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Bloc challenges Liberals to nix 18-month wait from bill banning replacement workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is challenging the federal Liberals to do away with a clause in their bill banning replacement workers that would cause the law to take effect after an 18-month waiting period.The party says in a statement today that it is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to remove that time frame from the bill that Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan tabled last week. The legislation proposes to ban the use of replacement workers during lockouts or strikes in federally regulated workplaces, such as airports, ports and the telecommunications sector.The Liberals initially promised to bar employers from using such workers during lockouts, and they expanded the policy to cover strikes as part of a supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP.The Bloc, which has the third-highest number of seats in the minority Parliament after the official Opposition Conservatives, say the Liberals should work to pass the legislation befo...

2 deputies are charged with attacking an inmate at a Memphis jail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Two Tennessee jail deputies were charged Tuesday with attacking a Memphis inmate who was injured but survived.Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies Odell Underwood and Reginald Wilkins have been indicted on charges of official misconduct, official oppression and assault with bodily harm, court records show.Shelby County Jail inmate Damian Florez-Ramirez was injured in the May confrontation with Underwood and Wilkins, county district attorney Steve Mulroy said during a news conference.The deputies attacked the handcuffed inmate as he was being taken to a medical facility in the jail, Mulroy said. Florez-Ramirez had attacked a deputy jailer earlier in the day and had been hit with a “chemical agent,” Mulroy said.Florez-Ramirez suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, but details of his injuries were not immediately disclosed. Details of the attack on the inmate also were not disclosed. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said Underwood and Wilkins...

Mexican government sends conflicting messages over death of LGBTQ+ magistrate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities on Tuesday sent conflicting messages about the violent death of a leading LGBTQ+ figure after thousands marched Monday night demanding justice.Jesús Ociel Baena was found dead with around 20 wounds next to their partner in their home in the central Mexican city of Aguascalientes on Monday, according to state prosecutors. Baena, the first openly nonbinary person to assume a judicial post in Mexico, was one of the most visible LGBTQ+ figures in a country where sexual minorities are often violently targeted.Baena and their partner had already received death threats and hateful messages and had protection from state security, prompting many across the country Monday to call their death a hate crime.Authorities have provided minimal details about the slaying and local prosecutors hinted it may have been a murder-suicide.The Aguascalientes prosecutor’s office on Tuesday offered new details, saying it appeared that Baena was murdered with razor ...

Ex-fundraiser for George Santos pleads guilty to posing as congressional aide to raise campaign cash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

A former fundraiser for U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash for the embattled New York Republican.Sam Miele was caught soliciting donations in late 2021 under the alias Dan Meyer, who was then chief of staff for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, when the former House speaker was the Republican minority leader, according to Santos. Federal authorities still have not confirmed that Meyer was the aide who Miele impersonated. Miele, who had been indicted on four wire fraud charges and one count of aggravated identity theft, is scheduled to be sentenced April 30. He faces more than two years in prison, according to estimated sentencing guidelines, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office said.He also acknowledged he committed access device fraud involving credit cards that resulted in losses totaling about $100,000, John Marzulli, the spokesperson, said.Miele&#...

San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent big in pursuit of a World Series title, dies at 63

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bring a long-elusive World Series championship to San Diego, died on Tuesday, the team announced. He was 63.A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Seidler, a third-generation member of the O’Malley family that used to own the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, was a two-time cancer survivor. The team announced in mid-September that Seidler had an unspecified medical procedure in August and wouldn’t be back at the ballpark the rest of the year.The Padres planned to open Petco Park on Tuesday afternoon for fans who wished to gather to pay respects.“Today, our love and prayers encircle Peter’s family as they grieve the loss of an extraordinary husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. “Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt...

