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Canada’s first case of new COVID variant is detected in B.C.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

The BC Centre for Disease Control has detected Canada’s first known case of a new COVID-19 variant that has swiftly circled the globe, in what one expert says is a reminder the virus never went away.The centre said the BA. 2.86 variant of the Omicron strain was identified in a person from the Fraser Health region who hadn’t recently been outside the province.Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix said in a joint statement that there doesn’t seem to be increased severity with the strain and the infected individual is not in hospital.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the new strain may be more capable of infecting people who have previously had COVID-19 or have received COVID-19 vaccines, compared to previous strains.The World Health Organization says it’s monitoring the variant due to its large number of mutations. It was first detected in Denmark on July 24, and has since turned up in Israel, South Africa, Britain...

Alabama lawmaker arrested on voter fraud charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama legislator was arrested Tuesday on felony voter fraud charges accusing him of voting in a district where he did not live.Republican Rep. David Cole of Huntsville was arrested on charges of voting in an unauthorized location, according to Madison County Jail records. The details of the charge were not immediately available in court records, but the arrest comes after accusations that Cole did not live in the district in which he was elected. Cole, a doctor and Army veteran, was elected to the House of Representatives last year. Voter fraud is a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The Alabama attorney general’s office is prosecuting the case against Cole, a spokeswoman confirmed. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter issued a statement Tuesday saying he had learned of Cole’s arrest and is waiting to learn more details. “In recent years, the Alabama House has prioritized legislation that promotes election integrity, and we b...

New Mexico Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on local abortion-ban ordinances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s Supreme Court will hear oral arguments regarding a request to strike down recent abortion-ban ordinances in several cities and counties.The high court on Tuesday announced it will hear arguments in December and agreed to consider legal briefings filed by an array of advocacy groups.The state attorney general in January petitioned the high court to strike down abortion-ban ordinances approved by local governments spanning much of eastern New Mexico. Attorney General Raúl Torrez argued that the local laws violate state constitutional guarantees — including New Mexico’s equal rights amendment that prohibits discrimination based on sex or being pregnant.State abortion laws in New Mexico are among the most liberal in the country. But local governments in cities and counties where opposition to abortion runs deep have approved their own abortion restrictions, largely based on a 19th century U.S. law that prohibits the delivery of abortion supplies ...

'Absolutely unacceptable:' FOP President Catanzara slams migrant conditions at police stations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

CHICAGO — According to Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara, migrants staying in police stations are reaching intolerable levels, causing health problems for desk officers and sergeants at district stations all across Chicago."This is absolutely unacceptable and ridiculous working conditions," Catanzara said, as he recorded a video showing the migrant conditions at the CPD's 12th District police station."I was told there were calls made to the fire department out of the 12th district," Catanzara said. "And they refused to send anybody."Another video from Catanzara showed overflowing garbage and migrant overcrowding at the CPD's Third District police station."I've had desk sergeant after desk sergeant tell me they've never had more desk personnel off on medical leave or sick time," Catanzara told WGN's Ben Bradley.According to Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), there are at least 8,537 migrants being housed at City facilities around Chic...

HeyJB LIVE: Hurricane Idalia nears category 3 strength

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Idalia strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane Tuesday and is expected to rapidly intensify in the Gulf of Mexico.As of an 8 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said Idalia is about 155 miles west-southwest of Tampa, moving north around 16 mph. The storm's wind speeds have increased to 105 mph. Real-time wobble tracker monitoring Hurricane Idalia’s shifts in Gulf of Mexico Idalia is forecast to track west of Tampa and make landfall along the northwest Gulf Coast of Florida sometime on Wednesday as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 major hurricane, to the NHC said.Storm surge remains the biggest threat with Idalia, with some areas north of Tampa Bay expected to see 8 to 15 feet of storm surge, with 4 to 7 feet in the Tampa Bay area and 3 to 5 feet south of Tampa Bay.The storm surge threat is increased thanks to higher-than-normal high tides due to Wednesday's Super Moon. Do I need to evacuate? Orders issued for several counties ahead of Idalia A St...

