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San Diego firefighters raise money for burn victims in 'Fill the Boot' drive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego firefighters are helping to empower burn victims.Firefighters and fire cadets were stationed at intersections across San Diego Thursday morning for the department’s annual 'Fill the Boot' drive. Debate heats up over North County school district’s curriculum Firefighters held their boots rather than wearing them to collect donations for the Burn Institute and some folks were being very generous.“A biker pulled up and we thought he was just going to ask some questions, but opened up his pocket and put in $200,” said Mathew, a San Diego Fire cadet.Burn Institute Executive Director Tessa Haviland explained how this is their largest fundraiser.“All the money that’s raised today, here in San Diego and Imperial Counties, it goes to burn prevention education programs, as well as burn survivor programs,” she said.Firefighter Caleb Firebaugh said he also volunteers for a special summer camp. Wet weather on the way will be put to good use at the San Diego airpor...

Flowers bloom in time for 'Daffodil Days' at Julian Farm and Orchard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

JULIAN, Calif. -- Melting snow has unveiled carpets of yellow flowers just in time for “Daffodil Days," Julian Farm and Orchards said Thursday.For the second year in a row, San Diegans can head to the mountain town to enjoy the "U-pick" event. Starting Friday, March 10, visitors can pick their own daffodils from the farms sprawling flowers fields. The Flower Fields in Carlsbad set for March reopening According to Julian Farm and Orchards, thousands of people walked the grounds of their 25-acre sustainable farm last year to experience the flourishing daffodils at their peak. The farm anticipates up to 80,000 blooms from March through April -- creating for a large window for visits.Daffodils are blooming at Julian Farm and Orchards. (Photo: Julian Farm and Orchards)There's more than just flowers to enjoy during “Daffodil Days." The farm said family-friendly activities like rock climbing, axe throwing, a petting zoo, hayrides, face painting and more will all be available du...

Israeli police say 3 wounded in Tel Aviv shooting attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

JABA, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian gunman opened fire on a crowded street in central Tel Aviv late Thursday, wounding three people before he was shot and killed, Israeli officials said. The shooting came hours after an Israeli military raid killed three Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.The incidents were the latest violence in a year-long wave of Israel-Palestinian fighting that shows no signs of slowing.The Tel Aviv shooting occurred on Dizengoff Street, a popular thoroughfare filled with shops and restaurants. The city was filled with people on Thursday night, the start of the Israeli weekend, and as anti-government protests were taking place.The MADA rescue service said one of the wounded was in critical condition, while Zaka, another medical service, said the shooter was killed. Earlier Thursday, three Palestinian militants were killed in a shootout with Israeli troops in the northern West Bank.Israeli security forces said they raided the village of Jaba to arre...

John Paul abuse claims trigger angry reactions in Poland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Fallout from a TV report alleging that St. John Paul II covered up clergy sex abuse cases escalated Thursday, with Poland’s Catholic Church and lawmakers defending him as one of the greatest Poles ever and the government “inviting” the U.S. ambassador for talks.A report this week on TVN24, which is owned by the U.S. company Warner Bros. Discovery, named three priests whom John Paul allegedly moved around during the 1970s after they were accused of abusing minors. At the time, he was still Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, the head of the church in Krakow in southern Poland.John Paul is revered in the predominantly Roman Catholic country for his role in helping bring down communism, and the TVN report ignited a national debate at a time when the Polish Church has been undergoing a reckoning with its record of clergy sexual abuse. A heated debate erupted Thursday in parliament debating his legacy.Government figures, including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, have stron...

As Fed looks to hike interest rates higher, Rogers says BoC can carve its own path

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

As Canada faces its own set of economic challenges its central bank is tailoring its monetary policy accordingly, Carolyn Rogers said. In a speech in Winnipeg Thursday, the Bank of Canada’s senior deputy governor touted the advantage of having an independent monetary policy.While the world is interconnected, Rogers said the Bank of Canada needs to do what’s best for Canada, while other central banks do what’s best for their countries.“While we’re always thinking globally, we have to act locally,” she said. “We must tailor our policy to Canadian circumstances.”Her comments come one day after the central bank held its key interest rate steady for the first time in a year, diverging from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which has signalled more rate hikes are to come.At its Jan. 25 interest rate decision, the Bank of Canada said it was planning to move to the sidelines, appearing hopeful its rate hikes to-date may be sufficient to quash inflation.In her speech, the senior deputy governo...

