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Jewish Canadians to celebrate Hanukkah publicly, even as antisemitism rises

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

While many Jewish Canadians prepare to light menorahs in celebration of Hanukkah starting Thursday, some say the Israel-Hamas war coupled with a rise in antisemitism may dim the festival of lights.Daniel Thau-Eleff, a Winnipeg-based playwright, is among those who will mark the holiday celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BC, even as they mourn current events.“It’s a very happy and celebratory occasion and I’m finding it hard to be happy these days. It’ll probably be a challenge to just be happy and celebrate,” said Thau-Eleff.His grief is multi-faceted, he said. There is grief for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, who were pummelled by Israeli fire as the military sought to tamp out Hamas following an Oct. 7 attack. There is also grief for the Israelis who were killed and taken hostage, used as bargaining chips. And then there is the pain caused by a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia closer to home.“And there’s ...

Kyiv says Russian forces shot surrendering Ukrainian soldiers. If confirmed, it would be a war crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials on Sunday accused Russian forces of killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, a war crime if confirmed, after grainy footage on social media appeared to show two uniformed men being shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.The video shows the servicemen, one of them with his hands up, walking out at gunpoint and lying down on the ground before a group of Russian troops appears to open fire. It was not immediately possible to verify the video’s authenticity or the circumstances in which it was taken.The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s office on Sunday launched a criminal investigation, hours after the Ukrainian military’s press office said in an online statement that the footage is genuine.“The video shows a group in Russian uniforms shooting, at point-blank range, two unarmed servicemen in the uniform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were surrendering,” the prosecutor’s office said in a Telegram update on Sunday.Kyiv, its Western alli...

In US, some Muslim-Jewish interfaith initiatives are strained by Israel-Hamas war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

Shireen Quaizar was wracked with doubt. For years, the school psychologist has been active in Muslim-Jewish interfaith dialogue, but the Israel-Hamas war left her reeling.“What are we doing with talking to each other?” she recalled thinking, frustrated by a conversation about the exact number of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike. “This doesn’t work.”But she decided to fight that thought and tackle the hard discussions once again. Later, Quaizar, who is Muslim, met with women like Aviva Seltzer, the daughter of a rabbi and a Jewish school principal who was raised with the belief that “but for the existence of Israel, we’d all be dead.”The two had come together for a conference in New Brunswick, New Jersey, convened by the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, an organization seeking to build trust and friendships between Muslim and Jewish women.  These conversations are becoming increasingly difficult, with the war and its polarizing reverberations in America testing and straining s...

Republicans had New Yorkers lead the way in expelling Santos. Will it help them keep the majority?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — George Santos is gone from the House, but his name is certain to pop up in key congressional races across New York next year. Democrats are targeting five seats held by first-term Republicans and looking to associate them with their former colleague in the state’s congressional delegation as often as they can.How successful Democrats are in that effort could help determine which party holds the majority in the House in 2025.The strategy of association was evident as Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York castigated Republicans in comments leading up to Santos’ expulsion on Friday.“Look, House Republicans knew a lot about George Santos before he was elected. And we have reason to believe either intentionally kept that information out of the public domain or willfully turned a blind eye,” Jeffries said. “And then, when the information exploded into the public domain, continue to coddle George Santos and play footsie with him for the better part of ...

Plant-based meat industry still poised for growth despite recent setbacks: experts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

It’s been more than five years since A&W first started selling Beyond Meat burgers to customers eager to see whether the patties could compete with their beloved beef.The burger chain sold out of the patties when they first launched, having underestimated how many people would want to try them. The day Beyond Meat went public on the Nasdaq in 2019, its share price rose 163 per cent. These days, however, shares in Beyond Meat are trading at a fraction of their 2019 high.Since the flurry of excitement over A&W’s beef-free burger and the company behind it, the nascent plant-based meat industry has had to swallow a bitter pill: the exponential growth anticipated by many has not panned out. Yet industry experts say there’s still plenty of growth in the future for plant-based meat products — and several areas where the sector still needs investment. The plant-based meat sector was starting to ramp up not long before A&W made a splash by adding the Beyond ...

