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After controversy, the residents’ association of a wealthy neighborhood near Chicago, Illinois, rejected a proposal for McDonald’s, a popular fast-food chain in the United States, to open a store.

According to Chicago media on the 11th, the operating committee of Wilmette, a northern suburban city of Chicago, decided the previous day not to approve the plan to open the ‘first Wilmette store’ that giant McDonald’s was planning to build on the site of an empty stand-alone building at the intersection of the main road.

Regarding the refusal to enter the store, the Wilmette Management Committee said, “This decision was made after carefully reviewing residents’ opinions and McDonald’s plans.” The location has remained vacant since Bakers Square, a casual restaurant chain that has been around since the 1990s, closed in April 2019. The Chicago Tribune reported that the north, east, and west are surrounded by residential areas, and only the south borders the commercial district.

McDonald’s planned to open a store here with a ‘drive-thru’ facility where people could buy food while in their car, but residents protested and started a petition to oppose the store’s opening.

Residents say that drive-through McDonald’s stores not only worsen the residential environment by increasing traffic, noise, and exhaust gases, but also attract low-income people from other areas, raising safety concerns. “McDonald’s is installing a special facility called a drive-through.”

“It does not even meet the standards for ‘permission for change of use’ required,” he claimed. They said, “As a result of the survey, McDonald’s makes an average of 1,000 sales a day, of which 700 to 800 are drive-through,” and “Based on business hours from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., one vehicle per minute. “It’s like carrying this out,” he added.

In addition, Wilmette Village emphasized that, through an ordinance enacted in 2021, it has limited the opening of retail businesses that help residents in their daily lives in the area. Some have argued that McDonald’s is not a facility for Wilmette residents and could harm the neighborhood atmosphere.

Wilmette, a Lake Michigan town with a population of 28,000 located about 30km north of downtown Chicago, is one of Illinois’ wealthy residences, with a median income of $180,000 and a median home price of 780,000. It costs 7,000 dollars and 80.9% of the population is white.

McDonald’s, headquartered in Chicago, operates about 13,500 stores in the United States, with 645 stores in Illinois, or 1 for every 19,650 people.

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 just took off from Portland International Airport in Oregon on the 5th. It was evening time and the lights had been turned off for take-off, so there was a sudden popping noise in the dark cabin, followed by a loud bang-like noise.

A hole opened in the side of the plane, which was flying at 16,000 feet (4,876 m), and air escaped through it with a hissing sound. Not only air, but also cell phones, large teddy bears, and passengers’ shirts were sucked into the hole. On the 6th, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the tense situation on board Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane that had part of its fuselage fall off during flight the previous day, before making an emergency landing.

The plane, which had taken off from Portland International Airport the previous day and was heading to Ontario, California, with 171 passengers and 6 crew members on board, made an emergency landing immediately after take-off. According to the Alaska Airlines union and passengers on board, a part of the aircraft fell off next to the 26th row seat about 15 to 20 minutes after take-off. The cabin pressure dropped rapidly, and as the oxygen mask came down, gasping sounds of shock were heard throughout the plane.

Air was running low, and some passengers struggled to breathe until they had to put on oxygen masks. The cabin lights flashed, and some passengers stood up to see what was happening. Then the flight attendants instructed them to fasten their seat belts and remain seated.

The flight attendant said through the in-flight announcement, “We need to make sure it is safe to move,” and told us to keep wearing the oxygen mask. Then, one passenger shouted, “There’s a hole in the side of the plane!” and the passengers started to riot. The captain told air traffic control that it was an emergency and that the plane had lost pressure and had to return to Portland.

The passengers trembled with fear. Passenger Srey Soo-an, who was sitting in row 27, just behind the punctured area, held his son’s hand and prayed for a safe landing. They were both wearing oxygen masks, so they couldn’t talk. “I thought I was going to die,” he told WSJ.

Earn’s son, Joshua McCall, said he dropped his cell phone and later saw it fall through a hole in the fuselage along with a teddy bear he had received as a gift from his grandmother. Passenger Christopher Hickman, who was sitting in the eighth row, said he heard someone scream, “My son’s shirt is torn.”

Hickman said most passengers wore oxygen masks because they couldn’t see what was happening, so they relayed the news to each other that the ‘window’ had fallen off. When the female passenger sitting next to him asked, “Can I hold your hand?” Hickman said he did and held tightly the hands of the passenger and his mother who was sitting next to him. “At that time, we tried to support each other,” he said.

Some terrified passengers even sent messages to their families on their cell phones.

