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Jury deliberations begin for XXXTentacion’s accused killers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery outside a Florida motorcycle shop after the alleged gunman’s attorney argued that DNA evidence proves his client and another man are innocent. Attorney Joseph Kimok gave the final defense closing argument in the trial of three men accused of first-degree murder, telling jurors that while the artist struggled with his killers before being shot and DNA was found on the body and on a stolen necklace, it wasn’t from his client, 28-year-old Michael Boatwright. Nor was it from accused second gunman Trayvon Newsome, 24, or accused getaway driver and ringleader Dedrick Williams, 26. “Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom,” Kimok told jurors as the four-week trial neared its conclusion. “The DNA proves that someone not named Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.”A fourth ma...

Cyber attack hits engineering giant with contracts for military bases, power plants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

OTTAWA — A Canadian engineering giant whose work involves critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.Toronto-based Black & McDonald has so far refused to publicly comment on the cyberattack, while the Department of National Defence and other clients of the company have downplayed any impact or damage.“Black & McDonald notified OPG that they had experienced a ransomware attack which was unrelated to OPG operations and information,” said Ontario Power Generation spokesman Neal Kelly.“OPG conducted an immediate investigation and found there was no impact to our operations. OPG constantly monitors to ensure the highest levels of cybersecurity.Experts are nonetheless concerned, saying the attack on Black & McDonald represents a far greater threat to Canada’s national security and critical infrastructure than the attack on Canada’s largest bookstore chain, Indigo Books & ...

S&P/TSX composite edges upward Wednesday, U.S. markets mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged upward Wednesday after falling more than one per cent the day before, while U.S. markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 70.99 points at 20,346.53.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 58.06 points at 32,798.40. The S&P 500 index was up 5.64 points at 3,992.01,while the Nasdaq composite was up 45.67 points at 11,576.00.The Canadian dollar traded for 72.54 cents UScompared with 72.90 cents US on Tuesday.The April crude contract was down 92 cents at US$76.66 per barreland the April natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$2.55 per mmBTU.The April gold contract was down US$1.40 at US$1,818.60 an ounceand the May copper contract was up five cents at US$4.03 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Roll Up To Win players upset after $10,000 AMEX card win was result of technical error

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

Tim Hortons has kicked off its traditional Roll Up To Win contest at participating locations, but the rollout didn’t go as smoothly as expected after a technical issue prompted several players to believe they were $10,000 richer.Josh Rose was one of those players. The St. Catharines, Ont. resident was on his way home from an early morning shift when he decided to stop by his local Tim Hortons to grab a coffee for his soon-to-be wife—a small gesture leading into preparations for their wedding day.A day that turned out to be extra special after the pair rolled up the virtual rim and won. Or so they thought.“I opened the app, rolled it, and it popped up ‘Winner!’ You are the winner of a $10,000 American Express pre-paid card,” Rose tells CityNews.After a full day of celebrations, Rose discovered the prize was no longer there.“I went back into the app and didn’t see it in my Tim’s app, so I contacted Tim Hortons. I said, “Hey, I got ...

Alaska governor proposes sex ed limits, teacher bonuses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed what he calls a parental rights bill that would require written permission from a parent when a child asks to change the name or pronoun they use at school as part of a package he says is aimed at broadening the conversation around public education.The Republican also proposed cash payments for teachers as a way to address recruitment and retention concerns, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The Democratic chair of the Senate Education Committee and members of the House’s largely Democratic minority said the parental rights measure is divisive and a distraction from their priorities: school funding and finding ways to attract and keep teachers. The bill in the Senate was not referred to the education committee.Other elements of Dunleavy’s bill include prohibiting teaching sex education before fourth grade, requiring written parental permission for children to participate in sex education after fourth grade and requi...

