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Putin admits Russia doesn’t have enough weapons and drones

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that his armed forces lack the military hardware they need to win the war in Ukraine, while insisting Moscow is ramping up weapons production to fill the gap.Speaking Tuesday at a meeting of pro-war bloggers in the Kremlin, Putin acknowledged that “during the course of the special military operation, it has become clear there are shortages of many things — precision-guided munitions, communications equipment, aircraft, drones and so on.”“We have them, but unfortunately we don’t have enough of them,” he said, according to state media. As well as drones, “modern anti-tank weapons are needed, and modern tanks are needed.”At the same time, Putin claimed that there has been a nearly threefold increase in the production of weapons for the battlefield, rising to a tenfold increase for the most in-demand equipment.Shortages of precision-guided munitions have hampered Moscow’s full-scale invasion, pre...

Instant Brands, maker of Instant Pot and Pyrex, files for bankruptcy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

New York (CNN) — Instant Brands, the maker of Instant Pot, Corelle, and Pyrex, among other products, has filed for bankruptcy.The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which allows for a reorganization of the company rather than its disappearance in a Chapter 7 filing, came on Monday. The company blamed tighter credit and higher interest rates for the problems leading to the filing but said that it grew rapidly since the start of the pandemic, entering several new product categories and expanding its global footprint. It listed more than $500 million in both assets and liabilities, and said it has received $132.5 million in additional financing from its existing lenders as part of its bankruptcy process.Instant Brands was purchased by private equity firm Cornell Capital in 2017. While some of its products, such as Pyrex and CorningWare are long established brands — Pyrex is 108 years old, and CorningWare is 65 — Instant Pot was only launched in 2010. The company said that at least one ...

Nursing staff member recovering after being attacked at Gardner hospital

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

A member of the nursing staff at a hospital in Gardner is recovering after being attacked on the job Monday night.The Gardner Police Department said its officers were called to the incident at Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital around 8 p.m., responding to a reported assault.Arriving officers went on to arrest 76-year-old David Nichols of Greenville, NH, at the scene, while the staff member was taken to UMass Memorial in Worcester to be treated for a laceration.In a social media post, the Hubbardston Fire Department said the victim was stabbed while caring for a patient.According to a news release from Gardner PD, Nichols was held in custody on cash bail following his arrest, and is facing a charge of Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon.https://twitter.com/HubbFire/status/1668580693582938115

Shooting in Denver wounds 9 people after Nuggets win NBA Finals; injured suspect in custody

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

By COLLEEN SLEVIN (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — Nine people were wounded in a mass shooting early Tuesday in downtown Denver where basketball fans had been celebrating the Nuggets first NBA title win, police said. A wounded suspect was taken into custody.Investigators believe multiple shots were fired in a dispute between several people roughly a mile from Ball Arena, where the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday night. The shooting happened at around 12:30 a.m. — about 3 1/2 hours after the game — and three of the wounded were in critical condition, the Denver Police Department said in a statement. The suspect, a man, was one of the seven people who suffered injuries believed to be non-life-threatening.“As far as what led up to this altercation that resulted in the shots being fired, that’s still under investigation at this time,” police spokesperson Doug Schepman said. A news conference was scheduled for 11:30 a.m.“It did occur in ...

Waukegan mayor invites Chicago Bears to explore move to city

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor has joined other Chicagoland communities in trying to lure the Chicago Bears to their municipality.Taylor suggested to Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren in a letter written Monday that the Bears build a new stadium on lakefront property in Waukegan, expanding the team’s footprint in Lake County.“The City of Waukegan has multiple large parcels including lakefront property which could be developed into both the state of the art stadium and entertainment district the team has publicly expressed in building,” Taylor said in the letter.This is a developing story. Check back for updates. ()

Trump’s court appearance live updates: Busloads of supporters head to Miami to back former president

