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UN nuclear agency seeks more access to the plant that Kyiv and Moscow say is under threat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The head of the United Nations nuclear agency said Friday he was pushing for access to the rooftops of reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, where Ukrainian officials accused Russia of planting explosives.Russia in turn accused Ukraine of planning to sabotage the plant. Neither side has provided any evidence for their claims of an imminent threat.The plant was seized by Russia in March 2022, in the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, raising fears of a nuclear accident. The Russians have cited security concerns in granting only limited access to officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency.Wrapping up a four-day visit to Japan, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told The Associated Press that the IAEA had recently gained access to more of the site, including the cooling pond and fuel storage areas.The Ukrainians had said those areas were mined by the Russians, but the IAEA found they were not, Grossi said.“It’s like a ...

Authorities charge 5 more in probe of child sexual abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses in Pennsylvania

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects.Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, at a Friday news conference, said that while the misconduct dates back years or even decades, “the trauma endures for these victims.” Henry did not address the church’s handling of complaints, but said the investigation would continue.Critics say that Jehovah’s Witnesses elders have treated child sexual abuse as a sin rather than a crime, documenting complaints in internal files but not reporting them to authorities. And they say the church often required a second witness to substantiate a complaint, a standard that can be impossible to meet when perpetrators often isolate their victims. Church spokesman Jarrod Lopes has challenged those conclusions, saying that e...

Cost of retrieving trapped boring machine under Toronto street balloons to $25M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

The City of Toronto appears to be out many millions of dollars as work continues to recover a tunnel boring machine that became stuck under a west-end street last year.The five metre long micro-tunneling machine became stuck in April 2022 during construction work to dig a new storm drain under Old Mill Drive near Bloor Street West.A report from city staff suggests the cost to retrieve the machine has now tripled to $25 million.“Several challenges were encountered during the ground stabilization work causing the emergency retrieval of the micro-tunnelling boring machine to become more complicated and take longer than originally anticipated,” reads the report.The retrieval of the machinery has taken six months longer than initially planned, which has attributed to the soaring cost of the project. The Purchase Order Amendment request from the city increases the total cost by approximately $16 million, bringing the initial cost of $9 million to around $25 million.The work on...

SNC-Lavalin to sell Scandinavian division in first big move in its strategic review

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. says it has made a deal to sell its Scandinavian engineering business to a French consulting firm, the first big move under its strategic review.SNC-Lavalin says the sale to Systra Group, which specializes in public transport, will yield about 80 million pounds, or roughly $136 million.SNC launched a strategic review in March, eyeing asset selloffs as the company looked to pivot away from cash-draining fixed-price construction contracts and sharpen its game as a pure-play engineering firm in green energy and infrastructure.As other possible divestitures, CEO Ian Edwards has pointed to SNC’s seven per cent stake in the Hwy. 407 toll road near Toronto and to Linxon, a joint venture with Hitachi Energy that focuses on electrical substations.RBC Dominion Securities analyst Sabahat Khan says the Scandinavian segment generated marginal profits and about $95 million in revenue annually — less than two per cent of SNC’s yearly total.The agreemen...

Boy, 16, arrested in North York carjacking; second suspect at-large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

Toronto police arrested a 16-year-old boy and continue to search for a second suspect, both accused of carjacking a woman’s high-end SUV back in May.On May 22, a 38-year-old woman parked her 2021 Aston Martin DBX and went into nearby store in the area of Yonge Street and Avondale Avenue near Highway 401.Police say two suspects who were waiting outside the store confronted the woman when she went back to her SUV and demanded the keys to the vehicle. One of the suspects had a handgun.The suspects then fled the area in her SUV, which has since been recovered.Investigators were able to identify one of the suspects and during a search warrant on Thursday took the male teen into custody.At the time of the search, officers also found a prohibited extended firearm magazine and other evidence related to the investigation.The teen, who is from Toronto, faces seven charges, including Disguise With Intent, Unauthorized Possession of Prohibited Device, and two counts of Possession Property...

