DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather , the territory’s health ministry said. The army denied claims it had entered or set fire to the complex and accused Hamas of using the facility for cover. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and militants in the area and had ordered people out of the hospital, but said it had not entered the complex as of Friday night. It repeated claims that Hamas militants operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week. Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The Associated Press doesn’t have access to Kamal Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces have been seen in other hospitals, maintaining security but also controlling access to parts of the facilities. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department. It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital. The account could not be independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful. “Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified staff member said in an audio message posted on social media accounts of hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any moment,” she said. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, denied the accusations. “While IDF troops were not in the hospital, a small fire broke out in an empty building inside the hospital that is under control,” he said Friday night. He said a preliminary investigation found “no connection” between military activity and the fire. The Israeli military heavily restricts the movements of Palestinians in Gaza and has barred foreign journalists from entering the territory throughout the war, making it difficult to verify information. “These actions put the lives of all of these people in even more danger than what they faced before,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told journalists, and noted colleagues' reports of “significant damage” to the hospital. It should be protected as international law requires, she added. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off from food and other aid for months , raising fears of famine . The United Nations says Israeli troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice, seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan. It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third believed to be dead. Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than half women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven from their homes, most now sheltering in sprawling tent camps in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind. Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen tents just steps away. "I swear to God, their mother and I cover ourselves with one blanket and we cover (their five children) with three blankets that we got from neighbors. Sea waters drowned everything that was ours,” said Muhammad al-Sous, displaced from Beit Lahiya in the north. The children collect plastic bottles to make fires, and pile under the blankets when their only set of clothes is washed and dried in the wind. At least three babies in Gaza have died from exposure to cold in recent days , doctors there have said, and the Health Ministry said an adult — a nurse who worked at the European Hospital — also died this week. Khaled and Keath reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Narions contributed to this report.
The 20 missing absentee ballots voters cast in the closely watched Minnesota House race between DFL Rep. Brad Tabke and Republican Aaron Paul were likely thrown away before being tabulated, according to Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar. He blamed the episode on “human error” in a Wednesday update about an ongoing investigation into the situation. Hocevar’s message came a day after House Republicans announced they would file an election contest lawsuit in the Shakopee-area District 54A race, saying in a Tuesday statement that the missing ballots have “obscured the results of the final vote tally.” On Wednesday, the party issued a news release saying the House Republican Campaign Committee is expected to formally file that contest as early as Friday. “Today’s news confirms why we will be seeking an election contest to protect the integrity of the vote in District 54A with a new election,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said in the news release. “With 20 ballots missing and confirmation from Scott County that they will likely not be recovered, it’s impossible to declare a winner with a 14 vote margin.” Tabke, who has a 14-vote lead over Paul, is on track to retain his seat after the Scott County Canvassing Board met Monday to certify the results of a recount . If Tabke and Dan Wolgamott, another DFL representative in a St. Cloud-area district, officially win their protracted contests , DFLers and Republicans will share power in the House for the first time since 1979. Scott County’s investigation centers on 20 absentee ballots checked in at Shakopee’s 10th Precinct for which officials can’t account. (Also missing is an absentee ballot in Precinct 12A, though staff opted not to pursue that discrepancy after noting it’s not uncommon for one voter to check in and not vote.) Tracking envelopes A three-page preliminary investigation summary released Wednesday outlines how the county determined those 10th precinct absentee ballots were most likely discarded. One key to the initial findings? Envelopes. Multiple sleeves encase absentee ballots in Minnesota . An inner envelope, known as a secrecy sleeve, contains the ballot but no identifying information about the voter to protect their privacy. That goes inside another envelope, known as a signature sleeve, that the voter signs. And that all gets placed inside the envelope use for mailing. In the 54A race, an absentee ballot board followed the standard procedure for accepting or rejecting absentee ballots, the summary states. Members first examined the signature sleeves and recorded them into a statewide registration system. They then divided those envelopes by precinct before opening the signature and secrecy sleeves, removing the ballots and preparing them for tabulation. As part of the investigation, county staff asked the city for the secrecy envelopes tied to the 20 missing ballots. That’s when staff learned those liners had been thrown out, prompting the county to track trash and recycling. The trash sat at a Burnsville landfill, according to the summary. The recycling, located at a Dem-Con facility, had already been sent for shredding. That led to the conclusion outlined in the preliminary summary: the ballots were likely thrown out while they remained in the secrecy envelopes before being tabulated. “This unfortunate situation resulted in a level of confusion that should not have occurred,” Hocevar said in a statement, adding that the investigation remains ongoing. He said in the summary that the ballots will most likely not be recovered, adding that even if they’re found, “it is unlikely that their chain of custody can be proven to assure they have not been tampered with.” Demuth, the Republican representative, previously called on called on Scott County to “prove chain of custody if the ballots are located and guarantee that there was not malicious activity” that led to the ballots “being removed or destroyed.” Tight race for House seat The update is the latest development in the protracted fight for the District 54A seat — tight since election day. Early returns showed Paul, a Bloomington police officer, ahead in several precincts by small margins. Tabke, a former Shakopee mayor who has served two nonconsecutive House terms, maintained advantages in northeast Shakopee and a precinct north of Shakopee High School. A few days after election night, Scott County officials rescanned some ballots cast in Shakopee after a scanning machine malfunction. The updated unofficial results increased Tabke’s advantage by one vote, to 14. Paul then requested a recount, with the margin between the two contenders remaining within the threshold set by state law for a taxpayer-funded one. Tabke led Paul by 14 votes after the Scott County Canvassing Board convened Nov. 25 to certify the recount’s results. A day later, House Republicans announced their intent to contest the race.
