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Heavy December rainfall across Quebec leads to flooding fears, evacuations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

QUEBEC — Heavy rain across Quebec has officials monitoring rising water levels in the provincial capital region and ordering evacuations in some areas.Quebec City police say about 20 homes were evacuated in the city’s northeast corner, near Lac des Petites Îles.Media reports said about 200 residences were evacuated near the Montmorency River north of Quebec City in Ste-Brigitte-de-Laval.Joshua Ménard-Suarez, spokesman for Quebec’s civil service office, couldn’t confirm the total number of people forced from their homes but said the majority of the evacuations were ordered as a preventive measure.He said water levels should reach their peak Monday evening and begin to descend as quickly as they rose.Environment Canada says up to 80 millimetres of rain was expected in some regions of the province.Roughly 68 millimetres had fallen in Montreal by 10 a.m., which was already a record for a single day of rainfall in December.Meteorologist Michèle Fleury says the previous ...

Liberal group appeals ruling letting Trump stay on ballot to Michigan Supreme Court

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

A liberal group on Monday appealed a ruling keeping former President Donald Trump on the ballot to the Michigan Supreme Court, setting up the latest in a series of state high court showdowns over whether a rarely used constitutional clause prohibiting those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office bars him from a return to the presidency.Free Speech For the People appealed last week’s ruling by the state court of appeals that the Republican Party can place whomever they want on the ballot for its presidential primary, regardless of whether they’re qualified for the office or not.The move potentially places the future of Trump’s candidacy before yet another state supreme court. The Minnesota Supreme Court already kept Trump on the ballot, likewise saying the courts can’t strike candidates from the primary ballot and inviting the plaintiffs to try again in the general election. The Colorado Supreme Court is due to rule on an appeal of a Denver judge...

Air Jordans made for Spike Lee and donated to Oregon shelter auctioned for nearly $51,000

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Watching a countdown of the auction’s final minutes on Monday, Erin Holcomb couldn’t believe it: the sale price kept jumping for the rare, gold Nike Air Jordan 3s that were anonymously dropped in the donation chute of the Oregon shelter where she works in Portland.“In the last five minutes it went up and up, and every time we saw that number increase, there were tears and people clapping,” Holcomb, director of staff ministries at the Portland Rescue Mission, told The Associated Press.The sneakers, one of just a few custom pairs that had been made for filmmaker Spike Lee, ultimately sold for $50,800 — more than double the high end of the predicted sale price. All proceeds will benefit the Portland Rescue Mission, which has served people struggling with homelessness, hunger and addiction since 1949.“We couldn’t believe it,” Holcomb said. “The generosity of this moment has been a huge celebration for our whole organization.”Some two dozen people,...

Ottawa youth accused in alleged terror plot now also facing explosives charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

OTTAWA — An Ottawa youth facing terrorism charges for an alleged plot against the Jewish community is now also accused of having explosives in his possession.The youth, who cannot be identified, was arrested Friday and charged with facilitating and knowingly instructing someone to carry out a terrorist activity. He appeared in court by video conference from within the Ottawa courthouse today, where the Crown introduced three additional charges.The court would not provide the details of the charges on Monday, but a source close to the case says the youth is now also charged with possessing explosives as recently as Friday.The source says the court information indicates the explosives were acetone and an oxidizer, and that the youth is accused of intending to use them to endanger life. The information provided by the source shows the terrorism-related allegations date back to Oct. 24 and that the alleged terrorist activity was directed “against Jewish persons.”This report ...

Audit finds Tennessee prisons severely understaffed, officers worried about safety

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee prisons are severely understaffed, with a vacancy rate at one prison of 61%, leading to unsafe conditions for both inmates and guards, a state audit of the prison system found. The audit by the state comptroller’s office also found a shortage of such prisoner services as therapy, substance abuse treatment, education and re-entry assistance. It also found problems safeguarding against sexual assault that included housing potential predators with potential victims, as well as a shortage of medical and behavioral health staff. Some problems have surfaced repeatedly, including in audits from 2017 and 2020.Auditors surveyed correctional officers at prisons operated by both the Tennessee Department of Correction and private contractor CoreCivic about how the staffing affects them. “(W)e have no help and really if you get assaulted, you’re going to get assaulted until the inmates get tired of beating you because there are really no (correctional offi...

