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Conservative deputy calls MP ‘unhinged’ for linking Poilievre and Winnipeg killings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — Federal Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman is calling a Metro Vancouver MP “unhinged” for a social media post that questioned if there was a connection between Pierre Poilievre and a weekend shooting in Manitoba that killed four people.Liberal Ken Hardie, who represents the B.C. riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, posted on Monday that the shooting that left four dead in Winnipeg was “beyond troubling” and asked if it was connected to a “burn everything down” attitude creeping in from the United States.His post on X, formerly known as Twitter, then referred to Conservative Leader Poilievre, asking if he was the “creep” on the Canadian side.Lantsman responded by referring to a previous instance when Hardie said Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels would be proud of Conservative MPs, calling Hardie “unhinged then” and “unhinged now.”Conservative spokesman Sebastian Skamski said in a statement it wa...

Peru’s top prosecutor blames President Boluarte for deaths of protesters as political crisis deepens

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s attorney general on Monday blamed President Dina Boluarte and her prime minister for the deaths of “several” anti-government protesters earlier this year, and charged them with first-degree murder before the nation’s congress in a procedure known as a “constitutional complaint.”A congressional committee must now review the complaint, which could lead to a trial if the charges are approved by a majority of the nation’s lawmakers.Peru’s constitution protects heads of state from most criminal charges while they are still in office. This means the complaint filed Monday against Boluarte would most likely initiate a trial after she finishes her term or if she is ousted from office through other means, such as an impeachment vote.Peru has had five presidents since 2016, with none finishing their terms, and two of them impeached by the nation’s powerful congress.The charges pressed against Boluarte deepen a political crisis that broke out last year foll...

One year after protests shook China, participants ponder the meaning of the brief flare of defiance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — A year ago, Li Houchen was on the streets of Shanghai, hollering “Freedom!” to protest China’s harsh “zero COVID” policy and growing authoritarianism.He was one of thousands of people demonstrating across China in what came to be called the White Paper movement, after the blank sheets of paper protesters used to represent the country’s strict censorship controls.Yet one year later, China has all but forgotten the protests. The state reacted quickly, breaking up the marches with arrests and threats and abruptly lifting COVID-19 controls.The protests were a brief flare of defiance, the most direct challenge to the Communist Party’s authority in decades. For the young people who took part, it was their first protest. Now, many of them are pondering what’s next.Today, Li lives in Tokyo, fulfilling a vow to himself to leave his homeland and go into exile to document the tumultuous events in China last year. He’s written a 448-page book, “Records of the Plague Year: From Th...

Minnesota Wild replace coach Dean Evason with John Hynes after losing 14 of first 19 games

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild fired coach Dean Evason and replaced him with John Hynes on Monday after losing seven straight games and 14 of their first 19 to start to the NHL season.General manager Bill Guerin announced the moves, including the firing of assistant Bob Woods. Hynes, the former New Jersey and Nashville coach, will take over. The Wild planned a news conference with Guerin and Hynes for Tuesday, prior to their game against St. Louis.Evason, 59, had three full seasons in charge of the Wild, who gave him his first head coaching job in the NHL on Feb. 14, 2020, when Bruce Boudreau was fired and he was promoted from his assistant role. He went 147-77-27 in 251 regular season games and 8-15 in the postseason without winning any series.Hynes, 48, is 284-255-63 in eight NHL seasons. The Predators fired him on May 30, six weeks after missing the playoffs. They lost in the opening round in each of three previous years, starting in 2020 when he was hired midseason to repl...

Charges filed against man accused of armed robbery in Loop

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

CHICAGO — Charges have been filed against a Chicago man accused of robbing a person at gunpoint in the Loop on Sunday morning.Chicago police say 21-year-old Michael Odulaja, a South Shore resident, is facing three felony charges, including robbery with a firearm, attempted robbery with a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. CPD: 14 people robbed at gunpoint in 3 hours According to police, Odulaja allegedly entered a business in the 200 block of North LaSalle Stree just before 9 a.m. and robbed a man at gunpoint. Officers say only minutes later he allegedly attempted to rob a man in the 200 block of North Dearborn Street.Police say they eventually caught Odulaja in the 100 block of West Wacker Drive just after 9:15 a.m. and recovered a weapon during his arrest.Odulaja appeared in court on Monday for a detention hearing.

