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Federal justice minister orders review of Quebec man’s 2002 sex assault conviction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal justice minister has ordered the Quebec Court of Appeal to review the conviction of a man found guilty of sexual assault more than two decades ago.Justice Minister Arif Virani says in a statement there is “a reasonable basis to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred,” based on new information not available during the Quebec man’s trial or his appeal.The man is identified only by the initials M.R. because the case involved the alleged sexual assault of a minor under his care.Virani says that following an extensive review, he has referred the case to the Quebec Court of Appeal to hear a new appeal according to conviction review provisions in the Criminal Code.In February 2002, M.R. was convicted in provincial court in Quebec City of sexually assaulting a minor between 1998 and 2000 and was sentenced to two years less a day.The Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed M.R.’s appeal on Sept. 1, 2004, and in April 2005, he was denied l...

Gunman opens fire on city of Buffalo vehicle, killing one employee and wounding two others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A city of Buffalo employee was killed and two others were wounded Thursday when the city pickup truck they were in was struck multiple times by gunfire from a passing vehicle, state police said. The shooting in the southbound lanes of Interstate 190 just north of downtown Buffalo was reported at 11:20 a.m. State police were searching for a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee believed involved in the shooting and asked other motorists who might have been traveling on the busy highway at the time to come forward with dashcam video. “We have several leads that we are working on, but currently we do not have a motive for the shooting,” state police Maj. Eugene Staniszewski said at a news conference. “This is believed to be an isolated incident and we have no information that there is a threat ongoing to the community at this time.”The victims were employees of the Buffalo Sewer Authority and had just finished a job when they were shot as they drove back to the Sewer Au...

National Air Races get bids for new home in California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Leaders of the National Championship Air Races held in Reno since 1964 plan visits later this year to six Western cities that have submitted bids to host the annual competition beginning in 2025 in California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado or Wyoming.Organizers of the event announced early this year that the races held last month would be the last in Reno because of a variety of factors, including rising insurance costs and encroachment of housing around Reno-Stead Airport where the races have been held for more than a half-century.Three of the cities that have submitted proposals to become the competition’s new home are in states neighboring Nevada — Wendover, Utah, on the Nevada line along Interstate 80; Thermal, California, southeast of Palm Springs; and Buckeye, Arizona, on the western edge of Phoenix.The others are Roswell, New Mexico; Pueblo, Colorado; and Casper, Wyoming.Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Associat...

Heather Reisman marks Indigo comeback with new store following leadership turmoil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

TORONTO — Strolling between rows of books and a seemingly endless array of other wares at Indigo Books and Music Inc.’s newest store in Toronto’s The Well building on Thursday, Heather Reisman is in her element.She admires art from local customers that hangs atop the store’s stationary section, toggles a jukebox to play Bette Midler’s 1990 hit “From a Distance” and fantasizes about dedicating space in the kids’ section for arts and crafts.“We’re going to get a big tarp and put it over this,” she said, motioning staff toward a giant wood table during a media tour the day before the location is set to open.“So kids can paint and do stuff on here … That’s what I do at home.”Having operated 171 stores in her company’s 27 years in business, the jaunt around the Well location may seem unremarkable but for Reisman, it’s the first stage of a comeback — for herself and her beloved empire.It wasn’t long ago that Reisman gave up...

Motorized smash-and-grab thieves target another high-end Chicago sneaker store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

CHICAGO — For the third consecutive day, smash-and-grab thieves have targeted a high-end shoe store in Chicago.While the suspects failed to penetrate the Boneyard Chicago Shoe Store in the 1100 block of N. Ashland Ave., significant damage was caused before the culprits abandoned their destructive effort."No one’s helping us. The police can’t catch these guys. They come after the fact," said frustrated Boneyard Chicago Shoe Store owner Jacob, who did not wish to reveal his last name. ‘Takes your dream away’: Over $100K worth of merchandise stolen after SUV crashes into shoe store Video showed the assailants in a stolen Jeep using the automobile as a battering ram just after 4 a.m. Thursday. A security guard protecting the sneaker resale shop was seen quickly retreating after the would-be robbers flashed a gun."I don’t expect there to be a gunfight right here," Jacob said. "It’s just a deterrent that obviously failed."According to the business owner, dating back to 2020, it's the t...

