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‘Complete destruction’: Canadians mobilize to help Morocco after earthquake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

MONTREAL — A Canadian aid worker in Morocco says he’s seen scenes of “complete destruction” in the wake of a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 2,900 people and left many more injured and homeless.Hassaan Sheikh of Islamic Relief Canada says his team is distributing blankets and mattresses in villages near the quake’s epicentre — about 70 kilometres south of the city of Marrakech — as bodies are being pulled from the rubble of flattened homes.Sheikh says that in the short term Moroccans need food, blankets and hygiene products, while in the longer term they will need their homes, roads and critical infrastructure rebuilt.Ottawa says it hasn’t received a request for assistance from Morocco, but many Canadians are launching efforts to help the North African country as it grapples with the devastating aftermath of Friday’s quake.In Montreal, home to a large Moroccan community, mosques and businesses have started fundraisers and collec...

New England getting more rain, watching Hurricane Lee’s path after flooding, sinkholes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — More heavy rain began falling Wednesday in New England, where residents kept one eye on cleanup and another on the path of Hurricane Lee after downpours dropped nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in six hours and flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.The rainfall was a “200-year event,” said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boston. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a state of emergency Tuesday night following the “catastrophic flash flooding and property damage” in two counties and other communities.The rain created sinkholes in Leominster, Massachusetts. Cars sank into the ground at an auto dealership. The front yard collapsed at one house, resulting in a 15-foot (4.6-meter) hole that exposed the foundation.Andre Obin said his parents, who have lived in the home for many years, were able to pull out of their driveway shortly before the cave-in.“We’re just so lucky that the pavement didnR...

PWHL, Canadian Tire reach multi-year agreement on sponsorship deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

TORONTO — The Professional Women’s Hockey League has struck a multi-year agreement with Canadian Tire to be the league’s first funding partner. The collaboration includes sponsorship of the PWHL’s inaugural draft on Sept. 18 in Toronto.Canadian Tire has committed to allocate a minimum of 50 per cent of its sponsorship dollars towards women’s professional sports by 2026 through its Women’s Sports Initiative.The company was one of the premier sponsors which permanently ended its relationship with Hockey Canada because of the national sporting organization’s handling of sexual assault allegations in the past.The PWHL was officially introduced on Aug. 29 with an announcement naming its six markets between Canada and the U.S. The teams will be in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the New York City area, with play set to begin in January.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

What to know about renters insurance and what it does and doesn’t cover

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — When the unexpected happens — whether fire, hail, or human error — renters insurance can provide much-needed stability. But many choose not to purchase coverage, including in places most frequently and hardest hit by natural disasters, new research shows.Linda Klamm, who works as an attorney for insurance policyholders after catastrophes, lost her home to a firestorm in Oakland, California, in 1991, and has firsthand experience with the challenges of collecting on a policy.“The sky went from being a reddish color to the sun looking bloodied. Then it quickly became black,” she said, of that year. “I loaded my 3-year-old and not-quite-6-year-old into the back of the car. We got a few things — our dog, one of our three cats, the kids. There were two ways out. By the time I was leaving, one was engulfed in flames.”In the wake of subsequent fires, including wildfires in California and other states, Klamm offers assistance to policyholders on recovering funds. While homeow...

Suburban school worker facing more child porn charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. — A suburban school worker is facing more charges related to child pornography and child luring.Donald Peters, 34, of Cary, was arrested this summer after authorities conducted a search warrant at his residence. He is facing 10 charges following that arrest, including three counts of child pornography.On Friday, he was additionally charged with possession of child pornography with a child younger than 13, grooming and two counts of child luring.Peters was taken into custody on Monday and has bonded out of jail.He is a longtime employee of the Community Unit School District 300 and may have solicited students for their social media accounts, police allege.Peters' employment history with Community School District 300 dates back to 2007 when he was hired as a night custodian at Wright Elementary. Peters then moved to a head custodian position at Jacobs High School, before becoming an attendance secretary at Westfield Community School in 2018.Peters was been placed ...

