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Child marriage ban bill resurrected in West Virginia Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A bill to prohibit minors from getting married in West Virginia was resurrected in the state Senate on Thursday, a day after its defeat in a committee.The about-face didn’t necessarily give the bill a clear path to passage. Several senators gave impassioned speeches after the bill was brought back, some of whom defended the right of teenagers in love to marry.The House of Delegates passed the bill last week. The Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly rejected it Wednesday night without debate. Republican Sen. Charles Trump of Morgan County, a committee member, made a motion that was adopted by the full Senate Thursday to withdraw the bill from the committee and give it a second reading. It will be up for a final reading Friday, and the Senate will have the right to amend the bill.Currently, children can marry as young as 16 in West Virginia with parental consent. Anyone younger than that also must get a judge’s waiver.The bill’s main sponsor, Democr...

Source: CFL reaches agreement to sell Montreal Alouettes franchise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

MONTREAL — The CFL has reached an agreement to sell the Montreal Alouettes, according to a source.The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as the CFL hasn’t announced the deal but will do so Friday at a news conference in Montreal.The move comes after the CFL reportedly entered exclusive negotiations with Quebecor Inc. regarding ownership of the franchise.Quebecor Inc.’s president and chief executive officer is Pierre Karl Peladeau, a Montreal businessman who has a reported net worth of US$1.9 billion.It’s unclear if Quebecor or Peladeau will be the franchise owner.The CFL took over operation of the Alouettes last month, appointing former president Mario Cecchini as interim president.The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced on Tuesday that it had hired Cecchini as its commissioner to take over from Gilles Courteau, who stepped down on Sunday after 37 years on the job.But the league said Cecchini wouldn’t take office immediately because he was inv...

Railroad group warns that car flaw could cause derailments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. railroads were warned to take certain cars out of service Thursday after Norfolk Southern discovered loose wheels on a car involved in last weekend’s derailment in Ohio.It’s not clear that the loose wheels caused the derailment near Springfield last Saturday because the National Transportation Safety Board has just begun investigating that crash — the latest in a string of high-profile derailments that have been grabbing headlines. But the railroad said the loose wheels on the car could cause a derailment.Norfolk Southern said in a statement that after the railroad discovered “additional cases of unusual wheel movement,” it acted quickly to notify accident investigators and the rest of the industry. The Association of American Railroads trade group responded Thursday by issuing an advisory about the suspect cars.The trade group said the problem was linked to new wheel sets that were installed on specialized steel coil cars beginning in August. The...

Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin charged with corruption, laundering

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged Friday with corruption and money laundering, making him Malaysia’s second ex-leader to be indicted after leaving office.Muhyiddin, 75, pleaded innocent to four charges of abusing his power to obtain 232.5 million ringgit ($51.4 million) bribes for his party and two charges of money laundering involving 195 million ringgit ($43 million). He has been released on bail.Muhyiddin was arrested Thursday by the anti-graft agency, which questioned him over government stimulus projects to ethnic Malay contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic. He then slammed the charges against him as political persecution to crush his opposition alliance ahead of state elections. Outside the court building Friday, some supporters carried banners which read “malicious intent.”Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim rejected accusations that the charges were politically motivated and noted the investigations were carried out independen...

La Nina is gone. These were the deadly storms during its run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

La Nina seemed to treat Louisiana and the rest of the Southeast United States like a punching bag. Its three-year barrage of body blows has come to an end, but left behind a lot of scars from hurricanes and tornadoes among other weather disasters.Experts caution that attributing any single event to La Nina or its better-known cousin, El Nino, is difficult as they pronounced Thursday that the La Nina weather phenomenon has come to an end. But they can say generally that tornadoes in the Southeast and hurricanes are more frequent during La Nina.Here are some examples of the 44 different billion-dollar extremes of nasty weather during La Nina’s reign:1. A historic December 2021 tornado outbreak in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas that killed 93 people and caused $4.2 billion in damage. Tornadoes twisted across 800 miles, including one single tornado that plowed across nearly 166 miles of Kentucky and a bit of Tennessee. At the time scientists attributed warm air during a cold...

