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Rideshare drivers pushing for right to unionize say they make less than minimum wage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

A new report from the group pushing to allow rideshare drivers to unionize shows that Uber and Lyft workers are making less than the state’s minimum wage.According to the report by Drivers Demand Justice, after accounting for time spent waiting and vehicle maintenance costs, drivers in Massachusetts earn less than the $15 per hour minimum established in state law.“Ridehail drivers in Massachusetts grapple with a harsh reality – promised earnings often fall significantly short of actual compensation. Drivers routinely discover their earnings to be substantially lower than expected, largely attributed to unaccounted-for work time and the substantial burden of work-related expenses. Analysis of ridehail data shows that the net earnings for a majority of drivers in the industry fall below the state’s minimum wage,” the report reads.The “median Massachusetts ridehail driver” makes just $12.82 an hour and a full three out of five drivers learn less than the minimum wage, the group s...

Harvard student denounces hateful open letter roiling campus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

One of the Harvard students embroiled in the anti-Israel furor is now saying “terrorism is never justified” as he attempts to distance himself from the controversy.Josh Willcox, the 22-year-old son of British perfume magnate Jo Malone, said he hasn’t been on the Cambridge campus and had nothing to do with the letter signed by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups, the New York Post first reported.That letter, signed by 34 Harvard sub-committees, has set off a storm on campus that has brought condemnation from donors to alums alike, as the Herald has reported.In his lone Instagram message, Willcox writes, “In contrast to the (Palestine Solidarity Groups’) open letter, I believe that anyone who inflicts violence on civilians is solely responsible for their actions. I therefore do not support the letter’s attribution of blame for (the Oct. 7) attacks to Israel. Terrorism is never justified under any circumstances.”In the lone Instagram post, seen by the ...

Las Vegas police officer gets 12 years in prison for trio of casino robberies netting $165,000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

By RIO YAMAT (Associated Press)LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas police officer was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison for stealing nearly $165,000 in a trio of casino heists, including one in which he was found guilty of brandishing a department-issued weapon.Caleb Rogers, who has been on unpaid suspension in a solo jail cell since his arrest nearly 20 months ago, apologized before sentencing. His mother, Crystal Rogers, of Toledo, Ohio, told the judge that she was “not pleased” but that her son had full family support.Rogers, 35, brandished the gun during his arrest in February 2022 following a brief struggle with casino security officers in a parking lot not far from the Las Vegas Strip. One guard was so shaken he said he left the job shortly afterward and moved to a new line of work altogether.Caleb Rogers, wearing eyeglasses, a beard and yellow jail clothing, with his dark hair pulled back in a short ponytail, said all he does while sitting alone in...

Ontario early childhood educators among lowest paid in Canada: advocates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

Early childhood educators in Ontario are among the lowest paid in the country and raising their wages is critical to the success of the $10-a-day child-care program, advocates say.Part of the agreement Ontario signed with the federal government in joining the national program was setting a wage floor of $18 an hour in 2022 and increasing it by $1 a year up to $25. The current rate of $19 an hour makes the effective minimum wage the third lowest in the country, ahead of Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, according to a policy paper released Tuesday by the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario and the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care.Many child-care centres across the province are limiting enrolment or closing rooms because of a staffing shortage primarily driven by the low wages, said Alana Powell, executive director of the ECE association.“We want to remind the Ontario government they need to show they care about ECEs and child-care workers by immed...

Guatemala Cabinet minister steps down after criticism for not acting forcefully against protesters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The sudden resignation of a Guatemalan Cabinet minister appears to signal a division within the administration of President Alejandro Giammattei over how to remove the protest roadblocks that have stretched into their third week.Interior Minister Napoleón Barrientos, a retired brigadier general, resigned late on Monday following a shooting near one of the roadblocks that killed one person and wounded two others. Barrientos had said publicly that he preferred to seek dialogue with protesters who have demanded the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras over her office’s ongoing investigations into the election of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo.Porras, on the other hand, had called for the blockades’ immediate removal with force if necessary and Monday, hours before Barrientos’ resignation, had called for him to be fired for not heeding a court order to clear them.Those responsible for Monday’s shooting were not immediately identified, but Barrien...

