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Ali murder trial: lawyer suggests to dead girl’s mother they had a poor relationship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

VANCOUVER — A lawyer for a man accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl found dead in a Burnaby, B.C., park six years ago has suggested to the girl’s mother that they had a poor relationship, to the point where the teen didn’t want to be around her.Ibrahim Ali’s lawyer Kevin McCullough also suggested to the woman that she didn’t think her daughter was “stable” or “rational.”But the Chinese mother pushed back at the trial in the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, saying her daughter “mostly” listened to her, and she didn’t understand what the lawyer meant by stable and rational.She acknowledged that in a statement to police before her daughter was found dead she told officers the girl “doesn’t really communicate with me” but told the jury that’s not the same as having no communication.The woman, who can’t be identified because of a publication ban protecting the identity of her daughter, was ...

Candidate who lost Guatemala’s presidential election files complaint alleging voter fraud

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The party of former first lady Sandra Torres, who lost Guatemala’s presidential election this week, filed a complaint Friday alleging fraud in the way the votes were counted.The complaint is the latest attempt to eradicate competition to Guatemala’s political elite in one of the most tumultuous elections in the Central American nation’s recent history. Torres, a candidate who came to exemplify the political establishment in a country where many people have grown tired of endemic corruption, has remained silent since her loss in Sunday’s runoff election and has refused to accept Sunday’s results.While the Supreme Electoral Tribunal recognized progressive Bernardo Arévalo of the Seed Movement party as the virtual winner with a significant lead over Torres, final results have yet to be made official.Arévalo emerged as the electoral surprise in the first round of the presidential contest, finishing second in a field of 22 and advancing to the Aug....

Canadian ministers vow to accelerate action at global environment conference in B.C.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

VANCOUVER — Politicians and environmental leaders from more than 180 countries have been in Vancouver, B.C., this week, with many pledging to accelerate action on climate change and biodiversity loss at the assembly of the Global Environment Facility.The organization manages a series of funds aimed at helping developing countries meet their climate goals, such as those established by the Paris Agreement, which sets a target of limiting global heating to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.Facility CEO Carlos Manuel Rodriguez said the need to accelerate action is more urgent than ever, as disasters linked to global heating devastate communities worldwide, including wildfires ravaging British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.“The climate and biodiversity crisis is not something that is going to happen later this century, in 25 years,” Rodriguez said in an interview ahead of the assembly, the seventh since his organization launched in...

Grand Canyon officials warn E. coli has been found in water near Phantom Ranch at bottom of canyon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park officials warned that E. coli bacteria was detected Friday in the water supply close to Phantom Ranch, the only lodging at the bottom of the canyon.Park authorities said visitors should not consume any water in that area without boiling it first. E. coli can lead to diarrhea, cramps, headaches and sometimes kidney failure and even death. Infants, younger children and immuno-compromised people are more at risk.Water from the Phantom Ranch area — including that being used to brush teeth, make ice and prepare food — should be brought to “a rolling boil” for one minute per 1,000 feet (305 meters) of elevation and then cooled before using, officials said.Phantom Ranch and the immediate vicinity — all reachable only by a long hike or mule ride from the canyon rim or by raft on the Colorado River — are the only areas of the park affected.Park officials are collecting more sampling to figure out the source of the bacteria a...

2 men face hate crime charges after spray painting swastikas, racist language in Round Lake Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. -- Two men have been charged after they spray painted swastikas and racist language Tuesday at a Walmart in Round Lake Beach.According to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, officers with the Round Lake Beach Police Department responded to a report claiming the Round Lake Beach Walmart had been defaced on Tuesday.Investigators determined several businesses in the 2000 block of Route 83 were spray painted with hate speech and swastikas. Student arrested after threatening Glenbard North High School principal While responding to the Walmart report, other officers saw 18-year-old David Dolan and 19-year-old Anthony Shields riding their bicycles near Rollins Road and Hainseville Road. Officers recognized Dolan from previous contacts and stopped both men.Officers found Dolan and Shields in possession of spray paint that matched the color of the graffiti painted onto the defaced businesses on Route 83.  During the investigation, officers were able to obtain addit...

