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Railway container shipments plummet due to B.C. port strike that’s poised to end

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

MONTREAL — Railways suffered a sharp drop-off in container shipments this month as the strike by B.C. port workers — now poised to end after a tentative deal Thursday — halted more than half of steel-box cargo.Canadian National Railway Co.’s revenue ton miles — a key industry metric used to gauge income and freight volume — fell 60 per cent in the first week of the job action, according to RBC Dominion Securities analyst Walter Spracklin.The figure dropped by 45 per cent at Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.The plunge left the number of containers hauled by Canadian railways last week at barely half the level it reached during the same period in 2022, according to the American Railroad Association.The corrugated metal boxes, which carry everything from consumer products to auto parts, mark a critical source of cash for Canada’s two main railways, comprising roughly one-quarter of annual revenue.But railways, a land lifeline for the ports, breathed a sigh of relief Thursda...

Meteorologists say Earth sizzled to a global heat record in June and July has been getting hotter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

An already warming Earth steamed to its hottest June on record, smashing the old global mark by nearly a quarter of a degree (0.13 degrees Celsius), with global oceans setting temperature records for the third straight month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday. June’s 61.79 degrees (16.55 degrees Celsius) global average was 1.89 degrees (1.05 degrees Celsius) above the 20th Century average, the first time globally a summer month was more than a degree Celsius hotter than normal, according to NOAA. Other weather monitoring systems, such as NASA, Berkeley Earth and Europe’s Copernicus, had already called last month the hottest June on record, but NOAA is the gold standard for record-keeping with data going back 174 years to 1850.The increase over the last June’s record is “a considerably big jump” because usually global monthly records are so broad based they often jump by hundredths not quarters of a degree, said NOAA climate...

Man working on US-Canada bridge survives plunge into Detroit River

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A man survived after plunging 150 feet (45.7 meters) into the Detroit River from a bridge connecting Michigan and Canada.The man, identified as a contractor who was working on the Ambassador Bridge, was rescued Wednesday by a crew aboard a Detroit mail delivery boat.“The force of the impact had ripped most of his clothes off of him,” Sam Buchanan, captain of the J.W. Westcott, told Fox 2 Detroit. “His work boots were still on him and his pants were around his ankles and he had his T-shirt on.”Buchanan said the man was ferried to shore where Detroit paramedics took over.“We were relieved that he could talk to us, but he was pretty out of it,” Buchanan said. “He kept asking us what happened to him and we told him that he fell off the bridge.”Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said people who were fishing saw the man in the water and alerted the J.W. Westcott. The man’s name was not released.“He’s very fortunate,” Harris said.The Associated Press

35 world pianists will compete in Poland at the 2nd Chopin piano competition on period instruments

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thirty-five participants from around the world will compete in Poland’s 2nd Frederic Chopin piano competition on period instruments in October, the organizers said Thursday. The competition, launched in 2018, is intended to promote historically informed performance of the 19th century Polish composer’s works and to get as close as possible to the original sound of his music. Like the century-old renowned International Chopin Piano Competition, this one also meant to promote music talents and help launch international careers. The participants this year come from 14 countries, including 10 pianists from Japan, six from Poland and four from Italy. China, South Korea, the United States and Russia will be represented by two participants each. There will also be one participant from each of the following countries: Australia, Austria, France, Spain, Canada, Germany and Hungary. The contestants in the three-stage event will perform on historic Erard, Pleyel or ...

Toronto man charged for attempting to lure underage children online

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

A 36-year-old Toronto man is facing charges for attempting to lure underage children online. Peel police say the Internet Child Exploitation Unit opened an investigation in April 2023 after it became aware of a person using social media to attempt to lure children under the age of 16 for sexual purposes. Last month, Shawn Collinge was identified and arrested. He’s been charged with luring a child under the age of 16. Investigators say he utilized the following username across multiple social media platforms: ‘Shawn Collinge’ and ‘Shawn.collinge.39’ and that there may be further victims he attempted to contact online. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Liam Hendriks delivers emotional speech at ESPYs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

