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Pilot program seeks to reward companies that better protect temporary foreign workers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Ottawa is introducing a new three-year pilot program that would incentivize employers to follow worker-protection rules by making it easier for them to hire temporary foreign workers.Under the pilot program, companies with a good track record would only need to prove that they require temporary foreign workers every three years, instead of every 18 months.The employer’s trusted status would also be flagged to potential workers in the government’s job bank.The temporary foreign worker program is designed to attract workers from abroad to fill short-term labour market gaps in cases where no Canadians or permanent residents are available.Employment Minister Randy Randy Boissonnault, who made the announcement today, says employers involved in the pilot program will need to go through a more rigorous upfront assessment.Agricultural companies will be able to apply to be part of the pilot in September, and all other employers will be eligible in January.

Docs: 9-year-old Portage Park girl intentionally shot in head after buying ice cream; father tackles gunman

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

CHICAGO — Serabi Medina was gunned down intentionally after buying ice cream for herself and her father Saturday night in Portage Park, court documents reveal.At around 9:20 p.m. Saturday in the 3500 block of North Long Avenue, Medina, 9, was riding her scooter on the sidewalk as her father talked with three friends outside of their residence.One of her father's friends gave her money to buy ice cream from a nearby truck. Documents state Medina purchased ice cream for herself and her father.A few minutes later, a shot rang out in the area. Documents state Medina's father told her to take her scooter and go back inside their apartment. As she approached the front door of her apartment building, Michael Goodman, 43, who lives across the street, emerged allegedly holding a firearm.The friends and father witnessed Goodman walk across the street with the gun. The father asked what Goodman was doing and was ignored, documents state.Goodman then allegedly followed Medina toward the vestibu...

VIDEO: Illinois State Police release bodycam of Rockford man’s in-custody death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois State Police have released body cam video of the arrest of Lamar Bell, who died in police custody during an arrest in Rockford in July.According to ISP, a trooper pulled a vehicle over near the intersection of 10th Avenue and Kishwaukee Street around 7:59 p.m. on July 17th.Bell, 33, was placed in police custody. While at the scene, police said “Bell began exhibiting signs of a medical emergency associated with the consumption of narcotics. Narcotics were also found in the vehicle.”The hour-long bodycam video shows Bell admitting to ingesting several baggies worth of cocaine he claims he "just bought" prior to the traffic stop.In the video, Bell begins exhibiting excited behavior during his questioning and complaining about his heart, asking officers to call an ambulance. Medical personnel arrived at the scene within 10 minutes and began administering aid.Bell was taken to UW SwedishAmerican. According to the Winnebago County Coroner, he was prono...

Lucky Heartland: Illinois and Missouri shine as lottery jackpot havens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

CHICAGO - If you hope to strike it rich through Powerball or Mega Millions, your odds aren't great, but they might be better in Illinois and Missouri compared to other states. New data from two gambling-based websites - Bet MGM and Jackpocket - shows that Missouri is one of the best states to win a Powerball jackpot and Illinois is one of the best to win a Mega Millions jackpot. According to Bet MGM, 31 lottery players in Missouri have taken home the Powerball's largest prize, second-most of any U.S. state and only trailing Indiana. Bet MGM adds that five players in Missouri have won a top prize of at least $200 million and the largest winner in the state won nearly $600 million. According to Jackpocket, 14 lottery players in Illinois have taken home the Mega Millions' largest prize, seventh-most of any U.S. state. New York has the most jackpots won with 43, but Illinois is one of at least nine states with double-digit Mega Millions jackpot winner. Jackpocket adds the last Mega Mill...

COVID hospitalizations jump again: Maps show where it's worst

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

SPRINGFIELD – For the second week in a row, the number of people being admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 rose significantly, by more than 12%.An additional 9,056 people were hospitalized with the virus last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – that represents a 12.5% jump. The summer wave started a few weeks ago. Last week, the number of new hospitalizations was up 12.1%.In about two dozen states, the surge in hospitalizations is far more than 12%. Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming all saw more than a 20% increase in new COVID hospitalizations. Map: Does your drinking water contain ‘forever chemicals’? New Hampshire saw the biggest jump in a single week – 96%, or a near doubling in the number of people being admitted. Hover over your state on the map (below) to see the percent inc...

