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Migrants celebrate first Thanksgiving in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

CHICAGO — A church on the City's South Side opened their doors to dozens of migrants in need of a hot meal for Thanksgiving Thursday.With the food ready and the table set, New Beginnings Church in the Woodlawn Neighborhood welcomed about 50 migrants for their first American Thanksgiving.“We want them to be treated the same way we would treat our family," said Alex Pearson, head of security for New Beginnings Church. "We don’t want to make them feel unwanted.”The meal consisted of the traditional fixings — turkey, chicken, potatoes, stuffing and all — with a translator on hand to make sure language wasn't a barrier. Chicago excited for 89th annual Thanksgiving parade While the migrant situation in Chicago continues to be a topic of debate, organizers of this event said they hope to start a new conversation. "They are human just like us," Pearson said. "They need to be treated with respect, care and love — the same way you would want to be treated with respect, care and love.”

How one Chicagoan brought a rescue dog home from Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Last week, Aaron Spevak was waiting anxiously in a cargo bay at O'Hare International Airport, for a small furry friend who's arrival was four months in the making.A handful of big hearts came together to bring Jasmine, a dog abandoned just five weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, back to Chicago to find her a new home.Spevak said Jasmine is emblematic of being more than just an adorable pup who's got a new home state side."For me, Jasmine is more symbolic," Spevak said. "[She's] a symbol of people doing good things during such a grave time when there is so much stuff, so much hurt in the world." More from Erin: Suburban PD’s first therapy dog warming hearts wherever he’s needed To understand the moment between Spevak and Jasmine requires a trip back in time, seven years ago, when Spevak was working as a musician in Lithuania. It was in that eastern European country he crossed paths with his first rescue named "Peppa."Since returning to the United States with Spevak,...

St. Paul police investigating after person found dead in a cave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

Urban explorers found the remains of a person in a cave in downtown St. Paul this week, fire officials said.About 6 p.m. Wednesday night, firefighters responded to a 911 call from urban explorers near Eagle Parkway and Exchange Street, just below Kellogg Boulevard and the RiverCentre. The explorers had found the remains of a person in a confined space, according to the St. Paul Fire Department.The department’s Advanced Technical Rescue Team recovered the body from the space by securing it and hoisting it out, officials said. Crews were on scene for more than two and a half hours. The Ramsey County medical examiner then took the remains of the unidentified individual from the scene.Police responded with the fire department and they are investigating the circumstances of the death. They’ll work with the medical examiner’s office to identify the person and their cause and manner of death, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman.Related ArticlesCrime & ...

1 dead after suspected DUI driver crashes into pedestrians at Los Angeles bus stop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

Three people, including an infant, were all taken to the hospital in critical condition Thursday after a driver crashed into them near a bus stop in the Manchester Square neighborhood of Los Angeles. One of those people has since died, officials said.The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. on the 1700 block of W. 83rd Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.A man and woman were among those injured in the crash, in addition to the infant. All three were transported to a regional trauma center by LAFD Paramedics, a news release said.Around 5 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department officials confirmed that one of the victims died from their injuries. Police did not specify if it was the infant or either of the adults who was killed.The collision involved two vehicles, police said. One vehicle was exiting a private lot when it was struck by another vehicle. The first vehicle then crashed into the pedestrians who were on the sidewalk "at or near" a bus stop, authorities said. The dr...

Comedians serve up free dinner and laughs at Laugh Factory in Hollywood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

Hollywood's haven for the hilarious served up much more than punchlines this Thanksgiving.The Laugh Factory Hollywood hosted its 43rd annual free Thanksgiving feast for the community.With a line wrapped around the Sunset Blvd. building — people from all walks of life, whether homeless or alone for the holiday, joined together for a hot Thanksgiving meal with laughter on the side.The Laugh Factory Hollywood owner, Jamie Masada, says giving back to the community is the reason he started doing this 43 years ago."The key thing for us is everybody getting together and helping," Masada said. "We give them an opportunity to forget about their life, just laugh."Comedians like Tiffany Haddish, Dane Cook, and Tom Dreesen were dishing out Thanksgiving dinner rolls shortly before delivering jokes."We comedians, this is our chance to pay it back," Dreesen said.Comedian Tom Dreesen serves guests at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood as part of the comedy club's annual Thanksgiving service on Nov. 23,...

