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DJ Casper, Chicago disc jockey and creator of ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ dies after battle with cancer

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Willie Perry Jr., a Chicago disc jockey known as “DJ Casper” and creator of the iconic “Cha Cha Slide” dance, has died. He was 58.Perry was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, and his wife confirmed his death Monday in a statement to WLS-TV.“Casper was a fun-loving, giving person,” his wife, Kim, said in the statement. “He was a genuine, family oriented man. He loved Chicago with all his heart. He will be greatly missed.”His “Cha Cha Slide” continues to be a favorite at weddings, clubs and many other events about two decades after it became popular. Participants typically dance in lines and rows, following commands to a funky beat on when and where to step, stomp, hop and slide.Perry told WLS-TV in a May interview that the “Cha Cha Slide” initially was an aerobic exercise for his nephew who worked at a fitness club. It would go on to become popular in many countries.“From there, it just took off,” he said. “I have one of the biggest songs that’s played at all stadium...

Uvalde shooter’s cousin is arrested over making a school shooting threat, court records say

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The teenage cousin of the gunman responsible for the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has been arrested after his family told police he was trying to buy a gun and “do the same thing,” court records show. Police in San Antonio took the 17-year-old cousin into custody Monday on charges of making threats to a public place and a family member. He was being held in the Bexar County jail on a $160,000 bond Tuesday, jail records show.According to police and court records, the teen is the cousin of Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old Uvalde resident who authorities say fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in 2022. Police waited more than an hour to confront and kill Ramos. The charges against the cousin stem from his mother calling police to tell them he was also threatening to open fire at a school and had said he’d shoot his sister, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by local news outlets. The San Antonio Express-News rep...

Hoping to score tickets to see Taylor? Here’s how to avoid a Swift rejection

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

TORONTO — Snagging tickets for a Taylor Swift concert can feel like winning the lottery and so it’s no surprise that many Canadian fans hope the odds work out in their favour as ticket sales begin on Wednesday.Last week, the pop superstar announced six concert dates at Toronto’s Rogers Centre in November 2024. And with it being the only Canadian stop on her Eras Tour, seats for the shows are certain to be in hot demand.Here’s what you need to know as the tickets begin to go on sale:1. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED: If you’re looking to grab Swift tickets right out of the gate, you already should’ve enrolled for the “verified fan” sale. Ticketmaster launched the registration process to weed out bots and scalpers, but the sign-up window closed over the weekend. Concertgoers who made the deadline will receive a unique access code on Tuesday with instructions on how to purchase tickets, though their pre-registration code does not guarantee they will ge...

Judge blocks Colorado law raising age to buy a gun to 21

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Colorado from enforcing a new law raising the age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21. U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer issued a preliminary injunction Monday following a legal challenge by a gun rights group. In a ruling that frequently referenced a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that expanded Second Amendment rights last year, he concluded that the lawsuit brought by Rocky Mountain Gun Owners would likely succeed and barred the state from enforcing the law until the case is resolved. The law was one of four gun control bills signed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in April, following the lead of other states trying to confront a surge in violent crime and mass shootings. Last year’s Supreme Court decision in a New York case changed a test lower courts had used for evaluating challenges to gun laws, threatening to upend firearms restrictions across the country. Colorado’s law effectively sought to prevent those between 18 and 20 from buy...

Greece’s coast guard rescues 52 people from migrant sailboat anchored off remote uninhabited island

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s coast guard on Tuesday rescued 52 people crammed onto a sailing boat anchored off an uninhabited island far from the country’s mainland, authorities said. A private vessel initially spotted the sailing boat off the small island of Falconera, officials said. The island is located between Milos and the Peloponnese in an area known for strong currents and rough seas. The migrants were being taken by coast guard vessels later Tuesday to the mainland port of Lavrio, southeast of Athens.Separately Tuesday, 19 people were rescued from a dinghy that had lost steering northeast of the eastern Aegean island of Samos. Another 18 in a different dinghy were picked up later in the day off the same island, while the coast guard said that 14 migrants were rescued Monday from a small boat off the island of Lesbos.In June, a battered trawler smuggling up to 750 people from Libya to Italy sank southwest of Greece in one of the worst Mediterranean migrant disasters ...

