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Feds unlock public properties to build homes, say 29,200 units to be built by 2029

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

OTTAWA — As the federal government faces mounting pressure to address a national housing crisis, it announced on Tuesday that it would build more than 2,800 homes on its properties in cities across the country.The latest announcement, which also comes as Liberals face a major dip in the polls, puts the government on track to build about 29,200 homes on public lands by 2029. Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos also said on Tuesday the Canada Lands Corp. is setting a new target to include at least 20 per cent affordable housing across its projects.“This will mean around 5,300 affordable homes in the next five years, which is twice as many as in the last 30 years,” Duclos said at a news conference in Ottawa.“This is a significant acceleration of providing affordable homes to Canadians but we think — and we know — there is more we can do.”Duclos said that the corporation, through agreements with developers, will be unlocking 2,800 additional units by March 2024...

Toothpicks, sewing needle among ‘foreign objects’ found inside Halloween candy in Durham

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

Durham Regional Police say they’ve received reports of “foreign objects” being discovered inside Halloween candy in Ajax and Oshawa — the latest in what has emerged as a concerning trend in Toronto and the GTA. The police force received two reports of dangerous objects located inside the candies handed out on the night of October 31. A spokesperson tells CityNews 680 that the objects include toothpicks, a staple, and a sewing needle.The Halloween candies were collected in the areas of Geta Circle and Pickering Parkway in Ajax and Galahad Drive and Gladfern Street in Oshawa.No injuries were reported. Related: Nail found in Halloween candy in St. Clair West and Lansdowne area “[Durham police] would like to remind all parents to check their children’s Halloween candies thoroughly prior to any consumption,” a spokesperson wrote in a news release.“If any candy seems suspicious, contains material that is not original to the ...

R.E.M. celebrates ‘a very radical departure’ 25 years ago with their album ‘Up’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-five years ago, an R.E.M. album arrived that didn’t sound like a typical R.E.M. album.“Up,” the band’s 11th album which dropped in the fall of 1998, was a curious and challenging collection that split fans and critics alike but reveals more interesting things with each listen. A newly remastered reissue out Friday offers a chance to reevaluate.“A lot of people may not have liked it because it didn’t sound like ‘R.E.M.,’ whatever that is. But that was not the point. We were not trying to sound like R.E.M. We were trying to sound like the three guys that we were at the time,” Mike Mills, bassist and band co-founder, tells The Associated Press.“Up” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified gold, while single “Daysleeper” was a Top 20 alternative radio hit. Another single, “Lotus,” peaked at No. 31 on both the alternative and mainstream rock charts.“I think it rewards repeated listenings because there is a depth to it. It is not a surf...

Canada’s emissions reduction plan falling short: environment commissioner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s detailed plan to reach its greenhouse-gas emissions targets in 2030 is coming up short, the federal environment commissioner said Tuesday in a new audit.Jerry DeMarco did a deep dive into the government’s Emissions Reduction Plan as part of a series of fall audits tabled in the House of Commons.The plan was published last year and is a requirement under the federal net-zero accountability law passed in 2021. It is supposed to lay out a road map for Canada to hit its emissions targets, including the next big one in 2030.DeMarco said Canada has never met any of its previous emissions targets, and this plan still has the country coming up several million tonnes short of hitting the next target in 2030.That target would require Canada to cut its emissions to 40 to 45 per cent less than they were in 2005. To achieve that goal, Canada would need to cut its current emissions by about one-third before the end of 2030.DeMarco found the measures in the Emissions ...

Family looking for missing man last seen at West Town park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

CHICAGO — Family and police are looking for a man who is non-verbal last seen at a West Town park on Monday.Jerzy Machowska, 65, was last seen at Smith Park, located in the 2500 block of West Grand Avenue.Family told WGN News he frequently walks back to their home near Cortez and Campbell, located in Ukrainian Village. His daughter is asking residents in the area to check camera footage.Family was out until 2 a.m. Tuesday searching alleys and streets without any sign of Machowska.He is in need of medical attention and was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants, white shoes and a black hate with "Holy Trinity" written on it.Anyone with information can contact 911 or police at 312-744-8266.

