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Edmonton police chief talks about growing violence, pushes to strike balance in city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

The police chief of Alberta’s capital city stood solemnly at a podium, at moments appearing to be welling up, as he took questions from reporters about the random killing of a mother and child outside a school in May.“I’ve got three daughters,” said Edmonton police Chief Dale McFee as he recalled the sadness he felt that day.He said he also feels frustrated that it couldn’t be stopped.“It’s impacting everybody.”The mother and child were stabbed to death by a stranger outside Crawford Plains School. The man, who police say was known to them and had mental health issues, was shot by officers and later died in a hospital.That tragedy, McFee said, stems from an imbalance between holding people accountable and protecting the vulnerable.He believes the city was close to striking that balance between 2018 and 2021 through community partnerships that helped bring down the crime rates by 20 per cent.“Then, all of a sudden, everything chan...

Orillia OPP charge three people with impaired driving in one night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

The Orillia division of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have arrested and charged three people with impaired driving, causing different collisions over a six-hour period and forcing Highway 11 to be closed for short periods of time.On Friday night at approximately 10:10 p.m. police responded to reports of a possible impaired driver on Highway 11. The vehicle was located by Orillia OPP officers near Westmount Drive and Coldwater Road, in the City of Orillia. The driver was determined to be impaired and was arrested by police. Tiffany Shibley, 55, of Markham was charged with operation while impaired, operation while prohibited, dangerous operation, taking a motor vehicle without consent and obstructing a police officerShibley was released on an undertaking to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Orillia on September 19.Saturday at approximately 12:35 a.m., officers responded to reports of a single motor vehicle collision on Highway 11 in Oro-Medonte. The driver of the motor v...

Toll from landslide in Georgia mountain resort up to 17 dead, 18 missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The death toll from a landslide that hit a resort area in the mountains of the country of Georgia increased to 17, officials and news reports said Saturday, on the third day of a search and rescue operation.The landslide hit the Shovi area on Thursday. Shovi, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the capital Tbilisi, is popular for its mineral springs and rugged mountain vistas and contains cottages and small hotels.The head of the Georgian Internal Affairs Ministry’s Emergency Management Service, Temur Mgebrishvili, confirmed the death of 17 people and noted that 18 people were still unaccounted for.Georgian authorities said that, of the dead, they had only been able to identify seven people and that DNA analysis would determine the identity of the other victims.Officials said the landslide apparently was triggered by heavy rainfall, aggravated by recent erosion in the area.The Associated Press

Niger’s junta asks for help from Russian group Wagner as it faces military intervention threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger’s new military junta has asked for help from the Russian mercenary group Wagner as the deadline nears for it to release the country’s ousted president or face possible military intervention by the West African regional bloc, according to an analyst.The request came during a visit by a coup leader, Gen. Salifou Mody, to neighboring Mali, where he made contact with someone from Wagner, Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, told The Associated Press. He said three Malian sources and a French diplomat confirmed the meeting first reported by France 24.“They need (Wagner) because they will become their guarantee to hold onto power,” he said, adding that the group is considering the request. A Western military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, told the AP they have also heard reports that the junta asked for help from Wagner in Mali.Niger’s junta faces a Sunday deadline s...

Pilot lectures passengers in viral pre-flight speech: 'He's fed up with all these childish adults'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A captain with American Airlines is earning support for a pre-flight speech in which he warned passengers to be courteous, respectful, and to generally refrain from being jerks to their seatmates.Footage containing the no-nonsense speech was shared to social media by Anna Leah Maltezos, an NYC-based writer, director and comedian who was on the recent flight.“It was an early morning flight out of NYC that had been delayed for a bit, so maybe he was just trying to lighten the mood,” Maltezos theorized in a statement shared with Nexstar concerning the captain’s sassy speech. Delayed flight strands passengers at NYC airport for 30 hours: ‘It’s been a circus’ Maltezos’ video, which has approximately 5 million views on Instagram, begins with the captain in mid-speech, lecturing passengers on the need to abide by the flight attendants’ instructions.“You will listen to what they have to say, because they represent my will in the cockpit, or in the cabin. And my will ...

