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Man wanted in suspected hate-motivated graffiti incident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

Toronto police are looking for a suspect in connection with a hate-motivated graffiti that was found on at a retail business in Etobicoke.Police were called to a retail business in The West Mall/The Queensway area on Dec. 21 at around 7:10 p.m.It’s alleged a man wrote hate-motivated graffiti on the windows of several stores than fled the area.The suspect is described as having a medium build, wearing a black hooded puffer jacket, black jeans, white shoes, black/orange gloves, and ski goggles.Images of the suspect have been released.The Hate Crime Unit is investigating.

Workers in New England states looking forward to a bump up in minimum wages in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Workers in several New England states are looking forward to a bump up in the minimum wage in 2024 while advocates in Massachusetts are pushing a ballot question aimed at phasing out the state’s subminimum wage of $6.75 per hour for tipped workers.In Rhode Island, the state’s current $13 minimum wage will jump by $1 to $14 an hour on Jan. 1. It is the next step in a phased-in increase that will reach $15 in 2025.In Vermont, the state’s minimum wage will reach $13.67 — climbing $0.49 from the current $13.18 wage. The annual adjustment also affects the minimum wage for tipped workers, which will tick up from $6.59 to $6.84 per hour. Maine will see its hourly minimum wage tick up from $13.80 to $14.15 per hour. Maine requires annual adjustments to the minimum wage based on the cost-of-living. Portland is pushing its city minimum wage from $14 to $15. The state’s new tipped wage in 2024 will be $7.08 per hour.The minimum wage in Connecticut will rise from...

Canaccord sanctioned over trading supervision, fined $475,000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

VANCOUVER — The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization says it has accepted a settlement with sanctions against Canaccord Genuity Corp. related to trading supervision.The regulator says the Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. subsidiary admitted that from January 2017 to March 2021 it failed to comply with its risk management and controls obligations as they related to market access by some of its direct electronic access clients.It says that as part of the agreement, Canaccord has agreed to a fine of $475,000 and to pay costs of $25,000.The settlement agreement says the compliance failure was related to two clients who carried out over 10,000 trades which apparently involved no change in the economic ownership. Known as “wash trades,” such buying and selling of a security with no real change of beneficial ownership can be used to mislead investors about the trading volume and interest in a security.Canaccord says it co-operated fully in the investigation that is pleased t...

Jan. 6 rioter who was sentenced in secret provided information to authorities, court papers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

A Pennsylvania man who was sentenced in secret for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot cooperated with authorities investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and an unrelated case, according to court documents unsealed this week. The documents provide insight into the unusual secrecy in the case of Samuel Lazar, who had been released from federal custody in September after completing his sentence in his Capitol riot case. His case remained under seal even after his release, so there was no public record of a conviction or sentence.The records unsealed this week show that Lazar, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, admitted to spraying a chemical irritant at police officers who were trying to defend the Capitol and to using a bullhorn to encourage other rioters to take officers’ weapons as he yelled, “Let’s get their guns!” He pleaded guilty to assaulting officers using a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 30 months in prison during a sealed hearing last March.More than 1,200 people ha...

Man who died with wife and son in Alberta lake wasn’t a risk-taker, says friend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

An Edmonton man who died with his wife and eight-year-old son after their utility terrain vehicle went into a lake wasn’t the kind of person to put his family at risk, says a friend.“I would never, ever think he was the type of person to purposely put himself or his wife and kid in any kind of danger,” Michael Occhionero said.“To me, that’s a freak accident.”Kelly Pelsma, 39, his wife, Laura Pelsma, 37, and their son, Dylan, were reported missing Christmas Day. They hadn’t been heard from since Dec. 23 and were last seen in Alberta Beach, northwest of Edmonton on Lac Ste. Anne, on a side-by-side vehicle.On Tuesday, RCMP said an underwater recovery team found the family and warned about the dangers of thin ice. Their bodies were found in the water along with the vehicle in an area near the Alexis Bridge.Occhionero, who lives in Idaho, said he and a group of friends met Kelly Pelsma at UTV Invasion, a gathering of side-by-side off-road enthusi...

