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Helicopter crashes in northwestern Alberta while fighting wildfire, killing pilot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

PEACE RIVER, Alta. — A helicopter involved in firefighting operations has crashed in northwestern Alberta, killing a pilot. Todd Loewen, Alberta’s forestry minister,offered condolences to the pilot’s family, friends and colleagues on Thursday.“Today’s tragic news is a reminder that the heroes who put their lives on the line to protect us are men and women like you and me. They have families, friends, hopes and dreams,” he said in a written statement. “While we mourn a life lost in the line of duty, Alberta’s brave first responders continue to put themselves in danger every day to protect Alberta families.”Transportation Safety Board spokesman Chris Krepski said two investigators are en route to the scene in a remote area northeast of Peace River, Alta.“They will be on site later today to begin gathering information and assessing the occurrence,” he said. Krepski said an emergency locator transmitter signal was received Wednesday at abo...

Families get boosted Canada Child Benefit through sizable cost-of-living adjustment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

OTTAWA — Families eligible for the Canada Child Benefit are getting their July payments Thursday, and they include a hefty cost-of-living adjustment.Most federal benefits and credits increased by 6.3 per cent this month to reflect the pace of inflation in the previous year. That means families can receive an annual total of up to $7,437 per child under the age of six and $6,275 per child ages six through 17.The Liberals are highlighting the Canada Child Benefit to mark its seven-year anniversary after they introduced it in their first budget.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in southeastern Ontario on Thursdayspeaking to families about the impact of the benefit, which he said has reduced poverty across the country.“Seven years ago we brought in the Canada child benefit,” Trudeau told reporters while visiting a Boys and Girls Club location in Kingston, Ont. “It has impacted families from coast to coast to coast with hundreds of dollars, tax free, every single month ...

RFK Jr. denies making antisemitic comments as congressional Republicans give him a platform

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. worked to defend himself Thursday against accusations that he traffics in racist and hateful online conspiracy theories, testifying at a House hearing on government censorship despite requests from outside groups to disinvite the Democratic presidential candidate after his recent antisemitic remarks.The Republican-led Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government is amplifying GOP claims that conservatives and others are being unfairly targeted by technology companies that routinely work with the government to try to stem the spread of disinformation online. Democrats argued that free speech comes with responsibilities not to spread misinformation, particularly when it fans violence. In opening remarks, Kennedy invoked his famous family’s legacy in decrying the complaints of racism and antisemitism against him.“This is an attempt to censor a censorship hearing,” said Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of ...

Senate Judiciary approves bill to impose stronger ethics standards on Supreme Court justices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a response to recent revelations about donor-funded trips by justices. The bill faced united opposition from Republicans, who said it could “destroy” the court. The legislation has little chance to make it through the full Senate.The panel voted along party lines to set ethics rules for the court and a process to enforce them, including new standards for transparency around recusals, gifts and potential conflicts of interest. Democrats first pushed the legislation after reports earlier this year that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in luxury vacations and a real estate deal with a top GOP donor — and after Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify before the committee about the ethics of the court. Since then, news reports also revealed that Justice Samuel Alito had taken a luxury vacation with a GOP donor. And The A...

Fire crews lose control of blaze near Athens as southern Europe heat wave keeps communities on alert

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

LOUTRAKI, Greece (AP) — Evening winds fueled a major wildfire west of Greece’s capital Thursday, triggering a series of new evacuations outside Athens as authorities braced for more of the extreme weather that has brought searing heat to southern Europe.Authorities had declared the huge blaze contained overnight and Greece’s Fire Service intensified water drops with the help of extra firefighting aircraft deployed from France and Italy. But firefighters lost control of the fire when the wind picked up, Fire Service officials said.The fire has been raging since Tuesday and already burned 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles) of forest and scrubland.Some residents ignored latest evacuation orders to try and save their homes. Chrysoula Renieri, 72, said relatives had helped her try to save the family home near Loutraki, a resort town 81 kilometers (50 miles) west of Athens, but the wildfire cut off water in the area. “It’s all gone. We have suffered too much damage...

