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Still no deal on $2.8B supplemental budget that includes dollars for unions, shelters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

House and Senate lawmakers walked away from lightly attended sessions Wednesday without a deal on a supplemental budget that would close the books on the last fiscal year, and includes crucial funding for union contracts and emergency shelters.Nearly two weeks after the Legislature finished formal law making for the year, Democratic leaders in both chambers have so far failed to find consensus on a $2.8 billion supplemental budget that includes $250 million for the besieged shelter system and nearly $400 million for public employee contracts.Informal sessions Monday were held open for hours before legislators adjourned with no public deal and Wednesday sessions lasted only minutes in each branch.Both the House and Senate are scheduled to meet again Thursday at 11 a.m. in informal sessions, where any one lawmaker has the power to block advancing bills.A panel of six lawmakers is negotiating the supplemental budget, which includes money for more than 90 collective bargaining agreement...

Travel: Which cities made Fodor’s no-go list for tourists?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

Travel guide publisher Fodor released its 2024 “No List” this month, featuring nine destinations it says needs a break from tourists.The handful of locations — fantastic places with too many visitors and not enough environmental stewardship, the guide says — span the globe. They include:Lake Superior, United StatesSan Gabriel Mountains National Monument, U.S.Venice, ItalyAthens, GreeceHa Long Bay, VietnamMount Fuji, JapanAtacama Desert, ChileGanges River, IndiaKoh Samui, ThailandFodor’s 2024 lists include nine destinations on the No List, and 24 on the Go List.A closer look: San Gabriel Mountains National MonumentFor the second year in a row, a California destination has made Fodor’s “No List.”Last year, it was Lake Tahoe. This year it’s the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.Fodors said the Southern California monument is overwhelmed with trash and graffiti and should be omitted from travel plans in 2024.The 346,177-acre national monument — almost all within the Angeles ...

Canadian family member of Hamas hostages speak out after their release

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

Canadian Aharon Brodutch is overjoyed about release of his sister-in-law and her children from Hamas custody.The Toronto resident’s sister in-law Hagar, 10-year-old niece Ofri, two young nephews Yuval and Uriah, were taken by Hamas during a rampage at their Kibbutz near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.The family spent 50 days in captivity before they were reunited earlier this week. Brodutch spoke to media inside a Toronto day camp that his niece attended last summer and described the fear and anguish of not knowing whether they were dead or alive.“We heard nothing, absolutely nothing from them,” said Brodutch. “We were literally living on hope.” He fought back tears while describing he moment he reunited with his niece, nephews and sister-in-law. “They looked terrible, they were extremely thin, they were wearing the same clothes they were kidnapped in.”“For us extreme joy also mixed with a lot of pain, the pain of knowing they’ve been ...

Quick Facts: How the government’s Online News Act will compensate media outlets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

OTTAWA — Canadians will still be able to search for news stories on Google after the tech giant struck a last-minute deal with the Liberal government that will put $100 million a year into local newsrooms. Google had been threatening to bar Canadian users from accessing news coverage over the Liberal government’s controversial Online News Act. Here’s a quick look at how the law will work when it takes effect no later than Dec. 19: — Global tech players will be required to agree to compensate Canadian news outlets for content that is shared or otherwise repurposed on their platforms.— To receive a share of the $100-million windfall, newsrooms must be designated as qualified Canadian journalism organizations under the Income Tax Act. They must also produce news content of public interest, operate in Canada and employ at least two or more journalists.— The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Radio-Canada will receive a portion of the $100 million, with the amount being determin...

Wyoming coal mine is shedding jobs ahead of the power plant’s coal-to-gas conversion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Wyoming coal mine that supplies fuel to a power plant that will be converted to burn gas plans to lay off 19 workers next month, the latest of thousands of jobs lost in the beleaguered U.S. coal industry in recent years.Fifteen workers at the Black Butte Mine were told Monday and four more Wednesday they would lose their jobs in mid-December, mine manager Steve Gili said Wednesday.Most are heavy equipment operators but some are mechanics and other mine staff. No additional layoffs are planned at the mine where the workforce will shrink from 132 to 113, said Gili, who declined to comment further.While northeastern Wyoming is home to eight of the 10 most productive U.S. coal mines, Black Butte in the southwestern part of the state is a smaller operation. The mine east of Rock Springs in the sparsely populated Red Desert produces 2.5 million tons (2.3 million metric tons) of coal a year primarily to feed PacifiCorp’s nearby Jim Bridger power plant.ThatR...

