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Women’s voices and votes loom large as pope is set to open a Vatican meeting on church’s future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A few years ago, Pope Francis told the head of the main Vatican-backed Catholic women’s organization to be “brave” in pushing for change for women in the Catholic Church. Maria Lia Zervino took his advice and in 2021 wrote Francis a letter, then made it public, saying flat out that the Catholic Church owed a big debt to half of humanity and that women deserved to be at the table where church decisions are made, not as mere “ornaments” but as protagonists.Francis appears to have taken note, and this week opens a global gathering of Catholic bishops and laypeople discussing the future of the church, where women — their voices and their votes — are taking center stage for the first time.For Zervino, who worked alongside the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio when both held positions in the Argentine bishops’ conference, the gathering is a watershed moment for the church and quite possibly the most consequential thing Francis will have undertaken as po...

New Van Gogh show in Paris focuses on artist’s extraordinarily productive and tragic final months

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Planted in a field, Vincent van Gogh painted furiously, bending the thick oils, riotous yellows and sumptuous blues to his will. The resulting masterpiece, “Wheatfield with Crows,” bursts off the canvas like technicolor champagne. Art historians believe the Dutch master painted it on July 8, 1890. As far as they can tell, Van Gogh then churned out another stunning work the very next day, July 9, of more wheat fields under thunderous clouds. In the painting’s vibrant greens, the mind’s eye can imagine the artist working frenetically amid the sashaying stalks.On or around July 10, then came yet another Van Gogh marvel — a painting of a tidy garden with a prowling cat. And the day after that, July 11, the artist appears to have headed back to the fields, likely having risen early as was his habit, painting them spotted with blood-red poppies, under skies of swirling blue.At age 37 and the height of his powers, Van Gogh was splurging out genius at a rate of a pa...

2 killed, 2 injured — including 7-year-old boy — in shooting on West Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

CHICAGO — Two men are dead and two others, including a child, are injured after a shooting on the city's West Side, according to Chicago Police.Officers say the shooting happened near West Madison Street and South Sacramento Boulevard in Garfield Park just after 2:30 p.m.Police say the three men and a 7-year-old boy were standing in a vacant lot in the area when a car, which was traveling southbound, pulled up and a person inside opened fire on the group.Officers say a 33-year-old man and a 31-year-old man were both shot in the head and taken to the hospital where they later died from their injuries. According to police, the 7-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition. The boy has been identified as Aden Carothers and will turn 8-years-old next month.The other person involved, a 38-year-old man who was shot in the lower back, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.Currently, it is unclear what led to the shooting.No ...

Think twice before participating in a student loan strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Autoworkers and screenwriters aren’t the only Americans taking to the picket lines to better their conditions; some federal student loan borrowers also want in.“A student debt strike is about politicizing nonpayment collectively. Instead of doing things as individuals, we are doing them together as a united front,” the Debt Collective, a debtors’ union organizing the strike, explains on its website. With the goal of forcing the government to broadly erase student debt, the group is asking borrowers to pay $0 per month on their student loans through avenues like applying for borrower defense to repayment, signing up for the new income-driven repayment plan, going back to school or using the 12-month student loan on-ramp.The White House is currently pursuing a student debt cancellation “plan B” via another legal pathway, but it could take a year or more to roll out — and success is far from guaranteed.Although a debt strike may seem attractive, borrowers should be aware...

5 things to know this Monday, October 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we can expect warmer temperatures kicking off the first Monday of October. Temperatures will get a boost close to 80 degrees again this afternoon. Highs will run a good 10 degrees above normal. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Moreau Lake State Park has been closed for the time being while law enforcement continues to search for 9-year-old Charlotte Sena. An AMBER Alert was issued for Sena at 9:35 a.m. on Sunday. The public is asked to avoid the area of Moreau Lake State Park to allow law enforcement to efficiently conduct their search.1. Multiple agencies searching for missing child in Saratoga CountyNew York State Police announced that 9-year-old Charlotte Sena is missing. An AMBER alert was activated on October 1 at 9:35 a.m.2. Public asked to avoid Moreau Lake State Park amid search for Charlotte SenaAccording to a statement posted online from the Moreau Lake St...

FOX 2's Shirley Washington inducted into NATAS 'Silver Circle' Society

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

BRANSON, Mo. - This weekend at the Mid-America Emmy Awards in Branson, FOX 2's Shirley Washington was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Silver Circle.FOX 2 and News 11 also won Emmys in the 'breaking/spot news' categories. The Silver Circle recognizes professionals who have performed distinguished service within the television industry for 25 years or more. Short-term rental property owner shares concerns about proposed regulations The academy not only considers their work in the newsroom, but also the impact members have on their communities.

MetroLink testing single-car trains today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - MetroLink will look different for passengers starting Monday.Metro Transit is launching a pilot program to put single-car trains into service instead of two-car trains. The single-car trains will operate seven days a week throughout the 46-mile system in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Clair County. Short-term rental property owner shares concerns about proposed regulations Metro says a one-train car is more efficient for security patrol and reduces the wear and tear on machinery.

Man shot, killed by Westminster police officer in apartment complex struggle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

A man was shot and killed by a Westminster police officer Sunday night after officers responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex.Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to the 1400 block of 116th Avenue about a man being held down by several other people, according to a news release from the Westminster Police Department.When officers arrived on scene, they found an adult male on the ground, wrestling with several residents of the apartment complex, the release stated.According to the news release, an officer used his Taser but it wasn’t effective and the unidentified man had displayed a gun during the struggle.The officer fired his weapon, shooting the man, according to the release.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | I-70’s Peña Boulevard exit closed for crash, fuel spill Crime and Public Safety | Instances of drivers behaving badly in Colorado backcountry are on the rise, outdoor officials say Crime and Public Safet...

I-70’s Peña Boulevard exit closed for crash, fuel spill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

The Peña Boulevard exit on eastbound Interstate 70 is closed after a two-vehicle crash caused a diesel fuel spill.At 5:39 a.m., the Aurora Police Department posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, that officers were on the scene of the crash and the ramp was closed.Paramedics took both drivers to local hospitals with serious injuries, police said.#APDTrafficAlert: Northbound ramp to Pena Boulevard is closed on eastbound I-70 for a two-vehicle crash. No estimate for how long the ramp will be closed. We will update here when more info becomes available. pic.twitter.com/hTLkljc4sl— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) October 2, 2023The crash caused a diesel fuel spill, meaning the Peña Boulevard exit could be closed for an extended period of time for clean up, the department said in an update.The cleaning crew is expected to arrive at 8 a.m., but there’s no estimate for how long the process will take or when the ramp will reopen.UPDATE: Both drivers w...

Opinion: In a slap to nearby residents, Colorado will let 18 manufacturers pay to continue to pollute

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:56 GMT

Lawmakers tasked Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission in 2021 with forcing 18 of Colorado’s biggest manufacturers to clean up their acts.After two years of work, however, the final rule put in place by the commission falls well short of the intended purpose of the legislation, which was to protect nearby residents from the health impacts of breathing polluted air. Instead, the commission included two separate loopholes in the rules that will allow a company to simply pay money to buy credits to offset their emissions or into a fund instead of reducing their pollution.Yes, the legislation also addresses greenhouse gases as part of the scope of intended emissions reductions, but this was not a bill about climate change (an issue where there could be a benefit in the net reduction of greenhouse gases even if it wasn’t occurring locally).Predominately, House Bill 1266, addressed the sad reality that for generations Colorado’s low-income communities have suffered the brunt of the st...