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A gunman in New Zealand has killed 2 people on eve of Women’s World Cup soccer tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

By NICK PERRY (Associated Press)WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A gunman killed two people at a construction site in New Zealand’s largest city of Auckland on Thursday, as the nation prepared to host games in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament, authorities said.Police said there were also multiple injuries during the incident, which took place near the hotel where Team Norway has been staying. New Zealand Prime Minster Chris Hipkins said the tournament would go ahead as planned.“Clearly with the FIFA World Cup kicking off this evening, there are a lot of eyes on Auckland,” Hipkins said. “The government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning and the tournament will proceed as planned. I want to reiterate that there is no wider national security threat. This appears to be the action of one individual.”Acting Police Superintendent Sunny Patel said the man began shooting at the site on lower Queen Street at about 7:20 a.m. Police sw...

Ex-State Street VP charged with serial rape at knifepoint allowed trips with family next month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

The former State Street vice president charged with a series of violent, knife-point rapes of women and girls has been granted allowances to his release conditions to take part in family events next month.“Specifically, Mr. (Ivan) Cheung requests permission to stay out past his curfew on specific dates and, on one occasion, to sleep with the rest of his family at the home of his sister … along with her family,” the motion filed by his attorney Peter Parker states.A hearing scheduled the same day was continued to Oct. 3. The release condition allowances were approved and signed by pen on the motion itself.“Mr. Cheung’s family is important to him, and he is important to his family,” the motion later continues. “The very limited modifications he seeks in his bail conditions will permit him to spend quality time with his entire family before his eldest son departs for college.”Cheung, 43, faces 11 charges in Suffolk Superior Court: four counts of forcible rape of a child under 16, two c...

Tomas Nosek signs with the New Jersey Devils

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

The last of the Bruins’ unrestricted free agents has finally hooked on somewhere else.Tomas Nosek signed a one-year deal with the New Jersey Devils for $1 million on Wednesday. Though he had a very gOd season in his fourth line center role with the Bruins, Nosek was the only one of the five UFAs to take a pay cut.Connor Clifton, signed by Buffalo, bumped his annual pay up from $1 million to $3.33 for three years; Garnet Hathaway went from a $1.5 million to a $2.35 million AAV for two years with Philadelphia; Tyler Bertuzzi bumped up from $4.75 million to $5.5 million on a one-year prove-it contract with Toronto; and Dmitry Orlov hit the short-term jackpot, signing with Carolina on a two-year deal worth a $7.75 AAV, up from the $5.1 annual payout on his last contract.But Nosek appears to have been a victim of the stagnant salary cap. If anyone deserved a raise – and not a break-the-bank one, but an acknowledgment of a job well done – it would have been Nosek. Employed almost ex...

Shooting at a South Florida Walmart kills 1 person and wounds 2 others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — One person was dead and two others were wounded following a shooting Wednesday at a South Florida Walmart, authorities said.The shooting occurred at the Walmart in Florida City, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Miami, Miami-Dade police spokesman Luis Sierra said.Rescue workers transported three victims to a nearby hospital, and one later died. The victims weren’t immediately identified.Officials didn’t immediately release details about the shooting, but police confirmed that one person was in custody.David Fischer, The Associated Press

Pittsburgh synagogue attack survivors testify about overcoming physical and emotional wounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Officer Tim Matson described in federal court Wednesday how a resilient weed helped to restore his will to live after his body was shattered by bullet wounds in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.Matson was shot in his head and body on Oct. 27, 2018, when he and other police officers charged into Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue to halt the massacre that left 11 worshippers dead. The SWAT police officer was hospitalized for months, endured off-the-chart pain and underwent 25 surgeries. He had to relearn how to walk. “I was in a pretty dark place,” he testified, admitting to suicidal thoughts.“I got to the point where I had enough, I was in constant pain, I knew I would never be the same,” Matson said. But in his yard, which had recently been weed-whacked, he found a weed in a bucket that was growing still.“Somebody tried to kill it,” yet it survived, he said. Matson realized then the importance of the support from his family and colleagues.“I...

