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MP Yasir Naqvi drops parliamentary role in possible provincial Liberal leadership bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

OTTAWA — Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi has stepped down from his role as a parliamentary secretary in order to possibly run for leadership of the provincial Liberals.Naqvi will continue to hold his Ottawa Centre seat but will no longer act as the parliamentary secretary for both the president of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and the minister of emergency preparedness.His office confirmed in a written statement that Naqvi is taking the step as he “explores the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.”Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair wished Naqvi well in a tweet, saying the pair had “worked to strengthen emergency management in Canada.”Naqvi was elected federally in 2021 but had served for nearly nine years at Queen’s Park, including as Ontario’s attorney general and labour minister.The Ontario Liberal Party has had an interim leader since last June’s provincial election, and has yet to set a date for selecting the party’s...

Woman who pretended to be sick Marine gets nearly 6 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A former social worker at a Rhode Island veterans’ hospital who used stolen patient information to brazenly pass herself off as a decorated Marine Corps veteran with cancer and fraudulently collect nearly $300,000 in benefits, charitable contributions, and donations was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison.Sarah Jane Cavanaugh, 32, attended public events in uniform where she spoke about the struggles veterans face, bought a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star to wear, and was even named commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Then, in early 2022 she was exposed when a charity she applied to for funds became suspicious and started checking her background.“Sarah Cavanaugh’s conduct in the course of her scheme is nothing short of appalling,” U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha said in a statement. “By brazenly laying claim to the honor, service, and sacrifice of real veterans, this defendant preyed on the charity and decency of others for her own shame...

Mexican soldiers find 1.8 million fentanyl pills in Tijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Defense Department said Tuesday that soldiers found over 1.83 million fentanyl pills at a stash house in the border city of Tijuana. The department said in a statement that soldiers staked out the house Sunday after authorities received a tip that the site was being used for drug trafficking. After obtaining a search warrant, soldiers found the nearly 2 million synthetic opioid pills and 880 pounds (400 kilograms) of meth at the house, the statement said. No arrests were made. Mexican cartels have used the border city to press fentanyl into counterfiet pills. They then smuggle those pills into the United States.The raid produced one of the largest seizures of fentanyl in Mexico in recent months and came only one day before President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed that fentanyl isn’t made in Mexico. He made that assertion in comments arguing that fentanyl is the United States’ problem, not Mexico’s.The Associated Press

ComEd bribery trial begins for 4 accused of influencing Michael Madigan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Jury selection began Tuesday in the ComEd bribery case.U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber — who, just months ago presided over the high-profile R. Kelly child pornography trial — questioned more than 90 potential jurors throughout the day, dismissing nearly 30 of them. The selection process is set to resume Wednesday morning at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.The four defendants, charged in November 2020, are former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; former ComEd Vice President and lobbyist John Hooker; Jay Doherty, a former ComEd contractor and President of the City Club of Chicago; and Michael McClain, a former ComEd lobbyist and consultant who, for decades, has been a close confidant of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Chicago man files class action suit against Buffalo Wild Wings, says boneless wings are just nuggets Federal prosecutors allege the four defendants “conspired with outside consultants to corruptly influence and reward” Madigan, who, as Hou...

Joey's Red Hots in Morgan Park holds fundraiser for fallen CPD officer Andres Vasquez Lasso

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Grills were fired up and employees worked diligently to keep up with demand from orders that held a special meaning in Morgan Park Tuesday.Joey's Red Hots on the corner of Western Avenue and West 115th Street held a fundraiser in honor of fallen Chicago police officer Andres Vasquez Lasso, with all proceeds going toward his loved ones."100% of the profits that's coming in today goes to the family," said Nick Iozzo, owner of Joey's Red Hots.Vasquez Lasso was shot and killed in the line of duty responding to a domestic disturbance call in Gage Park on March 1. Since then, there has been an outpouring of comfort and support for those he left behind."So many people are coming out just for that reason," Iozza said. "It makes you feel good." CPD honors fallen Officer Vasquez-Lasso during graduation ceremony Among those who came out to support the Vasquez Lasso family Tuesday was Charles Knight, who has dealt with similar tragedy himself. His brother — also a CPD officer — was ...

