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‘Catastrophe:’ Strong opposition to Lac-Mégantic rail bypass 10 years after tragedy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Que. — Raymond Savoie has lived all his 71 years in a small stone house, surrounded by farmland, that was originally built by his great-grandfather nearly 100 years ago in Lac-Mégantic, Que.But last month, he and his partner, Rita Boulanger, learned that their home and part of their land will be expropriated by the federal government on Aug. 1 for a project to divert trains from the community’s downtown, parts of which were destroyed in 2013 when an oil-laden train derailed and killed 47 people.At first he was told the house would be moved, or dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt, but he doesn’t believe them. “They want to put a bulldozer in it,” he said.The 12.5-kilometre rail bypass was supposed to help the town heal from the collective trauma of the disaster. But 10 years after the tragedy, work has yet to begin, and the bypass has become a source of division and anger rather than unity.Ottawa confirmed in mid-June that it would expropriate ...

5 people shot, 1 fatally, in Garfield Park drive-by: CPD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

CHICAGO -- Four people were injured and one is dead after a drive-by shooting that took place in the city's Garfield Park neighborhood overnight. According to police, officers found multiple injured individuals near the 4000 block of West Washington Boulevard around 2:07 am. with gunshot wounds.Police said a 40-year-old woman sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Prisoner on the way to jail breaks free from custody, carjacks 2 vehicles before being arrested in Wisconsin A 38-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound to the buttocks and was transported to Stroger Hospital where she is listed in fair condition.A39-year-old man was shot in the arm and transported to Stroger Hospital where he is listed in fair condition. One victim told officers that the individual who fired shots was travelling in a car during the time of the shooting.There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the...

Literary calendar for week of July 16

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

ZOE FISHMAN: Presents “The Fun Widow’s Book Hour” in conversation with Sherry Walling. 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.Savita Harjani (Courtesy of the author)SAVITA HARJANI: Retired Minneapolis lawyer launches “Postcards from Within: Random Ramblings of An Ordinary Human,” her memoir about caring for her dying mother in her native India for four years. The author came to the United States as a 20-year-old, earning her law degree at what is now Hamline-Mitchell Law School.  After her mother’s death in 2020, she returned to Minnesota. Her husband, Ramesh Harjani, is an electrical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. Free. 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, University of Minnesota Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Road, Mpls. Ticket information at eventbrite.com.LEBLANC/GOLDBERG: Courtney LeBlanc and Zach Goldberg of Minneapolis discuss “Her Whole Bright Life,” LeBlanc’s poetry collect...

Thousands without power in north St. Louis County after storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. - Severe storms ripped through the region on Friday, leading to downed power lines, fallen trees, and damaged homes around north St. Louis County.Ameren crews have been busy since the storms, but thousands around Missouri remain without power as of Sunday morning. North county resident Robert Brown Jr. says he's lucky to have a backup generator after the storms, which packed heavy wind, rain and even some hail. Thousands without power in north St. Louis County after storms "I know it's God's will. I don't have control over it. I thank God for the improvements that I made and that I have the generator because I would have lost a lot of food," said Brown. A few blocks away at the Conoco gas station, owner Hanna Qumseya was without power into Saturday afternoon. Ameren reported more than 15,000 power outages in north county at its peak. "We just went and bought a generator to kind of try and speed things up until the actual power comes back on, but that's no succes...

Thunderstorm chances increase Sunday afternoon with temp highs in low to mid 90s, rain lingering through Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Thunderstorm chances increase Sunday afternoon, but exactly what happens depends on what develops Sunday in the plains. We could see storms develop and roll through in the afternoon and evening primarily along and north of I-70. A few storms could reach severe limits. Thunderstorms and cloud cover will impact temperatures. Where we do have more clouds to the north, temp highs will be in the upper 80s to around 90. For St. Louis and points south, we'll likely be in the low to mid 90s. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here We'll also notice that smoky haze from the Canadian wildfires thanks to our northwest flow. Scattered storms increase Sunday night as a cold front continues dipping into the area. Some rain could linger through Monday morning. Highs on Monday will also be in the upper 80s, and we could see storms again in the afternoon and evening, but this round looks to stay south/southeast of the metro.

