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4 tornadoes confirmed as Michigan storms down trees and power lines; 5 people killed

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

By COREY WILLIAMS and MIKE HOUSEHOLDER (Associated Press)CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — At least four tornadoes touched down in Michigan as part of severe storms powered by strong winds that killed five people, while downing trees, tearing roofs off buildings and leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said.The National Weather Service on Friday confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds of 90 mph (145 kph) crossed from Ingham County into the western edge of adjacent Livingston County on Thursday night.Two other EF-1 tornadoes were reported in Wayne County’s Belleville and south of Newport in Monroe County.A weaker EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 80 mph (128 kph) was on the ground for less than two miles in Wayne County’s Canton Township, west of Detroit, the weather service said. That tornado caused a tree to fall into a house, said meteorologist Sara Schultz.The weather service office in Grand Rapids, in western Michigan, said officials ...

Actors union rallies outside Amazon, Apple headquarters in Toronto

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, better known as the actor’s union ACTRA, rallied in downtown Toronto outside Amazon and Apple headquarters Friday to demand fair wages and stand in solidarity with their U.S. counterparts.The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) followed in July over ongoing labour disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).Simultaneously in Canada, ACTRA has been at loggerheads with the Institute of Canadian Agencies — which represents some of the country’s largest advertising agencies — after talks to renew their collective bargaining agreement fell through. ACTRA says ever since the ICA walked away from the table, actors in the union have been “locked out” from working in commercials for high-profile ICA clients like Google and Walmart.“We have...

Judge asks if poverty qualifies for Biden policy letting migrants from 4 countries into US

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday questioned whether living in poverty would be enough to qualify someone for a key immigration policy from President Joe Biden that allows a limited number of people from four countries in the Americas to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.The program allows up to 30,000 people into the U.S. each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela combined. The program is being challenged in a lawsuit filed by Texas and 20 other Republican-leaning states. They’re accusing it of being a “shadow immigration system” that’s letting in nearly everyone who applies.U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton said that a “massive chunk of the world” lives in poverty, adding he’s visited Haiti and seen terrible living conditions there firsthand.“Does the fact they are living in poverty qualify as an urgent humanitarian need?” Tipton asked as closing arguments were being presented in the trial in Victoria, Texas.“I think probably not,” said Elissa Fudim...

Texas ban on gender-affirming health care for minors blocked, Missouri ban allowed to take effect

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A judge on Friday blocked Texas’ ban on gender-affirming health care for minors while a separate judge in Missouri allowed a similar ban to take effect, underscoring the mixed verdict in courtrooms across the U.S. this year over a historic wave of restrictions aimed at transgender youth. More than 20 states have adopted laws to ban some gender-affirming care for minors, although some are not yet in effect or have been put on hold by courts. Many of them prevent transgender minors from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries, even though medical experts say such surgical procedures are rarely performed on children.Texas would be the most populous state to enforce such a ban. But state District Judge Maria Cantu Hexsel sided with a group of families who argued it would violate parents’ rights and have devastating consequences for transgender children and teenagers who would be denied treatment recommended by their physicians.Th...

131 structures destroyed but no lives lost in Shuswap, B.C., wildfire

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

Officials say 131 homes and other structures have been destroyed by wildfires in the Shuswap region of British Columbia’s Interior, but no lives have been lost.Erick Thompson, an information officer for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, says a survey by the Canada Task Force 1 search and rescue team has indicated that a further 31 structures suffered damage.Thompson told a briefing that assessments of the damage have been hindered by the ongoing blazes and are subject to change.Tracy Hughes, another information officer with the district, says cheers broke out in its emergency operations centre when the search team reported there were no known deaths.The 410-square-kilometre Bush Creek East fire in the region is the target of the most intense wildfire fight in B.C., with thousands of residents ordered to leave their homes.Hundreds of firefighters are engaged in the battle against that blaze, along with more than 100 pieces of heavy equipment and 17 helicopters.This report...