Brawl in Houston courtroom as murdered girl’s family tries to attack her killer after guilty plea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Family members of a murdered 16-year-old girl tried to attack her ex-boyfriend during a court hearing Tuesday after he had pleaded guilty to shooting her nearly two dozen times while she was walking her dog.Frank DeLeon, 19, agreed to plead guilty to murder in the January 2022 death of Diamond Alvarez in exchange for a 45-year prison sentence as part of an agreement with prosecutors.Alvarez was shot 22 times as she walked her dog in southwest Houston. She had planned to meet DeLeon, who was 17 at the time, to talk with him after finding out he had been in another relationship while they were still dating, prosecutors said. Alvarez’s family members had previously said DeLeon had texted her shortly before she was killed and had asked her to meet him in a field near her home.During a court hearing Tuesday, Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, took the witness stand to give a victim impact statement.Video of the court hearing shows Machado finishing her statement and walking t...

Deer struggling in cold Alaskan waters saved by wildlife troopers who give them a lift in their boat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two deer struggling in the waters of southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage finally made it to land, thanks to two Alaska Wildlife Troopers who gave the deer a lift in their boat.Sgt. Mark Finses and trooper Kyle Fuege were returning from a patrol in nearby Ernest Sound to Ketchikan on Oct. 10 when they spotted the deer, agency spokesperson Justin Freeman said in an email to The Associated Press.The deer were about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from any island in the channel, which is favored by large cruise ships taking tourists in summer months to locations such as Ketchikan and Juneau.The deer were floating down Clarence Strait about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) northwest of Ketchikan, but not toward any particular island, Freeman said. They were fighting the current during midtide.“Out in the middle of Clarence, they’re in rough shape, like on their last leg,” Finses said on a video he shot with his phone and that the troopers posted to social media.The troope...

Free legal advice on sexual assault launched by B.C. non-profit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

VANCOUVER — A free and confidential legal service is now being offered to people who have been sexually assaulted in British Columbia.The not-for-profit Community Legal Assistance Society officially launched the program Tuesday, which offers three hours of legal advice to people regardless of age, gender or income, or whether they have reported the assault to police.With funding from the federal government, Jennifer Khor, the supervising lawyer and project manager, said the Stand Informed project aims to fill a “gaping hole” on the under-reporting of sex assaults by helping an “underserved” group better understand their legal options. Khor said in an interview Tuesday that statistics show 37 per cent of women over the age of 15 have experienced sexual assault in B.C., but less than nine per cent of victims seek support from victim services.“Because there’s such a large number of unreported cases of sexual assaults, we hope that we can meet the dem...

More US ships head toward Israel and 2,000 troops are on heightened alert. A look at US assistance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of the horrific Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the U.S. began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needed to respond. On Tuesday, more ships and forces were heading toward Israel, and other troops in the U.S. were preparing to deploy if called on.One U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group is already in the eastern Mediterranean and a second one has left the U.S. and is heading that way. In addition, three Marine warships with are moving into the region. Scores of aircraft were dispatched to U.S. military bases around the Middle East, and American special operations forces are working with Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. And, as of Tuesday, five shipments of U.S. weapons and equipment had arrived in Israel. The buildup reflects growing U.S. concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel will escalate into wider regional conflict. So the key mission for American ships and ...

As Chicago migrant crisis strains resources, Johnson seeks additional support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:25 GMT

CHICAGO — City Council budget hearings are underway and alders say Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan for migrants doesn’t add up. The mayor has allocated $150 million for new arrivals, half this year’s projected costs.On Tuesday, Johnson attended a Personal PAC abortion rights group’s luncheon.Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to allocate $150 million next year to care for migrants. (Photo/WGN) Arguments delayed in Amundsen Park migrant shelter legal battle "I want you to know as Mayor of Chicago, I, too, will continue to fight to make sure that this city is a national model for gender equity and championing reproductive rights," Johnson said. Despite promises of plans, Chicago migrant crisis gets worse As much as the mayor wants to hone in on progressive causes, the migrant crisis overshadows everything. WGN News spoke to Johnson about the existing issue."Look, over 300 buses have arrived since I took office," Johnson said. "We’ve stood up a shelter every single wee...