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Tornado recovery tough in Mississippi, one of poorest states

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — A massive tornado obliterated the modest one-story home that Kimberly Berry shared with her two daughters in the Mississippi Delta flatlands, leaving only the foundation and random belongings — a toppled refrigerator, a dresser and matching nightstand, a bag of Christmas decorations, some clothing.During the storm Friday, Berry and her 12-year-old daughter huddled and prayed at a nearby church that was barely damaged, while her 25-year-old daughter survived in the hard-hit town of Rolling Fork, some 15 miles (24 kilometers) away.Berry shook her head as she looked at the remains of their material possessions. She said she’s grateful she and her children are still alive.“I can get all this back. It’s nothing,” said Berry, 46, who works as a supervisor at a catfish growing and processing operation. “I’m not going to get depressed about it.”Like many people in this economically struggling area, she faces an uncertain future. Mississippi is one of the poorest s...

Quebec girl, 9, dies after snow fort collapses behind residence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

SAINT-UBALDE, Que. — A nine-year-old girl has died after a snow fort collapsed in a forest behind a rural Quebec home.The young victim was building a fort with another girl, 7, when it collapsed on them in the town of St-Ubalde, about 100 kilometres west of Quebec City.Quebec provincial police were called to the scene at 2:40 p.m. Sunday along with local firefighters and ambulance technicians.First responders tried to resuscitate the nine-year-old before she was transported to hospital, where her death was confirmed, police spokeswoman Béatrice Dorsainville said Sunday evening.The other girl, 7, was injured but authorities don’t fear for her life.An investigator and forensic teams will take a look at the scene, Dorsainville said, adding she couldn’t say if the youngsters were accompanied by an adult when the collapse occurred.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.The Canadian Press

Supreme Court rejects case of Oklahoma teen killed by police

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t hear a civil rights case brought by the parents of a teenager who was naked and unarmed when he was fatally shot by an Oklahoma police officer in 2019.The high court on Monday rejected without comment the lawsuit bought by the parents of Isaiah Lewis. Police have said that the 17-year-old was shot after he broke into a home in Edmond and attacked two officers. They have said that a stun gun had no effect on him.Lewis’ lawyers wrote that on the day he was shot he had inadvertently smoked marijuana laced with PCP. His parents argued that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and that police used excessive force. An autopsy report found Lewis suffered a total of four gunshot wounds to his face, thighs and groin.A federal trial court judge had allowed the lawsuit against the officer who shot Lewis to go forward, but a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver reversed that ruling. The Supreme Court...

Sheriff: Man who fled traffic stop shoots officer in Florida

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A man who sped away from a traffic stop in Florida last week shot and critically wounded a sheriff’s officer before killing himself following a standoff at his home, officials said.The shooting early Sunday morning left Officer Malik Daricaud, 25, in “tenuous condition” and “fighting for his life,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a news conference. When no one answered the door at Tyliko Maduro’s home, the officers contacted the 32-year-old man’s mother, Waters said, describing the body cam footage. She agreed to come over, and approached the front door with one officer, while another was stationed around the corner of the house and Daricaud stayed a few feet back. She knocked a couple of times and yelled, “hello,” before unlocking and pushing open the door. A dog came out the door and a volley of shots rang out.Daricaud fell backwards and collapsed onto the ground, Waters said. The other officers and Maduro’s mother wer...

India expels Rahul Gandhi, Modi critic, from Parliament

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top opposition leader and fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expelled from Parliament Friday, a day after a court convicted him of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison for mocking the surname Modi in an election speech.The actions against Rahul Gandhi, the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister, were widely condemned by opponents of Modi as the latest assaults against democracy and free speech by a ruling government seeking to crush dissent. Removing Gandhi from politics delivered a major blow to the opposition party he led ahead of next year’s national elections.A local court from Modi’s home state of Gujarat convicted Gandhi on Thursday for a 2019 speech in which he asked, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” Gandhi then referred to three well-known and unrelated Modis in the speech: a fugitive Indian diamond tycoon, a cricket executive banned from the Indian Premier League tournament and the prime mi...

Border crossings returning to pre-pandemic opening hours

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Opening hours are being extended at 39 border crossings with the United States and at several airports across the country as the Canada Border Services Agency returns to pre-pandemic hours. The changes will take effect on March 31.The border agency first restricted hours at land border crossings in April 2020, closing many points of entry early and stopping 24-hour service at seven crossings.Six crossing points in Quebec and the Regway crossing in Saskatchewan will again be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The three airports getting updated hours are Whetstone International Airport in Del Bonita, Alta., Piney Pinecreek Border Airport in Piney, Man., and Scobey Border Station Airport in Coronach, Sask. The news comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa for meetings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on cross-border issues.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2023.The Canadian Press

Rushed daylight-saving decisions puts Lebanon in 2 time zones

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday.With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in a country that is just 88 kilometers (55 miles) at its widest point.In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation’s largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move.The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries.However, on Thursday, the government announced a decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to push the start of daylight saving to April 21.No reason was given for the decision, but a video of a meetin...

Burned homes sit for months in Texas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Neighbors in two different parts of Austin, Texas, are frustrated as burned and damaged properties have sat in disrepair for months. Diana Melcer Whitson said the view from her north Austin home is eye-catching for all the wrong reasons. Her neighbor's home is fire-damaged, and the yard is filled with mannequins, vacant vehicles and painted signs. “It says, 'Love thy neighbor, even if she is bat-s--- crazy'”, Whitson read as she looked across the street. “It's just gotten worse.”Whitson said neighbors in her community have been trying for years to get the owner to clean up. Austin Code Department records show eight complaints in the last three years.A code department spokesperson described a back-and-forth process where the owner would clean up sometimes to get in compliance, but not act on other violation notices.The code department even got a warrant to remove junk from the front and back yards, but the spokesperson said the owner kept collecting more stuff....

In The Month Of Ramadan, We Honour Fatima Al-Fihri

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

Trial set to begin this week for man accused of shooting, killing Austin protester in 2020

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:20:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The first steps of a trial for the man accused of shooting and killing Austin protester Garrett Foster in July 2020 happen Monday. Daniel Perry, an Army sergeant, was indicted in the case in 2021 on felony charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of deadly conduct.Investigators say Foster, 28, had been participating in a march against police violence when he was shot and killed.Police said Perry was driving downtown when he turned onto Congress Avenue near Fourth Street. Protesters — including Foster, who was armed — surrounded the car, and Perry fired from inside the car, the Austin Police Department said.Perry’s attorney said at the time the shooting was in self-defense. Soldier who shot Austin protester Garrett Foster reveals identity, claims self defense, attorney says Jury selection for the trial begins Monday at 9 a.m., according to Perry's attorneys Clint Broden and Douglas O'Connell.Separately, Foster's family...