Emma Bu, who was sitting in seat 18B, sent a text message to her parents saying, “I’m so scared right now,” and posted a TikTok video saying, “Please pray for me. I don’t want to die.” As the minutes passed and the plane descended for landing, the passengers became strangely quiet.

The plane successfully landed 27 minutes after take-off and returned to the gate three minutes later. After the flight attendants went through various procedures, including checking the number of people, the passengers were finally able to get off the plane. Emergency responders checked the condition of the passengers, some of whom said their fingers felt numb, and a man sitting in a wheelchair receiving treatment for his leg.

Although the passengers, who experienced hell for about 10 minutes from the time a hole was made in the fuselage until the successful landing, were safe, they are still unable to escape the shock of the accident. Hickman, who rushed to Ontario on another flight, said he couldn’t sleep at night thinking about the accident. “It was a traumatic experience,” he said.

Last year was a trying year for President Joe Biden, who is about to run for re-election. President Biden, who had to deal with his poor approval rating and the division of his support base after the war between Israel and Hamas, is in a situation where he must run the presidential election this year on a base that is virtually the worst for an active president.

This is clearly reflected in the public opinion landscape, where she is losing in a one-on-one match against not only former President Donald Trump, who is a strong return match in recent opinion polls, but also former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, another Republican primary candidate. As a result of the average of 510 national opinion polls by political media outlet The Hill on the 2nd, it was calculated that in a hypothetical confrontation between President Biden and former President Trump, former President Trump would maintain a 2.2 percentage point lead with approval ratings of 44.9% and 42.7%, respectively. In the case of a hypothetical matchup between President Biden (38.8%) and former Ambassador Haley (42.5%), the gap further widens to 3.8 percentage points.

CNN reported, however, that there is a prevailing mood within the Biden camp that an opportunity for a reversal can be created in the first quarter, when the Republican presidential race officially begins. This is in the ‘expectation’ that the extreme right-wing remarks, including racial discrimination, that former President Trump has been making without hesitation at various campaign rallies will block the moderates. In fact, the Biden camp has focused on blatant attacks targeting former President Trump’s remarks, including his comment that “immigrants are polluting the blood of America” and comparing political opponents to pests, by calling them reminiscent of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

As the race for the Republican presidential nomination heats up and former President Trump begins to open his mouth in earnest, far-right MAGA (Make America Great Again) slogans are bound to come out one after another, and it is at this point that voters It is predicted that this will be a turning point for people to calmly reflect on who they will support. In particular, the Biden camp’s analysis is that as the incumbent president, President Biden has had to continue the fight against himself, in a sense, without an opponent, and that the division of his internal support base due to the aging controversy and the Middle East issue is a direct result of such an unfavorable fight.

A Biden camp official said, “Trump will have no choice but to continue the extremist ‘Mark’ line in the first quarter to rally supporters, and this is our opportunity.” He added, “Trump’s efforts themselves may be successful, but we must do our job properly.” “If we do that, we can prove that Trump’s every word is extreme and unpopular,” he said. However, internal criticism is being raised that it is urgent to present immediately what the second Biden administration’s agenda is for taking office. CNN reported that many large-scale donors, including politicians, are pressuring him to come up with a new agenda as soon as possible, pointing out the lack of vision for the ‘second term in office’. In the State of the Union address scheduled for early next month, weight is being placed on the possibility that he will present key agendas for his second term in office, including the expansion of Obama Care, the national health insurance law, student loan forgiveness, and taxation of billionaires.

President Biden’s official presidential campaign is scheduled to begin only after the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate is confirmed, but a tight schedule has already been planned to promote his achievements by traveling to battleground states from the beginning of the year. The January 6 storming of the National Assembly, which marks its third anniversary this year, is also expected to be a good opportunity to remind us of the ‘irreparable wound’ left on American democracy by former President Trump and his followers.

However, according to a public opinion poll conducted by the Washington Post (WP) on this day, when asked whether former President Trump was responsible for the Capitol riot, only 53% of respondents responded yes, which is considerably diluted compared to 60% two years ago.

President Biden will visit Philadelphia on the 6th to attend the commemorative ceremony.

A bill is being promoted to expand the New Jersey vehicle registration period from annual renewal to every two years.

On the 14th, the State Senate Transportation Committee announced that New Jersey drivers must register their passenger vehicles every two years. A bill extending the period for renewal was approved and sent to the State Senate Appropriations Committee.

Currently, in New Jersey, vehicles must be registered every year, except for the purchase or lease of a new vehicle. Only in the case of a new car purchase or lease, the registration period can last up to 4 years. In relation to this, a bill is being promoted to extend the renewal period to every two years on the grounds that renewing vehicle registration every year causes significant inconvenience to drivers.

