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US education secretary praises college’s disavowal of legacy admissions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona praised a Connecticut university’s elimination of legacy admissions on a visit Friday to discuss the response to the Supreme Court opinion striking down affirmative action in higher education. The administration has been considering steps it can take to protect diversity on campuses in the wake of the ruling, which took away a tool colleges have used for decades. President Joe Biden has singled out admissions preferences for children of alumni, who are often mostly white, as an issue of concern. The Education Department has opened a civil rights investigation into legacy admissions at Harvard. On Friday, Cardona declined to say whether he anticipates similar action elsewhere.“Well, look, the president made it very clear we need to revisit college admission processes in general. And legacy admissions is one of those things,” Cardona told reporters during an appearance at Wesleyan University. “And while we do have ...

President Biden to host the leaders of Japan and Korean for an August summit at Camp David

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Japan and South Korea next month for a summit at Camp David, the White House announced Friday.The Aug. 18 meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the latest sign of warming relations between Japan and South Korea as they move to set aside generations of tensions and mistrust while the United States deepens its commitment to Asia.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the leaders “will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” Expected topics include the threat posed by North Korea and ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and with the Pacific Islands.The invitation spun out of a brief photo-op that the three leaders had at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. The Biden administration has been urging stronger economic and defense ties between South Korea and Jap...

Manitoba energy strategy includes wind power and off-peak persuasion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba is looking at boosting wind power and encouraging conservation — perhaps by charging customers different rates at peak hours — as part of a new long-term energy plan at Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro.The province needs to at least double, and possibly triple, its current hydroelectric generating capacity of 6,600 megawatts by 2050, the government said in a 20-page report released Friday. Major industries are investing in the province because of its clean and inexpensive electricity, the document states. Manitoba has among the lowest rates in North America, behind Quebec.The growing use of electric vehicles is also expected to drive up demand.However, with the utility already dealing with high debt loads — recent construction of two dams and a massive transmission line helped triple the utility’s debt over a 15-year period — the utility is looking to wind power to build capacity.“Generating stations, unless power costs go to some stratospheric number, are ...

Calgary man denied bail on terrorism-related charges related to TikTok video

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

CALGARY — A 20-year-old Calgary man has been denied bail on four terrorism-related charges.Zakarya Rida Hussein was charged in June with two counts of facilitating terrorist activity and two counts of participating in or contributing to, directly or indirectly, an activity of a terrorist group.Hussein appeared Friday in a Calgary courtroom for his bail hearing.Court documents say he’s accused of posting a TikTok video in May that contributed to or facilitated terrorist activity for al-Qaida and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.RCMP have said the charges were laid after an investigation by the RCMP Federal Policing Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, with support from Calgary police.A youth, who cannot be identified, was also arrested in a terrorism investigation in June and released on a peace bond with several conditions.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2023.The Canadian Press

Anti-racism trainer accused of bullying TDSB principal who later died welcomes review

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

An anti-racism trainer accused of denigrating a Toronto principal who later died by suicide welcomed a review launched by Ontario’s education minister, saying the allegations against her are false and mischaracterize what happened during two training sessions. Kike Ojo-Thompson, the founder and CEO of a diversity consultancy group — whose listed clients include major corporations, government ministries and national media organizations — said she would co-operate fully with an investigation launched by Minister Stephen Lecce into 2021 sessions she facilitated for the Toronto District School Board. “We believe the Ministry of Education is best positioned to investigate this matter to get to the bottom of what transpired at the Toronto District School Board after our workshop concluded over two years ago,” Ojo-Thompson wrote in a blog post on the KOJO Institute website Thursday.Richard Bilkszto filed a lawsuit against the board in April, claiming the sessi...

