Новости за 11.01.2017

(AP) — A teenage girl who slipped into an abandoned Illinois prison for an urban adventure ended up serving a short sentence when she accidentally locked herself inside a cell. Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Stromberg says the teens were exploring the suburban Chicago prison that's been closed since 2002 when one of them locked herself inside a cell.

KABUL — Afghanistan needs a stable security environment to prevent it from again becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda and other militants, but Afghan security forces have not yet become capable of securing all of the country by themselves, a U.S. report said Wednesday. The report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan offered a high-risk list assessment for the war-torn country, two years after NATO-led foreign combat forces pulled out at the end of 2014, leaving only a smaller training and assisting mission behind. Читать дальше...

A number of Bay Area figures have joined a loose-knit coalition of artists, critics and scholars that has issued a call for a Jan. 20 “act of non-compliance on Inauguration Day.” Among them are photographer David Maisel; arts faculty members Julia Bryan-Wilson (UC Berkeley), TJ Demos (UC Santa Cruz), Jennifer Gonzalez (UC Santa Cruz), Tirza Latimer and Julian Myers-Szupinska (California College of the Arts), and Pamela Lee (Stanford); and Stanford artist-in-residence Trevor Paglen. The J20 Art Strike... Читать дальше...

SOMArts’ most recent exhibition, “Touch On,” explores the meaning of touch though the “deeply personal narratives and representations” of more than a dozen artists for “an active reconsideration of touch, and its ancillary forms and aspects.” The show, which represents the curatorial debut of James Fleming and Kelly Lovemonster through SOMArts’ curatorial residency, features a variety of media, including sculpture, digital, installation and live performance. To help close it all out, Lovemonster... Читать дальше...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California appeals court tossed out a law that banned grand juries from determining whether police officers involved in fatal shootings should face criminal charges. Supporters of the law said the secret nature of grand jury decisions can create the impression that the process is unfair and erode trust in law enforcement, particularly when the outcome seems to conflict with witnesses or cellphone video. The appeals court said the Legislature could seek a constitutional amendment... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped the Department of Veterans Affairs' top health official to lead a beleaguered agency struggling to meet the health needs of millions of veterans. "Sadly our great veterans have not gotten the level of care they deserve, but Dr. Shulkin has the experience and the vision to ensure we will meet the health care needs of every veteran," Trump said. The choice is likely to soothe some of the largest veterans organizations and pave an easy path to confirmation in the Senate... Читать дальше...

Before it was illegal, Carolyn Meyer would take iPhone images from her car window while driving from Sausalito to San Francisco, where she directs the painting department at the Academy of Art. ArtHaus, owned and operated by James Bacchi and Annette Schutz, represents just 18 artists, 80 percent of whom have been with the gallery since the day it opened in Bacchi’s one-bedroom apartment on lower Nob Hill. “Because ArtHaus has so few artists, they (Bacchi and Schutz) are able to spend time getting to know each artist,” says Meyer. Читать дальше...

The original Human Be-In on Jan. 14, 1967 (pictured with Timothy Leary, center), drew tens of thousands to Golden Gate Park for a day of music, poetry, LSD experimentation and goodwill, and is considered a catalyst for the Summer of Love. The Digital Be-In will be a blend of the past and present, featuring DJs and dance music, original Be-In participants sharing their memories, virtual reality demonstrations with roots in activism, and Wavy Gravy appearing as emcee and Be-In clown. A live 50th... Читать дальше...

The twister that touched down south of the state capital registered EF0, at the lowest edge of the tornado scale that goes up to EF5. No injuries were reported from the tornado, which was on the ground for 3/8 of a mile and carved a path of minor damage about 100 yards wide, according to National Weather Service meteorologist David Rowe. In October 2012, five tornadoes touched down in north central California, damaging dozens of homes and a handful of commercial buildings. California tornadoes... Читать дальше...

(AP) — Barack Obama is not leaving his presidency quietly. Besides his farewell address to the nation Tuesday night, Obama has been on a media blitz during his final weeks in office. Obama also gave lengthy interviews to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin for a Vanity Fair feature and to Jann Wenner for his 10th Rolling Stone magazine cover. First Lady Michelle Obama gave Oprah Winfrey an exit interview and she'll appear on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday. Obama was the... Читать дальше...

WASHINGTON (AP) — On the defensive over connections being made between himself and Russia, President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday repeatedly stated that he has no business ties with that country. The dealings that Trump has had with Russian nationals have been transactional — selling a Palm Beach mansion to a Russian oligarch for $95 million, for example, or taking the Miss Universe beauty pageant to Moscow in 2013.

"The committee struggled to protect vulnerable New Mexicans, public schools, public safety, and health care services without completely shutting down some state agencies," state Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, the committee chairman, said in a statement. Medicaid spending cuts could be amplified by the possible loss of federal matching funds. Facing a sustained downturn in the oil sector that has undermined state tax revenues, New Mexico slashed general fund spending by about 2.4 percent in October... Читать дальше...

