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Chicago-area police officer killed while responding to 'armed offender' at bank, suspect charged

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Chicago-area police officer killed while responding to 'armed offender' at bank, suspect charged

A Chicago-area police officer died after being shot while responding to a “call involving an armed offender” seen leaving a bank, officials say. 

The killing of Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins, 40, on Friday “marks the first Line of Duty death for the Oak Park Police Department since 1938,” the village said in a statement. 

Hours later, a suspect was charged. 

Jerell Thomas, 37, who has an “an extensive criminal background,” was charged with first-degree murder, police said. 

“Our police department, we’re hurting right now,” Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said at a news conference Friday. “I’m hurting. His family is hurting.” 

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Reddins, who joined the department in 2019, was one of several officers who confronted the suspect seen leaving a Chase Bank location, according to Johnson. When police asked the suspect to show his hands, he allegedly drew a gun and opened fire at Reddins. 

CHICAGO HATE CRIME SHOOTING SUSPECT RESEARCHED JEWISH TARGETS, HAD PRO-HAMAS MATERIAL ON HIS PHONE: PROSECUTOR 

Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins died Friday, Nov. 29 after being shot while responding to a call about an “armed offender,” officials say. (Oak Park Police Department)

“At 9:36 a.m., the Oak Park Fire Department responded to a call for shots fired in the 800 block of Lake Street in Oak Park. Upon arrival, firefighter/paramedics learned that an Oak Park Police Officer, Reddins, had been shot in the left side. He was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries at approximately 10:10 a.m.,” the Village of Oak Park said. 

“The offender was shot in the leg,” it added. “He is in custody and is being treated at Loyola and is in stable condition.” 

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DEMOCRAT MAYOR NOT WELCOME AT FUNERAL FOR SLAIN POLICE OFFICER 

Members of law enforcement pay their respects to Detective Allan Reddins on Saturday, Nov. 30. (Oak Park Police Department)

Johnson described Reddins as a “devoted father” who now leaves behind his 19-year-old son, mother and siblings. 

She also called Reddins a “natural-born leader” who closed substantial cases during his time as a detective.  

Jerell Thomas has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Oak Park Police Department Detective Allan Reddins near Chicago. (Oak Park Police Department)

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“I thought he would make a phenomenal field training officer as well, and I was looking very much forward to him becoming a sergeant,” Johnson added.

The scene in Oak Park, Ill., where Reddins was shot on Friday, Nov. 29.

 

The Village of Oak Park says it “extends its deepest condolences to Detective Reddins’ family, friends and colleagues within the Oak Park Police Department and the wider law enforcement community as they process the grief caused by this senseless act of violence.” 

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Missouri

Missouri consumers file class-action lawsuit against Good Day Farm

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Missouri consumers file class-action lawsuit against Good Day Farm


A marijuana dispensary chain with locations in Springfield and Columbia is again facing allegations of creating a monopoly to take advantage of the Missouri recreational marijuana market.

Damon Toussaint Frost Jr. filed a class-action lawsuit May 4 in Jackson County Circuit Court against Good Day Farm, Missouri’s largest dispensary chain.

Frost, who is identified in the court filing as a Missouri resident who has purchased recreational cannabis from GDF, alleges that the dispensary chain’s and its affiliates have conspired to monopolize recreational cannabis sales in Missouri, resulting in Missouri consumers paying significantly higher prices than they would have in a free market. Frost and other class members — defined in the suit as Missouri citizens who have purchased recreational cannabis products from Good Day Farm or its affiliates in Missouri — are seeking that the “illegal conspiracy” be dismantled and that they be compensated for damages.

Frost is represented by Michael Williams of Williams Dirks Dameron in Kansas City. Williams did not respond to a request for comment as of publication.

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A spokesperson for GDF denied the allegations.

“The claims in this lawsuit are baseless and without merit. Our company operates in full compliance with all applicable Missouri state laws and regulations, and we will vigorously defend that record,” the spokesperson wrote in an email Friday, May 15, afternoon. “We will not allow aggressive legal tactics to distract us from what matters most: our mission to deliver uninterrupted service and exceptional products to the patients, customers and employees who rely on us.”

This isn’t the first class-action lawsuit filed against the dispensary chain. In April, two Missouri-licensed cultivators and manufacturers alleged that GDF violated the Missouri Constitution and created a “cartel.”

