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Day 2 of Halifax International Security Forum to discuss Gaza war, tension with China

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

HALIFAX — The conflict in the Middle East and tensions between western nations and China are on the agenda today at the Halifax International Security Forum.The former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Barak, is scheduled to speak in the morning, as the Gaza war continues in response to the Oct. 7 attacks on his nation by Hamas.Later in the day, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of defence staff, will be participating in a panel discussion about the Indo-Pacific region, where China has recently had tense encounters with a Canadian naval helicopter, firing flares near the aircraft as it participated in naval exercises.Defence Minister Bill Blair said Friday evening the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East are the result of a breakdown in international law in an increasingly dangerous and violent world. About 300 delegates from around the world are attending the three-day Halifax International Security Forum, an annual event dedicated to strengthening co-operation among d...

Unclear when Canadians still in Gaza can cross into Egypt after 9 more made it out Friday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

Canadians still stuck in the war-torn Gaza Strip continue to wait for their chance to cross into Egypt.Saturday’s list from the General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza contained no Canadians, further stalling a chance to leave through the Rafah border crossing.As of Friday, Global Affairs Canada said 376 Canadians, permanent residents and their relatives have been able to leave the Palestinian territory via Rafah. The department had said on Wednesday that it was in touch with 386 people still in Gaza.The United Nations was forced on Friday to stop deliveries of food and other necessities in Gaza and warned of the growing risk of widespread starvation after internet and telephone services collapsed because of a lack of fuel.Israel announced it will allow two tanker trucks of fuel into Gaza each day for the United Nations and communications, though that is half of what the United Nations said it needs for life-saving functions such as powering water systems, hos...

Toddler accidentally shot, killed by 3-year-old brother in Gary: police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

GARY Ind. -- An investigation is underway after a toddler was accidentally shot and killed by his three-year-old brother in Northwest Indiana Friday night, police said. According to Gary police, officers dispatched to Northlake Methodist Hospital after calls of a two-year-old shot around 7:21 p.m.Police said the mother told officers that her older son found the gun in her purse when she left the bedroom. Additional officers secured a home in the 2100 block of Georgia Street for investigation. WGN is actively following this incident and will update as more information is recovered.

Wisconsin’s split personality with deer: more south, fewer north

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

Wisconsin has a split personality of sorts when it comes to deer populations and deer hunter success across the state, with more to the south and fewer to the north, and the chasm is getting wider.That’s the report from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife experts who say southern Wisconsin faces problems of too many deer — including crop damage, vehicle accidents and faster spread of chronic wasting disease — at the same time many hunters in far northern Wisconsin are complaining there aren’t enough deer.Deer hunters in Wisconsin will go afield Nov. 18 for the start of the firearms deer hunting season. The DNR says there may be fewer deer compared to last year in the far north due to the deep snow winter, but that record or near-record deer populations continue in the southern part of the state. (Wisconsin DNR)It’s a pretty big state, north to south, and little differences in geography and topography make a huge difference for deer.“Deer are very unevenly distributed ...

Nelly's Black and White Ball Returns this December

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

St. Louis, MO—The Black and White Ball, St. Louis' premier celebrity gala, is set to make a return in 2023. For over a decade, Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, and entrepreneur Nelly has annually hosted this black-tie affair with the purpose of giving back to his hometown.The 11th edition of the Black and White Ball will channel its glitz and glamour towards a noble cause: raising funds for Make-A-Wish Missouri. This organization is fervently committed to fulfilling the wishes of children grappling with life-threatening medical conditions, aiming to infuse their human experience with hope, strength, and joy.After a brief hiatus, the ball is making its comeback on Sunday, December 3, at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Nelly is set to host a diverse array of invited guests from the entertainment, sports, and business communities.During the event, Nelly will take a moment to honor Ozzie Smith, a St. Louis Cardinal, 15-time MLB All-Star, and Baseball Hall-of-Famer.The funds generat...