Raptors’ Fred VanVleet fined $30,000 for publicly criticizing NBA referee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $30,000 for comments he made following the team’s 108-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.Afterwards, the Raptors point guard paused for a moment and said, “I don’t mind; I’ll take a fine; I don’t really care.”“I thought Ben Taylor was f–g terrible tonight,” he began. “I think that most nights, you know, out of the three [referees], there’s one or two that just f–k the game up. It’s been like that a couple of games in a row. Denver was tough, obviously.”Fred VanVleet fined 30k for this. pic.twitter.com/JLSLxfORRq— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 10, 2023“You come out tonight, competing pretty hard, and I get a bulls–t tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game,” VanVleet continued.“And you know, most of the refs are trying hard, I like a lot of the refs, they’re trying hard, the...

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond speaks out after award revoked over heritage claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — Former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says she’s satisfied in her “past work, identity and self-worth” after the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association revoked an award because it believed she falsified her claims of Indigenous identity.Turpel-Lafond says in her most expansive remarks since questions about her heritage were raised last year that it’s “liberating” to be freed of honours.She says in an email she has “no emotional attachment to titles,” but she’s surprised that the association rescinded the 2020 Reg Robson Award without “basic fairness,” such as allowing her an opportunity to be heard.The former law professor and B.C. representative for children and youth, whose claim of Cree heritage was questioned by a CBC report last October, says “trial by media is rampant,” and it’s how “wrongful convictions and injustice” happen.The civil liberties association says in...

Missing Indiana girl found in shed; 18 year-old taken into custody

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

ATTICA, Ind. (WXIN) — A two-day statewide search for a missing 14-year-old girl from southern Indiana ended on Wednesday after police learned the teenager was staying in a shed in Attica. Terry Ross Jr., 18, was named as a person of interest in the girl's disappearance by the Floyd County Sheriff's Department. Attica police said Ross was located on Wednesday and taken into custody without incident. Missing Indiana 14-year-old found safe Ross is being charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor under the age of 16. Previously, a statewide Silver Alert was issued after the 14-year-old girl went missing early Monday morning. Police said she was in "extreme danger" and was thought to be in the company of Ross, who was named as a person of interest in her disappearance. Terry Ross Jr. (Attica Police Department)The girl was missing out of Georgetown, Indiana, located not far from Louisville. Ultimately, the teenager was found staying in a shed behind a home in Attica — near...

Fraternity at Northwestern University to shut down over repeat violations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A Northwestern University fraternity chapter already sanctioned for misconduct will disband due to repeat infractions, The Daily Northwestern reports.Alpha Epsilon Pi International's Tau Delta chapter will close effective immediately.PREVIOUS COVERAGE | ‘Something has to change’: Northwestern students denounce Greek life after drugging allegations“The chapter repeatedly violated the terms of its probationary status on campus by hosting social events at which alcohol was present,” AEPi media spokesman Jonathan Pierce wrote in a statement to The Daily Northwestern. “Those violations have (led) to this decision.” The fraternity violated the university's code of conduct and AEPi's health and safety policies, beginning in the Fall of 2021, by having alcohol on the premises, according to the student newspaper. A forcible sex offense also allegedly occurred at the AEPi's on-campus fraternity house in January.Northwestern University officials have previously stated tha...

Love ranch? Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream coming to Walmart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:00 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Are you obsessed with ranch dressing? There's a new ice cream for you.Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is releasing its new Hidden Valley Ranch Ice Cream exclusively at Walmart stores across the country."It is savory with the taste of buttermilk, flavorful herbs and just a touch of sweetness. Have it by itself or pair it with some salty snacks for an afternoon or late night pick me up!" a release from Walmart read. Dairy Queen’s ‘Free Cone Day’ is coming this month A Food & Wine employee on TikTok described the flavor of the ice cream as "garlic powder forward, but also sweet." Van Leeuwen recommends topping it with crushed pretzels or potato chips to make a perfect combination.On Wednesday, Hidden Valley teased the new ice cream on social media, inviting fans to "Guess what our announcement is going to be on #NationalRanchDay!" It said it would follow the first person to get it right in the comments. The new treat will be available beginning March 20 for $4.98 a...