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Meteorologists don’t expect significant rainfall in Quebec fire hot spots this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

MONTREAL — Wildfires in northern Quebec continue to rage despite recent rainfall, and the coming days will bring a risk of lighting, which could spark more fires if strikes hit dry ground, Environment and Climate Change Canada says.The rain that fell earlier this week was insufficient to put out the fires, meteorologist Steven Flisfefer told reporters Wednesday. And a forecast model suggests fire hot spots are unlikely to receive the more significant precipitation expected further south in the next few days, he added.“There has been a bit of help from the rain for those battling forest fires, but unfortunately those fires continue,” Flisfefer said. Areas most affected by fires received between 15 and 40 millimetres of rain between Sunday and Wednesday, with possibly higher amounts in only localized areas.Meanwhile, wildfire smoke has led the federal weather agency to issue special air quality statements for all of southern Ontario and much of western Quebec. The meteorol...

President talks up ‘Bidenomics’ though new poll shows just 34% approve his handling of the economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden made his pitch Wednesday to a skeptical public that the U.S. economy is thriving under what he now touts as “Bidenomics” — even as a new poll showed that could be a hard sell as the foundation for his 2024 reelection campaign.In a major economic speech in Chicago, Biden said his administration’s efforts were sparking recovery after Republican policies had crushed America’s middle class. But the poll said only one in three U.S. adults approve of his economic leadership.That 34% figure is even lower than his overall approval rating of 41%, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Biden’s approval figures have barely moved for the past year and a half, a source of concern for a president pursuing a second term on his ability to govern and focus on workers. He wants voters to connect local roads and bridge projects, factory construction and the rise of electric vehicles and renewa...

Russia outlaws critical news outlet as ‘undesirable’ in continued crackdown on dissent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian authorities on Wednesday declared a news outlet critical of the Kremlin an “undesirable” organization, effectively banning it from operating in Russia as part of a continued crackdown on dissent.Novaya Gazeta Europe was founded by former journalists of the prominent independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta that was stripped of its media license last year. It operates from outside Russia.Prosecutor General’s office accused the outlet of “creating and disseminating materials to the detriment of the interests” of Russia — namely, “false information about alleged wide-spread violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens in Russia, accusations against our country of unleashing an aggressive war on Ukraine, of committing war crimes against civilian population, and of repressions.”Labeling the publication “undesirable” outlaws its operation in Russia and exposes its journalists, others working with it and its donors to criminal charges.In ...

Extortion threat fueled New Jersey political murder-for-hire plot, prosecutors say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey political consultant who hired two career criminals to kill a colleague plotted the slaying because the fellow consultant sought to extort money from him, prosecutors said in a court filing made public Wednesday.Sean Caddle, a former Democratic campaign consultant, is scheculed to be sentenced Thursday for his role in the murder-for-hire scheme that resulted in the death of fellow political operative Michael Galdieri in Jersey City in 2014.Federal prosecutors have long cloaked the case in secrecy, revealing few details about the killing even after Caddle pleaded guilty in 2022, citing an ongoing investigation. But authorities finally outlined the motive for the first time in the court filing, saying Caddle and Galdieri were longtime friends and collaborators on political campaigns whose relationship had gone sour.Caddle told investigators he had become concerned that Galdieri was abusing drugs, but felt compelled to help him with money and occasiona...

Oregon governor names new secretary of state after last one resigned over work for pot industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — LaVonne Griffin-Valade has been appointed Oregon’s new secretary of state, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek announced in a news release Wednesday, filling the vacancy created when Shemia Fagan resigned last month over criticism for her consultancy work for a marijuana business.Griffin-Valade worked as a government performance auditor for more than 16 years, according to Kotek’s news release.“I told Oregonians in May that the primary objective of our next Secretary of State was to restore confidence in the office. LaVonne Griffin-Valade has the professional background and ethical judgment to rise above politics and lead the important work of the agency forward,” Kotek said. “This role demands accountability and transparency, especially at this moment, and I am eager to see her leadership restore faith in the Secretary of State’s office.”Fagan quit her post in early May after coming under fire for her side work for as a paid consultant for marijuana r...