Louisiana State Police reinstate trooper accused of withholding video in Black man’s deadly arrest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

The Louisiana State Police have reinstated a veteran trooper who had been accused of withholding graphic body-camera video showing another officer dragging Black motorist Ronald Greene by his ankle shackles during his deadly 2019 arrest.Lt. John Clary, the ranking trooper at the scene of Greene’s arrest, will return to active duty this week, state police spokesman Capt. Nick Manale said in an email to The Associated Press on Monday. The development comes weeks after state prosecutors dismissed an obstruction of justice charge against Clary after he agreed to testify in the negligent homicide trial of Kory York, a trooper accused of forcing Greene to lie facedown and handcuffed on a northeast Louisiana roadside for more than nine minutes. Use-of-force experts have said that tactic likely restricted Greene’s breathing.Clary, 59, had been among five officers indicted a year ago in the May 10, 2019, death that authorities initially blamed on a car crash. An AP investigation ...

Chileans eschew extremes in quest for new constitution and end up with the old one

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Despite a boom in conservative populism in various parts of the world, Chileans closed an exhausting constitutional cycle by separating themselves from the extremes.They voted Sunday to stick with the same constitution, a holdover from the dictatorship, that they had wanted to rewrite four years ago. The decision sent a clear message to the country’s politicians: get to work on the country’s most pressing collective needs within the existing legal framework.Voters rejected a more conservative proposed constitution drafted by the right with 55.7% of the votes.Barely a year earlier, 62% of Chilean voters had resoundingly rejected a proposed constitution from the other end of the ideological spectrum. Drafted by leftist sectors and supported by President Gabriel Boric, it was considered one of the most progressive constitutional initiatives in the world.No one took to the streets to celebrate Sunday’s result. Chile will continue to be ruled by a constitution born...

Texas governor signs bill that lets police arrest migrants who enter the US illegally

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Testing the limits of how far Texas can go to keep migrants out of the U.S., Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law sweeping new powers that allow police to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally and give local judges authority to order them to leave the country. Opponents have called the measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law — denounced by critics as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill — that was largely struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas’ law is also likely to face swift legal challenges. 5-year-old child living at migrant shelter in Pilsen dies: Mayor's office Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. But Texas Republicans have increasingly blurred those boundaries under President Joe Biden, saying his administration isn’t doing enough to stop people from entering the country illegally. Texas has bused more than 65,000 migrants to cities across America and installed razor wire along the...

Aurora police launch new system to report non-emergency incidents and crashes online

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

AURORA, Ill. — A new online system will allow citizens in Aurora to report non-emergency incidents and crashes online, without the help of a police officer. A spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department announced the new Desk Officer Reporting System (DORS) on Monday and said the department hopes the new tool will "enhance service to the community while also better-allocating resources and personnel." 2 Chicago men accused of killing man to leverage power in South Side street gang With the new system, users will be able to file non-emergency incident reports or vehicle crash reports without having to visit the police department or have an officer dispatched to the location of the incident.The department says the system will be available in English and Spanish and users only need internet access and an e-mail address to file.According to Aurora police, examples of qualifying reports include "burglary to a motor vehicle, identity theft, lost property, retail theft, and minor ...

Rare mammoth fossil found by coal miners in North Dakota

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) -- Coal miners in North Dakota made an incredibly rare find earlier this year: a well-preserved, seven-foot-long tusk of an ancient mammoth.The North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS) said in a press release on Monday, Dec. 18, that the miners discovered the fossil at the Freedom Mine near Beulah over the Memorial Day weekend. A team led by paleontologists from the NDGS recovered more than twenty bones from the mammoth skeleton, including ribs, a shoulder blade, a tooth, and parts of the hips. The team spent 12 days excavating the old streambed where the skeleton was buried. “Most of the mammoth fossils known from North Dakota are isolated bones and teeth,” said Clint Boyd, a senior paleontologist for the NDGS. “This specimen is one of the most complete mammoth skeletons discovered in North Dakota, making it an exciting and scientifically important discovery."Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Geological SurveyAfter being stabilized in protective plaster jackets, ...