Happy New Year 2025

Tag: investigation

French girl, 11, found dead near school, murder investigation underway

An 11-year-old girl in France was found dead in a wooded area near her school hours after she went missing, officials said Saturday.

The girl, identified as Louise, disappeared around 2 p.m. Friday while on her way home from André Maurois middle school in northern France, officials in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge said. Épinay-sur-Orge is located south of Paris.

Investigators searched the woods using tracking dogs, helicopters and drones before eventually finding the girl’s body, Le Parisien reported.

“It was with great emotion that we learned that Louise’s body had been found lifeless that night, in the Bois des Templiers,” police wrote in French in a press release posted on Facebook. “As soon as her disappearance was reported, all means were deployed to try to find her.”

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER CONVICTED OF MURDER IN DEATHS OF MODEL AND HER FRIEND

Louise, 11, vanished while on her way home from middle school on Friday afternoon in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge, officials said. Searchers discovered her body in a wooded area hours later. (Épinay-sur-Orge / Facebook)

An autopsy determined she suffered “numerous wounds committed with a sharp object,” said Grégoire Dulin, the Evry public prosecutor, per Le Parisien. A murder weapon was not immediately recovered.

This photograph shows a white rose and a picture of Louise, an 11-year-old girl found murdered in a wooded area, at a memorial in front of the Andre Maurois secondary school in Epinay-sur-Orge, on Saturday. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Dulin said authorities had opened an investigation for the “murder of a minor under 15.”

Police detained a 23-year-old man, who was seen on security footage walking behind Louise, and his 20-year-old girlfriend, according to French news outlets. Police released the pair from custody later Saturday.

Police officers stand guard next to police caution tape in the area of the “parc des Templiers” in Longjumeau near Epinay-sur-Orge on Saturday after the body of an 11-year-old girl was discovered. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

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On Monday, police made two new arrests: a 23-year-old man and his 55-year-old mother, FranceInfo reported. The 23-year-old is suspected of murdering Louise, while his mother is accused of failing to report a crime.

French Minister of Education Élisabeth Borne issued a statement on X regarding the child’s death.

“Following the discovery of the body of young Louise last night in Essonne, I offer my condolences to her family, her loved ones, her classmates and her teachers,” she wrote in French. “I am counting on investigators and the justice system to shed light on this tragedy.”

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Police said the murder investigation is ongoing.

February 10, 2025
House Republicans continue Fani Willis investigation, requesting documents from DA employees

Rep. Jim Jordan, GOP chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent employees from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office requests Thursday to hand over documents and interviews related to the Jan. 6 Committee as they continue investigating District Attorney Fani Willis.

“The committee previously wrote to District Attorney Willis requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee. Because District Attorney Willis has declined to cooperate, the committee must pursue other avenues to obtain this information,” a press release states.

Jordan and Loudermilk sent letters to Assistant Chief Investigator Michael Hill, Assistant Chief Investigator Trina Swanson-Lucas, Chief Senior District Attorney Donald Wakeford and Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, requesting “all documents and communications” between the employees and “any member, staff member, agent, or representative of the January 6 Selection Committee.”

THE FANI WILLIS TRUMP FIASCO IS FAR FROM OVER. IN FACT, IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED

The letters also request the employees hand over “all documents and communications referring or relating to records in your possession obtained” from the Jan. 6 Committee.

GOP House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Barry Loudermilk sent Fulton County District Attorney employees letters Thursday, requesting documents and interviews as part of their investigation into DA Fani Willis. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

All employees were asked to submit the requested documentation no later than Feb. 20.

The letters sent Thursday say the lawmakers had previously written to Willis “requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee.”

FANI WILLIS DECLINES TO SHARE JACK SMITH, JAN 6 RECORDS, IN A BLOW TO CONSERVATIVE WATCHDOGS

The lawmakers say they received a letter from Willis in December in which she confirmed the requested documents existed “but declined to produce such materials on the grounds that the materials were ‘protected from disclosure by attorney-client privilege, work product privilege, and other common law protections.’”

Willis was investigating Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The DA’s office asserted the same claim in a court filing that same month when it declined to turn over any new communications between Willis and special counsel Jack Smith, who had also been investigating alleged efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The filing asserted that the documents either did not exist or were exempt from disclosure under Georgia law.