At the Oscars a year later, The Slap stays in the picture

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

The Academy Awards are Sunday, but did last year’s Oscars ever really end?When Hollywood reconvenes at the Dolby Theatre for the 95th Academy Awards, the ceremony will signal many things. The probable triumph of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” A potentially historic night for Asians and Asian Americans in the film industry. Possibly a record number of jokes about “Cocaine Bear.”But for many, nothing will register more than returning to the site of The Slap. In a way, we’re all still living in that frozen-in-time moment. Chris Rock’s face twisted to the side. Will Smith’s arm dramatically extended. A deathly hush over the Dolby Theatre. A new low for the Oscars but a high point of public fascination, The Slap was immediately etched into collective memory, and its shock has kept reverberating. Rock, in a live stand-up special on Sunday, only just offered his fiery rebuttal, adding a fresh new volley in the still ongoing discourse around the incident.For the first time, two sequel...

In fraud case, embattled Ozy Media is a no show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Ozy Media billed itself as “the New and the Next” as its charismatic cofounder, former MSNBC and CNN host Carlos Watson, attracted millions of dollars from investors on a promise to attract young, sophisticated audiences.But on Wednesday, the once-buzzy company didn’t even have representation in court as it was arraigned on securities fraud and wire fraud charges.There was confusion when representatives for the company were a no-show at its arraignment at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn. A judge had to enter a plea of “not guilty” on its behalf.Outside the courtroom, a public defender who had been hurriedly assigned to represent the company at the hearing quickly tried to make sense of the case. She asked a journalist what Ozy did and what the case was about.Later, she was excused from what is expected to be a complex and sprawling case involving hundreds of thousands of documents and allegations that the company’s executives misrepresented its financial...

Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas to get extensive renovations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Allen Fieldhouse is about to get a facelift.The historic home of defending national champion Kansas will soon undergo a significant renovation to upgrade its fan amenities, hospitality spaces and premium seating options while retaining the feel of the original building.Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff said the multimillion dollar project, which will be funded by private donations, will include state-of-the-art videoboards, a new sound system and lighting, reimagined concourses on all three levels, along with changes to the adjacent Wagnon Student Athletic Center.“We only see it when it’s full on game night, and then it’s perfect,” said coach Bill Self, whose third-ranked Jayhawks open the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinal round Thursday. “But you know, we don’t see what the fans go through or deal with, and you know, the amenities and concessions and all these things.“I think it puts us in a position that fo...

Minnesota governor protects rights to gender affirming care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday protecting the rights of LGBTQ people from Minnesota and other states to receive gender affirming health care, as he slammed the tide of other states rolling back transgender rights.“We want every Minnesotan to grow up feeling safe, valued, protected, celebrated, and free to exist as their authentic versions of themselves,” Walz said. “Protecting and supporting access to gender affirming health care is essential to being a welcoming and supportive state.”Advocates for LGBTQ rights say Republican-led states across the country are trying to erase the legal existence of people who are trans and to restrict the expression of those who are nonbinary, gender-fluid or who perform in drag. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 150 bills targeting trans rights have been introduced in other states. Walz singled out neighboring South Dakota, where Gov. Kristi Noem signed a ban on gender affirming care for mino...

Closing arguments in Winnipeg trial of retired priest charged with indecent assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:56:00 GMT

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg judge is left to decide whether a young girl was assaulted in the bathroom of a residential school more than 50 years ago based on the memories of the now-adult woman and the 93-year-old retired priest accused of committing the act. The two-day judge-alone trial wrapped up Wednesday for Arthur Masse who is charged with one count of indecent assault against Victoria McIntosh from when she attended the Fort Alexander Residential School north of Winnipeg sometime between 1968 and 1970.McIntosh and Masse were the only witnesses called to testify. The question of memory accuracy came up when Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Candace Grammond heard closing arguments from the Crown and George Green, Masse’s lawyer. Green argued the burden of proof falls heavily on McIntosh’s testimony, “that is hard to discharge on the word of one person.”He added that given the nature of the allegations, passage of time and inconsistencies in McInto...