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Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Jim Crow-era Mississippi bans blocking some felons from voting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it will not stop Mississippi from removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies — a practice that originated in the Jim Crow era with the intent of stopping Black men from influencing elections.The court declined to reconsider a 2022 decision by the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that said Mississippi had remedied the discriminatory intent of the original provisions in the state constitution by altering the list of disenfranchising crimes.In a dissent Friday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the authors of the Mississippi Constitution in 1890 made clear that they intended to exclude Black people by removing voting rights for felony convictions in crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit, including forgery, arson and bigamy. The list of disenfranchising crimes was “adopted for an illicit discriminatory purpose,” Brown Jackson wrote in the dissent joined by Justi...

U.S.-based remote vehicle operator gives timeline of Titan recovery off Newfoundland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

EAST AURORA, N.Y. — The owner of the remotely operated vehicle that recovered pieces of the Titan submersible says it found the wreck on the ocean floor soon after arriving at the search site on June 22.Ed Cassano, CEO of Pelagic Research Services, says its ROV Odysseus 6K had the capability to dive to the wreck of the Titanic and that another ROV descended into the water to search but never made it out.Cassano says the ROV from another vessel, the Deep Energy, dived beyond its capabilities and was lost.He says a 24-hour recovery operation to find the Titan submersible ran from June 22 until Tuesday of this week.Cassano says his crew returned to St. John’s on Wednesday on board the Canadian Ship Horizon Arctic with the pieces of Titan wreckage that it found on the ocean floor.The Titan imploded during its June 18 descent to the Titanic wreck site, almost four kilometres below the surface of the sea, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers and crew.This report by The Canadian ...

Wildfires leading to smog warnings, poor air quality in Ontario, Quebec

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

MONTREAL — Evacuation orders were being lifted on Friday for Quebec residents directly affected by wildfires, but the blazes were still causing poor air quality across much of the province.Quebec’s Public Security Department said that almost all of the 2,300 people evacuated from their homes would be able to return no later than Saturday because rainfall during the past week has decreased the forest fire threat.In the northern town of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, home to more than 2,000 people, essential workers began returning on Thursday, with a full return scheduled for Saturday.“We’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow,” Mayor Guy Lafrenière said in a video message on Friday.The western edge of a massive fire burning east of the town is under control, he said. “To give you an idea of the size of the fire, it measures 107 kilometres wide by 97 kilometres long.” The town’s website says the fire is 24 times the size of the city of Montreal. Fou...

Yukon still waiting for federal support to build flooding mitigation infrastructure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says the territory is “patiently waiting” for federal support for building mitigation infrastructure after severe flooding in the Klondike Valley this spring.Premier Ranj Pillai says the territory has launched an $8-million financial assistance program for the flood’s victims as the Yukon moves from emergency response to recovery support.The program will provide up to $250,000 for eligible residential damages and losses, rising to $500,000 for agricultural and small business applicants.Pillai says recent meetings among Canadian premiers, as well as ministers responsible for infrastructure, have confirmed climate resilience to be a major focus of new funding plans that may emerge from the federal government this fall.The Yukon has focused on creating flood mapping to identify high-risk areas, as well as assessing where mitigation measures should be put into place.Officials say an “unusual” ice dam situation caused the Kl...

Man dead in daytime stabbing in Scarborough

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

A man is dead following a daytime stabbing in Scarborough. Toronto police were called to a residential area on Greencedar Circuit near Bellamy Road North and Lawrence Avenue East just before 12:30 p.m. Friday following reports someone had been stabbed.When they arrived they found a man suffering from stab wounds. He was taken to a nearby trauma centre in life-threatening condition where he was pronounced dead. No suspect description has been released at this time.