GEORGIA APPEALS COURT DISQUALIFIES DA FANI WILLIS AND HER TEAM FROM TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney had previously ordered Willis to produce any records of communication with either Smith or the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 within five business days. In doing so, the judge sided with Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group that had filed suit against Willis, determining that Willis had violated the state’s open records act by failing to respond to the lawsuit.

The letters sent Thursday say the lawmakers had previously written to Willis “requesting documents relating to her coordination with the January 6 Select Committee.” (Alyssa Pointer/Pool/Getty Images)

The House Judiciary Committee launched its investigation into whether Willis coordinated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in December 2023. Jordan and Loudermilk took the lead on the probe after learning that Willis’ office “coordinated its investigative actions with the partisan Select Committee.”

The lawmakers said at the time that Willis asked the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with her office.

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Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hill, Swanson-Lucas, Wakeford, Wooten and the DA’s Office but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Haley Chi-Sing is a Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.

February 7, 2025
SJSU president responds to federal investigation into university’s transgender volleyball player scandal

San José State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson has addressed an investigation into the university by the U.S. Department of Education over its handling of a transgender volleyball player.

SJSU will be investigated for potential Title IX violations over its handling of transgender athlete Blaire Fleming, the DOE told Fox News Digital earlier Thursday.

Teniente-Matson provided a statement to Fox News Digital saying the university is prepared to cooperate in the investigation.

“San José State University is committed to ensuring that all of our students, including our student-athletes, are treated fairly, free from discrimination, and afforded the rights and protections granted under federal and state law, including privacy rights.

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“We follow policies and regulations set forth by the California State University system and applicable law, and we recognize that, at times, these laws and policies may intersect in complex ways. In navigating these frameworks, our focus remains on upholding our responsibilities while supporting our students.

“Recently, we were notified that the U.S. Department of Education has initiated a directed investigation related to Title IX in light of President Trump’s executive order with respect to athletics participation. As with any federal inquiry, we will fully engage with the process, follow established procedures and remain transparent in our compliance with all applicable laws.

“While we adhere to legal and regulatory requirements, San José State will continue to act within our authority to uphold the values that define us as an institution. Our focus remains on our values, including fostering an environment that cultivates compassion, where every student has the opportunity to thrive. We remain steadfast in our role as a place of learning, respect and opportunity for all.”

WHO IS BLAIRE FLEMING? SJSU VOLLEYBALL PLAYER DOMINATING FEMALE RIVALS AND ENRAGING WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS

Fleming played three seasons on the women’s team, from 2022-24, as one of the Mountain West’s top hitters, leading the team in kills. However, SJSU administrators allegedly withheld the truth about Fleming’s birth sex from other female players on the team, according to a lawsuit filed by 11 Mountain West volleyball players and a former SJSU assistant coach.

Former Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser leads that lawsuit and alleges San José State administrators and volleyball coach Todd Kress actively prevented her from knowing Fleming’s birth sex while assigning her to share bedrooms with the transgender athlete on most road trips during their first season together in 2023.

The controversy involving Fleming prompted five of SJSU’s opponents in 2024 to forfeit a total of eight matches. The final forfeit was a Mountain West Tournament semifinal against Boise State, which had already forfeited twice to the Spartans in the regular season.

That forfeit sent Fleming, Slusser and SJSU to the conference final, where they lost to Colorado State. The plaintiffs in Slusser’s lawsuit filed for an emergency injunction in November prior to the tournament in an attempt to have Fleming removed from competition and all losses by forfeit wiped from their opponents’ records. However, federal Judge Kato Crews, who was appointed by President Joe Biden in January 2024, ruled Fleming could play.

The situation became so volatile the team needed regular police protection for its home and away matches. Slusser previously told Fox News Digital the experience was “traumatizing.”

“This season has been so traumatizing that I don’t even have a proudest moment,” Slusser said.

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Former San José State University assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was let go from the program, was suspended from the program Nov. 2 after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university regarding its alleged handling of the situation involving Fleming. The complaint included allegations that Fleming had conspired with an opponent to have former SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser hit in the face during a match in October.

Batie-Smoose’s complaint alleges Fleming provided a scouting report to an opponent to ensure a Colorado State competitive advantage and allegedly established a plan to set up an opponent with a clear lane to spike Slusser in the face during a match.