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SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of ASP Isotopes Inc. - ASPINEW YORK — Stocks shook off a choppy start to finish higher Monday, as Wall Street kicked off a holiday-shortened week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index ended 0.7% higher after having been down 0.5% early in the session. The Dow Jones industrial average also recovered from an early slide to eke out a 0.2% gain. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Gains in technology and communications stocks accounted for much of the gains, outweighing losses in consumer goods companies and elsewhere in the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, rose 3.7%. Broadcom climbed 5.5% to also help support the broader market. Walmart fell 2% and PepsiCo slid 1%. Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. U.S.-listed shares in Honda jumped 12.7%, while Nissan ended flat. Eli Lilly rose 3.7% after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first and only prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Department store chain Nordstrom fell 1.5% after it agreed to be taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25-billion deal. All told, the S&P 500 rose 43.22 points to 5,974.07. The Dow gained 66.69 points to 42,906.95. The Nasdaq rose 192.29 points to 19,764.89. Traders got a look at a new snapshot of U.S. consumer confidence Monday. The Conference Board said that consumer confidence slipped in December. Its consumer confidence index fell to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Wall Street was expecting a reading of 113.8. The unexpectedly weak consumer confidence update follows several generally strong economic reports last week. One report showed the overall economy grew at a 3.1% annualized rate during the summer, faster than earlier thought. The latest report on unemployment benefit applications showed that the job market remains solid. A report Friday said a measure of inflation that the Federal Reserve likes to use was slightly lower last month than economists expected. Worries about inflation edging higher again had been weighing on Wall Street and the Fed. The central bank just delivered its third cut to interest rates this year, but inflation has been hovering stubbornly above its target of 2%. The Fed has signaled that it could deliver fewer cuts to interest rates next year than it earlier anticipated because of concerns over inflation. Expectations for more interest rate cuts have helped drive a roughly 25% gain for the S&P 500 in 2024. That included 57 all-time highs this year. Inflation concerns have added to uncertainties heading into 2025, which include the labor market’s path ahead and shifting economic policies under President-elect Donald Trump. “Put simply, much of the strong market performance prior to last week was driven by expectations that a best-case scenario was the base case for 2025,” said Brent Schutte, chief investment officer at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.59% from 4.53% late Friday. European markets closed mostly lower, while markets in Asia gained ground. Wall Street has several other economic reports to look forward to this week. On Tuesday, the U.S. will release its November report for sales of newly constructed homes. A weekly update on unemployment benefits is expected Thursday. Markets in the U.S. will close at 1 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Wednesday for Christmas. Troise and Veiga write for the Associated Press.
