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‘Radical Love:’ Toronto hospice takes new approach to help Toronto’s homeless

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

A last-minute assist has sent Kevin Ackroyd’s life into overtime.While sitting on a patio in downtown Toronto on a warm June day, he thinks back to his life four months earlier when he faced a return to the streets. His home at the time, a room at the Royal Oak Inn that was temporarily converted to a shelter, was set to close. Then came an even more crushing blow: doctors told him he had three months to live after they diagnosed him with stage-four liver cancer.Despondent, he splayed out like a starfish on his bed.“I was getting ready to off myself,” Ackroyd, 61, says. He was broke, addicted to drugs and did not know where he would live.But then came a knock at the door. Starr Dedam, a support worker with an organization that helps Toronto’s homeless population, had come to check on him. “She pulled me out of it,” Ackroyd says. That helping hand came from Kensington Health, a non-profit organization that provides long-term and hospice care among ...

Ex-priest sentenced to 25 years for drugging and molesting men he met in New Orleans tourist area

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — A former Catholic priest in Louisiana has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drugging and molesting 17 men he met in a popular tourist area in New Orleans, a prosecutor said.WVUE-TV reported that Stephen Sauer, 61, targeted people in the city’s French Quarter who appeared drunk, lost or in need of help, according to Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul D. Connick Jr. The crimes occurred from 2019 to 2021, and many of the victims were visiting from out of state, Connick said.The investigation began in 2021 after Sauer sent a computer to an electronics repair company in New York. A technician found hundreds of images suggesting sexual assaults had occurred. New York law enforcement officials determined the images were taken in Metairie and notified the Jefferson Parish sheriff.The prosecutor said Sauer put narcotics in men’s drinks at bars or gave them sleep-inducing drugs after they passed out from drinking. He then dro...

Police release photos, descriptions of 3 men wanted in Leslieville shooting

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

Toronto police have released descriptions of three men wanted in connection with a daytime shooting in Leslieville on Friday which claimed the life of an innocent bystander. Police say there was a physical altercation between three men in the area of Queen Street East and Carlaw Avenue just before 12:30 p.m. when two of them pulled out handguns and began shooting at each other. Forty-four-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat was walking in the area at the time and was struck by a stray bullet. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby trauma centre where she was later pronounced dead.On Sunday, police released surveillance images and further descriptions of the suspects. The first man is a male, 25-30 years old, tall with a medium build and cornrows. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with a black stripe from sleeve to sleeve, blue jeans and white shoes. Police say he may have sustained injuries to his head. The second man is described as male, 18-25 years old, of average height wit...

No winner in Saturday Powerball drawing; jackpot reaches $650 million

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An estimated $650 million jackpot will be at stake for the next Powerball drawing after no winning ticket was sold for the Saturday drawing.The new jackpot for Monday’s drawing is the ninth-highest in the history of the game. The Powerball jackpot rolled over after no one matched all six numbers drawn — white balls 7, 23, 24, 32, 43 and red Powerball 18, Powerball officials said Sunday. The Power Play multiplier was 2X.No one has won Powerball since April 19, when a ticket in Ohio brought a prize of $252.6 million. There have been 34 straight drawings without a jackpot winner.The game’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes that draw more players. The all-time largest Powerball jackpot was $2.04 billion Powerball last November.The $650 million jackpot is for winners who opt for an annuity, paid over 29 years. Most winners prefer cash, which for Monday night’s drawing would be $328.3 million.Powerball is played in 45 states,...

Grievers sneaking into cemetery as labour dispute drags on; 300 bodies still unburied

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

MONTREAL — Grievers issued pleas on Sunday for the Quebec government to take action as a months-long standoff between workers and management at Canada’s largest graveyard drags on.A strike by more than 100 maintenance and office workers has kept the Notre-Dames-des-Neiges Cemetery’s wrought-iron gates shut to the public since mid-January, with the exception of a few days in the spring.The labour dispute has left more than 300 bodies unburied, with the remains stored at freezing temperatures in an on-site repository, the cemetery said.Jimmy Koliakoudakis, whose mother died in February, said family members are “suffering.”“Families are only asking for some dignity and some humanity involved in this labour dispute,” he said, demonstrating alongside a handful of other protesters outside the graveyard Sunday afternoon. “We’re stuck in the middle.“I don’t understand why the government isn’t taking a harder stance or a more ...

