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Privacy, rights commissions says Ontario needs to develop ‘guardrails’ on public sector use of AI

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

Ontario should put in place “effective guardrails” on the public sector’s use of artificial intelligence technologies, the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Ontario Human Rights Commission said Thursday in a joint statement.The government must urgently develop “robust and granular” rules so it can reap the benefits of AI technologies in an ethically responsible manner, the two bodies said in the statement.“AI technologies have great potential to benefit society in terms of improved health, education, public safety, and social and economic prosperity,” they wrote.“However, they have also been shown to be unsafe when not effectively governed.”A spokesperson for the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery said the government is developing a trustworthy AI framework “that will ensure the transparent and accountable use of AI” across the public sector.That framework says the government commits to always...

Lululemon promises 2,600 new jobs after exemption from some immigration rules

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

Vancouver-based company Lululemon says it will expand its headquarters in the city and create 2,600 jobs over the next five years.The announcement comes months after the federal government granted the company the ability to hire foreign workers for certain highly skilled positions, including management jobs, software engineers and computer technicians, without needing to apply for a labour market impact assessment.Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says if Ottawa hadn’t acted, the company’s headquarters may have left Vancouver.CEO Calvin McDonald says Lululemon has secured an additional 125,000 square feet of office space in downtown Vancouver because of the confidence it has in the agreement.A labour market impact assessment is a process sometimes used to determine if a company needs a foreign worker to fill a position because of a lack of Canadian workers or permanent residents available to do the job.Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says Canada wo...

Man convicted of killing Washington teen at high school decades ago gets 45 years

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A man convicted of murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl at her Washington high school over 30 years ago will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. King County Superior Court Judge Josephine Wiggs on Thursday sentenced Patrick Nicholas to nearly 46 years in prison for the killing of Sarah Yarborough, who was found fatally strangled on the Federal Way High School campus in 1991, The Seattle Times reported.A jury found Nicholas, 59, guilty of first-degree murder and returned a special verdict that Yarborough’s killing was sexually motivated, which allowed for a longer prison sentence.Defense attorney David Montes urged the mandatory minimum 20-year sentence, saying Nicholas didn’t commit crimes in the decades since. Wiggs, who had presided over Nicholas’ trial, determined more than 45 years was appropriate because of the facts of the case and his history of sexual violence. During the trial, prosecutors said Yarborough was an honor student and member of her s...

Guam ‘very blessed’ with no early reports of major damage in the messy aftermath of Typhoon Mawar

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Chainsaws buzzed Friday as neighbors helped each other clear toppled trees and began cleaning the wreckage of Typhoon Mawar, which walloped Guam as the strongest typhoon to hit the island in over two decades but appeared to have passed without leaving death or massive destruction in its wake. While it was still early going in the recovery effort, police Sgt. Paul Tapao said there did not seem to be any major damage, main arteries were passable and “Guam has been very blessed to have no storm-related deaths or any serious injuries.” To Tapao, the roar of the mechanical saws was a reminder of the resilience of the storm-prone U.S. Pacific territory and its people. “Everyone helps out with the cleaning,” he said. “That’s the Guamanian way — that’s embedded in the blood.”He added that there’s a saying in Chamorro — the indigenous language of the Mariana Islands — “inafa maolek,” that means cooperation, a concept of restoring harmony or order.“Storms have taugh...

Partisan split over Nevada budget threatens sports stadium, film tax credit

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada’s Republican governor and Democratic-majority Legislature drew battle lines Thursday for a fight over policy priorities with less than two weeks until the session ends.Gov. Joe Lombardo issued a terse five-point ultimatum and declared he “will not sign any budget bills until my priorities are addressed.” Earlier in the day, Senate and Assembly Democrats stood by their budget bills, which are set to receive final votes and head to Lombardo’s desk.Nevada’s Democratic leadership says a Lombardo veto would jeopardize initiatives to partially fund a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics, use tax credits to help expand the film industry in Las Vegas, and replace a crumbling tribal school.“If we do have a budget veto, I don’t know how we pass any of those bills because we don’t have a budget,” Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager told reporters Thursday. “We don’t know how much money we have. We will have to forgo doing very, very important t...