Canaccord Genuity facing investigation into its wholesale market-making activities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

TORONTO — Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. says it is facing a regulatory investigation that could result in it paying a “significant penalty.”In a securities filing, the company says the matter stems from a review of its wholesale market-making activities. Further details were not disclosed.Canaccord said it expects that the issue will be resolved and that it will not have a material impact, but cautioned the ultimate resolution of the matter was not known.In a separate filing, the company says chair David Kassie plans to step down from his executive management role at the company after its annual meeting on Aug. 4 and retire as chair following the company’s annual meeting next year.The company announced on June 14 that a proposed management buyout of the firm would not go ahead after key conditions of the offer, including required regulatory approvals, were not received by the offer’s expiry time.The company warned in May that a regulatory issue with one of its...

Why are fireworks illegal in Illinois?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Though Illinois bans the use of commercial-grade fireworks, chances are you know somebody who plans to drive to Wisconsin or Indiana to prepare a grand Fourth of July fireworks show.Illinois is one of only three states that do not allow some or all types of consumer fireworks, but that doesn't stop thousands from driving across state lines to bring them back.So, why are fireworks illegal in Illinois?According to the Illinois Policy Institute, most fireworks were outlawed in Illinois in 1942, when state Rep. William G. Thon, [R-Chicago], drafted the Pyrotechnic Use Act.Since then, there have been numerous failed attempts to legalize the use of commercial fireworks.The latest attempt to loosen fireworks restrictions, proposed this year, faced numerous critics.Phil Zaleski, executive director of the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, said the state of New York voted to loosen restrictions, but regretted the decision and sent a letter to the Illinois General Ass...

$10M bond for suburban man accused of shooting at ATF agents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — Bond is set at $10 million for a Waukegan man accused of shooting at ATF agents as they served a search warrant. Alvaro Grijalva, 29, is charged with five counts of attempted murder, five counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. 13 facing federal charges after fentanyl investigation on West Side According to authorities, Grijalva was the subject of a long-term investigation conducted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigations Unit (SIG) in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Chicago Field Division.  When the authorities arrived at Grijalva’s residence to execute a search warrant, Grijalva allegedly shot at law enforcement officials twice, nearly striking them. No law enforcement officer was struck or injured, however. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesGrijalva was eventually taken into custody and booked at Lake County Jail. His next sche...

Man found dead in Lady Bird Lake identified by police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video is KXAN's previous coverage of when the body was found in Lady Bird Lake Tuesday.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The man found dead at Lady Bird Lake Tuesday has been identified as Mogga Dogale, the Austin Police Department said.APD said the death is not being investigated as a homicide. The medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death. MAP: Tracking deaths near Lady Bird Lake in Austin Dogale was not listed as a missing person by APD, police told KXAN.APD and the Austin Fire Department said they were called to 1000 W. Cesar Chavez St., which is near where Barton Creek comes into the lake, around 10:30 a.m. The man was pronounced dead at 10:59 a.m. Tuesday.Body recovered from Lady Bird Lake on June 27, 2023. (KXAN Photo/Jala Washington)Body recovered from Lady Bird Lake on June 27, 2023. (KXAN Photo/Jala Washington)Body recovered from Lady Bird Lake on June 27, 2023. (KXAN Photo/Jala Washington)After Tuesday's incident, there have been at least five ...

Texas students continue to improve on STAAR test since post-pandemic lows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:44:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Education Agency released the results for the 2023 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness examination, showing further academic recovery since the pandemic. These are the first set of results since the test was redesigned earlier this year to better reflect what students are learning in the classroom. The Texas Legislature passed a bill in 2019 prompting the redesign. MORE: Texas STAAR Test is being redesigned — what you need to know “This year’s [end-of-course] results show progress and continued academic recovery among Texas public school students who endured multiple years of pandemic-induced disruptions to learning. The number of students that achieved 'Approaches grade level' or above increased in all five tested subjects,” TEA wrote in a statement. STAAR scores for grades three through eight surpassed pre-pandemic levels in Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History, per TEA data. 89% of students met the “Approaches grade le...