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NATO moves to protect undersea pipelines, cables as concern mounts over Russian sabotage threat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO launched a new center Friday for protecting undersea pipelines and cables following the still-unsolved apparent attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and amid concern Russia is mapping vital Western infrastructure for energy and the internet in waters around Europe.“The threat is developing,” Lt. Gen. Hans-Werner Wiermann, who heads a special cell focused on the challenge, said after NATO defense ministers gave the greenlight for the new center, located in Northwood, northwest London.“Russian ships have actively mapped our critical undersea infrastructure. There are heightened concerns that Russia may target undersea cables and other critical infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Western life,” he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels.NATO was spurred into action after an apparent attack on two Baltic Sea gas pipelines in September. The suspected attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to G...

Canaccord Genuity Group reports $7.2 million loss in fourth quarter

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

TORONTO — Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. says its net loss attributable to common shareholders for the fourth quarter was $7.2 million, down 113 per cent from a net income of $56.3 million a year earlier. The Toronto-based financial services firm says it lost eight cents per diluted common share, down from earnings of 53 cents per diluted common share in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter ended March 31 was $430.4 million, down from $499.8 million a year earlier. President and CEO Dan Daviau says in a press release that the company’s results for fiscal 2023 were below expectations amid a challenging operating environment, but the business remains on solid ground. The company says results for the fourth quarter were impacted by several factors including the amortization of intangible assets, costs related to acquisition and growth and costs related to an expired management-led takeover. Earlier this week, Canaccord said a proposed management buyout of the firm wo...

Man dies in bear attack at Arizona campsite

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — A bear attacked and killed a man at a campsite in central Arizona on Friday, authorities said. The victim, 66-year-old Steven Jackson of Tucson, was at his campsite when he became entangled with the animal around 8 a.m., the Yavapai County Sheriff’s office said. Neighbors tried to help by making noises. But the bear was able to drag the victim several yards in the campsite in the Groom Creek area about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Phoenix.A neighbor then shot and killed the bear, the Sheriff’s Office told AZFamily.com.Sheriff’s officials say there is no threat to the public. However, they are reminding people it is illegal to shoot or hunt a bear unless there is an immediate threat.The Associated Press

Men charged with vandalizing homes of New Hampshire journalists

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Three men face federal charges alleging they vandalized multiple homes associated with New Hampshire journalists in retaliation for a report detailing sexual misconduct allegations against a prominent businessman.Tucker Cockerline, 32, of Salem; Michael Waselchuck, 35, of Seabrook; and Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua, were charged with conspiring to commit stalking through interstate travel, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts said Friday.“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of any health democracy and these three men are now accused of infringing on that freedom by conspiring to harass and intimidate two New Hampshire journalists who were simply doing their jobs,” said Christopher DiMenna, acting special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office.The targets were a New Hampshire Public Radio reporter and editor. In six incidents in April and May 2022, their homes and the home of the reporter’s parents were hit with bricks, rocks and red spray paint. In o...

LGBTQ+ Milwaukee supervisor says man called him a gay slur, then punched him in the face at a mall

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee County’s first openly LGBTQ+ county supervisor says an assailant called him a gay slur and then punched him in the face this week at a suburban mall.Supervisor Peter Burgelis was struck in the face while inside a store at the Mayfair Mall on Monday, news outlets reported, citing Wauwatosa police.The attack happened after a dispute in the parking lot, police said Friday. Officers said the suspect left before they arrived at the scene but they have identified a person of interest.Burgelis told WTMJ-TV that he went to a hospital after the attack and will have surgery on his jaw.“I will never be silenced, nor will I allow this act of violence to detract from our ongoing efforts to secure acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community,” Burgelis said in a written statement. “If anything, this assault serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive challenges we continue to face.”The Associated Press

Railroad industry sues to block new locomotive pollution rules in California

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The railroad industry on Friday sued to block new environmental rules in California, arguing they would force the premature retirement of about 25,000 diesel-powered locomotives across the country long before their zero-emission counterparts are ready to take their place.California’s aggressive strategy to fight climate change by weaning the state off fossil fuels has produced some of the world’s toughest environmental regulations in the past few years. Since 2020, the state has OK’d rules that would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars, lawn equipment and trucks by the middle of the next decade.Those rules are designed to slowly phase out gas- and diesel-powered products by banning the sale of most new combustible engines. But the rules governing railroads would ban the use of locomotives more than 23 years old starting in 2030 and would force railroads to start setting aside more than $1 billion a year starting this fall solely to purcha...