Like in the April lawsuit, Frost’s lawsuit alleges that the “GDF consortium” — which includes Good Day Farm Dispensaries, Codes Dispensaries, Greenlight, 3Fifteen Primo and Fresh Karma — has control of about 25% of dispensary licenses in Missouri. The Missouri Constitution mandates that entities are limited to owning, controlling or managing no more than 10% of the total dispensary licenses in Missouri.

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In order to circumvent the 10% cap, GDF “arranged for investors to invest into limited liability companies” that would then acquire already-licensed entities from owners, court records said, and would then be operated by GDF. The lawsuit alleges that GDF created four limited liability companies.

It also alleges that GDF employees, including the compliance director, general counsel and former director of investor relations, were listed on paperwork for various Codes, Greenlight and Fresh Karma dispensaries.

“Defendants anticompetitive conduct (i) robs consumers of choice and selection of products, and (ii) leaves third parties to compete for a significantly (and increasingly) small sliver of shelf space in the overall Missouri market,” the petition said. “In addition, Defendants misconduct will likely result in fewer competitive brands on the market, substantially reduced diversity of products available and sold, and, ultimately, to fewer choices, lower quality, and higher prices for consumers.”



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Nebraska

Cornfield Baptism Near Omaha, Nebraska

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Cornfield Baptism Near Omaha, Nebraska


What the hell happened to my life? 

My inner monologue was deafening in the stillness of the Nebraska morning. I hadn’t heard myself this clearly since high school five years ago, before I pushed off into life as an actress in New York City. I couldn’t be sure what made my thoughts so loud—maybe it was whiplash, my abrupt move from filming HBO’s High Maintenance to my childhood stomping grounds.



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North Dakota

Cramer: ND-Norway defense partnership strong

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Cramer: ND-Norway defense partnership strong


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U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, spoke about the connection between North Dakota, the United States and Norway at the 12th annual Norwegian-American Defense Conference held April 17, where he delivered the congressional keynote address.

WASHINGTON – North Dakota’s deep Norwegian roots reflect the broad, long-standing relationship between the United States and Norway, one built on shared values, cultural ties and security cooperation.

U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, spoke about the connection between the two countries at the 12th annual Norwegian-American Defense Conference held April 17, where he delivered the congressional keynote address.

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He described the bond as historic and strategic, but also personal. His great-great-great grandfather, Erik Hjelden, fought in the Norwegian War of Independence prior to Norway adopting a constitution on May 17, 1814, Norway’s Independence Day known as Syttende Mai.

Starting in the 1870s, Scandinavian immigrants from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland settled across what is now North Dakota. Today, one-third of the state’s population is of Norwegian descent, and North Dakota has the highest percentage of citizens with Norwegian ancestry of any state in the nation.

“I love the theme of this year’s conference, ‘From Seabed to Space,’ because I do think the size of the country is not nearly as important as the dynamic that happens when one plus one equals more than two,” Cramer said. “At a time when there’s talent on the factory floor, and talent in the executive suites, and talent in the engineering room, that we may have one or the other, maybe all. But together the dynamic of it is so much greater.”

Cramer emphasized how this foundation now supports a modern defense partnership. He said the United States and Norway are working together on Arctic security, aiming to strengthen interoperability and improve readiness across multi-domain operations. This alliance plays a key role in addressing today’s international security challenges.

Cramer also recognized the U.S.-Norway partnership through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as the history between the two countries.

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“When you look at a globe, it illustrates why the Arctic is so important,” continued Cramer. “None of us can protect our silo without protecting our country, without protecting our continent, without protecting our hemisphere, without protecting ourselves. We protect one another by protecting ourselves, and we protect ourselves by protecting one another.”

Throughout his years in Congress, Cramer has been active in the House and Senate Friends of Norway caucuses. He hosted former Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Anniken Krutnes when she visited North Dakota in 2024, highlighting the state’s Norwegian heritage, economic strength and its role in advancing U.S.-Norway defense and national security cooperation. During the visit, Krutnes and Cramer emphasized the importance of strong alliances and the longstanding partnership between the two nations during various community stops, including events at the Sons of Norway Kringen Lodge and First Lutheran Church. The visit also focused on defense priorities, with a briefing at the North Dakota National Guard’s 119th Wing regarding the mission of the “Happy Hooligans,” before concluding with a public reception ahead of the Fargo premiere of the Norwegian film Songs of Earth.



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