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Police in Illinois are investigating after an elderly couple was found dead in their home on Monday in a suspected double murder.

Lois Ladd, 68, and Michael Ladd, 79, were discovered around 10:30 a.m. in their home in Edwardsville, Maj. Jeff Connor, chief deputy with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, said at a news conference.

ALABAMA MAN PRETENDED TO HELP SEARCH FOR MISSING GIRL, 11, AFTER STRANGLING HER, INVESTIGATOR SAYS

Connor, who represents the Major Case Squad of St. Louis that was activated to investigate the alleged crime, said that local police were called to the home to check on one of the Ladds when their bodies were found.

He said the situation "appears to be a double homicide of an elderly couple," and that close to 30 investigators were working at the crime scene on Monday.

Lois Ladd worked as a chiropractor in Edwardsville, and her husband, Michael, worked as a local contractor. His brother, Don Ladd, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the family has "no idea what happened."

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Connor said that "one of the main things that we need right now is the last people to see them alive."

Anyone with information on the suspected murders is urged to contact the Edwardsville Police Department at 618-307-1611, or contact their tip line at 618-692-7550.

Source: Fox News National

An Army captain from the Chicago area and two brothers on an adventure before one was set to become a father were among the Americans killed when an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner plunged out of the sky on Sunday.

Antoine Lewis, 40, of Matteson, Ill., was a passenger on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 when the jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 157 people onboard, according to Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin.

"I was devastated. Shocked and devastated," she told FOX32. "He was a humanitarian, a faith-driven man."

Lewis was in Africa doing Christian missionary work at the time of the air disaster. The 40-year-old enlisted in the army as a third-generation family member before going on to serve in Afghanistan, WGN reported.

FAA SAYS BOEING 737 MAX JETS CAN BE OPERATED DESPITE AUSTRALIA, CHINA GROUNDING THE PLANE

His father, Rodney Lewis, told WLS-TV he was stationed in Ottawa before leaving to go to Ethiopia.

Antoine Lewis was in Africa doing Christian missionary work at the time of the air disaster.

Antoine Lewis was in Africa doing Christian missionary work at the time of the air disaster. (Facebook)

"He was also stationed in South Korea, he was a military man, he loved it, he was moving up through the military," he said. "He went in as an enlisted man and he got his undergraduate degree and his graduate degree."

Lewis had planned to start a business or charity and build a home in Africa following his retirement from the military in a few years, according to family members. He leaves behind a wife and 15-year-old son.

One last trip before fatherhood turns deadly

Mel Riffel and his brother, Bennett Riffel, were on one last adventure before he was to become a father in May.

Mel Riffel and his brother, Bennett Riffel, were on one last adventure before he was to become a father in May. (Facebook)

Brothers Mel and Bennett Riffel were on one last adventure before Mel was expecting to become a father in May when they were killed in the crash.

The brothers from Redding, Calif. had been in Australia before visiting Africa, Redding Chamber of Commerce President Jake Mangas told the Record Searchlight. Mangas said he is close friends with the brothers’ parents, Ike and Susan Riffel.

"Our family is devastated for Ike and Susan and certainly for Melvin’s wife, Brittney," Mangas told the newspaper. "They are wonderful, faith-filled people and if there is any encouragement to me, it’s in this difficult circumstance, I know they are surrounded by a community that loves them very much."

Parishioners at St. Joseph Church and School spent Monday placing flowers in the brothers’ memory.  Both attended the church elementary school and their mother is the parish secretary, according to KRCR-TV.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES PLANE’S BLACK BOX RECOVERED AFTER DEADLY CRASH, BUT IS REPORTEDLY DAMAGED

"The community, we’ve been through a lot of things this past year, this year," Father Fred Gucor told the television station. "Very supportive community, just this morning after the Mass, people are offering prayer, offering them help, anything, anything."

In a statement to KRCR, a spokesperson for Ike and Susan Riffel said they were appreciating the outpouring so far.

"We appreciate the outpouring of love and support from the community. We ask for continued prayers," the spokesperson said.

‘Great writer and an avid surfer’

Matt Vecere was among the 157 people killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Matt Vecere was among the 157 people killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash. (IQAir)

A man originally from New Jersey who worked for a company that develops air quality products was also among the dead.

Matt Vecere grew up in Sea Isle City and studied ocean engineering at the Florida Institute of Technology. He later moved back to New Jersey when he transferred to Stockton University, FOX29 reported.

In 2005, Vecere moved to California, where he was living at the time of the crash while working for IQ Air, a Swiss-based company that develops air quality products. In a statement posted to Twitter, the company said it was "greatly saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague."