United Airlines experiencing crew, weather problems

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

A summer storm in the Northeast is creating crew scheduling problems, delays and cancellations across the country. Chicago-based United appears to be the hardest hit airline with some flight attendants telling WGN Investigates they’ve been stuck in cities without hotel rooms and waited on hold for hours to find out their flight assignments.“It’s the worst I’ve seen it in 20 years,” said one flight attendant who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.  Other flight attendants shared screenshots with WGN Investigates showing they had been on hold with United’s crew scheduling phone center for as long as nine hours.   An internal company communication told employees there were approximately 400 calls waiting to be answered with the longest wait time at that moment of four hours.A United spokesperson did not directly respond to questions about whether the airline’s crew scheduling system was overwhelmed.   Related: Wi...

How Chicago authorities are preparing for the NASCAR Street Race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

CHICAGO — As crews continue to work to complete construction on the grounds of the 2.2-mile course downtown, a number of entities in Chicago are making their own preparations for the first NASCAR street race. Officials from the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, Chicago Police, Chicago Fire Department, and NASCAR gathered Wednesday to address some of their plans ahead of the event on Saturday and Sunday. They are not only dealing with the first-time event but also the upcoming July 4th holiday on Tuesday, making for one of the busiest weekends of 2023 for Chicago. What to know about NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race Week In terms of air quality, which has been low in Chicago the past few days, OEMC interim executive director Jose Tirado said they are monitoring the situation with the Illinois EPA. They don't anticipate being in an air quality alert when the on-track activity begins Saturday but will adjust if smoke from the Canadian wildfires continues to move t...

A great performance from a veteran guard ends Sky's losing skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

CHICAGO — The longest losing skid of the 2023 season for the Chicago Sky has come to an end thanks to a big day from a veteran guard.Courtney Williams scored a season-high 21 points in a Wednesday matinee at Wintrust Arena against the Sparks, helping the hosts to an 80-63 win over Los Angeles. In the process, she helped snap a six-game losing skid as the Sky won their first game since beating the Fever at home on June 6. The recent difficult stretch erased what was a strong start to the season for the new-look squad, as Wednesday's win improves the team to 6-9 on the season.The Sky outscored the Sparks by ten in the second quarter and continued to pull away for the rest of the second half, with Williams leading the way.She was 9-of-15 from the field with a trio of three-pointers in the effort to go along with her team-high seven rebounds in arguably her best game of the season. In her first year with the Sky, the guard averaged 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game coming into the cont...

Almost 3,000 Texans had an abortion in Kansas last year, state data shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Almost 3,000 Texas women received an abortion in Kansas last year, new data shows. At the same time, the number of abortions performed in Texas ground to a halt in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade.The Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision on June 24, 2022, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion. The ruling gave states the authority to limit or ban the procedure. Number of abortions in Texas dropped 99.5% in the months after Roe v. Wade was overturned A trigger law in Texas went into effect in August 2022, banning most abortions in the state. Abortion is also banned in neighboring Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, meaning Texas women who want the procedure must travel to states like Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico.According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 2,978 abortions were performed on Texas residents last year, including 50 under the age of 18.The total number is...

Twins’ offense quiet as team suffers sweep in Atlanta

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

ATLANTA — Willi Castro was nearing third base for what would have been his second stolen base of the day when Christian Vázquez stung a ball towards center. Hit more toward the left or more toward the right, it could have found grass and Castro could have scored the Twins’ first run of the game and cut the Atlanta Braves’ lead in half.Instead, his screamer went right toward center fielder Michael Harris II, who gloved it and easily doubled Castro off of second base. It was that kind of day for the Twins, who were unable to manufacture much offensively in a 3-0 loss to the Braves on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park.The loss caps a three-game sweep at the hands of the National League’s best team and concludes a grueling stretch of 16 games in as many days, which the Twins finished 7-9. It also drops the Twins (40-42) back to two games under .500 after a series in which they finished 0 for 23 with runners in scoring position.The Twins had the leadoff runner on base in three innings, ...