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Ottawa should set deadline to clear immigration backlogs: House of Commons committee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

OTTAWA — Members of the House of Commons immigration committee say the government should set a deadline to clear immigration application backlogs and appoint an ombudsperson to hold the department accountable. The committee has released a substantial report on immigration backlogs that includes 40 recommendations to ease the waits for potential newcomers.As of the end of October, the Immigration Department had more than 963,000 applications in the backlog, which represents 43 per cent of all applications in the system.The committee says the government should set a deadline to clear the backlog and allow people to see the status of their case online. The committee is also echoing decades-long calls for an ombudsperson to oversee the department, supervise processing times and order changes as needed. A majority of MPs on the committee is asking for more resources to be put toward processing applications and answering questions from applicants, though Conservatives said in an addendum ...

Home of Tampa Bay Rays eyes name change, but team says it would threaten stadium deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — They began as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998, then shortened their name in 2007 to simply Tampa Bay Rays. Now, as plans for a new ballpark take shape, there’s talk about changing the name again to reflect the team’s actual location: the St. Petersburg Rays.The St. Petersburg City Council debated the possibility Thursday, ultimately voting for a resolution seeking options to elevate the city’s prominence with the MLB team that could include a name change. Council member Gina Driscoll said she brought the idea forward because many constituents think Tampa Bay really just means the city of Tampa.“I think we owe it to our residents to have a discussion about this,” Driscoll said.It is not something the Rays want, team co-president Brian Auld told the council, suggesting such a requirement could torpedo the entire $6.5 billion ballpark and downtown redevelopment project that includes affordable housing, a Black history museum, a hotel...

US agency concludes chemical leak that killed 6 Georgia poultry workers was `completely preventable’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

A chemical leak that killed six workers at a Georgia poultry plant in 2021 resulted from a poorly designed freezer that spilled deadly liquid nitrogen as well as a failure by the plant’s owner to install safety equipment and properly train employees for emergencies, a federal agency has concluded.“This needless and senseless tragedy was completely preventable,” U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Chairman Steve Owens said in a statement accompanying a 116-page report by the agency’s investigators.A freezer used to instantly freeze chicken at the Foundation Food Group plant in Gainesville, Georgia, overflowed with liquid nitrogen that spilled into the surrounding room on Jan. 28, 2021. On contact with the air, the chemical vaporized into an odorless gas, forming a cloud up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) high.Two workers who were performing maintenance on the freezer died from asphyxiation, the agency said, and four more were killed as other employees tried to resc...

Ed Burke trial: Closing arguments continue Thursday; jury deliberations likely to begin next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Closing arguments in the Ed Burke trial continued Thursday, with prosecutors making theirs for the second day and defense attorneys just beginning theirs.And, in a show of support, Chris Kennedy, the son of Robert F. Kennedy, exchanged a handshake and pleasantries with Burke.Prosecutors spent nearly seven hours explaining to jurors at the Dirksen Federal Building how they believe burke is “thoroughly corrupt” and guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt," while defense attorneys only began their closing arguments, claiming the case amounts to a lot of smoke but no real fire.In day two of her closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur presented an exhaustive review of the evidence against Burke, the former alderman accused of using his public office to enrich his private business and gain personal favors. Closing arguments in Ed Burke trial Wednesday Burke, the longest serving member of the City Council, is charged with 14 counts of racketeering, bribery and extor...

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' star Andre Braugher's cause of death released: reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- The cause of death for Andre Braugher, who starred in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," has been released, according to multiple reports. Braugher's publicist confirmed to Page Six and the New York Times that he died of lung cancer, which he was diagnosed with a few months before his death, the outlets reported. The publicity firm hadn't responded to Nexstar's request for comment at publication time. Speaking with the Times for a 2014 profile, Braugher was guarded about his personal life. "I won’t go into details, but I have not always been at the top of my game, and that has a cost," he admitted. The journalist who wrote the profile, Stephen Rodrick, wrote that Braugher had stopped drinking alcohol and smoking a year prior. FILE - Andre Braugher holds the award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or a movie for his work on "Thief" at the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Aug. 27, 2006, in Los Angeles. Braugher, the Emmy-winning actor best known for his roles on th...

