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Local news, Quebec publishers first targets of Facebook’s block on Canadian news

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Meta has started blocking news for some Canadians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a Liberal government bill that could soon become law. Chris Dell, news editor of ChrisD.ca, a Winnipeg-based digital news outfit, said some readers informed him Monday that they are no longer able to access content the outlet had posted on Facebook.“It appears Meta is blocking some of our content, but not all of it,” Dell said in a statement on Tuesday.He says it’s unfortunate that these measures are being taken in response to the Online News Act, which would require tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing news content.“As a small local news outlet, the majority of our traffic comes from Facebook and Google. My hope is that an amicable agreement can be reached between Silicon Valley and Ottawa that doesn’t leave publishers caught in the middle,” Dell said. Meta is running a test for the majority of the month tha...

NDP attempts to prod Liberals into action on pharmacare by tabling its own bill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

OTTAWA — No longer content to wait for the Liberals to make good on their promise, the New Democrats tabled their own pharmacare legislation in the House of Commons Tuesday.The NDP and Liberals struck a confidence-and-supply agreement last year that would see the NDP support the government on key votes to hold an election off until 2025 in exchange for progress on NDP priorities.One of the conditions of that deal was that the Liberals make progress toward a universal pharmacare program by passing legislation before the end of this year. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his health critic Don Davies have since questioned the government’s commitment to pharmacare.“We found that with this government, even if we got things in writing, it’s not a guarantee,” Singh said at a press conference Tuesday. “We’ve got to continually fight, put pressure, push them to deliver.” Davies pointed to recent developments at Canada’s patented drug price regulato...

Toronto Raptors name Darko Rajakovic as 10th head coach in franchise history

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

The Toronto Raptors have named Darko Rajakovic as the 10th head coach in the NBA team’s history.The 44-year-old Serb has been coaching since 1996 and was the top assistant in Memphis last season.The Raptors were the last NBA team to have a vacancy at head coach before hiring Rajakovic.Welcome to the North, Head Coach Darko Rajaković#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/yIOJmObK17— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 13, 2023Rajakovic replaces Nick Nurse, who was fired on April 21.Nurse was with the organization for 10 years, including five as head coach.The Raptors won their only NBA championship under his watch in 2019 but were a disappointing 41-41 this season and were eliminated in the play-in tournament.

Berlusconi’s death leaves fate of his personal party, and Italy’s government, in the balance

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Silvio Berlusconi’s outsized hold on Italian political life over three decades had greatly diminished in recent years, yet the political party that remains fused with his image even in death is critical to the health of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government.Whether and how Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party survives is quietly being discussed on the inside pages of newspapers and back corridors of parliament, while Italy prepares for a national day of mourning and a state funeral on Wednesday, to be celebrated in Milan’s stately Gothic-era Duomo cathedral.Berlusconi’s deputy, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, declared on Monday: “We have the duty, as Forza Italia, to move forward, and we will.”Despite the reassuring words, Forza Italia’s fate is far from secure. Berlusconi’s personal hold on the party makes it vulnerable in his death, experts say, even as it is key to holding up Meloni’s 8-month-old coalition government.“If the party stands, then the...

Buttigieg vows federal help to fix collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised Tuesday to help repair the East Coast’s main north-south highway as quickly as possible and said that the destruction of a section of I-95 will likely raise shipping costs because truckers must now travel longer, pricier routes.Visiting the site where an out-of-control tractor-trailer hauling gasoline flipped over on an Interstate 95 off-ramp and caught fire, Buttigieg said he expected that the accident will put “upward pressure” on costs along the East Coast.Buttigieg said he had not seen any sort of estimate of cost increases, but said the industry is working to make the most of alternative routes. He suggested that the U.S. Department of Transportation is working with route-selecting software firms such as Google and Waze to optimize their products. “At the end of the day, there’s no substitute for I-95 being up and running in full working condition,” Buttigieg said.One body was pulled fro...

