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Disney World government will give employees stipend after backlash for taking away park passes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Facing a backlash, Walt Disney World’s governing district will pay a stipend to employees whose free passes and discounts to the theme park resort were eliminated under a policy made by a new district administrator and board members who are allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.The stipend will be $3,000 a year, which is around the equivalent value of the theme park passes, Glen Gilzean, district administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, told board members during a meeting Wednesday evening. The board then unanimously approved the stipend.Board members said they had taken to heart the criticism of employees who said the free passes gave them lasting memories with their families and allowed relatives to see the fruits of their work. Without the free passes, the parks would be unaffordable, many employees said.“We heard you and have worked to respond accordingly,” said board member Ron Peri.Employees had enjoyed the perk for decades when...

Winnipeg man pleads guilty to manslaughter in the death of Saskatchewan RCMP officer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

REGINA — The mother of a Saskatchewan RCMP officer who was killed two years ago says it was “hell” to watch a Winnipeg man plead guilty to manslaughter in her son’s death.Alphonse Stanley Traverse pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the charge in Regina Court of King’s Bench for his role in Const. Shelby Patton’s death. Traverse also pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a motor vehicle. “It’s very traumatic,” Melanie Patton, the mother of the 26-year-old Mountie, said in an interview. “It’s better than sitting through a trial, but at the same time there’s so much trauma and we’re not going to recover. It’s like I’m living in hell.”Shelby Patton was killed more than two years ago when he attempted to stop a stolen truck, driven by Traverse, near the town of Wolseley, east of Regina.According to an agreed statement of facts, Traverse had been driving from Winnipeg to Saskatchewan in June 2021 to play VLTs. He was with Marlene Pagee at the time, and they chose to go to Saskatc...

ExxonMobil loses bid to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through central California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — ExxonMobil lost a court bid Wednesday to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through central California — a crucial part of its efforts to restart offshore oil wells that were shut in 2015 after a pipeline leak caused the worst coastal spill in 25 years.A federal judge refused to overturn a 2022 decision by the Santa Barbara County Board Supervisors that denied ExxonMobil’s request to use trucks to carry crude from the three wells. A request for comment from ExxonMobil about the decision wasn’t immediately returned.The pipeline was shut down on May 19, 2015, when a corroded section above ground and running west of Santa Barbara ruptured, sending 140,000 gallons (529,958 liters) of oil onto a state beach and into the ocean.Three decades-old drilling platforms were shuttered in the wake of the disaster.ExxonMobil proposed sending up to 24,820 tanker trucks a year on coastal Highway 101 and and State Route 166 for up to seven years, arguing that wa...

Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner, to challenge island’s governor in primary

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, Jenniffer González, announced Wednesday that she will run for governor of the U.S. territory.She is expected to face Gov. Pedro Pierluisi next year in what is anticipated to be a heated primary of the pro-statehood Progressive New Party. González previously ran with Pierluisi on the 2020 ticket.Pierluisi, 64, has said he will seek re-election and is scheduled to make an official announcement on Sunday.González, 47, said her priorities include strengthening the island’s health system, improving the education sector and ensuring swift reconstruction of the territory’s power grid that was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017.González is Puerto Rico’s first female resident commissioner and was first elected in November 2016, succeeding Pierluisi.González’s announcement comes more than a week after she announced she was pregnant with twins.The winner of the PNP primary will face leaders of several opposition parties, incl...

Chinese immigrant workers sue over forced labor at illegal marijuana operation on Navajo land

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Chinese immigrant workers allege they were lured to northern New Mexico under false pretenses and forced to work 14 hours a day trimming marijuana on the Navajo Nation where cultivating the plant is illegal, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court.Job advertisements for the operation in Shiprock promised $200 per day, housing and food in exchange for “gardening” and “flower cutting.” But when the workers arrived in New Mexico, the complaint says, their phones and car keys were taken away, they were barred from leaving and, in some instances, family members were separated.In a statement Wednesday, lawyers for the 15 workers said their clients were treated like animals and commended their bravery for coming forward.“Ending forced labor requires that the perpetrators of forced labor and those who seek to benefit from such schemes face serious consequences,” attorney Aaron Halegua said. “We hope that this lawsuit will demonstrate that s...

