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Gunman who opened fire after Virginia high school graduation targeted graduate, Richmond police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

By SARAH RANKIN and DENISE LAVOIE (Associated Press)RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A gunman who opened fire minutes after a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, targeted an 18-year-old graduate he had a long-running dispute with, police said Wednesday.Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Lorenzo Smith, 36, were both killed Tuesday in the shooting, which sent hundreds fleeing in panic outside the state capital’s city-owned Altria Theater after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School. Five other people were wounded in the shooting.Richmond Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards said the shooting suspect, Amari Pollard, 19, knew Jackson and the two had been embroiled in a dispute for more than a year. Edwards said the nature of the dispute is still being investigated.“This was targeted at one individual … that’s what we know at this time,” Edwards said during a news conference Wednesday.Pollard was arraigned Wednesday morning on two counts of second...

Man who died at Ramona motocross track identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

RAMONA, Calif. — Officials have identified the man who died Tuesday at a motocross track in Ramona.Patrick Michael Casey, 29, died after he lost control of the motocross bike he was riding and was ejected from the vehicle, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said.The incident happened around 2:45 p.m. at Slayground Motocross Park, which is owned by Axell Hodges, a three-time gold medal winner in X Games Moto X competition.According to authorities, Casey crashed his motorcycle while performing a jump on the park ramps. Bystanders called 911 after the crash and paramedics were dispatched to the track. Medics found Casey pulseless and apneic. Despite life-saving measures, he was not able to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene.The “Slayground” was the site of the X Games Moto X competitions in 2021 and 2022. The 2023 X Games Moto X event will take place in Ventura.

In Fargo, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum jumps into crowded Republican race for president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a former software entrepreneur who enacted a slate of laws this year advancing conservative policies on culture war issues, highlighted his small-town roots and business experience as he announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday. Burgum, 66, joins a long list of contenders hoping to dent former President Donald Trump’s early lead in the race. The governor of the nation’s fourth-least populous state made the announcement in the The Wall Street Journal and kicked off his campaign in Fargo, near the tiny farm town of Arthur where he grew up.“It shouldn’t be a surprise that small-town values have guided me my entire life,” Burgum told the crowd. “And frankly, big cities could use more ideas and more values from small towns right now.” Burgum spoke under a sign declaring him “A new leader for a changing economy,” echoing a slogan he first used as his successful 2016 gubernatoria...

Senate changes to judicial oversight bill contrary to bill’s goal: Lametti’s office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Justice Minister David Lametti’s office says some Senate amendments to a judicial oversight bill would do the opposite of what the bill is trying to accomplish. Bill C-9 would amend the Judges Act to create a new process for the Canadian Judicial Council to review misconduct allegations that are not serious enough to warrant a judge’s removal.Lametti’s office said the proposed law is the product of extensive collaboration with judges from across the country.“Certain amendments proposed by the Senate are contrary to the intent of the legislation, which is to strengthen the oversight and efficiency of the judicial misconduct process,” Lametti’s press secretary Diana Ebadi said in a statement. “Minister Lametti believes that the purpose of C-9 is to reform the judicial misconduct process, which is outdated and at times has proven to be inefficient and costly. He is focused on improving and bolstering confidence in the process, for both...

Rogers’ proposed TTC framework commits to consultations, but short on details

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

TORONTO — Rogers Communication Inc.’s proposal for providing wireless service on Toronto’s subway indicates the company’s competitors will be consulted in the design and planning of upgrades, but includes no specifics about the terms required for Bell and Telus to access the network.Rogers announced in April that it was buying the Canadian operations of BAI Communications, which owns the wireless network in Toronto’s subway, and planned to bring 911 coverage and 5G connectivity to the entire system.On Monday, the company said it had sent federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne a proposal in May outlining a plan to negotiate agreements with all carriers to join the network.The proposed framework comes after the minister penned a letter to the executives of Rogers, Bell Canada, Telus Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. calling on them to reach a deal that would allow any company to access the TTC’s wireless system after Rogers’ purch...

