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Some states restrict the collection of rainwater for purposes such as gardening, while others provide incentives for it.Harvesting rainwater is often for non-drinking purposes, such as watering the lawn, since rainwater can contain harmful bacteria such as animal feces and pesticides. More info on rainwater collection in other states Colorado is the only state in the US that makes rainwater harvesting illegal. Homeowners in Colorado can only collect two rain barrels with a capacity of up to 100 gallons without breaking the law.Utah restricts the collection of rainwater to 2,500 gallons.In Illinois, it is legal to harvest rainwater, as long as no more than 5,000 gallons of capacity is collected, according to the Illinois Plumbing Code.Rainwater harvesting collection systems and rainwater harvesting distribution systems to be (A) used only for non-potable uses and (B) constructed in accordance with the Illinois Plumbing Code. Any rainwater collected in barrel...