Episodes
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The Duong family owns the cityâs recycling company, California Waste Solutions. In the subpoena, investigators specifically name the companyâs CEO, David Duong, and his son, Andy Duong.
The FBI and U.S. Attorneyâs Office remain tight-lipped about what â and who â their investigators are investigating. When asked about the grand juryâs subpoena on Tuesday, a USAO spokesperson told KRON4, âI am not permitted even to confirm the existence (or non-existence) of a grand jury investigation.â
In a 1-on-1 interview with KRON4 last week, Thao maintained her innocence. The mayor also asserted that she is not the subject of the federal investigation.
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In recent months it seemed that Oakland â a city famously grappling with a rise in crime â had course-corrected in remarkable fashion.
Statistics published by the police department showed year-to-year crime had dropped by 33% overall by the end of April, a dramatic shift after last yearâs spike. Mayor Sheng Thao praised the city for turning a corner. Gov. Gavin Newsom quoted the 33% figure in a news release touting Oaklandâs partnership with the California Highway Patrol. The news spread through social media posts and optimistic headlines, including stories in the Chronicle.
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Soon after outraged residents began filling public meetings demanding answers from self-proclaimed âSuper Mayorâ Tiffany Henyard, the south suburban politician hit the road for a series of interviews to try to reset the narrative about her spending, leadership style and tumultuous tenure.
Henyard appeared in-studio for an interview with Roland Martin in Washington, DC in late February and then travelled to New York City to be on the âWay Up with Angela Yeeâ program.
Now, WGN Investigates has obtained credit card records that show Thornton Township taxpayers were billed for a portion of the media tour.
Township credit card bills show a photographer named David Dickerson was paid $3,259 plus an additional $561 for Dickersonâs airfare between Chicago, Washington and New York. Dickerson confirmed to WGN Investigates that we hired by Henyardâs team to take photos of during her interviews with Martin and Yee. He doesnât know what became of his images.
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A pair of Denver councilmembers on Wednesday implied that the surge in illegal immigration over the past 18 months is linked to an increase in crime in some neighborhoods they represent.
Councilmembers Amanda Sawyer and Stacie Gilmore shared anecdotal stories of crimes occurring in âhot spotsâ in their respective districts during a committee hearing.
Both law enforcement and city officials, including the Johnston administration, use the phrase "hot spot" to denote an area with a spiking crime rate. The city, for example, earlier designated five areas as "hot spots" â places that, by design, will be getting law enforcement's focus in the administration's campaign to curb gun-related crimes. The specific areas are not necessarily the most violent places in the city, but they had experienced a significant increase in violence over the past year.
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San Francisco officials are trying to lower crime in one of the cityâs most dangerous neighborhoods by setting a curfew for businesses.
The cityâs Board of Supervisors gave final approval Tuesday to a pilot program that will shorten business hours in Tenderloin, known for its homelessness, drug use and violence.
Businesses that sell prepackaged food or tobacco will no longer be allowed to stay open from midnight to 5 a.m. during the two-year pilot. The new ordinance doesnât apply to restaurants and bars.
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The Richard Nixon Foundation, and many conservatives on social media, are firing back at Chicagoâs Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson after he seemingly placed partial blame on former President Richard Nixon, who died 30 years ago, for Chicagoâs weekend of gun violence.
"What weâve experienced over the weekend is unacceptable and we didnât get here overnight. And everyone knows that. Letâs tell the full story of what happened," Johnson said during a Monday press conference after 19 were killed and over 100 were injured by shootings in Chicago over the weekend.
"Black death has unfortunately been accepted in this country for a very long time. We had a chance 60 years ago to get at the root causes. And people mocked President Johnson, and we ended up with Richard Nixon."
