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Ottawa gives Food Banks Canada $17.9M for pilot to provide period products

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government has tasked Food Banks Canada with handing out free menstrual products to members of marginalized low-income communities.Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien announced the pilot program Thursday.She says the government is injecting $17.9 million into the initiative. Through the project, Food Banks Canada will distribute free period products to community organizations across Canada.It is also going to partner with existing organizations that deal in period education to scale up their operations.The Menstrual Equity project is part of a broader push from the government to reduce the cost of menstruation. The feds have already launched a program to provide free menstrual products in First Nations schools on reserves, as well as making sure they’re offered at federally regulated workplaces. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Mississippi auditor says several college majors indoctrinate students and should be defunded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Calling numerous social science and humanities degree programs “indoctrination factories,” Mississippi’s auditor says the state should defund several college majors and invest in subjects that match the state’s workforce needs. In a report published Tuesday, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, a Republican, argued that the state should change its approach to funding its public universities. He proposed tying public investment to workforce needs instead of providing funds without regard for the degree programs, as has traditionally been the case. Too many college graduates are leaving Mississippi, and aligning degree programs with labor market demand might stem the tide, White said. In numerous statements on social media leading up to the report’s publication, White said there should be no taxpayer funding for “useless degrees” in “garbage fields” like Urban Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, German Literature, African Studies, Gender St...

A serial killer pleads guilty in Rwanda to killing 14 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — A serial killer in Rwanda pleaded guilty at a court Thursday, saying he killed 14 people. Most of the victims were women.Denis Kazungu, 34, admitted guilt to charges that included murder, rape and robbery. He appeared at the Kicukiro Court in the capital, Kigali.Kazungu smiled as police led him into the courtroom, but he didn’t appear to show any other emotion during the hearing. Police discovered 12 bodies at this home, but he said that he killed an additional two people whose bodies haven’t been found.The victims include 11 women and one man, authorities said. The sex of the other two people Kazungu said he killed wasn’t immediately clear.Kazungu didn’t have a lawyer at the hearing and he’s expected to appear in court again on Tuesday.Police alleged that the suspect lured people from bars to his home in a suburb of Kigali.Though identities of his victims haven’t been officially released, a woman has appeared in local media interv...

VIDEO: 78-year-old man robbed and battered on North Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- Nine armed robberies were committed within an hour on the city's North Side overnight, police said.In the first incident reported by police around 12:50 a.m., a 78-year-old man was walking near the 1900 block of West Wolfram Street when he was approached by six male offenders. The individuals demanded the man to hand over his belongings and he complied. One of the individuals struck the man before fleeing in a dark colored sedan.The man was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital and is listed in good condition.A home security video shared with WGN shows the incident below: According to police, three armed robberies took place close to 1:00 a.m. In all incidents, victims were approached by four individuals, demanding their belongings. Two individuals were armed. Romeoville suspect dead after shooting in Oklahoma Police said a 32-year-old woman was walking near the 2800 North Lincoln Avenue when she was approached by the individuals who de...

Romeoville murders: What we know after suspect, person of interest dead in Oklahoma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — New details have emerged after the man suspected of killing a family of four in Romeoville died in Oklahoma.Nathaniel Huey Jr., of Streamwood, was suspected in the deaths of 38-year-old Alberto Rolon, 32-year-old Zoraida Bartolomei and their two sons, ages 7 and 9. A female with a relationship to Huey Jr. was also identified as a person of interest in connection to the shootings.Rolon-Bartolomei family (GoFundMe)Attorney John Paul Ivec has identified the female person of interest as Ermalinda Palomo, a mother of five and grandmother of five. He went on to say that she had no criminal history and was a victim of a murder-suicide.The family of four were believed to have been fatally shot between Saturday night and early Sunday in their home on the 500 block of Concord Avenue. The family's three dogs were also killed. Romeoville suspect dead after shooting in Oklahoma Palomo had been reported missing by her family after the attorney said she stopped texting them. T...

Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, 'concerned' about dress code change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) says he is “concerned” about a decision to loosen the Senate’s dress code to allow senators to wear whatever they want on the chamber floor, arguing “we need to have standards.”  Durbin, the No. 2-ranking Senate Democrat and chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, signaled he’s not ready to let hoodies, blue jeans or shorts become the norm on the Senate floor, which has been the venue of many important historic moments over the years. “Well, I’m concerned about it,” Durbin told “The Briefing with Steve Scully” on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel, when asked about the recent change in the rules of decorum.  Durbin acknowledged that changing the Senate’s dress code would accommodate his colleague, first-term Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who’s well-known for wearing a hoodie and shorts instead of a business suit like most senators, but suggested the issue is bigger than one senator.  “The senator in question from Pennsylvania is a ...

Throwback 'Dean's A-List Interview' with Leslie Jones

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

In a throwback Thursday A-List Interview, Dean spoke to Leslie Jones about anti-woman sentiment when 'Ghostbusters' came out in 2015. In her new released memoir, she reflects on her experience while filming the movie.

October forecast: Will our 2nd wettest month be rainy?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Climate Prediction Center just released their outlook for October and it's a mixed bag of news as far as forecasts are concerned.The positives: It doesn't look drier than normal! From a rainfall perspective it looks near normal, if not wetter than normal for parts of the Hill Country.October rainfall forecast (CPC)The negatives: It looks to be yet another warmer than normal month coming off of several hotter or record hot months in Central Texas.October temperature forecast (CPC)What’s normal in October?Normally, October is a wet month falling right in the middle of our second “wet season” which runs from September through November. A near or wetter than normal October is a promising sign as we continue to try and dig ourselves out of drought.Average high Oct. 1: 87ºAverage high Oct. 31: 77ºAverage low Oct. 1: 66ºAverage low Oct. 31: 56º6th warmest month of the yearAverage rainfall: 3.91″ (second-wettest month of the year)Average number of triple digit days: Non...

Mount Bonnell crime: Are the cameras working?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Mount Bonnell is one of the most popular destinations for visitors, but when people leave their cars behind and head up to see the panoramic views, that's when criminals strike.This is just one of many popular locations that has had issues with car burglaries around Austin."We evaluated the crimes that were occurring in parks and within 50 feet of them and 70% of those crimes last year in 2022 were crimes against property," said LeAnn Ishcomer, park ranger program manager for the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department."It is close by, it's convenient, it is just a beautiful area," said Laurie Darilek when talking about Mount Bonnell.While the beauty attracts visitors, the number of cars left behind as people hike to the top is attracting thieves."We were unaware of the break-ins," John Darilek said. Security cameras up at some Austin parks, trails as part of pilot program to curb break-ins A quick scan of the parking lot at Mount Bonnell and you will see sh...

Ken Paxton blasts fellow Republicans and floats Cornyn challenge in post-impeachment interview

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:00:37 GMT

AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday alleged without evidence that the Biden administration, working in cahoots with certain Texas Republicans, was behind the failed attempt to impeach him on charges of bribery and corruption.In his first remarks since being acquitted by the Texas Senate on Saturday on 16 articles of impeachment, Paxton blasted fellow conservatives who he believes betrayed him and the party, including House Speaker Dade Phelan, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and the all-Republican Court of Criminal Appeals. READ MORE: Ken Paxton impeachment trial Paxton excoriated Cornyn as a poor representative for Texans and said a strong candidate needs to challenge him in 2026 — adding that he may be the man to do so.“Everything’s on the table for me,” he said when former Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested he should run. Paxton was particularly critical of what he said was Cornyn’s failure to pro...