Hazing remains ingrained in team sports and experts say they see increase in sexualized attacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

Georgia coach Kirby Smart remembers having his head shaved when he was a freshman football player at his alma mater back in the mid-1990s and busing tables after team meals.Older players putting the newbies in their place by hazing remains ingrained in team sports at all levels in the United States. That is not the way Smart wants to run the Bulldogs, who have won two straight national championships.“Now, those freshmen, the guys we sign, they have to play,” Smart said this week at Southeastern Conference media days. “So when you create this separation of, they have to do this and they have to do that, they’re not ready to play. They’re like a different team.”While major college sports programs have become multimillion-dollar, high-stakes businesses run more like professional teams, ritualistic hazing remains a problematic tradition within them. School rules forbidding hazing, more than 40 state laws against it and horror story after horror story have not stopped it.“I think it’s h...

Bernardo’s move to medium security was ‘sound’ but victims’ families needed more info, review finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

A Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) review into the transfer of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison concluded that the transfer “followed all applicable laws and policies” but said the CSC could have done more to inform victims’ families.Bernardo, who is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, assault and murders of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont., was transferred from Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security facility, to La Macaza Institution, a medium-security prison, on May 29, 2023.The move sparked outrage and calls from the Conservatives for Public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino, to resign.In a statement addressing the findings of the review, Anne Kelly, Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, said that “even though CSC went above policy in this case to notify victims, additional steps could have been taken to provide more informatio...

After School Matters trains teens interested in emergency medicine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

CHICAGO -- Teens on the South side are getting the opportunity to have hands-on training in emergency medicine. For the first time, After School Matters is offering an emergency medical responders program and possibly a career for teens between the ages of 13 and18.The program gives teens the opportunity to sound sirens, check speakers while also practicing triaging their classmates and testing torniquets. Superior Ambulance, which partners with After School Matters is a mobile classroom. After School Matters has been a Chicago staple for more than three decades, serving about 19,000 teens a year, giving them the opportunity to further their education and potentially giving them opportunities in the medical field as an EMR or emergency medical responder. "I never thought I’d be working on an ambulance, but I enjoy it," Morgan Mcdougle, one of the teens in training said. Million dollar Powerball ticket sold in Chicago suburbs Once the teens turn 18 and complete their six-week pro...

Man charged for threatening former Mayor Lightfoot appears in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

CHICAGO — The man accused of threatening former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appeared in court Thursday for a status hearing.William Kohles, 42, was charged with one felony count of threatening a public official back in December. He reportedly threatened to shoot Lightfoot if she did not reduce crime in the city.At a hearing Thursday, attorneys discussed the discovery process and the judge set another court date for Aug. 31.Lightfoot was in attendance at the court hearing, and issued the following statement in response:"I attended today’s hearing as I take this matter with grave seriousness. The defendant is alleged to have issued a death threat against me that included the repeated use of derogatory and offensive language. The alleged threat included use of the N-word, other racially offensive terms and repeated threats to ‘put a bullet in my head.’ We all know that criticism from the public and others comes with the job of being an elected official. But what doesn't come with...

Ex-McHenry County youth coach charged with grooming, soliciting minor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:28 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill.  — A northwest suburban man who worked as a youth volleyball coach in the McHenry County area is charged with the indecent solicitation of a child. Phillip Bromley, 44, of McHenry allegedly communicated with an undercover detective online, posing as a girl under the age of 14 over several weeks.  Suburban middle school employee accused of distributing child pornography During the conversations, Bromley allegedly enticed the officer posing as an underage girl, to meet him for sex. Upon a pre-arranged meetup in Lake County, Bromley was instead met by detectives and taken into custody. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Bromley with:Indecent Solicitation of a Minor (Class 3 Felony)Traveling to Meet a Minor (Class 3 Felony)Grooming (Class 4 Felony)Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesBromley remains jailed in Lake County. Police ask anyone who may have been victimized by Bromley to file a report with their local law enforcement agency.