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Canada to expel Chinese diplomat after threats to lawmaker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government moved Monday to expel a Chinese diplomat whom Canada’s spy agency allege was involved in a plot to intimidate an opposition lawmaker and his relatives in Hong Kong.Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement that Canada has declared Toronto-based diplomat Zhao Wei as “persona non grata.”“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs,” she wrote.“Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behavior, they will be sent home.”Calls for Zhao to be expelled began last week after a report in the Globe and Mail that CSIS had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong. The federal government has confirmed that report. Chong has been critical of Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang province.“This should have happen...

Israeli military says it is striking Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip as residents report several blasts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli military says it is striking Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip as residents report several blasts.Source

Aurora public pool had ductwork collapse in 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Metal ductwork collapsed at a public pool in Aurora last fall, in an incident similar to what happened at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center on Saturday.In November 2022, part of the ductwork over the parameter of the Utah Indoor Pool fell, the city confirmed to FOX31. The pool is operated by Aurora Parks, Recreation and Open Space.Aurora city spokesperson Ryan Luby said no one was injured in the incident and described it as smaller in scale than the collapse at Gaylord Rockies. ‘There were kids down there’: Survivor describes collapse at Gaylord Rockies that injured 6 An investigation by the city found some of the ductwork fasteners failed on the pool's HVAC system, which was around 25 to 30 years old. The city also inspected all of its indoor pools after the incident and has started regular assessments.The Utah Indoor Pool in Aurora, Colorado is seen in May 2023. (Photo: KDVR)Repairs on the HVAC system at the Utah Indoor Pool are close to bein...

4 killed in plane crash remembered as 'pillars of the community' in Florence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

FLORENCE, Colo. (KDVR) — FOX31 and Channel 2 confirmed the names of the four people who died after a small Cessna plane crashed near Cañon City on Saturday morning."The four individuals that were on that flight are pillars of the community," said Kevin Mahmalji, a friend of some of the victims on board.Bruce Claremont, Laurie Aves and Roger and Katherine Duncan, all from Florence, were killed in the crash, according to the Teller County Coroner’s Office.“I don’t know what's going to come of that little town, 'cause they contributed a lot to that town," Bobbie Snarr said, referring to her friends, the Duncans. Gaylord Rockies will investigate itself for HVAC collapse at indoor pool Snarr and Mahmalji said the Duncans and Aves owned businesses in Florence. Mahmalji said the Duncans owned an ice cream shop and a rock and mineral store, and they helped open a burger shop, properties and other businesses in town."There is so much they are involved with, Roger specifically," Mahmalji sa...

Does Colorado have the death penalty?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- As of 2023, there are 27 states that still have the death penalty and 23 that have abolished it.On Monday, a surge of people went to Google to ask whether the Centennial State had the death penalty.Does Colorado still have the death penalty?No, it does not. A bill was signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in March 2020 that abolished it. This means that the maximum sentence a person can receive in Colorado is life without the possibility of parole. Letecia Stauch found guilty of murdering stepson Gannon, sentenced to life in prison Even though the bill did not apply to the three people who had already been sentenced to death and were awaiting execution, Polis commuted their sentences to life in prison without parole after signing the bill.The three people who had their sentences commuted were Nathan Dunlap, Mario Owens and Robert Ray.What crimes have been punishable by death?Before the death penalty was abolished, a jury could only sentence someone to death for firs...

Shower your mom with love at Dashbar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

A simple card and flowers can make your mom smile this Mother’s Day. But if you want to change things up this holiday we know just the place. Dash Bar has a week-long Mother’s Day event happening, with spa treatments that’ll make your mom feel like the queen she is.Show mom a little love with a spa day at Dashbar, where they have a week full of fun events to fill her fancy.Carla Oliva: “Some of the events that we’re hosting will include a singer serenading our clients, we’re going to have a photographer catching those mother and daughter moments, and we’re also going to have Aroma 360 taking over the art of candle-making.”They’re pulling out all the stops to make mom feel like a goddess.Carla Olivia: “We’ll have ladies being handed out beautiful roses as they walk in through the door, we’re going to have some really incredible looking gentlemen handing out champagne that will be flowing, and we’re also goi...