Trump is teasing US expansion into Panama, Greenland and Canada | CNN PoliticsIt was a gift from the heart. Adrian Pfenning, 10, is a fifth-grader at Reese Elementary School and his essay about police officers being good for the community won an $800 prize from Radiant Life Church of Lodi. The church awarded money to Reese students as part of the A Community Transformed Project. Each school submits the essays, and two winners are chosen from each school. Adrian knew police officers like to drink coffee, so he gave the money to the Lodi Chaplaincy Foundation, which purchased 80 $10 Starbuck coffee cards—one for each LPD officer, according to chaplaincy chief Chet Somera. HOME SWEET HOME: The process starts early in the morning when Cyndi Katzakian’s husband Reggie takes the large pans of English toffee from the refrigerator in their home kitchen and breaks the solid slabs into bite-sized chunks. He then weighs them and puts them into quarter-pound bags (or larger) and affixes each bag with the BAM Treats label. The toffee recipe came from Cyndi’s great-great-grandma Dorothy. The 100-year-old secret recipe has been passed down for generations, she says. Each batch is handmade and requires exactness and strict adherence to her grandmother’s instructions to ensure the property taste, texture, and smell, she says. BAM Treats are named after their children Bo, Ashley and Megan and are available at the bamtreats.com website and at Klinker Brick Winery, Macchia Winery, Rinaldi’s Market in Linden, and the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, among other locations. CRIME BEAT: This happens so often it’s almost not news anymore. Poor ole Dick’s Sporting Goods reportedly got robbed again, this time by a large group of juveniles wearing ski masks who swooped in and grabbed armloads of merchandise. They ran out the door and got into a waiting black SUV. Perhaps these thieves haven’t heard that their actions are now considered felonies and they might spend more than an hour in the clink when they’re caught. Social media contributors had lots to say about it. Nicholas Mello reminded people, “Prop 36 passed, starting in January these little s@&%! will be working on prison time.” Lia McVicker asked, “Mums and dads, do you know where your kids are?” Rick Kludt suggested locking ‘em up and throwing away the key. And Brian Joachim wonders, “Wow, why do I work when I can steal?” LIFE’S A GAS: We heard from reader Mike Hartung about the ongoing controversy over the disparity in local gas prices. As most travelers know, prices in Lodi are higher than elsewhere. “Of course we know (station) owners can sell it for what they want but (one guy) owns at least seven stations around Lodi and has the prices high and other owners are following suit,” he says. “I drove to Long Beach last week and waited to buy gas along I-5 and paid $3.99 with less competition.” He adds, “Costco Lodi is $3.99, Stockton is $3.75. It costs each Costco the same off the truck! So one owner is setting the market higher than other cities. Never buy gas in Lodi, especially the Chevrons as (they are) price-gouging us.” STOP THE PRESSES: Welp, the ceremonial opening of the time capsule inlaid at the Lodi Transit Station that we’ve written about has been indefinitely postponed, according to city officials. The historical container was cemented into a wall at the train depot in 2000 and was scheduled to be reopened 25 years later, on Jan. 1, 2025. The contents were collected from various local contributors and include such things as posters, a Y2K t-shirt, and some locally-written essays. Jan. 1, 2025, was selected, in part, so that kindergarteners who contributed drawings would be able to see them when they grow up, according to Cynthia Haynes, Lodi’s community promotions director at the time. No reason has thus far been given for the postponement. GONE: Over the past year several park structures have disappeared, victims of the bulldozer. They include the restroom at Lawrence Park, a Grape Bowl parking lot modular building, and the Softball Complex concession stand and restroom building. All of the structures were decades old and no longer used, according to city officials. The demo cost totaled $133,261. With those buildings gone the city says it will save money on maintenance and reduced liability associated with non-ADA-compliant structures. LIGHTS UP: A new traffic signal will be going up at the intersection of Victor Road and Guild Avenue, east of Highway 99. “Steady growth in the industrial area east of SR 99 has resulted in additional traffic impacts,” says Public Works Director Charlie Swimley. He adds that a recent traffic signal evaluation determined the intersection meets the state criteria for signal installation. The project will cost $900,000 - $1 million. The money will come from the city’s street impact fees. FLASHBACK: The Boy Scouts of Lodi staged their annual Christmas Tree Pickup service the first week of January 1945, culminating in a huge bonfire that night. The effort was supervised by members of the Lodi Fire Department to ensure things were done safely. The trees were dumped in a big pile in the parking lot at Salen School, which is now home to Smart & Final on East Lodi Avenue. All those who took part received a ticket of participation and were invited to the Lodi fire house for a weenie and cake feed after the bonfire. Discarded Christmas trees are no longer burned. Last year residents were invited to drop their trees off at the Grape Bowl north parking lot. Instead of a bonfire the trees will be disposed of by Waste Management in cooperation with the city of Lodi. LAST LAUGH: Someone posted, “I never thought I’d be the kind of person who’d wake up early in the morning to exercise. And I was right.” Steve is a former newspaper publisher and lifelong Lodian whose column appears most Tuesdays and Fridays in the News-Sentinel and at stevemann.substack.com . Write to Steve at aboutlodi@gmail.com
