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Manitoba bus crash brings focus on safety of at-grade intersections in Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

The deadly crash in Manitoba between a bus full of seniors and a semi has brought renewed attention on the safety of numerous so-called at-grade intersections on Canadian highways.BC Trucking Association CEO Dave Earle says most drivers in urban areas where highway intersections have overpasses or traffic lights have no idea about the prevalence of at-grade intersections, in which two routes cross at the same elevation, and that they operate without lights even on major arteries such as the Trans-Canada Highway.Earle says while it isn’t always possible, easy or economically viable to build fully grade-separated interchanges, it would be much safer for all drivers. Police say 15 people were killed and 10 others were hurt in the crash west of Winnipeg at the Trans-Canada Highway’s intersection with Highway 5. The Trans-Canada Highway is almost completely a four-lane route in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but a large number of its intersections outside of cities are a...

Oregon man pleads guilty to hate crimes charges in Idaho

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges for threatening to use his vehicle to hit an Idaho library worker who defended a transgender co-worker, as well as two women he believed were lesbians, according to court documents and the U.S. Justice Department.Matthew Alan Lehigh, 31, of Oregon, on Thursday entered the plea to two hate crimes charges in federal court in Idaho, the department said. Lehigh had signed a plea agreement in the case last month. He faces sentencing later.An attorney for Lehigh did not immediately return an email seeking comment sent after hours Thursday. Lehigh acknowledged as part of the plea agreement that last October at a Boise public library he threatened and struck with a closed fist a library worker who is transgender. Another library employee tried to protect the co-worker and followed Lehigh as Lehigh fled to the parking lot. There, Lehigh got into his car and after the worker who followed him outside approached, Lehigh accelera...

Vancouver Police Board accepts department’s report on Myles Gray inquest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Police Department is committed to adopting the recommendations from a coroner’s inquest into the beating death of Myles Gray, it says in a report submitted to its board, but advocates say key concerns remain unaddressed.In a statement released by Pivot Legal Society, the policy director for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says the police report “leads the reader to believe that everything is fine at the (department) — short of implementing body-worn cameras.”Meghan McDermott says the department “insists that its approach to crisis de-escalation is fine and dandy,” though she says police are using the same practices they did at the time Gray died in August 2015 after a beating by several officers.The initial 911 call on the day the 33-year-old died was about an agitated man who was behaving erratically and who had sprayed a woman with a garden hose.Gray died after a beating by police that left him with injuries including ru...

Ford government to expand ‘strong mayor powers’ in Ontario municipalities: sources

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

The Ford government will expand strong mayor powers to several other municipalities in the province, including Oakville, Hamilton, Milton and Niagara Falls, sources tell CityNews.Steve Clark, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, is expected to make the announcement at Queen’s Park on Friday morning.#BREAKING – The Ford government is expanding strong mayor powers to 29 more municipalities including Hamilton and Niagara Falls, sources tell CityNews. The Housing Minister is expected to make the announcement on Friday.— Richard Southern (@RichardCityNews) June 16, 2023Premier Doug Ford often expressed optimism that other municipalities would eventually get strong mayor powers, which give leaders the authority to veto bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities, such as building housing. A council could override the mayor’s veto with a two-thirds majority vote.Related: What will a ‘strong’ mayor system mean for Toronto?Clark a...

Death of 2 Americans in Mexico resort hotel room now attributed to ‘undetermined substance’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors in Mexico’s Baja California Sur state said Thursday that autopsies on two Americans found dead in their luxury hotel room suggest they died of “intoxication by an undetermined substance.”Local police initially said gas inhalation was suspected as the cause of death.The state prosecutors’ office said the bodies bore no signs of violence. The office did not say what further steps were being taken to determine the exact cause of death.Prosecutors said the victims were from Newport Beach, California. Local media gave their names as Abby Lutz and John Heathco. The nutritional supplements company LES Labs, based in Covina, California, lists Heathco as its founder.The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was not able to immediately confirm the names or hometowns of the victims due to privacy considerations.Prosecutors said the two had been dead for 11 or 12 hours when they were found in their room at a luxury hotel near the resort of Cabo San Lucas late Tu...