Stock market today: Wall Street drops with markets worldwide on worries about banks and the economy

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are tumbling Tuesday as worries about the banking system and the global economy force more caution into financial markets worldwide.The S&P 500 was 0.8% lower in afternoon trading and on track for its fifth loss in the last six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 262 points, or 0.7%, at 35,210, as of 2:09 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% lower.In the U.S., bank stocks helped lead the market lower after Moody’s cut the credit ratings for 10 smaller and midsized ones. It cited a list of concerns about their financial strength, from the effects of higher interest rates to the work-from-home trend that’s leaving office buildings vacant.Across the Pacific, stocks sank after a report showed exports for China’s troubled economy shrank by the most since the start of the pandemic in 2020. And in Europe, bank stocks tumbled in Italy after its Cabinet approved a proposal to tax a chunk of their profits this year. The worries laye...

Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

Ottawa is introducing a new three-year pilot program that would incentivize employers to follow worker-protection rules by making it easier for them to hire temporary foreign workers.Under the pilot program, companies with a good track record would only need to prove that they require temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months.The employer’s trusted status would also be flagged to potential workers in the government’s job bank.The temporary foreign worker program is designed to attract workers from abroad to fill short-term labour market gaps in cases where no Canadians or permanent residents are available.Employment Minister Randy Randy Boissonnault, who made the announcement today, says employers involved in the pilot program will need to go through a more rigorous upfront assessment.Agricultural companies will be able to apply to be part of the pilot in September, and all other employers will be eligible in January.

Docs: 9-year-old Portage Park girl intentionally shot in head after buying ice cream; father tackles gunman

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

CHICAGO — Serabi Medina was gunned down intentionally after buying ice cream for herself and her father Saturday night in Portage Park, court documents reveal.At around 9:20 p.m. Saturday in the 3500 block of North Long Avenue, Medina, 9, was riding her scooter on the sidewalk as her father talked with three friends outside of their residence.One of her father's friends gave her money to buy ice cream from a nearby truck. Documents state Medina purchased ice cream for herself and her father.A few minutes later, a shot rang out in the area. Documents state Medina's father told her to take her scooter and go back inside their apartment. As she approached the front door of her apartment building, Michael Goodman, 43, who lives across the street, emerged allegedly holding a firearm.The friends and father witnessed Goodman walk across the street with the gun. The father asked what Goodman was doing and was ignored, documents state.Goodman then allegedly followed Medina toward the vestibu...

VIDEO: Illinois State Police release bodycam of Rockford man’s in-custody death

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois State Police have released body cam video of the arrest of Lamar Bell, who died in police custody during an arrest in Rockford in July.According to ISP, a trooper pulled a vehicle over near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Kishwaukee Street around 7:59 p.m. on July 17th.Bell, 33, was placed in police custody. While at the scene, police said “Bell began exhibiting signs of a medical emergency associated with the consumption of narcotics. Narcotics were also found in the vehicle.”The hour-long bodycam video shows Bell admitting to ingesting several baggies worth of cocaine he claims he "just bought" prior to the traffic stop.In the video, Bell begins exhibiting excited behavior during his questioning and complaining about his heart, asking officers to call an ambulance. Medical personnel arrived at the scene within 10 minutes and began administering aid.Bell was taken to UW SwedishAmerican. According to the Winnebago County Coroner, he was prono...

Lucky Heartland: Illinois and Missouri shine as lottery jackpot havens

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

CHICAGO - If you hope to strike it rich through Powerball or Mega Millions, your odds aren't great, but they might be better in Illinois and Missouri compared to other states. New data from two gambling-based websites - Bet MGM and Jackpocket - shows that Missouri is one of the best states to win a Powerball jackpot and Illinois is one of the best to win a Mega Millions jackpot. According to Bet MGM, 31 lottery players in Missouri have taken home the Powerball's largest prize, second-most of any U.S. state and only trailing Indiana. Bet MGM adds that five players in Missouri have won a top prize of at least $200 million and the largest winner in the state won nearly $600 million. According to Jackpocket, 14 lottery players in Illinois have taken home the Mega Millions' largest prize, seventh-most of any U.S. state. New York has the most jackpots won with 43, but Illinois is one of at least nine states with double-digit Mega Millions jackpot winner. Jackpocket adds the last Mega Mill...