Camilla tours ‘fantastic’ art studios after daughter’s recommendation The Queen visited Kindred Studios in west London after Laura Lopes told her about it following an open day Evening Standard · Feb 14, 2024
In El Chapo fallout, one of Chicago ‘cartel wives’ should get stiffer sentence than accomplices, feds say They say Valerie Gaytan should get five years for laundering drug money from her husband Margarito Flores and his twin brother Pedro Flores, Chicago cocaine kingpins who helped convict the Sinaloa cartel boss. Her sister-in-law got 3½ years. Chicago Sun-Times · Sep 14, 2023
‘Don’t screw up,’ judge warns sister-in-law of Flores twins who turned on El Chapo, giving her probation “Here’s the deal, this is like you just won the World Series,” U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly warned Bianca Finnigan, 34. “You won’t get a second break.” Chicago Sun-Times · Aug 25, 2023
How the ‘1-Mile Rule’ Protects Big Polluters from Citizen Complaints The policy has been denounced in lawsuits and petitions, but the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denies that the 1-mile rule exists. Texas Observer · Aug 2, 2023
The “1-mile rule”: Texas’ unwritten, arbitrary policy protects big polluters from citizen complaints It’s not found anywhere in state law or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rules, but for years the agency has denied citizens the ability to challenge air pollution permits because they live more than a mile away. The Texas Tribune · Jul 30, 2023
‘Cartel wife’ of Chicago cocaine kingpin gets 3 1/2 years for hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars from feds Vivianna Lopez made an emotional plea for mercy, telling the judge she feared for the lives of her children after Pedro Flores and his brother, Margarito, famously turned against the Sinaloa cartel and helped bring down Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera. Chicago Sun-Times · Jul 17, 2023
Over 20 Years, Texas Allowed 1 Billion Pounds Excess Emissions So-called "excess" emissions have ballooned in Texas, thanks to an almost total lack of enforcement, report Grist and Science Friday. Texas Observer · Jun 8, 2023
A billion-pound problem: How unchecked “excess emissions” ballooned in Texas Over the last two decades, state regulators have allowed companies to release more than a billion pounds of excess pollution. The Texas Tribune · Jun 7, 2023
Wives of Flores twins, who helped put drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ behind bars, to plea guilty to money laundering The wives allegedly collected drug debts owed to their husbands and spent lavishly. Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 16, 2023
‘Cartel wives’ married to Pedro Flores, Margarito Flores lose bid to dismiss money-laundering charges Married to the convicted Chicago cocaine traffickers who helped bring down Sinaloa cartel drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán Loera, Vivianna Lopez and Valerie Gaytan are accused of spending millions of drug proceeds on everything from vacations to tuition. Chicago Sun-Times · Nov 8, 2022
Largest animals on earth shown ‘racing’ at high speed Blue whales are the largest creatures on the planet and can weigh more than 150 tons, so only rarely are the great leviathans observed traveling at high speeds. USA Today Sports Media Group · Aug 23, 2022
Chicago twin Pedro Flores testifies feds promised wife would get a pass in exchange for his cooperation against ‘El Chapo’ CHICAGO — Pedro Flores, a Chicago drug trafficker who along with his twin brother helped federal authorities build a case against Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, testified Monday that he was promised his wife and other family members would not be prosecuted for any drug-related activities. Chicago Tribune · Jul 25, 2022
Wives of twins who helped bring down ‘El Chapo’ find themselves in spotlight, claiming they have immunity from federal hammer CHICAGO — On a winter evening a little over a decade ago, as their husbands were busy cooperating against the most wanted cartel boss in the world, Valerie Gaytan and Vivianna Lopez were driving around Chicago’s North Side with more than $4 million in cash in their SUV. Chicago Tribune · Jul 25, 2022
Sister-in-law of twins who turned against ‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty for helping spend drug money An indictment filed in June 2021 alleged the wives of Pedro and Margarito Flores helped stash away hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money over a dozen years, starting with their husbands’ surrender in December 2008. Chicago Sun-Times · Mar 24, 2022