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Judge to allow Ottawa residents to testify in ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers’ trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

OTTAWA — The presiding judge in the criminal trial of two “Freedom Convoy” organizers ruled Wednesday that eight local Ottawa residents will be allowed to testify.Tamara Lich and Chris Barber are facing charges related to their roles in organizing the protest that brought thousands of big-rig trucks to Ottawalast year, where demonstrators remained for three weeks.Lich’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon asked the judge not to let the locals testify, arguing their testimony would be irrelevant.Lich and Barber have already signed admissions that the actions of certain individuals who participated in the protest interfered with public transit and the lawful use and enjoyment of property and businesses.Justice Heather Perkins-McVey says the defence cannot force the Crown to accept the admissions, and will allow the witnesses to be heard.To bar the locals from taking the stand would “unfairly or irreparably cause damage” to the Crown’s discretion to call evide...

Biden says the FTC’s proposed ban on junk fees will help families and ‘honest’ businesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed a rule to ban any hidden and bogus junk fees, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills.President Joe Biden has made the removal of these fees a priority of his administration. The Democrat’s effort has led to a legislative push and a spate of initiatives aimed at helping consumers. Administration officials have said these additional costs can inflate prices and waste people’s time.“These junk fees may not matter to the wealthy, but they sure matter to working folks in homes like the one I grew up in,” Biden said in remarks at the White House Rose Garden.The president added that junk fees also make it “harder for honest businesses who are trying to do the right thing.” He noted that the crackdown is part of a broader effort that has included cooperation between the government and companies including Airbnb, Live Nation, Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.The FTC proposal is ...

The number of US citizens killed in the Israel-Hamas war rises to 22

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of U.S. citizens confirmed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to 22, the State Department said Wednesday.That’s an increase from the 14 who’d been confirmed dead one day earlier.‘We have to be crystal clear. There is no justification for terrorism,” President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday. “The United States has Israel’s back and we’re going to be working on this through the day and beyond.’Matthew Lee, The Associated Press

Former Slovak president convicted of tax fraud, receives a fine and suspended sentence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — A court in Slovakia found Wednesday former President Andrej Kiska guilty of tax fraud and gave him a two-year suspended sentence.The county court in the city of Poprad also handed him a fine of 15,000 euros (about $16,000).The verdict is not final and his legal team said he planned to appeal it. Kiska, 60, had pleaded not guilty. The case dates back to 2014 when Kiska was running for president. At the time, he was a successful businessman-turned-philanthropist and a political newcomer.According to the court, Kiska illegally included tax receipts from the presidential campaign in the books of his KTAG family company.Such activities were not part of the firm’s business.KTAG through Kiska’s associate Eduard Kuckovsky then claimed a tax return worth more than 155,000 euros (about $165,000). Kuckovsky also received a suspended sentence and a fine.At the time, Kiska beat then populist Prime Minister Robert Fico in the race to become the country’s president for ...

Jill Biden is recognizing 15 young women from around the US for work to improve their communities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fifteen young women from around the United States are being honored at the White House on Wednesday for their advocacy on a range of issues in their communities, from lobbying for tighter gun laws and against banning books to encouraging civic engagement among Latinos and ensuring that everyone has access to menstrual supplies.The issues that earned these 15 teenagers a trip to the White House are also priorities for the Biden administration, including first lady Jill Biden, who was convening the first “Girls Leading Change” event to celebrate Wednesday’s designation by President Joe Biden as International Day of the Girl. The honorees, including a pair of twins, range in age from 15 to 18 and represent 13 states.“These young women are protecting and preserving the earth, writing and sharing stories that change minds and turning their pain into purpose,” Jill Biden said in a written statement before the ceremony. “Together, they represent the potential of you...

Ontario seizes 95 raccoons from rehab facility that says it has done nothing wrong

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

Ontario has seized nearly 100 raccoons from a rehab facility that says it has done nothing wrong.A spokeswoman for Mally’s Third Chance Raccoon Rescue and Rehabilitation says the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry took 95 raccoons from its facility two weeks ago.Tiffany Devon says there were more than 30 conservation officers and police officers in what she describes as a raid.She says the ministry has revoked the rehab facility’s wildlife custodian licence, but she says Mally’s has done no wrong.A copy of the warrant in the case shows the owners of the raccoon rehab facility face more than 20 counts for allegedly violating the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.The ministry says it acted on a tip from the public and says the raccoons are being cared for in a secure facility.

NASA shows off its first asteroid samples delivered by a spacecraft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA on Wednesday showed off its first asteroid samples delivered last month by a spacecraft — the most ever returned to Earth. Scientists and space agency leaders took part in the reveal at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The ancient black dust and chunks are from the carbon-rich asteroid named Bennu, almost 60 million miles away. NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected the samples three years ago and then dropped them off sealed in a capsule during a flyby of Earth last month.Scientists anticipated at least a cupful of rocks, far more than what Japan brought back from a pair of missions years ago. They’re still not sure about the exact quantity. That’s because the main sample chamber has yet to be opened, officials said.“It’s been going slow and meticulous,” said the mission’s lead scientist, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona.Black dust and particles were scattered around the outside edge of the chamber, according to Lauretta.“Already th...

Former NFL player Sergio Brown charged with first-degree murder of mother

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Former NFL player and Maywood native Sergio Brown has been charged with first-degree murder of his mother.Myrtle Simmons-Brown, 73, was discovered dead in a creek behind her home, in Maywood's 1000 block of Nichols Lane on Sept. 16. Police said Brown lived there as well.Last month, Maywood police have stopped short of naming Brown as a person of interest, but stated they’d like to talk to him. Both Brown and his mother were originally classified as missing persons.A photo of Myrtle Simmons-Brown (Courtesy: Christian A. Conway)Brown is a former safety for Notre Dame who played seven seasons in the NFL.He has been in U.S. custody since Tuesday in San Diego after re-entering the country from Mexico. A warrant was issued for his arrest, according to police.A few days after Simmons-Brown’s body was found, videos of Brown surfaced on social media, where he appeared to be outside of the United States.In one of the videos, Brown claimed to have been kidnapped twice, while in ano...

Mayor Johnson delivers first budget address

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered his first budget address Wednesday. It is expected to cover everything from filling the more than nearly $540 million budget shortfall to the growing cost of the migrant crisis.The mayor has been warning for weeks this was going to be a challenging budget.Johnson came into office with progressive goals — opening mental health clinics and pouring millions into programs for the homeless, and his treatment not trauma plan.Johnson wants to do this without raising property taxes and with some federal relief dollars ending.While campaigning for mayor, Johnson proposed a number of revenue generating ideas, most included fees and taxes aimed at the wealthy.The Chicago Sun-Times reports Johnson recently hinted the elimination of 1,700 police vacancies. The nearly $540 million gap for next year, according to the Chicago Tribune report, is attributed to revenues dropping and expenditures growing by about 9% over this year's budget.The migrant crisis is...

Kendall Jenner visits college bar KAMS in Champaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A member of the Kardashian/Jenner family was in Champaign Tuesday night to promote her new tequila brand.Kendall Jenner visited KAMS bar, located at 102 East Green Street, on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Jenner was there for a happy hour to promote her "818 Tequila" — which is named after her home area code.Cellphone video, captured by the daughter of WGN Morning News anchor Robin Baumgarten, shows Jenner taking a selfie amongst a sea of bar patrons. The bar, that dubs itself as "Home of the Drinking Illini," shared photos and video on its Instagram page of Jenner serving drinks of her tequila and interacting with fans.