LOS ANGELES — It's been an emotional year for the White Sox closer, with Wednesday night being another moment in that journey for the White Sox closer. That's when Liam Hendriks was presented with the Jimmy V Award at the 2023 ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Named after late North Carolina State head coach Jim Valvano, it's given to an athlete that overcomes "obstacles through perseverance and determination."This comes after Hendriks beat Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and returned to the White Sox on Memorial Day at Guaranteed Rate Field. Naturally, he had plenty to say about his journey in an emotional, inspiring speech to the audience on Wednesday that was filled with some of the biggest stars in sports. ‘Extremely surreal’: Liam & Kristi Hendriks discuss White Sox return – and effort to help others beat cancer "Cancer changes you. There's no doubt about it. Going through this, it changed me for the better. There's a lot of times where I'm sitting out here...

Illinois is #2 worst state in U.S. for drought - a county-by-county conditions breakdown

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

Over a quarter of the continental U.S. is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.While the West is currently experiencing a brief reprieve from its driest period of the last 1,200 years—other parts of the country, like the Central U.S., are experiencing spells of unusual dryness.In periods of drought, levels of major reservoirs and rivers can fall dramatically. Groundwater systems too feel the effects, and shrinking water supplies impact agriculture, hydropower generation, and wildfire risk.Periods of drought have intensified and become more frequent in recent years due to climate change. Scientists predict that even in low emissions scenarios, much of the U.S. will be drier by the end of the century.Stacker cited data from U.S. Drought Monitor to identify the counties in Illinois with the worst droughts in the week leading up to July 05, 2023. Counties are listed in order of percent of the area in drought conditions. Abnormally...

Docs: Glen Ellyn woman faces felony after 47 animals found dead, malnourished

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

WHEATON, Ill. -- A Glen Ellyn woman is facing felony charges for animal cruelty after 47 animals were found dead or malnourished on her property on June 27. April Elliot, 60, was charged with a felony of aggravated animal cruelty Tuesday. She was already facing 132 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and violation of owner's duties.According to court documents, on June 27, the DuPage County Animal Services searched her home and found multiple large dogs lying on the ground outside and in dog cages stacked on top of one another with four to five dogs in each cage.After obtaining a search warrant, officers found 33 live dogs, nine deceased dogs, four deceased chinchillas and one deceased rabbit. Man, 22, charged with killing, torturing cats: CPD It is alleged that the animals were living in inhumane conditions that caused them to suffer. The felony complaint states that from June 15 to July 11, Elliot failed to provide veterinary treatment to a companion animal. Court document...

'Banned Bookmobile' to tour states and distribute books to communities impacted by ban

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

CHICAGO — A nonprofit organization is kicking off its first-ever "Banned Bookmobile" tour Thursday in Chicago.MoveOn Political Action says their going on a multistate tour to sound alarms on Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, and other GOP policy makers, censorship and ban on books across the country. The "MoveOn Banned Bookmobile" plans to distribute books in communities most impacted by the ban.MoveOn Political Action, along with local lawmakers and activists, officially launched the tour Thursday outside Sandmeyer's Bookstore, located at 714 South Dearborn Street, in downtown Chicago.“Ron DeSantis’s anti-American book bans are an attack on all of our freedoms, but he and the MAGA Republican Party cannot erase us,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Rahna Epting. “DeSantis and MAGA Republicans’ vision for our country is to censor all of our diverse backgrounds and to punish those who live, love, and think differently than they do. We won’t surrender to their extremism, and ou...

Driehaus Foundation gives $1M to neighborhoods on West and South Sides

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:43 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Driehaus Foundation is giving $1 million to underserved neighborhoods on the West and South Side.The grant will be given to Landmarks Illinois to help fund their program that provides low interest loans to spark reinvestment in particularly under-resourced communities.Landmarks Illinois will be allowed to give out larger loans. Repaid loans will replenish the fund and be redeoloyed for new projects. FDA approves 1st over-the-counter birth control pill in US A Driehaus Foundation spokesperson said in a statement:"Rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings can be challenging for many reasons but lack of funding is often the most frequent obstacle for preservation project."Landmarks Illinois made its first loan last year to the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI) to fund storefront repairs to a historic building at 735 East 79th Street to support GCI in inspiring investment on the block. GCI used the building for its “Artists on the 9” program, creating a work and ga...