L.A. shoppers heading out early to snag Black Friday deals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

Thanksgiving is not a day of rest for those looking to find Black Friday deals and excitement was palpable on Thursday.The Citadel Outlets in Commerce were getting ready to welcome crowds of shoppers Thanksgiving evening, well into the weekend and beyond, just in time for the holiday season.Select stores like Gap and the Fragrance Outlet have been open all day. The rest weren't expect to open until 8 p.m. "We are here until 4 a.m., so definitely take advantage of these Black Friday deals because they won’t last long," said Bryan Miranda of the Fragrance Outlet.One of the deals is a "buy one cologne or perfume and get the second half off." KTLA's Carlos Saucedo himself couldn't pass that deal up.Miranda expressed that he's okay with missing out on Thanksgiving because he knows business is important, saying, "My family really doesn’t do anything besides dinner, spend time with the family. Here in California, everyone is trying to make their bread to survive."And the sales will be wait...

Mountain View restaurant offers free Thanksgiving meals every year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (KRON) – A Thanksgiving meal isn’t the easiest thing for everyone to come by. Finances sometimes get in the way of being able to take part in the holiday. That’s why one restaurant owner in the South Bay has been providing free meals for more than three decades.Mountain View restaurant Ristorante Don Giovanni offered Thanksgiving meals for free on Thursday and it’s something the owner has been doing for 35 years.One after another, John Akkaya welcomed guests into Ristorante Don Giovanni Thursday, wishing them a happy Thanksgiving and then offering them a seat at the restaurant. There were no menus to hand out, because for 35 years the Thanksgiving meal has been pre-planned and served for free. Bay Area Indigenous leaders to hold ‘Black Friday’ prayer walk by shellmounds “It’s a beautiful feeling, a wonderful feeling,” Akkaya said. “You have a lot of people, they need a place to go they need a meal. A lot of my friends, my regular customers, they came to see m...

DC Police identify man shot, killed in gunfire exchange with US Park Police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

D.C. police have released the name of the person killed after allegedly fleeing U.S. Park Police officers Wednesday, sparking a deadly exchange of gunfire.Turell Delonte Campbell, a 30-year-old Northeast D.C. resident, was pronounced dead at a local hospital Wednesday after a shooting in the 1100 block of M Street Northwest, police said in a news release.Campbell encountered Park Police in the area of 12th Street and Massachusetts Avenue Northwest at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a statement from Park Police spokesperson Sgt. Thomas Twiname.Multiple officers were at the location when Campbell was identified as a suspect in a “drug violation” within Park Police jurisdiction, according to Twiname.Authorities said that both Campbell and a Park Police officer in pursuit were shot near the 1100 block of M Street NW, but didn’t have additional information on who shot first or why the chase turned deadly.“As far as how the gunfire was exchanged, that will come ou...

Lipsey and Gilbert score 22 each as Iowa State beats VCU 68-64 at ESPN Events Invitational

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert combined to score 30 of their 44 points in the second half as Iowa State rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat VCU 68-64 Thursday night in an opening-round game at the ESPN Events Invitational. Max Shulga hit two free throws to give the Rams a three-point lead with 1:56 remaining before Lipsey made a layup but missed the and-one free throw. Tre King grabbed the offensive rebound and Lipsey hit a jumper to put Iowa State in front 65-64 just 21 seconds later. After an offensive foul on VCU’s Christian Fermin with 1:22 to play, the Rams missed their final three field-goal attempts. Shulga hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and led VCU (3-2) with 17 points and eight assists. Michael Belle scored 14 points, Fermin fouled out with 12 on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and Zeb Jackson scored 10. Iowa State (5-0) trailed by 15 points late in the first half. Jackson made a 3, followed with a layup 34 seconds later and hit a jumper with...

Jordan Love passes Packers past Lions; Bland, Prescott help Cowboys top Commanders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:47 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Jordan Love set the tone with a 53-yard pass to Christian Watson on the first snap and finished with a career-high-tying three touchdowns, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 29-22 win over the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Thursday.The Packers (5-6) were in control of a game they never trailed, taking advantage of Jared Goff’s career-high three fumbles — returning one for a score in the first quarter — and Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness on fourth down.The Lions (8-3) went for it five times on fourth down and only converted once on the final touchdown drive. Love was 22 of 32 for 268 yards with three touchdowns. He had a career-long 37-yard run on a play designed for him to run on third down late in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Rashan Gary led Green Bay’s dominant defense by forcing a career-high two fumbles, recovering one, and tying a career high with three sacks.Goff finished 29 of 44 for 332 yards with two touchdowns, including one on a 7-yard pass to La...