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State funded some trips for ex-North Dakota senator charged with traveling to pay for sex with minor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A former North Dakota legislator charged with traveling to Prague with the intent of paying for sex with a minor used state funds to pay for at least three trips to that city and to other destinations in Europe, according to a group that organized the travel.Travel records from the North Dakota School Boards Association show that former state senator Ray Holmberg used public funding for trips in 2011, 2018 and 2019 to Prague in the Czech Republic and to other cities, including Amsterdam and Berlin. The trips were arranged through the Germany-based Global Bridges teacher exchange program, which received funding from the North Dakota Legislature.A federal indictment unsealed Monday charged Holmberg with traveling to Prague with the intent of paying for sex with a minor and also with receiving images depicting child sexual abuse. Holmberg, 79, has pleaded not guilty.It’s unclear whether the alleged conduct happened during the publicly funded trips. But the indictm...

Canadian Press NewsAlert: TVA Group lays off 500-plus employees amid restructuring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

MONTREAL — The TVA Group says it will lay off 547 employees, or 31 per cent of its workforce, as part of restructuring that includes overhauling its news division, ending its in-house entertainment content production and optimizing its real estate assets.More coming.Companies in this story: (TSX:QRB.B)The Canadian Press

Death of a player from a skate to the neck reignites hockey’s stubborn debate over protective gear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

It took the NHL until 1979 to mandate helmets and goalie masks for new players. It wasn’t until 2013 that eye-protecting visors became mandatory — grandfathered in for veterans, of course. A handful of players still don’t wear them.Broken jaws, smashed noses and concussions haven’t led to full face shields or cages in professional men’s hockey at any level, either. This week, the death of an American player from a skate blade to the neck during a game in England has reignited the debate over cut-resistant protection and why more players don’t wear it.That this is a debate might be surprising to some outside the sport. It shouldn’t be. Change in hockey tends to be slow, if it comes at all.Ask players if they have been cut by a skate in an NHL game or practice, and the affirmative answers are startlingly high. Some are well-known — Erik Karlsson’s Achilles tendon injury a decade ago and Evander Kane’s sliced wrist last year, for example....

New report shows for-profit clinics performing surgery to worsen wait times and staffing shortages

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

A new report shows Ontario’s move to allow private health clinics to perform surgical procedures covered by OHIP will worsen wait times and public sector staffing shortages.The health care reform bill passed in May of 2023 expanded cataract surgeries and diagnostic imaging and testing while the government will create an entirely new system to perform hip and knee replacement surgeries. The bill was introduced as a way to cut down on wait times and increase capacityHowever, the report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said it’s unlikely to do either of those things as capacity depends on the availability of staff, which will remain unchanged.“Ontario does not lack the physical space and equipment to improve wait times for surgeries and medical imaging, what we see is we lack the necessary staff to be able to do the work,” said Andrew Longhurst, the author of the report and a health policy researcher.While Ontario has had increasing wait times fo...

Cybersecurity event affecting Toronto Public Library services

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

The Toronto Public Library (TPL) continues to deal with a cybersecurity incident that came to its attention last weekend.The TPL website remains down, and online services such as “Your account,” digital collections, computers and printers at branches are out of service.A spokesperson for the library says that locations will remain open and wifi is available.“As of now, there is no evidence that the personal information of our staff or customers has been compromised,” TPL said in a statement.“TPL has proactively prepared for cybersecurity issues and promptly initiated measures to mitigate potential impacts. We have engaged with third-party cybersecurity experts to help us in resolving this situation. We do anticipate, though, that it may take several days before all systems are fully restored to normal operations.”TPL says it’s hoping to resolve the matter “as quickly as possible.”

