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Emissions from wildfires hit record high in 2021 as climate change drives fire threat

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

OTTAWA — Emissions from wildfires hit a new record in 2021, producing more greenhouse gases than the oil and gas sector and heavy industry combined.With a total estimated carbon footprint of 270 million tonnes, wildfire emissions were the single biggest source of greenhouse gases that year.But they were not included when Canada tallied its total emissions for the year, because wildfires aren’t considered to be directly under human control.Rebecca Hornbrook, an atmospheric chemist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, says wildfire emissions are in many ways part of the natural carbon cycle and shouldn’t be viewed the same way we see emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.But she says the increased number of wildfires, and their growing intensity in a world impacted by climate change, are cause for concern.Hornbrook says the air pollution from wildfires is something everyone should be watching for, noting the major fires burning in Alberta are a...

Ecuador lawmakers denounce president’s disbanding of National Assembly, argue it wasn’t legal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorian lawmakers who were ousted when President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly denounced the move Thursday and argued it wasn’t legal because the country wasn’t facing any urgent crisis.The conservative president, who had sparred with the left-leaning assembly over his pro-business agenda since taking office in 2021, disbanded the chamber Wednesday just as it tried to oust him on mismanagement allegations in an impeachment trial.Lasso was making first use of a 2008 constitutional provision that allows the president to dissolve the assembly during times of political crisis, with the requirement that new elections be held for both lawmakers and the president.However, a lawsuit filed Thursday by the assembly’s former head, Virgilio Saquicela, argues that Lasso’s move violated the constitution because the country was not experiencing any social upheaval. Instead, Lasso’s detractors have argued, the president chose to disband the cha...

Police officers neglected duty in Saskatchewan toddler’s death: complaints commission

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — An investigation has found that officers who responded to a domestic violence call in Saskatchewan didn’t check on the well-being of a toddler and instead took the Indigenous mother to a police station in the hours before the child was killed.The Public Complaints Commission report into last year’s death of 13-month-old Tanner Brass says two Prince AlbertPolice Serviceofficers neglected their duty. The boy’s father, Kaij Brass, has been charged with second-degree murder and his trial is scheduled for next year.“The circumstances on the morning of Feb. 10, 2022, amount to a tragic and potentially avoidable incident,” the report found.“(Tanner) was, at all relevant times, vulnerable and in danger while inside the residence with (his father).”Kyla Frenchman, the toddler’s mother, has called for the officers to be fired, alleging she was racially profiled when she called for help. The report found she went willingly to the police station because women’...

Why the Supreme Court tiptoeing past a key social media shield helps Big Tech

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

Google, Twitter, Facebook and other tech companies fueled by social media have dodged a legal threat that could have blown a huge hole in their business models.The U.S. Supreme Court delivered the reprieve Thursday by rejecting one lawsuit alleging social media platforms should be held liable for enabling a lethal attack on a Turkish nightclub and tossing another case back to a lower court. Those moves, coming three months after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the cases, preserve a law known as Section 230 that shields social media services from being held responsible for the material posted on their platforms. Without the protection consisting of a mere 26 words tucked inside a broader reform of U.S. telecommunications adopted in 1996, Google, Facebook and other tech companies probably wouldn’t have been able to have grown as large as they are now. And their future prospects would dim if their platforms were stripped of their legal immunity.But just because the Supr...

WestJet cancels 100-plus flights as pilot strike looms and customers scramble

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

MONTREAL — WestJet cancelled more than 100 flights on Thursday after talks with the pilots’ union hit a “critical impasse,” throwing travel plans into turmoil for thousands of passengers ahead of the May long weekend.Some 1,800 pilots at the carrier and its Swoop subsidiary are poised to walk off the job as of 3 a.m. MT after the Air Line Pilots Association served a strike notice Monday.WestJet issued a statement early Thursday saying negotiations were stuck “in a stalemate.”“We remain at a critical impasse with the union and have been left with no choice but to begin taking the painful steps of preparing for the reality of a work stoppage,” CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a release.Would-be travellers voiced their frustration on social media Thursday, with some saying they’d been stuck on the customer service line for hours and others posting screenshots of problems with refund processing.Raahina Somani found herself marooned in Calgary on her way back to Vanco...