(AP) — A Republican state lawmaker wants all Tennessee license plates to include the phrase "In God We Trust." A former state senator in 2014 sought to pass legislation requiring "In God We Trust" to be painted behind the speaker's podiums in the House and Senate.

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Taco Bell plans to go nationwide this month with its latest concoction: a taco with a shell made entirely out of fried chicken. Taco Bell says the shell of the Naked Chicken Chalupa is made up of all-white seasoned chicken. The rest of the taco is packed with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and avocado ranch sauce. The fast food chain says the taco tested well in markets in Bakersfield, California, and Kansas City, Missouri, over the past two years. It will be available at Taco Bells across the country on Jan. Читать дальше...

(AP) — The GOP-led Michigan Legislature commenced a new two-year term Wednesday, and Republicans wasted no time in proposing major tax cuts and new leaders took the helm of the House. Ending the income tax would reduce yearly revenues by roughly $10 billion initially, a loss critics said would result in massive cuts to government services. For this particular proposal, there would need to be concrete data to demonstrate that there is adequate revenue from sources besides the income tax to ensure... Читать дальше...

Gov. Terry McAuliffe is predicting a productive working relationship with Republican lawmakers during this year's legislative session, which he said will focus on improving mental health services and stemming opioid abuse. The Democratic governor told reporters he expects to work well with Republicans on other issues such as reforming the state's economic development agency and addressing an estimated $1.26 billion shortfall. The Virginia General Assembly's 2017 session has started, with lawmakers... Читать дальше...

(AP) — A drug trafficking ringleader has become the first person in Kentucky sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge for causing an overdose death attributed to the powerful drug fentanyl, prosecutors said Wednesday. Navarius Westberry was given the life sentence for his role in distributing fentanyl that resulted in a 25-year-old man's 2015 overdose death in Richmond. Kerry B. Harvey, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said Westberry displayed "a callous disregard for... Читать дальше...

(AP) — Human trafficking could carry stiffer penalties in Nebraska under a bill pending in the Legislature. Soliciting a sex trafficking victim would become a Class II penalty, with a potential sentence of 1 to 50 years in prison.

[...] his company's stake in a lucrative offshore drilling project with the Russian state oil company Rosneft was under threat. The new U.S. sanctions banned the transfer to Russia of advanced offshore and shale technology, and Exxon was ordered to stop drilling in the Kara Sea, leaving the site's potential riches untapped. At Exxon's 2014 shareholder meeting, Tillerson said, "We always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they... Читать дальше...

(AP) — The family of a Kansas lawmaker's 10-year-old son killed last summer on what was billed as the world's tallest water slide has reached a settlement with the park's owner. An attorney for two women injured with Schwab during the ill-fated ride last Aug. 7 says Wednesday's action does not resolve any potential liabilities against the park by his clients.

U.S. Judge Richard Gergel handed down the sentence Wednesday at a hearing to affirm the jury's decision on the death penalty for the 22-year-old avowed white supremacist. The daughter of a woman killed during a massacre at a Charleston church says she doesn't want the racist killer to face the death penalty. Risher was the 21st family member to speak and the first to explicitly say he shouldn't face the death penalty. A woman who survived Dylann Roof's attack on a black church says she still holds on to the torn... Читать дальше...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma is one of 10 states chosen to receive funding aimed at improving career-focused education for students. Gov. Mary Fallin announced Wednesday that the state will receive $2 million over three years for its Oklahoma Works Initiative. The grant money comes from JP Morgan Chase & Co. and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Fallin says the money will help improve access to education and training for "high-skill, well-paying careers." Other states receiving funding are... Читать дальше...

Montgomery County Police say in a statement that officers called to Westfield Wheaton Mall on Tuesday afternoon for an assault found two men suffering from stab wounds. Police say a small group of people, including the two victims, fought with the suspect on the lower level of the mall before the stabbings occurred.

Most of the justices indicated during arguments that school districts must offer more than the bare minimum of services to children with special needs. The debate centers on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law that requires a "free and appropriate public education" for disabled students. Advocacy groups say the confusion has left wide disparities among states in the level of educational benefits that schools offer to children with special needs. The federal appeals court in Denver upheld that decision... Читать дальше...

Donald Trump Press Conference: 11 Wildest, Most Memorable Quotes Donald Trump held his first press conference in 167 days on Wednesday at Trump Tower in New York and things got heated quickly as the president-elect was combative with members of the news media. The wide-ranging press conference was both combative and enlightening, with the president-elect touching on a variety of topics, ranging from Russia to the mainstream media. Trump Defends Nazi Comparison, Attacks CNN and BuzzFeed as 'Fake... Читать дальше...