Slusser was never spiked in the face during that match, but Colorado State did win in straight sets.

A Mountain West investigation into Batie-Smoose’s allegations did not find sufficient evidence to discipline any player named in the allegations.

Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock, later provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that the investigation had been “infected with bias.”

SJSU transgender player Blaire Fleming, left, and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)

“Because the MWC’s investigation was inadequate, and anything but thorough, and because the MWC’s close-out letter is riddled with errors, the undersigned is issuing this rebuttal and demands that the MWC immediately and publicly release: (1) the investigative report prepared by its investigator(s), and (2) all documents connected to the MWC’s claimed ‘thorough investigation’ and upon which the MWC’s decision not to proceed further was based,” Bock’s statement said.

Nearly every one of the players on SJSU’s 2024 team that has remaining NCAA eligibility has entered the NCAA transfer portal, Fox News Digital previously reported.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to prevent transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls sports. The NCAA announced Thursday it is amending its gender eligibility policy to fall in line with Trump’s executive order.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Inside the DC plane crash investigation: Air traffic staff a ‘small piece’ of ‘very big puzzle,’ official says

FOX Business’ Grady Trimble speaks with National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman about the ongoing investigation to discover the cause of the tragic D.C. plane crash.

Following a bombshell report over the alleged air traffic control staffing on the night of the tragic American Airlines and Black Hawk helicopter collision in D.C., the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) designated spokesperson for the incident warned that “a lot of questions remain” about the events leading up to the crash.

“Let me say this first: we [have] to remember 67 people lost their lives… Today will be yet another day of the teams going out there,” NTSB member Todd Inman told FOX Business’ Grady Trimble on Friday.

“They’re out in the field. They’re collecting data. They’ve started interviews. We have hundreds of people in this investigation,” he continued. “But the most important thing right now is to obtain and preserve any perishable evidence so that whenever we come off scene, we can start the analyzation of it.”

An internal preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), obtained by the Associated Press, allegedly showed that the number of staff members working at the air control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

EXPERT PUTS ONUS ON F.A.A. FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES, HELICOPTER CRASH: ‘BAD MANAGEMENT’ IS ‘PUTTING US AT RISK’

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.

NTSB member Todd Inman told FOX Business “we don’t use the word normal per say,” when discussing air traffic control staff. (Getty Images)

“We don’t use the word normal per se,” Inman reacted. “What happens immediately after an accident is a safety review team begins doing just what we said, perishable evidence. And this is a lot of different people from the FAA. Union representatives all immediately start gaining information.

“So what people are talking about is a rough draft of something, but it is a small piece of a very big puzzle. Thousands of data points,” he added. “So ultimately [it led] to our recommendation of how to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.”

The FAA report also claimed that one air traffic controller was working two positions at the time of the crash, when typically, the two assignments are split between two air traffic controllers.

Aviation expert Captain Mike Coffield breaks down the response process and investigation following a midair collision between a regional airline jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

“Airports are living, breathing cities. So at any time because of weather, because of traffic, because of any other issue, you could see fluctuations in staff up and down. Now, is that an acceptable standard for safety? We will investigate that, and we’re going to find out. If there was anything that needs to be remediated, [we] will then make recommendations,” Inman responded.

Inman pointed out that the NTSB will be closely evaluating evidence like cockpit communications, unique sound recordings, aileron positions, landing gear, altitude pitch, submerged electronics, debris and even interviewing staff that were working with both aircraft.

President Donald Trump has also chimed in on the investigation, claiming via Truth Social that the Army helicopter may have been flying too high, “far above the 200 foot limit” in the DCA airspace.

Victims identified in DC plane crash involving American Airlines jet and military helicopter (Getty Images / Getty Images)

“I would be very careful to anyone who’s listening to this to rely upon off-the-shelf software speculation they’re seeing online,” Inman noted. “Our job is to get the absolute facts as we get these [black] boxes in and get them analyzed, and we look at more granular data, [we’ll] be able to give a much better picture on that.

“In fact, I would just make sure you remember there can be a 50-foot difference in some cases and up to 100 yards for radar versus Ads-b, which is more GPS based. But it’s still not as accurate as what’s in the plane itself.”