Breaking down Group E of Women’s World Cup: The USWNT, Netherlands, Portugal and Vietnam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

A breakdown of each of the USWNT’s opponents in Group E as the world’s top-ranked team will be favorites to top the table.VietnamWorld ranking: 32Match vs. USWNT: 7 p.m. MDT, Friday, July 21The last time the U.S. opened against a Southeast Asian debutant, the Americans certainly made headlines with a 13-0 rout of Thailand in 2019. The more teams that enter the fray as the field expands to 32 teams, the more likely it is we’ll see a few upsets. This won’t be one of them. The Vietnamese are led by 31-year-old Huynh Nhu, who scored more than 100 times for Ho Chi Minh City over 15 seasons before making a move to a top-flight team in Portugal last fall. She’s held her own in Europe, scoring seven times.NetherlandsWorld ranking: 9Match vs. USWNT: 7 p.m. MDT, July 26Talk about a blockbuster matchup. The U.S. will face its toughest challenge of the group in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup finale. Even after a disappointing quarterfinal exit at last summer’...

As Windsor’s Sophia Smith prepares for first FIFA World Cup, one phrase keeps the striker grounded: “Let ‘Soph’ be ‘Soph'”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

It seems everybody in the soccer world wants to get inside the head of United States Women’s National Team forward Sophia Smith these days.A remark meant for her teammates during her 2022 NWSL MVP speech offered a glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most fearless attacking players, both on and off the field: Her supreme confidence on the ball and in front of goal, her desire to bridge the gap between two generations of U.S. players, and her insistence on doing it her way.It echoed a message her parents, Kenny and Mollie, regularly relayed to their three daughters years ago — one that will undoubtedly be on Smith’s mind as she readies herself for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.“Our parents always encouraged us to don’t try to be anybody other than who we are,” Gabbi Dobratz (née Smith), the oldest of the trio, said. “To know that we’re unique and we have our own specialties that we bring to the table, and to t...

Are Deion Sanders, CU Buffs on cusp of revolutionizing college football? “This is an experiment on a grand scale.”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

BOULDER — The front porch leaked. The boards on the floor curled with malpractice. The nails wore the rust of hubris and neglect. If CU football were a house, it would’ve been condemned.Eight months later, Folsom Field is America’s fixer-upper, ground zero for the most fascinating reality show in football. Can Coach Prime fix the roof in time to entertain all those guests from Nebraska? Tune in next week and find out!“This is an experiment,” Chris Fowler, the Buffs alum and longtime ESPN voice, told The Post recently. “This is an experiment on a grand scale that we have not seen in this sport before.”If it were Tulsa or Rutgers, Fowler would still have his eyes glued to the makeover, rubbernecking at the novelty, transfixed at the audacity of it all. Deion Sanders, given a free hand and a blank check to run his own FBS program? Anything could happen. That it’s happening with Fowler’s alma mater only makes it more personal. And surreal.“Even if it ...

Bandimere Speedway, with its family feel and junior programs, leaving legacy as community pillar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

MORRISON — Nick Michael’s seen a lot of speed on Thunder Mountain since he attended the first Mile-High Nationals in 1978. He’s felt the thrill firsthand, too, when racing his ’67 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme on the drag strip as a teenager.But it’s not a record time or unbelievable finals that Michael, a 62-year-old NHRA diehard from Denver, named as one of his favorite memories at Bandimere Speedway.Instead, Michael recalled a moment of racing camaraderie that epitomized the deep community roots of a facility that is closing at the end of 2023 after a 65-year run nestled against the Jefferson County foothills.“Two drivers were going to race in the final, and just before the race, one guy broke his U-joint,” Michael recalled. “He’s toast, because (by rule) you only have a certain amount of time to get to the starting line. But the other guy he was going to race against had one, and that driver’s crew grabbed the part, went over to...

Más de 100 personas quedan atrapadas durante varias horas en la antigua casa de la escritora de misterio Agatha Christie

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:09 GMT

(CNN) — Más de 100 personas quedaron atrapadas durante varias horas en Greenway, la antigua casa de la famosa escritora británica de misterio Agatha Christie, en la campiña inglesa este viernes.En una serie de eventos que podrían haber salido directamente de las páginas de una de las novelas de misterio de Christie, el grupo de turistas quedó varado después de que una tormenta derribara un árbol, bloqueando el camino que conduce a la propiedad en el condado de Devon, en el suroeste de Inglaterra.Caroline Heaven, una turista que visitaba Greenway, se puso en contacto con el medio de comunicación local Devon Live para correr la voz de que aproximadamente 100 turistas estaban atrapados en los terrenos de la antigua casa de vacaciones de Christie.El National Trust de Gran Bretaña, que administra el sitio histórico, colocó rápidamente un mensaje en su sitio web, anunciando que un gran árbol había caído en el camino de una sola vía que conduce a Greenway.Un portavoz del National Tru...