What happened to Austin's $515M homelessness fundraising initiative?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A major fundraising initiative aimed at helping end homelessness, which was championed by former City of Austin leaders, has flown under the radar for the last year as the City now has new leadership. Finding Home ATX was a project created out of the Spring 2021 Summit to Address Unsheltered Homelessness, according to its website. The goals that came out of that summit were as follows: house 3,000 additional unsheltered people, add 1,300 new affordable housing units for people experiencing homelessness and "build a better, more effective Homelessness Response System." To get there, the City -- under former Mayor Steve Adler -- and its partners in combatting homelessness, created an overall fundraising goal of $515 million. That included money from private donors, the City, Travis County, the state and service providers. City officials have previously given updates on the fundraising effort, but this time directed us to the chair of Finding Home ATX. Travis County po...

Central Texas man's family among hostages released by Hamas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire agreement for two more days, according to the Qatari government. Israel and Hamas agree to extend truce for two more days, and to free more hostages and prisoners So far, 58 hostages have been released during the current deal, including 39 Israelis. Among those freed are relatives of a Central Texas man. 'Roller coaster of emotions'Dori Roberts said it was the news he was desperately hoping for. "Text messages saying like, they're free, they're out," Roberts said. "They're back home." PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Central Texas man says family members seized by Hamas militants in Israel His cousin and her two daughters were among the Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas for nearly two months. Dori Roberts said his three relatives were among the Israeli hostages freed from Hamas. (Photo: Ashe Family)Dori Roberts said his three relatives were among the Israeli hostages freed from Hamas. (Photo: Ashe Family)Dori Roberts s...

New allegations about former St. Louis-area police officer charged with assaulting arrestees

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Authorities allege that a former suburban St. Louis police officer who is charged with sexually assaulting several arrestees also covertly took photos of people in public bathrooms.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 34-year-old Marcellis Blackwell, of St. Louis, is not charged with the latest allegation. But federal prosecutors discussed the covert photographing allegation Monday in seeking to have him remain jailed until his trial.Blackwell had worked for the North County Police Cooperative, which polices eight small municipalities, for just over a year when he was charged with taking some people he arrested to isolated areas before he turned off his body camera and abused them.He faces 16 counts of deprivation of rights and five counts of altering records in a federal investigation. He was also charged in St. Louis County with arresting and sexually assaulting a handcuffed man near Normandy High School. Bi-State may run Loop Trolley one year longer than pl...

Driver blasts Google Maps for desert road detour on trip to L.A.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

Google Maps is being blamed for leading a number of drivers on their way back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas down a dirt road to nowhere during a dust storm in the Mojave Desert earlier this month.  The unsettling detour happened on Nov. 19 as Shelby Easler, her brother and their significant others were returning to L.A. after enjoying the Formula 1 race in Sin City, SFGATE reported.  In order to avoid a dust storm causing major traffic delays that day, Google Maps suggested an alternate route to I-15, the primary highway connecting Las Vegas to Southern California.  According to the Bay Area outlet, it was the couple's first time driving back and forth between the two cities and they were unaware that they should just stick to Interstate 15.  “We ironically thought it would be a safer option, and it did say it would be 50 minutes faster,” she told SFGate. A short time later, Easler and company, along with what appears to be at least a dozen other cars, found them...

Transient marred Burbank synagogue with antisemitic graffiti, police say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:18 GMT

The Burbank Police Department is looking for a transient they say vandalized several locations with antisemitic graffiti on Friday.Klinton Dion is seen in undated mugshots provided by the Burbank Police Department. Klinton Allister Dion, 32, is wanted for a hate crime after he allegedly vandalized the Temple Emanu El at 1302 N. Glenoaks Blvd., the underground garage of an apartment complex in the 400 block of East Cypress Avenue and a city-owned utility box nearby.Klinton Dion is seen in undated surveillance photos provided by the Burbank Police Department. He is "known to frequent Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Temple City, El Segundo and Los Angeles," police said in a news release, adding that he "has a faint tattoo above his left eyebrow."Anyone with information is asked to call Detective J. Voorhis at 818-238-3210 or email [email protected].