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Ontario woman files proposed class-action lawsuit over salmonella-tainted cantaloupes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

An Ontario woman who became ill after eating cantaloupe is the lead plaintiff in a second proposed class-action lawsuit filed over cantaloupe-linked salmonella infections across the country.A statement of claim filed in the Court of King’s Bench in Manitoba says Sarnia, Ont. resident Michele Lee Gagne had abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting in early November after eating cantaloupe that she believes was tainted with salmonella.“The combination of these symptoms is uncommon for the plaintiff, particularly the vomiting,” says the document filed by London, Ont.-based law firm Siskinds on Dec. 22. The firm said there were “strategic” reasons for filing the case in Manitoba but did not elaborate.A proposed class-action related to tainted cantaloupes was filed in Quebec earlier in December, while a third is pending in British Columbia. The claim filed in Manitoba names Mexican company Malichita, which grew the melons, and two U.S. firms — Trufresh in Noga...

DeSantis in Iowa criticizes House Republicans for not making impact or keeping promises

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis criticized House Republicans Wednesday, lamenting to a crowd in southwestern Iowa that he has “not noticed much of a difference” since they edged into the majority after the 2022 midterm elections.“I’m sick of Republicans always losing to the Democrats,” the Florida governor said to applause in Council Bluffs.“You look in Washington, it’s like, you elect Republicans, control the House. I have not noticed much of a difference in anything,” DeSantis continued. “They promise all this stuff, they go on TV … and then nothing ends up ever happening.”The snub from the former U.S. congressman reflects DeSantis’ attempt to compare his successes in Florida to other Republicans across the country, including former President Donald Trump. DeSantis also took particular care to strike a contrast with Trump when he got an Iowan voter’s question about whether he’s “Trump-lite” during a town hall...

Report: Data from 2022 California traffic stops shows ‘pervasive pattern’ of racial profiling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Black people accounted for nearly 13% of traffic stops in California in 2022, far above their 5% share of the state’s population, according to a report released Wednesday under a law designed to address racial profiling of motorists and pedestrians by police.The annual report, compiled by California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board, for the first time included data from all law enforcement agencies in the state.Andrea Guerrero, co-chairperson of the board and executive director of Alliance San Diego, said in a statement that the “scale of data that California is collecting allows us to say definitively that profiling exists — it is a pervasive pattern across the state.”“We must now turn to the hard work of ending profiling by bringing all the stakeholders to the table to ascertain and change the policies and the practices that enable it,” Guerrero said.The board’s report includes data from nearly 4.6 million vehicle and pedestrian stops by officers f...

‘Debtor’s prison’ lawsuit filed against St. Louis suburb resolved with $2.9 million settlement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri city will pay nearly $3 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it and six other St. Louis suburbs of violating the constitutional rights of residents by jailing them and forcing them to pay fines and fees amounting to millions of dollars, often for minor traffic violations.The $2.9 million settlement with the city of Florissant was approved by a federal judge on Tuesday and announced Wednesday by ArchCity Defenders, a St. Louis-based public interest law firm. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2016.Florissant was among several St. Louis County cities whose policing and court practices were scrutinized after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson. Brown, a Black 18-year-old, was killed by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014.Wilson was not charged, but the shooting led to months of protests and prompted a Department of Justice investigation. The federal agency in 2015 accused Ferguson of racially biased polici...

PMO clarifies Trudeau and family stayed ‘at no cost’ during vacation in Jamaica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office is clarifying that he and his family are vacationing in Jamaica “at no cost at a location owned by family friends” after initially saying the family was paying for their stay.The Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement that the federal ethics commissioner was consulted “on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed.” The office offered the clarification the day before Trudeau’s holiday on the Caribbean island is set to conclude. Before his family left on Boxing Day, Trudeau’s office said it consulted with the ethics commissioner and the family would cover the cost of their stay and reimburse the public for the cost of travelling on a government plane.Officials are not saying where Trudeau is staying, but CBC and Radio-Canada reported last spring that during the family’s last New Year’s trip to Jamaica, they stayed at a luxury estate owned by P...