The Effigies frontman John Kezdy dies at 64

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

CHICAGO — John Kezdy, an Illinois prosecutor and the frontman for the Chicago punk rock band The Effigies, died on Saturday from injuries sustained in a bike crash in the northern suburbs earlier in the week. 64-year-old Kezdy was hospitalized after the crash on Wednesday, August 23, which occurred near the intersection of Sheridan Road and South Avenue in Glencoe. He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, August 26, after several days in the hospital. Highland Park man dies, ID’d after crashing bike in northern suburbs Kezdy, a Highland Park resident was riding his bike along Sheridan Road when he crashed into the back of a stopped Dodge Ram ProMaster, according to Glencoe Public Safety. Officials say an investigation into the crash by the North Regional Major Crash Assistance Team is ongoing.Paul Zamost, a member of The Effigies, confirmed the death to WGN News on Tuesday afternoon."He was a unique individual," Zamost said.The Effigies formed in Chicago 1980 and released five st...

Airline starts weighing passengers: Here's why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

(NewsNation) — If you've flown recently, you know the motions you'll need to go through before boarding your plane. Check your luggage, pass through TSA, show your driver's license, scan your boarding pass. What about stepping on a scale?Many reacted less-than-fondly to an announcement earlier this month that Korean Air, a South Korea-based airline, planned to weigh passengers before boarding. A representative for the airline told CNBC the practice would last for about three weeks, and is required by law. All Korean flag carriers have to weigh passengers and their carry-ons at least every five years to ensure safe flying operations, the representative explained. Airfare is finally cheaper, but you may want to book soon Passengers will be weighed anonymously, Korean Air said, and passengers can opt out. So can you expect to find yourself on a scale before boarding your next domestic flight?Likely, no, but it isn't impossible. The U.S. does not require airlines to weigh passengers ...

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old on yacht: lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new lawsuit accuses Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl multiple times, including in a cabin on a yacht, documents said.The lawsuit, filed late Monday in Nevada's Clark County District Court (because of Carter’s Las Vegas address), accuses Carter of sexually assaulting a then-15-year-old girl from Pennsylvania on multiple occasions in 2003, documents said. Carter was 22 and 23 at the time of the alleged incidents.The now-adult, who is identified only as “A.R.,” alleges Carter raped her in a bedroom on his yacht, documents said. The lawsuit also claims Carter “instructed A.R. to keep his sexual abuse of her a secret.”In separate alleged incidents, Carter sexually assaulted the then-teenager on a bus and again on a boat, the lawsuit said. Carter “knowingly provided alcohol and drugs to then-minor A.R. on this occasion and caused her to become intoxicated on his yacht,” the lawsuit also claims....

Watch: Ohio police cruiser slams into store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Jatin Popat says he was first alerted by his alarm company that his business was broken into early Thursday morning.He then drove to the store, Star Value, on West 105th Street in Cleveland.“I saw the police cruiser in the parking lot and thought, wow, they got here fast,” Popat said. He soon realized the store was not burglarized, but that the Linndale police cruiser slammed into the store. Videos capture bright meteor streaking above Colorado Security video obtained by Nexstar's WJW shows the crash. The video first shows a vehicle drive by the store, followed by a cruiser with the lights and sirens on. The cruiser appears to go over a curb and then slam into the store.  Linndale Police Chief Tim Franczak says the officer driving the cruiser is OK. He said the officer was trying to get a license plate of a vehicle that they thought may be stolen when the crash took place.Popat said the chief came to the store and provided insurance informatio...

1 dead following pickup, tractor-trailer crash in Elgin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:59 GMT

ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead following a crash off U.S. Hwy. 290 West in Elgin on Saturday, the Elgin Police Department said in a release. Officials said the crash happened around 2 p.m. Saturday in the 600 block of U.S. Hwy. 290 West. Police said there was a head-on collision between a pickup truck and an 18-wheel tractor-trailer in the westbound lanes of the highway.Witnesses told police the pickup truck was traveling eastbound when it crossed over the center lane into the tractor-trailer's path. The official cause of the crash remains under investigation, per Elgin PD.Eric Hernandez, 23, of Bastrop County was identified as the driver of the pickup truck. He was taken to an Austin area hospital, where he died. Police said the tractor-trailer's driver refused medical attention and is working with investigators.This crash marked the city's second traffic fatality this year. Police said both traffic fatalities in 2023 have happened on U.S. Hwy. 290 West.Those with inform...