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California governor vetoes bill requiring custody courts to weigh affirmation of gender identity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have required judges to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions.In announcing his veto Friday night, Newsom released a statement saying he has “a deep commitment to advancing the rights of transgender Californians” that has guided his decisions while in office. “That said, I urge caution when the Executive and Legislative branches of state government attempt to dictate — in prescriptive terms that single out one characteristic — legal standards for the Judicial branch to apply. Other-minded elected officials, in California and other states, could very well use this strategy to diminish the civil rights of vulnerable communities,” the governor’s statement said. The bill would have made gender affirmation one factor among many that courts already have to consider in custody proceedings, including whether a parent has been ...

Death of B.C. Mountie casts pall over law enforcement across Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

The death of a Metro Vancouver RCMP officer who was shot dead while executing a search warrant is reverberating with law enforcement officials across the country.The National Police Federation, which represents RCMP members across Canada, says it has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign for the family of Const. Rick O’Brien, 51, who died yesterday in Coquitlam, B.C.Kevin Halwa, chair of the federation’s Benevolent Foundation, says calling the mood in the law enforcement community sombre “would be an understatement.”Halwa says the tragedy is a powerful reminder of the risks police officers take on in their daily work once they “step up to serve.”Police say two other officers were injured in the incident, and a suspect in his 20s was also shot and is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Condolences from a number of law enforcement officials and agencies have poured in on social media, including federal Justice Minister Arif Virani, th...

Pope blames weapons industry for Russia-Ukraine war and ‘martyrdom’ of Ukrainian people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday labeled the weapons industry as being a key driver of the “martyrdom” of Ukraine’s people in Russia’s war, saying even the withholding of weapons now is going to continue their misery.Francis appeared to refer to Poland’s recent announcement that it is no longer sending arms to Ukraine when he was asked about the war during brief remarks to reporters while returning home from Marseille, France.Francis acknowledged he was frustrated that the Vatican’s diplomatic initiatives hadn’t borne much fruit. But he said behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict was also the weapons industry.He described the paradox that was keeping Ukraine a “martyred people” — that at first many countries gave Ukraine weapons and now are taking them away. Francis has long denounced the weapons industry as “merchants of death,” but he has also asserted the right of countries to defend themselves.“I’ve seen now that some countries are pulling back, and...

Flamingos in Wisconsin? Tropical birds visit Lake Michigan beach in a first for the northern state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) — Five flamingos that showed up in Wisconsin to wade along a Lake Michigan beach attracted a big crowd of onlookers eager to see the unusual visitors venturing far from their usual tropical setting.The American flamingos spotted Friday in Port Washington, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Milwaukee, marked the first sighting of the species in Wisconsin state history, said Mark Korducki, a member of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.The birds stood quietly 25 feet (7.6 meters) off Lake Michigan’s western shoreline as waves lapped against their thin legs. Three were adults, identifiable by their pink plumage, and two were juveniles clad in gray.Jim Edelhuber of Waukesha was among a crowd of about 75 bird enthusiasts drawn to the city’s South Beach after word spread on social media about the flamingos’ appearance there.“This is huge. This is unbelievable,” said Edelhuber, an avid bird watche...

15-year-old critical after driver crashes stolen Kia into John Deere tractor in Joliet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — A 15-year-old is in critical condition after a 15-year-old boy crashed a stolen Kia into a John Deere tractor parked on the side of the rode in Joliet Saturday morning.According to the Joliet Police Department, officers were called to the area of Ingalls Avenue and Krings Lane around 4:23 a.m. for a report of a single vehicle crash with injuries. When officers arrived on scene, they found two 15-year-olds, one the driver of the crashed vehicle, and the other a passenger.The driver and the passenger were both taken to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center, where the passenger was transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago in critical condition.The driver was taken into police custody without incident before being taken to Ascension St. Joseph, and after being released from the hospital, was taken by police to the River Valley Justice Center. Police: 2 teens killed in Palatine shooting were victims of targeted, gang-related incident Preliminary investigation s...