"Matt was a great writer and an avid surfer with a passion for helping others," the company said. "Our hearts are with Matt’s family and all who lost their lives in this tragedy."

‘Always had a smile on his face’

Mucaad Hussein of St. Cloud, Minnesota was on his way to visit relatives in Kenya when he was among those who perished.

Mucaad Hussein of St. Cloud, Minnesota was on his way to visit relatives in Kenya when he was among those who perished. (Facebook)

Mucaad Hussein of St. Cloud, Minnesota was on his way to visit relatives in Kenya when he ended up on the doomed flight.

Friends told FOX9 that Hussein was in his early 30s and had come to Minnesota in the 12th grade from Ethiopia. He later became a U.S. citizen, graduated from Apollo High School in St. Cloud and then studied at both St. Cloud Technical College and St. Cloud State.

“We used to play soccer together—very much involved in the youth soccer,” longtime friend Haji Yussuf told FOX9. “He was involved in a lot of different teams here in St. Cloud—youth programs. He was very visible in the community—very social, very outgoing—always smiling—always had a smile on his face.”

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Hussein an activist who was involved with local politics, loved to play soccer, FOX9 reported.

Aviation experts from the Federal Aviation Administration arrived at the crash site Tuesday outside the capital, Addis Ababa, with representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board to join the Ethiopian-led investigation.

The FAA said it expects Boeing will soon complete improvements to an automated anti-stall system suspected of contributing to the deadly crash of another new Boeing 737 Max 8 in October, and update training requirements and related flight crew manuals.

Boeing has said it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

An Illinois judge ordered a woman held without bond Sunday on charges of attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a Chicago police officer serving a warrant.

Police say Emily Petronella, 19, allegedly shot the 34-year-old officer in the shoulder Saturday when she opened fire through the back door of her Humboldt Park home. Law enforcement officers, at the time, were attempting to gain entry to the residence via a battering ram.

ILLINOIS MAN SUSPECTED OF FATALLY SHOOTING DEPUTY HAS LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY

Police arrested Petronella at the scene. They also seized a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic weapon, more than 10,000 grams of cannabis and $950, according to the Chicago Tribune.

This undated photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Emily Petronella.

This undated photo provided by the Chicago Police Department shows Emily Petronella. (Chicago Police Department via AP)

The 19-year-old was also charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer, armed violence while discharging a weapon, aggravated discharge of a weapon at a peace officer and dealing more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.

The officer, who was not immediately identified, was transported to Stroger Hospital, according to the Chicago Tribune. The shooting left him with a fractured vertebra and the bullet lodged itself into his right shoulder muscle. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Jennifer Ravin, a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, said the officers arrived on the scene in a marked vehicle with activated lights and announced themselves before approaching the home.

But Petronella’s attorney, Stefan Fenner, argued his client was home alone and responding to loud noises. A woman at the scene who said she was Petronella’s mother told the Chicago Tribune Petronella purchased a firearm last year after someone attempted to break into her home.

After the weekend shooting, Petronella also faced charges related to the violation of a bail bond in connection to a previous arrest.

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Cook County court records show Petronella was arrested in February after police conducted a traffic stop and allegedly spotted a weapon on the floor of her vehicle. In 2018, she was also arrested on two separate drug charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

A 20-year-old Illinois woman whose body was found Friday — days after her disappearance sparked a massive search — died of hypothermia, authorities said.

Brooke Naylor, of Harrisburg, died of hypothermia from environmental cold exposure, Evansville Courier & Press reported. The Gallatin County Coroner’s office said Saturday it will release the full report once toxicology results come in in about four weeks.

Authorities began looking for Naylor after she was reported missing March 3. Illinois state police initially said they believed Naylor had her dog with her.

Police located her abandoned vehicle about halfway between Illinois Routes 42 and 1.

CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER SHOT IN SHOULDER WHILE SERVING WARRANT; 19-YEAR-OLD WOMAN CHARGED

Naylor’s body was located about 5:40 p.m. Friday, but further details about her death were not released at the time.

“The Illinois State Police and the family would like to thank all of the numerous volunteers for the generous donation of their time and resources during this exhaustive search,” police said.

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Naylor worked as a waitress at Morello’s Restaurant and Catering, KFVS reported.

“She always put everybody in a better mood…everybody," said Naylor’s friend, Karrigan Bush. "If anybody showed up in a bad mood or was just upset about something, she always put everybody in a good mood."

Source: Fox News National

A 19-year-old woman is facing attempted murder and other charges after a Chicago police officer was shot Saturday night while serving a warrant, officials said.