Live updates | Israel will have 'overall security responsibility' in Gaza after war, Netanyahu says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza “for an indefinite period” after its war with Hamas and expressed openness to “little pauses” in the current fighting to facilitate the release of hostages.His comments, in an interview that aired late Monday on ABC News, offered the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the territory that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.Netanyahu ruled out any general cease-fire without the release of the more than 240 captives seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 raid into Israel, but said he was open to “tactical little pauses.” U.S. President Joe Biden had raised the need for humanitarian pauses directly with Netanyahu on a call earlier Monday, but no agreement was reached, the White House said.The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.In the occupi...

When will frozen iguanas start falling from trees in Florida?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Temperatures are starting to drop in Florida, and if you've been in South Florida during the winter months, you may see something else dropping once seasons change. In northern states, trees shedding their leaves typically signifies fall is here and winter is near. However, in Florida, iguanas falling from trees means it's time to bust out the jackets. An iguana suns itself on a fence on February 13, 2016, in Islamorada, Florida. (Photo credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)When it gets cold enough, iguanas become immobilized and freeze, leading the reptiles—which usually hang out in trees—to fall.According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, iguanas slow down when the thermostat dips below 50 degrees. They "freeze" and fall when temperatures drop into the 40s and 30s.Should you move a frozen iguana? While the green reptiles may look dead, it's best to leave them be—and don't bring them into your home because once the temperatures heat ...

Saturn's awe-inspiring rings will 'disappear' in 2025: Here's why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

(WTAJ) — One of the most awe-inspiring sights in our solar system, Saturn, is about to lose its iconic look. Well, sort of. As Saturn dances in the night sky, it tilts on an axis, much like Earth. The planet takes 29.4 Earth years to complete an orbit around the sun. It rotates quickly, though, making a day on Saturn only 10.7 Earth hours, according to NASA. This June 2023 image provided by the Space Telescope Science Institute shows the planet Saturn and three of its moons, from left, Enceladus, Tethys and Dione, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. In infrared, the planet appears dark because sunlight is absorbed by methane in the atmosphere. (NASA, ESA, CSA, JWST Saturn Team via AP)While it's known to scientists that Saturn's rings are slowly (as in over the next millions of years) being pulled into the planet's atmosphere, 2025 will be a bit different. What's happening to Saturn's rings?Saturn is transitioning and as its tilt changes, it will align the edge of its rings d...

Uvalde CISD board approves lone superintendent finalist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District unanimously voted Monday to name Ashley Chohlis its lone superintendent finalist, according to reporting from News 4 San Antonio.A district spokesperson told News 4 SA Chohlis has 28 years of education experience and currently works as Poth ISD's superintendent.Following Monday's vote, Chohlis began a 21-day waiting period and is anticipated to sign the contract with Uvalde CISD on and following Nov. 27. From there, she'll begin serving as superintendent, News 4 SA reported.Interim Superintendent Gary Patterson began serving in his temporary capacity in October 2022, after then-Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell announced his retirement. Harrell's retirement came five months after the Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.

Former Johnson hockey coach Lou Cotroneo dies at age 92

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

Lou Cotroneo, the man known to many in eastside St. Paul simply as “coach”, passed away early Tuesday at the age of 92.Cotroneo was a legendary figure in the St. Paul hockey community, particularly at Johnson High School, where he was a backup goaltender for the Governors’ state championship team in 1947 and eventually coached in the program for 20 years — during which Johnson made seven state tournament appearances — including 10 years as head coach.He also served as an assistant principal at Humboldt High School before working for the city of St. Paul.But he was ever-present throughout St. Paul hockey, from his time serving as a stick boy for the St. Paul Saints minor-league team to officiating in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association to his time as the Wild’s VIP greeter for the first decade of the franchise’s existence.Former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman nicknamed Cotroneo “the Godfather of St. Paul hockey.”“At both the amateur an...