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A man convicted in the 2006 killing of a Russian journalist wins a pardon after serving in Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

A man convicted in the 2006 killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya received a presidential pardon after he did a stint fighting in Ukraine, his lawyer said.Sergei Khadzhikurbanov was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014 for his role as an accomplice in the killling of Politkovskaya, 48. She worked for the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and wrote stories critical of Kremlin policies during the early years of President Vladimir Putin’s term, the war in Chechnya and human rights abuses.She was shot and killed in the elevator of her Moscow apartment block, triggering outrage at home and in the West, and emphasizing the dangers faced by independent journalists in Russia. Her death on Oct. 7, Putin’s birthday, led to suggestions the shooting — in which the Kremlin denied any role — was done to curry favor with the president.Four others also were convicted in the killing: gunman Rustam Makhmudov and his uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, who received life in p...

Amtrak touts proposed Toronto-Chicago rail corridor, as Via tempers expectations

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

Amtrak is making a sales pitch to connect its lines in Detroit to Via Rail tracks across the border, hoping to lay the ground for passenger service between Toronto and Chicago.Drew Dilkens, mayor of Windsor, Ont., is touting the economic benefits of the proposal, which would link two of North America’s biggest cities by 2027 as well as 21 other communities in between — 10 of them in Ontario — according to the pitch.Via Rail confirmed it is in private discussions with Amtrak and other partners about the possibility of connecting Windsor and Detroit to re-establish the corridor, but says it is premature to discuss the project in public.While Dilkens said Amtrak and Via would pay for the $44-million project, Via says it has made no funding requests or commitments to finance the undertaking.Amtrak first sought to restore a connection between Toronto and Michigan via the 113-year-old Detroit River Rail Tunnel in 2019, with the US$1.2-trillion infrastructure bill breathing new life ...

Food insecurity worsened last year, more pronounced in racialized families: StatCan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

FREDERICTON — A Statistics Canada study says nearly seven million Canadians struggled with hunger last year.The study says that in 2022, 18 per cent of families reported experiencing food insecurity within the previous 12 months, up from 16 per cent in 2021.It says food insecurity was the lowest in Quebec at 14 per cent and highest in Newfoundland and Labrador at 23 per cent, followed by New Brunswick and Alberta, which both sat at 22 per cent.The study authors define food insecurity as the lack of an adequate quality of diet or sufficient quantity of food.Families where a woman was the main breadwinner were more likely to face food insecurity, and the rate shot up to 41 per cent for homes where women were single parents.The study found homes with a racialized breadwinner reported higher food insecurity compared with a non-racialized, non-Indigenous earner, and this was especially true for Black Canadians.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2023.The Canadi...

Blackstock sees ‘imbalance’ between $55M lawyers’ bill, welfare victims’ compensation

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

OTTAWA — Cindy Blackstock, one of the people responsible for bringing forward a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case that led to a historic settlement agreement, says she is concerned about an “imbalance” between what lawyers and victims will be paid.The Federal Court approved a landmark $23-billion class-action lawsuit settlement last month to compensate more than 300,000 First Nations children and their families for chronic underfunding of on-reserve child-welfare services.The federal government and class-action lawyers from five legal firms have since reached an additional $55-million deal over legal fees, which they promised to negotiate as part of the settlement agreement but which has not yet been approved in Federal Court.The lawyers involved in the class-action suit had initially said the federal government should provide $80 million in compensation, but Ottawa argued that was too much.Blackstock says she is concerned about an “imbalance” in compensati...

Suspect convicted of 2nd-degree murder in 2018 shooting of a deputy US marshal in Tucson

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A man convicted of killing a federal agent in Tucson five years ago could face life in prison when he’s sentenced in January, according to authorities.A jury on Monday found Ryan Phillip Schlesinger guilty of second-degree murder in the November 2018 death of Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White.At the time of the fatal shooting, the 41-year-old White was just four days away from his deployment in the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel.Prosecutors said White, a married father of four, was part of a group of Marshals Service personnel who were trying to serve a felony arrest warrant at Schlesinger’s home.Schlesinger had been stalking a woman who was a Tucson police sergeant, according to a criminal complaint. He was 26 at the time of the shooting.After a standoff with law enforcement that lasted about an hour, authorities said Schlesinger emerged from his northern Tucson home wearing body armor and was taken into custody.Schlesinger pleaded not guilty to 13 cha...

Three arrested in a shooting at a Texas flea market that also killed a child and wounded 4 others

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

PEARLAND, Texas (AP) — Three individuals have been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a Texas flea market, including one of the suspected shooters, police said Tuesday. Three children and two adults were shot Sunday at Cole’s Flea Market in the Houston suburb of Pearland, with a 10-year-old boy later dying at a hospital. The others who were shot were also hospitalized with one of them later released. The shooting happened after an argument between two people who did not know each other, according to authorities. Pearland police said that 19-year-old David Negrete, who they had been looking for after charging him Monday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday morning. On Monday night, Pearland police announced that two individuals — Cruz Meza and Julianna Espino, both 18 years old — were each charged with tampering with evidence and making a false statement to an officer.Meza was one of the five people shot Sunday, polic...

CTU boss fined, billed for back taxes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

County officials in Indiana wasted no time billing Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates after determining she received an “unlawful deduction” on a home she owns in South Bend.  The St. Joseph County auditor has now sent the union leader a letter assessing her $1,393 for three years’ worth of back taxes, the maximum allowable by law,  plus a $139 penalty. WGN Investigates reported Stacy Davis Gates filed paperwork affirming the South Bend home was her primary residence in 2007 and seeking a homestead tax exemption.  It was granted and remained in effect for the past 16 years, until reporters raised the issue in early November.  Davis Gates is from South Bend and it appears her relatives live in the home. Previous Coverage: Questions emerge over CTU president’s Indiana property tax claim Davis Gates, through a union spokesperson, declined to comment on initial reports about the tax scheme. A CTU spokesperson did not immediately respond to a new request for c...

Around Town visits Victory Auto Wreckers before they close for good

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

VictoryAutoWreckers.com

Suspect charged in August shooting of girl, 14, on South Side

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old man has been charged in the shooting of a 14-year-old girl over the summer on the city's South Side.The 18-year-old faces one felony count of attempted first-degree murder. According to police, the offender was a juvenile at the time of the shooting and is being processed as a juvenile.The offender was arrested by Chicago police and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force on Monday after being identified as the person was shot and injured a 14-year-old girl while she was inside her home in the 8900 block of South Cottage Grove on August 7.He was placed into custody and charged accordingly. New policy prohibits CPD officers to associate with biased groups The 18-year-old is scheduled to attend a juvenile detention hearing Tuesday.

One day only: Frontier Airlines flash sale takes 100% off base fares

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:20:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) -- Frontier Airlines is offering a flash sale Tuesday through which you can get 100% off base fares for travel to many destinations. This is part of the low-cost airline's early Black Friday promotions. Just use the code SAVE100 when booking on FlyFrontier.com.Now is a good time to plan your winter travel while taking advantage of this one-day deal.The sale is for travel between Nov. 29, 2023, and March 6, 2024, with travel days on Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays. But you have to book by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Thanksgiving shutdown sets up nightmare scenario for travels You also must book a round trip to get the discount — which applies to both domestic and international flights — and it may only be applied to the base fare, not taxes and fees. Some routes have restrictions and blackout dates. Here are the blackout dates for the deal: Dec. 15-31, 2023; Jan. 1-8 and 16, 2024; Feb. 8-12, 19 and 22-23, 2024, and March 2, 2024. Certain route exc...