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What you should know before visiting California State Parks Labor Day weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KSWB) -- Labor Day weekend has arrived with many setting their sights on outdoor adventures at California State Parks. Park officials say they are excited to welcome nature enthusiasts to the state’s diverse landscapes of trails, beaches, lakes, mountains and deserts. There's just one thing they wanted to encourage ahead of long-weekend festivities -- safety.“This Labor Day weekend, make the most of your outdoor adventures by putting safety first,” stated California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “By adhering to responsible recreation practices, safety and leveraging innovative tools, you can create unforgettable memories while preserving the natural beauty of California's state parks.” Exploring California State Parks just got easier — it’s as simple as three words The department is offering up safety tips to parkgoers as well as things to know before you go. Plan and preparePark officials say it's best to check for any current park updates, trail closu...

CRA fires 120 employees for claiming CERB benefits while still working

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says dozens of its employees have been fired after they claimed pandemic benefits while still working.In a statement put out Friday, the CRA reports that 120 people are no longer employed after an internal review found they inappropriately claimed the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).The agency began a case by case investigation at the end of June after noting 20 employees had been let go at the time due to reviews.“Out of the approximately 600 cases we can report that 120 individuals are no longer with the (CRA) as a result of this internal review,” reads a statement providing an update on the investigation. “The investigations and disciplinary processes continue.”The statement says police could be notified for certain cases if further investigation reveals an element of criminality.The CRA notes the 120 employees will all need to repay the amounts claimed if they haven’t already.Related:More than 1,000 Canadians...

Juri Vips gets 2nd chance in racing after use of racial slur nearly ended his career

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing knew its latest driver would be controversial, so much so that the social media manager turned off the ability to comment on posts announcing the hiring.Juri Vips, a 23-year-old from Estonia, will make his IndyCar debut this Sunday at Portland International Raceway and finish the season in the No. 30 Honda for RLL. He will also race next week’s finale in Monterey, California.Vips has been out of racing since June 2022 for using a racial slur while playing an online racing game with live viewers. He was a Formula One test driver and in the Red Bull system at the time, but was fired after an investigation.The transgression didn’t scare off Bobby Rahal, who tested Vips at Sebring last year, at Barber earlier this season, and has used him for simulator work for RLL.“It’s no secret that he made a mistake and paid a huge price,” Rahal said after announcing Vips’ hiring. “But people in Europe who I knew were very,...

Mom’s recipes at the heart of popular dumpling restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

Mother’s Dumplings, a family-owned restaurant located on Spadina Avenue in Toronto’s Chinatown, is known for its homemade dishes.Husband and wife duo, Zhen Feng and Richard Stuart, first opened the restaurant in 2005 on Huron Street, in a basement that housed a few tables.As it grew in popularity and rent increased, the owners decided to change spots to their current location.“[My wife] wanted to do a restaurant, and my statement was ‘no way, you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know what you’re getting into, over my dead body,’ and I’m still alive. So she won,” says Richard.Mother’s Dumplings on Spadina Avenue in Toronto’s Chinatown. CITYNEWSZhen used her mother’s homemade recipes from China to craft the perfect dumplings and dishes and named her restaurant Mother’s Dumplings in her honour.“When I was a teenager, I didn’t go out. I didn’t like to go out, hang around, p...

More than 85,000 highchairs are under recall after two dozen reports of falls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 85,000 highchairs sold at major retailers across North America are being recalled l over a fall hazard after a handful of injuries were reported, according to federal regulators.Toy and nursey product company TOMY International Inc. is recalling about 83,000 of its Boon Flair and Flair Elite Highchairs sold in the U.S. — and another 2,850 in Canada, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based distributor and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.According to this week’s recall notice, the bolts securing the seat of the now-recalled highchairs can loosen and allow the seat to detach from its pedestal. TOMY has received 34 reports of the chair separating from the base to date, the CPSC said Thursday, including two dozen falls that resulted in 11 injuries like bruising or scratches.The highchairs under recall were sold in-person and online through retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, Amazon and Walmart, TOMY and the CPSC said. The “Fla...

Online News Act could see Google, Meta pay combined $234 million to Canadian media

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal government has put a price tag on how much it would like to see Google and Facebook spend under an act requiring the tech giants to compensate media for news articles.Federal officials estimate Google would need to offer $172 million and Facebook $62 million in compensation to satisfy criteria they’re proposing be used to give exemptions under the Online News Act.The criteria listed as part of a draft set of regulations would allow compensation provided by tech giants to be both monetary and non-monetary.While the guidelines do not specify what non-monetary contributions would count, officials say training and advertising could wind up meeting the criteria.The draft regulations laying out the implementation of the law are subject to public consultation.However, in anticipation of the regulations Meta has already stripped Canadian news from its Facebook and Instagram platforms, while Google has made similar threats they’ve yet to act on.This report by...

Things to know about the latest court and policy action on transgender issues in the US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

On Friday, Texas became the most populous state with a ban in effect against gender-affirming care for minors.The law was allowed to kick in after a court ruling on Thursday, part of a flurry of action across the country on policies aimed at transgender people and their rights. A separate Texas ruling blocked a law that drag show performers feared would shut them down.Here’s a look at the latest developments and what’s next.TEXAS GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE BAN TAKES EFFECTIn its ruling Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court allowed a law banning gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors.The ruling is not final, but allows enforcement of the law while courts determine whether it’s constitutional. The decision is also a reversal of a lower court from the week before, when a state judge had said the law should be put on hold while it’s sorted out.Since 2021, 22 Republican-controlled states have passed laws restricting access to gend...

18 killed in a shootout with South African police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Eighteen suspects were killed in a shootout with South African police in a rural northern region on Friday.Police said their top officials, including the national commissioner of police, the deputy commissioner and the head of the elite Hawks unit were on their way to the scene of the shootout in the Makhado municipality in the Limpopo province.Police spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe gave no more immediate information but local media reported that the 18 killed were in a gang suspected of robbing armored vans carrying cash for banks, a common and often violent crime in South Africa that regularly leads to deadly shootouts.The shootings added to an horrific two days for the country after at least 74 people died in a fire in a rundown apartment complex in the city of Johannesburg in the predawn hours of Thursday.___AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africaGerald Imray, The Associated Press

2 bodies found at Chicago beaches on North Side: CPD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two separate bodies were recovered from beaches on the North Side Friday morning, police said. According to police, the body of an identified male was found near the 1000 block of West Columbia Avenue in Rogers Park at Columbia Beach around 5:45 a.m. and was pronounced dead on the scene. Shuttle bus driver, 80, critical after crash at O’Hare Airport In another incident, the body of an unidentified male was found near the 300 block of East Marine Drive around Montrose Beach at 7:40 a.m. and was also pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are conducting a death investigation for both occurances. WGN is actively following both incidents and will update as more information is provided.

ACC becomes the latest college conference to expand

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:50:51 GMT

CHARLOTTE — There is another conference that is expanding here in 2023, and this time it concerns one that's primarily on the East Coast. But now the Atlantic Coast Conference is going to have representation on the West Coast and Texas. The conference announced that the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and Southern Methodist University have been added as new members. All three schools will join the ACC in the 2024-2025 academic year, expanding the conference to 18 teams. Per numerous reports, the three schools were accepted by a vote of 12-3 from current ACC members.Previously, the conference had only gone as far west as Notre Dame, which has most of its spots participating in that conference. The farthest west football member of the ACC previously was Louisville.“We are thrilled to welcome three world-class institutions to the ACC, and we look forward to having them compete as part of our amazing league,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips in a statement. “T...