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Christie says DeSantis put ‘politics ahead of his job’ by not seeing Biden during hurricane visit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had put “politics ahead of his job” by declining to meet with President Joe Biden during the Democrat’s weekend visit to survey Hurricane Idalia’s damage in DeSantis’ state.“Your job as governor is to be the tour guide for the president, is to make sure the president sees your people, sees the damage, sees the suffering, what’s going on and what needs to be done to rebuild it,” Christie said about his rival for the 2024 nomination in a Fox News interview Tuesday.“You’re doing your job. And unfortunately, he put politics ahead of his job,” Christie said. “That was his choice.”No one knows better than Christie how such a sticky political situation can create an enduring image. Photos of then New Jersey Gov. Christie giving a warm greeting to Democratic President Barack Obama during a visit after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 earned Christie scorn among national...

Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Bruce Guthro remembered as exceptional musician

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

HALIFAX — Bruce Guthro, a legendary singer-songwriter from Cape Breton, has died.Guthro’s friend and colleague Dave Gunning confirmed Guthro died Tuesday at the age of 62.Guthro was lead vocalist for the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig from 1998 until 2018, and also pursued a successful solo career in Nova Scotia, earning several East Coast Music Awards.In July, Guthro posted to social media that he would be taking a break from performing due to health concerns.Pete Wishart, a Scottish member of the U.K. Parliament and Guthro’s former bandmate, described him online as “an exceptional singer, musician and songwriter taken far too soon.”Tributes to the singer-songwriter poured in on social media.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

NATO member Romania says it has found drone pieces from Russian attacks in Ukraine on its territory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s defense minister said Wednesday that pieces apparently of a drone from Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s port on the Danube River have been found on the territory of his country. Romania is a NATO member.Angel Tilvar, the minister, told local news channel Antena 3 CNN that parts of what was most likely a drone were discovered in the eastern Tulcea county, an area of the Danube that forms a natural border between Romania and war-torn Ukraine.“I confirm that in this area, pieces that may be of a drone were found,” he said, adding that the pieces didn’t pose a threat. It’s unclear if Romania has determined when or from where the drone was launched. There has been a series of recent attacks by Russia on Danube ports in Ukraine, which are close to Romania, a NATO member since 2004.Tilvar’s comments come after Romania’s Ministry of National Defense “categorically denied” claims made on Monday by the spokesperson of Ukraine’s Ministry of F...

S&P/TSX composite down more than 100 points, U.S. stock markets also lower

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index posted a triple-digit decline in late morning trading, weighed down by a broad-based decline, led by the base metal, industrial and financial sectors, while U.S. stock markets also moved lower.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 151.73 points at 20,262.03.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 206.10 points at 34,435.87. The S&P 500 index was down 36.33 points at 4,460.50, while the Nasdaq composite was down 152.09 points at 13,868.86.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.20 cents US compared with 73.38 cents US on Tuesday as the Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate on hold.The October crude contract was down 26 cents at US$86.43 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.53 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down US$9.70 at US$1,942.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was down six cents at US$3.79 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, ...

CPTPP panel sides with New Zealand over Canada dairy supply-management rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

OTTAWA — A Pacific Rim trade panel says Canada’s dairy-sector protections violate obligations Ottawa signed with countries like New Zealand.The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership includes certain quotas for countries to export dairy at preferred tariff rates into other member countries.New Zealand says Canada is limiting its quotas to protect domestic dairy processors, who operate under federal rules regulating the cost and supply of products such as milk and cheese.The trade panel today says it agrees with part of the complaint from May 2022 and ordered Ottawa to change how it uses quotas. New Zealand calls the decision “a decisive win” while Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng says it is a “clear victory for Canada.”Ng says the ruling confirms that Ottawa does have some discretion over how it allocates its dairy quotas.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