Maryland man saves $50K winning scratch-off from trash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

(WJW) - You might want to think twice — or at least check twice — before throwing out what you think is a losing lottery ticket.A man in Maryland almost tossed away a $50,000 winning scratch-off ticket. According to Maryland Lottery, the man, who is not being identified, said he had purchased about $30 worth of scratch-off tickets at a Wawa convenience store. Airline investigating after flight attendants allegedly fight over passenger’s request, refuse to work with each other He and his wife then scratched off the tickets and separated them into winning and losing piles. Somehow, the $50,000 ticket got separated and nearly ended up in the trash. Thankfully, the 22-year-old said they had the good sense to double-check the ticket.“We were going to throw the ticket away," the man told Maryland Lottery officials. "We are lucky we didn’t!”The lucky winner now plans to use the winnings toward purchasing a home.

Visitor finds 3.29-carat gem at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

MURFREESBORO, Ark. (KARK) – An Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park visitor hit a sizable jackpot during a dig on March 4.Murfreesboro resident David Anderson, a regular park visitor, discovered a 3.29-carat brown diamond while sifting gravel. The site was in the West Drain of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. Gov. Sanders kicks off 100 years of Arkansas State Parks with event at Petit Jean State Park Anderson mistook the diamond initially.“At first I thought it was quartz but wondered why it was so shiny,” he said. “Once I picked it up, I realized it was a diamond!”Murfreesboro resident David Anderson is a regular to the park and said he has found more than 400 gems during his visits. (Courtesy: Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism)A park spokesperson said Anderson has found more than 400 diamonds in the park over the past 16 years, adding that 15 of the diamonds he recovered have been more than one carat. Arkansas State Parks kicks off centennial celebr...

Veterans Affairs will cover pricey experimental Alzheimer's drug

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) said it will widely cover an experimental $26,500-per-year Alzheimer’s drug, even though Medicare will not.Leqembi will be made available to veterans living with early stages of Alzheimer's disease who meet agency criteria as well as conditions on Leqembi's label, according to an announcement Monday by the drug's manufacturers Eisai and Biogen. The move makes the VHA the first major insurer to agree to pay for the drug since its approval.The VHA, under the Department of Veterans Affairs, is the largest health system in the country.Leqembi was approved earlier this year through the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) accelerated pathway based on data showing it could moderately slow cognitive decline by reducing levels of a protein called amyloid in the brains of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rejected a request from the Alzheimer’s Association for unrestricted coverage late last month...

North Carolina Supreme Court convenes for rare rehearing in major gerrymandering case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

The North Carolina Supreme Court’s new Republican majority weighed overruling a decision that struck down the state’s GOP-drawn voting maps as a partisan gerrymander on Tuesday, a rare rehearing that could shift a sweeping election law clash at the U.S. Supreme Court.The case has also fueled accusations of partisanship in the state’s top court, which is elected in increasingly expensive campaigns. Republican state lawmakers argued the court’s previous 4-3 Democratic majority sped up their rulings against the GOP.After Republicans in the midterm elections regained control of the court and the new 5-2 majority last month granted the GOP lawmakers’ request to rehear the dispute, Democrats have similarly attributed partisan motivations. It marked only the third time the court has granted a rehearing during the past 30 years. “This court issued two landmark decisions recognizing that the North Carolina Constitution prohibits partisan gerrymandering that systematically dilutes s...

George Santos files paperwork for 2024 reelection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:15:49 GMT

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) filed paperwork for a 2024 reelection bid on Tuesday, an indication the embattled congressman may seek another term in the House.Filing the statement of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) does not, however, guarantee that Santos will go through with the bid. Since winning his election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November, the congressman has drawn intense scrutiny amid revelations he embellished parts of his resume, and questions regarding his finances.The FEC sent a letter to Santos last month asking if he planned to run for reelection next year after his campaign reported nearly $28,000 in contributions and almost $43,000 in expenses during the time period following the November election. According to federal law, potential candidates must declare their candidacy to the FEC if they receive or spend upwards of $5,000 for an election.The agency asked that he respond by March 14 — the same day Santos filed his 2024 paperw...