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Georgia officials won’t take over elections in state’s largest, Democrat-heavy county

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s State Election Board won’t take over running elections in the state’s most populous county, ending an investigation that had sparked fears of partisan meddling.The board voted unanimously on Tuesday to end its performance review of Fulton County nearly two years after it had begun.Multiple board members said that they want the county to continue to work on improvements before the 2024 election and not to backslide on work already done.“The question is, are we going to draw a line in the sand and say let us go, be done with this, and leave us alone, which is a little bit of what I’m hearing… or are we going to say it’s time to change?” said State Election Board Chair Bill Duffey.Fulton County officials noted that the review panel found no violations of state law or rules across nine elections that it monitored. “I’m proud of the work of Fulton County and what we’ve achieved in the last few years and feel fully confident moving into the future that...

Girl seriously injured after being struck by vehicle in Toronto’s east end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

A girl has been rushed to hospital after they were struck by a vehicle in the city’s east end.Police responded to the scene at Milner Avenue and Neilson Road near Sheppard Avenue East just after 1 p.m. on Tuesday.Paramedics said the injured person is a “young teenager,” who they were taking to a pediatric trauma centre with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.Toronto police later confirmed the victim is a girl.The driver remained at the scene.No further details have been released.

Dean Brody, the Reklaws set to play CCMA Awards as country show heads to CTV

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

TORONTO — Homegrown country stars Dean Brody, the Reklaws and Carly Pearce are among the performers headed to this year’s CCMA Awards.The Canadian Country Music Association named the musicians in a larger announcement that sees the show migrate to CTV for its 41st edition this fall.The change is accompanied by a commitment from CTV’s owner Bell Media to put significant marketing heft behind the event across its other broadcast channels, radio stations, digital and social media properties.It’s a notable shift after the CCMA Awards broadcast on Global in recent years and streamed live on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.This year’s event will air live from Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre on Sept. 26, an unusual placement of the awards show on a Saturday night.Tickets for the CCMA Awards go on sale to the general public on Thursday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2023.David Friend, The Canadian Press

Texas power grid asks customers to cut electricity use as heat wave scorches southern US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ power grid operator asked residents Tuesday to voluntarily cut back on electricity due to anticipated record demand on the system as a heat wave kept parts of the state and southern U.S. in triple-digit temperatures. In neighboring Oklahoma, more than 100,000 customers were eagerly awaiting the restoration of power and air conditioning following weekend storms that downed trees and snapped hundreds of utility poles. Officials say at least one person in Oklahoma has died because of the prolonged outages, which could last into the weekend for some residents. The request in Texas marked the first time this year that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — which serves most of Texas’ nearly 30 million residents — had asked customers to cut their energy consumption. ERCOT said it was “not experiencing emergency conditions,” but it noted that the state set an unofficial June record on Monday for energy demand. Much of Texas was under exces...

Ford endorses Saunders ahead of Toronto byelection: ‘He’d be the best mayor’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

Ontario Premier Doug Ford will vote for Mark Saunders in Toronto’s upcoming mayoral byelection but maintains he is staying out of the race.Ford’s endorsement of the former police chief comes after a Mark Saunders sign was captured on the Premier’s front lawn this week.“I’ve always said I’m staying out of the race. I have the right, like anyone else, to put a sign on my lawn,” Ford said at a press conference on Tuesday.“I tell everyone, I’ll be voting for Mark, but vote [for] whoever you want to vote for. That’s your choice. That’s not up to me or anyone else to tell you who to vote for.“That’s just my opinion. He’d be the best mayor,” Ford added.In a statement from the Premier’s office, a spokesperson said on Monday that Ford would “work with anyone, and that’s what he intends to do.”Toronto mayoral candidate Mark Saunders is photographed after a mayoral debate in Toronto on W...

