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Dixon Hall to hold fundraiser to help address new challenges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

New challenges at Dixon Hall, a multi-service organization, have made an event more important than ever.The downtown east side agency started in the 1930s as a food kitchen, but has since expanded.“Now we provide a variety of programs from settlement services to a music school for underprivileged children in the Regent Park area,” explained Pablo Escobar, Manager Housing Supports. “We have children and youth department, we have employment services, we also have a senior’s department and a housing services department that’s expanded exponentially.In recent years, the organization been hit with challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living increasing across the city leading to more community members relying on their meals program.“There’s an extra 60,000 people that have been using food banks in the last year which translates to about one in four Canadians and and food prices have been increasing by 20 per cent,” said Es...

OPP officer and school bus driver die in crash northwest of Woodstock, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

An Ontario Provincial Police officer and a school bus driver have died in a crash that took place northwest of Woodstock, Ont., on Monday.Provincial police say there were no students on the bus and no passengers in the officer’s unmarked vehicle at the time of the crash, which took place a little before 7 a.m.Police say 35-year-old Det.-Const. Steven Tourangeau, who was with the Perth County OPP detachment, died in the crash.OPP say they are not releasing the identity of the school bus driver for privacy reasons.OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique says the force is “deeply saddened” over what he calls a tragic incident.pic.twitter.com/qOrdgnJWs7— Thomas Carrique (@OPPCommissioner) May 29, 2023Police in London, Ont., will be investigating.

Colorado teen flouts school policy, wears Mexican and US flag sash to graduation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

PARACHUTE, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado student barred from wearing a sash representing the flags of Mexico and the United States to her high school graduation did so anyway, partially covering it with another sash representing her participation in a service organization.“Always stand up for what you believe in,” Grand Valley High School graduate Naomi Peña Villasano told the Post Independent of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, after receiving her diploma on Saturday in the west-central Colorado town of Parachute.Peña Villasano’s case is the latest dispute in the U.S. about what kind of cultural graduation attire is allowed at commencement ceremonies. Peña Villasano challenged school officials in court after they said she would be banned from graduation ceremonies if she wore the sash that has stars and stripes on one side and a cactus, eagle and a serpent to represent the Mexican flag on the other side.A federal judge had ruled Friday that the school district could bar Peña Villasano f...

Lawyers raising concerns new bail laws won’t be Charter compliant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

OTTAWA — Criminal lawyers are raising concerns that proposed changes to Canada’s bail laws won’t be constitutional, as they eagerly await a statement explaining why the federal Liberals think the reforms comply with the Charter.Vancouver criminal lawyer Kyla Lee says the federal government’s proposed changes making it harder for some repeat violent offenders to get bail might not be Charter compliant, given that bail is a constitutional right. “It’s hard to write a Charter statement about something that is very close to crossing constitutional boundaries, and something that is generally unprecedented,” she said.The legislation currently before Parliament would introduce reverse-onus bail conditions for people charged with serious violent offences involving a weapon, in cases where the person was convicted of a similar violent offence within the last five years.Prosecutors in such cases would no longer have to show judges why an accused person shou...

5 Greek border police officers arrested on suspicion of working with migrant smugglers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities said Monday they had arrested five police officers from a special border guard force on suspicion of working with smugglers to help migrants cross into the country from neighboring Turkey.A police statement said the five suspects are believed to have facilitated the entry of at least 100 people since late October, using boats to cross the Evros River that runs along the northeastern Greek land border with Turkey.During the arrests in the border town of Didymoteicho Monday, police confiscated some 26,000 euros ($28,000) in cash, and nearly 60 mobile phones. The operation followed an investigation by the police internal affairs squad.The Evros is a key crossing point into Greece for people seeking a better life in the European Union. Greece has built a high fence along much of the border to prevent migrant entries, and is planning to further extend it.___Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migrationThe Associate...