Last remaining charge dropped against Virginia elections official

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped the last remaining charge against a northern Virginia elections official who had been accused of misconduct related to the 2020 elections.A judge on Monday formally dismissed a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty against Michele White, the former registrar in Prince William County, a suburb outside the nation’s capital, after prosecutors requested the dismissal.The most serious charges against White had already been dismissed. The Virginia Attorney General’s Office said it was forced to drop felony charges of corrupt conduct and making a false statement because a key witness had revised their testimony.White was indicted back in 2022, and the office of Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares never spelled out publicly or in court papers exactly what it alleged White did wrong. Court records indicated only generally that the allegations had to do with 2020 election results, and county officials said back when White...

Kentucky’s former attorney general Daniel Cameron to help lead conservative group 1792 Exchange

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has been hired to help lead a group pushing back against what it sees as “woke ideology” in the corporate sector, marking the Republican’s next chapter since losing his bid for governor in one of the nation’s most closely watched elections in 2023.Cameron accepted the job as CEO of 1792 Exchange, a role that will include trying to thwart investing that considers environmental, social and governance factors. It was an issue Cameron dealt with as attorney general and frequently talked about during his unsuccessful attempt to unseat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who notched a convincing victory for a second term last November.Cameron, 38, who was pegged as a rising Republican star with ties to U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and former President Donald Trump, didn’t rule out another run for elected office but said he’s looking forward to delving into his new role in the meantime....

Possible relief from grey days on Thursday with some sunlight in the forecast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

If you are feeling a little low energy, it might not be the typical post-holiday blues that has you down. Toronto and the GTA has been blanketed by mostly grey and miserable weather over the last few weeks and there is some relief in sight.Steven Flisfeder, a Warning Preparedness Meteorologist with Environment Canada, says after over several days of grey skies, there is a chance of some sunlight on Thursday.“We’re expecting a cold front to push across southern Ontario some time tomorrow, which is going to give a chance for some sun. Not that much is expected. There is still going to be some lingering cloud, but there should be some parts of the day where we do see some sunshine.”But he adds it’s not unusual to see this many grey days during this time of year.“In late December, January, we tend to have a fairly active bit of weather. So a lot of low pressure systems coming through the southern Ontario region, which gives a lot of precipitation, typically...

A jet’s carbon-composite fiber fuselage burned on a Tokyo runway. Is the material safe?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

The fuselage of the jetliner involved in a collision on a Tokyo runway was made from carbon-composite fibers, and the incident is renewing concern about the challenges of putting out fires involving the material.The fire is shaping up as a key test of the safety of composite materials compared with conventional airplane fuselages made of aluminum.Investigators appear to be focusing immediately on communication between the pilots of both planes and air traffic controllers at Haneda Airport. A transcript released Wednesday indicated that the landing Japan Airlines A350 had permission to use the runway but the Japanese coast guard plane did not.Safety experts are praising the airline’s crew after everybody was able to escape the burning jetliner. Five people on the coast guard plane were killed.Composites have been used for many years on structures inside commercial planes, such as the floorboards. Notably, Airbus A350s like the one involved in Tuesday’s crash and Boeing 787s als...

17.4 per cent raise over 5 years for Quebec’s ‘common front’ public sector unions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:44 GMT

MONTREAL — Around 420,000 Quebec public sector workers will receive salary increases of 17.4 per cent over five years.The labour alliance representing the workers confirmed today the settlement that led to a Dec. 28 agreement in principle with the provincial government.The agreement includes a clause that would protect the purchasing power of union members during the three final years of the deal.The alliance — known as the “common front” — had been seeking a three-year contract that would have tied wage raises to the consumer price index, plus an additional increase of two to four per cent.Union leaders representing workers in sectors such as education and health care are evaluating the offer, which will be presented to members during assemblies that should begin mid-January.The proposed deal gives psychologists and specialized workers higher increases than other union members.The government has also reached a deal in principle with a teachers union that has about 66,00...