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Air Canada vomit incident sparks anger among Canadians fed up with subpar service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

MONTREAL — Experts say the outrage sparked by news of a passenger incident involving a vomit-smeared airplane seat reflects a broader frustration with flight operations in Canada.On Tuesday, Air Canada said it apologized to two passengers who were escorted off the plane by security after protesting that their seats were soiled — and still wet.The airline said the customers did not receive the proper standard of care ahead of the Aug. 26 flight from Las Vegas to Montreal.In a Facebook post that has since gone viral, Susan Benson of New Brunswick said she was in the row behind the two women, who asked for blankets and wipes to clean the area themselves before a pilot told them they could either leave the plane voluntarily or be escorted off by security and placed on a no-fly list due to rude behaviour — a characterization Benson rejected.John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says the plane never should have been dispatched, given what he dubbed a biohazard...

Montreal-area police equip schoolchildren with backpacks that display speed cameras

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

MONTREAL — Children in Quebec are becoming living speed cameras as a way to get drivers to slow down in school zones.Police in the Montreal area are equipping a handful of schoolchildren with backpacks that display passing vehicles’ speeds.The demonstrations are part of a series of measures municipalities are deploying to better secure school zones this year.The City of Montreal is launching biweekly police operations to crack down on dangerous driving around schools.It’s also raising sidewalks and reducing the size of lanes on streets by dozens of schools to improve safety and calm traffic.Efforts to make Montreal school zones safer took on renewed urgency last December when a seven-year-old girl who had recently arrived from Ukraine was killed in a hit-and-run on her way to class.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Field Museum's ID Day returns Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Anyone wondering if a recent rock they collected could be something more can get it identified by scientists Saturday at the Field Museum.Scientists will work to identify any clean and dry animal bones, fossils, rocks, meteorites, seashells and photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects.The event returns for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. in the Field Museum's main hall.Saturday is also a free admission day for Illinois residents. This summer was a global record breaker for high heat, meteorologists say Even if you do not have an item to bring in, the museum's scientists will have specimens on display to see and touch.

Federal lawsuit over Chicago Fire training facility in court Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

CHICAGO — City of Chicago and federal housing lawyers are defending Wednesday leased land to the Chicago Fire soccer club.The federal lawsuit was brought by a coalition of community based groups that say the land should be used for housing.The hearing was trying to decide whether or not those groups have legal standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place. The judge said he would make a decision at a later date.The 23 acres of land is owned by the Chicago Housing Authority on the Near West Side.Near the end of her term, Lori Lightfoot pushed a lease with the Chicago Fire. The soccer club paid $8 million to lease the land for 40 years to build a training facility.The coalition of community based groups sued to try and say the city is reneging on a promise to build close to 800 housing units.Attorneys for CHA say it still plans to build the housing just on a smaller footprint, and doesn't need the acrage leased to the Fire. Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, signed off on the d...

Wednesday Forecast: Temps in mid 80s with isolated afternoon showers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Scattered thunderstorms Wednesday morning will give way to partly cloudy skies by midday.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here A Flash Flood Warning issued for southern Cook County, including Orland Park, Tinley Park and Chicago Heights, and parts of Will County expired at 9:45 a.m.The rain complicated the morning commute, causing crashes and delays on area expressways and tollways. ComEd is reporting over 3,000 are without power due to storms in Illinois, and just over 1,000 in Northwest Indiana.Isolated showers are possible late this afternoon as temperatures fall from highs in the mid-80s to the upper 70s for the evening commute.  Isolated showers are possible this evening, then temperatures fall into the mid-60s under mostly cloudy skies.  Future Forecast: Thursday and Friday will stay mostly cloudy with inland highs in the lower 70s, but mid to upper 60s lakeside.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Thieves call rideshare after ransacking California Macy's store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (KTLA) – Four people who allegedly ransacked a Macy’s store in Southern California were arrested after calling a rideshare driver to pick them up on Tuesday, authorities said.The suspects were identified as Louie Velasco of South Gate, Jocelyn Mendoza of Simi Valley, and Sherry Rogers and Marlon Deleon, both from Los Angeles. Video captures mob of thieves ransacking Nordstrom Rack At around 12 p.m., the thieves were seen allegedly grabbing merchandise from the Macy's department store at the Brea Mall in Brea, California, police said. One suspect had prompted suspicion from police earlier in the day and backup was called, unbeknownst to the thieves.As the suspects exited the store to a getaway vehicle, patrol cars had already been waiting outside. The suspects sped away from the parking lot, leading officers on a high-speed pursuit.Police said they drove through the streets recklessly and “our officers were not able to keep up.”The suspects eventually stopped ...