The bill was originally proposed to allow the passenger vehicle registration period to be selected from 1 to 10 years. However, during deliberation by the State Senate Transportation Committee, the registration period was changed to allow up to two years. State Senator Declan O’Scanlon (Republican), who proposed the bill, said, “Vehicle registration is It must be convenient and provide drivers with the flexibility to renew on a multi-year basis. “Renewal every year is a wasteful system,” he said.

Congressman Osca O’Scanlon then said, “There are situations where expensive fines are imposed or even vehicles are towed by the police because vehicle registration has not been renewed.

He added, “Expanding the ability to renew registration every two years will increase convenience for drivers and help ease the burden on the State Motor Vehicle Administration (MVC).”

This bill will be passed by the State Senate.

Prohibiting the use of charcoal in food trucks, New York City Councilwoman Sandra Hwang (Democrat, Flushing) proposed the second ordinance on the 6th to create a safer and more comfortable sidewalk.

First, the ordinance ‘Int. 1272′ contains information that approval must be obtained from the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) when renewing or applying for a new stall license, which is required to install a stall on the sidewalk in front of a business.

Transportation Bureau employees visit businesses in person to determine whether stalls installed on sidewalks will interfere with pedestrians. If the stall impedes the flow of pedestrians by more than 10 feet, the stall will be considered an obstacle and approval will be denied.

Rep. Hwang said, “This is an ordinance to keep sidewalks clean and ensure that all pedestrians can move safely and smoothly,” and added, “In commercial districts with a large floating population, such as downtown Flushing (around Main Street), stalls legally installed on the sidewalk in front of businesses are required.” Even so, it can cause congestion. “Sidewalks must allow pedestrians to pass safely and smoothly,” he emphasized.

Another ordinance (Int. 1271) prohibits the use of charcoal grills in food trucks. When a food truck parks on the street and uses charcoal to grill meat, a significant amount of air pollutants are emitted along with smoke, causing unwanted harm to many citizens walking on the sidewalk. The fine for the first offense is $400, and for subsequent offenses, the fine is $400. A fine of $1,600 is imposed.

In case of repeated violations three or more times, the charcoal stove will be confiscated, or if the charcoal stove is permanently installed in the vehicle, the vehicle will be confiscated. Assemblyman Hwang’s office said, “We are receiving numerous complaints that the smoke and air pollutants emitted from charcoal grilling in food trucks are causing damage not only to the streets, but also to businesses and homes.” It can cause respiratory problems and other health problems. “It can be especially fatal to vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly,” he emphasized.

Illinois, the first state among the 50 states to completely abolish the cash bail system and establish the principle of trial without detention, has decided to issue new identification cards to criminals who are arrested and detained on criminal charges in the Chicago metropolitan area and then released.

According to Chicago media on the 11th, the Illinois Secretary of State announced a new ID issuance program for prison inmates in Cook County, which governs Chicago, the state’s largest city, saying, “To support the successful return to society of ex-offenders. “He explained. Democratic Secretary of State Alexi Giulios and Cook County Sheriff’s Chief Tom Dart held a conference and announced, “We will provide free state-issued identification cards to inmates leaving the Cook County Jail.” Minister Giulios said, “Those who enter prison have limited access to housing, jobs, and medical services due to social barriers. Providing them with ‘essential tools’ such as valid ID cards will help them find housing and jobs.” “It will help them enrol in social welfare programs,” he said. He said, “This is the first such program in the entire United States,” and hoped that this program would be expanded throughout Illinois and spread to other states.

The Illinois General Services Administration and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office began a pilot operation on the 11th and began issuing free ID cards to some inmates leaving prison wearing electronic ankle bracelets (electronic location tracking devices). The Chicago Sun-Times reported, “About 2,300 defendants awaiting trial in Cook County can apply for ID cards in the first round,” adding, “1,800 people have already been released wearing electronic ankle bracelets and 500 are scheduled to be released.” Cook County said that once the program is established, it will be able to issue ID cards to 10,000 ex-offenders each year.

“Our goal is to issue new identification cards to all defendants facing trial while they are incarcerated, so they have a better opportunity when they return to the community,” said Sheriff Dart. “There is an ID reissue program for those who have expired from federal prison or state prison, but it does not apply to pre-trial defendants,” he said. “Identification cards are also a very important resource for defendants who are incarcerated or arrested and released and awaiting trial,” he said.

“The majority of people who are arrested on suspicion of a crime and come to prison do not have ID cards to begin with, and some have them confiscated during the investigation,” he said. “Through the new program, authorities will check the addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of inmates and provide them with ID cards.” “We can issue it,” he added.