August 8 is National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day, but why?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN Live's top headlines for Aug. 8, 2023(KXAN) -- Got some zucchini lying around? You could make zucchini bread, or pasta with it. Or you could sneak it onto your neighbor's porch. Seriously. After all, Aug. 8 is National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day. National Today describes the holiday as a day for farmers and gardeners to off-load the "way too much" of the vegetable they may have on their hands Aug. 8, which falls in the midst of peak zucchini season. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the vegetable's fertility spawned the holiday. "Every gardener who has grown zucchini knows that this time of year vines go crazy producing hundreds of tiny squash," the Almanac's website says. "They quickly grow to gargantuan size if not picked."Thus, Thomas Roy designated Aug. 8 as National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. Roy also invented No Socks Day and Humbug Day, according to National Today. The exact...

Lower humidity and higher wind speeds keep the wildfire danger critical

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Most highs today will peak at around 103° to 107°, just like the last two days. Most heat index readings will peak up to 106° to 110°. Today will be the 33rd day in a row of a triple-digit high and the 48th day this season.Central Texas is facing several afternoons of much lower humidity along with increasing wind gusts. The humidity has been lowering into the teens and 20s for several afternoons. Drier air keeps the wildfire threat BLOG: When will 100º days end in Austin? Gusty winds hamper firefighting effortsAn Excessive Heat Warning and Heat Advisory are again in place until 9 p.m. in the same areas we've seen them for the last several days. The Excessive Heat Warning is for all except Blanco and Gillespie Counties. Every county under this Red Flag WarningA Red Flag Warning is in place until 11 p.m. Any fires that start will spread rapidly given ongoing weather and drought conditions.Tuesday's wildfire danger: high to very high across all countiesTomorrow's ...

Austin-based business making strides toward Alzheimer’s disease treatment

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  An Austin-based pharmaceutical company is making promising strides toward developing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Cassava Sciences has been researching neurodegenerative conditions for over a decade. In a recent trial, one of their medications – simufilam – showed slowed cognitive decline by 38% in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease who had the medication versus patients taking a placebo. “In my opinion, that's a remarkable finding,” CEO and president of Cassava Sciences, Remi Barbier, said. “Alzheimer's makes cancer look like child's play. What we're talking about is a brain with over three billion cells, all of which are interconnected, starting to act up and decay. How do you treat 3 billion anything? It's very, very difficult,” Barbier added. More often in clinical trials, one group will receive the experimental medication while another group will receive a placebo – something like a sugar pill or saline injection ...

Teen who shot 12-year-old brother in St. Paul released from custody pending further investigation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

A 14-year-old boy who fatally shot his 12-year-old brother last weekend at a home on St. Paul’s North End was released from custody Tuesday without charges after prosecutors say there was not “sufficient evidence to proceed with a charging determination.”The Ramsey County attorney’s office said in a Tuesday afternoon statement it has returned the case to St. Paul police “following a careful review of the evidence presented by law enforcement.”“The RCAO will make a charging determination at a future date should additional investigative information become available,” the statement said. “Based upon this decision by the RCAO, the youth will be released from custody.”Police said Tuesday the investigation is still active and remains open.Denisha Hill, the mother of both boys, told the Pioneer Press on Monday that Saturday’s shooting was “a terrible accident.” Although she said she doesn’t know exactly what happened, she thinks her 14-year-old was playing with the gun and didn’t kno...

Fringe review: ‘Wells is Third on the Waitlist’ is clever, nerdy and delightfully self-referential

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:25:20 GMT

Worth consideringComedian Wells Farnham, who for years has been waitlisted, finally won the Fringe lottery and got his own show. He never thought this day would come — which, now, is the problem. During this clever and self-referential comedy set, a world-weary and delightfully public-policy-obsessed Farnham becomes increasingly unhinged as he tries to figure out what his Fringe show should be about. “Wells is Third on the Waitlist” truly did come together somewhat last-minute, and that’s apparent. But Farnham’s jokes are smart, his writing is mostly tight and sharp, and his outraged delivery is just fun to watch. The show is a sleeper hit.Presented by Wells Farnham at Augsburg Studio; 10 p.m. Aug. 8, 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11, 10 p.m. Aug. 12Still unsure of what to see? Check out all our Fringe reviews here.The Minnesota Fringe Festival turns 30 this year, presenting 101 hourlong stage acts from Aug. 3-13 at theaters throughout Minneapolis. Pioneer Press reporters will post the...