British Columbia expects ‘enhanced masking’ in health-care settings, Dix says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says an announcement is coming Thursday on new rules for the province’s health-care facilities, include masking.Dix did not provide any specifics Wednesday, but said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry will be taking people through the evidence and make recommendations both for citizens’ daily lives and the health-care system “that will be implemented.”Dix says the province has previously stated it would expect “enhanced masking” in health-care settings for the respiratory illness season in the fall but did not say whether the new rules will be mandatory.The minister says ensuring people who are already sick in hospital have the maximum protection possible during the season is important.The minister says Thursday’s announcement will also include details of the province’s fall vaccine campaign for both COVID-19 and influenza.In April, the province ended its universal mask ma...

Trump arrives in Michigan to compete with Biden for union votes while his GOP challengers debate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — As his Republican rivals gather onstage in California for their second primary debate, former President Donald Trump was in battleground Michigan on Wednesday night working to win over blue-collar voters in the midst of an autoworkers’ strike.The Republican front-runner’s trip comes a day after President Joe Biden became the first sitting president in U.S. history to walk a picket line as he joined United Auto Workers in Detroit. The union is pushing for higher wages, shorter work weeks and assurances from the country’s top automakers that new electric vehicle jobs will be unionized.The dueling appearances preview what will likely be a chief dynamic of the 2024 general election, which increasingly looks like a rematch between Trump and Biden. Michigan is expected to again be a critical battleground state as both candidates try to paint themselves as champions of the working class. Trump’s decision to skip another debate comes as he maintains a commanding lead in...

Two arrested after leading police on high-speed chase while tossing marijuana out window

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. -- Two people have been arrested after leading police in Indiana on a high-speed chase on Wednesday.According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, a detective conducted a traffic stop on a white Dodge Durango SUV that committed several traffic violations on the westbound lanes of I-94 in LaPorte County, Indiana on Wednesday.When the detective's vehicle approached the Dodge Durango, the driver reportedly fled at a high rate of speed. The occupants of the Dodge Durango were seen throwing out large bags of what appeared to be marijuana, according to the LCSO. Police issue restroom alert after body piercing operation discovered in Northwest Indiana school The SUV exited I-94 at State Road 49 and the driver attempted to enter the Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton, but due to the gate being closed, the driver was forced to make a U-turn.The occupants continued to flee and throw large amounts of suspected marijuana out of the vehicle, finally stopping in Porter Cou...

2 killed in I-57 rollover crash, 1 ID'd

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

CHICAGO — Two people were killed in a rollover crash on I-57 early Wednesday morning, and one of them has been identified.The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified one of the people who died as 28-year-old Ray Collins.The accident happened around 2:30 a.m. on northbound I-57 near 99th Street. Illinois State Police responded for a single-vehicle crash after the car spun out and struck a light pole.According to ISP, there were three occupants inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. A man was confirmed dead on the scene.Another man was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in grave condition, where he was pronounced dead. A woman was transported to the same hospital in serious condition.It is unclear if Collins was the man pronounced dead on the scene, or later died at Advocate Christ.As of 7 a.m., the northbound lanes were back open at 111th Street after being closed for several hours Wednesday morning.The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.

Royce Lewis among Twins pushing to get back for playoffs: ‘Got to be smart’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:26:49 GMT

Nearly seven hours before the Twins took on the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday, a number of rehabbing Twins participated in a simulated game, working tirelessly to get back as soon as they possibly can.Included in that group: Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton.“I tell people rehab is way harder than just coming and playing the games,” Lewis said. “Playing the games, you literally just come and play. This is, like, where the hard work really begins just because you’re spending a lot more hours.”Lewis spent a whole day getting treatment, rehabbing and participating in some baseball activities as he pushes for his inclusion on the postseason roster. The third baseman suffered a hamstring strain last week against the Reds, and the Twins have just under a week to determine his readiness for the Wild Card Series, which kicks off Tuesday, two weeks from the day of the injury.If Lewis is healthy enough to serve as the team’s designated hitter, manager Rocco Baldelli said he would b...