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Toronto council rescinds ‘arbitrary’ cap on rideshare licences, Uber praises move

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

Toronto’s City Council and Mayor Olivia Chow confirmed on Thursday it would continue to issue licences to rideshare drivers, such as Uber, by rescinding a previous cap. Last week, Uber Canada announced it was taking Toronto to court to reverse the city’s decision to limit the number of rideshare vehicles on its streets. The rideshare company filed an injunction with the Ontario Supreme Court on Dec. 4, alleging the move to put a cap on rideshare licences is illegal and would irreparably harm its business.According to some, Toronto’s move came too quickly, so on Thursday, Mayor Chow said she’d wait at least a few more months to see how it plays out. Related: Uber, Lyft warn of higher costs, long wait times as Toronto moves to cap drivers “It’s about planning, transportation, public transit, greenhouse gas emissions, and across different divisions and departments,” Mayor Chow said.Opponents of Toronto’s City Council said...

52 commerical and backyard flocks in B.C. have been infected with bird flu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

VANCOUVER — More than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia have been infected with avian flu since October, but animal health officials say that rate is slowing as the fall migration of wild birds ends. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday 47 commercial farms and five small-flocks have been infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus this fall. B.C.’s Agriculture Ministry says in a news release that it is working with the agency and B.C.’s poultry producers to ensure enhanced biosecurity measures are in place to limit the spread of disease. If the flu is detected in a flock, all the birds on the farm must be destroyed and the CFIA said in November about five million birds in B.C. have been culled due to H5N1 since the first case was detected in April 2022. The ministry says avian flu poses a low risk to public health with no risk to food safety, and there are currently no poultry food supply disruptions due to the virus. The B.C. government introduced a $...

'We're all going to die': Mokena family recounts tour boat sinking in the Bahamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

MOKENA, Ill. — Last month, the Savage family took a cruise to celebrate a birthday. Thursday, Becky, her husband Matt, and their two sons are more than happy to be back home and alive after an excursion off the cruise ship left floating in the ocean, hoping to stay alive.On Nov. 14, the Savage family and more than 100 people boarded a two-deck Blue Lagoon Island tour boat that inevitably sank before reaching the island in the Bahamas.According to the Savages, they took the tour boat ride as an excursion on the last day of their trip on a Royal Caribbean cruise line that took them from Jamaica to the Bahamas."It started getting choppy, it was already a little choppy," said Matt Savage. "But then all of a sudden, it felt like it kind of sped up." More from Jewell: ‘He’s the ball of sunshine’: Mom provides update on Cooper Roberts The family said the boat started to sink around 10:30 a.m. and the crew didn't communicate what was going on, other than for those on board to put their li...

CPS Board of Education passes resolution that could change school choice policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Public Schools' Board of Education passes a resolution Thursday that could change selective enrollment.The board of education says it needs a bold and transformational new vision for the district and members adopted a resolution on Thursday they believe will achieve that vision, moving from a model that emphasizes school choice to one that supports neighborhood schools.   The main one would be to transition away from admission and enrollment policies that the board says further stratifies and causes inequity in the school system, driving enrollment away from neighborhood schools."Think about resourcing schools where kids haven't gotten the resources because as students left their neighborhood schools so did the money that followed them so a lot of those schools ended up being less resourced," said Becky Vevea, Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Chicago.The CPS board met on Thursday and passed a resolution that would change the school choice system that's been in place for...

U.S. Supreme Court case could delay Madigan trial, ComEd sentencing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case about "what constitutes bribery" could delay the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.Madigan is charged with using his unrivaled political power to obtain work for his private law practice. He was indicted by federal prosecutors in March 2022 on 22 counts for his alleged role in a racketeering conspiracy linked to lobbying practices during his time in politics. Madigan pleaded not guilty on federal racketeering, bribery, wire fraud and extortion charges. There was also the separate scheme that saw the power company ComEd admit to hiring Madigan allies as ghost payrollers, with the hope of winning his support on key legislation.Four people – including ComEd’s former CEO and Madigan’s top lieutenant, Tim Mapes – have already been convicted. Mapes faces up to 20 years in prison for obstruction of justice and up to five years for perjury. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2024.Now, Mapes and the three others conv...