Skilling: Rain, Canadian wildfires, warmer weather ahead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

As we look ahead to the rest of this week and next, these are the weather headlines we're watching:Showers coverage to increase Tuesday afternoon and evening but unlikely to make a dent in the on-going drought. Canadian wildfire smoke aloft looks to return to Chicago skies later Wednesday and more showers in the forecast over Father's Day weekend. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here And a warmer weather pattern is set to descend next week as temps may flirt with 90 degrees on the back half.CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO INCREASEA cut off low slowed by its entanglement in an upper level blocking pattern is set to sweep backside clouds and showers into the area. This will increase areal coverage across the Chicago area Tuesday afternoon and evening, then thin out again.CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE TO RETURN LATER WEDNESDAYFires continue to burn across Canada with their smoke plume evident on GOES weather satellite imagery. The retreat of smoke from area skies has been the product of ...

No injuries reported after damage at South Shore apartment building

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Some residents of a South Shore apartment building were displaced Tuesday after part of the building crumbled off and fell to the ground. Emergency crews responded to the South Beach apartment building located at 7827 South Shore Drive around 6 a.m.Upon arrival officer saw the canopy of the building’s roof had partially collapsed. Building officials said a façade that was attached to the roof collapsed. No injuries were reported.Police said residents from four unites were relocated to vacant units in the building.The building appeared to be undergoing some type of renovation and a scaffolding was in place.The Chicago Fire Department and the Department of Buildings were also on the scene.

Patrick Sharp gets his first NHL front office job

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

CHICAGO — One of the members of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup champions in the 2010s is taking his next step in hockey with another organization. This time, Patrick Sharp is joining a front office. The former player and broadcaster for the Blackhawks is being hired by the Philadelphia Flyers as a special advisor to hockey operations. He'll start the job immediately and will report to their general manager Daniel Briere, with his focus being on the development of prospects in the Flyers organization. "In adding Patrick Sharp to our group, we are gaining an individual who has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building an environment of winning at all levels," said Philadelphia president of hockey operations Keith Jones in a release from the team. "Patrick knows what it takes to win, he understands how to convey that to our players and is a relationship maker. He will be a vital component as we continue to build the foundation of the Philadelphia Flyers."

Family encounters bear swimming at Florida beach   

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) -- A St. Louis-area family did a double take when they saw a black bear in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico this past weekend.“We had been out on the beach, swimming, boogie boarding for a few hours,” said Karen Pierson.She and her family were vacationing in Destin, Florida, when they saw the bear Sunday.“I’m looking at the bear, and I know my girls are behind me, and I’m like, 'Yes, that is a real bear,'” Pierson said.She said the bear swam within approximately 100 feet of the family as they swam away to create some distance. No one was harmed. Who you are, where you live help determine your chances of beating cancer Dan Zarlenga, the St. Louis regional media specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said giving an American black bear some space was exactly the right thing to do.“Give it enough space,” Zarlenga said. “Don’t try to get too close to it.”He said bears are native to Florida. It’s unknown how the bear made its way to the beach in Destin....

Google's $23M settlement: How to file a claim and how much you may get

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:53:24 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — If you think you may have "Googled" anything between Oct. 25, 2006 and Sept. 30, 2013 and clicked on a search result, odds are you may have a claim and be entitled to some of the $23 million settlement the tech giant has agreed to pay out.The settlement ties back to a class action lawsuit — for which Google denies any wrongdoing or liability — which claims that the search engine "improperly shared your search queries with third-party websites and companies" during the above time period. The settlement is not an admission of guilt by Google, according to Kroll Settlement Administration, which is handling logistics of the settlement. El Niño could mean the hottest year on record, meteorologists warn Here’s what to know:Deadline to participate or exclude yourself is July 31. If you do nothing, you will forfeit your right to sue Google or receive any compensation related to the allegations in this lawsuitClaim forms can be submitted via mail or by visiting referrerheaders...