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon for his first appearance in a historic criminal case against him.Trump has been charged with 37 felony counts. The Justice Department said he hoarded top-secret government documents, boastfully displayed them to visitors and tried to hide them from investigators who demanded them back.Please check back for updates throughout the day.12:21 p.m. | Traveling long distanceSome of the people who showed up outside the federal courthouse in Miami in advance of Trump’s arraignment traveled a long distance to show support for him.Katie Taylor, 76, traveled from Virginia, stopping in Sanford, N.C., to pick up Gloria Eck.Eck said the indictment is “just proof to me how corrupt” the Department of Justice is. “If people don’t stand up we’re going to lose our country.”She said she wasn’t concerned about the unattended item with wires that prompted police to temporarily clear an area near the courth...

Cars crash into man who jumped onto I-93 in Medford

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

Police have concluded that the man found dead on Interstate 93 southbound in Medford had intentionally jumped to his death onto the highway, where cars hit his body.“Evidence indicates that the victim in this incident, an adult male, intentionally jumped from the overpass onto I-93 below, where he was struck by at least one, and likely more than one, vehicle,” Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio wrote in an update to the Tuesday morning incident. “Barring any unforeseen developments, no further updates are expected.”State Police earlier reported that they found the victim in the area south of Exit 21 on I-93 at 4:30 a.m.Lane closure were in place on I-93 south approaching Exit 21, Route 38/Mystic Avenue, while police investigated earlier Tuesday.The state’s Department of Transportation said the closures generated a 10-mile back up.The scene was cleared after 9 a.m., according to state police.Drivers were advised to avoid the area if possi...

RCMP confirms probe into Chong threats as ex-adviser to PM offers new details on memo

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

OTTAWA — Acting RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme confirmed Tuesday that police have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Conservative MP Michael Chong was targeted by Beijing. He said the RCMP is also working with elections officials to probe alleged foreign interference against two other members of Parliament — Conservative MP Erin O’Toole and NDP MP Jenny Kwan — but wouldn’t confirm whether police are pursuing criminal charges in either case.“Any matters that can be charged, any person that can be charged with the Criminal Code, we will do so,” he said.The interim commissioner made the comments on Parliament Hill this morning, where he testified in front of a parliamentary committee that is studying the issue.Duheme said more than 100 investigations into foreign interference writ large are underway in Canada, adding that police stations allegedly operated by Beijing have been closed amid ongoing investigations. “We are trying to build th...

Michigan State endowment fund buys 79% stake in Detroit’s iconic Fisher Building

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan State University’s $3.9 billion endowment fund has become the majority investor in the Fisher Building, an iconic art deco style tower near downtown Detroit, the school announced Tuesday.The fund is investing $21 million in the building, two adjacent surface parking lots and a parking structure for a 79% ownership stake. The other owners are real estate developer and property manager The Platform and the MSU Federal Credit Union.“This new investment signals our continued intent to be part of Detroit’s storied history and vibrancy,” Interim Michigan State President Teresa Woodruff said in a statement.The 30-story Fisher Building is considered by many to be Detroit’s largest work of art for its marble exterior, three-story arcade with hand-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling, spectacular mosaics, and extensive brass detailing. It is noted for the green terra cotta tiles on its tower that typically are illuminated gold at night. It was designed in 1928 by archi...

South Carolina prisoner faces 2nd life sentence for using a cellphone to arrange killing

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:54:47 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina prisoner serving a life sentence for murder orchestrated killing a man he thought robbed a drug runner for a methamphetamine ring the inmate was running from behind bars, federal prosecutors said.Daniel Allen Shannon was sentenced to life in federal prison earlier this month for the killing, but the only way he will end up in federal custody is if he is released from his life-without-parole sentence in state court from a 2001 murder.Shannon ran his drug ring from prison using contraband cellphones. The director of South Carolina’s prisons has spent more than nine years trying to convince the federal government to allow states to jam cellphone signals inside prison walls.“This is yet another example of prisoners using contraband cellphones from behind state prison fences to continue committing crimes,” South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said.Stirling has plenty of examples. There was a 2018 gang riot — orchest...