Minister intervenes in deportation of man facing death sentence in Egypt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

OTTAWA — A man who was set to be deported from Canada to Egypt, where he faces a death sentence, says the federal immigration minister intervened in his case and prevented his removal. Dr. Ezzat Gouda was ordered to return to Egypt by Nov. 1, despite claims that he would be persecuted and killed because of his political affiliations in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolution. Gouda says he showed Canadian officials court documents that prove he has been sentenced to death in Egypt, but was told they were too vague and insufficient for his refugee claim to be accepted.On Wednesday, as he prepared to board a flight back to Egypt, he says he suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital.Gouda says that later in the day, he learned in an email from the Canada Border Services Agency that Immigration Minister Marc Miller had stopped the deportation. Miller’s office said it would not respond to questions about the matter because of privacy concerns. This report by The Canadian ...

FBI searching for Lombard bank robbery suspect with possible skin disorder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

LOMBARD, Ill. — Chicago's FBI Field Office on Thursday released photos of a man suspected of robbing a Lombard-area bank a day prior.Around 12:20 p.m. Nov. 1, FBI agents responded to the Chase Bank at 223 E. Roosevelt Rd. A witness told WGN News on Wednesday that the robbery suspect walked in with a gun and approached an employee in the lobby. The suspect then allegedly ordered the employee to go to the counter and hand over an undisclosed amount of money. Around 12:20 p.m. Nov. 1, FBI agents responded to the bank at 223 E. Roosevelt Rd. (Photo: FBI Chicago)FBI agents confirm that a gun was shown amid verbal demands for money. (Photo: FBI Chicago)FBI agents confirm that a gun was shown amid verbal demands for money.The clerk complied and the suspect allegedly fled on foot. No one was hurt. FBI agents described the suspect as an older male with a thin build who may be experiencing a loss of skin pigmentation on his face, possibly due to vitiligo. The suspect was no taller than 5-foot...

Ryan Poles hasn't lost faith in Matt Ebeflus despite the Bears' struggles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As the team continues through a difficult 2023 season that saw another coach depart the staff on Wednesday, is Matt Eberflus not long for the Bears?Ryan Poles seemed to indicate that is not the case. In a news conference at Halas Hall on Wednesday, one in which he addressed not only the firing of running backs coach David Walker but also the team's struggles through eight games, the general manager defended the head coach's work the last year-and-a-half.This comes as Eberflus has a 5-20 record entering Sunday's game against the Saints in New Orleans at Noon. "Every day, when I see him address the team and I see his approach through adversity, it is stable, man," said Poles of Eberflus. "I know in the outside world it doesn't look like that, and I know it looks like we're far away, but this dude comes in every day and just keeps chipping away. He has high integrity, the people he's brought in here, he's done the work to make sure that they're the people they're su...

Duane 'Keffe D' Davis pleads 'not guilty' in Tupac murder case, will not face death penalty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a self-described gang member accused in the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment in a Las Vegas courtroom Thursday after previous delays and possibly parting ways with a private attorney.Davis, 60, was represented by special public defenders Robert Arroyo and Charles Cano. Two weeks ago Davis appeared in court with defense attorney Ross Goodman, but Goodman told Nexstar's KLAS on Wednesday that he and Davis were not able to reach terms of an agreement.Davis told the court he does plan on having Goodman represent him.Booking photo of Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis. (Credit: LVMPD)Davis was arrested at his Henderson home in September after being indicted by a grand jury for murder with the use of a deadly weapon. Shakur, 25, was shot in Las Vegas on Sept. 7, 1996. He died a week later.Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired and the...

UFC Fight Night returns to Austin's Moody Center

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Moody Center will be home to UFC Fight Night this December, the Austin venue said in a social media post Tuesday.UFC Fight Night will take place Dec. 2 and feature matchups between Beneil Dariush versus Arman Tsarukyan as well as Dan Hooker versus Bobby "King" Green. Presale tickets went on sale at noon on Thursday and will be available through Friday at 11 a.m. using the code "MONTOPOLIS." The general sale begins at noon Friday, per the Moody Center. More details, including information on presale tickets, are available online.