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Helicopter pilot Dean Wegner argues there’s ‘a longer story’ behind the tragic American Airlines and helicopter aircraft collision and shares his condolences.

The NTSB plans to “take [their] time” on the investigation, pledging to follow through all evidence “as long as it takes” to get to the root of what happened Wednesday night.

“We’ve done over 100,000 aviation accident investigations, made 15,000 recommendations,” Inman said. “Right now, we’ve not found anything. But if we do, we will immediately tell the public. Our job is to prevent this tragedy from happening again.”

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Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

January 31, 2025
Trump FCC chair targets NPR, PBS for investigation ahead of Congressional threats to defund

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation into media outlets PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) over member stations potentially airing “prohibited commercial advertisements,” according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” FCC chair Brendan Carr wrote, according to the Times. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”

The FCC allows businesses to support noncommercial radio and television stations — such as NPR, PBS or college radio stations — via on-air announcements known as underwriting sponsorships. The sponsorships, though similar to advertisements, face different FCC rules than typical TV or radio ads.

Carr sent the letters Wednesday to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, according to the Times. He has been a member of the FCC since 2017, and was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as the commission’s chair under his second administration.

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Brendan Carr was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as the Federal Communications Commission chair Trump’s second administration. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Carr continued in his letter that he will alert Congress to the investigation, noting that lawmakers already are weighing whether NPR and PBS should receive taxpayer funds.

“In particular, Congress is actively considering whether to stop requiring taxpayers to subsidize NPR and PBS programming,” he wrote, according to the Times.

“To the extent that these taxpayer dollars are being used to support a for profit endeavor or an entity that is airing commercial advertisements, then that would further undermine any case for continuing to fund NPR and PBS with taxpayer dollars,” he continued.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FCC regarding the letter and the Times’ report, but did not immediately receive a response.

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NPR chief Maher said in response to the letter that NPR’s sponsorship practices “complies with federal regulations.”

“NPR programming and underwriting messaging complies with federal regulations, including the FCC guidelines on underwriting messages for noncommercial educational broadcasters, and Member stations are expected to be in compliance as well,” Maher said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” FCC chair Brendan Carr recently wrote, according to The New York Times. (Getty Images)

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“We are confident any review of our programming and underwriting practices will confirm NPR’s adherence to these rules,” Maher said. “We have worked for decades with the FCC in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who provide essential information, educational programming, and emergency alerts to local communities across the United States.”

PBS told Times it is proud of its “noncommercial educational programming,” and worked “diligently to comply with the F.C.C.’s underwriting regulations.”

NPR and PBS are both public broadcasting organizations, and both are bracing to potentially lose public funding under the Trump administration.

“NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in April 2024, potentially previewing their fate under his second administration. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!”

Republican members of Congress also have introduced bills that would defund the public broadcasting organizations, such as Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry introducing the No Propaganda Act in December 2024.

“The American Taxpayer is footing the bill for a woke media corporation that pretends to be impartial while pushing Chinese propaganda,” Perry said when introducing the legislation. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting “cannot be allowed to keep using your hard-earned tax dollars to push a biased and political agenda that goes against what’s best for Americans.”

NPR and PBS are both public broadcasting organizations, and both are bracing to potentially lose public funding under the Trump administration. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Carr’s name recognition grew large right ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024, election, when he lambasted NBC’s decision to host former Vice President Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live” in the final episode ahead of Election Day, but did not offer equal time to Trump or other candidates in the presidential cycle.

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The FCC’s equal-time rule was established in 1934, and requires radio and television broadcast stations to provide the same amount of time for competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule, such as newscasts, documentaries and political debates.

Brendan Carr wrote that he will alert Congress to the investigation, noting that lawmakers already are weighing whether NPR and PBS should receive taxpayer funds. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“NBC has structured this in a way that’s plainly designed to evade the FCC’s rules. We’re talking 50 hours before Election Day starts, without any notice to other candidates, as far as I can tell,” Carr told Fox News Digital at the time. “And after previously coming out and saying they weren’t going to do this precisely because they did not believe that they could do this consistent with election laws and the FCC’s equal time rule.”

NBC ultimately filed an equal time notice amid outrage over Harris’ appearance.

