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Anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. launches presidential campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched his longshot bid to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination next year. Kennedy, a member of one of the country’s most famous political families who has in recent years been linked to some far-right figures, kicked off his campaign in Boston on Wednesday and likened his campaign to the American revolution.“My mission over the next 18 months of this campaign and throughout my presidency will be to end the corrupt merger of state and corporate power that is threatening now to impose a new kind of corporate feudalism in our country,” Kennedy said.Self-help author Marianne Williamson is also running for the Democratic nomination. Biden has said he’s planning on running again but has not formally announced a campaign. He’s expected to have a glide path to the nomination, with much of the Democratic establishment behind him.Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his sla...

Weston C.I. in hold and secure after kids threatened to shoot at school: Police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

A Toronto high school is in hold and secure after threats were made towards the school.Officers are on scene at Weston Collegiate Institute after getting reports that credible threats were made towards the school around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.Police say a group of kids threatened to shoot at the school. The school has been placed in a hold and secure as a precaution.No injuries have been reported.POLICE INVESTIGATION:Weston Collegiate Institute11:38am– reports of a threat made to the school– group of kids threaten to shoot at the school– school is in hold and secure – no injuries– police are o/s investigating#GO865713^se— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) April 19, 2023 

Board OKs Microsoft data center in southeastern Wisconsin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Local leaders have approved plans for a massive Microsoft data center in a southeast Wisconsin village where the world’s largest electronics manufacturer has a huge campus.The Racine County Board of Supervisors voted 18-1 on Tuesday to approve the software and internet services company’s $1 billion project on 315 acres of land in Mount Pleasant, WDJT-TV reported. Mount Pleasant is already home to a production site for Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group.Microsoft must begin the first phase of construction by July 2026 and begin the second phase by July 2033. Microsoft must purchase the land for $50 million by July 31, 2023, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported.The Associated Press

Alberta’s United Conservative government releases ‘aspirational’ plan on climate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is releasing a plan that it hopes will take the province to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.The plan, which describes itself as “aspirational,” relies heavily on technologies such as carbon capture and storage.However, it contains few details on the pace of investment and construction required to achieve that goal.The plan also promises to consider a lower greenhouse gas cap from the oilsands and tougher fuel emissions standards. It says methane emissions standards will also be more stringent and the climate effects are also to be considered in provincial land-use decisions.Alberta Environment officials say it’s the first time the province has set a net-zero target. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2023.The Canadian Press

Mexican president still vows to give National Guard to Army

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president vowed Wednesday to try again to give control of the National Guard to the Army, despite a Supreme Court ruling against such a move. The Supreme Court had ruled Tuesday that the Constitution mandates that the Guard, which is now Mexico’s main federal law enforcement agency, must be kept under civilian control within the Public Safety Department. But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he hopes his party can win a two-thirds majority in Congress in the June 2024 elections, and change the Constitution. For now, López Obrador said he would instruct the Public Safety Department — a civilian agency — to appoint a retired general to lead the quasi-military guard.López Obrador says Army control of the National Guard is needed to prevent the force from becoming corrupt, as he claimed the now-dissolved Federal Police had become.About 80% of the National Guard’s 130,000 members are active-duty soldiers on loan from the Army and Navy, whe...

Allies must balance ‘friendshoring’ with opening trade: U.S. Chamber of Commerce head

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

OTTAWA — United States chambers of commerce are pushing Washington and Ottawa to strike the right balance between protecting supply chains and maintaining free trade across the continent.The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, said in a speech this morning in Ottawa that Washington will only make life more expensive and business more challenging if it doubles down on protectionist policies.Clark also argues that the American policy of “friendshoring,” which holds that allies should rely on each other to make supply chains more resilient, could have the opposite effect if it’s applied to more than just goods and services that pose considerations for national security. The chamber also wants Ottawa to open up Canada’s protected dairy sector, and to halt taxes and regulations on American digital companies such as Netflix and Google.Clark praised Canada for signing onto new trade deals with Europe and countries along the Pacific Rim, saying Washi...

Toronto warming centres would open at -5 C under proposed changes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

Warming centres for those who need shelter should open in Toronto when temperatures drop to -5 C, city staff recommend in a new report, a proposal that would lower a threshold advocates have long criticized as cruel and arbitrary.The city currently opens warming centres when temperatures dip to -15 C, or -20 C. The proposed policy update to be presented at a council committee next week could see that change this year and is supported by Toronto Public Health.Coun. Shelley Carroll called the proposed change “an important first step”.“Staff will continue to work to secure additional warming centre sites, expand access to our existing sites, and advance our housing goals so homelessness in our city becomes a rare and brief experience,” Carroll, who chairs the Economic and Community Development Committee, wrote in a statement.Warming centres are billed as a surge response for the city’s shelter system during periods of cold weather, offering at minimum a pl...

Texas cheerleaders shot after one says she got in wrong car

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

ELGIN, Texas (AP) — A man shot and wounded two cheerleaders in a Texas supermarket parking lot after one of them said she mistakenly got into his car thinking it was her own — the latest in a string of recent U.S. shootings apparently sparked by someone showing up at the wrong place.The shooting in Elgin, east of Austin, happened early Tuesday in a parking lot that serves as a carpool pickup spot for members of the Woodlands Elite Cheer Company, team owner Lynne Shearer said.Heather Roth, one of four team members transferring rides in the lot after practice, said she got out of her friend’s car and into a car she thought was hers, but there was a stranger in the passenger seat, KTRK-TV reported. She said she panicked and got back into her friend’s car, but the man got out of his vehicle and approached. She said she tried to apologize through her friend's car window, but the man threw up his hands, pulled out a gun and opened fire.Roth was grazed by a bullet and was treated at t...

WATCH LIVE | Brandon Johnson makes first trip to state Capitol as Chicago's mayor-elect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson is traveling to Springfield Wednesday where he'll meet with legislative leaders and speak to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly.Johnson has a day filled with spending time with lawmakers and addressing the needs of Chicago.This trip will be his first as mayor-elect, but it's not an unfamiliar territory. After addressing the Illinois General Assembly, Johnson will hold a press conference with Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch. He will also hold meetings with Welch and Senate President Don Harmon, as well as with the Black, Asian, Latino and moderate caucuses. Johnson said his time at the statehouse is about building a better, stronger and safer Chicago by establishing a strong foundation for collaboration.Now, Johnson has already built relationships with lawmakers. He has spent time working with Don Harmon as his constituent service director.He was also the chief of staff for...

'Gloriously gluttonous body': Fat cat up for adoption weighs 40 pounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:41 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The fattest cat you've ever seen was recently put up for adoption by Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia.Patches weighs 40.3 pounds, Animal Care and Control said. He's on a diet and exercise plan to get that number down, and he has been neutered, tested and chipped. The enormous cat is "very sweet," they say. Richmond Animal Care and Control put up a post on social media asking people interested in adopting Patches to reach out. They were looking for a new owner who would be committed to helping the cat reach a "safe and healthy weight." A domestic cat's ideal weight depends on its breed and sex, but you should usually be able to feel its ribs and see its waist from above, Purina says. Your veterinarian can help you determine if your cat is in a healthy weight range. The Facebook post about Patches quickly racked up hundreds of comments and shares. In an update Wednesday, the group said an adoption is pending. (Photo courtesy of Richmond Animal Care ...