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Ford government to launch audits of six municipalities’ housing finances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing says he is moving forward with audits of six municipalities to see if there will be any “potential or perceived” financial hits from a provincial housing law.Municipalities have been raising concerns about a housing law, that, in part, freezes, reduces and exempts fees developers pay on certain builds such as affordable housing.Those fees go to municipalities to pay for infrastructure to support new homes, such as roads and sewers, and they say the provincial changes will leave them $5 billion short.Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has expressed some skepticism about the impacts, and in late November he announced he would launch third-party audits of “select” municipalities.Today Clark announced that he’s looking for auditors to go over the books of Toronto, Newmarket, Peel Region, Mississauga, Caledon and Brampton – the latter three are part of the upper-tier municipality...

GOP Oregon state senators boycott 2nd day, prevent quorum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Republican members of the Oregon Senate on Thursday extended their boycott of Senate proceedings into a second day, delaying action by the majority Democrats on bills on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care.The stayaway prevented a quorum, with Senate President Rob Wagner having to postpone the planned opening of the Senate. Republican lawmakers have used walkouts in the past, but this time — if they continue to stay away — they’ll be testing a new law that was passed overwhelming by Oregonians in a ballot measure last November and that bans lawmakers who have 10 or more unexcused absences from running for reelection.“The Senate is adjourned until 12 p.m. Friday,” Wagner said with a bang of the gavel after seven lawmakers — all Republicans — were excused. Five other senators — four Republicans and one independent — were absent without having been excused.The boycott comes as several statehouses around the nation, including in Montana and Te...

Sons of ‘El Chapo’ deny US fentanyl indictment allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Sons of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán have denied accusations made by U.S. prosecutors last month, saying in a letter that they have no involvement in the production and trafficking of the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.The letter was provided to The Associated Press by José Refugio Rodríguez, a lawyer for the Guzmán family. Despite not being signed, Rodríguez said he could confirm that the letter was from Guzmán’s sons.The Mexican government did not explicitly confirm the letter’s authenticity, but President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday it had been analyzed by the country’s security council.The sons of Guzmán said “we have never produced, manufactured or commercialized fentanyl nor any of its derivatives,” the letter said. “We are victims of persecution and have been made into scapegoats.” Milenio Television first reported the letter Wednesday.U.S. prosecutors detailed in court documents last month how the Sinaloa cartel ha...

Weekend need to know: Toronto Marathon, Maple Leafs Game 3 and the King’s Coronation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

It will be a big weekend for road closures in the city as runners take to the street for the Toronto Marathon, but they’ll want to be back home in time to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs Game 3 against the Florida Panthers in the second round.The King’s Coronation will also be happening on Saturday morning. CityNews will have live coverage of the entire event starting at 4 a.m. live on Citytv.There are some scheduled closures due to the marathon, as well as ongoing road closures. Scroll below for those details.Here’s what’s happening this weekend:Top eventsKing’s CoronationKing Charles III will officially be crowned in a coronation ceremony along with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. You can watch it live on Citytv starting at 4 a.m. or head down to Queen’s Park to celebrate.The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Premier Doug Ford, Speaker Ted Arnott, and Indigenous leaders will hold a flag raising ceremony, 21-gun salute, and drum circle...

Canadian Indigenous leaders meet with King Charles in London ahead of coronation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

LONDON — A delegation of Indigenous leaders from Canada met with King Charles III on Thursday, where they talked about reconciliation and the need to build a strong relationship going forward. Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed and Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron had an audience at Buckingham Palace, just two days before the King’s coronation on Saturday.Archibald said the meeting was a chance to “evolve the relationship with the Crown,” which predates confederation.“One of the issues that is important to us is that nation-to-nation relationship that we have had and continue to have,” she said, adding that the meeting was “very positive.”“It was also an opportunity for us to connect to the King on things that matter to him, things that also matter to us and that we can work together on.”Obed said the leaders were also able to talk about the issues facing their communities, and all three...