Jason Aldean’s new music video was filmed at a lynching site. A big country music network pulled it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

Country music star Jason Aldean ‘s latest music video for “Try That In A Small Town,” lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over historically charged references.In the video, Aldean — who has been awarded county music artist of the decade by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. This is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate. Aldean’s video, which was released last Friday, has received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a “dog whistle” and others labeling it “pro-lynching.”Interspersed between performance footage of Aldean are news clips of violent riots and flag burning. A Fox News chyron reads: “State of emergency declared in Georgia.” “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face / Stomp on the flag and light it up / Yeah, ya think you...

Quebec needs to do more to protect traffic signallers on work sites, union says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

MONTREAL — After a hit-and-run that killed one traffic signaller and injured another last week in Montreal, a union representing traffic controllers says the province needs to do more to protect them.A 39-year-old signaller died on Monday as a result of his injuries, police confirmed Wednesday. The other worker, also 39, suffered minor injuries. The driver who allegedly caused the July 12 collision, a 68-year-old man, surrendered to authorities and was later released.Martin L’Abbée of United Steelworkers, the union that represents around 1,000 traffic signallers in the province, says the incident marks Quebec’s 19th traffic controller death in the last three decades, including signallers and workers installing signage.He called the figure “inconceivable,” likening the work controllers do to protect road users to that of police officers.“This has to stop,” he said. “They’re not policemen, but they’re protecting everyone.”Uni...

Gunman toting heavy ammo and explosives cased scene before fatal ‘ambush’ shooting on Fargo police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

FARGO, N.D. — A man armed with 1,800 rounds of ammunition, a grenade and other explosives in his car ambushed officers who were investigating a crash, killing one and wounding two before a fourth stopped him, thwarting what authorities described as plans for further mayhem, officials said Wednesday.Mohamad Barakat, 37, shot Officers Jake Wallin, Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes from inside his car on Friday before they could even draw their guns, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said at a news conference. Wallin was killed while Dotas and Hawes remain hospitalized in critical condition. Wrigley said Barakat also shot and injured a bystander.But Officer Zach Robinson disabled Barakat’s .223 -caliber rifle with a shot from his 9 mm handgun from 75 feet (22.86 meters) away, Wrigley said, leaving about 20 rounds still in the magazine. Robinson ordered Barakat 16 times to drop the handgun he continued to wave as he moved in closer and finally killed the suspect in a confronta...

CP NewsAlert: Surrey, B.C., police issue Amber Alert for brother and sister

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

KELOWNA, B.C. — An Amber Alert has been issued across all of British Columbia for an eight-year-old girl and her 10-year-old brother. Surrey RCMP say Aurora Bolton and Joshuah Bolton were last seen in Krafty’s Kitchen and Bar in Kelowna.Police say the suspect is Verity Bolton, who is five-foot-two-inches tall, with brown hair and eyes. The three are possibly travelling in a blue Dodge D250 pickup with licence plate number SJ2708. Aurora is described as three-feet-11-inches tall, with shoulder length brown hair and eyes, while her older brother has brown hair and blue eyes. Police say that anyone spotting the vehicle or the suspect should not approach and should call 911. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2023.  The Canadian Press

Timeline of events surrounding failed talk leading to the B.C. port strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:25 GMT

The union representing about 7,400 port workers in British Columbia has issued a new 72-hour strike notice that could shut down cargo movements across the province again on Saturday.Here is a timeline surrounding the events.2022Nov. 30: The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association provides notice to commence collective bargaining to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada.2023Feb. 16: Negotiations begin.March 20: The ILWU serves a notice of dispute to the federal government, signalling an impasse, and requests the appointment of a conciliation officer.March 29: Talks enter a 60-day conciliation period.March 31: The existing collective agreement between the BCMEA and the ILWU expires.May 30: Conciliation ends. Talks enter a cooling-off period of 21 days.June 5: The ILWU’s negotiating committee authorizes a strike vote to be conducted on June 9 and 10.June 12: The ILWU says members voted 99.24 per cent in favour of supporting strike action if necessary.June...