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As bourbon booms, thirst for rare brands breeds skullduggery

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Buttery, smooth, oaky. These are characteristics of the best bourbons, and a growing cult of aficionados is willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to get their hands on scarce American spirits — and even bend or break laws.The first challenge is figuring out which liquor stores have these premium bottles on their shelves – and that’s where inside knowledge can give bourbon hunters a leg up, and potentially get them into legal trouble.In Oregon, several high-ranking officials at the state’s liquor regulating agency are under criminal investigation after an internal probe found they used their influence to obtain scarce bourbons. That included the holy grail for bourbon fanatics: Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old, which can sell for tens of thousands of dollars on resale markets. Top-end bourbons have found themselves at the center of criminal investigations in at least three other states, from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Kentucky.Premium spirits were alway...

Pennsylvania lawmaker quits amid sex harassment allegations

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, a week after a union lobbyist accused him by name of having sexually harassed her four years ago.Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County said in the letter to Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton that his resignation will take effect March 16, leaving enough time for her to order that the vacancy be filled during the May primary.“The toll is just too great on my family, and was too detrimental to my well-being. I need to focus on what matters,” Zabel said in a brief phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, shortly before sending the resignation letter. McClinton and other Democratic leaders issued a statement saying he had “chosen to do what is best for his family, the people he represents, and the state House of Representatives.” His district office will remain open, they said.“Allegations of this nature are impossible to litigate in a public forum,” Zabel wrote in a...

Gun dealer to pay $150K to Kansas City to settle suit

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City has reached a settlement with one of the gun dealers it accused in a lawsuit of contributing to surging violence in the region by ignoring evidence that firearms were being sold illegally.Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement Wednesday that the settlement is “an important step in reducing the flow of illegal guns into our city.”The lawsuit filed in 2020 alleged that gun trafficking creates a public nuisance in Kansas City, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the U.S.The city was joined in the lawsuit by gun safety advocates Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, which touted the suit as the first of its kind against the gun industry in more than a decade.Under the settlement, CR Sales Firearms in Independence will be required to pay $150,000 in damages to the city through its insurer. It also will face extra monitoring and be required to train staff on how to identify a straw purchase, which is when someone who can legally...

Ford government looking ‘closely’ at B.C.’s free prescription contraception plan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

Ontario’s health minister says the province is looking “closely” at British Columbia’s plan to make prescription contraception free.B.C. announced in its budget last week that it would spend $119 million over three years to fund prescription contraception.That will include most oral hormone pills, contraceptive injections, copper and hormonal intrauterine devices and subdermal implants, along with so-called Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill.The Opposition NDP in Ontario asked Health Minister Sylvia Jones Wednesday if the province will follow suit and Jones said she is “looking closely” at what B.C. has proposed.The NDP proposed having prescription contraception covered by the provincial health plan OHIP in last year’s election and says it would be one way to make life more affordable.Jill Andrew, the party’s critic for women’s social and economic opportunity, says it’s vital to lowering barriers to reproductive h...

Maine South HS football forced to forfeit wins

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Maine South High School in Park Ridge is being forced by the governing body of Illinois prep sports to vacate their victories from last season.On Wednesday, the Illinois High School Athletic Association announced that Maine South will be forced to forfeit all nine victories from their 2022 season due to the use of ineligible players.A joint investigation between the IHSA, Maine South, and Maine Township High School District 2017 determined that a number of players didn't reside in the school's attendance area during last season. This is a violation of IHSA bylaw 3.030 and resulted in the forfeits. See the IHSA Football State Finals results for the Chicagoland area Along with that punishment, the Hawks' football program will also be put on probation for the 2023 season as well, with further violations potentially leading to a postseason ban. Maine South went 7-2 last fall and won two Class 8A playoff games before being eliminated in the third round by Glenbard W...

