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A tour of Toronto’s ridiculous park rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, a sign telling dogs not to bark at a dog park; a regulation prohibiting baseball players from hitting home runs; and a billboard the size of a small car to list extensive rules around enjoying a beer in a pilot project — that has been criticized for ‘encouraging’ the act it explicitly permits.There are times when the rest of Canada’s criticism of Toronto for being uptight and backwards is unfair. This is not one of those times.Ben Spurr is a reporter at the Toronto Star’s City Hall bureau. He said a lot of the time even city councillors don’t know where these rules come from.“I think these are the kind of conflicts that spring up in a city like Toronto that’s growing pretty rapidly and doesn’t have a ton of free green space these days,” said Spurr.So, what does this say more broadly about how the city manages public spaces?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You...

EU rebukes its representative in Austria over ‘blood money’ comment on Russian gas imports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive branch strongly criticized the bloc’s representative in Austria for accusing the country of paying “blood money” to Russia for gas supplies and said Friday he has been ordered back to Brussels.EU representative Martin Selmayr said during an event on Wednesday that Austria continues to get 55% of its gas from Russia — but no one, he noted, is out on Vienna’s central Ringstrasse boulevard to protest that, the Austria Press Agency reported.“That surprises me, because blood money is being sent to Russia every day with the gas bill,” Selmayr said, according to the report. He added that he understands energy supply problems, but that Austria is a rich country and could, like other nations, do without Russian gas.Austria’s far-right opposition Freedom Party, which has led recent polls ahead of a national election next year, called on the government to demand Selmayr’s removal. On Thursday, Austria’s Foreign ...

Residents and fishermen file a lawsuit demanding a halt to the release of Fukushima wastewater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Fishermen and residents of Fukushima and five other prefectures along Japan’s northeastern coast filed a lawsuit Friday demanding a halt to the ongoing release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.In the lawsuit filed with Fukushima District Court, the 151 plaintiffs, two-thirds from Fukushima and the rest from Tokyo and four other prefectures, say the discharge damages the livelihoods of the fishing community and violates residents’ right to live peacefully, their lawyers said. The release of the treated and diluted wastewater into the ocean, which began Aug. 24 and is expected to continue for several decades, is strongly opposed by fisheries groups that worry it will hurt the image of their catch even if it’s safe. Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant melted after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed its cooling systems. The plant continues to produce highly radioactive water...

Boy, 17, fatally stabbed during altercation in Sycamore; juvenile in custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

SYCAMORE, Ill. — A juvenile is in custody after a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed during an altercation in Sycamore.Police responded to a report of a stabbing around 6:10 p.m. Thursday in the area of Elm Street and Somonauk Street.Upon arrival, officers found a 17-year-old boy who reportedly had been in an altercation with another individual and stabbed.The teen was transported to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital where he was pronounced dead.According to police, a juvenile suspect was taken into custody.The investigation remains ongoing. Police said this is an isolated incident and there is no known threat to the public.

Taste of Chicago begins, Eli's Cheesecake returns for 43rd year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The annual Taste of Chicago is back, better and bigger than before. The Taste is all about trying new things but also remembering what makes Chicago great from Lou Malnati's pizza to Eli's Cheesecake. "My father Eli Schulman took his cheesecake outside of Eli's for the first time on July 4, 1980 -- that first Taste on Michigan Avenue," President of Eli's Cheesecake Marc Schulman said."We're the only vendor that has been at Taste every year since," Schulman said. Blackhawks will retire No. 7 for Chris Chelios — and Pearl Jam helped deliver the news Just like the Taste, a few things have changed over the years, however the cheesecake is staying the same. There are 35 food vendors and 15 food trucks, all serving food with live entertainment as well. The Taste opens up at 11 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. and is free admission.

2 men shot, 1 fatally, on Chicago's South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

CHICAGO — A 20-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old man is injured after a shooting on the city's South Side.The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Thursday on the 10-100 block of West 79th Street. Police responded to the scene and found two men who had been struck by gunfire. An investigation revealed that two male offenders exited a vehicle and began firing at the victims before fleeing the scene.A 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died. Teen boy killed on Labor Day saved 10-year-old friend in 2020 shooting The 35-year-old man was shot in the ankle and transported to the same hospital in fair condition.No one is in custody. Area Two Detectives are investigating.

Happy 401(k) Day! Do you know where yours is?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Sept. 8, the Friday after Labor Day, marks National 401(k) day. It’s the day Americans are encouraged to check in on their retirement readiness.But what about all the 401(k)s out in the ether? If you’re not sure where one of your 401(k) accounts is, now is as good a time as any to find it.According to Capitalize, a company that helps consumers find and transfer retirement accounts, there were 29.2 million lost 401(k) accounts in May 2023, worth about $1.65 trillion.Even if you've left a small balance behind, it could be valuable when you retire.What’s so great about 401(k)s, anyway?Adrianna Vargo, a certified financial planner at Domain Money in Cleveland, Ohio, sees a myriad of tax benefits with the 401(k) plan. Contributing to a pre-tax traditional 401(k) reduces your taxable income, while a Roth 401(k) allows you to contribute after-tax money but enjoy tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals.Another key advantage of the 401(k) is the employer match, if it’s offere...

Border buoy barrier in Rio Grande allowed to remain after state appeals ruling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - A buoy barrier along Texas-Mexico border near Eagle Pass will remain in place as an appeal by the state moves forward in court. A federal appeals court issued a temporary stay of a judge's ruling to remove the barrier by September 15th.The stay comes one day after Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state would appeal the removal order. The case stems from a lawsuit the Biden administration filed a suit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in late July over the state's floating barrier, arguing it violated international and federal law. READ: Federal judge ruling on Texas border buoys The U.S. Department of Justice previously said Texas’ construction of buoys in the river violates the Rivers and Harbor Act, as it obstructs the “navigable capacity” of U.S. water. The filing also notes Texas did not obtain a prior permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as required by the act.Abbott ordered the barrier to be placed in the river earlier this summer. The bright-...

Hope and uncertainty as new crime victim compensation rules take effect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A new law that took effect this month expands benefits available to victims of violent crimes in Texas. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, authored the law and said she has “high hopes” it will help more families in dire need, but it remains unclear how orderly the rollout will be this soon in the process, she said.“Because Senate Bill (SB) 49 is effective on Sept. 1, it’s too early to know if implementation will be smooth, what challenges will be faced, to track progress and to benefit from lessons learned,” Zaffirini said in a statement to KXAN.The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is a state and federally funded assistance program for people whose lives have been disrupted by violent crime. The program offsets costs for things like lost wages, relocation expenses, lost rent, funerals and therapy. There is an application and review process, and almost all money is provided through reimbursement when no alternatives – like insurance or workers' compensation – ...

DIRECTV customers may not be able to watch Sunday's Dallas Cowboys game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — This Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys will open its season at the New York Giants in primetime on Sunday Night Football. The game will be exclusively broadcast on KXAN in the Austin market, but since KXAN was forced off the DIRECTV lineup on July 2, DIRECTV customers may not be able to watch the game unless the dispute between Nexstar and DIRECTV is resolved. DIRECTV customers are being urged to call the company at (800) 531-5000 and demand that it restore KXAN to their systems.DIRECTV subscribers do have other options to view the game:DIRECTV customers can switch their cable or satellite provider to another service. KXAN has reached agreements with all other local distributors and is available on all of them.KXAN is also available on streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu.As a broadcast station, KXAN broadcasts its signal over the public airwaves to anyone with an antenna, which you can find at a variety of electronics or home-improvement stores.Many local restaur...