Boy, 15, charged in armed North York carjacking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

A 15-year-old boy has been charged in the alleged carjacking of a woman in North York.Toronto police were called to the Lawrence Avenue East and Donway West area at around 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9, for reports of a carjacking.It’s alleged the female victim was standing next to her parked vehicle when she was approached by three suspects who demanded her keys.Police said one of the suspects was armed with a gun, and another suspect stole the woman’s keys. All three got into the woman’s vehicle and fled the area. Related: ‘He’s blowing stop signs’: Video shows police pursuing driver in armed Brampton carjacking The woman did not sustain any physical injuries.Members of the Provincial Car Jacking Task Force later identified a suspect involved. On Wednesday, a 15-year-old male youth was arrested.He’s been charged with robbery with a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime of over $5,000 and ...

Jill Biden brings a holiday ice rink to the White House for children to skate and play hockey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is extending her holiday theme of “Magic, Wonder and Joy” to the White House grounds by putting an ice rink on the South Lawn for children to skate and play hockey in December. The first lady opened the ice rink Wednesday evening in the company of Brian Boitano, who won a gold medal in figure skating in the 1988 Olympics, and the comic-strip dog Snoopy, among others. Earlier this week, she unveiled decorations inside the executive mansion that she said were designed to help visitors experience the “magic, wonder and joy” of the holidays as they did when they were kids.The 50-by-70-foot (15.2-by-21.3-meter) rink will operate throughout December, but the White House did not specify days and hours. Washington, D.C.-area schoolchildren and children from families with service members, frontline workers, first responders and teachers will be invited to skate. The National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association will provide lessons through their “Learn t...

Mavericks likely will end up in the hands of one of Las Vegas’ most powerful families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Cuban in many ways has been the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise since he bought the club in 2000, so the news that he was selling a majority share to perhaps Las Vegas’ most powerful family created a number of questions.WHO IS MIRIAM ADELSON?Adelson, 78, is a medical doctor and widow of Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire founder and owner of Las Vegas Sands who died in 2021. She has no corporate role with the company, but her son-in-law, Patrick Dumont, is the company president and a board member.Adelson and her family own the Las Vegas Sands and Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest newspaper. She also is the publisher of Israel Hayom, a Hebrew-language free daily newspaper distributed widely in the country where she was born that is friendly to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Adelson and her family are major players in the Republican Party in the U.S., and she and her late husband were among the biggest contributors to the campaigns of forme...

Taste of the Danforth cancelled despite attempt to save beloved Toronto festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

Organizers of the Taste of the Danforth tried to salvage the popular Toronto festival earlier this year after being suspended, but it appears it will be coming to an end.The decision to scrap the longtime event was made during the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA‘s annual general meeting Tuesday evening.Chris Christodoulou with Soulas Modern Greek Cuisine on Danforth Avenue called the decision “a shock.”“Not having it again is like losing a piece of your history, of your culture, as an area in the Danforth Greektown,” he told CityNews Wednesday afternoon.“It’s very unfortunate they had to cancel it because of financial problems.”According to a report by The Toronto Star, it said BIA members rejected increasing annual levies by close to 20 per cent in order to hold an event in 2024. That raised concerns about affordability for business operators. The need to raise money was attributed to a drop in fundraising and sponsorships in 2023.Chris...

Chemical firms to pay $110 million to Ohio to settle claims over releases of ‘forever chemicals’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:29:07 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The DuPont Co. and two spin-off firms will pay $110 million to the state of Ohio to settle a lawsuit over environmental threats from toxic chemicals used at a former DuPont facility in neighboring West Virginia, the companies said Wednesday.The settlement involving DuPont, the Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc. resolves Ohio’s claims relating to releases of manmade, fluorinated compounds known as PFAS. It also resolves claims relating to the manufacture and sale of PFAS-containing products and claims related to firefighting foam containing PFAS.The compounds, which are associated with an increased risk of certain cancers and other health problems, are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their longevity in the environment. They have been used in the production of nonstick coatings such as Teflon, firefighting foam, water- and stain-resistant textiles, food packaging and many other household and personal items.According to the companies, Ohio will allocat...