CHICAGO, IL - Leaving your kids home alone this Christmas to stop by the neighbors’ for eggnog could still bring the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services knocking on your door.

Unlike the parents in the Chicagoland Christmas classic “Home Alone,” Illinoisans can face investigation, arrest and even loss of custody of their children for leaving a minor home unsupervised for too long or unprepared.

Illinois had the highest home alone age in the nation until last year. Most states don’t see a need to legally define when it is OK to leave a child unattended, but Illinois was one of five with statewide laws on the books.

Under the previous state law, it could be considered neglect or abuse when any minor under the age of 14 years was left without supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for their mental health, physical health, safety or welfare.

But an amendment to the criminal code clarifies leaving any minor under the age of 18 unsupervised is no longer considered neglect if the child is engaging in independent activities, such as staying at home alone, unless it is for an unreasonable period of time or the conditions constitute an “unreasonable risk” of harm.

The amendment that went into effect June 2023 also no longer specifies an age to determine reasonableness for allowing minors to stay home alone in Illinois. Click here to read more.

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF - An estimated 8 million illegal aliens live in so-called sanctuary cities and states across the United States that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents, an estimate from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) indicates.

The estimate from CIS relies on a previous analysis from the center that approximated that the total illegal alien population present in the United States is roughly 14 million, with CIS positing that over half of the illegal alien population resides in sanctuary jurisdictions.

“Although there is much imprecision in the data, the bottom line is that close to eight million illegal aliens, equaling 56 percent of the estimated nationwide total, live in sanctuary jurisdictions,” CIS says in its analysis.

The center also details the specific sanctuary states and cities, along with the estimates of how many illegal aliens live in each. CIS estimates that a whopping 3 million illegal aliens reside in California while about 868,000 are believed to live in New York state. Just over half a million illegal aliens are believed to live in Illinois with another 372,000 believed to live in Washington state. Click here to read more.

 

SACRAMENTO, CALIF - California Governor Gavin Newsom appears to be missing the days of having unlimited power, so he’s decided to fire up the masses about the possible spread of Bird Flu in California despite such incidents never occurring.

On Wednesday, Newsom declared a state emergency, ordering more “monitoring” and “tracking” resources with the seeming hopes of dialing up another PCR testing pandemic. California will now deploy the largest testing and monitoring system in the nation to hunt down the Super Bird Sniffles.

"This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak," Governor Newsom said in the statement Wednesday.

"Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information," he added. "While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus."

The news came on the heels of the CDC reporting the first “severe” Bird flu case in the United States, reporting that an undisclosed individual in Louisiana has been hospitalized after being potentially exposed to questionable poultry. The CDC said its viral genome data showed a strain unrelated to the bird flu cases documented in cattle. Click here to read more.

 

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s animal shelters have come a long way in the last 15 years. In 2009, the grim reality was that more than 32,000 dogs and nearly 71,000 cats were euthanized statewide. That’s more than 100,000 animals that didn’t get a second chance at life.

Fast forward to the statistics for 2023, and those numbers have plummeted to 6,999 dogs and 4,371 cats who were euthanized at Michigan animal shelters. This big drop reflects years of effort, innovation, and cooperation among shelters, rescue groups, and communities.

According to data from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), which regulates and oversees the state’s animal shelters, 37,749 dogs and 50,746 cats were adopted out in 2023. The 2024 numbers should be available in the spring of 2025.

However, while adoption rates continue to climb, some shelters still face significant challenges.
The shelter with the highest percentage of dogs euthanized in 2023 according to our Michigan News Source analysis* was Detroit Animal Care and Control (42.9%) in Wayne County. Following close behind were: Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement (42.2%), Calhoun County Animal Center (41.8%), Eaton County Animal Control (40.1%) and the Ingham County Animal Control & Shelter (39.9%). Click here to read more.

 

REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A family is taking legal action after a Detroit-area funeral home mistakenly cremated a woman’s body weeks before they were supposed to.

The woman died late last month.

The visitation was scheduled for Dec. 16, with the funeral set for the next day, but the body was cremated at the beginning of December and the family wasn’t notified until more than a week later.

“I’m supposed to be at a viewing looking at my mom and I can’t,” Saijae Hollis, Rhonda Hollis’ daughter, said.

Saijae Hollis said the visitation for her mother, who died unexpectedly on Nov. 23, was supposed to be on Monday, Dec. 16.

The funeral was scheduled to take place the day after, and then her mother was supposed to be cremated after that.

“The family could say their goodbyes and we’ll be able to cope from there, but it didn’t happen like that,” Saijae Hollis said.

Instead Saijae Hollis says her grandmother, Kathy Hollis, received an unexpected call from Fisher Funeral Home. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.

 

 

POLAND - Poland is reportedly the first European Union (EU) nation to mandate firearms training for schoolchildren. Per DW, these firearms courses will be “compulsory for primarly schoolchildren in preparation of a potential Russian attack.”

Firearms lessons are now compulsory for schoolchildren - even at a young age. This is how Poland is preparing itself for a potential Russian attack. The children are enjoying it, and their parents feel proud.

If you think Poland is based, it’s because they’re anti-Kremlin and remember how Russians treated them. (Thank NATO, however imperfect, too!) Soviet horrors are still very raw to Poles. Poland, like my ancestral homeland Lithuania, is all too familiar with Russian occupation—especially the Soviet variant that spanned five decades. Not to mention Nazi occupation before that.