Suarez backs 15-week federal abortion ban, says he has ‘credibility’ on immigration conversation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, the newest candidate in the Republican presidential field, drew some distinctions between himself and his rivals Thursday, suggesting that the six-week abortion ban signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is too severe and showing an openness to changing the country’s immigration system.In an interview with The Associated Press, Suarez expressed support for a 15-week federal abortion ban, saying the country “is not there yet” on six weeks. He also said his status as the only Hispanic candidate in the GOP race gives him “a lot of credibility” in a conversation about reforming immigration laws, though he was vague about what he’d propose.“I do think that we need to right-size legal immigration and that it should be connected to our employment rate and our declining birth rate,” said Suarez, who has Cuban ancestry. “And I do think we have to do something with those who are undocumented in our country.”Suarez, 45, made his candid...

A list of mass casualty bus and van crashes on Canadian highways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

RCMP say 15 people died and 10 others were taken to hospital on Thursday after a bus collided with a semi-truck near Carberry, Man. Little information was immediately available about the deceased, but RCMP say they believe many of the people on the bus were seniors. Here’s a list of some other serious crashes involving buses and large vehicles on Canadian roads: Dec. 24, 2022 — four dead and dozens injured near Merritt, B.C.A bus travelling from Kelowna, B.C, to Vancouver on Christmas Eve rolled over on Highway 97C, known as the Okanagan Connector, leaving four people dead. Eight others were hospitalized. Police have said they suspect extremely icy road conditions played a role in the collision.April 6, 2018 — 16 dead and 13 injured near Tisdale, Sask.A semi-truck ran through a stop sign at a crossroads near the town, striking the coach bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Sixteen people on the bus were killed: 10 players, the team’s coach, a...

Fake Microsoft virus scam targeting elderly

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

(WDTN) — As part of marking Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Thursday, officials in Montgomery County, Ohio, issued a warning for the Microsoft virus scam that is targeting less-technologically savvy people.Recently, the fraudulent Microsoft virus scam took advantage of a Washington Township man.Forty-eight year-old Weihong Lian is accused of deceiving an 83-year-old Ohio man. The alleged victim made withdrawals of "substantial amounts," believing it would help him keep his money safe, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Realtor helps LGBTQ+ Texans leave state through ‘rainbow Underground Railroad’ Last year, the FBI warned Americans that tech support fraud — and the amounts of money being stolen — are on the rise. During these kinds of schemes, a scammer will pretend to be someone official trying to help resolve issues like compromised email addresses or bank accounts, software licenses, and viruses.Important tips for avoiding the 'Microsoft virus' scamMicrosoft will...

Longhorns land 4 on ABCA All-Central Region Team

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four Longhorns were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Central Region Team, the organization announced Tuesday.Pitchers Lucas Gordon and Lebarron Johnson Jr. were named to the first team while Dylan Campbell and Porter Brown made the second team. Gordon and Johnson are now eligible for the organization's All-American team with their first-team distinction.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersGordon was also named a second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Campbell was named to the organization's third team.Gordon was named the Big 12 pitcher of the year and ended the season 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 102.2 innings pitched. Johnson finished 8-4 with a 2.91 ERA and struck out 98 in 86.2 innings. College World Series: Plucky underdogs, national powers collide in America’s heartland...

Motorcyclist dies in crash with pickup truck on Tower Road in Aurora

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:56:30 GMT

A motorcyclist died in a crash with a pickup truck in Aurora, police said.The crash happened about 3:55 p.m. Wednesday on Tower Road at Interstate 70, according to an Aurora Police Department news release.A 31-year-old man riding a 2012 Yamaha motorcycle was northbound on Tower when he was struck by a 58-year-old driver in a 2018 GMC Sierra pickup truck. The Sierra was southbound on Tower and turning onto eastbound I-70 at the time.The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet and riding jacket, was taken to a hospital where he died. His name will be released by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Motorcyclist dies in two-vehicle crash in Denver Crime and Public Safety | Speeding motorcyclist in Aurora crash dies days later at hospital Crime and Public Safety | Woman dies after Memorial Day motorcycle crash Crime and Public Safety | Motorcyclist dies in two-vehicle crash in Aurora ...