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Residents of Quebec town still struggle with aftermath of 2019 dike break, flooding

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

SAINTE-MARTHE-SUR-LE-LAC, Que. — Sylvie Béchard had only owned her little brick house for six months when her neighbour came banging on her door on the night of April 27, 2019. The dike holding back the Lake of Two Mountains had been breached, and floodwaters were rushing toward her home.“She said ‘Sylvie, we have to evacuate, the dike has given out. We’re being flooded,'” Béchard recalled recently.Four years after flooding forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents of Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que., and damaged hundreds of homes, there is plenty of anger from residents who say they’re still suffering from the financial and emotional consequences. Earlier this month, a class-action lawsuit against the municipality and the province on behalf of flooding victims was authorized to move forward.Béchard remembers the days that followed the breach, when Armed Forces or police would take her by boat down the flooded streets of the town northwest of Montre...

Mélanie Joly in Kenya to help inform Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Kenya for the next few days to help inform Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan.She is set to meet with people evacuated from the East African country, including diplomatic staff who worked there until a shocking outbreak of violence earlier this month.Joly will also meet with humanitarian groups to get a sense of the needs of people in Sudan, as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries.She also plans to meet with former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, the country’s only civilian leader in recent decades, who was deposed in a 2021 coup.Kenya has been a leading voice in trying to find a mediated solution to the conflict, and it hosts the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a group focused on peace and prosperity in East African countries.Joly’s office says she also hopes to learn more from Kenya as a major player on the continent.“Kenya has played a key leadership role throug...

Boy, 16, shot in hand on South Side

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

CHICAGO — A 16-year-old boy was shot in a drive-by shooting in the city's Roseland neighborhood late Saturday night. According to police, the boy was found injured in the 110 block of West 92nd Street with a gunshot wound to the arm.He was transported to Little Company of Mary and is listed in good condition. Dismembered human remains found in Kankakee County; 1 charged with murder Police said the boy relayed that he was shot by an unidentified individual travelling in a black sedan. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day: Where you can adopt in Austin, Central Texas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Sunday is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. To celebrate, animal nonprofit Austin Pets Alive! is waiving adoption fees starting at noon at its Town Lake location. From noon to 6 p.m., adoption fees will be waived for all dogs and cats at the Town Lake location on Cesar Chavez. Dogs available for adoption include five pups named after Willie Nelson's music to celebrate the singer's 90th birthday. Midnight Rider (Courtesy Austin Pets Alive!)Highway Man (Courtesy Austin Pets Alive!)Stardust (Courtesy Austin Pets Alive!)Rainbow Connection (Courtesy Austin Pets Alive!)Lukenbach (Courtesy Austin Pets Alive!)Here are a few other Central Texas animal shelters where you can find a furry friend to adopt:Austin Animal CenterPflugerville Animal Welfare ServicesTexas Humane HeroesCentral Texas SPCAWilliamson County Regional Animal ShelterSan Marcos Regional Animal ShelterPAWS Shelter of Central TexasLockhart Animal ShelterBastrop Animal Shelter

Here's a list of the 10 most stolen cars in Texas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

DALLAS(KDAF)—Dude, where is my car? Having one of these brands might mean your car was stolen if you lost it.Way.com, a car parking app, said the National Insurance Crime Bureau listed the most cars stolen in Texas. The list revealed Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks are the most stolen cars in Texans; Sedans are coming in second as the most stolen. The Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and Honda Civic are the other sedans that are theft magnets in Texas. The Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, and Honda Civic are also on the list.Check out the latest NICB Hot Wheels report: ModelUnits stolenChevrolet Pick-up (Full-size)9,382Ford Pick-up (Full-size)8,433GMC Pick-up (Full-size)2,891Dodge Pick-up (Full-size)2,481Chevrolet Tahoe1,814Honda Accord1,423Nissan Altima1,407Toyota Camry1,369Ram Pick-up (Full-size)1,340Honda Civic1,197