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President Donald Trump, pictured here, appointed Brendan Carr to lead the FCC shortly after his November 2024 election win, with Carr taking the helm of the commission in January. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Trump appointed Carr to lead the FCC shortly after his November 2024 election win, with Carr taking the helm of the commission in January. Carr was first nominated to the commission by Trump during his first administration, and served as the senior Republican member of the FCC until his appointment as chair.

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“Commissioner Carr is a warrior for Free Speech, and has fought against the regulatory Lawfare that has stifled Americans’ Freedoms, and held back our Economy,” Trump said in a statement about the appointment. “He will end the regulatory onslaught that has been crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators, and ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.”

January 30, 2025
Caribbean nation of St Kitts launches investigation after 19 people found dead in drifting vessel

Authorities in the eastern Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis said Thursday they are investigating the circumstances that led to the discovery of at least 19 bodies found drifting at sea.

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At around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday the St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard responded to a report of a drifting vessel off the coast of Nevis. The partially submerged boat contained decomposed human remains. It was towed to St. Kitts, where police and medical officials are conducting investigations.

The St. Kitts And Nevis Flag is pictured. (Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“It was a fishing vessel, which is not typically found in the Caribbean,” Police Commissioner James Sutton told The Associated Press. “We are not certain, but we believe that this vessel originated off the West African coast.”

Sutton said officials now face the difficult task of determining the exact number of bodies and identifying them. The advanced state of decomposition, he said, has made it difficult.

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This is the first such discovery in recent memory in the twin-island nation.

January 30, 2025
Illinois ‘super mayor’ conducted ‘systematic’ cover-up of excessive spending, Lightfoot investigation finds

Dolton, Illinois, Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s administration was engaged in a “systematic effort” to cover up the Illinois town’s financial situation as Henyard and other officials failed to track the spending of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to an investigation by former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Lightfoot, who now works as a consultant with Charles River Associates, was tasked with investigating Henyard’s administration last year, and she presented her findings at a meeting Monday night. Henyard has served as the city’s self-styled “super-mayor” since 2021.

“Beginning at least as early as late 2021, there was a concerted, systematic effort on behalf of Mayor Henyard and others in her administration to hide the true financial condition of the Village of Dolton from the trustees and from members of the public,” Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot said the Village of Dolton received some $3 million in payments from the American Rescue Plan, hundreds of thousands of which went missing without receipts. Henyard failed to appoint an official to track how the funds were spent, as required by the Treasury Department, according to Lightfoot’s report.

SCANDAL-RIDDEN ILLINOIS MAYOR LOSES TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR NOMINATION IN HISTORIC CAUCUS

Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a damning report over financial mismanagement in the Village of Dolton, Illinois. (REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski)

The city’s credit card spending also spiked to $779,638 in 2023, also with little to no tracking.

“Many of the credit card expenditures have no accompanying receipt, and the statements alone provide limited information about the purchases,” the report says, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

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City credit cards were also used to pay for large trips to Las Vegas in both 2022 and 2023, and the report claims, “There is no evidence that any business development opportunities came to the village as a result of either of these two trips.”

Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s administration is accused of misplacing hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Fox32 Chicago screen capture)

Lightfoot’s report comes just days after Henyard was found in contempt of court for stonewalling liquor licenses.

The owners of St. Patrick’s, a three-story restaurant and banquet hall on Lincoln Avenue, sued in August claiming the mayor had repeatedly promised to sign the liquor licenses – which were already approved by the village board of trustees – but did not.

In court on Wednesday, Henyard, who also serves as the village liquor commissioner, reportedly vowed again that she would sign the licenses, but she did not before the 5 p.m. Thursday deadline.

The parties were therefore forced to return to court again Friday, and Henyard arrived a half hour late for the hearing, WGN-TV reported.

Mayor Tiffany Henyard is accused of extravagant spending that could bankrupt the Village of Dolton, Illinois. (Fox 32)

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Cook County Judge Cecilia Horan held Henyard in indirect criminal contempt. That means the mayor was considered “disrespectful to the authority of the court,” Adrian Vuckovich, an attorney for the owners of St. Patrick’s, told WMAQ-TV.

“It’s been a challenge to put it mildly. It shouldn’t be so difficult. This is an ordinary event to get liquor licenses issued,” Vuckovich told WGN separately.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

January 28, 2025