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B.C. Rogers technicians give strong strike mandate amid concerns over Shaw job losses

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

Nearly 300 former Shaw technicians absorbed by Rogers Communications Inc. during the companies’ merger have overwhelmingly voted to strike amid concerns over job security following recent layoffs and voluntary departures.The union representing the workers, who are based in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and Langley, B.C., said those job losses call into question Rogers’ commitment to create 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada over five years — a federally mandated condition of the $26-billion takeover.United Steelworkers union (USW) spokesman Jayson Little said the bargaining unit has seen declining membership over the past five years, which he blamed on the company increasing its reliance on contractors.“It’s not like the work has disappeared,” he said. “They’ve just started to rely more and more on contractors to do that work.”The members of USW Local 1944 Unit 60 are primarily technicians that support homes and businesses for internet, ph...

Bermuda probes major cyberattack as officials slowly bring operations back online

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Bermuda’s premier said Thursday that the government is slowly restoring operations after being hit by a “very sophisticated” cyberattack a week ago.An in-depth forensic audit is underway to determine how the attack occurred, and so far, experts have not uncovered evidence that sensitive data was stolen, Premier David Burt said.He declined to say whether it was a ransomware attack.“This remains a very sensitive matter,” he said.Some email functionality has returned, Burt said, adding that he expects the government switchboard to be fully functional by Monday.Services like the government payroll system, however, are still not running properly.“It’s been a challenge,” he said of efforts to restore government operations affected by the attack that occurred late at night on Sept. 20.Burt noted that while not all systems were affected, the government took everything offline out of precaution.He said the government is building a new network with help from overs...

Alleged prowler arrested, followed young girl home in east end: police

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

Toronto police have charged a man after he allegedly followed a young girl home and trespassed at another residence in the city’s east end.On Tuesday, investigators were notified of a reported harassment in the Queen Street East and Woodbine Avenue area.  It’s alleged a young girl was followed from a bus stop to her home by the accused.On Thursday, police said the accused was in the rear yard of a residence in the Queen Street East and Victoria Park Avenue area. Officers arrived at the scene and arrested the man.He was identified as 57-year-old Allan Jacobson of no fixed address. He’s facing multiple charges, including harassment by following, prowling by night and failing to comply with a release order.He was slated for a court appearance earlier this morning.Police have released his photo and say they’re concerned there could be additional victims.

6 women are rescued from a refrigerated truck in France after distress call to a BBC reporter

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Six female migrants trapped inside a refrigerated food truck were rescued by French police after one of the women was able to make contact with a reporter, the BBC and French authorities said Thursday.The women — four Vietnamese and two Iraqis — hid for hours in a truck loaded with boxes of bananas in northern France, believing the vehicle was on its way to the U.K. or Ireland. When they realized that the truck was going in the wrong direction, they started to panic in the cold and cramped, dark space. One of them managed to reach a reporter with the BBC’s Vietnamese service in London who helped the women alert French police Wednesday.French prosecutor Laetitia Francart said the truck driver, who was in fact heading for Italy, was not at fault. The women told investigators that the driver wasn’t involved, “saying that they climbed aboard the truck thinking they were going to England because of the Irish registration plates,” Francart said in a statement. “After s...

House Republicans hold first Biden impeachment inquiry at first hearing

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have insisted for months that they have the grounds to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. On Thursday, they began formally making their case to the public and their skeptical colleagues in the Senate.The chairmen of Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means held the opening hearing of their impeachment inquiry by reviewing the constitutional and legal questions surrounding their investigation of Biden and what they say are links to his son Hunter's overseas businesses."Based on the evidence, Congress has a duty to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden's corruption," Rep. James Comer, the Oversight chairman, said in a statement this week.Comer added that the committee plans to "present evidence uncovered to date and hear from legal and financial experts about crimes the Bidens may have committed as they brought in millions at the expense of U.S. interests." More SNAP changes coming Oct. 1 It's a high-stakes opening ac...

