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No decisions made on ‘potential’ dissolution of Peel Region: Ontario Minister

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

Ontario’s municipal affairs and housing minister says he has not yet made any decisions on the break up of Peel Region, though he is now calling it a “potential” dissolution. Paul Calandra’s comments come amid media reports citing unnamed sources that say the government is reconsidering its plan to dissolve the upper-tier municipality and leave Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon standing on their own.Calandra says legislation was put in place for “a potential dissolution of Peel for 2025.”That law, titled the Hazel McCallion Act (Peel Dissolution), says the Region of Peel be dissolved on Jan. 1, 2025, and a transition board will be appointed to provide recommendations to the minister on winding down the region’s financial operations and the long-term sustainability of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon as single-tier municipalities.Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown is pointing to a Deloitte report that shows the dissolution would lead to an ex...

Republicans threaten contempt proceedings if Hunter Biden refuses to appear for deposition

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are warning Hunter Biden that they will move to hold him in contempt of Congress if he doesn’t appear this month for a closed-door deposition, raising the stakes in the growing standoff over testimony from President Joe Biden’s son.Hunter Biden has insisted that he will only testify to the House if it’s in public. But in a letter sent to his attorney Wednesday, top Republicans told him that their subpoena for a closed-door deposition on Dec. 13 is non-negotiable.“Contrary to the assertions in your letter, there is no ‘choice’ for Mr. Biden to make,” wrote Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.Comer and Jordan added that seeking a private session before a public hearing is an approach both parties have historically taken when deposing witnesses.Hunter Biden has told Republicans he will not testify behind closed doors because info...

Over 100 organizations urge Ford once again to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

Over 100 organizations and service providers who advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender-based violence are urging the province to declare IPV an epidemic on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.In a letter to Premier Doug Ford, the organizations said they bring this forward to honour the victims of intimate partner violence, including three women who were killed by the same men. In an inquest into their death, 86 recommendations were made to help prevent similar deaths. The first of these was to declare IPV an epidemic.Minister of Social Services Michael Parsa announced an additional $18.14 million to approximately 400 gender-based violence service providers on Tuesday, but did not answer a question about whether the province planned to declare IPV an epidemic.“This is a problem in our province, and it requires action, and I’ve said this from day one when I came on to this ministry, Minister Williams has made ...

Three North Carolina Marines were found dead in a car with unconnected exhaust pipes, autopsies show

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Three Marines found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in a car outside a North Carolina gas station in July were in a vehicle with unconnected and rusted exhaust pipes, according to newly released autopsy findings.The Pender County Sheriff’s Office had already said months ago that autopsies performed on Camp Lejeune lance corporals Tanner Kaltenberg, Merax Dockery and Ivan Garcia determined that they all had died from such poisoning, which can happen from car exhaust. The new reports, which said there were no obvious signs of suicide, foul play or drug use, confirmed that cause of death.But the reports from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and obtained by news outlets provided additional information on the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The Marines were found dead the morning of July 23 at a convenience store parking lot in Hampstead in the southeastern part of the state. The reports suggested the 2000 Lexus sedan belonging to G...

Ottawa gives Newfoundland and Labrador more control over offshore wind power projects

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador signed an agreement today giving the eastern province full regulatory control over renewable energy projects in its inland bays.Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the deal will allow the province to regulate wind projects in those areas as if they were onshore developments.He says the deal is aimed at streamlining the approval process, particularly as opportunities arise from the province’s nascent wind-powered hydrogen sector.Wilkinson told reporters in Ottawa the agreement lets Newfoundland and Labrador determine the pace and the scale of the industry, and reap all of its economic benefits.Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey says the agreement is a necessary and important first step to kick-start an offshore wind industry in the blustery province.The two governments jointly manage the province’s offshore oil sector through a federal-provincial regulatory board.Larry Hughes, an engineering profes...

