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Sen. Blumenthal says femur surgery was ‘completely successful’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Sunday evening that surgery to repair a fracture in his femur was “completely successful” and that he’s planning to return to the Senate for votes “next week.”The Connecticut Democrat fractured his femur at a University of Connecticut men’s basketball victory parade held in honor of their NCAA championship win last week.“I just got out of surgery to repair the minor fracture to my upper femur. The surgery was completely successful and the staff, docs, and everyone here at Stamford Hospital has been magnificent,” Blumenthal tweeted, adding that he’s already started physical therapy.He had tweeted about his injury Saturday evening, replying to Sen. Chris Murphy, a fellow Connecticut Democrat who was also at the parade and tweeted that his colleague “FINISHED THE PARADE” after breaking his femur. “Most Dick Blumenthal thing ever,” Murph...

Cannabis company Phoena will wind down business under creditor protection

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

Phoena Holdings Inc. plans to wind down its business and has obtained creditor protection for a second time.Documents filed with a Toronto court show the Vaughan, Ont. cannabis company previously called CannTrust Holdings Inc. is insolvent and plans to liquidate its assets. Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz granted the company creditor protection last week.The company sought creditor protection because it needs the “breathing room and stability” offered by a Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act proceeding, interim chief executive Cornelis Pieter Melissen said in an affidavit.It is pursuing a wind down because it has been unable to revive its business and generate a profit since emerging from creditor protection in March 2022, after receiving $17 million in financing from a subsidiary of Netherlands-based private equity investment firm Kenzoll B.V. Melissen founded Kenzoll and took the helm of Phoena when former chief executive Greg Guyatt stepp...

English doctors’ strike could be catastrophic, official says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain is bracing for a four-day walkout by tens of thousands of doctors at the state-funded health care system that one official warned Monday could be “catastrophic” and postpone up to 350,000 appointments.The strike due to start Tuesday by National Health Service doctors early in their careers comes amid walkouts by public workers across many sectors demanding pay hikes during a cost-of-living crisis. A three-day doctors’ strike last month crippled the system that has been trying to dig out of an appointment backlog that predates the pandemic and has led to longer waiting times to see a doctor.“These strikes are going to have a catastrophic impact on the capacity of the NHS to recover,” Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told Sky News. “The health service has to meet high levels of demand at the same time as making inroads into that huge backlog. … That’s a tough thing to do at the best of times — it’s impossible to do when ...

Will your kids fight in the ‘water wars’?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, a recent report found that by 2030 demand for water will outstrip the world’s supply by 40 per cent. In the United States, the Colorado River and other major sources of water are drying up. The number of droughts worldwide is skyrocketing. And Canada has a lot of water that other nations will someday soon not just want but badly need. Does this mean that wars over water are inevitable? Maybe not.The Big Story is joined today by Dr. Jay Famiglietti, a hydrologist, Global Futures Professor at Arizona State University, former Executive Director Emeritus of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan and the host of the What About Water podcast. He joins us to discuss all the things that make him feel anxious and optimistic about the future supply of potable on Earth.“Every nation wants to have its own food security and its own water security,” he said, “those political boundaries create a whole new set of constrain...

Academic coaches help students finish community college

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

PHENIX CITY, Ala. (AP) — A decade after dropping out, Briana Mathis, a 30-year-old mother of two, is navigating her first year back at Wallace Community College. She was recruited back to the school in Dothan, Alabama, by the staff at a new student support center. The same adviser has kept her on track by helping her appeal a financial aid decision and checking in regularly on her progress. “I definitely needed the guidance, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without the guidance,” Mathis said.Two-year community colleges, which serve many of the students who need the most support, have the lowest completion rates of any kind of university or college. The availability of advisers, students say, is often a deciding factor in who succeeds. In Alabama, a number of community colleges have sought new ways to help students through whatever life and academic challenges come up until they graduate. ___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of Saving the College Dream, a collaboration be...

Taliban ban restaurant gardens for families, women in Herat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan’s northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said. It was the latest in a slew of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they took power in August 2021. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond sixth grade and women from universities, most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms. Authorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, correctly. The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue’s directorate in Her...

'Elf' and 'Barton Fink' actor Michael Lerner dies, family confirms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Michael Lerner, the actor who starred in "Elf," "Barton Fink," and more, died over Easter weekend, his family said. "We lost a legend last night," wrote Sam Lerner, Michael's nephew, in an Instagram post Sunday. "It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting." FILE - Actor Michael Lerner arrives at the Geffen Playhouse on December 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard/FilmMagic)Sam followed in his uncle's footsteps and also became an actor, starring in the TV series "The Goldbergs." Michael Lerner's career spanned 60 years. His first of his 183 acting credits on IMDb dates back to 1963. Thousands of purple creatures wash ashore in California He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 for his supporting role in "Barton Fink," a Coen brothers dark comedy. In 2003, Lerner starred in the Christmas comedy "Elf" opposite Will F...

Man killed after car hits light post on Southwest Side

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was killed in a car crash on the Southwest Side Monday morning. Police responded to a crash near the 6100 block of South Cicero Avenue where a vehicle jumped the curb, striking a light post and tree before coming to a complete stop. 18-year-old man shot while attempting to break into business on North Side The man sustained trauma to the body and was pronounced dead on the scene. There were no further injuries reported and police are investigating the incident.

2 wanted after man robbed at knifepoint on Red Line

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Two suspects are wanted after a man was robbed at knifepoint on a Red Line train last week.On Tuesday, a man was riding at Red Line train northbound near Morse when he was verbally confronted by a rider sitting across from him, police said.Another rider then stole the man's cellphone and backpack at knifepoint. Suburban ringleader gets 9 years in USPS mail-for-cash scheme No suspects are in custody. Anyone with information can call police at 312-745-4706 or submit a tip at cpdtip.com.

Bodies of missing musician and his son found in Arkansas lake

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:16:50 GMT

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KDVR) — After 24 days of searching, the bodies of a band member and his son were recovered from an Arkansas lake. The Benton County Sheriff's Office in Arkansas confirmed on Facebook Sunday that crews found the bodies of Chuck and Charley Morris.Chuck was a percussionist for the band Lotus, an electronica house band formed out of Philadelphia and Denver. Charley was attending college in Ohio, Nexstar's WDAF reported.Chuck and Charley originally went kayaking on Beaver Lake in Arkansas on March 16. The father and son were supposed to return from the trip at 2 p.m. that day, but when it got to 4 p.m. with no sign of them, police were called and began searching. Two kayaks and a coat were found in the water. Colorado cheer coach accused of inappropriate behavior with minor “It’s just something you never expect to hear,” said bandmate Luke Miller. “We all hope for the best, but it didn’t work out.”Crews spent 24 days looking for Chuck and Charley, and the Benton Cou...