Memphis school officials make 'After School Satan Club' decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG/NEXSTAR) — After weeks of controversy, officials at a Tennessee school district say that despite some community objections, a school program operated by The Satanic Temple will be allowed to operate on campus facilities in January.The Satanic Temple announced plans to host its “After School Satan Club” at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova beginning Jan. 10. Attendance at the after-school club is not mandatory for students and it is not sponsored by MSCS — nevertheless, some parents were concerned after the news made the rounds on social media. What is an After School Satan Club? The club is a project of The Satanic Temple (TST), which, despite its name, doesn’t worship the Biblical figure — or even believe Satan exists. Instead, TST says Satan is a literary figure representing “rejecting tyranny over the human mind and spirit.”The religious organization is well-known for its advocacy, saying it aims to “encourage empathy, reject tyrannica...

Sheriff: Teen who planned shooting at Jewish temple was member of antisemitic online groups

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

CANTON, Ohio (WJW) -- A 13-year-old boy accused of plotting a mass shooting at a local Jewish synagogue admitted to being a member of multiple online antisemitic and political groups, according to county authorities.The teen is accused of creating "a detailed plan to complete a mass shooting at the Temple Israel," according to Stark County Family Court filings. The temple is along 30th Street Northwest in Canton. Supreme Court refuses to block Illinois law banning some high-power semiautomatic weapons .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }The plan was discovered Sept. 1 in Plain Township, on the social media platform Discord, and reported to authorities, filings show. The platform supports group text, voice and video chats, and is primarily designed for video game players...

Calls grow for Israel to scale back its aggressive military strategy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The White House says it’s pushing Israel to scale back its current aggressive military strategy which has killed more than 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza.Thursday, National Security Council Spokesperson, John Kirby, said the U.S. is urging Israel to make adjustments in the “near future.”“…Possibly from what we would call high intensity operations, which is what we're seeing them do now to lower intensity operations sometime,” Kirby said.The White House says that message was delivered to Israel directly by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet Thursday in Tel Aviv.Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Sullivan destroying Hamas and its tunnels will take a long period of time. “It will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them,” said Gallant.The White House would not comment on Israel’s projected timeline nor give details about when they want to see a...

House departs without reaching deal on Ukraine aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- House lawmakers have left town without reaching an agreement on additional Ukraine funding."We're a democracy, we push back against authoritarian dictators who threaten peace and stability in the world," said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.Jeffries blames Republicans for the deadlock on the supplemental aid package."There is a pro-Putin caucus that has increasingly taken over the Republican party, " Jeffries said.Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is calling on GOP lawmakers to support more aid."We need to support them in that effort," she said.Earlier this week, Ukraine's president asked the U.S. to give his country what it needs to have a fighting chance.But Zelenskyy's visit to Washington this week did little to win over GOP lawmakers."We have to, in this conflict, ask what is in America's national interest here?" said, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).Vance argues that aiding Ukraine could create long-term problems."I think it's going to turn Ukr...

'We will see this through': Austin Disaster Relief Network lays off portion of staff second time this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- The Austin Disaster Relief Network is ending 2023 with less than half the staff it started with. That's because for the second time this year, the nonprofit had to let go of some of its employees. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin Disaster Relief Network lays off portion of staff It's a decision ADRN Executive Director Dwight Bailey said was not easy. "You realize that these folks essentially are going through their own crisis now as they have to transition," Bailey said. "This is our family. So it was very difficult."'Bring hope into crisis'From picking up debris after the ice storm to helping those impacted by the Cedar Park fire, ADRN was there. Bailey said they've responded to 115 disasters this year alone. "Our mission is to bring hope into crisis, particularly with natural disasters," he said. "Support some of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs that they have."Bailey said this year challenged the organization when it comes to funding. "If we can't help ou...