Brookfield Zoo receives $40M donation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

BROOKFIELD, Ill. — The Brookfield Zoo announced this week that it received the largest single private contribution in the organization's history.According to the Chicago Zoological Society, the zoo received a $40 million private contribution from a family who wishes to remain anonymous. The zoological society says the generous donation is the largest the zoo has received in its 89-year history. The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the Brookfield Zoo, made the announcement in a news release on Tuesday. Incoming CPD superintendent meets with Police and Fire Committee According to officials, the contribution will support the construction of new animal habitats that will be revealed in early 2024, as well as the ongoing construction of the zoo's Tropical Forests habitat, which is an expansion on the current Tropical World habitat that will feature four new outdoor areas for apes and monkeys."This gift bolsters our ability to create an exceptional future for Brookfield Zo...

Honolulu resident claims strangers emerged from storm manhole on his property

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

HONOLULU (KHON) – City officials in Honolulu are sharing a safety message with the public: Stay out of the city’s storm drain system. This comes after a homeowner claims two strangers suddenly popped up out of a manhole on his property this week.It is not a typical complaint to the city: A homeowner in Kaimuki said he was in his garage around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday when he started to hear noises coming from his backyard. The residents of the home wished to remain anonymous, but they told Nexstar's KHON a man and a woman emerged from the storm manhole located on their private property. 19-year-old dangling from tallest bridge in California rescued Ian Scheuring, the deputy communications director for the Honolulu Mayor's Office, said this is the first incident of its kind the department has received. They are taking the matter seriously, he said."Storm drains are not places where people should be hanging out or traversing from one location to the next,” Scheuring said. "We do have an ea...

Some providers are dropping gender-affirming care for kids even in cases where it's legal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — As Republican-led states have rushed to ban gender-affirming for minors, some families with transgender children found a bit of solace: At least they lived in states that would allow those already receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy to continue.But in some places, including Missouri and North Dakota, the care has abruptly been halted because medical providers are wary of harsh liability possibilities from those same laws — one of multiple reasons that advocates say care has become harder to access even where it remains legal.“It was a completely crushing blow,” said Becky Hormuth, whose 16-year-old son was receiving treatment from the Washington University Gender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital until it stopped the care for minors this month. Hormuth cried. Her son cried, too.“There was some anger there, not towards the doctors, not toward Wash U. Our anger is towards the politicians,” she said. “They don’t see our children. They say the health car...

Report: AMPTP, WGA negotiations in “home stretch” 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

The Writers Guild of America is in the final phase of negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios and streaming services, according to reports.  An industry insider told Variety that the talks are “mainly down to language now” and that negotiations are in the "home stretch." Negotiation meetings between the sides have made considerable progress in recent weeks, which may be contributed to the presence of four top executives: Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos.  ‘Are you going to miss your mom?’ boy from viral video reunites with reporter The proposed three-year project would bring an end to one of the longest strikes in Hollywood history; the WGA has been on strike since May 2 – 144 days ago. Representatives from SAG-AFTRA are still hammering out a deal with AMPTP and are looking to end their picketing that started in mid-July. 

Woman who has never used a cell phone stuck with $2,221 bill for iPhones she never ordered

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:11 GMT

Debby Setzer-Ortelt called Better Call Behnken for help after her mother, Donna Ortelt, ended up with a gigantic cell phone bill—even though she's never even used a cell phone. "My mother has never had a cell phone, nor does she want one," Setzer-Ortelt told KTLA sister station WFLA. Setzer-Ortelt says this mess started in July when with the delivery of a cell phone with no paperwork. Weeks later, two more iPhones arrived.Then a mysterious letter came, explaining it was a mistake and asking her to send the phones to an address in Texas. What the women say happened mirrors a known phone scheme, previously reported by Better Call Behnken, to steal phones and stick victims with the bill. Californians in these counties may still have to pay taxes Spectrum accepted one phone and erased the bill, and Setzer-Ortlet says she dropped off the T-Mobile phones a company store, but her calls to the company to figure out the bill went nowhere."I would try calling them but because I didn't have ...