Column: St. Louis Cardinals are trying to make Willson Contreras feel loved after putting him in a ‘timeout’ behind the plate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

Wilson Contreras was the talk of major-league baseball Monday as he returned to Wrigley Field with the St. Louis Cardinals.But instead of returning as the conquering hero who got the long-term deal he craved, Contreras was already the subject of trade talk on MLB Network, which spent part of the morning speculating where the former Chicago Cubs catcher would go only five weeks into the first season of his five-year, $87.5 million contract.Cubs fans gave Contreras a warm welcome Monday, though the marquee at Murphy’s Bleachers threw a little shade on him:“Hey Willson, How are things goin’ in St. Louis?”Everyone knew, of course.The decision by Cardinals management to take the catcher’s glove away from Contreras for the time being and make him a designated hitter and left fielder was widely seen as an indication they already had soured on the veteran.Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said that isn’t the case and the decision was being “proactiveR...

Pedro Grifol reflects on ‘a special moment’ as the Chicago White Sox manager returns to Kansas City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

Pedro Grifol remembers making a stop in the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium once during his 10 seasons coaching with the Kansas City Royals.“It was late after a game. I said, ‘You know what, let me just go see what it looks like,’” Grifol said Monday.Grifol was back at the ballpark he called home for the first time as the Chicago White Sox manager as the team began a four-game series against the Royals.“This is a special place for me,” Grifol said. “We had some great runs and magical moments here. Just to come back to this place, look at the field and see some of the people that I have great relationships with, it’s a special moment.”Grifol was a special assignment coach for the Royals in 2013, the hitting coach in 2013-14, the catching coach from 2014-17 — working with seven-time All-Star Salvador Perez — and the quality control/catching coach in 2018-19 before becoming the bench coach in 2020.He was in that r...

‘You can’t ignore the numbers’: Chicago Cubs recall hot-hitting Christopher Morel from Triple-A Iowa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

Christopher Morel’s production at Triple-A Iowa became impossible for the Chicago Cubs to ignore.Days after president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and manager David Ross said there weren’t regular at-bats available in the majors for the hot-hitting Morel, the Cubs recalled the 23-year-old infielder/outfielder before Monday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.The Cubs optioned outfielder Nelson Velázquez to Iowa as the corresponding move. Velázquez appeared in seven consecutive games after the team promoted him, playing time that was aided by Cody Bellinger’s absence on the paternity list.Since April 28, Velázquez started just four of 10 games and was pinch-hit for twice. Only one of his starts came at designated hitter. The Cubs want Velázquez to receive regular playing time again, which made a return to Iowa the ideal option.Morel’s defensive versatility will create more opportunities for Ross to find spots for him i...

Nursing shortfall may get worse as industry battles burnout, lawmakers learn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:44 GMT

State lawmakers who met virtually with representatives from the Massachusetts Nurses Association to kick off Nurses Week on Monday learned the vital industry is facing historic pitfalls amid widespread pandemic fueled burnout.As reported in the Herald last week, the nursing industry in Massachusetts is facing a potential wave of resignations and relocations as the sector struggles with both pay and staffing and while nurses continue to suffer under the strain of a global pandemic responsible for the deaths of more than one million Americans.“Nurses speak for you when you cannot,” state Rep. Denise Garlick, a registered nurse, said to open a virtual legislative briefing on the status of nursing in Massachusetts titled “Nurses Speak.”“We must listen and learn and act,” she said. “If we as a Legislature, as a society, can care for nurses, the nurses will care for the patients. They will care for us. But if we do not act, it is not only the nurse, but the patients — ourselves, our loved...