Chicago police said in a news release that Emily Petronella was charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer, armed violence while discharging a weapon, aggravated discharge of a weapon at a peace officer and dealing more than 5,000 grams of cannabis in connection with the incident.

Officers were serving a search warrant just before 7:30 p.m. at the home in a neighborhood on the city’s West Side when Petronella allegedly fired through a rear door, police said.

ILLINOIS DEPUTY WITH US MARSHALS FUGITIVE TASK FORCE FATALLY SHOT WHILE SERVING WARRANT, OFFICIALS SAY

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter the officer sustained a "serious injury" to his shoulder, and was transported to an area hospital where his condition was stabilized.

During a search of the home, officers recovered a large amount of cannabis, a semi-automatic pistol and large bundles of money from the scene, according to police. Petronella was then arrested and later charged.

SECOND DEFENDANT SENTENCED IN CASE THAT LED TO MOTORCYCLE COP’S DEATH

Police Superintendent. Eddie Johnson said that the 19-year-old had several encounters with law enforcement. Petronella was also free at the time on $10,000 bond stemming from a charge of a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a weapon in February, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

She is to appear in bond court Sunday.

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Johnson said the officer had been with the department for more than four years and had served in the U.S. Marine Corps, FOX32 reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker promised to make his state the most "abortion-friendly" in the nation, and a pro-life law firm warns a new bill would do just that — going far beyond the scope of Roe v. Wade, including legalizing self-abortions.

The Reproductive Health Act, similarly named as the New York bill that was publicly celebrated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year, would make abortion legal through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason, according to the Thomas Moore Society’s report.

SEN. BEN SASSE: DO YOU SUPPORT INFANTICIDE? EVERY SENATOR MUST CHOOSE WHETHER THEY DO OR NOT

State Sens. Melinda Bush and Elgie Sims, Jr., and Reps. Kelly Cassidy and Emanuel "Chris" Welch announced the Senate and House bills last week at the American Civil Liberties Union headquarters in Chicago.

“As a woman, a mother and someone who has been a long-time supporter of full access to reproductive care, from contraception, abortion, pregnancy and postpartum care, it is time to modernize and update these laws to reflect the equality of women in Illinois,” Cassidy said.

The proposed law says that women "who become pregnant [have] a fundamental right…to have an abortion," and "provides that a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the law of this state."

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It is "an extreme bill that would basically enshrine abortion as a positive good in Illinois law,” Peter Breen, vice president and senior counsel for Thomas Moore, said in a statement, adding that the Democratic legislation would change the "Land of Lincoln" into the "Abortion Capital of America."

Breen, who is a former state representative and who was the minority floor leader in the previous session, slammed the 120-page bill for removing several protections for the unborn child, including restrictions on where abortions may be performed, allowing non-physicians, self-abortions, and more.

The bill would also force health insurance providers to cover abortion, with no exceptions for churches or other religious organizations.

COUPLE SUES PLANNED PARENTHOOD FOR CHILD SUPPORT AFTER FAILED ABORTION

Finally, Breen adds, the law would remove any statute protecting the life of a child who is born alive as a result of a late-term abortion.

This bill comes as the Trump administration announced Friday that it would bar taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions, and as the Senate votes on Sen. Ben Sasse’s Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

Source: Fox News Politics

At a time when most people are wrapping up their day, Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger is headed to work. He is not going to the office in Washington D.C., but out past a hangar toward a plane, an RC-26 surveillance aircraft.

It’s the plane Kinzinger will fly for the next five hours (one of its primary advantages — being able to fly and work, undetected, longer than most other aircraft.)

Congressman Kinzinger is also Lt. Col. Kinzinger with the Wisconsin Air National Guard. He’s wrapping up a two-week deployment in Tucson, Arizona.

“I love to be able to do it,” Kinzinger told Fox News.

The two jobs could not be in more different.

“I have some colleagues,” Kinzinger said of his job in Washington, “they have let their position get to their head a little bit.”

He said people are treated differently, for better or for worse, when they are in Congress.

GOP REP. KINZINGER DEPLOYS TO BORDER WITH AIR NATIONAL GUARD UNIT

All that changes when he drills with the guard.

“When I deploy with these guys, it’s just my old buddies,” said Kinzinger. “They say basically, ‘Hey, you are a lieutenant colonel here. Nobody special.’”

The work they are doing is part of a larger deployment to help bolster security along the Arizona border. The RC-26 Kinzinger flies may look like a corporate jet, but it’s specially equipped to gather information and high-resolution video of any illegal activity they may spot, on the ground. 

