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Ontario politician pitches a ‘pick-your-own’ stat holiday plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

A potential leadership candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party wants to see Ontarians take a little extra time off.Unlike a standard statutory holiday that sees the entire province take the same day off, this proposal would allow you to pick your own holiday.“In Ontario, more than a third of our population represents a visible minority,” said Dr. Adil Shamji, Liberal MPP for Don Valley East. “There are nine statutory holidays that really don’t reflect the diversity of the many cultures in our province.”Shamji wants to allow each Ontario resident to pick one additional holiday, which could fall anywhere on the calendar.“My proposed policy will deliver one flexible, floating holiday to every person in Ontario that they can choose to celebrate or commemorate on a day of personal, cultural or religious importance,” said Shamji.“This is a way of being genuinely inclusive and making sure that every person in Ontario feels represented, feels ...

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks.Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago.Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements:UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVEPutin asserted that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive.He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the “large-scale” operation on June 4, but he claimed that the effort has failed to score gains and that Ukraine has lost 10 times more soldiers than Russia. His claims could not be verified.Putin declared that Ukraine lost 160 battle tanks and over 300 other armored vehicles, while Russia only lost 54 tanks. He alleged that the Ukrainia...

Thieves steal 6 cars from Portage Park dealership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

CHICAGO — Three people are accused of breaking into a Portage Park dealership early Tuesday morning and stealing a total of six cars, according to the Chicago Police Department.Around 3:30 a.m., three people broke a window to get into the City Volkswagen of Chicago dealership in the 5300 block of West Irving Park Road, according to police. The people, identified as three males, then stole three cars. 5 teens injured after stolen vehicle crashes into fire hydrant on South Side About an hour and a half later, the group returned and stole three more cars, according to police.No one has been arrested yet.The incidents are still under investigation by Area 5 detectives.

Feds: Man allegedly had several guns while selling drugs in Chicago suburbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is facing federal charges after he allegedly had several weapons and sold fentanyl and heroin in numerous Chicago suburbs. 5 injured after school bus overturns on Dan Ryan Expressway Provided/U.S. Attorney’s OfficeOmari Andrews, Jr., 23, allegedly had an AR-15 and three handguns while he sold fentanyl and heroin in Westmont, Villa Park, Des Plaines and Hillside, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.When law enforcement officers searched his Mt. Prospect home in March, they found fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, marijuana and loaded firearms, according to the release.Andrews is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to be arranged at 1 p.m. on June 20.

Teen, 14, hired by SpaceX after graduating from Santa Clara University

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Kairan Quazi, 14, just made history as Santa Clara University's youngest-ever graduate. The Bay Area's wonder kid earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and engineering, and completed graduate-level courses in machine learning, a branch of Artificial Intelligence. So what's next for Quazi? "Next stop...SpaceX!!! I accepted a position as Software Engineer at one of the coolest companies on the planet! Thank you everyone for continuing to follow my crazy journey!" Quazi wrote in a post to his Instagram page, which included screenshots of his SpaceX job offer. This summer, he will be moving with his biggest supporter, his mother Julia, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Washington to join SpaceX’s Starlink team, according to The Mercury News. Virginia 1st-grade teacher who was shot by student was fired, attorney says On top of being exceptionally brilliant, Quazi had an impressive resume to show during his SpaceX job interview. He interned for...

Skilling: Cloudy until sunshine breaks through Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

It's be among the 6% coolest June 13's of the past 153 years. Only 8 other June 13's have produced a high temp as cool or cooler than today's rainy 65 degrees high.Tuesday's 65 was 15 degrees below normal and equaled Chicago's "normal" high temps April 27-29. In other words, the temp we experienced Tuesday was similar to those which occur nearly 6 weeks earlier.Some much needed rain has occurred—but hardly enough to make a dent in the ongoing drought. It was that rain and the day's extensive cloud covering swirling into the area of the back side of sluggish low pressure mired in an atmospheric blocking pattern which was behind early summer "chill."What's interesting was how close 80 degrees temps have been Tuesday. They've occurred within just over 200 miles from Chicago—both in downstate Illinois and Indiana and to the west across much of Iowa.What's also interesting is how much warmer it was last year when the June 13 high hit 89 degrees and Chicago was on the precipice of what wa...

Austin officials begin relocating people from a Gaines Creek homeless encampment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin officials began the relocation process Tuesday for houseless people staying in a Gaines Creek area encampment which has become a public health concern, according to Austin Public Health.  This effort is part of the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative, which executes closures of homeless encampments that pose the highest public safety and health concerns. The moving of this encampment is the result of extensive planning across city departments and social service providers, per APH. “I have toured this encampment, and the need to relocate was very apparent. There are many people living there in immediate need of emergency shelter and resources. With evidence of campfires for cooking or warmth, wildfire protection was a critical priority. This relocation is a positive development for the community that will promote public health and safety while connecting many to the vital services they need to strengthen their quality of ...

Why is the sky so hazy in Austin?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A combination of "humidity haze" and light amounts of smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico are leading to unhealthy air quality for some in our area Monday evening, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).Hazy skies obscured some of the searing sunshine across Central Texas on Monday. Copious amounts of atmospheric moisture leading to a sauna-like feeling outside also create more particulate matter in the atmosphere, lowering visibility and decreasing air quality slightly.In addition, the TCEQ is tracking light to moderate amounts of residual smoke from agricultural burning in Mexico transported into Texas by south winds.These two factors combined to worsen air quality in the Austin area into the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category, meaning people with heart or lung disease, older adults, teens and children should limit strenuous outdoor activities.Air quality was downgraded in Austin to "unhealthy for sensitive groups" on Monday...

Texas heatwave an 'exceptional event driven by climate change,' scientist says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — "The types of temperatures that we're seeing this week are extremely unlikely to happen in a world without climate change," MIT climate scientist Dr. Daniel Gilford said. Record-setting June heatwave builds As the First Warning Weather team predicts Austin's hottest June 14-20 period on record with an average high temperature of 104°+ over the next week, a new tool from Climate Central attributes the heat wave to manmade climate change."The Climate Shift Index is a tool that helps us discover the fingerprints of climate change on our day-to-day weather," Gilford, who works with Climate Central, said.Climate Central's Climate Shift Index tool indicates how much climate change has altered the frequency of daily temperatures at a particular location (image: Climate Central)The tool examines the frequency of Austin's temperatures throughout history, both in an unaltered past climate and in the current human-altered climate. It then compares the probability of recording...

Mystery of bench in iconic Norman Rockwell painting "solved"

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:37:41 GMT

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- NEWS10 viewers may recall Anya Tucker’s story about Norman Rockwell model Mary Leonard Whalen celebrating the 70th anniversary of "The Young Lady With The Shiner". The painting was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. After the story aired, NEWS10 began receiving emails from folks saying they knew where the bench in the picture could be found. THE PRINCIPAL'S DOOR:According to school officials and archivists, Rockwell borrowed the principal’s door from an elementary school in Cambridge, New York as a prop for the iconic painting. It’s now in part of a display created by teacher Steve Butz.THE BENCH:The whereabouts of the bench that Mary sat on as she posed on for the painting remained a mystery. That was until Dave Blanchard saw Anya's original story. “So, Anya, this is the Norman Rockwell bench. I saw it in your story," said Blanchard, who is the Superintendent for the Schoharie Central School District. The bench sits right outside his off...