Heavy police presence at Oakbrook Terrace hotel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- Police are investigating an incident at Hilton Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace Saturday night. Police from multiple west suburbs were spotted at the at Hilton Hotel near 10 Drury Lane around 10:30 p.m.Through the windows, officers were seen swarming the lobby. There are reports of officer sweeping rooms. Brighton Park migrant camp nearing completion, despite opposition There was police presence all the way back to the Spring Road ramp. A portion of Frontage Road was closed off while police investigated. Hotel guests were outside for hours before they were cleared to return to their rooms.There was no additional information provided.WGN is actively following the incident and will update as more information is recovered.

Sunday Forecast: Rain at times, high near 40

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

Sunday: Rain at times, tapers into scattered showers. WSW 5-10 mph. High near 40Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy & chance of showers.  WNW 5-10 mph. Low 34Monday: Chance of AM showers south, elsewhere clouds & some peeks of sun. NNW 5-10 mph. High 41Extended outlook calls for some rain/snow at times for Tuesday with highs in the upper 30s. Not much expected for accumulations at this time. Temps rise for Wed with temps in the mid 40s and cloudy skies. Milder for Thu/Fri with partly to mostly sunny skies and temps getting up to near 50. We'll be above normal for next Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 40s and a chance of rain showers. 

Top 10 countdown: These are the most popular Texas state parks each winter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Looking for an outdoor adventure this winter? Depending on the weather, one of Texas' many state parks may be just what you're looking for.Across the Lone Star State, there are 86 state parks, natural areas and historic sites currently operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. What is the most-visited state park in Texas? Here’s the top 10 countdown for 2023 The first parks were opened to the public in the 1930s and the newest, Old Tunnel State Park, opened in 2012. TPWD also has plans to develop five sites into future state parks.TPWD splits the state into seven ‘natural regions,’ each of which is home to several state parks. The Prairies & Lakes region is home to 22 parks, more than any other region. The South Texas Plains region is home to the fewest, with seven parks.To determine the average winter totals, we looked at the number of visitors each December, January and February since 2018-19. In an average winter, the state park system a...

'Better off without me': Mom shares postpartum depression struggle as Texas works to improve access, treatment 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — She can only describe it as a breakdown. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic when the east Austin mom explained she "could no longer keep the balls all in the air. They all fell down."A book displayed at The Village Place in northeast Austin. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost) The 36-year-old was teaching not only students but her daughter at the time. She said her husband helped but nothing could prevent what happened next. "I suddenly had no desire to eat or live. I was just really tired and overwhelmed. Not having a lot of support made things even harder. No one to ask for a break, childcare," she wrote to KXAN investigators anonymously. "I knew it wasn't baby blues because the constant feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and extreme tiredness never went away. There was even some difficulty bonding with my baby and thoughts she would really be better off without me." READ: Austin-based Black Mamas Village debuts new community hub She said she had dealt with ...

Mark Gongloff: Do 70,000 people really need to be at a climate confab?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:11:23 GMT

How many people do you think it takes to hammer out a global climate agreement? 500? 5,000? 50,000?Apparently, the correct answer is 70,000. That’s about how many people are expected to turn up in Dubai over the next few weeks for COP28, the latest United Nations climate confab, which started on Thursday. This is up from 49,704 at COP27 last year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and 38,457 at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Attendance has more than tripled since 2019. In COP’s early years, attendance averaged just 5,000.Whether this explosion is a sign that the world is taking climate change more seriously or just the bloat that naturally accumulates around gatherings of humans who control large pools of political and financial capital remains to be seen. Is COP Man devolving into Davos Man? The answer depends partly — but not entirely — on how much real progress gets made over the next few weeks.On that front, it’s difficult to be optimistic. Many of those 70,00...