Albertans should not want to lose benefits of Canada Pension Plan, head of CPP says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

The head of CPP Investments says Albertans should not want to lose the benefits of the Canada Pension Plan.CEO John Graham, who leads the professional organization that manages the Canada Pension Plan Fund, made the pitch to a Calgary business crowd Tuesday.He said there is a strong business and public policy case for Albertans to stay with what he called an established global investment fund with a proven track record.He said as a large fund, the Canada Pension Plan offers the benefit of risk pooling and diversification, which helps it weather economic downturns and changing demographics.WATCH: Alberta receives warning letter about CPP exit He added the CPP is also portable, meaning Albertans can take their pension with them if they choose to retire out-of-province. Under Premier Danielle Smith, Alberta is taking a look at a plan for the province to exit the Canada Pension Plan and set up its own provincial alternative. 

Man arrested in death of hockey player whose neck was cut with skate blade during game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Police in England arrested a man Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of American ice hockey player Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate during a game.Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers on Oct. 28 when he was struck by an opponent's skate blade in the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.South Yorkshire Police did not name the suspect or provide his age. He was in police custody.Matt Petgrave, 31, who plays for Sheffield, was the other player involved in the grisly incident that reverberated around the hockey community and led to moments of silence in the NHL.Video of the incident shows Johnson skating with the puck toward the Steelers net. Petgrave skates toward Johnson and collides with another Panthers player. Petgrave's left skate kicks up as he begins to fall and the blade hits Johnson in the neck.Both players land on the ice. Petgrave immediately got to his feet. J...

Suburban man accused of kicking down woman's door, beating her

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

WILLOWBROOK, Ill. — A suburban man is facing charges after allegedly kicking down the door of a woman's apartment and then beating her during a home invasion Sunday morning.At around 8 a.m., Willowbrook officers responded to the woman's apartment on the report of a home invasion.Officers found the woman, who is more than 60 years old, with visible red marks and blood on her face.Following an investigation, authorities believe Abelardo Zapata, 33, of unincorporated Willowbrook, was walking with someone else at the apartment complex when he kicked in the door of the woman's apartment.Once inside, Zapata allegedly struck the woman in the face and slammed her head against a cabinet. Her phone was stolen, but the woman was able to call 911 from another phone.Zapata was taken into custody at a McDonald's one block away. Northwest Indiana man allegedly led police on drunken pursuit to get to girlfriend’s house He was charged with home invasion, robbery and aggravated battery.Zapata was d...

Howard Brown Health workers begin 2-day strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Hundreds of employees for a health care system, that's been a longtime provider of care to the LGBTQ community, are striking Tuesday.This strike is happening in the shadow of negotiations for the very first union contract for a majority of the employees at Howard Brown Health. This contract would cover about 360 of the nearly 600 employees of Howard Brown at its six clinics, three Brown Elephant thirft store locations, The Broadway Youth Center and some of the workers at Howard Brown headquarters in Uptown.The union says that Howard Brown management recently made its “last, best, and final offer.“ It included pay raises of at least 4 1/2% for higher paid staff, and upwards of 19% for some of its lowest paid staff. That amounts to a few dollars extra an hour.It also includes an extra paid day off. But the union says Howard Brown can afford to do more and also needs to treat all locations, both North and South sides, equally. CTU boss fined, billed for back taxes In a...

MedWatch Digest: Illinois ranks 16th worst in lung rates for 2023 — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:00 GMT

For Tuesday, Nov. 14, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Women continue to outlive men and the gap is wideningAccording to new research published in JAMA, men currently die nearly six years before women. In 2021, life expectancy for women was 79.3 years, compared with 73.5 years for men. It's the most significant difference since 1996. Researchers say Covid was the leading factor in the gap's growth. Additionally, unintentional injuries and poisonings, primarily by drug overdose, as well as accidents and suicide, are also contributing. The trend is occurring alongside a decrease in overall life expectancy in the U.S.Illinois ranks 16th worse in lung rates for 2023Lung cancer cases in Illinois this year are among the highest in the nation. A new report by the American Lung Association ranks Illinois as the 16th worst in the country for new cases. The state saw nearly 60 new cases per 100,000.The national average is less than 5...