Illinois has completely abolished the cash bail system and implemented judicial reforms that require defendants arrested and indicted on criminal charges to be tried without detention rather than being detained according to the ‘principle of presumption of innocence’ until the results of the trial are announced. This highly controversial bill was originally scheduled to take effect on January 1 of this year, but its implementation was put on hold due to court restrictions, and then took effect with the state Supreme Court ruling last September.

In its August issue, the monthly ‘Chicago Magazine’ published by the leading daily newspaper ‘Chicago Tribune’ listed the policies enacted by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (58, Democratic Party) since he took office and said, “Illinois is the most radical state in the United States.” He commented, “It has been transformed into a state.”

Walmart, the largest retailer, will also stop advertising on social media X (formerly Twitter).

According to the Associated Press and Bloomberg News on the 1st, Walmart said in a statement that day, “We no longer advertise on X,” and “We have found a better platform to reach consumers. “Regarding this, Joe Benaroque, X’s head of business operations, said, “Walmart has not advertised on “I do it,” he said.

Walmart’s announcement to suspend advertising came as major U.S. companies continued to suspend advertising.

Prior to Walmart, Walt Disney, IBM, NBCUniversal and parent company Comcast decided to stop advertising for X.

Musk recently posted an article supporting anti-Semitic conspiracy claims, the loss of advertisers began in earnest.

Early last month, a report by media watchdog Media Matters came out, saying that companies’ advertisements were placed next to Nazi-praising content posted on X. In response, there were also Musk’s efforts to overcome the crisis.

On the 27th of last month, Musk visited Israel in person and confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who emphasized the “annihilation of Hamas,” by saying, “There is no choice,” and visited a kibbutz (collective farm) that was attacked by Hamas.

However, on the 28th of last month, in a public conversation at NYT’s ‘Deal Book Summit’, he again became the centre of controversy by shouting “Go away” along with profanity including a word starting with ‘f’, saying that the suspension of advertising by companies was related to intimidation.

CEO Yacarino is concerned that the brand image may be damaged as hate and harmful expressions increase due to Musk’s relaxation of regulations on content, AP reported.

AP reported, “There are no signs of improvement in the relationship between X and advertisers.”

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed the possibility that Americans will be included in the additional hostages to be released on the 26th, the third day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

On this day, Assistant Secretary Sullivan appeared on NBC and CNN one after another and said, “The key to this negotiation is the release of 50 hostages, including women and children, and that includes a total of three Americans, including two women and one child.” said.

“We have reason to believe that the Americans will be released,” Sullivan said. “We are in close dialogue with the governments of Israel, Qatar and Egypt, and we are hopeful that today’s release will include Americans, but at the same time, given that the opponents are terrorist groups, it is difficult to actually make it happen.” “Until then, we have to monitor the situation,” he emphasized.

Regarding the report that the American to be released is 4-year-old Abigail Ethan, he said, “I hope that Abigail will be released and celebrate her fourth birthday in the arms of other family members, even though her parents died in a brutal attack.” “It’s something that needs to be seen,” he explained.

He said, “We currently do not know the exact size of the hostages and whether they are alive.” He added, “Not only Hamas, but also some groups that are loosely linked to them, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), are dividing the hostages, and detaining them. “I know they are doing it,”.

However, he confirmed that “a total of 10 Americans, including 9 U.S. citizens and 1 permanent resident, are among the hostages,” and that “3 of them are women and children.”

Regarding the possibility of extending the temporary ceasefire, which expires in four days, he said, “Israel has already agreed to extend the ceasefire if it releases 10 additional hostages a day.” He reaffirmed the principle that “if you want an extension, you can continue releasing hostages.”

“The responsibility for the choice lies on the shoulders of Hamas,” he said, adding, “Israel will seek to continue its military operations, especially targeting the Hamas leadership.”

Regarding whether U.S. President Joe Biden will continue to support Israel if it resumes airstrikes, he said, “President Biden has made it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.” “President Biden has also made clear that military strikes are accompanied by an obligation to protect civilians under international law,” Sullivan said, adding, “President Biden is also focused on humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also appeared on CBS in the United States that day and confirmed, “We hope to see Abigail released soon.”

Concerning the possibility of extending the temporary ceasefire, Prime Minister Al Thani said, “I hope so,” and added, “For that to happen, Hamas must confirm the location and well-being of the hostages, and this cannot be known until the last day of the ceasefire.”

Previously, the governments of Egypt and Qatar confirmed that Hamas was planning to release 13 Israeli hostages and that Israel was planning to release 39 Palestinian prisoners.