Police: Puerto Rico assailants targeting drug rival killed 2 and injured 13

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Assailants in Puerto Rico who killed two people and injured 13 when they fired indiscriminately outside a bar during a birthday party were targeting just one man in a drug trafficking feud, police said Monday.No arrests have been made in the weekend shooting. Police believe the target was a man in his 20s who was killed outside the Piel Kanela bar in San Juan when assailants in cars opened fire early Sunday, Col. Roberto Rivera told The Associated Press in an interview. The man, Luis E. Guzmán González, 28, had eluded earlier attempts at assassination in attacks linked to drug trafficking. “What these people wanted to happen, finally happened,” Rivera said.All of the other victims were bystanders, Rivera said.Another man at the scene, Luis Hernández Martinez, 72, was killed. Eight people were being treated in hospitals from wounds suffered in the attack, and five had been treated and released.Investigators who reviewed security camera footage believe one...

Bell CEO warns ‘interventionist’ regulations could lead telcos to curtail investments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

TORONTO — Bell Canada president and CEO Mirko Bibic warned Monday that increased regulation in Canada’s telecommunications industry could prompt companies to scale back investment and make cuts to service for underserved communities.Speaking at a lunch hosted by Canadian Club Toronto, Bibic took aim at the federal government and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for a shift “towards more micromanagement of Canada’s telecom industry.”He said some investments are “impossible to justify” when big companies are required to provide smaller competitors access to their privately built networks at heavily discounted rates.“Our industry is quite highly regulated and we appear to be moving rapidly towards even more intervention,” said Bibic, adding that such an approach “generates market uncertainty.”“Our regulator’s telling us that we have to give access to the new networks that our people, our ...

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

VANDERHOOF, B.C. — Police in B.C. say the remains of Madison Scott, who went missing in May 2011, have been found and they’re searching a rural property in Vanderhoof that is tied to the discovery. RCMP say Scott’s remains were found “days ago,” but couldn’t say exactly when and where they were located. North District RCMP say they’re on scene executing a search warrant on the property in Vanderhoof in the province’s central interior, about an hour’s drive west of Prince George. Police say Scott’s remains have been positively identified by the BC Coroners Service, and the family has been told and are asking for privacy. Scott went missing after attending a friend’s birthday, and was last seen in the early morning hours of May 28, 2011. Cpl. Madonna Saunderson with the RCMP says the discovery of Scott’s remains is a “significant development” for the ongoing investigation, and foul play has not been ruled ou...

MedWatch Daily Digest: Study spanning 25 years shows effects of traumatic brain injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

For Monday, May 29, WGN’s Dana Rebik has the latest on new information, including the following: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Traumatic brain injuries require long-term care Millions of American every year suffer traumatic brain injuries that can result in struggles with memory, mobility and mental health. Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center say they're ongoing study with more than two decades of data shows traumatic brain injuries do not stabilize after a couple of years as previously thought. Instead, they are dynamic and chronic conditions that require interventions, resources and ongoing care. Strong legs help you after a heart attackThe secret to recovering from a heart attack could be found in your legs. New research says having more strength in your legs can lower your risk of heart failure after a heart attack. The heart tends to enlarge after an attack, but exercise has shown to alter that and make the heart function better. Regular e...

Houston Democrat 'Ms. T' honored for serving 50 years in Texas House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On the last day of session, Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle gave a Houston Democratic representative a lengthy standing ovation to mark a milestone in her legislative career. The Texas House of Representatives approved a resolution Monday honoring Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, for serving 50 years in the chamber. She has now served 26 terms in the House, rising to become known as the dean. She is the longest-serving female and Black lawmaker in the legislature. Gov. Abbott signs CROWN Act into law, takes effect Sept. 1 "She was first elected in 1972 when women weren't even allowed to open a credit card in their own name," the resolution read. "Since then, she has been at the forefront of historic change working tirelessly on behalf of justice, equality and opportunity for all."The resolution detailed a number of her legislative accomplishments, including efforts to fight human trafficking, laws creating the sexual assault program fund and state dr...