What's the most popular baby name in Texas?—A new list

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

DALLAS(KDAF) — Texas is a state that is home to many families, and the names given to their children are an important part of the state's culture. With that in mind, a website called Names.org has released its list of the most popular baby names in Texas for 2023. They compiled a list using data from the Social Security Administration on births.The ten most popular names for boys in Texas in 2023 are Liam, Noah, Mateo, Elijah, Sebastian, Oliver, Santiago, Levi, Daniel, and Benjamin. The ten most popular girls' names are Olivia, Camila, Emma, Isabella, Mia, Amelia, Sophia, Ava, Charlotte, and Luna. Emma and Noah are both incredibly popular names throughout the US, and they have taken the top two spots in the most popular baby names in the Texas list for the second year in a row. Following them, Olivia, Liam, Ava, Mia, William, Isabella, James, and Charlotte make up the remaining eight spots on the list. Using this data, parents in Texas can figure out which names are popular in thei...

Skywatch: May Stargazing … It’s Intermission Time

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

Evening stargazing has lost its chill, but to be honest, it’s also lost some of its thrills. Many bright winter constellations are already below the horizon at nightfall, not to be seen again in the evening until next autumn. From May until about mid-June, the evening sky is in a bit of an intermission between the bright stars and constellations of winter and the great star patterns of summer. Don’t get me wrong, though. There are still many magnificent jewels in the May night sky, although they’re a little more subtle. You need to visually dig a little harder for some of them.If you enjoy warm, moonlit evenings, you’ll love May. The month opens with a waxing gibbous moon that blossoms into a full moon on the 5th. The May full moon is probably best known as the Flower Moon. As lovely as full moons are, they whitewash the sky, making it tough to see dimmer stars and celestial treasures.One of the victims of the extra moonlight this month is the annual Eta Aqua...

After six decades of arts education, founder of St. Paul-based ArtStart to retire

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

Carol Sirrine remembers your name.Sirrine, the longtime K-12 fine-arts coordinator for Hopkins Public Schools, founded the St. Paul-based arts education organization ArtStart in 1988. Now, after an arts education career that stretches back to the 1960s, she plans to retire when ArtStart’s board names a new executive director.As she reflected on decades of helping young people learn to think creatively, her stories had a certain specificity, particularly regarding the names of people she’s encountered and learned from. During an hour-long conversation, she referenced more than two dozen — but they’re not name-drops; Sirrine is honoring a lifetime of being inspired by big ideas, by creativity.And it starts with her parents, Mayme and Orton Sirrine. Both were school teachers with a knack for last-minute road trips from their home in Billings, Mont., to nearby mountains and rivers and geological sites. They’d encourage their young daughter to express herself through music and art and to...

Why hemp farmers have concerns about Minnesota legalizing cannabis

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

Minnesota is on the verge of legalizing adult-use cannabis, sparking a lucrative new recreational marketplace, but supporters are cautioning lawmakers not to inadvertently snuff out a widely popular hemp industry.Legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis and regulate its cultivation, processing and sale narrowly cleared the Minnesota House and Senate this week. But there are differences between the two bills as well as other revisions supporters hope to see addressed in a joint committee of lawmakers before the legislation is sent to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it.“It’s been a long process, and I’m excited that we have taken this critical step,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, after the bill cleared the House Tuesday. “We are going to get this done this year. We are right at the doorstep.”Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, said cannabis prohibition has failed and harmed too many lives with a disproportionate impact on peopl...

Cloudy and windy Sunday, unseasonably cool Monday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:44:20 GMT

ST. LOUIS - We will see some sunshine early Sunday, but clouds will increase by late morning into the afternoon. It will be quite windy Sunday and much cooler than Saturday, with temperature highs around or just shy of 60 degrees. A few spot showers are possible east of the river. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Clouds gradually decrease overnight and winds ease a bit, but still breezy. Temps lows are expected to be in the lower half of the 40s. Monday will still be windy and unseasonably cool, but with more sunshine. Temps should be a few degrees higher than Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday get better as the day are set for sunshine, and the temps in mid 60s Tuesday and around 70 on Wednesday. Rain chances increase Thursday and Friday.