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The long sports-filled Thanksgiving weekend is a time when many Americans enjoy gathering with friends and family for good food, good company and hopefully not too much political conversation. Also on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here's a roadmap to one of the biggest sports weekends of the year, with a look at marquee games over the holiday and how to watch. All times are in Mountain. All odds are by BetMGM Sportsbook. NFL: There is a triple-header lined up for pro football fans. Chicago at Detroit, 10:30 a.m. on CBS: Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears go against the Lions, who are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in February. Lions favored by 10. New York at Dallas, 2:30 p.m. on Fox: The Giants and Cowboys are both suffering through miserable seasons and are now using backup quarterbacks for different reasons. But if Dallas can figure out a way to win , it will still be on the fringe of the playoff race. Cowboys favored by 3 1/2. Miami at Green Bay, 6:20 p.m. on NBC/Peacock: The Packers stumbled slightly out of the gate but have won six of their past seven games . They'll need a win against Miami to try to keep pace in the NFC North. Packers favored by 3. College football: Memphis at No. 18 Tulane, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN: If college football is your jam, this is a good warmup for a big weekend. The Tigers try to ruin the Green Wave’s perfect record in the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is favored by 14. NFL: A rare Friday showdown features the league-leading Chiefs. Las Vegas at Kansas City, 1 p.m. on Prime Video: The Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are 12-point favorites over the Raiders. College Basketball: Some of the top programs meet in holiday tournaments around the country. Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN: One of the premier early season tournaments, the eight-team field includes No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. Rady Children's Invitational, 4 p.m. on Fox: It's the championship game for a four-team field that includes No. 13 Purdue and No. 23 Mississippi. College football: There is a full slate of college games to dig into. Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State, 10 a.m. on Fox: The Broncos try to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt when they host the Beavers. Boise State favored by 19 1/2. Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado, 10 a.m. on ABC: The Buffaloes and Coach Prime are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game when they host the Cowboys. Colorado favored by 16 1/2. Georgia Tech at No. 6 Georgia, 5:30 p.m. on ABC: The Bulldogs are on pace for a spot in the CFP but host what could be a tricky game against rival Georgia Tech. Georgia favored by 19 1/2. NBA: After taking Thanksgiving off, pro basketball returns. Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 8 p.m. on ESPN: The Thunder look like one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. They'll host Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers. College Football: There are more matchups with playoff implications. Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, 10 a.m. on Fox: The Wolverines are struggling one season after winning the national title. They could make their fan base a whole lot happier with an upset of the Buckeyes . Ohio State favored by 21. No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 10 a.m. on ABC: The Volunteers are a fairly big favorite and have dominated this series, but the Commodores have been a tough team this season and already have achieved a monumental upset over Alabama . Tennessee favored by 11. No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, 10 a.m. on ESPN: The Palmetto State rivals are both hanging on the edge of the CFP playoff race. A win — particularly for Clemson — would go a long way toward clinching its spot in the field. Clemson favored by 2 1/2. No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M, 5:30 p.m. on ABC: The Aggies host their in-state rival for the first time since 2011 after the Longhorns joined the SEC. Texas favored by 5 1/2. Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 5:30 p.m. on NBC: The top-ranked Ducks have been one of the nation’s best teams all season. They’ll face the Huskies, who would love a marquee win in coach Jedd Fisch’s first season. Oregon favored by 19 1/2. NBA: A star-studded clash is part of the league's lineup. Golden State at Phoenix, 7 p.m. on NBA TV: Steph Curry and the Warriors are set to face the Suns' Big Three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. NFL: It's Sunday, that says it all. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 11 a.m. on CBS: Joe Burrow is having a great season for the Bengals , who are struggling in other areas. They need a win to stay in the playoff race, hosting a Steelers team that's 8-3 and won five of their past six. Bengals favored by 3. Arizona at Minnesota, 11 a.m. on Fox: The Cardinals are tied for the top of the NFC West while the Vikings are 9-2 and have been one of the biggest surprises of the season with journeyman Sam Darnold under center. Vikings favored by 3 1/2. Philadelphia at Baltimore, 2:25 p.m. on CBS: Two of the league's most electric players will be on the field when Saquon Barkley and the Eagles travel to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Ravens favored by 3. San Francisco at Buffalo, 6:20 p.m. on NBC/Peacock: The 49ers try to get back to .500 against the Bills , who have won six straight. Bills favored by 7. NBA: The best teams in the Eastern Conference meet in a statement game. Boston at Cleveland, 4 p.m. on NBA TV: The defending champion Celtics travel to face the Cavs , who won their first 15 games to start the season. Premier League: English soccer fans have a marquee matchup. Manchester City at Liverpool, 9 a.m. on USA Network/Telemundo: The two top teams meet with Manchester City trying to shake off recent struggles. Auto racing: The F1 season nears its conclusion. F1 Qatar Grand Prix, 9 a.m. on ESPN2: It's the penultimate race of the season. Max Verstappen already has clinched his fourth consecutive season championship .