GOP voters like Trump because he won't compromise: Pew poll

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

(The Hill) — Trump-supporting Republicans are less likely than voters who support other GOP presidential candidates to favor political compromise on issues, according to a Pew Research Center poll published Thursday.About 63 percent of former President Trump’s supporters want their candidate to focus on pushing for GOP policy in office rather than working with Democrats, more than supporters for any other GOP primary candidate. Republican voters are split overall, with exactly half of respondents emphasizing compromise.Among other GOP candidates, supporters of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley support compromise the most, with 72 percent of respondents saying they want the GOP candidate to work across the aisle. Just more than half of supporters for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) back compromise over partisanship, the poll found.Trump’s support makes up a significantly larger proportion of GOP voters than support for other candidates because he holds a wide lead in national primar...

Daily aspirin may do more harm than good for heart patients — and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

For Thursday, Dec. 14, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch No daily aspirin for heart health Daily aspirin may do more harm than good for heart patients. US doctors typically recommend taking aspirin every day to prevent heart attacks. But Canadian heart doctors have reversed course. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society now advises against routinely taking aspirin, citing recent evidence revealing that bleeding risks outweigh the benefits. For certain high-risk heart patients, they say aspirin may be appropriate, but they are urging against routine daily use for most people. Menstrual cycles & daily suicide risksWomen may be more at risk for dangerous emotional slides in and around their menstrual cycle.The University of Illinois Chicago researchers found female patients with a history of suicidal thoughts experience an increased risk of suicidal ideation and planning in the days before and after their p...

City Council approves Downtown Austin Community Court extension to help more access critical services

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin City Council approved on consent Thursday to expand the jurisdiction of the Downtown Austin Community Court so it can help low-level defendants access critical throughout the city. The Downtown Austin Community Court opened its doors in 1999, becoming the first court of its kind in Texas. The mission of the court is to “administer justice equitably and compassionately and to utilize a client-centered and housing-focused intensive case management model to help individuals experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability,” according to its website. “We've really evolved our operations at the cour. Just like the community of Austin has changed over the last 25 years, we have become much more hands-on with individuals that are coming through the court, connecting them on-site to our integrated housing, case manager services, basic needs, and connection to other resources that exist in the community,” said Robert Kingham, Court Administrator for ...

Happy ending! Stuffed toy left at AUS returned to owner

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A lost toy left at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) was reunited with its owner Thursday afternoon."2-year-old toddler Lucas is overjoyed to have his best plushy friend, Kopus (Ka-poosh), back in his arms," AUS said.On Wednesday evening, the airport said it was searching for the owner of a lost puppy friend found at one of the airport's garages.“We are trying to get him home for the holidays,” AUS said.(AUS photo)(AUS photo)(AUS photo)(AUS photo)(AUS photo)(AUS photo)When the owners were not found overnight, AUS said staff began an interview process to find “Puppy Friend” a position at the airport.“Puppy Friend hasn’t found his owner yet, but he’s taken an interest in how we do things around AUS,” the airport said. “This morning, he interviewed for a pawsition with our Planning & Development team.”

Drug deal led to stabbing in northwest Austin, court records say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:27 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — An affidavit obtained by KXAN revealed that a drug deal led to the deadly stabbing of a man in northwest Austin earlier this month.Around 8:30 p.m., Dec. 3, Austin Police responded to a convenience store at 10800 Research Blvd. in reference to a man who walked into the store and fell to the ground, according to APD. Police identify man killed in stabbing near 7-Eleven That man was later identified as Chad Barron, 48.When first responders arrived on the scene, they found Barron with a stab wound, which was found on the left side of his back, according to the affidavit. He was taken to St. David's Hospital in Round Rock where he was later pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m.The investigationAPD officers and detectives later responded to the store and were able to track a blood trail to the northwest corner of the southbound intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and westbound lanes of Braker Lane, court documents said.According to the affidavit, Barron was known to s...