Former Ohio House speaker convicted in $60M bribery scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former state House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.A jury in Cincinnati found the two guilty of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving bribery and money laundering, after about 9 1/2 half hours of deliberations over two days.U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker said the government’s prosecution team showed that “Householder sold the Statehouse, and thus he ultimately betrayed the people of the great state of Ohio he was elected to serve.” He called Borges “a willing co-conspirator.”“Through its verdict today, the jury reaffirmed that the illegal acts committed by both men will not be tolerated and that they should be held accountable,” Parker said.Attorneys for Householder and Borges did not immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press on Thursday....

2023 Oscars: What to know about the best actor nominees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s always fun when an Oscars category is filled with first-time nominees at varying stages of their careers. Best actor is another three-way race, between Austin Butler, Colin Farrell and Brendan Fraser, with each having scored notable wins from guilds and critics groups. The Associated Press’ film writers predict Fraser to have the edge. Here’s a bit more about the nominees and their roles before the Oscars on March 12, which airs live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. And if you’ve missed a performance, there’s still time to watch this year’s nominees.BRENDAN FRASERBrendan Fraser doesn’t mind that people have called his turn in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” in which he plays a reclusive English teacher named Charlie who is grappling with his past in the midst of a dire prognosis, a “comeback.” But it’s not the word he’d choose. “If anything, this is a reintroduction more than a comeback,” Fraser told The AP. “It’s an opportunity to ...

Ottawa fast-tracks purchase of weapons for troops in Europe amid long-term challenges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Anita Anand says Ottawa will fast-track the purchase of anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-drone weapons for the Canadian military with a mechanism last used during the war in Afghanistan.Anand announced the plan Thursday at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, one of Canada’s largest defence conferences, saying the new weapons are needed now for Canadian troops in Latvia and other parts of Europe.“Canada’s largest foreign military deployment … is on NATO’s eastern flank in Latvia,” she said. “And our troops there must have the equipment that they need to protect themselves and to do their jobs, especially at this crucial time.”The defence minister also emphasized the need to update Canada’s long-term plan for the military, as she launched public consultations to inform the government while it revisits its previous strategy.The Liberal government released a defence policy in 2017, promising b...

Ex-Goldman Sachs banker gets 10 year sentence in 1MDB fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Goldman Sachs banker was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for his role in looting a Malaysian development fund of billions of dollars used to finance lavish parties, a superyacht, premium real estate and even the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”Roger Ng was convicted last April by a U.S. District Court jury in Brooklyn, but he continues to deny charges that he conspired to launder money and violated two anti-bribery laws.Prosecutors said Ng and his co-conspirators helped the Malaysian fund, known as 1MDB, raise $6.5 billion through bond sales — only to participate in a scheme that siphoned off more than two-thirds of the money, some of which went to pay bribes and kickbacks.Reading from a prepared statement, Ng pleaded for mercy from U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie.“I’m embarrassed. I’m ashamed,” he told the judge. “I don’t want to live in resentment,” he said. “I want to redeem myself.”The judge admonished Ng: “The only explan...

Belarus passes law to execute officials convicted of treason

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:02 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian president on Thursday signed a bill introducing capital punishment for state officials and military personnel convicted of high treason.The amendments to the country’s criminal code endorsed by President Alexander Lukashenko envisage death sentences for officials and servicemen who caused “irreparable damage” to Belarus’ national security through acts of treason.Belarus is the only country in Europe that hasn’t banned capital punishment, which has been applied to those convicted of murder or terrorism. Executions are carried out with a shot to the back of the head.Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades, brutally suppressing dissent. Belarusian authorities unleashed a brutal crackdown against demonstrators who protested his re-election in an August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged, detaining more than 35,000 and beating thousands.On Monday, a Belarusia...