A father describes rushing his 7-month-old to safety during a California biker bar shooting

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Guidus was enjoying a spontaneous night out Wednesday with his 7-month-old daughter and mother-in-law at Cook’s Corner, a favorite family spot in Southern California that he’s frequented since his own childhood, when gunshots rang out.First, he thought it was fireworks. But when screaming began and more shots followed, the bar’s popular weekly spaghetti night turned into every parent’s worst nightmare as a retired police sergeant opened fire.“I just reached into the stroller and ejected my daughter out of that thing, ripped her out of there as fast as I could,” Guidus told The Associated Press on Friday. “It was all a blur, it happened so fast.”Clutching baby Olive to his chest, Guidus sprinted from the bar’s patio to the back of the property where other patrons were hiding among the hillside trees along an embankment. When more shots erupted, the 36-year-old father handed Olive to a man next to him and jumped 10 feet (3.05 meters) down before gra...

President Joe Biden says he will request more funding for a new coronavirus vaccine

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that he is planning to request more money from Congress to develop another new coronavirus vaccine, as scientists track new waves and hospitalizations rise, though not like before. Officials are already expecting updated COVID-19 vaccines that contain one version of the omicron strain, called XBB.1.5. It’s an important change from today’s combination shots, which mix the original coronavirus strain with last year’s most common omicron variants. But there will always be a need for updated vaccines as the virus continues to mutate. It’s not clear exactly when people can start rolling up their sleeves for what officials hope is an annual fall COVID-19 shot. Pfizer, Moderna and smaller manufacturer Novavax all are brewing doses of the XBB update but the Food and Drug Administration will have to sign off on each, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must then issue recommendations for their use.“I sign...

Man accused of ‘hate-motivated’ stabbing at Univ. of Waterloo charged with attempted murder

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

A 24-year-old man is facing an additional charge of attempted murder in the stabbing of three individuals at the University of Waterloo in June.Geovanny Villalba-Aleman appeared via video link Friday for a scheduled bail hearing at the Waterloo Regional Courthouse. Dressed in orange prison garb, he spoke only to provide his name, his birth date, and to clarify his next court appearance.During the hearing, a charge of attempted murder was laid in what police say was a “hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity.”Villalba-Aleman was initially facing 10 charges including three counts of aggravated assault, four counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief under $5,000.A 38-year-old female professor, a 20-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man – both students, were stabbed inside a classroom at the university’s Hagey Hall on June 28. All three suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Villalba-Aleman...

See which states are poised to rule next on transgender health care restrictions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Courts nationwide are delivering a mixed verdict on the future of state laws restricting gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, as legal battles ramp up over the historic wave of bans enacted this year.Judges temporarily blocked bans in Georgia and Texas this week, while Alabama and Missouri can move forward with their restrictions. A ruling on whether to block a Florida law that goes beyond young people and restricts the care for trans adults could also come in the next week. Here’s a look at recent developments in the cases and where laws on transgender health care stand: THE LATEST RULINGSA Texas judge on Friday blocked the state from enforcing its ban on gender-affirming care for minors, which was set to take effect Sept. 1. Texas would have become the most populous state to restrict its care for youth. The ruling came the same day a state judge in Missouri ruled that state’s ban can take effect on Monday as scheduled. Missouri&...

Despite uptick in hospitalizations, COVID risk level remains low in Chicago

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:11:56 GMT

CHICAGO — COVID-19 cases across Chicago are rising, albeit slightly, as health officials monitor a surge in hospitalizations. Massimo Pacilli, Chicago Department of Public Health's deputy commissioner for disease control, noted that the news is not surprising. "It is a good reminder that COVID-19 is not gone and will cause periodic waves of illness," he said. CDC, FDA gearing up for fall vaccine campaign with US in ‘strongest position yet’ With kids heading back to school and people spending more time indoors during the coming fall and winter months, Pacilli said respiratory viral activity is expected to increase, which means more cases of flu, RSV, and COVID-19. City data shows that while the COVID risk level is low, hospitalizations and laboratory-confirmed cases have risen in recent weeks. "It is important to remember that we're in a different place than we were a couple of years ago," Pacilli said. "Nearly all of us have some acquired antibodies to the virus due to either vac...