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Colombian who made racist comments about VP to be sentenced

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A 62-year-old woman was convicted of discrimination and harassment on Monday for making racist comments about Colombia’s first Black vice president during an antigovernment protest last year.Luz Fabiola Rubiano pleaded guilty to the charges and will be sentenced by the judge on May 30. In Colombia, acts of discrimination are punishable with up to three years in prison, though judges can replace prison time with parole or house arrest.The small business owner from Bogota went viral in September after she railed against Vice President Francia Márquez on a video published by a local news site. Rubiano was protesting in front of Colombia’s congress and responded to a question from a journalist by hurling insults against Márquez and Afro-Colombians.“Apes are now governing us,” Rubiano said in the video, which is still available on Twitter, but was censored by other platforms. “Francia Márquez is an ape … what education can Black people have, they steal, atta...

Rogers to acquire TTC wireless network, bring 5G to subway system

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

Rogers Communications Inc. says it’s buying the company that owns the wireless network in Toronto’s subway and will bring 5G to the entire system.The telecom giant says it has entered into an agreement to purchase BAI Communications’ Canadian operations.In 2012, BAI was awarded a $25-million contract by the TTC to build and operate its public Wi-Fi and cellular network.However, Freedom Mobile is the only telecom company that has signed on to provide coverage to its customers through BAI’s network, meaning most mobile customers have little to no service along the subway line.An increase in violent incidents on the TTC over the past year has brought the gap under fresh scrutiny, with some calling on the federal telecommunications regulator to force Rogers, Bell and Telus to use BAI’s network.Rogers says with the acquisition of BAI, it can now invest in building a comprehensive and reliable 5G network for the entire TTC subway system.Rogers is the parent c...

GO train rider raises concerns over accessibility at Union Station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

After a frustrating journey home, a GO train rider with a visual impairment is calling out Metrolinx for its lack of accessibility at Union Station.Tara Small says last Monday evening she and her friend were trying desperately to locate the accessibility coach on the GO train heading for Hamilton. Small has low vision and uses a guide cane. Her condition has significantly impacted her depth perception, so the raised platform and ramp found at the accessibility coach is important to help her board safely. “We looked up and down. I couldn’t find the one,” Small recalled. “My friend even got on the train and went over to the other track on the other side of the train because she said maybe it’s on that side. She looked up and down but there wasn’t anywhere that we could see it.”With the help of her friend, Small boarded the train before the doors closed with the hope of finding the right car from the inside. She says there were no staff to ask and no announcement on the int...

India residents try to save a river, officials deny problems

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

KOCHI, India (AP) — Eloor smells like it is dying. Once it was an island of rich farmland on the Periyar River, 17 km (10.5 miles) from the Arabian sea, teeming with fish. Now, a stench of putrid flesh permeates the air. Most of the fish are gone. Locals say people living near the river are hardly even having children anymore.Yet here is Shaji, alone in his small fiber boat, fishing with his handmade rod, the southern Indian state of Kerala’s massive industrial smokestacks behind him. Some 300 chemical companies belch out dense fumes, almost warning people to stay away. The waters have taken on dark hues. Shaji, a fisherman in his late 40s who only uses one name, is among the few who remain. “Most of the people here are trying to migrate from this place. If we look at the streets, it’s almost empty. There are no jobs and now we cannot even find work on the river,” said Shaji, displaying the few pearl spot fish he managed to catch during an entire day in March. EDITOR’S NOTE: This ar...

CPD Interim Supt. Carter says officer who shot and killed Adam Toledo should be fired

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

CHICAGO — Interim Chicago police superintendent Eric Carter has recommended the officer who shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo in March 2021 be fired, according to a report obtained by WGN.Carter filed charges to the CPD Board of Police, claiming deadly force by officer Eric Stillman was unnecessary. The charges also accuse Stillman of failing to use de-escalation tactics before the shooting.Other claims in the report include that Stillman failed to notify the City's Office of Emergency Management and Communications before the pursuit began, on top of also failing to wait for backup and activating his body camera in a 'timely manner.'The decision by Carter to recommend Stillman be fired is a reversal from former CPD Superintendent David Brown's decision where he recommended Stillman be suspended.The charges to the CPD Board of Police filed are not a criminal indictment, but rather the launching of an internal investigation where interim supt. Carter will have the burden of prov...