California police detain person in connection to stabbings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Northern California authorities said they have detained a person in connection with two fatal stabbings and a third stabbing in a university town and will provide more details at a press conference Thursday afternoon. This is the first time the Davis Police Department has said the three stabbings that occurred over a week period and terrified the community are linked. The announcement said the person was detained in connection with the two homicides and the attempted homicide. NBC affiliate KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, reported it captured aerial footage of police Wednesday afternoon speaking with a person near a downtown park where the second victim, a 20-year-old student at the University of California, Davis, was killed.Officers were then seen placing the person in the back of a patrol car. Davis is a small city about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco and 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Sacramento. There are roughly 67,000 residents ...

Rideshare drivers protest outside Uber Hub over wages, safety concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

CHICAGO — Rideshare drivers rally for better pay, job security and safety on the city's North Side.Uber and Lyft drivers gathered Thursday outside the Uber Hub on North Avenue to protest unfair working conditions and low pay.The workers are asking for fair wages, safer conditions when it comes to picking up riders and fair termination and suspension practices.Several drivers spoke about incidents where they felt unsafe or were attacked by the riders. Earlier this week, Chicago police issued a community alert about armed robberies and aggravated vehicular robberies. Six of 10 victims were Uber drivers. Mayor Lightfoot to hold community meeting to address plans for asylum seekers Ald. Mike Rodriguez and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez came out in support of the drivers, both stating their support of an ordinance that would require the companies provide fair wages, due process for deactivation to driver accounts and better safety protocols.Uber released a statement in response to the protest...

Detroit men accused of trafficking 20 kilos of fentanyl into Midway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

CHICAGO — Two Detroit men were charged after allegedly trafficking over $3 million worth of fentanyl into Midway.Jamire Hollingshed, 26, and Robert Lewis, 24, each face a charge of manufacture-deliver of more than 900 grams of fentanyl.On Tuesday, Hollingshed and Lewis were arrested at Midway after their flight landed from Los Angeles.In mid-April, a DEA investigation was launched from information received that Lewis and Hollingshed were traveling from Los Angeles to Midway and "may be carrying a quantity of narcotics," according to court documents.Once their plane landed on Tuesday, a K9 unit sniffed their checked bags and indicated the trace of narcotics, documents allege.In each of their bags, the DEA said 10 brick-shaped objects, later determined to 10 kilograms of fentanyl, were recovered. ‘Tranq dope’: Xylazine continues to rip through area as DEA issues nationwide alert The 20 kilograms (44 lbs.) have an estimated street value of $3.1 million, according to court documents.H...

Man, 37, shot in stomach outside work truck in South Shore

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was shot in the stomach near his work truck in South Shore Thursday afternoon.According to police, the 37-year-old man was outside his truck near the 7700 block of South Colfax Avenue around 12:33 p.m. when a known offender fired shots at him. Police reports state that the 37-year-old man returned fire striking the offender in the thigh. Girl charged as adult in high-speed police chase with man on hood of car The man was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition. The offender self-transported to Trinity Hospital and his condition is unknown. Charges are pending.

COVID dropped to 4th leading cause of death in US last year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:12:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. deaths fell last year, and COVID-19 dropped to the nation's No. 4 cause, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.COVID-19 deaths trailed those caused by heart disease, cancer and injuries such as drug overdoses, motor vehicle fatalities and shootings. In 2020 and 2021, only heart disease and cancer were ahead of the coronavirus.U.S. deaths usually rise year-to-year, in part because the nation’s population has been growing. The pandemic accelerated that trend, making 2021 the deadliest in U.S. history, with more than 3.4 million deaths. But 2022 saw the first drop in deaths since 2009.The 2022 tally was about 3.3 million — a 5% decline from 2021 but still much higher than in the years before the pandemic. The CDC cautioned that last year's numbers are preliminary and may change a little after further analysis. Coronavirus-associated death rates fell for nearly all Americans. The virus was deemed the underlying cause of about 187,000 U.S. ...