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Wildfire evacuation order over for hamlet of Evansburg in west-central Alberta

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

Officials have lifted an evacuation order for the hamlet of Evansburg, Alta., about 120 kilometres west of Edmonton.Residents were told to leave on May 1 as dry and windy conditions fuelled wildfires that put the hamlet and surrounding rural area at risk.Some nearby communities remain under a mandatory evacuation order, including Wildwood, Lobstick Resort and Hansonville.Alberta’s wildfire status dashboard is reporting 76 active wildfires today, 26 of which are out of control.Firefighters from Yukon, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec have arrived in Alberta to help, and the government said late Tuesday that crews were also expected from New Brunswick, Oregon and Alaska.Some areas in central Alberta have experienced cooler temperatures and rain, but the government says a return to hot and windy conditions is expected in the coming days.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2023.The Canadian Press

MPs to vote on House probe into Chinese envoy’s alleged targeting of Michael Chong

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

OTTAWA — The House of Commons is set to vote this afternoon on whether a committee should probe allegations of an intimidation campaign by the Chinese government against Conservative MP Michael Chong. Debate on the motion has taken priority in the chamber since it was tabled on Monday, and a vote has been scheduled to take place after today’s question period. Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat this week over a newly surfaced 2021 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which alleged that the Toronto consular officer sought to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong because of the MP’s criticism of China’s human-rights record. China responded by expelling a Canadian diplomat from its territory, with the Liberals warning that the move could also inspire economic retaliation — leaving industries bracing for blowback. Yet Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a China expert at the University of Ottawa, says the government should instead assume that Beijing i...

FDA panel backs over-the-counter birth control pill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a decades-old birth control pill should be sold without a prescription, paving the way for a likely U.S. approval of the first over-the-counter contraceptive medication. The panel of FDA advisers voted unanimously in favor of drugmaker Perrigo’s request to sell its once-a-day medication over the counter. The recommendation came at the close of a two-day meeting focused on company research into whether women could safely and effectively take the pill without professional supervision. A final FDA decision is expected this summer.If the FDA follows the nonbinding recommendation, Perrigo’s drug, Opill, would become the first contraceptive pill to be moved out from behind the pharmacy counter onto store shelves. Currently, a prescription is required in the U.S.The outside experts said they were confident that women of all ages could use the drug appropriately without seeing a health provider first. “I do believe th...

Quebec government rejects Trudeau’s immigration plan, fears decline of French

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

MONTREAL — Canada’s plan to increase immigration is stoking fears among Quebec’s political class, who say the changes would reduce the province’s influence in the country and make it harder to protect French.Provincial legislature members today adopted a motion declaring Canada’s plan incompatible with the protection of French in Quebec and that the province must have complete control over its immigration. Premier François Legault said Tuesday that Quebec would not accept a big rise in immigration because of the need to properly integrate, house and educate newcomers.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, has maintained that his government’s plan to take in 500,000 permanent immigrants a year by 2025 — up from 437,000 in 2022 — is necessary to ease labour shortages and create growth.But while Legault is tangling with Ottawa over immigration powers, the premier is facing criticism at home over soaring numbers of temporary immigrants who aren’t i...

FDA advisers endorse over-the-counter birth control pill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

A panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously voted Wednesday that the benefits of making a birth control pill available over the counter outweigh the potential risks.The vote represents a major step forward in the decades-long push to make birth control pills available without a prescription for the first time ever.The FDA is expected to make a final decision later this summer. The agency does not have to follow the panel's recommendation.Members of the agency's advisory board said the risks of unintended pregnancy were far greater than any risks associated with the drug, called Opill.Making it available over the counter would significantly expand access to contraception, especially for younger women and those in rural and underserved communities who currently need to overcome logistical barriers to get their birth control.

