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Union for RCMP 911 operators calls for recruitment plan to address staff shortages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

OTTAWA — The union that represents the RCMP’s emergency dispatchers and operators is calling on the force to come up with a recruitment plan to fix worsening staff shortages.CUPE Local 104 president Kathleen Hippern said hundreds of people are off on long-term sick leave and knows of many more who are looking for an exit. “We’re so understaffed,” she said in an interview Tuesday. When someone dials 911 and asks for police, Hippern said their members take the call and gather the information officers need to know before heading to a scene. “Police are not moving until one of us answers that call.”Hippern said that few centres are fully staffed, specifying that in Nova Scotia, staffing is only at about 50 per cent. She said morale is “abysmal” and she believes the lack of staff is affecting public safety by leaving callers sometimes waiting for minutes before someone is able to answer. “I’m terrified for any of my family membe...

Italy declares state of emergency as migrant numbers surge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italy’s right-wing government on Tuesday declared a six-month national state of emergency to help it cope with a surge in migrants arriving on the country’s southern shores, Italian state TV said.Premier Giorgia Meloni and her Cabinet approved imposing the emergency status to deal with the migrant influx, state TV said, adding that a special commissioner was expected to be named.Initial funding of 5 million euros (nearly $5.5 million) was also approved as part of the measure.During the COVID-19 pandemic Italy’s governing coalitions also imposed a state of emergency, enabling the Cabinet to mandate many coping measures by decree, temporarily bypassing the usually long parliamentary process for funding and regulations.“Let’s be clear, this doesn’t resolve the problem, whose solution is tied to a mindful and responsible intervention of the European Union,” Civil Protection and Sea Policies Minister Nello Musumeci was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency A...

In Colorado River talks, still no agreement about water cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

BOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Biden administration released an environmental analysis Tuesday of competing plans for how seven Western states and tribes reliant on the dwindling water supply from the Colorado River should cut their use but declined to publicly take a side on the best option.On one side is California and some tribes along the river that want to protect their high-priority rights to the river’s water, which they use for drinking and farming. On the other side are the other six states — Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico — who say it’s time to come up with an approach that more fairly shares the river. The Interior Department did not say how states should get to deeper water cuts, but defended its authority to make sure basic needs such as drinking water and hydropower generated from the river are met — even if it means setting aside the priority system.“Failure is not an option,” Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau told The...

Ex-firefighter gets prison for Jan. 6 extinguisher attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

A retired firefighter who threw a fire extinguisher at police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Tuesday to more than four years in prison.Robert Sanford struck two police officers in the head with the fire extinguisher that he threw as he stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a mob of Donald Trump supporters. He also threw an orange traffic cone at a Capitol police sergeant.“Sanford also hurled obscenities and insults at the law enforcement officers on the Lower West Terrace, calling them ‘traitors,’” a prosecutor, Janani Iyengar, wrote in a court filing.One of the officers struck by the fire extinguisher had a bump and swelling on his head; the other had a headache and went to a hospital for a medical exam, prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sentenced Sanford to four years and four months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to an online court record. Federal prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of fiv...

Sheriff Mark Lamb says he’s running for US Senate in Arizona

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said Tuesday he’s running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, becoming the first Republican to jump into a high-profile race for the seat now held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.Lamb, who has built a profile in Arizona and beyond as a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and an advocate for cracking down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling, pledged in a video announcing his candidacy to take on drug cartels, calling for the U.S. military to “wipe them out just like we did to ISIS.”The Arizona race is a top target for Republicans looking to take control of the Senate, which Democrats control 51-49, including Sinema and two other independents who generally vote with Democrats. The 2024 Senate map heavily favors the GOP, with Democratic-held seats up for grabs in three states Trump won.Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December after her relationship with many members of the party ruptured, is raising money ...

Louisville shooter targeted bank co-workers, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The bank employee who opened fire at his Louisville workplace targeted people he knew with a rifle that was bought legally a week earlier, police said Tuesday.Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said at a news conference that bank employee Connor Sturgeon, 25, bought the AR-15 assault-style rifle on April 4 at a local dealership. Armed with the rifle, Sturgeon killed five people — including a close friend of Kentucky’s governor — while livestreaming the attack Monday before he was killed by police, authorities said. Another eight people were wounded.“We do know this was targeted. He knew those individuals, of course, because he worked there,” Gwinn-Villaroel said, but didn’t give an indication of a motive behind the shooting. Officers’ body camera video will be released Tuesday afternoon, the chief said.Gwinn-Villaroel praised her officers’ response as they “unflinchingly” engaged the shooter at Old National Ban...

2 injured after scaffolding collapses at Spadina and Bremner; road closures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

Two people are injured after scaffolding fell off a building under construction in downtown Toronto.Police were called to Spadina Avenue and Bremner Boulevard west of Rogers Centre just before 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.Police say a woman suffered a minor leg injury, and another person received minor injuries.The scaffolding took out a street light, causing traffic lights to go out in the area.Northbound Spadina was closed at Bremner but has partially reopened. Police have been at the scene directing traffic, and drivers have been asked to avoid the area or treat the intersection as an all-way stop.Bremner from Spadina to Rees Street remains closed.The off-ramp from the westbound Gardiner Expressway to northbound Spadina was closed but has since reopened.The closures come during the afternoon rush-hour commute and as the Toronto Blue Jays fans head to the first home opener of the season at Rogers Centre later this evening.Listen to CityNews 680 for the latest traffic updates or the latest...

St. Louis suburb settles ‘debtors’ prison’ lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

A Missouri town will pay $3.25 million to settle a so-called debtors’ prison lawsuit over allegations that thousands of people were unconstitutionally jailed and forced to pay fines and fees that provided millions of dollars for the town’s coffers.The town of Maplewood agreed last week to the settlement of the federal class-action lawsuit. Maplewood was among several St. Louis County towns whose policing and court practices fell under scrutiny after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson in 2014.The Maplewood lawsuit, filed in 2016, alleges unlawful policing and economic injustice. The settlement money will be distributed among more than 7,000 people who were jailed and more than 20,000 who paid fines and fees from Nov. 1, 2011, through Nov. 18, 2021.The suit accuses Maplewood of routinely violating constitutional rights through a “predatory scheme” of unconstitutional jailing, often for minor traffic offenses, to extract fines and fees.“This...

Gun discovered inside vehicle in Antioch High School's parking lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

ANTIOCH, Ill. — A handgun was discovered inside a vehicle Tuesday morning at Antioch High School's parking lot.The gun was found during a regularly-scheduled canine scent search of vehicles, police said.After it was found, the student, a 21-year-old man who participates in an alternative schooling program, was taken into custody.“I would like to recognize District 117 on its commitment to ensuring the safety of students at our high school,” said Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow. Glenview smoothie café robbed at gunpoint Monday The investigation remains active and potential charges have not been announced at this time.

GSU faculty on strike Tuesday; 3rd IL university to strike in last week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:28 GMT

UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. — Educators at Governors State University are on strike in a dispute over wages. It is the third Illinois university to strike in the last week.A large rally took place Tuesday on the university's campus with many supporters, including the Chicago Teachers Union.About 280 faculty, advisors and staff, all members of the University Professionals of Illinois Union, have been in contract talks for nearly a year — with both work load and pay being the two biggest issues that remain on the bargaining table.The union that represents all of these faculty members say that many of their colleagues have left the schools over the last few years for better paying positions at other schools.Negotiations on a new contract for GSU began 10 months ago, and as of Thursday have not gotten to where they want to be.Of course, with hundreds of professors out on strike right now one of the biggest impacts is being felt on students.Last week, both Chicago State University and Eas...