Florida cemetery buries widow with wrong husband — not once, but twice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

BUSHNELL, Fla. (WFLA) — For the second time in the past year, a deceased widow has been interred with the wrong late husband at Florida National Cemetery.The veteran's cemetery, located in Bushnell, first came under scrutiny last August when the cremains of a woman were mistakenly mixed with the wrong veteran's cremains.This summer, there was another mistake: A widow's casket was found in a crypt with the wrong late husband. ‘Breaking Bad’ actor Mark Margolis dead at 83 Jack Hales, a Texas attorney who specializes in cemetery and funeral home negligence, called the mistakes "horrendous." "It's a very special type of trust that you're giving and it opens that floodgate for, 'What else was wrong?'" Hales said. "If they say they fixed it, can I trust that fix really happened?"Local morticians who were contacted by Nexstar's WFLA declined to comment on the mix-ups, due to their working relationships with the cemetery.(WFLA)The most recent mistake was discovered in June. A widow from ...

Paws Chicago pet of the week: Meet Camillo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

Meet Camillo, our Paws Chicago pet of the week!Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

'Bed rotting': Some call it self care, but experts urge caution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – It may sound like a painful medical condition, but the TikTok trend of "bed rotting" is actually a form of self care, some claim.The practice involves spending the day in bed, scrolling through social media, binge-streaming one's favorite shows, sleeping or doing other relaxing activities."Younger generations are really embracing this concept of soft living, being able to live a more stress-free life," according to one TikTok video, which shows a young woman in a gray sweater lying in bed, a calico cat kneading her back. "It's time with yourself and your loved ones in bed and it's intentional. So we're definitely for it."At least one sleep scientist is fully on board."There's a new trend called bed rotting, and it's actually perfect," PhD candidate Vanessa Hill said in a TikTok video. "Bed rotting is when they do literally nothing but lay in bed. It's the end of optimization, and anti-productivity because you are wasting away under a blanket and the nothingness is your b...

Crash involving 2 18-wheelers shuts down roadways, part of I-35 in Georgetown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — First responders in Georgetown arrived at the scene of a crash between two 18-wheeler trucks Saturday morning, according to officials.The Georgetown Police Department said two southbound frontage lanes in front of George’s on the Town were shut down and one southbound lane on IH-35 was shut down. All roadways have since been reopened, according to police.The Georgetown Fire Department said crews worked to rescue one entrapped patient during the early morning big rig rescue.Fire Crews work to rescue an entrapped patient (Georgetown Fire Department photo) Fire Crews work to rescue an entrapped patient (Georgetown Fire Department photo) Fire Crews work to rescue an entrapped patient (Georgetown Fire Department photo) Fire Crews work to rescue an entrapped patient (Georgetown Fire Department photo) GPD said no injuries resulted from the crash, but the trucks were not drivable.

Austin woman part of abortion lawsuit speaks after judge issues injunction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Amanda Zurwaski burst into tears just as she boarded her flight to go visit her brother heading into the weekend. This happened as she received news a Texas judge issued a temporary injunction over exceptions to state abortion laws. The ruling blocks elements of Texas’ abortion ban for people with severe pregnancy complications. RELATED: Texas judge issues injunction in lawsuit over exceptions to state abortion laws Zurwaski was one of the five plaintiffs who sued the state after they said they were denied abortion access, despite having pregnancy complications that risked their lives or the life of their baby."We're just so excited and proud that a court of law acknowledged and ruled that we were harmed and this is wrong, and it shouldn't be happening," Zurwaski said. The ruling clears things up for doctors on when they can provide abortions. Those cases include medical conditions that pose a risk of infection or unsafe pregnancy that could pose a risk to the mot...