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Ferry between N.S. and P.E.I. unavailable over weekend, stalled by mechanical problem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

CHARLOTTETOWN — The company that operates the ferry between Nova Scotia and eastern Prince Edward Island says the MV Confederation will be out of service until at least next week. The ferry was pulled off-line Sunday for the second time since mid-June, when it was removed from the water for two weeks because of a mechanical issue. Northumberland Ferries said Thursday in a news release that it expected the problem to be resolved over the weekend.“The required parts are due to arrive on Saturday, and an expedited repair, followed by extensive testing will see the vessel back in service early next week,” said Mark Wilson, senior vice-president of Northumberland Ferries.“Service remains suspended through Saturday and Sunday.”He said a second vessel, MV Saaremaa 1, is scheduled to be in service by the middle of this month. “MV Saaremaa 1 is expected to arrive late on Monday, and the remaining crew will be trained and final preparations will be completed as q...

Stock market today: Wall Street falls after hot jobs data raises threat of high rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are falling Thursday after reports suggested the U.S. job market remains much more resilient than expected.The S&P 500 was 0.8% lower in afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 355 points, or 1%, at 33,933 with less than an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower.While a sturdy labor market keeps the economy out of a long-feared recession, it could also push the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer in its campaign to defeat high inflation. That in turn could mean more pressure down the line on the economy and financial markets.A report from ADP Research Institute suggested hiring by private employers was much stronger last month than economists expected, with nearly twice as many jobs created than forecast.The ADP report can be volatile and “isn’t necessarily a good predictor of the monthly jobs report” that is more comprehensive and due from the U.S. government on Friday, said Mike Loewen...

Minnesota forest land linked to polygamous leader Warren Jeffs is up for sale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. (AP) — A 40-acre plot of Minnesota forest land connected to a polygamous sect once led by Warren Jeffs is up for sale.News that the property is back on the market, listed for $189,000, relieved residents in the remote area near the town of Grand Marais, where some once feared the group would establish a new compound, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported Thursday.The land has belonged since 2018 to Seth Jeffs via the Montana-registered entity Emerald Industries LLC. Seth Jeffs was convicted in 2006 of concealing his brother, Warren Jeffs, who was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison for sexually abusing underage members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members consider him a prophet. Seth Jeffs pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud in 2016 in a scheme to divert benefits to church members.The FLDS split from the main Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, after the latter renounced pol...

Flint contractor agrees to settlement of lead contamination lawsuits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — An engineering company accused of being partially responsible for Flint’s lead-contaminated water in 2014-15 has agreed to settle lawsuits brought by some residents of the Michigan city, attorneys said Thursday.Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, an engineering firm known as LAN, said in a court filing that a confidential deal was reached with residents in federal court but that both sides need more time to iron out the details.Separately, LAN reached a deal in a different lawsuit that Michigan’s attorney general filed in state court.Flint families sued LAN and another contractor, Veolia North America, accusing them of not doing enough to get Flint to treat highly corrosive water or to urge a return to a regional water supplier.Flint, which was under state-appointed managers, used the Flint River for water in 2014-15, but the water wasn’t treated the same as water previously supplied by a Detroit-area provider. As a result, lead leached throughout the va...

California Science Center to start complex process to display space shuttle Endeavour vertically

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The lengthy process of putting the retired space shuttle Endeavour on display in the vertical launch position will begin this month in Los Angeles.The California Science Center announced Thursday that the six-month process will get underway July 20 at the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center currently under construction in Exposition Park.The initial step, dubbed “Go for Stack,” will be installation of the bottom portion of the solid rocket boosters known as aft skirts upon which will be stacked the booster segments, the external tank and then Endeavour.The 20-story tall display will show the shuttle as it would appear waiting on a launch pad.Endeavour was built as a replacement for the destroyed shuttle Challenger and flew 25 missions between 1992 and 2011.When NASA’s shuttles were retired, Endeavour was flown to California atop NASA’s special Boeing 747 shuttle carrier in 2012, drawing crowds as it flew over locations in the state associated with the space ...