Merriam-Webster adds word first used on 'The Simpsons' to dictionary

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Merriam-Webster announced this week that hundreds of new terms and words have been added to its dictionary, including popular slang, gaming and digital-world terms.A total of 690 words have been added, all of which are said to have demonstrated their "widespread use" in recent years.“We’re very excited by this new batch of words,” said Peter Sokolowski, the editor at large for Merriam-Webster, in a statement included with Wednesday's press release. “We hope there is as much insight and satisfaction in reading them as we got from defining them.” 'Shower orange’ and ‘mountweazel’ among new terms officially added to Dictionary.com Among the new terms, many were adopted from slang, including "doggo," another word for dog, or "GOATED," an acronym-based word to describe something considered to be the "greatest of all time." Technology and science were also major driving factors in the latest update, with words like "smishing" (SMS phishing) and "UAP" (unexpla...

Bone broth sold at Costco recalled due to possible 'microbial contamination'

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A brand of bone broth sold at Costco retailers has been recalled due to possible “microbial contamination,” according to a letter recently provided to Costco members.The product, Culinary Treasures Organic Chicken Bone Broth, was sold by Costco between Sept. 8, 2022, and Sept. 22, 2023. The recall affects the individual 32-ounce cartons and multi-carton “club packs,” according to a recall notice issued by TreeHouse Foods, which produces the item.“The product may have the potential for non-pathogenic microbial contamination, which may result in product bloating, shortened shelf-life and potential for early spoilage,” the notice stated.Affected packages are printed the UPC numbers 67200055858 (carton) or 67200055865 (club pack). They also bear the lot code 98E08242 and a best-by date of Feb. 23, 2024. Costco says its 1-ounce gold bars are selling out fast Costco's recall webpage further indicates that the affected products were sold at “select” warehouses in Costco’s sou...

Police searching for person of interest in downtown Austin stabbing of minor

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is seeking the public's help finding a person of interest in connection to the stabbing of a minor in downtown Austin early Thursday, the agency said in a news release.At approximately 5:40 a.m., 911 dispatch received an urgent service call in the 200 block of West Avenue, according to police. Officer and Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the scene and found a victim with stab wounds.In a social media post, the Austin Police Association said a minor was on his way to work near the Seaholm District and was "brutally attacked" by the suspect. Furthermore, the association said this was a random act.The minor was taken to a local hospital with non-serious injuries, according to police.The person of interest is described by police as:Race: UnknownMaleHe was last seen carrying a brown/gray backpack, and wearing a turquoise-colored head covering, a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes.Anyone with any information may submit their tip an...

High school football: Week 5 predictions

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

Here are some of Friday’s top high school football games involving East Metro and Western Wisconsin teams:Forest Lake (3-1) at Stillwater (3-1), 7 p.m.The winner of this game is firmly in the driver seat for a No. 1 seed in sections and the Metro East subdistrict crown. Forest Lake’s ground-and-pound game versus Stillwater’s passing attack is the billing, but Stillwater beat the Rangers last year thanks to a strong rushing performance. Can the Rangers control the trenches this time around? OUR PICK: Forest Lake 24, Stillwater 21Robbinsdale Armstrong (4-0) at St. Thomas Academy (3-1), 7 p.m.The Northstar-East-Maroon subdistrict title could very well be on the line Friday in the matchup between a pair of ranked Class 5A teams. St. Thomas Academy’s Week 1 loss is now a distant memory as the defense has tightened the screws. The game will feature a pair of standout runners in St. Thomas Academy’s Savion Hart and Robbinsdale Armstrong’s Kevon Johnson. OUR PICK: St. Thomas Academy 3...

Twins fall to Athletics 2-1 in final home game of the regular season

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:41:39 GMT

Eighty-one home games have come and gone. The next time the Twins step out onto Target Field for a game, it will be for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.Sonny Gray made his final pitching start of the regular season, and Kenta Maeda his first appearance this year out of the bullpen in the Twins’ 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at Target Field as the Twins continue to get themselves prepared for the postseason.Like Pablo López a day before him, Gray, who is on tap to start the second game of the Wild Card Series for the Twins (85-74), was scheduled for a shorter-than-normal start. This one lasted four innings, with Gray giving up just a run. With it, he lowered his season earned-run average ever so slightly from 2.80 to 2.79.That ERA is second in the American League among qualified starters behind Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. It ranks third overall in the majors. For Gray, who took the ball every five days, and finished with 184 innings pitched, it’s the most starts he made s...