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Texan princess evicted from Rome villa, Caravaggio stays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

ROME (AP) — A Texas-born princess piled her four yapping bichon frise dogs into a taxi Thursday after being evicted, following a bitter inheritance dispute, from a historic villa in Rome that contains the only known ceiling painted by Caravaggio.Princess Rita Jenrette Boncompagni Ludovisi, nee Rita Carpenter, abandoned the Casino dell’Aurora off the swank Via Veneto hours after Carabinieri police arrived to enforce a court-mandated eviction order. Before she had even left, a locksmith changed the locks on the big green front door. Her dramatic exit — one of the dogs briefly escaped as she spoke to journalists on the street — capped a remarkable, years-long soap opera that exposed the dirty laundry of one of Rome’s aristocratic families. The Boncompagni Ludovisi are perhaps best known for having produced Pope Gregory XIII of Gregorian calendar fame. But lately they have attracted more attention due to the inheritance dispute and court-mandated auction of their famous villa in the hea...

320 Sudanese soldiers crossed into neighboring Chad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — At least 320 Sudanese soldiers have fled into neighboring Chad amid fighting in their own country, authorities said. A contingent of soldiers crossed into Chad earlier this week and have been disarmed said Daoud Yaya Brahim, Chad’s defense minister at a press conference in the capital, N’Djamena, on Wednesday.As fighting rages in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, between army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, concerns of a regional spillover are increasing. After the fighting erupted on Saturday, as both sides vie for power, Chad closed its 1,400-kilometer (870-mile) border with Sudan. The RSF is a powerful armed force and this military superiority likely explains why Sudanese troops are fleeing into Chad, say conflict analysts.“By detaining these fleeing troops, (Chad’s president) is seeking to avoid the perception that he is allowing the Sudanese army to operate fro...

16-year-old critical after double shooting on South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

CHICAGO — A 16-year-old boy was critically wounded following a double shooting on the South Side early Thursday morning.Just after 12:15 a.m., police responded to the 2900 block of South State on the report of shots fired. Police discovered a 16-year-old boy laying down inside a residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Northwestern in critical condition. 3-year-old girl shot inside Gary home A 20-year-old man self-transported to the University of Chicago with a gunshot wound to the body. He was last listed in good condition.No one is in custody. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.

Girls, 13 and 15, face felonies for robbery and battery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Two teenagers, 13 and 15, are facing multiple felonies for a robbery and aggravated battery that took place in the Loop Wednesday. Police reports state that both the 13 and 15-year-old girls are facing two felony counts of robbery and another count of aggravated battery. According to police, the girls were arrested on Wednesday around 7:40 p.m. in the 100 block of West 79th Street on the South Side. They were identified as the offenders who less than 90 minutes earlier, battered and robbed a 30-year-old woman in the 100 block of West Jackson Boulevard. 3-year-old girl shot inside Gary home Police said they were also connected to a robbery of a 26-year-old woman in the 100 block of West Madison Street. The teens were placed into custody and charged accordingly.

Michelin recalls snow tires that don't have enough traction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Michelin is recalling more than 542,000 snow tires in the U.S. because they don't have enough traction to work in all snowy conditions.The recall covers certain Agilis CrossClimate C-Metric tires that Michelin says don't meet U.S. safety standards. The tire maker says in documents posted Thursday by safety regulators that tires without sufficient traction can increase the risk of a crash.Dealers will replace the tires at no cost to owners. Owners will get interim notification letters starting June 12. They'll get another letter once the replacements are available.The company says initial tire testing was done with the wrong tire pressure. Later tests by Michelin discovered the problem.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has posted a document with the tire sizes on its website.

SpaceX giant rocket fails minutes after launching from Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket blasted off on its first test flight Thursday but failed minutes after rising from the launch pad.Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. It carried no people or satellites; both the booster and spacecraft on top were to be ditched into the sea.Throngs of spectators watched from South Padre Island, several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off limits. Space’s first try to launch the rocket was called off Monday because of a stuck valve in the rocket during fueling.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off Thursday on its first test flight, thundering into the South Texas sky in an attempt to orbit the world.Elon Musk’s company launched the nea...

Chicago survivalist on Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

Cannabis cultivator Raven Smith is in the current season of Naked and Afraid. She spent 2 weeks in the mangroves of Palomino, Colombia as part of a fan challenge. Raven's episode is streaming now. And you can see new episodes of Naked and Afraid every Sunday on Discovery.

Nearly 1,500 book bans implemented in the first half of this school year: analysis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

(The Hill) - Almost 1,500 school book bans were put into place around the U.S. in the first half of the current academic year, according to PEN America.An analysis from the group released Thursday found 1,477 book bans implemented in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, affecting 874 unique books. The six months prior, from January 2022 to June, there were 1,149 instances of book bans found by the free speech organization. While PEN America put together a comprehensive report, it says the number of book bans is "unquestionably much higher" than what it was able to gather from public information. It distinguished among four different types of book bans: banned in libraries and classrooms, banned in libraries, banned in classrooms and banned pending investigation. Banned pending investigation was the most popular category for the first half of the current school year, making up 52 percent of the book bans, the organization found. “Though timelines vary acro...

SpaceX Starship launches, explodes over Gulf of Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX is preparing once again to launch its largest Starship vehicle on Thursday from the Boca Chica Beach launch site known as Starbase.SpaceX says it has a 97-minute test window to launch Starship that will open at 8:28 a.m. Thursday morning.You'll be able to watch the launch live right here on ValleyCentral.com and on CBS4 when it happens. We'll have crews reporting about the launch from South Padre Island and a safe distance away from the launch site. COUNTDOWN: SpaceX announces Thursday as target date for Starship launch The aim for the coming flight consists of a hard splashdown for Super Heavy in the Gulf of Mexico about eight minutes after liftoff, according to the SpaceX plan listed on its website. Simultaneously, Starship's upper-stage spacecraft will go orbital for the first time in SpaceX history making a partial lap around Earth and coming down in the Pacific Ocean around 90 minutes after the initial launch. The splashdown will hap...

Lineup announced for Caroga Lake summer music festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:47 GMT

CAROGA LAKE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Caroga Arts has announced the lineup for its 2023 summer musical festival. The festival includes more than 125 artists for over 35 concerts. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "We’re excited to bring a robust lineup of artists to Caroga Lake for our 12th summer season,” said Kyle Barrett Price, Founder and Artistic Director of the Caroga Arts Collective. “Our concerts will feature a diverse array of genres -- classical, jazz, rock, and everything in between -- presented lakeside at Sherman’s Park and at other beloved venues across the region."LineupMay 27: Zac Brown Tribute Band, 7 p.m.June 4: Alex Moffat & Friends: A Comedy and Music Block Party, 3 p.m.July 1: SAUNDERSFEST, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.July 15: Tommy V Live, 7 p.m.July 19: The Gibson Brothers, 7 p.m.July 21: Caroga Arts Collective Gala: “Fly Me to the Moon” with Tony DeSare, 5 p.m.July 22: Baha Men, 7 p.m.July 26: Rich with Caroga Arts En...