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Death toll from Alaska landslide hits 5 as authorities recover another body; 1 person still missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Authorities have recovered the body of one of two people who had been missing following a deadly landslide last week in the southeast Alaska community of Wrangell.The body of Otto Florschutz, 65, was found late Thursday afternoon and recovered from the debris, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement Friday. One person, 12-year-old Derek Heller, remained missing following the late night Nov. 20 landslide that came down into the path of three homes, one of which was unoccupied.Five people have been confirmed killed in the landslide: Florschutz; Timothy and Beth Heller and two of their children, Kara, 11, and Mara, 16.Florschutz’s wife, Christina Florschutz, survived. In a recent interview with the Wrangell Sentinel and KSTK radio, she described the force of the landslide, saying it tossed her “like a piece of weightless popcorn” before she lost consciousness. She described regaining consciousness and being trapped between the roof of her house and debris ...

Ottawa didn’t verify disputed Métis communities covered by federal bill: official

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

OTTAWA — A high-ranking federal official says Ottawa has not verified the legitimacy of disputed Métis communities in Ontario that have been at the centre of heated debate over a government bill.Martin Reiher, a senior assistant deputy minister in the Crown-Indigenous Relations Department, said Bill C-53 only recognizes provincial Métis organizations that govern and the government isn’t required to dig into the legitimacy of specific communities. He made the comments at a parliamentary committee, where Indigenous leaders have been hotly debating legislation that would recognize Métis self-governance in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.The Chiefs of Ontario and other First Nations groups have argued that six new communities within the Métis Nation of Ontario, which the provincial government recognized in 2017, have no historical basis to exist. Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod says the official’s comments are yet another example of the federal government not doi...

Families arrive from the West Bank to care for the 3 college students shot in Vermont

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Nearly a week after three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously wounded while taking an evening walk, relatives of two of the victims have arrived in Vermont from the war-torn West Bank, grappling with a new reality that has shattered their lives and a place they thought was a safe haven.Elizabeth Price and her husband Ali Awartani flew in Wednesday just as their son, Hisham Awartani, underwent surgery. After the Israel-Hamas war erupted in early October, they agreed it would be safer for Hisham to stay in the United States instead of coming home for the holidays. Now they don’t know if he will ever walk again.“When my nephew came to this country to pursue his studies and when he came to stay with me for Thanksgiving in Burlington, Vermont, it never occurred to me that he may be victim to this type of violence,” Awartani’s uncle Rich Price said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday. “And so I feel...

Twenty-year-old Calgary man pleads guilty to one count related to TikTok video

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

CALGARY — A 20-year-old Calgary man facing charges stemming from a TikTok video has pleaded guilty to one count of facilitating terrorist activity.Zakarya Rida Hussein was charged in June with two counts of facilitating terrorist activity and two counts of participating in or contributing to an activity of a terrorist group.Hussein appeared today via video in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary.An agreed statement of facts between the Crown and the defence admits Hussein knowingly facilitated terrorist activity by posting an Islamic State group recruitment video on TikTok.It says he also posted to Snapchat on June 1 that his mission began the next day for Pride month.The statement of facts says Hussein also replied to automated text messages from the United Conservative Party that he was going to commit a terrorist attack.This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Dec. 1, 2023.The Canadian Press

Nickel ore processing plant that will supply Tesla strikes deal to spend $115M in federal funds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Developers of a proposed nickel ore processing plant in North Dakota that would supply electric automaker Tesla have reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy on how to spend nearly $115 million the federal agency awarded the project last year.The recent agreement was the result of over a year of negotiations to determine how the money would be doled out to Talon Metals, the Bismarck Tribune reported Friday.The Biden administration has backed the North Dakota facility as part of a national effort to bolster domestic production of critical minerals. It would process ore from Talon’s proposed underground mine near Tamarack in northeastern Minnesota. That project still requires approval from Minnesota regulators. It’s at the early stages of its environmental review, a process that could take at least a few years.The federal funding will be made available at various stages, including once the company receives the necessary permits to build and o...

AP PHOTOS: Indelible images of 2023, coming at us with the dizzying speed of a world in convulsion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

Two moments, at opposite ends of the human experience.In the first, on July 20, a woman squats in the thick mud in Raigad, India, as she peers out from a plastic tarp that covers her body. Her face is frozen in anguish and uncertainty as she faces the most dire of circumstances — the realization that her family is trapped under rubble after a landslide. The second scene could not be more different. It is from March 2, on the beach in Gaza City — a starkly different Gaza City than the one its residents are experiencing today. In this image, a group of Palestinians sit in chairs under an umbrella enjoying a day at the beach. In the background, a man rides by on a horse; both are airborne, their image reflected in water on the sand. Unthinkable anguish. Casual joy. And everything in between, too — in a world where, it is proven over and over, anything can happen and often does.The mission of photojournalism is to capture moments that represent — and, at their best, truly reveal — the e...

Suburban woman charged in hit-and-run crash that killed bicyclist in Highland Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — An arrest has been made in a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a female bicyclist last June in Highland Park, a spokesperson for the city said Friday. Melanie A. Hass, 41, of Mundelein is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident following the events of Friday, June 2. According to police, around 12:40 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Deerfield and Piccadilly roads on a report that a bicyclist had been struck by a vehicle.The bicyclist suffered severe injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Woman, 2 kids injured in hit-and-run crash on South Side The city said an "extensive investigation" helped police identify Hass as the suspected driver of a 2020 Jeep Wrangler involved in the crash. Since her arrest, Hass has been transported to Waukegan for a scheduled hearing, police added. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines No further information was made available by officials.

$1M scratch-off bought at BP in Oswego; 2nd winning ticket sold at gas station in over month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

OSWEGO, Ill. — A $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket was purchased at a BP in Oswago, making it the second time in less than two months the gas station has sold a winning ticket.The BP station, located at 2791 US 34, sold a $1 million winning Diamond Crossword 10X scratch-off. According to Illinois Lottery, winners have one year from the date of the winning draw in which to claim their prize. In October, the gas station sold a $300,000 winning Lucky Day Lotto ticket.The BP will receive a selling bonus of one percent of the prize amount, equivalent to $10,000.Winners should visit IllinoisLottery.com/winning for more information on how to claim their prize.

Investigation underway after body recovered from Chicago River: CPD

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

CHICAGO -- An investigation is underway after a body was recovered from the Chicago River near the Loop Friday morning, CFD said. According to police, the body was found in the 100 block of E. Wacker Drive around 9:37 a.m. The body was identified as an adult male and was pronounced dead on the scene. Charges pending in shooting of 9-month-old girl in Washington Park: police An autopsy is pending, and police are investigating the incident.WGN is following the incident and will update as more information is recovered.

Countess Luann on tour with Countess Cabaret and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:14 GMT

Countess CabaretDecember 1 and 2Park WestandThe Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY LegacyPremieres on Peacock December 14thwww.countessluann.comCountess Luann de Lesseps is an original cast member of one of the most successful franchises in television history, The Real Housewives of New York City and she stars in The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip and she's at The Park West tonight and tomorrow with her new show, Countess Cabaret.