Crisp and clear weekend, but stormy Monday looms in the forecast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A quiet weekend has begun. Cold mornings and cool afternoons both Saturday and Sunday. Highs in the 50s both days. Sunshine Saturday, but increasing clouds Sunday.  Our next storm system arrives late Sunday into Monday. Scattered light rain showers will build in overnight and continue through Monday. Highs are only in the low 50s. Waves of showers continue Monday night and Tuesday. Gusty winds Tuesday will usher in even cooler temps for the middle of the week.  Wednesday and Thanksgiving Thursday look sunny and quiet, but colder. Highs are only in the low 40s.  

Colorado’s labor market softened in October, but don’t be scared

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

Colorado’s unemployment rate continued to tick up, and private-sector hiring turned negative again last month, according to an update from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment on Friday.Employers in the state added 1,500 net new jobs last month, but governments did the heavy lifting, adding 1,700 jobs. One of the biggest surprises in the report came in downward revisions to September job counts, which turned an initial gain of 1,500 jobs into a decline of 100.“The weak data for October was not a surprise; however, it was disturbing that the September data, originally up 1,500 workers, was revised downward by 1,600,” said Broomfield economist Gary Horvath in an email.Private-sector employers shed a net 200 jobs last month, with the biggest losses coming in construction, down 1,400 jobs, and trade, transportation and utilities, down 900 jobs. Private sector gains were strongest in leisure and hospitality, where employment rose by 1,500 jobs.For the past ye...

Grading The Week: Welcome to Denver, Cal Quantrill! You’ll love life with the Rockies. Except for the pitching parts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

What the chucklenuts up in the Grading The Week office love about Bill Schmidt’s Rockies moves is the club’s ability — or is it the hope? — to see the good in anything. Take Cal Quantrill, who must’ve seriously ticked off somebody in the Cleveland front office to wind up getting shipped to Colorado on Friday for an A-ball catcher.As a lottery ticket, was it worth a flyer for the pitching-starved Purple? Sure. Schmidt and the Rockies can sell this as giving up almost nada for a smart (ex-Stanford), courteous (he’s Canadian) veteran (he’ll be 29 next February) starter to fill out a rotation that got completely nuked by injuries last summer.“Quan” went 23-8 and averaged 168 innings for the Guardians in ’21 and ’22 before hitting the skids (4-7, 5.24 ERA) this past season. On a macro level, it fits.Rox brain trust see a crafty righty who’ll take the ball every five days and allow the dudes in the bullpen to play Immaculate Grid...

Should Nuggets’ Michael Malone shorten bench, approach must-win in-season tournament games like playoffs?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

NEW ORLEANS — One of the Nuggets’ coaches brought a hypothetical question of strategy to Michael Malone on Friday, before Denver’s third group stage game of the NBA in-season tournament.If the Nuggets make it to the eight-team knockout stage, when every game is an elimination game, should they shorten their bench and treat it like an actual playoff game?Will other teams treat it that way? Or will those games be coached as normally as possible for an early December matchup?“I’m worried about today. When we get to Vegas, I’ll worry about that then,” Malone said a few hours later when presented with the same question during his pregame news conference in New Orleans.“But I had not given that much thought. Obviously if we’re one of those (semifinal) teams that gets to Las Vegas, you can start thinking about, one: What’s at stake? From prize money for the players and how impactful that can be for some of these guys and their liv...

Broncos sense Sean Payton Way is starting to take hold. “You’re like, Holy (crap), it’s working”

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:17:46 GMT

Adam Trautman has seen this movie before.The Broncos tight end started his career in New Orleans playing for Sean Payton. His rookie year in 2020, they went 12-4 and secured the NFC’s No. 2 seed.Payton is an intense coach by nature. Start winning, his reputation goes, and there’s no sense of a lighten up. He only gets more demanding. Like several of his core coaching principles, this one comes from the years he spent with Bill Parcells.“The hardest time working with Bill was when you were three or four wins in a row,” Payton said earlier this season. “I mean, you couldn’t wait for the game. You’d have a couple tough losses, and then he’d be a little bit more pick-me-up.”Payton’s wired himself in a similar way. He’s pulled big stunts in the past, “creating a crisis,” as he calls it, or putting mousetraps in the Saints’ locker room to implore his team not to “eat the cheese.”The methods can be slightly more subtle, too.“It’s little things like, ‘Hey, I don’t care that we’re winn...