Pete Crow-Armstrong has a memorable first MLB start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

DENVER — While there was ultimately disappointment in the end result, the Cubs and their fans left Tuesday's game at Coors Field feeling good about the team's top prospect.That's because Pete Crow-Armstrong had a few memorable moments in his first Major League Baseball start against the Rockies, even if a former prospect for the team would send them to defeat. In his second game with the Cubs, the center fielder made a pair of memorable outfield catches that excited the fans in attendance in Denver. In the end, it was former MVP Kris Bryant who would spark Colorado with three RBI, including the eventual game-winning homer, in a 6-4 Rockies victory. It puts the Cubs four games back of the Brewers for first in the National League Central while maintaining a two-game lead for the second Wild Card.Yet Armstrong's performance had fans talking after the game despite the defeat.(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)In the first inning, the outfielder showed his prowess on a long hit ball ...

A look back at a memorable segment on 'The Bozo Show'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

CHICAGO — While we like to focus on current trends on the segment, who doesn't love a look back at one of Channel 9's most beloved shows? On Wednesday, we decided to go into the archives to find a most unusual episode of "The Bozo Show" on WGN. It features one animal riding another while chasing two others in the famed Studio 1 at the station. We showed that clip during the "9@9" on Wednesday's show as the hosts gave their thoughts on this very interesting clip from "The Bozo Show."During the segment, we also talked about soup vs. stew, Ben Franklin drunk synonyms, "Balletcore," a "Wizard of Oz" influencer, and more on the WGN Morning News on September 13.You can watch the entire "9@9" from September 13's show in the video above.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola's husband dies in plane crash 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

(The Hill) – Rep. Mary Peltola’s (D-Alaska) husband has died in a plane accident in Alaska, her chief of staff announced Wednesday. “We are devastated to share that Mary’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr. — 'Buzzy' to all of us who knew and loved him — passed away earlier this morning following a plane accident in Alaska,” Peltola's chief of staff Anton McParland said in a statement shared to the congresswoman’s account on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.  Peltola is returning home to be with family, McParland said, and her team will meet with constituents and “carry on the work of the office while Mary and her family grieve.”   Seattle cop recorded laughing, joking after pedestrian is fatally struck Eugene Peltola was the former regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for Alaska.Several of Peltola’s fellow lawmakers had already shared their condolences minutes after the statement was posted.  “I am so terribly sorry, @Rep_Peltola. O...

2024's Social Security COLA increase may be larger than previously estimated: How much can beneficiaries expect?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The next cost-of-living increase for Social Security recipients is projected to be slightly higher than estimated in previous months, though still dramatically less than the 8.7% beneficiaries received in 2023, the Senior Citizen’s League predicts.The Senior Citizen’s League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior advocacy group, had previously estimated in mid-August that 2024’s COLA increase would be 3%, based on July data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But as of Wednesday, that increase is estimated to be somewhere around 3.2%, thanks to “a jump in consumer price data through August,” TSCL wrote in a press release.In terms of benefits, that means the average monthly Social Security check, at $1,790, would increase to around $1,847.30. Child poverty in the US jumped and income declined in 2022 as pandemic benefits ended TSCL’s estimate comes after the most recent publication of the Labor Bureau’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners (CPI-W) — the same i...

Olivia Rodrigo's new tour includes Chicago stop

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:30 GMT

CHICAGO — Singer Olivia Rodrigo is headed out on tour next year and she will be stopping in Chicago as part of it.Her Guts World Tour was announced this week and she will be at the United Center on March 19.Like other tours, fans are being asked to register with Ticketmaster ahead of the on-sale date. Fans have until Sunday, Sept. 17 to sign up. Taylor Swift and her ‘Anti-Hero’ top MTV VMAs in a show dominated by hip-hop, K-pop and Latin jams Rodrigo’s tour kicks off in Palm Springs on February 23. She will also play Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum on March 16 and Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena on March 23. She will head to Europe before coming back for more US shows next summer.Full tour dates on her website.