The state Department of Environment announced that the Washington state government raised about $260 million through a special auction of greenhouse gas emissions rights held for the second time this year.

The Ministry of Environment explained that the reason the special auction was held last week was because there was fierce competition in the regular quarterly auction in August, with bid prices from polluting companies exceeding the government-announced price of $51.90.

The Ministry of Environment announced that so far this year, when the greenhouse gas emission rights auction system first began, a total of 31.9 million emission rights have been sold and more than $1.5 billion has been collected.

The greenhouse gas emission rights sales system is the core of the ‘Climate Promise Act’ enacted in 2021. The state is pressuring large corporations, the main culprits of air pollution, to reduce carbon emissions while selling emission rights as a form of indulgence.

Companies that purchase emission rights can emit 1 ton of carbon per unit. Through this system, the state plans to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit the increase in global temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) per year by eliminating Washington state’s carbon emissions by 2050.

In order to promote various projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air pollution over the next two years, the state legislature reflected approximately $2 billion in expected revenue through the auction of greenhouse gas emission rights in the new fiscal year budget.

Last week’s special auction attracted 30 qualified bidders. The Ministry of Environment said that among these were oil companies such as BP and Marathon, methane gas companies such as North American Natural Gas (NNG) and Cascade Natural Gas (CNG), and the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU), which consume large amounts of energy.

Tenderloin Street, downtown San Francisco, California, at 10 a.m. on the 11th when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting opened.

A residential street that was normally so crowded with homeless people that it was difficult to pass by was empty. When I got out of the car, I didn’t notice the stale smell or the sour smell of marijuana that made my head tingle. There wasn’t much trash on the streets, and the garbage truck was spraying water to clean up. Although homeless tents were visible here and there, they were not difficult to pass by.

A store owner in the area said, “The number of homeless people has decreased a lot recently. I don’t know where they have gone, but it seems like the city has removed a lot of tents.” This is why the city began to be renovated in response to a large-scale international diplomatic event attended by the heads of state of 21 countries.

The Tenderloin is only 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Moscone Centre, the APEC conference venue. San Francisco is a representative tourist destination in the western part of the United States, famous for the ‘Golden Gate’. It is also well-known as a vibrant city where young entrepreneurs gather, as it is adjacent to Silicon Valley, the cradle of cutting-edge technology around the world.

However, in recent years, it has been pointed out that it is losing its reputation as a representative tourist destination as the streets are overflowing with homeless people and drug addicts and crimes such as looting occur frequently.

In addition, as telecommuting increased in the aftermath of COVID-19, big tech offices were emptying out and the image of wealthy villages was fading. San Francisco is trying to transform itself by using this APEC meeting as an opportunity to regain its former reputation.

The US daily New York Times (NYT) reported the previous day that San Francisco, which had suffered a large exodus of tech companies in the aftermath of the coronavirus, was seeking to transform using the APEC meeting as an opportunity. There are expectations that this APEC meeting will be an important moment for San Francisco, which is struggling to revive the local economy after the pandemic.

This conference is the largest international event held here since the United Nations International Organization Conference was held in 1945.

“APEC will be a significant moment in San Francisco’s rich history,” said Mayor London Breed.

The city has established a homeless shelter not far from the Moscone Centre and is encouraging the homeless to move there. Garbage used for drug use and thrown on the street was removed, and uneven sidewalk blocks here and there were repaired.

A wall filled with new murals also caught my eye. However, there were also alleys where homeless people were still present.

A Chinese couple who lived here pointed with their hand and said, “If you go over there, there are still homeless people.” As I walked up the block, a sour smell immediately hit me. I quickly saw a tent with close to 10 homeless people in one block. One man stood motionless with his head down, as if he had been administered something.

The store was open, but it was covered with an iron door to prevent accidents, and people walking alone on the street were hard to see. City authorities are busy ensuring that there are no disruptions in welcoming special guests from around the world ahead of the summit on the 15th to 17th, which is the highlight of this conference.

Traffic was controlled around the Moscone Centre, where heads of state gathered, to prepare for possible accidents. As it was the first day of the meeting, full control was not in place, but barriers were set up in various places and police officers were controlling the meeting.

Local police reported that the area will be completely closed from the 15th, when all the heads of state will gather. A 3m high iron fence was installed surrounding the conference hall. This is to prepare for an emergency.

Tensions are also being felt, with local police paying close attention to protests expected during the APEC summit. Local media reported that in addition to climate change groups and international workers’ rights groups that gathered in front of the venue at every other APEC meeting, Palestinian liberation activists are also expected to protest this time in relation to the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed political group Hamas.