Unlike other areas, some of the Arizona border is mountainous.

“We have over 200 miles of border out here that’s just almost unmanned. No fencing on it at all,” Lt. Col Kenneth Bruce with the Arizona Air National Guard told Fox News. “We have a lot of traffic through there.”

It can be difficult for border patrol not only to spot illegal activity, but to respond to it. But with eyes in the sky, border patrol agents are able to hone in on drug activity that might otherwise unnoticed.

At a time when most people are wrapping up their day, Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger is headed to work. He is not going to the office in Washington D.C., but out past a hangar toward a plane, an RC-26 surveillance aircraft.

At a time when most people are wrapping up their day, Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger is headed to work. He is not going to the office in Washington D.C., but out past a hangar toward a plane, an RC-26 surveillance aircraft.

“They are very difficult to find,” said Ron Bellavia, the acting deputy chief patrol agent for the Tucson sector. “They are crossing the border in camouflage. They are putting carpet on their shoes, so we cannot track them through the desert.”

After potential drug runners are spotted, army guard helicopters can fly agents to those remote areas to respond.

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR TO REDUCE NATIONAL GUARD PRESENCE AT BORDER

Kinzinger said the work is gratifying.

“When drugs come into Arizona, they end up in Illinois,” he said. “To protect this country from, frankly, all the drugs that are coming over, is awesome.”

At the end of his two weeks of duty, Kinzinger will go back to his other gig – the one in Washington – with a fresh perspective on how the decisions he and his colleagues make impact the country. It’s a perspective he wishes more lawmakers had.

“I think Congress would be in a better spot,” said Kinzinger.

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He said he’s open to going on another mission.

“It’s not the first time I’ve done it,” said Kinzinger. “Hopefully, it’s not the last.”

About 1,800 National Guard troops are currently deployed across the entire southern border, 600 of those in Arizona. That’s in addition to the active duty troops who’ve been deployed to assist at the border, per President Trump’s request.

Source: Fox News Politics

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit filed by an advocacy group hoping to halt the construction of former President Barack Obama’s $500 million presidential center on Chicago’s South Side can proceed.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey, who was nominated to the federal bench by Obama in 2014, ruled that Protect Our Parks has standing to sue the city because it represents taxpayers with concerns that providing land in Jackson Park to the Obama center violates their due process rights. The judge indicated that he doesn’t want the litigation to drag on, and that he’ll limit any fact-gathering before the trial to 45 days.

The proposed Jackson Park site is seven miles from downtown Chicago, is near low-income neighborhoods where Obama worked as a community organizer, and lies just blocks from the University of Chicago, where Obama was a law professor. It is also close to the home where the Obamas lived until he won the presidency in 2008.

LEGAL DRAMA THREATENS CONSTRUCTION OF OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER

The center would comprise 20 acres of the 500-acre park. Its centerpiece would be a 225-foot museum tower, surrounded by a cluster of smaller buildings, including a 300-seat auditorium. Supporters estimate the project would create 5,000 jobs during construction and over 2,500 permanent jobs. An estimated 760,000 people could visit each year.

Protect Our Parks has accused the city of illegally transferring parkland to the private Obama Foundation, effectively "gifting" prized land to a Chicago favorite son. The group said city officials manipulated the approval process and tinkered with legislation to skirt longstanding laws designed to ensure residents have unobstructed access to lakeside parks.

"Defendants have chosen to deal with it in a classic Chicago political way … to deceive and seemingly legitimize an illegal land grab," the lawsuit says.

To make the park available for the project, the Chicago Park District first sold the land to the city for $1. Illinois legislators amended the state’s Illinois Aquarium and Museum Act to include presidential libraries as an exception to the no-development rules if there’s a compelling public interest. The Chicago City Council approved the project by a 47-to-1 vote last May.

OBAMA FOUNDATION DEAL WITH CHICAGO CALLS FOR $10 FEE ON 99-YEAR LEASE: REPORTS

The Obama Foundation would pay $10 to the city for use of the parkland for 99 years, cover the costs of building the complex and be responsible for covering operating costs for 99 years. Once built, the Obama Presidential Center’s physical structures would be transferred to the city for free, meaning the city would formally own the center but not control what happens there.

"They are essentially giving [property] to Obama … for 10 cents a year for 99 years," parks advocacy lawyer Mark Roth said Thursday.

In his ruling Tuesday, Blakey threw out a claim that taxpayers’ First Amendment rights would be infringed upon because tax money would be spent to reconfigure roads and traffic. The suit argued that taxpayers would thus subsidize any partisan political activity by Obama at the center.