Here's how to get a free Original Rainbow Cone on Mother's Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

CHICAGO — The Original Rainbow Cone is joining in on Mother's Day celebrations!The Chicago staple is offering a free iconic Rainbow Cone with any purchase of $5 or more on Sunday, May 14. The offer will be available at all locations — excluding Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, and Lincoln Park Zoo.After opening in 1926 in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, the Rainbow Cone quickly became famous and known as one of the most unique ice cream cones anyone has ever seen.The famous five-flavor "Rainbow Cone" features chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and orange sherbet sliced (not scooped) into a cone. It’s been a Chicago staple now for over 97 years. For more information, check out rainbowcone.com

Chicago man sentenced to up to 92 years in prison for shooting Iowa deputy during robbery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Chicago man who was convicted of shooting and seriously wounding an Iowa sheriff’s deputy during a convenience store robbery in 2021 has been sentenced to up to 92 years in prison.Thirty-eight-year-old Stanley Donahue will have to serve at least 60 years before he is eligible for parole. He was sentenced Friday on multiple charges including attempted murder of a peace officer related to the shooting in Coggon, a town about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Prosecutors said Donahue robbed two employees at a Casey’s store and confined them in a cooler before shooting Linn County deputy Will Halverson seven times on June 20, 2021.SEE ALSO: 4 charged with murder of CPD officer Aréanah PrestonDonahue fled and was later arrested after a more than 12-hour manhunt that ended when he was spotted by a television news crew.Halverson said at the sentencing hearing that the shooting had permanently affected his life even though he was able to re...

Pop-punk band Sum 41 breaking up after 27 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

(WTAJ) – Iconic early 2000s pop-punk band Sum 41 announced on Twitter that they will disband for good after their 2023 tour. The group said they are looking forward to releasing one last album, "Heaven :x: Hell," and going on tour to promote it before disbanding. The group, which formed in 1996, was a familiar sound to a whole generation, first on the radio and later on iPods with songs like "Fat Lip" or "In Too Deep.""Being in Sum 41 since 1996 brought us some of the best moments of our lives. We are forever grateful to our fans both old and new who have supported us in every way. It is hard to articulate the love and respect we have for all of you and we wanted you to hear this from us first," the band wrote on Twitter. Another solar storm may bring northern lights to US Wednesday, Thursday Sum 41 is gearing up to hit Europe in June before bringing their tour to the U.S. starting in August. They are touring with The Offspring and fellow 2000s pop-punk band Simple Plan. Fans can...

Sheriff's deputy attacked, killed by dog in Indianapolis while doing favor for a for friend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) – An Indiana sheriff's deputy is dead and her son is in the hospital after they were attacked while dogsitting at their home in Indianapolis on Tuesday.Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called around 8 p.m. to the city's east side, on reports of an aggressive animal. Upon arrival, IMPD said officers spoke with neighbors who said that a person had been attacked by an aggressive dog inside a nearby home. Officers attempted to get inside and eventually found a woman, on the ground and injured, inside an adjacent garage. Winner of Westminster dog show shares name with late rock icon IMPD Major Mike Leepper said officers attempted to get inside the garage but were cut off by an aggressive dog. Officers then had to "destroy" the dog, Leepper said.IEMS and Indianapolis fire crews were called to the scene for medical attention. The adult woman laying inside the garage was pronounced dead at the scene. She was later identified as 46-year...

WATCH: 5-foot gator found by robot in Florida stormwater pipe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:36 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — While crews were inspecting a stormwater pipe in Florida, they found an unexpected visitor: A 5-foot-long gator.A stormwater crew in Oviedo, which is near Orlando, discovered the gator while investigating a series of potholes that appeared in the roadway on May 5.They sent a robot into a pipe to see if there were any anomalies under the roadway. That's when they came across the gator. ‘It’s hissing!’: Alligator surprises women floating down Florida lazy river Workers said they thought the gator was a toad at first. But when the alligator turned around, they saw its long tail. The crew said they decided to follow the gator through the pipes. They followed it for about 340 feet but the robot got stuck on a little indentation and the alligator meandered off."Just another reason not to go wandering down into the Stormwater pipes! Thank goodness our crews have a robot," officials said.