Indiana’s appeals court hears arguments challenging abortion ban under a state religious freedom law

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s Court of Appeals questioned attorneys this week on exceptions to the state’s abortion ban in a case involving residents who are suing on grounds that it violates a state religious freedom law. The class action lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of five anonymous residents and the group Hoosier Jews for Choice, argues Indiana’s abortion ban violates the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was approved by Republican lawmakers in 2015. The suit was originally filed in September 2022 and a county judge sided with the residents last December. Indiana later appealed the decision. The court heard arguments Wednesday at the Indiana Statehouse, but did not indicate when it would rule on the appeal. The lawsuit argues the ban violates Jewish teachings that “a fetus attains the status of a living person only at birth” and that “Jewish law stresses the necessity of protecting the life and physical ...

Trump tells supporters, ‘Guard the vote.’ Here’s the phrase’s backstory and why it’s raising concern

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

Former President Donald Trump is urging supporters to “guard the vote” during next year’s election, a phrase that has set off alarm bells among pro-democracy advocates who say it signals permission to take extreme measures that could intimidate voters and threaten election workers.The phrase is a relatively novel one for Trump, though activists in the far-right movement have been setting the groundwork for it to be deployed more widely.Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has spent months repeating the phrase in posts, speeches and interviews. And Victor Mellor, a close Flynn associate, told The Associated Press he has been setting up a new group called “Guard the Vote” ahead of the 2024 elections. Mellor provided AP a video that showed the group’s new “command center” in a Florida building that houses Flynn’s offices.Trump employed the phrase in Ankeny, Iowa, on Saturday, saying his followers need to “guard the vote” because “we have all the votes we nee...

Oil and gas emissions cap coming Thursday, targets 2026 start date

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada is poised to outline a federal emissions cap on the oil and gas sector using a cap-and-trade system that would begin as early as 2026, says a federal government source.The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public, tells The Canadian Press that a framework for the cap will be published Thursday.The target will not be as strict as the emissions cap estimated last year in the government’s emissions reduction plan.That plan suggested the oil and gas industry needs to cut emissions to 110 million tonnes by 2030 from more than 200 million tonnes in 2019.Oilsands companies say it would take them at least another five years beyond 2030 to get close to that.Draft regulations are now expected by mid-next year and the final regulations in early 2025, with some flexibility to allow companies to meet their targets using offset credits or paying into a decarbonization fund.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec...

'Passenger disturbance' causes flight from Orlando to make emergency landing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) -- The FBI is investigating reports of a threat after a flight from Orlando made an emergency landing in Jacksonville on Tuesday, WESH reported.The Federal Aviation Authority stated that around 6 p.m., Breeze Airways Flight 717 landed at the Jacksonville International Airport after a "passenger disturbance" was reported.According to WESH, the flight was headed to Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport from the Orlando International Airport. ‘It was a matter of time’: Residents heartbroken but not surprised by teen’s death at Lakeland intersection In a statement to WESH, Breeze Airways reported that there was an argument between two passengers that resulted in a "perceived security threat.""This evening, Breeze flight #717 from Orlando, FL to Providence, RI was diverted to Jacksonville, FL after an argument escalated between two guests onboard resulting in a perceived security threat. Local law enforcement met the plane and safely deplaned all guest...

Tired of seeing Taylor Swift during NFL games? Here's what she has to say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:28:50 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) -- If you're an avid football watcher or a Kansas City Chiefs fan, you may be feeling like you've seen slightly too much of Taylor Swift lately. She isn't showing up to games just to get more screen time, the pop star explained in a recent interview.Swift shared more details on her relationship, and her feelings about all the extra attention they've been getting, in an in-depth interview with Time magazine's Sam Lansky after Swift was named Person of the Year. It's no surprise that Swift earned Time magazine's annual honor. After all, as Lansky writes, "she became the main character of the world" this year. "If you’re skeptical, consider it: How many conversations did you have about Taylor Swift this year?" Lansky said. Kansas City Chiefs’ dietician reveals how much Patrick Mahomes eats In Time's new feature, she gave fans, better known as Swifties, even more details of her relationship with Kelce, setting the record straight on the rumors. Swift said it a...