What you need to know to decide if trip cancellation insurance is worth the cost

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

Noah Meyer-Delouya, 25, only bought trip cancellation insurance once — and it paid off. The Toronto-based accountant did it because he, his mom and his brother bought cheap tickets to Los Angeles this past January. They figured $67.89 for trip cancellation insurance for all three of them wasn’t too much extra money to protect their trip.They also liked that this trip cancellation insurance policy explicitly included the ability to receive a full refund for their airfare if somebody contracted COVID-19. “With COVID, it’s become so much more normal to be more cautious and be aware of the chance of getting sick and it impacting your trip,” Meyer-Delouya said. Five days before the trip, his mom tested positive for COVID. Two days later, his brother tested positive too. Meyer-Delouya got lucky and didn’t contract COVID. But the family decided to cancel all their tickets and cash in their trip cancellation policy.Trip cancellation insurance is different from medical travel insurance...

Florida deputy’s face went ‘blank’ during school massacre, security guard testifies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The face of a former Florida sheriff’s deputy went “blank” as shots rang out from a Parkland high school building five years ago and he did not appear to grasp that a gunman was inside killing 17 people, a former security supervisor testified during the deputy’s trial Tuesday.Kelvin Greenleaf, testifying for the prosecution, said he was unarmed and standing next to Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson about 10 yards (9 meters) from the three-story 1200 building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They had just ridden together to the area in a golf cart after hearing the first shots.Peterson drew his handgun, but instead of going inside he told Greenleaf they needed to take cover and went with him to the outside of a neighboring building, the guard said. Peterson stayed next to the building for 40 minutes, long after the shots ended and other officers had stormed inside.“He just had a blank look on his face. It was so much going on and I c...

Quebec coroner calls for police access to less lethal weapons in report on killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

MONTREAL — A coroner’s report into the death of a Black man shot and killed by police in a town northeast of Montreal recommends the municipal force acquire and train officers in the use of intermediary weapons.Jean René Junior Olivier was killed on Aug. 1, 2021 in Repentigny, Que., as he was experiencing a mental health crisis.In February, Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office decided there were no grounds to lay criminal charges against any of the officers in connection with the fatal shooting.Later that month, Olivier’s family announced it was suing local police for $430,000.Coroner Karine Spénard studied video of the encounter and found that officers tried to de-escalate the situation for nearly 14 minutes before Olivier lunged at them with a knife.Spénard says an officer who had a stun gun was never close enough to use it, and her report includes one recommendation — that officers have access to intermediary weapons that are less lethal, such as rubber bull...

New firefighting planes sought across the warming planet are on their way, with a little delay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Production of a workhorse firefighting plane that is eagerly awaited in Europe to combat worsening mega-blazes fueled by climate change is running “a little bit” behind schedule, and the first will not be delivered before the fire season of 2027, manufacturer De Havilland Canada said Tuesday.In launching production of the DHC-515 — a new generation of the famous “Canadair” water-bombing planes — the Canadian aircraft maker said last year that it expected to make its first deliveries “by the middle of the decade.”France, among countries that battled devastating forest fires last year, is expected to be among the first recipients of the aircraft, and had hoped for a first plane in 2026 to reinforce its aging fleet. French President Emmanuel Macron had also made an ambitious pledge to replace all 12 of its Canadairs by the time he leaves office in 2027 and to add four more — a promise that now looks in jeopardy.The first plane won’t be delivered to Europ...

Chicago officials warn about dangers of fireworks ahead of Fourth of July

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:32 GMT

CHICAGO — The Fourth of July is two weeks away and public safety and medical professionals are warning people about the dangers of fireworks.Several fire-focused agencies, medical officials, and a parent of a fireworks injury survivor gathered Tuesday at University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital to discuss "the dangerous risks and long-term consequences fireworks can pose to your loved ones, family pets and combat veterans (and other survivors of gun violence) who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder," according to a press release.Fire officials then staged a live demonstration to "show how quickly fireworks can turn tragic." Their message was simply to leave the fireworks, including sparklers, to the professionals.Officials said there's also a high probability for fire to quickly spread due to the current drought and dry conditions of grass across the area. VIDEO: Minutes after reported Near West Side shooting, crowds twerk and taunt cops In 2022, according t...