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How Montreal singer La Zarra came to represent France in Eurovision with ‘Évidemment’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

LONDON — Just a few years ago, Fatima Zahra Hafdi was working in a series of hair salons in Montreal, hoping to one day find her true creative passion in life. Next month, she steps onto the stage as La Zarra in perhaps the world’s most famous music competition, the Eurovision Song Contest, where she will represent France with the track “Évidemment” (“Obviously”). She co-wrote the song with Benny Adam, and they co-produced it with fellow Montrealers Banx & Ranx.Countries all across Europe send an artist or band with a three-minute song to Eurovision every May. Among its most famous winners? Céline Dion, who won for Switzerland in 1988.Last year, 161 million viewers watched the contest on television, with many more watching online.Unlike Dion, who was essentially parachuted into Switzerland just for Eurovision, La Zarra is already well known in France. Her biggest hit to date, 2021’s “Tu t’en iras” (“You’ll Leave”) went platinum there and led to her winnin...

Mississippi River flooding prompts evacuations, sandbagging

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

Communities along the Upper Mississippi River scrambled Wednesday as the always-massive river swelled to near-record levels, forcing some to evacuate while others downstream stacked sandbag walls and closed off flood-prone areas.The river has grown so large because of a huge snowpack in northern Minnesota that began to quickly melt last week because of rising temperatures.A small number of people had to leave their homes in Wisconsin as the river kept rising. Others stacked sandbags in the small community of Buffalo, Iowa, in anticipation of flooding this weekend and early next week.The Mississippi was expected to be especially high along parts of Wisconsin and to crest Wednesday or early Thursday in La Crosse. In Iowa, forecasts predict the river will reach the third-highest level ever recorded when it crests Saturday about 160 miles to the south in Davenport, Iowa.Improved floodwalls and other temporary measures should prevent significant problems, but crews were constantly monito...

Florida man gets prison term for role in attack on Capitol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida man has been sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison for attacking police officers during the insurrection and storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Christian Matthew Manley, 27, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in November to assaulting, resisting and impeding law enforcement while using a dangerous weapon. According to court documents, Manley joined with others in objecting to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, a Republican, authorities have said. Five people died in the violence.According to the criminal complaint, Manley was captured on video outside the Capitol wearing a flak jacket and armed with bear spray, a collapsible police baton and handcuffs. Video shows Man...

Precision Drilling reports $95.8M Q1 profit, revenue up nearly 60% from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

CALGARY — Precision Drilling Corp. reported a first-quarter profit compared with a loss a year ago as its revenue rose nearly 60 per cent, helped by stronger drilling activity and price increases in the U.S. and Canada. The oilfield services company says it earned $95.8 million or $5.57 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, up from a loss of $43.8 million or $3.25 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $558.6 million, up from $351.3 million in the first three months of 2022.Precision said the increase in revenue came as drilling rig utilization days in the U.S. rose 17 per cent compared with a year ago, while in Canada they gained nine per cent.International drilling rig utilization days were down nearly 20 per cent compared with the same quarter last year.Precision also said it has reduced its 2023 capital spending budget to $195 million compared with its initial plan for $235 million due to fewer drilling rig upgrades and lower maintenance costs. This report...

Mexico rights agency slams 10 states for HIV marriage bans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s governmental human rights commission on Wednesday called on ten of the country’s 32 states to get rid of old laws that ban marriage between people with “chronic, incurable, hereditary or contagious diseases,” saying that could discriminate against the HIV-positive or people living with AIDS. The National Human Rights Commission’s recommendation was directed to the leaders of the states’ legislatures. The states must either comply with the call or explain why they refuse.Such laws were once a common response to poorly understood diseases or perceived as a way to prevent birth defects. They have slowly disappeared, but ten outlying states still have them.Those states are Chiapas, Guerrero, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca in the south, Querétaro, Puebla and Guanajuato in the central region and Durango, Sinaloa and Nuevo León in the north.The commission said Mexico’s Supreme Court has already ruled that any risk of infection that might result from m...