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The Sacramento City Attorneyâs Office warned a chain retail store that it could face a public nuisance charge due to a large number of phone calls placed to police when thieves repeatedly stole from its Land Park location. A person with knowledge of the warning, but not authorized to speak publicly due to the fear of retaliation, told The Sacramento Bee that city officials threatened the Target at 2505 Riverside Blvd. in the past year with an administrative fine. A Sacramento police spokesman confirmed the location â a site that prompted heavy ire from Land Park residents due to repeated crimes â when asked about the apparent warning. The alleged warning issued by Sacramento city officials â and similar actions by other cities across the state â prompted lawmakers to add an amendment to a retail theft bill that would outlaw such threats made by authorities. Pursuing legal actions against businesses for reporting crime brought heavy criticism from law enforcement.
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In June, I reported that after months of inactivity, City Hall had loaded up its migrant cash-debit cards with another nearly $1.1 million in taxpayer money.
Days later, the Adams administration confirmed it: Gotham taxpayers will spend $2.6 million through the end of the year to add 7,300 families to the existing program, which has served about 900 families since March.
The city considers that âpilotâ successful â but still hasnât released a whiff of data to prove it.
Even if you think itâs a good idea to try giving migrants cash cards instead of direct aid for meals and other basics, the way Mayor Eric Adams has gone about it is not the way to do it.
In January, the city inked a no-bid, one-year deal with MoCaFi, a company co-founded by an Adams supporter, to distribute a potentially open-ended amount of money â âabove $150 millionâ â to migrants staying at city hotels.
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Delivery drivers in the South Bay say they're increasingly worried about becoming robbery targets.
It's happening enough that at least one company, Core Mart, is now hiring armed guards to escort its drivers.
NBC Bay Area contacted Core Mart's parent company, but they declined to explain why they're now providing the guards.
San Jose police said they saw a slight increase in the robbery of delivery trucks two years ago, but said they have not seen a spike lately.
Flavio Lopez works for another delivery company and said he wishes he had a guard or at least a second person to help him keep an eye on the merchandise. Lopez hasnât been robbed, but he has had run-ins downtown.
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Financial troubles in Dolton, Illinois, continue to mount as village officials struggle to pay their bills. Despite cutting checks, vendors remain unpaid, leading to legal actions that have frozen $440,000 in village funds. Trustee Tammy Brown highlighted the village's inconsistent payments, while attorney Pat Walsh criticized the mayor for prioritizing personal expenses over village obligations. Walsh's client, former detective David Graham, won a whistleblower lawsuit, resulting in a $220,000 settlement which remains unpaid. The situation underscores the ongoing fiscal mismanagement within Dolton's administration, leaving residents to bear the brunt of these failures. The next court hearing is scheduled for July 23.
#DoltonFinancialCrisis #FiscalMismanagement #CommunityImpact
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The city of Seattle is offering a six-figure salary for a Tree Equity Initiative Manager. If you show a bias towards a cedar tree over a spruce, your arborism isnât welcome and this job isnât for you.
The position earns up to $60.83 an hour and allows activists to undo environmental injustices disproportionately impacting âcommunities of color.â Weâre supposed to pretend this is due to racism.
The Tree Equity movement is part of a tapestry of contrived social justice causes pursued by Progressive activists seeking hero status. It fits under the umbrella cause of âenvironmental racism.â This movement attempts to more evenly distribute trees to underserved communities. The lack of tree canopies and green space in black, Asian and Latino-majority communities is due to institutional racism, according to progressives.
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The complex consisting of the Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55 hotels has seen its value drop by $1 billion, the San Francisco Business Times reported Monday, citing a note from real estate data firm Trepp.
Additionally, a Moodyâs Ratings report obtained by Hotel Dive was not kind, downgrading the complexâs bond classes âas a result of the propertiesâ continued underperformance.â Originally class A, the bonds have since fallen five levels to Baa1.
Itâs the latest hit for a market thatâs already generated negative headlines in recent months. The bond class downgrades stem not only from the hotelsâ underperformance, but also âcontinued weak fundamentals of the San Francisco downtown hotel market.â
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Last week, Pritzkerâs office hailed the creation of the pair of new shelters paid for by the Illinois taxpayers and made possible by deals with the ânonprofit sector.â
âIâm thankful to our partners and the contributions across City, State, County, and nonprofit sectors. These additional shelters provide meaningful support to families seeking stability as they take their next steps toward independence,â Dulce Quintero, Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Designate, said in a press release.