14 CPS employees fired, resigned in PPP fraud investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Twelve Chicago Public Schools employees have resigned or been fired for defrauding a federal pandemic relief program. Two more are in the process of being fired.According to the CPS Office of the Inspector General, the investigation is ongoing.The OIG reports the employees, most of which had six-figure salaries with the district, used false loan applications to get up to $21,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans.Those loans are primarily meant to help business owners pay their employees during the height of the pandemic.The OIG reports of the 14 employees, many admitted to making false statements on the loan applications.At least one of the CPS employees involved worked in the central office and got a $75,000 loan. At the time, the employee made more than $200,000 a year.The report also says that many of the 14 employees include school administrators and managers.The OIG says close to 800 full-time CPS employees received PPP loans. Some of course are legitima...

'Mr. Brightside,' 'Shake It Off,' 'Jolene' among 2024 candidates' favorite songs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

(The Hill) – “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Shake It Off” and “Fast Car” are among the songs that some of the 2024 GOP presidential candidates say bring them “instant joy.”About half of the 13 Republican White House hopefuls answered an inquiry from Politico Magazine published Wednesday about a viral social media post that asked users on X (formerly Twitter) to share 20 of their “all-time fav tracks.”“Not the ‘best’ songs, the ones that bring you instant joy the second you hear the first note, the ones that give other people the best insight into what stirs your soul,” the August post said.Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie heavily represented the Garden State with his musical picks, selecting Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.” Also making the cut on Christie’s list: The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Pressure” by Billy Joel, “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran, and The Eagles’ classic “Hotel California.” Biden campaign predicts GOP candidates...

All Texas DPS driver license appointments canceled Wednesday due to system outage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) — An outage in the Texas Department of Public Safety's driver license system led to cancellations of all driver license appointments all day Wednesday, a news release confirmed Tuesday.The cancellations were originally expected to only last through noon on Wednesday. According to DPS, all appointments Wednesday were canceled statewide, and customers are being notified of the cancellation via email or the phone number used when creating their appointment.Driver's license offices across the state closed Friday through Labor Day weekend for a system update, DPS said previously."The department is working to identify the issue, which is related to the driver's license system update that took place over the weekend, and get it fixed as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience," the spokesperson added.The outage is impacting all driver license services provided by Texas DPS, including renewing or replacing licenses or identification cards, obtaining a driver rec...

New laws help food service industry, Texas Restaurant Association says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- The food service industry in Texas is now operating under a series of new and amended laws.According to the Texas Restaurant Association, many of them are streamlining regulations and reducing costs for restaurants and their employees. "These laws will benefit the 55,000 foodservice establishments that employ more than 1.4 million Texans, plus the communities they serve," the TRA said in a press release. The association said major themes of the new laws include:Fewer permit feesClearer health codesProperty tax reliefWorkforce developmentDecline in dine-in customersThis comes as the TRA said restaurants have seen a decline in dine-in customers because of the extreme heat. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Extreme heat hurts local eateries, Texas Restaurant Association says "According to OpenTable, Texas’ seated diner traffic has decreased 3-5% compared to Summer 2022," the TRA said. Simultaneously, the association said there's been an increase in food and labor costs. "For thes...

Texan purchases $2M winning lottery ticket in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A Texas resident was named a $2 million Powerball prize winner following an Aug. 30 drawing. The anonymous winner -- from Wharton, a city southwest of Houston -- purchased the winning ticket at Players Cafe, located at 7801 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. E216 in Austin.This isn't the first time Players Cafe has sold a winning lottery ticket. Back in June, a $1 million prize was sold to a Dallas resident who purchased it in Austin ahead of a June 30 drawing. RELATED: $1 million winning lottery ticket sold in Austin The winning ticket had the player match all five white ball numbers from the Aug. 30 drawing -- 4-13-35-61-69 -- but didn't match the Powerball number, per a release. The claimant also received an additional $8 prize on the same ticket, per the release.Powerball Grand Prizes begin at $20 million and continue until a jackpot is won, per the release. The release added that players win the grand prize by matching the five numbers from a field of 69 total numbers and ...