CPD: A man is dead after Southwest Side shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

BURBANK, Ill. — A man is dead after being shot in the head Monday evening on the far Southwest Side, according to Chicago police.Police said a 32-year-old man was standing in a parking lot in the 7600 block of South Cicero Avenue around 5:30 p.m. when he was hit in the head by gunfire.The victim was then taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition, where he later died of his wounds. Fire crews battle extra-alarm fire in Bridgeport Police have no one in custody as area detectives continue to investigating.If you or someone you know has information that can help police make a breakthrough in the investigation of this incident, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.No other information is available at this time.

Balloon release held for 15-year-old shot, killed on Easter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

CHICAGO -- Chicago police are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a 15-year-old girl in the early hours of Easter morning.Monday night, loved ones gathered at the Jackie Robinson Park near 106th and Sangamon to release balloons where Demea Morris was shot.Neighbors say the area is a safe, popular park for kids of all ages. ORIGINAL: Girl, 15, fatally shot in head on South Side ID’d Chicago Police say the 15-year-old girl was found in the back seat of a car after she had been shot.Morris was sitting in the back of a vehicle near the 10600 block of South Sangamon Cul De Sac just before 1 a.m. Sunday morning when she was shot in the back of the head.Police said she was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.Demea’s aunt said she was a student at Hyde Park High School who was ambitious and witty. Suburban woman found guilty after pregnant nurse kicked in stomach Family members said she was with her sibling...

Hoerner's single in 10th inning lifts Cubs past Mariners 3-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Nico Hoerner’s soft single off Matt Brash with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning scored pinch-runner Nick Madrigal and gave the Chicago Cubs a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.Jarred Kelenic hit a game-tying home run off closer Michael Fulmer with one out in the ninth that wiped out a sterling performance from Cubs left-hander Drew Smyly.Smyly pitched five innings of two-hit ball and struck out seven. White Sox lose Anderson but hold on to beat Twins 4-3 Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger fouled off four consecutive pitches before hitting a game-tying double in the fourth to snap Luis Castillo's scoreless streak at 14 2/3 innings.Eric Hosmer followed later with an opposite-field single to left that scored Bellinger. Hosmer is 12 for 18 lifetime against Castillo.

Summer-level warmth to take hold in what promises to be the warmest weather to date in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

TEMPS TO FLIRT WITH/REACH 80 WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY—TEMPERATURE DOWNTURN TO ARRIVE THIS WEEKENDTemperatures this week are to average 14-degrees warmer than last week and an eye-catching 18-degrees above normal. Not since late last September—nearly 7 months ago—have back to back 80-degree temps occurred here. Yet that’s just what may occur this Wednesday and Thursday.There are several keys to warming this time of year. For one, cloud cover must be limited. There will be some clouds to filter incoming sunlight Tuesday but those clouds back off allowing sunnier, limited cloud coverage Wednesday and Thursday. So we can check that box in terms of warm temps in the days ahead.Second—and right up there in importance—is producing a strong enough westerly flow to hold the layer of colder, denser air which sits over the STILL COOL WATERS of Lake Michigan which currently average 43.6-degrees. We can check that box too, because a strengthening pressure gradient is to produce a well developing s...

Texas freshman Arterio Morris to enter transfer portal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:16 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After helping the Texas Longhorns make a run to the Elite Eight this past season, freshman guard Arterio Morris said he'll enter the transfer portal.He told the website On3 about his transfer plans Monday, saying he wants to, "find a new home that will allow me to grow as a basketball player, maximize my ability to support my teammates and help my team win games." Liberty Hill’s Sedona Prince transfers to TCU from Oregon "I want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, particularly my family, coaches, teammates and fans. Without all of you, I would not be where I am today," his statement said.Morris, a 5-star recruit from Kimball High School in Dallas and McDonald's All-American, averaged 11.7 minutes per game and scored 4.6 points per game. He scored 25 points against Louisiana on Dec. 21, shooting 9-for-11 from the field. He scored 20 points for the Longhorns in the Big 12 Conference tournament, including 10 against Oklahoma State in the opening roun...