Why are heat warning criteria different across Canada?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

A map of Environment Canada’s heat warning criteria for all provinces and territories is a cornucopia of colours and codes.Most of B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan are teal; Manitoba is half beige, half pink; most of Ontario is navy blue, while southern Ontario is yellow and red.That’s because heat warning criteria – the weather parameters that must be met in order for a heat warning to be issued – vary from region to region. But why is that the case exactly?A meteorologist from Environment and Climate Change Canada says it all boils down to “regional climatology.”“Across Canada, it’s quite great, so Health Canada, in collaboration with Environment Canada, created various criteria that are regionally specific, and regionally appropriate for areas and provinces across the regions,” Heather Pimiskern told CityNews.In Quebec, for instance, a heat warning is issued when the humidex value is 40 degrees Celsius or higher and when the temperature is 30 C or warmer – with both persisting for ...

National Wrestling Alliance hosts fundraiser for Cooper Roberts

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) brought a free event to Highland Park Saturday, it's purpose to not only raise funds for Cooper Roberts — the youngest victim of last year's Highland Park shooting on the Fourth of July — but to also bring a sense of community through wrestling."This is amazing. If you have seen or see Cooper back there, He’s wearing the Championship belt and we’re all little concerned he might get in the ring and actually call a real heavy weight bought," said Keely Roberts, Cooper's mom. "But it’s amazing. The Highland Park community continues to just be incredible."The event, hosted by Billy Corgan — president of the NWA and frontman for the Smashing Pumpkins — said he looks forward to bringing other events just like this to the community he calls home."I talked with Keely Roberts, Cooper's mom, and she said ‘look, I’d like to tell you that we don’t need any help and everything is fine’ and she said It’s been a tough year and we need you...

What to do if you have an emergency on Lake Travis

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With the summer months fully underway, many people are taking to Central Texas' local waterways to beat the heat and find some reprieve. But emergency specialists are urging residents to take extra precautions on their boat and swimming excursions.Last week, an eight-year-old boy died after falling off a boat into Lake Travis without a life jacket. The Travis County Sheriff's Office assisted the Pedernales Fire Department, Lake Travis Fire Rescue, STAR Flight and Austin-Travis County EMS in the initial rescue, which later turned to a recovery mode. RELATED: 3 words can help first responders find someone during emergencies Now, TCSO is outlining critical safety measures patrons should be mindful of as they gear up for their summer lake trips.If there is an emergency on the lake, TCSO recommends bystanders take the following steps:Throw a flotation device to the person in distressKnow one's location on the lake, using both a map and landmarksDo not assist anyone unl...

TxDOT: Northbound I-35 rolling closures planned Sunday night

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Transportation tweeted Sunday some "rolling closures" are planned along a stretch of northbound Interstate 35 lanes in the late evening and overnight hours.The closures will impact northbound I-35 between William Cannon Drive and Stassney Lane between 9 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. early Monday. TxDOT attributed the planned closures to crews needing to remove overhead signs.Several entrance and exit ramps will be closed during the outlined hours. Officials said to anticipate delays as a result of the scheduled work.

Texas floating barriers will cause 'imminent and irreparable harm,' lawsuit claims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:37:04 GMT

(The Hill) – A Texas kayaking company has sued Gov. Greg Abbott (R) over his plan to install floating barriers in the middle of the Rio Grande River that would prevent people from being able to swim across it.Jessie Fuentes, owner of Epi’s Canoe & Kayak Team, filed a suit in Austin, Texas on Friday to stop the state from placing the buoys which he claimed would prevent him from giving tours on the river and cause his company "imminent and irreparable harm."The buoy construction near Eagle Pass, Texas, has already forced Fuentes to cancel a number of activities and even prevented his company’s access to the river, he claimed.Abbott is using a natural disaster declaration to place the buoys in the river as part of “Operation Lone Star,” a power Fuentes is challenging. Construction workers started placing the floating barriers on Friday.The operation is meant to reduce the flow of undocumented immigrants into Texas, something Abbott has called a “crisis.” Last week, four people dro...