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Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death for deadliest antisemetic attack in U.S. history

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

The gunman who stormed a synagogue in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and killed 11 worshippers will be sentenced to death for perpetrating the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.Robert Bowers spewed hatred of Jews and espoused white supremacist beliefs online before methodically planning and carrying out the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, where members of three congregations had gathered for Sabbath worship and study. Bowers, a truck driver from suburban Baldwin, also wounded two worshippers and five responding police officers.The same federal jury that convicted the 50-year-old Bowers on 63 criminal counts recommended Wednesday that he be put to death for an attack whose impacts continue to reverberate nearly five years later. A judge will formally impose the sentence later.The verdict came after a lengthy trial in which jurors heard in chilling detail how Bowers reloaded at least twice, stepped over the bloodied bodies of his victims to look for...

American fugitive who faked his death can be extradited to Utah to face a rape charge, UK judge says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — An American fugitive accused of faking his own death to avoid a rape charge in Utah can be extradited to the U.S., a judge in Scotland ruled Wednesday, calling the man “as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative.” The wanted man known in Scotland as Nicholas Rossi fought his return since being arrested in December 2021 at a Glasgow hospital, where he was being treated for COVID-19. He repeatedly appeared in court — and in several television interviews — in a wheelchair using an oxygen mask and speaking in a British accent insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who had never set foot on American soil. But judge Norman McFadyen of Edinburgh Sheriff Court had previously dismissed the fugitive’s claims of mistaken identity as “implausible” and “fanciful” after the man said he had been framed by authorities who tattooed him and surreptitiously took his fingerprints while he was in a coma so they could connect him to Rossi.“I conclude tha...

Marta leaves Women’s World Cup with Brazil’s group-stage exit, but her legacy lives on

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Before leaving the Women’s World Cup as a player for the sixth and last time, Marta embraced Jamaica captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw. The Reggae Girlz had just sent Brazil and Marta home by holding them to a 0-0 draw Wednesday night, and Shaw shared emotional words with one hand resting over her heart and the other holding Marta’s hand.“I just told her that she’s not just an inspiration for me, but for a lot of young girls in the Caribbean and around the world,” Shaw said.With the win, Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to advance to the Women’s World Cup knockout rounds.“She just said that she’s watched our journey, ever since we qualified,” Shaw said, “and she credits us because every time we got knocked down, we still get up and keep pushing.”Marta, 37, holds the record for the most World Cup goals scored, women or men, with 17. She was the first player to score in five consecutive Women’s World Cups, debuting at the 2003 tournament. “Her leg...

Queen Elizabeth statue coming to Ontario legislature, government pays $1.5M

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

A statue of Queen Elizabeth is coming to the grounds of Ontario’s legislature, ending a years-long delay and reigniting a conversation about the commemoration of historical figures.The Ontario government says it has allocated $1.5 million to complete the project, which it hopes to see finished this fall — contractors broke ground on the statue’s foundation late last month.The statue was originally intended to go up in 2017 to mark the queen’s Sapphire Jubilee and the 150th anniversary of Confederation, but the government says a fundraising effort spearheaded by a private heritage trust faltered.Minister of Legislative Affairs Paul Calandra says when he learned about the stalled project last year, the government allocated the money to get it over the finish line.He says the statue will commemorate Canada’s longest-serving head of state, who reigned at a time when the country established itself as a major global power.Ontario NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa says the ...

Wisconsin lawsuit asks new liberal-controlled Supreme Court to toss Republican-drawn maps

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Wednesday asks Wisconsin’s newly liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to throw out Republican-drawn legislative maps as unconstitutional, the latest legal challenge of many nationwide that could upset political boundary lines before the 2024 election.The long-promised action from a coalition of law firms and voting rights advocacy groups comes the day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped from a conservative to liberal majority, with the start of the term of a justice who said that the Republican maps were “rigged” and should be reviewed.The Wisconsin lawsuit is just one of many expected or pending court challenges that could force lawmakers or special commissions to draw yet another set of maps before the 2024 election. In one of the most recent examples, Alabama lawmakers passed new congressional districts last month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that its districts violated federal law by diluting the voting strength of...