Although I’m a first-generation American, friends here tell me firearms lessons used to be common in grade school. While less prevalent today - due to gun control efforts, media fear-mongering, and increased urbanization - these courses can still be found in parts of the South, Mountain West, and in Alaska. But seeing Europe jump on this trend, despite having no Second Amendment enshrined in their individual constitutions, is wonderful to see. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. -On December 6, 2024, a federal judge ordered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release documents related to the emergency use authorisation of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. These documents had been hidden from public view.

The legal battle traces back to September 2021, when attorney Aaron Siri filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on behalf of the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency. The plaintiffs sought access to the vast trove of documents the FDA relied on to approve Pfizer's vaccine.

Initially, the FDA proposed a slow release schedule. In November 2021, the agency stated it would release just 500 pages per month—a pace that would have stretched the full disclosure process to 75 years.

However, in January 2022, District Judge Mark Pittman of Texas rejected the FDA’s proposal, ordering the agency to expedite its release to 55,000 pages per month, aiming to complete the disclosure of all 450,000 pages by August 2022.

As the documents trickled out, researchers began uncovering glaring gaps that prevented a systematic review of the data. These gaps fueled suspicions about what else the FDA might be withholding. Click here to read more.

 

COLUMBUS, OH - An Ohio school district will pay nearly half a million dollars to a teacher who was forced to resign after she said she could not use trans-identifying students’ new names and pronouns due to her Christian faith, The Daily Wire has learned.

English teacher Vivian Geraghty, 26, won a $450,000 settlement from the Jackson Local School District south of Columbus, her legal team announced Wednesday. She will not be returning to work for the district.

Two years ago, Geraghty was unceremoniously fired by Jackson Memorial Middle School when two students asked Geraghty to use new names that aligned “with their new gender identities rather than their legal names.” One of the students also requested that teachers use a preferred pronoun that did not reflect the student’s biological sex, her lawsuit said.

Geraghty went to the principal in hopes of reaching a solution, but the principal and his superior, the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, told her “she would be required to put her beliefs aside as a public servant,” according to the lawsuit. She was allegedly accused of insubordination and told that continuing to teach without participating in the students’ gender transitions would “not work in a district like Jackson.” Click here to read more.

 

SACRAMENTO, CALIF - WASHINGTON (TNND) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday approved a California regulation to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars.

The California Air Resources Board adopted the "Advanced Clean Cars II" in 2022, which mandated all vehicles sold in California from 2035 onward produce zero emissions. The rule required a waiver from federal regulators under the Clean Air Act.

EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan granted that waiver Wednesday, allowing the state to gradually roll out its zero-emission plan over the next 11 years. The rollout will require at least 35% of 2026 model year vehicles to be zero-emission vehicles or plug-in hybrids.

“California has longstanding authority to request waivers from EPA to protect its residents from dangerous air pollution coming from mobile sources like cars and trucks,” Ragan said. "Today’s actions follow through on EPA’s commitment to partner with states to reduce emissions and act on the threat of climate change.”

The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade association, issued a scathing statement Wednesday in response to the waiver urging President-elect Donald Trump to reverse course when his administration takes control in January. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - The lame duck session in Lansing is proving to live up to its name as Democrats lose the last bit of control over their party in the waning days of their majority power.

State Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) joined Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) on Wednesday. Both said they will not attend Wednesday’s scheduled session in Lansing. Rep. Whitsett said on Tuesday night she would not show up until serious issues that impact her constituents are taken up by Democratic leadership.

Whitsett’s announcement came a day after outgoing Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes sent a scathing email blasting Republicans for not showing up to work. “After walking away from their jobs last week, the question remains as to whether they’ll show up this week, leaving millions of Michiganders unsure if they’re paying their representatives to sit on their hands,” Barnes wrote.

Republicans regained control of Michigan’s House on Nov. 5. They take office on Jan 1.

Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) could enact a chamber rule that allows the sergeant-at-arms to bring the lawmakers back. Click here to read more.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it will hear TikTok's appeal challenging a federal law that could ban the popular social media app in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests ownership. The expedited hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, just nine days before the law is set to take effect.

The bipartisan legislation, signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year, cites national security concerns about TikTok’s access to data from its 170 million American users and the potential for content manipulation. The law mandates that TikTok be sold to a U.S. company by Jan. 19 or face removal from app stores and hosting services, effectively barring its use.

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TikTok and ByteDance argue the law violates First Amendment free speech protections and have requested an emergency injunction from the Supreme Court to halt enforcement. The companies warn that a ban would devastate TikTok’s U.S. operations, causing it to lose a significant portion of its user base, advertisers, and content creators.

In a statement, TikTok expressed optimism about the upcoming court hearing, saying, “We believe the Court will find the TikTok ban unconstitutional so the over 170 million Americans on our platform can continue to exercise their free speech rights.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit previously upheld the law, supporting the government’s national security arguments. The court emphasized that protecting Americans from foreign adversaries outweighs potential free speech claims.

The Justice Department has defended the legislation, warning of the “immense depth and scale” of the national security threat posed by TikTok. Critics of the law, including TikTok, argue that it represents a significant departure from the U.S. tradition of championing an open internet.

Adding a political twist, President-elect Donald Trump, who had attempted to ban TikTok during his first term, has reversed his stance. Trump recently expressed support for TikTok, saying he has “a warm spot” for the platform and plans to reevaluate the ban upon taking office on Jan. 20.

The court’s decision to hear arguments underscores the urgency of the issue, given the impending Jan. 19 deadline. The case also highlights broader debates over the scope of government power in regulating foreign-owned technology platforms and protecting national security without infringing on constitutional rights.

TikTok’s appeal has drawn significant attention amid heightened U.S.-China tensions, with both nations imposing restrictive measures on each other’s technology industries. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for future actions against other foreign-owned apps and reshape the digital landscape in the United States.