Kentucky chemical weapons disposal program nearly done as US eliminates final stockpiles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky facility built to dispose of deadly Cold War-era chemical weapons is nearing the end of its mission to destroy its 520-ton stockpile, a milestone that will likely mark the end of chemical weapons destruction projects in the U.S., officials said Wednesday.The facility at the Blue Grass Army Depot is weeks away from eliminating the last of a stockpile of 51,000 M55 rockets with GB nerve agent that have been stored at the depot since the 1940s. The GB nerve agent, also known as sarin, a colorless and tasteless toxin, can cause respiratory failure leading to death. It is outlawed under international rules of warfare.Another stockpile is being eliminated at an Army facility in Colorado, but that effort is expected to conclude before the Kentucky one. The two sites have the country’s last remaining chemical weapons that must be disposed of according to a 1997 worldwide treaty.Military and civilian officials gathered Wednesday at Eastern Kentucky Unive...

Trudeau shows no interest in compromising with Meta, Google over online news bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing no interest in compromising with Meta and Google over their online news bill that would make tech giants pay for journalism created by others that helps those companies generate revenue.Google says it wants to compromise with the Liberal government over the proposed legislation, known as Bill C-18, which would require tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing news content.But Trudeau says Meta and Google’s bullying tactics will not work with his government, which he says is ensuring those companies do not weaken Canada’s democracy by threatening its domestic media industry.Meta announced last week it will test blocking access to some news for some Canadian users of its social media platforms Instagram and Facebook — a move it is willing to make permanent should C-18 pass later this month.Google ran a similar test earlier this year, restricting access to news on its search engine for less than f...

LA Times announces 74 job cuts due to economic challenges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday announced plans to cut 74 jobs due to economic challenges as the newspaper strives to transform itself into a digital media organization.In a message to staff, Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida wrote that employees whose positions are eliminated from the Pulitzer Prize -winning newspaper were being notified and that a staff meeting was scheduled for Monday to answer questions.“We have done a vast amount of work as a company to meet the budget and revenue challenges head on. But that work will need acceleration and we will need more radical transformation in the newsroom for us to become a self-sustaining enterprise,” Merida wrote.The cuts will eliminate about 13% of newsroom positions and affect full-time and temporary workers including editors, audio producers and managers, the Times reported. The cuts follow a series of layoffs at news organizations including the Washington Post and NPR.The move also comes days after journali...

Canada coach says Messi landing in Major League Soccer would be an ‘absolute coup’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

Canada coach John Herdman says signing Lionel Messi would be an “absolute coup” for Major League Soccer.The Argentine star has been linked to Inter Miami CF with reports Wednesday suggesting it’s a done deal.“Well if he was a bit younger, I would have hoped he came to a Canadian club. We’d keep him for five years and get his (Canadian) passport,” Herdman said with a smile. “That would have been awesome.”“But I think MLS is just growing and growing and growing,” he added. “Every year you see new teams, better facilities, a better standard of play, a more competitive style of play. We’ve seen the Italians (Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi) arrive at Toronto. You’ve seen Messi now, hopefully, coming into a club that he’ll transform — the fan base, he’ll transform the interest. I think it’s an absolute coup for MLS.”The challenge for the league, he suggested, is to provide an a...

Why Republicans are clashing with the FBI over a confidential Biden document

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The yearslong feud between congressional Republicans and the FBI is reaching a new level of rancor as lawmakers prepare a resolution to hold bureau director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress.Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has scheduled a committee vote for Thursday morning on the contempt resolution against Wray. He says the FBI has failed to comply with a lawful subpoena for an FBI record that documents an unverified tip about President Joe Biden.The resolution to hold Wray in contempt — which would have to be approved by the full House — is just the latest broadside from Republicans against the FBI. They accuse the bureau of harboring bias against conservatives dating back to Donald Trump’s presidency and allege the bureau is now stonewalling legitimate congressional oversight. Release of the document in question, FBI officials have warned, would jeopardize the safety of the confidential human source who r...