Pence fought an order to testify but now is a central figure in his former boss’s indictment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Pence fought the Department of Justice in court to try to avoid testifying against his former boss. But in Tuesday’s federal indictment, the former vice president plays a central role in the first criminal charges against Donald Trump that deal with his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.The 45-page indictment is informed, in part, by contemporaneous notes that Pence kept of their conversations in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as Trump tried to pressure Pence to go along with his desperate — and prosecutors say illegal — scheme to keep the two men in power.Among the discussions: An episode in which Trump is alleged to have told Pence that he was “too honest” for rejecting Trump’s false claims that Pence had the power to overturn the vote. “Bottom line – won every state by 100,000s of votes,” Trump said in another conversation, according to the indictment.Pence, who is among a crowded field of Republicans...

Toronto couples left scrambling after weddings cancelled as Berkeley Events goes into receivership

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

Couples expected to get married at one of Berkeley Events’ three venues in the east end of downtown Toronto were devastated to hear the events company has gone into receivership.Tyrelle Hunt was devastated to discover her wedding at her dream venue of Berkeley Field House in just 10 days won’t be happening.Hunt’s original wedding was scheduled for May of 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was cancelled. The family physician said due to the stress of working in health care during the pandemic, they decided to delay their wedding until August 12, 2023. Hunt said she didn’t receive a call from anyone from the venue but found out about the closure through a screenshot from a former VP with the company.Michael Sherman, the former VP of Berkeley Events, posted on LinkedIn that he was deeply upset and sad to hear about the sudden closure. He told CityNews he was terminated immediately like everyone else at the company.“Berkeley Events was operating e...

RioCan REIT Q2 net income rises by almost 43% from last year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

TORONTO — RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says its second-quarter net income was almost 43 per cent higher this year than last.The Toronto-based real estate company says net income for the period ended June 30 amounted to $112 million, up from $78.5 million a year ago.It attributed the large increase to lower fair value losses on investment properties in the latest quarter.Revenue for the quarter was $276 million, down from $308.4 million a year earlier.Funds from operations totalled $131.6 million, or 44 cents per diluted unit, a slight decrease from $131.7 million a year ago, or 43 cents per diluted unit.RioCan blamed the small drop in funds from operations per unit on lower residential inventory gains and lower lease cancellation fees.RioCan’s committed occupancy rate for the quarter was 97.4 per cent, up from 97.2 per cent a year ago.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:REI.UN)The Canadian Press

Fargo shooter was reportedly interviewed by police about guns, propane tanks in 2022

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

The gunman who last month killed a Fargo police officer and wounded two others and a civilian reportedly admitted owning nearly a dozen guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a 2022 police interview following a kitchen fire at his home.Firefighters notified police after seeing guns, ammunition and propane tanks in Mohamad Barakat’s apartment, according to a report provided to The Associated Press Wednesday by the City of Fargo Fire Department.Battalion Chief Jason Ness noted what appeared to be “a significant amount of gun ammunition,” “multiple ‘assault style’ rifles,” a 20-pound propane cylinder in a bedroom, a second smaller propane cylinder in the kitchen, and “a funnel, blender, and other items that looked to be for measuring purposes” in his report on the Sept. 6, 2022 fire. “FPD determined everything was legal with the gun collection,” Ness wrote. “The individual admitted to owning approximately 10 guns and 6,000 rounds of ammunition. My decision to r...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and wife, Sophie, announce separation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:51 GMT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have announced they are separating after 18 years of marriage.The couple were married in Montreal on May 28, 2005 and have three children together.The Prime Minister’s office released a statement confirming the separation.“Sophie and the Prime Minister have signed a legal separation agreement. They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward.“They remain a close family and Sophie and the Prime Minister are focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment. Both parents will be a constant presence in their children’s lives and Canadians can expect to often see the family together.”The statement concludes by announcing that the family will be vacationing together next week.On her Instagram page, Sophie also addressed the separation, saying the decision ca...