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Disabled B.C. man forced to drag himself off Air Canada flight says he’s pushing for changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

A disabled British Columbia man who dragged himself off an Air Canada flight in Las Vegas after the airline’s ground assistance personnel were not available to help him says he doesn’t want others to go through the same experience.Prince George resident Rodney Hodgins, who can’t walk due to spastic cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility, says he was shocked and angry when a flight attendant said he would have to get himself off the airplane.The 49-year-old hardware salesman says he was forced to use the strength of his upper body to pull himself down the airplane aisle, while his wife, Deanna, held his legs, which cannot move.Hodgins says the experience has left him committed to making sure disabled people are treated with dignity and safety on flights.He says he’s recently been contacted by Canada’s chief accessibility officer Stephanie Cadieux, who posted on social media earlier this month that Air Canada forgot her wheelchair on ...

6 teenagers shot at Louisiana house party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Six teenagers were shot at a Louisiana house party Saturday night, leaving one in critical condition, local authorities said.Calcasieu Parish sheriff’s deputies responded to a reported shooting at a home in the southeast Louisiana town of Lake Charles on Saturday shortly before midnight. When deputies arrived, they found several teenagers with gunshot wounds. All of the victims were between 15 and 19 years old, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday. Authorities said a fight broke out, which led someone to pull out a gun and start firing. The law enforcement statement did not say whether a suspect had been identified. Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso said the investigation was ongoing and urged parents to keep a closer eye on their children. “We are in the process of collecting evidence and speaking to all the witnesses. This was a party full of teenagers. Once again we have to figure out how these weapons are getting in the hands of our ...

Crowd storms Russian airport to protest flight from Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Hundreds of people on Sunday stormed into the main airport in Russia’s Dagestan region and onto the landing field to protest the landing of an airliner coming from Tel Aviv, Russian news agencies and social media reported.Authorities closed the airport in Makhachkala, capital of the predominantly Muslim region, and police converged on the facility.There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests. Russian news reports said people in the crowd were shouting antisemitic slogans and tried to storm the airliner belonging to Russian carrier Red Wings that had landed from Tel Aviv.Video on social media showed some in the crowd on the landing field waving Palestinian flags. The Associated Press

Coach Fabio Grosso hurt as Lyon team bus comes under attack before French league game at Marseille

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Lyon coach Fabio Grosso suffered a head injury as the team bus came under attack from fans throwing projectiles before Sunday’s French league soccer game against Marseille. The Lyon bus was hit on the way to Stade Velodrome, shattering some windows. Grosso was injured by falling shards of glass and needed medical treatment with his face heavily bleeding. It wasn’t clear less than an hour before kickoff whether French league officials would let the game be played in such circumstances. Grosso scored the winning penalty kick for Italy in the shootout victory over France in the 2006 World Cup final.Both clubs have been under pressure lately. Despite replacing Marcelino with Gennaro Gattuso as coach in September, Marseille is still showing poor form with one win and three losses in its last four league games. Lyon is the only team still winless in the league. Replacing Laurent Blanc with Grosso as coach in September hasn’t paid off for Lyon, which sits in last p...

Pence’s early exit from the presidential campaign offers a reminder of Trump’s grip on the GOP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mike Pence has a resume most White House hopefuls would dream of. A congressman. A governor of a big Midwestern state. A one-time vice president.In normal times, someone with such credentials would be well positioned to win their party’s presidential nomination. But these are not normal times and Pence’s decision to end his campaign more than two months before the first contest in the Republican primary underscores the extent to which the party has been subsumed by former President Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Pence made his surprise announcement Saturday in Las Vegas, where he and other GOP presidential hopefuls spoke at a summit sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition. But in many ways, Pence’s campaign ended years before it officially began, in the days leading up to Jan. 6, 2021. That was when Trump, desperate to hang onto power, became convinced that Pence, as president of the Senate, cou...

UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has widened its strike against General Motors, the lone holdout among the three Detroit automakers, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with Jeep maker Stellantis. The escalated walkout began Saturday evening at a Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, GM’s largest in North America, just hours after the Stellantic deal was reached. Its nearly 4,000 workers join about 18,000 already striking at GM factories in Texas, Michigan and Missouri and Tennessee. The UAW did not immediately explain what prompted the new action after 44 days of targeted strikes. The added pressure on GM is substantial as Spring Hill makes engines for other plants in addition to big-ticket vehicles including the electric Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Acadia and Cadillac crossover SUVs.“The Spring Hill walkout affects so much of GM’s production that the company is likely to settle quickly or close down most production,” said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business ...

Trade tops the agenda as Germany’s Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Sunday as part of a West Africa tour as the European country looks to diversify its trade partners and expand economic partnerships in the energy-rich region.In his third trip to Africa since he took office in 2021, and his second this year, Scholz pushed for further development of Nigeria’s capacity to meet local needs even as Germany seeks improved trade relations with its second-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. Germany-Nigeria trade volume is estimated to be about 3 billion euros annually. Major aspects of the two countries’ cooperation include working with Nigeria to help tackle regional and global issues such as migration, security and rampant coups in West and Central Africa, Scholz told Tinubu during their meeting in the capital of Abuja. “There are a lot of chances not just from gas and oil … but for better using the capacities of your country, but a...

1 found dead inside of house fire in Montgomery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ill — One person was found dead inside a home during a fire Sunday morning in Montgomery, according to officials.The house fire was reported around 8:45 a.m. in the 1800 block of Ness Avenue. Human remains found in field near Chicago high school When firefighters arrived, they found three people who were able to escape and heard a male was still inside, according to a joint press release from Montgomery police and the Sugar Grove Fire Protection District.Firefighters went inside and found the man dead inside, according to the release. His identity hasn't been released.Six fire protection districts assisted police and the Kane County Sheriff's Office at the scene.Several nearby homes were evacuated. Only minor injuries were reported to the other people involved, according to the release.The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and is under investigation by the Kane County Fire Investigator Task Force and the State Fire Marshal's Office. The Montgomery Police D...

Two more Big 12 teams move into AP Top 25, Longhorns remain at No. 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas remained No. 7 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings released Sunday after its 35-6 win over BYU.Oregon leapfrogged the Longhorns to land at No. 6 with a 35-6 win of its own over Utah. The Utes dropped five spots to No. 18 with the loss. Instant Analysis: Shaky moments for Murphy, but solid 1st start The top five teams remained the same from last week. Georgia sits atop the poll for the 20th consecutive week followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and Washington. The Ducks, Longhorns, Alabama, Penn State and Oklahoma round out the top 10. The Sooners tumbled four spots following their 38-33 loss to previously unranked Kansas. The Jayhawks moved back into the poll at No. 22 with the victory.Kansas State, Texas' next opponent (11 a.m., Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium), moved into the poll at No. 25 after its 41-0 drubbing of Houston.Oregon State tumbled five spots to No. 16 after a 27-24 loss to unranked Arizona in Tucson. Lousiville and...

Man charged with murder after admitting to detectives he shot a man several times

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was arrested and charged with murder following a Tuesday homicide investigation in southeast Austin, according to a Travis County arrest affidavit.Court documents said 46-year-old Joshua Fernando Trezaratti shot a man, later identified as Joshua Rivera, several times, which ultimately caused his death.As of Sunday, Trezaratti remained booked in the Travis County jail on an $800,000 bond.KXAN has reached out to Trezaratti’s attorney. This story will be updated if a statement is received.According to documents, Austin Police officers responded to the 11200 block of Mickelson Drive at approximately 5 p.m. for reports of a man who had been shot, and Trezaratti identified himself as the shooter.During an interview with APD detectives, Trezaratti said Rivera invited himself over to the house and Trezaratti’s wife said he could come.Records said Trezaratti told his wife to lead Rivera to believe the two were alone, and when Rivera arrived, he made “sexual advances tow...