More than 40 dogs rescued from suspected puppy mill in Northwest Indiana

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. — More than 40 dogs were rescued on Thursday from what Lake County Sheriff's deputies in Northwest Indiana suspect was a puppy mill operation. A 41-year-old man is being questioned about the case. According to deputies, Lake County detectives on Wednesday received an anonymous tip about a man who had been purchasing large amounts of dog food and medical supplies used for animals. Crown Point police found guardian of child, 1, found in park A search at a home in Crown Point and a barn on the outskirts of Rensselaer revealed dozens of dogs in various conditions, with at least four dogs deceased, deputies said. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.The rescued dogs include one mountain dog, seven American bulldogs and 29 French bulldogs.Lake County Animal Adoption and Control and area ve...

Man charged with arson after fire at the New Brite Spot restaurant in Ottawa

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

OTTAWA, Ill. — A man has been charged with arson in connection with a restaurant fire last month in Ottawa, according to police.John Smith, 44, was charged Thursday with arson, a Class 2 Felony, after The New Brite Spot Family Restaurant was set on fire on April 15, according to a news release from the Ottawa Police Department. New Brite Spot restaurant in Ottawa damaged by fire Through their investigation, detectives learned a male was seen running from the business after the fire, police said.The Ottawa Police Department thanked those who assisted with the investigation dn those who came forward with information and video.Several fire departments and the state fire marshall assisted Ottawa's public safety personnel with the fire and investigation.

Search underway for missing Chicago woman last seen Sunday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing 42-year-old woman who was last seen Sunday morning.April Crandall, 42, was last seen on the 10800 block of South Avenue M on Chicago's far south side around 4 a.m. Sunday, May 21. Chicago police seek whereabouts of missing 14-year-old from Austin Crandall was last seen wearing baby blue shorts and a white t-shirt. She reportedly does not have identification or her cell phone on her.Anyone with information regarding April Crandall's whereabouts are asked to contact the Chicago Police Department at 312/747*8274.

An offseason of uncertainty is ahead for the Bulls

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

Drew Stevens, a writer for The Bigs and On Tap Sports Network, took some time to discuss the Bulls' offseason & Jimmy Butler's great playoff on "9 Good Minutes" on WGN News Now.CHICAGO — It's safe to say that the honeymoon for the Bulls front office that was constructed in 2020 is now over. Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have got plenty of pressure on them during this offseason after the core they built in 2021 has stalled. Initially, the combo of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball brought wins and created enthusiasm in the fan base that had been frustrated with mediocrity for years. While the team faded late in 2021-2022, they did win 45 games and make the playoffs, providing at least some optimism for the future.That disappeared during a 2022-2023 campaign where few offseason changes were made, inconsistency reigned, and the Bulls were only able to get a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference postseason. Ball has under...

Man sentenced on 4 charges related to 2020 aggravated sexual assault in east Austin

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:43:43 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced May 10 after pleading guilty to four charges related to a November 2020 kidnapping and sexual assault.Travis County court documents said 25-year-old Steve Martin Guerrero pleaded guilty and was convicted and sentenced on two aggravated sexual assault charges, an aggravated kidnapping charge involving bodily injury/sexual abuse, and an aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.For the first three charges, he was sentenced to serve 30 years in a state prison per charge. He was also sentenced to serve 20 years in prison for the final charge. RELATED: Austin man reindicted on 2020 aggravated sexual assault, other charges Court records showed Guerrero had 898 days of jail credit put toward his sentence.Jail records showed Guerrero was booked into the Travis County jail Nov. 24, 2020.According to a past KXAN report, Guerrero was accused of dragging a woman into an alley in east Austin Nov. 9, 2020, sexually assaulting her and beating her u...