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Non-profit organizations call on government to protect Muslim charities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

OTTAWA — Several members of the non-profit sector, including the United Way and Imagine Canada, are calling on the federal government to take immediate steps to shield Muslim-led charities from potentially discriminatory federal audits.More than a dozen organizations issued a statement urging Ottawa to act following the release this week of the taxpayers’ ombudsperson’s report on the fairness of the audit process for registered charities.In his report, François Boileau recommended improved unconscious bias training for employees of the Canada Revenue Agency’s charities directorate. However, Boileau said that due to obstacles in accessing relevant information, he could not examine the issues “deeply enough” to assess the existence of bias in how the revenue agency applies its processes. Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier had asked the watchdog to conduct a systemic review of the concerns of Muslim-led charities, paying particular attention to concerns ...

Kentucky House gives final passage to medical marijuana bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Medical marijuana advocates achieved a long-sought victory Thursday, when Kentucky lawmakers gave final passage to a measure to legalize access to medical cannabis for people suffering from a defined list of debilitating illnesses.In the waning hours of this year’s legislative session, the Republican-dominated House voted 66-33 to send the measure to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Supporters pushed the bill over the finish line after years of setbacks, when other versions to open Kentucky to legal medical cannabis died.“This is a truly historic day here in the commonwealth and one that many people deserve — especially the constituents who’ve approached me over the years to share their stories,” Republican Sen. Stephen West, the bill’s lead sponsor, said in a triumphant statement after the House vote. Kentuckians with qualified medical conditions will have to wait to gain access to medical cannabis under the bill. Senate Bill 47 specifies that the med...

Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree granted by Simon Fraser University in B.C.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Officials at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., have accepted the return of an honorary degree awarded to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the former judge and law professor whose claims of Indigenous ancestryhave been discredited.A statement from SFU president Joy Johnson says Turpel-Lafond opted to return the 2016 award after the university told her it was under review.Johnson says the school had received requests to review the degree in relation to “the importance of Indigenous identity and alleged false claims of Indigenous ancestry,” and its senate committee on university honours had decided to proceed.She says the university gave Turpel-Lafond an opportunity to either relinquish the degree or “make representations on the issues at hand,” and she chose to return it.A letter from the group Indigenous Women’s Collective signed by retired Cree Senator Lillian Dyck, among others, says the university’s decision allowed Turpel-Lafond to evade sanct...

READ: Trump's response to indictment in hush money case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Former President Trump on Thursday afternoon issued a lengthy statement in response to his indictment in a case involving alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.The historic indictment is the first time a president has been charged in a criminal matter and comes as Trump is mounting his third bid for the White House.Here is Trump's statement:“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.“The Democrats have lied...

Man charged with DUI after being ejected from speeding vehicle in Waukegan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. — A North Chicago man injured in a high-speed crash last December while allegedly under the influence faces multiple charges.D’Andre Moton, 35, of North Chicago is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and driving with a suspended license following a crash on Dec. 17, 2022. Around 2:30 a.m., police responded to the 12700 block of West Crescent Avenue in Waukegan for a traffic crash with injuries. Lake County Sheriff's deputies found Moton ejected about 30 feet from the wrecked vehicle.Moton was driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer at a high rate of speed eastbound on West Crescent Avenue, deputies said. As the car approached Adelphi Avenue, Moton crossed an oncoming traffic lane and drove into a ditch.The Chevrolet struck a utility pole and rolled over onto its side. Moton was not wearing a seat belt, deputies added. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesMoton, who deputies said is paralyzed from the waist down, will be taken into custody...

MedWatch Daily Digest: Baby movements could be an early indicator of autism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

For Thursday, March 30, WGN’s Dina Bair has the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Researchers from Uppsala University found changes in the brain's cortex lead babies to have an altered perception of their surroundings, affecting their development and learning. How boosting immunity may block the most common signs of aging.Why body mass index can alter recovery from surgery

Newcomers deliver in Twins’ Opening Day victory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hours before his eighth Opening Day in a Twins uniform began, center fielder Byron Buxton sat by his locker, and took a second to answer the question posed to him.The gist: Is this the highest expectations he’s had since he’s played for the Twins?“Probably so,” he said.Because while many on the outside have projected a second-place finish for the Twins in the American League Central division, Buxton has been talking all spring about the pursuit of a shiny, diamond ring.“We’ve got the right pieces to do what we want to do — and that’s win a ring,” Buxton said.That belief is in part because of the offseason work the front office put in — and on Thursday, in the Twins’ season opener, they got a good look at their newcomers, who played a big role in their 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.That started with right-handed pitcher Pablo López, who took the ball on Opening Day for the first time in his career, and showed exactly why the Twins trad...

MN Legislature weighs increases in taxes and fees for transportation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

The Minnesota Legislature plans to cut income and property taxes this year, but the savings they produce will be offset, at least in part, by increases in taxes and fees to fund transportation services.Those increases include a 75-cent fee for packages delivered to your door, a three-quarters of one percent increase in sales taxes in the seven-county metro area to pay for bus and rail transit services, higher charges for drivers licenses and extended license tab fees.House Transportation Committee Chair Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, unveiled his version of the funding bill in a hearing Thursday morning.His bill and a similar measure under consideration in the Senate Transportation Committee would raise more than $1 billion for roads, bridges, buses, trains and related services over the next two years. That’s target that Gov. Tim Walz and leaders of the House and Senate DFL majorities agreed to last week.Hornstein acknowledged that it’s hard for people to understand why state pol...

Gun injuries in US surged during pandemic, CDC study shows

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

NEW YORK — For every American killed by gunfire, an estimated two or more more survive, often with terrible injuries — a fact that public health experts say is crucial to understanding the full impact of guns on society.A new government study highlights just how violent America’s recent past has been by showing a surge in gunfire injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of people fatally shooting each other — and themselves — also increased.The number of people injured by gunfire was nearly 40% higher in 2020 and 2021, compared with 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study published Thursday. In 2022, gun injuries tapered off, but were still 20% higher than before the pandemic.Gun injuries rose similarly for men and women over the past three years, while the largest proportional increase occurred among children younger than 15, a subset that remains a small fraction of the overall problem.Experts say the CDC gun injury study, which uses data...

Video: Fleeing driver strikes Woodbury police officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

A camera mounted on a squad car’s dash captured the scene early Thursday morning: A man fleeing police in a stolen Dodge Ram pickup struck a Woodbury police officer in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America hotel early Thursday morning.The female officer was injured, but did not require hospitalization, said Cmdr. Tom Ehrenberg of the Woodbury Public Safety Department.Officers found the man slumped in the driver’s seat of the 2017 truck, which had been left running, around 1:30 a.m., Ehrenberg said. The man appeared to be impaired by an unknown substance, he said.The man gave a false name to officers and then put the pickup into reverse. The video shows him backing up rapidly and striking the officer, who was standing next to the truck. He then put the truck in drive and accelerated rapidly, striking a squad car and nearly running over the police officer before fleeing the scene.Woodbury police spotted the pickup around 10 a.m. at Interstate 494 and 10th Street in Oakdal...