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Bereavement fares worth looking into but do your research before booking: experts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

When Cathy Olliffe-Webster’s 90-year-old mother-in-law died suddenly last year, her family had to make the trek from Cold Lake, Alta., to Ontario in a hurry.The jewelry business owner reckons the flight would have set her and her husband back $2,000 because it was a last-minute booking, but they scored a hefty discount.“We ended up paying $400 each there and back,” Olliffe-Webster recalled. “I was happy with the price.”The savings her family landed came courtesy of Air Canada’s bereavement fare program — an initiative the airline runs to offer discounts to customers travelling before or after the imminent death of a loved one.Such programs are offered by several airlines, but many Canadians don’t know they exist or are too distressed by their family situation to explore them.However, Olliffe-Webster encourages people to research the policies when they find themselves needing to travel following a loved one’s death.“Most people, e...

Rights of Dane convicted of murdering a journalist on sub were not violated in prison, court rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The human rights of a self-taught Danish engineer who was convicted five years ago of murdering a Swedish journalist on his homemade submarine were not violated as he had claimed, a Danish court ruled Thursday.Peter Madsen was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 for killing Kim Wall, a 30-year-old freelance reporter, after bringing her aboard his self-built submarine with the promise of an interview. There he tortured and killed her before dismembering her body and dumped it at sea in a case that gripped Scandinavia.Madsen had sued the southern Denmark prison where he is incarcerated over a ban on getting visits, exchanging letters and making telephone calls without permission. In its ruling, the district court in Nykoebing Falster said that the ban was not a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the court said that Madsen may receive visits, phone calls and write letters with a vetted person but needs permission each time. On Aug. 10...

6 people, including firefighter, injured after West Chicago apartment building fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

CHICAGO -- A fire in an apartment complex in West Chicago sent a firefighter and six other people to the hospital. The fire happened near the 800 Block of Burr Oak Circle around 1 a.m. The Fire Chief said the injuries are minor and the firefighter is being treated for exhaustion. When will thousands of students get bus service? CPS has few answers A report said some people jumped from the second and third floors to escape. Families who live in the building are now displaced. Fire crews are still trying to figure out what caused the fire. WGN is actively investigating the incident and will update as more information is provided.

Amundsen Park Fieldhouse no longer being considered for migrant shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is no longer considering the Amundsen Park Fieldhouse as a site to house migrants.In a rare change of plans, the mayor's office now says the park will not be used as a temporary shelter. It was one of several fieldhouses the city has looked into using to house asylum seekers.The community around the park pushed back on the plan from the beginning. The alderman announced Wednesday night that the park will reopen to staff next Monday — and to the public soon after.With little warning, the Amundsen Park community found out last month that 200 migrants could be moving out of some police stations and into the fieldhouse.It sparked some spirited meetings and a call for more transparency in early October.In a written statement posted Wednesday night, Ald. Chris Taliaferro told his constituents plans to use the fieldhouse have been scrapped — saying the change of plans was due to decreasing number of migrants arriving and other housing options opening up. Of th...

Stainless steel children's cups recalled due to lead content: CPSC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

CHICAGO -- Tiblue AND Klickpick Home stainless steel children's cups have been recalled due to excessive amounts of lead found on the bottom exterior, CPSC said.Lead is toxic and if ingested by young children, can cause severe health effects. In addition, the lid can crack and break during use, producing sharp edges, causing choking or laceration hazards towards children. Relieving postpartum depression without medication — and more The recalled cups are the 8 and 12 oz. The CPSC says consumers should immediately take cups from the children and contact Fengm for a full refund.

WATCH: Man shot at women who wouldn't open their door

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) - A man who appeared to be intoxicated allegedly tried to get inside a house in Memphis last month, then shot at two women inside when they wouldn't let him in, police said.Surveillance video shows what police are calling an attempted aggravated burglary. They were frightening moments for Candice Lock and her daughter who were inside their home. "We're laying in her bed. We're watching TV, and I see a guy walk on my porch, and he's swinging a gun, and he has a ski mask on, and he has gloves on," Lock said. She had never met the man before. The women told police that the man came to their door and told them that his car was around the corner and he needed to get inside the home. Police say he had slurred speech and appeared to be intoxicated. Thieves drive car into East Memphis store, steal perfume and cologne When the women told him to leave, the man kept trying to get inside. Police say when one of them opened the blinds, he fi...

Freed Israeli hostage said they were fed well and 'OK,' Hamas leader assured no harm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli woman freed by Hamas said in an interview that her family was fed well and that they were 'OK.' Israeli channels reported that Hamas's top leader assured hostages they would not be harmed. In one of the first interviews with a freed hostage, 78-year-old Ruti Munder told Israel's Channel 13 television that she spent the entirety of her time with her daughter, Keren, and grandson, Ohad Munder-Zichri, who celebrated his ninth birthday in captivity. Her account, broadcast Monday, adds to the trickle of information about the experience of captives held in Gaza.Munder was snatched Oct. 7 from her home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel. Her husband, Avraham, also 78, was taken hostage too and remains in Gaza. Her son was killed in the attack.Initially, they ate “chicken with rice, all sorts of canned food and cheese,” Munder told Channel 13, in an audio interview. “We were OK.”They were given tea in the morning and evening, and the children wer...

TX Comptroller office closed following 'technical difficulties'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Comptroller’s office said it was experiencing technical difficulties Thursday morning and could not answer any calls."Our call centers are experiencing technical difficulties and are unable to take incoming calls. We are diligently working to resolve this issue,” the comptroller’s office said in a social media post.The office said it would post updates on its progress to its social media profiles.While calling, the following automated message could be heard:“Our office is temporarily closed due to an emergency. We cannot take your call at this time.”

Trouble Brewing: A deep dive into why most North Austin breweries have shuttered

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- More breweries in the North Austin neighborhoods around The Domain have tapped out than remain — the numbers have dwindled from seven to three in about a year.Compare that to 14 breweries in South Austin or the 16 counted in Central Austin.There’s a long list of reasons as to why so many breweries have shuttered in the area around Austin's second downtown, but a lot of the trouble boils down to location and zoning. As site selector Robby Eaves, principal at Commercial Industrial Properties LLC, puts it, it's been “death by a thousand cuts” for brewers. Between over saturation, rising rent prices, high overhead costs, the pandemic and a change in consumer taste, breweries have taken many hits. But The Domain area — east of Mopac, west of I-35 and north of U.S. Highway 183 — has suffered more than others. Read the full story at Austin Business Journal.

Mark Gongloff: Human brains aren’t wired to fight climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:48 GMT

Humans are very likely the only species that can imagine very distant futures. Unfortunately, our brains aren’t wired to behave in a way that optimizes those futures. After all, most of us don’t even save enough for retirement. If we have a choice between eating a donut right now and being marginally more healthy later, the donut almost always wins.Individual choices can have broad social implications. If we’re broke in retirement, we’ll rely on public assistance. If we make ourselves sick from eating too many donuts, we’ll be less productive and a drain on health-care resources. But society as a whole is also prone to toxic short-termism. Take climate change. Burning fossil fuels, clear-cutting forests and mass-producing cows serve our immediate needs for lights, farmland and cheeseburgers, but at the cost of ruining the climate for many future generations.How many generations, exactly? Andrew Dessler, director of the Texas Center for Climate Studies a...