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LGBTQ pride group excluded from southwest Iowa town’s Labor Day parade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

A local LGBTQ pride group was excluded from a southwest Iowa town’s Labor Day parade, apparently by the city’s mayor, who cited safety concerns.Shenandoah Pride planned to have a small group walking with a banner and a drag performer riding in a convertible, with candy, popsicles and stickers to hand out in the parade in Essex, Iowa, said Jessa Bears, a founding member of the group. The parade is part of a four-day festival in Essex, which has about 720 residents.Ryan Fuller, who planned to ride in the convertible as his drag identity Cherry Peaks, said he received an email Thursday from the parade’s organizer notifying him of the decision.Fuller told The Associated Press Essex Mayor Calvin Kinney spearheaded the decision, with no motions or city council vote. Council Member Heather Thornton, who disagreed with the move, said “it was the mayor himself,” and added she was told he had the authority and didn’t need a council vote.Kinney did not immediately respo...

Georgia football staffer Jarvis Jones arrested for speeding, reckless driving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Former Georgia and NFL linebacker Jarvis Jones, who now works on the football staff at his alma mater, was arrested for speeding and reckless driving ahead of the Bulldogs’ season opener, police said.Jones’ arrest late Friday is the latest driving investigation to tarnish the two-time reigning national champions, who have struggled to deal with the issue since a high-speed crash killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy on Jan. 15, just hours after a celebratory parade through Athens.The 33-year-old Jones is player coordinator for the Bulldogs. He played at Georgia from 2010-12 under former coach Mark Richt, setting school records for sacks in a season (14.5) and tackles for loss (24.5) that still stand.An Athens-Clarke County police report shows Jones was arrested shortly before midnight last Friday for maximum limits speeding and reckless driving. He was released on $2,400 bond about an hour later.No other details ...

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell, known for the ubiquitous pop-rock hit ‘All Star,’ dies at 56

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harwell, the longtime frontman of the Grammy-nominated pop rock band Smash Mouth that was behind the megahit “All Star” has died. He was 56. The band’s manager, Robert Hayes, said Harwell “passed peacefully and comfortably” Monday morning surrounded by family and friends at his home in Boise, Idaho. The cause of death was acute liver failure, Hayes said in a statement.Smash Mouth is also known for hits including “ Walkin’ on the Sun ” and “ Then The Morning Comes.”“Steve Harwell was a true American Original. A larger than life character who shot up into the sky like a Roman candle,” Hayes said. “Steve should be remembered for his unwavering focus and impassioned determination to reach the heights of pop stardom.” Born in California in 1967, Harwell performed in a rap group called F.O.S. (Freedom of Speech) before forming Smash Mouth in 1994. The band released two platinum albums on Interscope Records, the ska-fueled 1997’s “Fush...

France’s Macron supports experimenting with uniforms in some schools amid debate over ban on robes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron opened the door Monday to experimenting in some public schools with uniforms or a dress code amid debate in France over a ban in classrooms on long robes worn mainly by Muslims. The ban on robes known as abayas for girls and women and khamis for boys and men went into effectn Monday. Macron said he is in favor of “experimenting” with uniforms in order to “inform public debate,” speaking in a live interview on online media HugoDecrypte, broadcasted on Youtube and TikTok. He said another experimental option could be for children to wear similar outfits, such as “a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket.”“We certainly can have things that are more acceptable to teenagers (than uniforms),” Macron said. “It may seem a little less strict from a disciplinary point of view.”The centrist president’s comments come after some conservative and far-right politicians have voiced support for requiring uniforms in public schools. Macron provi...

Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías arrested near Los Angeles stadium where Messi was playing MLS game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was arrested near BMO Stadium, where Lionel Messi was playing in a Major League Soccer game with numerous celebrities in attendance.Exposition Park public safety said its officers arrested Urías at about 11 p.m. Sunday inside the park, which is home to the stadium. The department would not immediately disclose what charges Urías was arrested on, but said it would release more details Monday.Urías posted $50,000 bail and was released shortly before 5 a.m. Monday, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department booking records.He is due in court on Sept. 27.The 27-year-old Mexican-born pitcher was arrested in May 2019 for domestic battery. Urías was suspended 20 games by Major League Baseball, but he wasn’t prosecuted by the Los Angeles city attorney on the condition that he complete a 52-week domestic violence counseling program.The Dodgers were traveling Monday to Miami where they open a six-game road trip Tuesday again...

Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

Small farms with natural landscape features such as shade trees, hedgerows and tracts of intact forest provide a refuge for some tropical bird populations, according to an 18-year study in Costa Rica.For almost two decades, ornithologist James Zook has been collecting detailed records on nearly 430 tropical bird species found on small farms, plantations and undisturbed forests in the country.While birds thrive the most in undisturbed rainforests, Zook said some species usually found in forests can establish populations in “diversified farms” that partially mimic a natural forest environment.“How you farm matters,” said Nicholas Hendershot, a Stanford University ecologist and co-author of the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.“In these diversified farms, you see growth over the long term in bird species with specialized needs,” such as safe and shady nooks to build nests and a variety of food sources, Hendershot said. That trend was...

Biden will nominate longtime aide and current adviser to VP to represent the US at UNESCO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime aide to President Joe Biden and current top adviser to the vice president is Biden’s choice to represent the United States at the United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture. The U.S. recently rejoined the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after a five-year hiatus initiated by Biden’s immediate predecessor in the White House, Donald Trump. The Democratic president’s choice to become the U.S. permanent representative to the Paris-based UNESCO, with the rank of ambassador, is longtime aide Courtney O’Donnell, according to a White House official, who spoke Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the nomination before a formal announcement.O’Donnell currently wears two hats: She’s a senior adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris and acting chief of staff for Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and she lends her expertise to a range of national and global iss...

Canadian employers missing the mark with hybrid work policies: experts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

As employers call their workers back to the office, experts are saying companies need to consult their employees meaningfully and collect data before making big decisions about hybrid work policies.Many employers are missing the mark with arbitrary policies and requirements, often to their own detriment, according to Kelowna-based workplace consultant Graham Lowe.“The pandemic essentially transformed work as we know it,” he said. “It showed millions of Canadian workers that they could actually work remotely and that there were a significant range of benefits from doing so.”It wasn’t a universal experience: just over a third of Canadians were working from home in mid-2020, according to Statistics Canada, depending hugely on industry. Many essential workers and low-paid employees continued going to work.Related links:Hybrid work model is here to stay in Canada, research findsZoom, which thrived on the remote work revolution, wants workers back in the offi...

West Indian American Day Parade steps off with steel bands, colorful costumes, stilt walkers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The annual West Indian American Day Parade stepped off in New York City on Monday with brightly colored costumes, steel bands, flag waving and street dancing.The Brooklyn parade is the culmination of carnival week and one of the world’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture. The parade routinely attracts more than 1 million people for what has become one the city’s most spirited annual events.A separate street party known as J’Ouvert, commemorating freedom from slavery, began in the early morning hours. The main parade started later in the morning and featured steel drum players, stilt walkers and dancers wearing flamboyant costumes. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were among the elected officials who either showed up for the parade or marched in it.Hundreds of thousands of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants have settled in Brooklyn and have helped turn the Labor Day celebration into a must-see event.The parade returned last year aft...

Can pets be banned on a rental lease in Ontario?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:59 GMT

Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) covers various rights and responsibilities for both landlords and tenants, with detailed sets of rules about a number of everyday issues that may come up for both parties when renting.Some questions that come up often revolve around the legality of banning pets, who is responsible for lawn maintenance and snow removal and whether tenants can paint their rental home.Is a “no pets” clause allowed on a rental lease?The short answer is no, a “no pets” clause on an Ontario lease is void and cannot be enforced.“A landlord cannot ban pets in the lease — under section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act, that is not a provision that can be included in a lease,” explains Ademofe Oye-Adeniran, a lawyer with the Canadian Center for Housing Rights.She says that it is possible that a landlord may choose not to rent to a prospective tenant who has pets and there are no official rules against that.However onc...