Pulling ads from Facebook could force its hand on news deals — if support grows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

MONTREAL — Pulling ads from Facebook could prod Meta toward inking deals with news outlets, though more momentum would be needed to push it over the edge, experts say.The tactic adopted by several governments and companies in Canada this week might force the social media giant’s hand if other countries and corporations follow suit in larger markets, said Sam Andrey, managing director of the Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University.“I thought it was interesting how quickly a bunch of organizations and governments followed, and I’m sure there will be more,” he said.“The government of Canada by itself as an advertiser is not a huge material loss for them in the scheme of their total Canadian advertising. But if it kicks off a movement then you could see them reconsidering.”The federal government — followed swiftly by the province of Quebec, the City of Montreal and media companies Quebecor Inc. and Cogeco Inc. — said Wednesday they would suspend adver...

Community, Indigenous drug rehab programs across West get $20M in federal funds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

SQUAMISH, B.C. — Dozens of community and Indigenous groups across Western Canada will share $20 million in federal funding to boost their drug awareness, treatment, rehabilitation and mental-health services.Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett says 42 local drug-related programs across British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan will receive the federal funds to help people tackle drug-related issues.The minister was in Squamish, B.C., where she visited two addiction treatment centres, including one for youth.Bennett says drug addiction is a nationwide issue, with data showing 20 people dying every day because of the toxic drug and overdose crisis.She says local organizations that have the trust and understanding of residents are best suited to offer addiction and mental health services.Bennett says recent political criticism of a drug decriminalization program in B.C. worries her that some people may be deterred from getting needed help.This report by The...

The UN chief calls for a robust international police force to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for a robust international force to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs and restore security in the impoverished nation, saying that a U.N. expert’s estimate that Haiti needs up to 2,000 additional anti-gang police officers is no exaggeration.Stressing that the U.N. is not calling for a military force or a political mission, Guterres appealed to U.N. Security Council members and potential contributing countries “to act now” to deploy a multinational force to help the Haitian National Police “defeat and dismantle the gangs.” The Caribbean nation has been asking for such a force since last October. The U.N. chief, who visited Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday, told reporters that criminal gangs have a “stranglehold” on the population. “The Haitian people are trapped in a living nightmare. Humanitarian conditions are beyond appalling,” he said.Guterres spoke ahead of a Security Council meeting late...

Pakistan: Death toll from 2 weeks of monsoon rains rises to at least 55, including 8 children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The death toll from two weeks of monsoon rains rose to at least 55 on Thursday after 12 people, including eight children, died in weather-related incidents in Pakistan amid fears of flash floods, authorities said.The eastern city of Lahore witnessed a record-breaking downpour the previous day, flooding many streets and disrupting normal life. Since Wednesday, 19 people have died in the city due to collapsing roofs and electrocution, officials said. Pakistan’s weather forecast agency warned of more rain to hit the city.At least eight children died when a massive landslide hit Shangla, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Rescuers were trying to remove a large mud pile for fear that other missing children were buried under. Heavy rain also continued to lash the impoverished nation, overflowing the main rivers in the Punjab province, Jhelum and Chenab, prompting the disaster management agency to be on high al...

Court docs: Little Village father accused of killing wife, daughter agreed to rehab prior to shooting; no bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:42 GMT

CHICAGO — A 67-year-old Little Village father agreed to rehab prior to gunning down his family, killing his wife and daughter, prosecutors said in court Thursday.Jose Alvarez was held without bail after prosecutors outlined a timeline in court. He's been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm.On June 20, his wife, Karina Gonzalez, 48, and their children, 15-year-old Daniela Alvarez and their 18-year-old son, left the residence following "several years" of alleged alcohol, drug and verbal abuse by Jose Alvarez.The following day, Gonzalez obtained an order of protection, but it was never served, according to court documents. However, as a result, court documents state that Alvarez's FOID card, for his Glock handgun, was revoked.On June 26, documents state the family returned to live with Alvarez with the understanding that he was going to enter a rehab program.Prosecutors allege the abusive behavior began again after a fe...