How AI is helping detect breast cancer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

Artificial intelligence is penetrating our lives and now doctors say it can help save our lives. AI and breast imaging are helping doctors better detect cancer.For even the highly trained eye, it’s difficult to spot the suspicious lesion on some mammograms. But artificial intelligence can.Think of it as another set of eyes scrolling through thousands of images, just like radiologists do. For nearly a decade, NorthShore University HealthSystems radiologist Dr Georgia Spear has been using computer-aided detection – a form of artificial intelligence — in the reading room, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.  Breast cancer clinic at Northwestern helping Hispanic women with diagnosis, treatment and support “If a woman has more white on her mammogram, her tissue is more dense and cancer appears as white as well,” she said.That’s where the technology is making the biggest impact. In breast imaging, the machine-learning platform is fed thousands of images and taught to i...

On White Sox World Series title anniversary, Bobby Jenks gets a new baseball job in Chicagoland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

CHICAGO — On the anniversary of the greatest moment in White Sox history and his own, Bobby Jenks has received a new job in Chicago.The Windy City Thunderbolts, a Crestwood-based team that plays in the independent Frontier League, announced that the former closer has been named their manager starting with the 2024 season. It comes 18 years to the day that Jenks had the save in a 1-0 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series. That gave the White Sox their first championship since 1917, ending an 88-year drought, and is their most recent title.Jenks comes to the Thunderbolts after a two-year run with the Grand Junction Rockies (now Jackalopes) of the Pioneer League. After starting with the team as a pitching coach in 2021, he was named the manager in 2022 and led them to the Pioneer League championship.For his efforts, Jenks was named the Manager of the Year in the league. Before that, he'd worked as a roving pitching instructor in the White Sox organi...

Suburban boy tops last year's Halloween display in continued tribute to late father

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A Crystal Lake boy is outdoing himself once again decorating his yard for Halloween, all in tribute to his late father.Last year, Gavin Sckiackitano decorated his yard in memory of a dad who loved Halloween. He said at the time that he planned to make this year even bigger and better. Previous Coverage: Suburban boy honors late father’s love of Halloween with yard display A promise he made good on.The 12-year-old 7th grader has been working at it since July.This will be the second Halloween without his dad Jeff Sciackitano, who lost his battle to Stage Four cancer. Before he passed, he wrote out several birthday cards for Gavin, including this one he received last week and just the motivation Gavin needed to put on the finishing touches on his display.You can find their decorations at 315 Forest Drive in Crystal Like. And more information on their GoFundMe page.

Maine law tried to prevent mass shootings. Some say more is needed after Lewiston killings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Barely four years before a gunman's deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives.It was called a “yellow flag” law, different from the “red flag” laws cropping up in other states to seize weapons from gun owners viewed as a threat. In a sign of the pro-Second Amendment mindset in Maine, a gun-rights group helped write the law, and critics said that, while it was a first step toward stronger gun safety measures, the state could save more lives by doing more — like passing a red flag law.The yellow flag law and permissive gun measures in Maine are coming under greater scrutiny in the aftermath of a massacre that authorities say was carried out by a man who was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer and had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military ...

Eagles to make one last stop in Austin with 2024 tour date

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Classic rock legends are making their way to Austin at the beginning of next year. The Eagles will be performing at Moody Center on Feb. 2, 2024, as a part of The Long Goodbye Final Tour with special guest Steely Dan, Moody Center confirmed on social media. Tickets go on sale Nov. 3 at 10 a.m., but fans can buy tickets on presale through the Moody Center starting at 10 a.m. Nov. 1 through 10 p.m. Nov. 2 by using the code “SOUTHLAMAR”.The Eagles announced this would be their final tour back in July. The tour is expected to last until 2025. Seventeen new dates have been announced so far on The Long Goodbye Final Tour website: Nov. 2 at State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GeorgiaNov. 4 at State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GeorgiaNov. 7 at Spectrum Center - Charlotte, North CarolinaNov. 9 at PNC Arena - Raleigh, North CarolinaNov. 14 at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center - Lexington, KentuckyNov. 17 at Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MinnesotaNov. 18 at Xcel Energy Center...