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Commercial fishermen need more support for substance abuse and fatigue, lawmakers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said.The lawmakers want to expand a federal commercial fishing occupational safety program that funds research and training. The program is designed to help the nation’s fishermen with the often hazardous conditions they face at sea.Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is one of the lawmakers pushing for the change, said expanding the program would help fishermen access more safety training and mental health resources. Collins and the lawmakers introduced the proposal late last week.“Every day, our fishermen are faced with demanding and dangerous working conditions that take both a physical and mental toll, all while they work to bring food to the tables of families across the country,” said another member of the group, Democratic Sen. Edward Marke...

Man charged in Fourth of July parade shooting plans to represent himself at trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

Waukegan, Ill. (AP) — The man accused of killing seven people at a July Fourth parade in suburban Chicago last year fired his public defenders on Monday and said he plans to represent himself at trial, slated to start in February.Robert Crimo III is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery for the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. Dozens, including children, were injured.Several times, Judge Victoria Rossetti asked if Crimo understood the possible penalties — including consecutive life sentences — if a jury finds him guilty. She suggested he reconsider.Crimo — a 23-year-old man with straight dark hair past his shoulders, wearing a red jail uniform — answered that he understood. The judge asked Crimo if he had any legal education, and he said he had once been an observer in court. In response to the judge’s questioning, Crimo said high school is the highest level of schooling he attained.Rossetti explain...

Woman, 79, dies after being hit by pickup truck in Markham

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

A 79-year-old woman is dead after she was struck by a pickup truck in Markham over the weekend.York Regional Police officers were called to the area of Bur Oak Avenue and McCowan Road at 4 p.m. on Sunday.The woman was rushed to hospital, where she later died.The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene.No charges have been laid at this point.

Ramaswamy was the target of death threats in New Hampshire that led to FBI arrest, campaign says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man has been accused of sending text messages threatening to kill a presidential candidate ahead of a scheduled campaign event Monday, federal prosecutors said.The U.S. Attorney’s office did not name the candidate. However, a spokesperson for Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Monday that the texts were directed at his campaign. “We are grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans,” Stefan Mychajliw, deputy communications director, said in a statement.The 30-year-old suspect was arrested Saturday and charged with sending a threat using interstate commerce. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon. A phone number for the man could not be found and the case file did not list an attorney for him. Ramaswamy went on to hold his event at the Roundabout Diner & Lounge in Portsmouth. According to court documents, the man received a t...

French opposition lawmakers reject the government’s key immigration bill without debating it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French opposition lawmakers on Monday rejected an immigration bill without debating it, in a major blow to President Emmanuel Macron ’s government, which had championed the proposed law as one of its flagship measures. The government has yet to decide whether to keep pushing for the adoption of the bill intended to strengthen the country’s ability to expel foreigners considered undesirable or withdraw it.Members of all oppositions groups on the left and on the right voted a motion providing that the measure be rejected ahead of any debate at the National Assembly. The motion was adopted by 270 votes against 265. Macron’s centrist government doesn’t have a majority at parliament. The government can now choose to send the text to the Senate for it to continue its difficult legislative journey. It can also ask a commission composed of seven senators and seven lawmakers from the National Assembly to find a compromise on the bill that would still require approval from both h...

Man filmed wielding folding chair in riverfront brawl pleads guilty to misdemeanor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A man filmed swinging a folding chair during an Alabama riverfront brawl this summer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge Monday. The guilty plea resolved the last of the charges brought in connection with the brawl. The man was ordered to perform community service and given a suspended sentence.The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after bystanders filmed white boaters hitting a Black riverboat co-captain and then Black crew members and bystanders rushing to his defense. Video of the fight was shared widely online, sparking countless memes and parodies. Many of those memes focused on the folding chair swung by the Black man who pleaded guilty Monday. Montgomery police said the brawl began when the white boaters refused to move their pontoon boat so the city-owned Harriott II riverboat could dock in its designated space. The boat’s co-captain said he was attacked after moving the pontoon boat a few feet to make...

Kensington Palace releases video showing Princess of Wales and her kids packing gift bags for needy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The Princess of Wales and her three children are shown packing gift bags for kids in need this holiday season in a new video highlighting the work of charities supporting young families during Britain’s cost-of-living crisis.Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5, run among shelves of donations selecting toys, clothes and books to fill bags for children their own age in the video released Monday by Kensington Palace. The video was filmed last month at The Baby Bank in Maidenhead, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the family’s home in Windsor, west of London.The use of food banks and so-called baby banks, which collect clothes, supplies and furniture for children in need, has grown in recent years as high inflation and government spending cuts have widened the gap between rich and poor in Britain.A report released Sunday by the Centre for Social Justice concluded that the gulf between mainstream society and those stuck in poverty would soon rival...

SmileDirectClub shuts down months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — SmileDirectClub is shutting down — just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy protection. In a Friday announcement, SmileDirectClub said it had made an “incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately.”That leaves existing customers in limbo. SmileDirectClub’s aligner treatment through its telehealth platform is no longer available, the Nashville, Tennessee, company said while urging consumers to consult their local dentist for further treatment. Customer care support for the company has also ceased.Customer orders that haven’t shipped yet have been cancelled and “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists, the company said. SmileDirectClub apologized for the inconvenience and said additional information about refund requests will arrive “once the bankruptcy process determines next steps and additional measures customers can take.”SmileDirectClub also said that Smile Pay custom...

The mother of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán is reported dead in Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The mother of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has died in the northern state of Sinaloa, according to local media reports. Mexico’s president acknowledged her death Monday and offered his “respect” to the family.The head of Mexico’s state media agency, Jenaro Villamil, wrote in his social media accounts that Consuelo Loera died Sunday. He did not state a cause of death and was not immediately available for comment.Local media reported Loera died at a private hospital in Culiacán, Sinaloa, which is home to the cartel of the same name that her son helped to lead for about two decades before his arrest and extradition to the United States in 2017. The hospital declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.Neither of the lawyers who have represented the drug lord’s relatives in the past wished to comment to the AP on reports of Loera’s death, but one of them, José Luis González Meza, confirmed it to CNN and Telemundo.President Andrés M...

Fatal stabbing of Catholic priest in church rectory shocks small Nebraska community he served

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:25 GMT

FORT CALHOUN, Neb. (AP) — The fatal stabbing of a Catholic priest inside the church rectory where he lived has shocked members of the small eastern Nebraska parish he led for the past 11 years.The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was attacked during a break-in early Sunday morning, and the 65-year-old died despite being rushed to a nearby hospital. Washington County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspected burglar in the rectory of St. John the Baptist church when they arrived six minutes after the priest called 911. “A lot of people learned about death of Father Gutsgell when they showed up for Mass and found the church circled with police crime tape,” church deacon Jerry Mapes told the Omaha World-Herald on Monday.On Sunday evening, the congregation held a vigil at the church in Fort Calhoun, a city of about 1,000 residents that’s 20 minutes north of Omaha.Kelly Tegels said she had just seen Gutgsell at Mass on Saturday night, so his death didn’t feel real yet. Services were cancelled i...