Maryland cop suspended after video appears to show him kiss woman, get in SUV with her

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) – The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) said late Tuesday afternoon that it suspended an officer who appeared to be kissing someone, then getting into the back seat of a department SUV with her in a video. Prince George’s County college student attending Norfolk State University shot, killed The suspension of Cpl. Francesco Marlett came hours after PGPD acknowledged the video on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post said the department opened an investigation into the matter after its executive command found out about the video featuring Marlett, which was circulating on social media.Norma Santos brings her children to Southlawn Neighborhood Park often. She said she was surprised and disappointed to hear that a uniformed officer would do that in a place where children are. "I was like, 'Oh, my God. There's kids around here at the time and all the time, and he didn't care and it was not dark,'" she said. "He doesn't respect the unif...

How do spaghetti plots work? Here's how forecasters predict the paths of hurricanes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

(WGHP) – Hurricane Idalia left behind a trail of damage in Florida’s Big Bend and dumped heavy rain across the Southeast, but how were forecasters able to forecast Idalia’s landfall and the storm’s journey back out into the Atlantic?What is the cone of uncertainty? Example of the cone of uncertainty for Hurricane Idalia. (WGHP)The cone of uncertainty is drawn by the National Hurricane Center to show the possible forecast track and intensity of a tropical system. The cone shows the most likely track for specifically the center of the tropical system. This means that impacts will be felt even outside of the cone since it only tracks the center of a system. According to the National Hurricane Center, the center of a tropical system is expected to remain within the cone of uncertainty 60% to 70% of the time, based on their forecast path accuracy over the past five years. One of the ways forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are able to draw the cone, or the fo...

Paw Patrol snacks in UK recalled over link to site featuring porn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

(WTRF/NEXSTAR) – A supermarket chain in the United Kingdom has recalled Paw Patrol-branded snacks after the URL listed on the back of the packaging was compromised and redirected visitors to website featuring pornographic material.Lidl GB is recalling all batches of the four Paw Patrol-branded products, which all come in 5-count quantities. (Courtesy of Lidl)Recall products are: Paw Patrol All Butter Mini Biscotti BiscuitsPaw Patrol Choco Chip Mini Biscotti BiscuitsPaw Patrol Yummy Bake Bars RaspberryPaw Patrol Yummy Bake Bars AppleThe website, which is not safe for work, redirects to a white screen with a message in Chinese. If the website is accessed on a mobile device, however, it loads several pornographic ads, TechCrunch reported. RECALL: 245K+ pounds of Banquet meals may contain plastic bits Lidl is asking customers to refrain from visiting the URL and to return the products to the nearest store for a full refund. The company has so far not reported any U.S. products being a...

Kentucky bus driver retires after $100K lottery win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:04:57 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDKY) — A longtime bus driver has retired after discovering he won the Kentucky Lottery Powerball.Lottery officials said James Keown has worked as a school bus driver for Jefferson County Public Schools for 11 years.He purchased a ticket from a Circle K in Louisville for the Aug. 19 drawing, according to the lottery. The next morning, he noticed all but one number matched.The lucky ticket matched four white ball numbers and the Powerball to win the game’s $50,000 prize. Keown chose to add the Power Play feature, multiplying his winnings by the Power Play number drawn. Therefore, his winnings were multiplied by two.“I called my boss on Sunday, and I told him, ‘I hit the lottery and I’m not coming back,'" James Keown said. "I loved my job, but I’d been thinking about retiring for a while.”Keown and his wife claimed the prize on the Monday following the Powerball drawing, and he walked away with a check for $71,500 after taxes.The couple told lottery officials they've ...