Crews work to reach Italian towns isolated by floods as toll rises to 13 and cleanup begins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

FAENZA, Italy (AP) — Rescue crews worked Thursday to reach towns and villages in northern Italy still isolated by heavy rains and flooding, as the death toll rose to 13 and authorities began mapping out cleanup and reconstruction plans.The extreme weather behind this week’s disaster — a prolonged drought punctuated by 36 hours of intense rainfall, two weeks after another downpour — led to two dozen rivers and tributaries bursting their banks. The force of water sent torrents of mud tearing through entire towns in Emilia-Romagna, flooding storefronts and basements.Local mayors warned that some remote villages were still completely cut off because landslides had made roads impassable and phone service remained severed. That has prevented rescue teams from reaching residents and authorities from understanding the full scope of their needs, said Mercato Seraceno Mayor Monica Rossi. “If it rains any more, the situation will be tragic,” Rossi warned on Sky TG24, standing on a road w...

Group plans to put legalization of medical marijuana on Nebraska ballot

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

A group led by a Nebraska state lawmaker plans to again try to put the question of legalizing medical marijuana before state voters in November 2024. It will be the third time Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana launch a petition effort after two previous efforts failed.In 2020, the group came close to placing the issue on the general election ballot after meeting signature requirements. But opponents led by Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner sued, arguing that it violated state rules requiring ballot measures to focus on a single question. Instead, they argued, the measure posed two separate questions: whether residents should have the right to use marijuana for medical purposes, and whether private companies should be allowed to grow and sell it. The state Supreme Court sided with the effort’s opponents and prevented it from going to voters.Last year, with only months to gather the roughly 87,000 signatures needed from registered voters, organizers failed to collect enough v...

Illinoisans with unclaimed tax refunds owed more than $1,000 on average by the IRS

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

(STACKER) — You wouldn't think that anyone would forget to collect a tax refund, but it happens. Typically, taxpayers have three years to file and claim their tax returns. However, because the 2020 tax season coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the filing deadline for 2019 earnings has been extended until July 17, 2023. Anyone with unclaimed tax refund money from their 2019 earnings stands to lose this cash if they don't file their return by this fast-approaching date.MoneyGeek analyzed 2019 unclaimed tax refund data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and estimated the average amount of unclaimed tax cash per affected resident in every state. We found that while the average resident in some states could gain more from filing their taxes, Americans across the board are sitting on significant refunds.KEY FINDINGS:There's still $1.5 billion in total unclaimed tax refunds for 2019 earnings — that's an average of $1,006 per eligible individual.Six of the 10 states...

Father found Naperville Snapchat predator hiding in daughter's closet, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A Naperville man, accused of using Snapchat to arrange a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old Rockford girl, appeared in court on Friday.Junsuk Park was charged with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse last August. Park, 39, allegedly met the victim through Snapchat, identifying himself as "James," a supposedly 16-year-old from Elgin. Park reportedly messaged the victim about sneaking into her house and performing sexual acts, according to court documents. Feds: Rockford child pornographer tried to purchase an infant According to court records, police were summoned to the victim's home in the early morning hours of August 1st, 2022. The victim's father told responding officers that Park had entered the house through the victim's bedroom window and he had found him hiding in her bedroom closet. The girl's father told police that Park left prior to their arrival, but a Toyota Prius that was registered to Park was found parked in the driveway, court...

Family, police looking for missing veteran who left Summit shelter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:37 GMT

SUMMIT, Ill. — Family and authorities are looking for a missing veteran with dementia who left a shelter in Summit on Monday.James Bonney was last seen at the shelter BEDS Plus, located in the 7600 block of 63rd Street in Summit, at around 10 a.m.He left with bus cards and McDonald's gift cards. Family, who lives in Chicago, believes he took the 63rd Street bus into the city.Bonney, 71, was last seen wearing a blue jean jacket, blue or black slacks and a cap on his head, family said."He is a loving person," his daughter told WGN News. "His 30 grandkids are all waiting to hear from him."Bonney, who has early onset dementia, is 5'7" and weighs 150 lbs. Family said he will respond to James or Jimmy.Anyone who sees him can call 911 or Summit police at 708-563-4830.