Cook County ending livestreaming of court proceedings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Cook County is ending livesteaming court proceedings on YouTube, citing that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.As a result of the pandemic in 2020, the county began live streaming all court proceedings, allowing family and media to attend online.In addition to the ending of the national COVID-19 emergency, the county also cited "rogue actors" that have disrupted court.While viewing court online, Cook County states that it's against the law to record the proceedings. In their statement below, the county claims the livestreaming can "create a permanent electronic record." Court docs: Little Village father accused of killing wife, daughter agreed to rehab prior to shooting; no bail "The Circuit Court of Cook County announced today that, effective July 17, 2023, court proceedings will no longer be livestreamed.During the COVID-19 pandemic and under restrictions of the National Health Emergency and the State of Illinois Public Health Emergency, the court employed technological en...

Boy, 14, charged with carjacking in Auburn Gresham

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

CHICAGO -- A 14-year-old boy is facing felony charges after an armed carjacking that took place in the city's Auburn Gresham neighborhood last month. According to police, the boy was positively identified Thursday in the 1200 block of West 69th Street as the individual who forcefully took a vehicle at gunpoint from a 47-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man. Pat Fitzgerald gets a suspension after Northwestern hazing investigation The incident took place in the 1100 block of West 78th Street on June 19th. The boy was taken into custody and charged accordingly. There was no additional information provided.

Marcus Stroman on his decision not pitch in the MLB All-Star Game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

MILWAUKEE — As it turns out, Cubs fans won't see one of their All-Stars take part in the "Midsummer Classic" next week.After pitching against the Brewers on Thursday in Milwaukee, Marcus Stroman told reporters that he won't be doing the same in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Seattle. This comes after a busy start to 2023 in which he pitched in the World Baseball Classic and made 19 starts for the Cubs in his second season in Chicago."It's been a lot since WBC, coming into this year, I've made every start, which I'm thankful for, grateful for, everyone that's been involved," said Stroman on Marquee Sports Network, who listed a number of Cubs staff members in thanking them for keeping him healthy this season. "It's been a huge process, so very thankful for everybody who has helped me get to this point."But definitely looking forward to having a little bit of a break. Kinda just restoring my energy, clearing my mind, and have a good second half."Stroman also said that he may not travel to ...

Pritzker announces $40B investments in state transportation investments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Commuter trains, roads, and other forms of transportation will see tens of billions of dollars in investments across Illinois over the next several years.Over the next six years, Governor JB Pritzker says more than $40 billion dollars will be invested in improving all modes of transportation calling it the largest construction project in state history.The announcement, made Friday morning in Springfield by Pritzker, Illinois’ Secretary of Transportation and members of the general assembly.Officials say the program is a “blueprint to improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports, waters, bike and pedestrian accommodations over the next six years.” What qualifies for an AMBER Alert in Illinois? According to information released by the state, the fiscal year 2023 “annual highway improvement program” totals nearly four billion dollars…and will be significantly larger than years past.  In the 2023 fiscal year, officials expect improvements to 900 highway mile...

Olympian Nikki McCray-Penson, who won 2 basketball gold medals, dies at 51

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:57 GMT

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and former ABL MVP Nikki McCray-Penson has died. She was 51.McCray-Penson was an assistant women's basketball coach at Rutgers last season and the school on Friday confirmed her death. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013.She joined Dawn Staley as an assistant coach at South Carolina from 2008-17. She was part of the Gamecocks’ first national championship in 2017.McCray-Penson won gold medals with the U.S. women's basketball team at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. The 1996 team sparked the formation of the WNBA and ABL. She played in the ABL and won MVP honors in 1997 before heading over to the WNBA. McCray-Penson was a three-time All-Star in that league while playing for the Washington Mystics. Olympic medal-winning sprinter Tori Bowie dies at 32 She played eight seasons in the WNBA before retiring in 2006. She was an assistant coach at Western Kentucky for three seasons.McCray-Penson then became the head coach at Old Dominion for three season...