City of Toronto to open 10 outdoor pools on Saturday. Here’s where they are

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

Just in time for Father’s Day and coinciding with a stretch of beautiful summer weather, the City of Toronto announced it will start to open up some of its outdoor pools this weekend.Ten of the 59 city-operated pools will open Saturday on a partial schedule, while the remaining outdoor pools will open on Saturday, June 24 — also on a partial schedule.10 pools opening on Saturday, June 17Alex Duff Memorial Pool – 779 Crawford St.Kiwanis Outdoor Pool – 375 Cedarvale Ave.Heron Park Community Centre – 292 Manse Rd.Grandravine Community Centre – 23 Grandravine Dr.McGregor Community Centre – 2231 Lawrence Ave. E.Monarch Park Outdoor Pool – 115 Felstead Ave.Parkway Forest Community Centre – 59 Forest Manor Rd.Sunnyside – Gus Ryder Outdoor Pool – 1755 Lake Shore Blvd. W.West Mall Outdoor Pool – 370 The West MallWest Grove Park Outdoor Pool – 15 Redgrave Dr.Reservations are available for Aquafit only, the city said, noting that new reservation spots are released Thursdays at 8 a....

German police appeal for images taken of an attack in which U of I grads were pushed down a steep slope

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Police in southern Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two University of Illinois alums down a steep slope, killing one of them.A suspect was arrested following the attack. Mayor’s office says Johnson wasn’t aware e-signature would be used for $10 million ShotSpotter contract extension German news agency dpa quoted police as saying Friday that they have so far received about a dozen submissions on a specially created website, but assume many more images were taken by tourists present at the site.“We are looking for photographs which, by chance, show two young women and a man (approx. 30 years old) who were staying east of the Marienbruecke,” Kempten police said on their website. “These persons may have been walking together or separately.”The Marienbruecke, or Mary's Bridge, is a popular vantage point for photos of Neuschwanstein, the most famous of the castle...

Sail GP makes Lake Michigan a raceway this weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

CHICAGO — The world’s greatest sailors are preparing to battle out on Lake Michigan.  The Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix will take place Friday and Saturday.This is the second consecutive year the race is making a stop here in Chicago.  It’s described as NASCAR on the water.  The tight course will take place inside of the outer harbor break wall between Navy Pier and the Planetarium.  The 10 F50 catamarans of Sail GP are capable of reaching speeds up to 60 miles per hour.  This weekend’s event kicks off the season which will stretch through next summer with 12 events at stops all over the world.  While in Chicago, there will be three 12 to 15 minutes races that will take place on each day.  The city’s two-day race has brought in fans from near and far, all the experience the adrenaline in person.  While tickets are available for people who would like a front row seat to the action, you can take in the view from just about anywhere along the la...

Pleasant, dry for Father's Day weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:30:31 GMT

It took a while—but the sun broke from the clouds temps more like those of late April than mid June. The high near 69 Friday is a reading 11-deg below normal.It was cool enough to rank among the coolest 20% of June 16's on the book in Chicago since 1942.We head into the Father's Day weekend with slow warming bringing daytime temps closer to seasonal norms. Lake breezes are likely to limit warming on area beaches.  Highs Saturday reach 77 inland and 83 on Sunday—but air temps on Chicago's beaches will remain in the mid 60s to low 70s.SMOKE OFF CANADIAN WILDFIRES (446 of them—half burning out of control) will ease a bit—but NOT disappear. So weekend skies will continue to boast a HAZY APPEARANCE due to lingering smoke aloft.A disturbance slips southeastward from Iowa and Missouri into downstate Illinois and Indiana largely bypassing the Chicago area with its rains—and allowing the region's abysmal rain tally since April to stand.  Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Cent...