Homewood man killed in petroleum plant blast was also wrestling coach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

LEMONT, Ill. (AP) — A man killed in an explosion at a suburban Chicago petroleum refinery in Lemont was working at the plant as a contractor and was also a high school wrestling coach, authorities said.The Will County Coroner’s Office said Dru Worker, 25, of Homewood, Illinois, was killed in Tuesday morning’s explosion at Seneca Petroleum Co. in Lemont in Chicago’s southwest suburbs.SEE ALSO: Woman dies following house fire in RoselandHe was pronounced dead at the scene after an asphalt tank apparently exploded, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. A second person suffered minor injuries in the blast, which was followed by a fire.Several agencies are investigating the explosion, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the county coroner’s office and the Illinois State Fire Marshal.Worker was an employee of M&J Industrial Services, as is the person injured in the blast, and both had been doing work at the refinery when the explosion occurred, the company sa...

Bears get plenty of questions on one NFL Draft prospect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

LAKE FOREST — When it comes to pre-NFL Draft discussions or even news conferences, there's always a little bit of deception.After all, no team wants to give away what they're doing ahead of a critical three days for their respective organization.But it's safe to say that Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was answering more questions about one particular prospect that could be available for the Bears with the 9th overall pick. That's Jalen Carter, a defensive tackle from Georgia who is one of the best players in a draft and would fill a need for the Bears on the interior of the defensive line. He could very well be drafted in the Top 5 during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday night, but off-the-field concerns have caused some of his projections to drop.It's left open the possibility that Carter could be there at No. 9 for the Bears to select, leaving Cunningham and general manager Ryan Poles with something to think about.At his pre-draft news conference t...

Fly to Las Vegas, Miami and more for $39 with Spirit one-day sale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – If you're looking for an excuse to book a summer trip, this may be it. Spirit Airlines announced a flash sale featuring flights to vacation hotspots such as Miami and Myrtle Beach for less than the cost of a tank of gas in some states.There are some caveats, of course, with the main one being that you only have hours to choose a destination and book. Flights must be purchased before 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 26. Depending on where you fly from, you may be able to snag a one-way fare as low as $39 ($29 for members of the airline's loyalty program) to cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, Las Vegas, New York and more. ‘Disruptive’ passenger forces Israel-bound United flight back to Newark after 3 hours The fares are valid for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between May 3, 2023, and June 13, 2023, and there is a seven-day advanced purchase requirement. Keep in mind that Spirit will charge if you bring more l...

Out-of-town couple watches armed burglar in home on surveillance camera

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado woman is hoping someone can recognize an armed burglar caught on camera rummaging through her apartment Monday.The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was out of town when she received an intruder alert on her phone."My phone went off with a camera alert that someone was in the apartment," she said. "I looked at it and I see an armed burglar enter my apartment, gun first." Victims identified in double homicide at Denver restaurant The burglar could be seen with his gun drawn as he entered the home. "I started hitting my partner, like, "Oh, my God, there's a burglar in our house. He has a gun! He has a gun! Call 911! Call 911!" the renter said. She said she called 911, but because she and her partner were out of state, it took about 10 minutes to reach Westminster dispatchers. By that time, she said the burglar had stolen dozens of rings, bracelets and necklaces from relatives who have passed away."I've lost a lot of people, and th...

2 juveniles charged after lit firecracker leads to school evacuation in Harvard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:23 GMT

HARVARD, Ill. — Two students face several charges for setting off a firework in their high school. According to police, the incident happened Tuesday inside a bathroom at Harvard High School in the far northwest suburbs.  Gurnee middle school teacher assaulted while breaking up fight, police say Police say an explosion from a large firecracker inside the boy's bathroom caused substantial damage and led to an evacuation of the building. A 14-year-old and 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with aggravated arson, criminal damage to state-supported property, one count of mob action and one count of reckless conduct.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesNo one was injured.