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Lee brings flooded roads, downed trees and power outages as it heads toward Maritimes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

Post-tropical storm Lee flooded roadways, toppled trees and downed power lines in coastal parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on Saturday as it barreled north across the Atlantic ocean to make landfall.Pam Lovelace, a Halifax municipal councillor for an area that includes the famous Peggy’s Cove lighthouse, rattled off a list of damage the storm had already wrought in the first half of the day. Some roads were underwater, some were blocked by fallen trees, and several  boats along the harbour in St. Margarets Bay were flooded.“We really need people to stay away from the coastline,” she said in an interview. “If your boat is in the water right now, there is nothing you can do to get it out. The storm surge last night at high tide was massive, tonight it’s going to be even worse.”Across the Bay of Fundy, the mayor of St. Andrews, N.B., looked on with concern,bracing for a similarly powerful impact as the powerful storm approached.“The big c...

Timeline leading to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s acquittal in his impeachment trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A timeline of events that led to acquittal of three-term Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial in the state Senate. The trial started Sept. 5 and ended Sept. 16. The overwhelming impeachment vote in May by the GOP-controlled Texas House of Representatives suspended the 60-year-old Paxton from office.The acquittal allows him to resume his duties as attorney general.2015Paxton takes office as attorney general after more than a decade in the Texas Legislature. He is indicted on felony securities charges by a grand jury in his hometown near Dallas, accused of duping investors in a tech startup. He pleads not guilty to two felony counts, but there has still been no trial. Paxton opens a legal defense fund and accepts $100,000 from an executive whose company was under investigation by his office for Medicaid fraud. An Arizona retiree donates $50,000 to the fund, and Paxton later hires the donor’s son for a high-ranking job tha...

Brampton man charged in connection with sex assault on 14-year-old girl

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

Peel police have charged a Brampton man in connection to a sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl. Officers say on Sept. 9, the 14-year-old victim was walking through Chinguacousy Park in Brampton when she was allegedly followed and sexually assaulted.A few days later, on Sept. 14, officers arrested 44-year-old Davey Anthony Hardware. He’s been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference. Hardware has been held for a bail hearing.

Texas AG Ken Paxton was acquitted at his impeachment trial. He still faces legal troubles

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — For years, the powers and protections that come with being Texas’ top lawyer have helped Ken Paxton fend off ethics complains, criminal charges and an FBI investigation.With the Texas Senate’s Saturday vote to acquit Paxton of corruption charges at his impeachment trial the Republican has once again demonstrated his rare political resilience. And he retains the shield of the attorney general’s office in legal battles still to come.After being cleared, Paxton, 60, thanked his lawyers for “exposing the absurdity” of the “false allegations” against him, and he promised to resume doing legal battle with the administration of President Joe Biden.“The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt,” he said in a statement. “Now that this shameful process is over, my work to defend our constitutional rights will resume.”Back in office, Paxton nonetheless still faces serious risk on three ...

Anchorage scrambles to find enough housing for the homeless before the Alaska winter sets in

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson gained national attention this summer when he proposed buying one-way airfare out of Alaska’s largest city for anyone without housing who wanted to leave before winter.Now, with the first snow just weeks away, those free tickets are nowhere in sight and the city is scrambling to pull together a grab bag of housing options for its more than 3,000 unsheltered residents. The city’s mass shelter in a sports arena closed after complaints from neighbors about bad behavior and bickering between the city’s liberal Assembly and conservative mayor killed hopes for a new permanent shelter and navigation center to take its place.The Anchorage Assembly just approved $4 million in funds and will vote on additional elements of an emergency plan next week. City leaders — who estimate they still need to find up to 450 winter beds — say they are confident they have enough emergency housing ready, but the mood on the streets is grim. “A lot o...

Republican Texas AG Ken Paxton is acquitted of corruption charges at historic impeachment trial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday of all charges at a historic impeachment trial that divided Republicans over whether to remove a powerful defender of former President Donald Trump after years of scandal and criminal charges.The verdict reaffirmed Paxton’s durability in America’s biggest red state and is a broader victory for Texas’ hard right after an extraordinary trial that put on display fractures within the GOP nationally heading into the 2024 elections. In the end, Paxton was fully cleared by Senate Republicans, who serve alongside his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.Angela Paxton was not allowed to vote. But she attended all two weeks of the trial, including the reading of the verdict, when all but two of her fellow Republican senators consistently voted to acquit her husband on 16 impeachment articles that accused him of misconduct, bribery and corruption.Ken Paxton, who was absent for most of the proceedings, did not attend the ve...

Comedian Russell Brand denies allegations of sexual assault published by 3 UK news organizations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.Brand denied the allegations and said that all of his relationships have been consensual.The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” said that one woman alleged she had been raped, while three others accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also said he had been physically and emotionally abusive.The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.Before the stories were published, Brand posted a video online denying the allegations, which had been outlined in two “extremely disturbing letters” from a “mainstream media” television company and ...

3 people shot in Chicago Lawn

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

CHICAGO — Three people were shot Friday night on Chicago's Near West Side, according to police.The shooting was reported around 8:30 p.m. in the 7100 block of South Western Avenue. Man, 41, charged after 2 men stabbed on North Side: CPD According to the Chicago Police Department, all three people, two women and a man, are in good condition.The details surrounding the shooting are still under investigation, but Chicago police said they were shot at from a distance by two men.No one has been arrested yet in connection with the shooting.Anyone with information is asked to call Area One detectives.

2 officers injured after being hit by wooden stick in Little Village

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

CHICAGO — Two Chicago police officers were injured after they tried to subdue someone early Saturday morning in Little Village.The incident happened around 1 a.m. in the 2500 block of South Homan Avenue. 14-year-old boy fatally shot after Hillcrest HS football game ID’d: Police One of the officers was hit with a heavy wooden stick, according to the Chicago Police Department.Both officers who were injured were taken to a hospital and are in good condition, police said.Charges are pending against two people who were taken into custody.

Russell Brand denies sexual assault allegations published by UK news organizations

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:32:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) – Three British news organizations reported Saturday that comedian and social influencer Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assault and abuse based on allegations from four women who knew him over a seven-year period at the height of his fame.Brand denied the allegations and said that all of his relationships have been consensual.The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4’s “Dispatches” said that one woman alleged she had been raped, while three others accused him of sexual assault. One of the women also said he had been physically and emotionally abusive.The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak. Ashton Kutcher steps down from anti-child sex abuse group after Danny Masterson pushback Before the stories were published, Brand posted a video online denying the allegations, which...