Clear The Shelters could help Austin Animal Center reopen intake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Animal Center (AAC) will join other shelters around the nation Saturday in an annual effort — called Clear The Shelters — to get every animal inside its doors adopted. All adoptions will be free. For Central Texas shelters, like the AAC, the event comes at a time where overpopulation has forced the shelter to close its doors to most new animals. "We've had dogs that have actually been here for weeks, months and some of them even over a year," said Marisa Ledesma, rescue coordinator with the AAC. For the better part of a year, the Austin Animal Center has largely restricted intake, meaning if you find a pet you can't drop it off at the city shelter in most cases. The exceptions being if a pet is severely ill or a danger to the public. City responds to Austin Animal Center concerns To make matters worse, the shelter recently announced it was seeing an uptick in distemper cases, furthering the need to limit animals coming into the shelter. "It's something ...

LIVE: Westlake takes on Ridge Point on the road in season opener

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Typically, an appearance in the Class 6A-Division I semifinals is something any program would be elated about. However, Westlake isn't a typical program.After falling to Galena Park North Shore last season, snapping a 54-game winning streak and three consecutive state championships, the Chaparrals are leaning on a huge senior class to start a winning streak of their own, and it starts Friday in Missouri City against Ridge Point.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteThe game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m., and it will be streamed live in this story beginning at 7:20 p.m. for those in the KXAN viewing area. For those outside the area, the stream is available through the NFHS Network. There will be a subscription fee required to view the game on NFHS. If you miss the game Friday night, it will re-air at 7 p.m. Saturday on...

Wells Fargo fined $35M for overcharging advisory clients

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

Wells Fargo & Co. has agreed to pay a $35 million penalty to settle allegations that it overcharged more than 10,900 investment advisory accounts, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.The overcharges at two Wells Fargo units amounted to over $26.8 million in advisory fees, the SEC said in a statement Friday.Certain financial advisers “agreed to reduce the firms’ standard, pre-set advisory fees for certain clients and made handwritten or typed changes on the clients’ investment advisory agreements that reflected the reduced fees at the time their accounts were opened,” the regulator said in its order.“We’re pleased to resolve this matter,” Caroline Szyperski, a Wells Fargo spokesperson, said in a statement. “The process that caused this issue was corrected nearly a decade ago. And, as noted in the settlement documents, Wells Fargo Advisors conducted a thorough review of accounts and has fully reimbursed affected customers.”San Francisco-based Wells Fargo is Minnesota’...

Photos: Minnesota State Fair heats up while butter sculptures stay cool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

Fairgoers watch as the 70th Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emma Kuball, of Waterville, Minn. has her likeness sculpted into a 90-pound block of butter by artist Gerry Kulzer inside a refrigerated booth at the Dairy Building on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights on Friday Aug.25, 2023.T he sculpting will continue throughout the Fair, with the other nine Princess Kay finalists also having their likenesses sculpted in butter. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)People walk down Judson Street during another busy day at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Friday Aug. 25, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)People ride the Skyliner at the Midway on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Friday Aug. 25, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Fairgoers relax among “Art the Park” in front of the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Friday Aug. 25, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)A women holding a yellow umbrella keeps cool as she walks thro...

Teacher's union calls for funding, culture change amid educator shortage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:20:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – As the school year kicks off, schools across the country are facing another severe teacher shortage. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, says the pandemic made the teacher shortage worse.“The educator shortage that continues, it's not new it's chronic,” Pringle said.The shortage is leading some school districts to hire underqualified and uncertified teachers. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Pringle says the shortage is also creating larger class sizes, which makes helping students catch up from pandemic related learning loss even more difficult.“It is challenging, and it's overwhelming and it's exhausting,” Pringle said.She fears these challenges could drive even more teachers to leave unless things change. “That our students have textbooks and technology, we saw the light shining on those inequities during the pandemic, didn't we?” Pringle said.Part of the solution, accor...