Geese in ‘good condition’ after landing on contaminated lagoon: Imperial CEO

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

CALGARY — The latest in what has been a string of environmental incidents at Canadian oilsands sites was addressed Friday by the CEO of Imperial Oil Ltd.On a conference call with analysts to discuss Imperial’s second-quarter financial results, Brad Corson spoke briefly about the 12 Canada geese that were recently found stained with oil after landing on a lagoon at the company’s Mahihkan plant northwest of Cold Lake, Alta.The incident was made public Monday by the Alberta Energy Regulator, which said the lagoon had been contaminated by an inadvertent release of an estimated 900 litres — approximately six barrels — of crude oil.“I’m disappointed that this has occurred. And we will be making every effort to learn and apply any preventative measures that are identified,” said Corson.He said all of the geese have been removed from the lagoon and taken to a specialist site for cleaning and rehabilitation.“We are monitoring their status and they are currently in goo...

Bay Area man fatally stabbed woman and posted video of it on Facebook, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — A man allegedly stabbed a woman to death in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday and then posted a video of the slaying to Facebook, authorities said.The gruesome footage helped police track down the suspect, who was later identified as 39-year old Mark Mechikoff. He was arrested about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) south of where the victim was found dead in a San Mateo apartment complex.“While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Mechikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area,” San Mateo police said in a statement.Prosecutors identified the victim as Claribel Estrella. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office plans to file a case against Mechikoff Friday and charge him with a single count of murder with an enhancement for use of a knife.His arraignment is scheduled for Friday afternoon, where an attorney will be appointed to represen...

Attorneys preserve the right to invoke insanity in shootings that killed 4 in Maine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

WEST BATH, Maine (AP) — A man who told police he killed his parents and their friends and shot at motorists on a busy interstate highway might try to show he was insane, based on pleas he entered Friday.The 34-year-old ex-convict Joseph Eaton entered pleas of both not guilty and not criminally responsible, leaving him the option of an insanity defense against charges including four counts of murder.“At this point we are preserving the ability to move forward with the so-called insanity defense. Once we have more forensic information, full discovery, and are able to view the case as a whole, we will then decide how to proceed,” Andrew Wright, one of his attorneys, told The Associated Press before the hearing in West Bath.Law enforcement officials say Eaton confessed to the killings at a property in rural Bowdoin, and to wounding three people while shooting at vehicles on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth. Eaton has been jailed since his arrest on April 18 near the chaotic scene along the hi...

Chow needs to speak publicly on recent violence against officers, K9 Bingo: Toronto police union

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

Mayor Olivia Chow is facing criticism from Toronto’s police union that she has not spoken publicly on the recent incidents of violence against officers, including Bingo, a member of the K9 unit.“In the last five days, we have had a police officer struck and injured by a stolen car, officers shot at, and a police dog killed in the line of duty. Will Mayor Chow offer any words of condolence or support for our members?” the Toronto Police Association (TPA) said a tweet on Thursday.@oliviachow ? pic.twitter.com/GO3Ud8GRr5— Toronto Police Association (@TPAca) July 27, 2023In a statement to CityNews on Friday, the mayor’s office said Chow has been in constant communication with Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw after each incident to send along her best to each officer involved.“The Mayor is in frequent communication with the Chief of Police. She sincerely hopes that the injured officers recover quickly, and she is grateful for their service. The Mayor ...

Carlee Russell charged with filing a false police report following kidnapping hoax

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:50 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — In a press conference held Friday afternoon, the Hoover Police Department announced that Carlee Russell had been charged with filing a false police report and filing a false statement to law enforcement authorities, a Class A misdemeanor.The Hoover Police Department (HPD) revealed that Carlee had turned herself in Friday to the Hoover City Police and was released on a $2,000 bond - $1,000 per charge. “Judging from the amount of phone calls and emails that we have received from all over the country, I know that many are shocked and appalled that Miss Russell is only being charged with two misdemeanors, despite all the panic and disruption her actions caused," Derzis said. "Let me assure you, I, too, share the same frustration, but existing laws only allow the charges that were filed to be filed.”Derzis said he will be contacting Alabama legislatures and asking them to look at this law and “urge them to add enhancement to current legislation” for when an...