âIn Illinois, weâre implementing our comprehensive data-driven plan to improve our response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and amplify the effectiveness of State, County, and City investments,â the governor added.
But state Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar and state Sen. Mike Porfirio, both Democrats, were surprised by the announcement and said they were unaware that any new shelter was being opened in their jurisdiction until the announcement was made.
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The City of Chicago is effectively barring protestors from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) by denying and delaying permits. Despite allowing Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests without permits during the 2020 lockdown, Chicago now refuses permits for groups wanting to demonstrate at the DNC. The Department of Transportation has only recently turned over some permit applications, while other city agencies remain non-compliant. Protestors argue this is a deliberate stalling tactic to prevent lawful demonstrations. Legal battles continue as multiple groups sue the city, alleging unconstitutional actions. This double standard highlights the inconsistency in handling protests based on political alignment, raising concerns about freedom of speech and the right to protest.
#ChicagoProtests #DNC2024 #FreedomToProtest
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Seattle has become a hot spot for the theft of electric vehicle (EV) charging cords, which are rich in copper.
Charging provider Electrify America reported that a single station in Georgetown had more than 50 cables stolen over the past couple years.
In that same amount of time, a different station in University Village criminals nabbed more than 20.
"Unfortunately, the theft of charging cables is on the rise," said Rachel Moses with Electrifying America.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he plans to address public safety issues by investing in people.
Speaking at a public forum in the Little Village neighborhood, the mayor blamed Chicagoâs violence on disinvestment by previous administrations.
âMy vision for safety in Chicago is that every single neighborhood has safe spaces, and that we are fully funding our public accommodations: education, transportation, healthcare, jobs,â Johnson explained.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said it is important for police and members of the community to work together.
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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Wednesday the city will be hiring 18 additional behavioral health responders after securing nearly $2 million in federal funding.
The new responders will be part of the Community Assisted Response Engagement (CARE) department, which started in October. CARE was implemented to âdiversify emergency response, help people in need receive appropriate assistance and ensure the highest priority incidents receive critical police and fire services,â as stated by the mayorâs office.
CARE responders are sent out after a 911 call taker determines one would be appropriate for the situation. Examples are welfare checks and calls that donât require law enforcement, such as nonviolent, nonemergency and nonmedical calls.
The CARE team also assists officers who have called for backup but only after any violence has been subdued.
âOur West Precinct officers have formed strong partnerships with CARE and often call for their assistance, even when not initially co-dispatched,â Seattle Interim Chief of Police Sue Rahr stated in a press release. âWe share mutual respect and look forward to expanded opportunities to collaborate. Particularly with our current staffing crisis, officers appreciate the CARE Team and the assistance they provide.â
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They say where thereâs smoke thereâs fire, which is why more than a dozen firefighters in south suburban Dolton are going public with their concerns about the controversies smoldering at village hall.
On Monday, those firefighters confronted Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard at a village board meeting, demanding to know where their money is.
"Iâm here today with fellow members⊠looking for answers," said Adam Farej, Dolton Firefighterâs Union President.
Farej came with a list of questions and grievances. On Tuesday, he told FOX 32 the firefighters spoke publicly at the meeting because they'd simply had enough.
"With everything going on in the village and the media, at some point we have to put our foot down and get answers to the questions we have," Farej said.
The Dolton firefighters have been working without a pay raise or a new contract for the past four years, and they worry Dolton isnât paying their insurance premiums because theyâre getting stuck with big medical bills.
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A major farm supply retailer said it will eliminate DEI roles, end its carbon emissions goals and cut ties to an LGBTQ advocacy group following a social media campaign calling for the firm to revoke its âwokeâ policies.
Tennessee-based Tractor Supply â an 85-year-old company with 2,250 stores â made the decision after conservative commentator Robby Starbuck called for a boycott over the past three weeks on X.
âWe have heard from customers that we have disappointed them,â Tractor Supply said in a statement on Thursday. âWe have taken this feedback to heart.â
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