As Gaza war grinds on, tensions soar along Israel’s volatile northern border with Lebanon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli officials are stepping up threats against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, warning that Israel is running out of patience as the two sides continue to trade fire along Israel’s volatile northern border.Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, said Wednesday that if the international community and the Lebanese government don’t restrain Hezbollah, Israel will. Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said the military is in a state of high readiness and has approved plans in case it decides to open a second front in the north.The fighting along Israel’s northern border broke out when Hezbollah began firing rockets shortly after the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas triggered the war in Gaza.While at a lower intensity than the battle in Gaza, the simultaneous fighting has caused destruction, displacement and death on both sides and raised fears of a wider regional war.Here is a look at the battle between Israel and Hezb...

American Israeli woman killed by Hamas: Family 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

(The Hill) — The family of Judy Weinstein Haggai announced Thursday that she was killed by Hamas after being taken by the militant group in its initial attack on Israel on Oct. 7.“We are heartbroken by the murder of our mother and grandmother Judy Weinstein Haggai, an American-Israeli-Canadian citizen. Judy was a mother of four, a grandmother of seven, and an active community member of Kibbutz Nir Oz,” the family said in a statement.President Biden in a statement said he is “devastated” to learn that she is believed to have been killed by Hamas.Her husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas on Oct. 7. Biden and first lady Jill Biden mourned his death in a statement last week.“This tragic development cuts deep, coming on the heels of last week’s news that Judith’s beloved husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas,” Biden said on Thursday.He added that he previously spoke with their daughter, who shared with him that “they have been liv...

Gov. Holcomb announces more than $18 million in grants for child care support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS -- Officials with the office of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced on Thursday that more than $18 million in grants will be given to more than 60 entities across the state to support child care. According to a news release from Holcomb's office, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration's Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning is awarding $18.1 million in employer-sponsored child care grants to 64 businesses, community groups and school corporations. “We wanted those who know first-hand the critical needs of their employees, and those who are best positioned to partner in their communities, to create child care solutions for their workforce, and they delivered,” Holcomb said in the release. “This effort harnesses the combined efforts of businesses, community groups and schools that want to support working Hoosiers’ careers and our youngest learners across the state.” Indiana Election Division releases 2024 election calendar The release s...

Nearly 5 million BlendJet blenders recalled due to fire, laceration hazards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

(WHTM) - Nearly 5 million BlendJet 2 Portable Blenders are being recalled due to fire and laceration hazards.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recalled blenders can overheat or catch fire and the blender blades can break off, posing fire and laceration hazards.About 4.8 million blenders were sold in the United States and 117,000 were sold in Canada.There have been 329 reports of blades breaking while in use, 17 reports of overheating or fires, 49 reports of minor burns, and one report of a laceration injury, according to the CPSC. Air fryers sold at Walmart, Target, Kohls recalled The blenders were sold in multiple colors and designs with serial numbers printed on the bottom of the base. (Affected blenders may be identified by the first four digits of their serial numbers, which are between 5201 and 5542. The whole serial number can then be entered into a search tool at BlendJet's website to determine if the product is subject to the recall.)Retail stor...

Sweat, Texas defense embracing challenge of trying to stop Washington's No. 1 passing attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:10:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — From the 5-7 season in 2021 to now playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, Texas Longhorns defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat said trust and belief carried the team, even through the lowest moments.Sweat, the Outland Trophy winner and unanimous All-American, said "it took a lot," for the team to buy in to what head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski were teaching after their first season. But once they did, things started falling into place. By the numbers: Stats to know about the Texas Longhorns’ 2023 season "We just believe, and that's the key," he said Thursday in New Orleans. "I feel like we all put the time in to believe in what he was saying, and this is our outcome. We gained the trust and we believed."Sweat and company will face the best passing offense in FBS on New Year's Day in the Washington Huskies with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He's carved up opposing defenses for the past two seas...