WATCH LIVE | Investigation into Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office: Update by the special prosecutor

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — A special prosecutor is set to provide an update on his investigation into misconduct within Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office.Lawrence Oliver was appointed to the position in July 2021 after a county prosecutor admitted to having a relationship with a key witness in a case.The judge who ordered the special prosecutor said there’s sufficient evidence that attorney committed perjury and others in the state’s attorney’s office may have covered for him. Read more on what led to the special prosecutor appointment This was the second special prosecutor appointed to investigate Kim Foxx’s office in about two years. The last one found abuses of discretion in the Jussie Smollett case.Olive is scheduled to "provide a public update in the matter of his July 28, 2021 appointment, involving issues arising out of the 2020 criminal trial of Jackie Wilson" at 2 p.m. Wednesday. WGN plans to livestream the event in its entirety within this story.

Dairy Queen's 'Free Cone Day' is coming this month

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

(WXIN) -- There’s no better way to put winter behind you and look forward to spring than by having an ice cream cone.You can get a free one at participating Dairy Queen locations on Monday, March 20, as DQ celebrates its annual “Free Cone Day” to mark the first day of spring.“We like to think of Free Cone Day as the beginning of our favorite season – treat season!” Maria Hokanson, executive vice president, marketing at ADQ, said in a statement. There’s a hidden image on Toblerone chocolate bars: Can you spot it? Customers can get a free small vanilla cone – what DQ called its "iconic curl you crave" – with no purchase necessary. "All you have to do is show up and order!" the company said on its website.The promotion, which first launched in 2014, is available all day while supplies last and is good for one cone per person.Dairy Queen said you can get them at participating “U.S. non-mall locations.” It may not be available on delivery or mobile orders.

Can I bring weed purchased in Illinois to other states?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

* EDITORIAL NOTE: The video above was provided by WTVO-TV.CHICAGO — Recreational marijuana became legal in the state of Illinois in 2020, but many wonder if you can bring legally purchased cannabis into neighboring states?According to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, there are currently 113 marijuana dispensaries in Illinois.While nearly 200 licensees are waiting for approval in Illinois, residents in surrounding states question if they are able to travel with legally purchased marijuana from Illinois to their neighboring state?IndianaThe short answer: No.Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has historically not supported Indiana legalizing marijuana for either medical or recreational use, often deferring to federal law when the subject is broached.“I’ve asked the federal government to enforce the law as it is, and I’ve let them know that we’re a law-and-order state," Gov. Holcomb stated in 2019.Indiana considers possession of THC, the active chemical...

Utah man robs bank of $1 in attempt to go to federal prison

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – A man accused of robbing a Salt Lake City bank of $1 on Monday said he wanted to be locked up in federal prison, according to Salt Lake City Police.Donald Matthew Santacroce, 65, now faces one charge of robbery, a second-degree felony.On March 6, police say Santacroce approached bank tellers at a Wells Fargo and presented a note stating, "Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1.00. Thank you."Police say the tellers agreed and gave Santacroce $1 before asking him to leave. Santacroce reportedly told the tellers he was not leaving and that they should call the police. Man charged after eating stolen chips dropped by thief, police say According to the affidavit, Santacroce sat down in the bank lobby and waited for police to arrive. While waiting, he allegedly told the victims that they are "lucky he didn't have a gun because it was taking so long for the police to get there."The branch manager then reportedly ushered all of the...

Adidas wonders what to do with $1.3B worth of Yeezy shoes after Ye split

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:33 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Adidas is still wrestling with how to dispose of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of Yeezy shoes after its breakup with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, forcing the German sportswear maker into a big loss at the end of last year and expectations of more pain ahead.CEO Bjorn Gulden said selling the popular line of shoes would mean paying royalties to Ye, who was dropped by Adidas five months ago after making antisemitic remarks on social media and in interviews. During an earnings call Wednesday, he pointed to “many variables” about what to do with the shoes now stacked in warehouses.Destroying them could “raise sustainability issues," though some companies have offered recycling solutions, said Gulden, who was named CEO after the blowup over Ye’s remarks. Restitching them to hide the Yeezy brand so they could be sold “is not very honest, so it’s not an option,” he added. These states have the largest gender pay gaps, stud...