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City lawyers conceded Thursday that Chicago would pay an estimated $175 million to reconfigure roads to manage traffic around the center, but they also argued that Protect Our Parks misread the law, misrepresented how the approval process played out and exaggerated potential environmental disruptions.

The center was originally slated to open in 2021, though ground hasn’t yet broken because of the lingering litigation. Some supporters of the project fear that ongoing litigation might lead Obama to decide to build the center somewhere else.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a measure gradually hiking the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, the highest in the Midwest.

It was one of the new Democratic governor’s top campaign promises. He signed the six-year plan Tuesday at the Governor’s Mansion.

“For nine long years, there were many forces that were arrayed against giving a raise to the people who work so hard to provide home care for seniors, child care for toddlers, who wash dishes at the diner, and who farm our fields,” Pritzker said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “Today is a victory for the cause of economic justice.”

AMAZON’S $15 MINIMUM WAGE HIKE FOR ALL US EMPLOYEES BEGINS 

Illinois is on track to be the first state in the Midwest to push its base wage to $15. The pay jump increases from $8.25 by $1 on Jan. 1, and jumps to $10 on July 1, 2020. Then, it increases $1 each Jan. 1 until 2025.

Currently there are an estimated 1.4 million Illinois residents making less than $15 an hour.

Business groups opposed the plan. They wanted a longer phase-in and a regionalized approach with lower minimum wage levels for areas outside Chicago.

Pritzker noted there are payroll tax credits in the law to ease the transition for employers.

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The move is also opposed by the state’s Republican Party, which on Tuesday called the minimum wage signing “only the beginning of J.B. Pritzker’s war on taxpayers and small business.”

“This is only the beginning of J.B. Pritzker’s war on taxpayers and small business,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement. “Nearly doubling the minimum wage will destroy entry-level jobs, raise prices for consumers, and bust budgets at every level of government. Pritzker pledged to govern differently and listen to all parties and stakeholders, but those turned out to meaningless words.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

The founder of a Chicago megachurch has been fired as its leader.

Pastor James MacDonald, of Harvest Bible Chapel, was given the boot last week by church elders after “highly inappropriate comments made by Pastor MacDonald were given to the media and reported,” the church said in a statement.

“Given that and other conduct under consideration, in accordance with the procedures in our Bylaws, Pastor MacDonald was removed as Senior Pastor and as an Elder of the church for engaging in conduct that the Elders believe is contrary and harmful to the best interests of the church,” the statement read. The church did not elaborate further.

SOUTHERN BAPTIST PRESIDENT SAYS DATABASE OF ABUSERS POSSIBLE 

MacDonald founded the church in 1988, and the megachurch has seven locations in the Chicago area and one in Florida, the Daily Herald reported. His two sons are on the church’s executive leadership board.

The pastor’s leadership has come under scrutiny recently, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Former church members have come forward to accuse Harvest Bible Chapel’s leadership of dishonesty and “financial mismanagement,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

MacDonald was fired “following several months of public revelations, indicating a pattern of abusive behavior towards subordinates and extensive financial mismanagement”, ​​​​WLS reported. The church was also reportedly $42 million in debt.

MacDonald, who was known to be a charismatic preacher, was part of then-candidate Donald Trump’s spiritual advisory team but stepped down after the Access Hollywood tape was made public, the Chicago Tribune reported.

MORMON MISSIONARIES NOW PERMITTED TO PHONE HOME ONCE A WEEK 

Ryan Mahoney and Scott Bryant, two of the five people who were sued for defamation by the church’s leadership, have been vocal opponents of MacDonald and have posted critiques of the pastor on a blog. The lawsuit led to the exposure of undisclosed information about MacDonald, which ultimately led to his termination, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Following the news of MacDonald’s termination, Mahoney and Bryant released a statement saying: “Seven years ago, we began to publicly air just a few of the stories that former elders and pastors had begun to share with us in private. While they did not allow us to share many of these stories, we published accounts and documents about finances, power and control as a means of pointing to the much deeper issues that were swirling around MacDonald and Harvest. As of the end of 2017, we felt that we had said all that we could to warn the people of Harvest about this toxic scenario.”

MacDonald was at first put on an “indefinite sabbatical” last month before he was fired. After he was put on leave, text messages and recordings were released on the Erich “Mancow” Muller’s radio show on WLS-AM 890 that appeared to capture MacDonald “disparage his critics.” Muller, who was once friends with MacDonald, accused the pastor of “running the church as essentially a giant Ponzi scheme,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

Source: Fox News National


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