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Sandra Day O’Connor memorialized by President Joe Biden as a ‘pioneer’ first female justice

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the Arizona rancher’s daughter who became a voice of moderate conservatism as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, was memorialized by President Joe Biden on Tuesday as a pioneer in the legal world who inspired generations of women. Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts were among those who spoke at her funeral at Washington National Cathedral. O’Connor retired from the high court in 2006 after more than two decades, and died Dec. 1 at age 93.“Sandra Day O’Connor, daughter of the American West, was a pioneer in her own right — breaking down the barriers in the legal and political worlds and the nation’s consciousness,” Biden said. “To her, the Supreme Court was the bedrock — the bedrock of America.” Biden, referring to O’Connor’s trailblazing career in the courts, added: “How she embodied such attributes...

Former Pennsylvania death row inmate freed after prosecutors drop charges before start of retrial

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

YORK, Pa. (AP) — A man formerly on death row has been released from prison following dismissal of murder charges in a double slaying a quarter-century ago that he blamed on his brother, who died in prison while appealing his own death sentence in the case.Noel Montalvo, who turned 59 Tuesday, was freed Monday night after York County prosecutors dismissed charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy and burglary shortly before a retrial was to begin. He pleaded guilty to an evidence tampering charge for which the judge sentenced him to a year of probation.Noel Montalvo was greeted by friends and supporters as he walked out of York County Prison a free man for the first time since 2002. He said he was looking forward to going back home and seeing his family, children and grandchildren, the York Dispatch reported.“We’re very happy with the outcome of the case,” defense attorney Rick Robinson said. Marshall Dayan, who chairs the board of Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalt...

She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

Jessica Vincent had just started surveying the shelves of a Virginia thrift store when a vase caught her eye. It was shaped like a bottle and had ribbons of color, aqua green and amethyst purple, that spiraled up its glass surface like stripes of paint.The piece looked old amongst the clutter of measuring cups, candles and other tchotchkes. After adjusting her eyes, Vincent made out the words “Murano” and “Italia” on its base. “I bought it thinking it would look beautiful in my house somewhere,” said Vincent, 43, a horse trainer who paid $3.99 at a Goodwill outside of Richmond. “I definitely didn’t buy it thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to sell this.’ ” Her thinking changed after some research. And on Dec. 13, the vase sold through the Wright Auction House for $107,100. The buyer, a top collector from Europe, wished to remain private. Vincent’s purchase came after years of perusing yard sales and thrift stores with her mother. She loves PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” and has daydream...

Zelenskyy says he is weighing Ukrainian military’s request for mobilization of up to 500,000 troops

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military wants to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops to fight Russia’s invasion, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he has asked them to spell out their plans in detail on what is “a very sensitive matter” before deciding whether he grants their wish as the war approaches the two-year mark.Such a major mobilization would cost Ukraine around 500 billion hryvnias ($13.4 billion), Zelenskyy said. Other aspects to be considered include whether troops currently on the front line would be rotated or allowed home leave after almost 22 months of full-scale war.Ukrainian Ministry of Defense statistics say the Ukrainian army had nearly 800,000 troops in October. That doesn’t include National Guard or other units. In total, 1 million Ukrainians are in uniform.Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.32 million....

France’s government and conservative lawmakers find a compromise on immigration bill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Parliament members from French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority and a conservative party have found agreement on a divisive immigration bill that is intended to strengthen France’s ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable, the country’s interior minister said Tuesday.Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who championed the bill, praised “an important text which will protect the French” but also allow 7,000 to 10,000 undocumented migrant workers a year to get residency permits and fill jobs in sectors that have difficulty hiring.“We will at last be able to expel foreign offenders of our territory but also integrate all those who work in our restaurants, in the agriculture sector,” Darmanin said. Conservative lawmaker Eric Ciotti, president of The Republicans party, said the compromise text features provisions to reduce the number of migrants coming to France, notably by limiting foreigners’ access to social benefits.Macr...

Female critically hurt in crash involving dump truck near Stouffville

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

One person is fighting for their life in hospital following a crash involving a dump truck in Whitchurch-Stouffville on Tuesday morning.Emergency crews responded to a collision between an SUV and a dump truck around 11:30 a.m. near Bloomington Road and Ninth Line.York Regional Police say one female was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.Bloomington Road is closed in the area for the investigation.COLLISION: PLEASE AVOID AREA – Bloomington Rd/Ninth Li– 11:27 collision between SUV and dump truck– 1 fml transported to trauma centre, life-threatening condition– Bloomington Rd closed— York Regional Police (@YRP) December 19, 2023

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company launches experiments in first flight since 2022 crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

Jeff Bezos’ space company successfully launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, its first flight since engine trouble caused a crash more than a year ago.The New Shepard rocket soared from West Texas, lifting a capsule full of tests, many of which were aboard the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022. No one was aboard that flight or this latest one. This time, the capsule made it to the fringes of space, exposing the experiments from NASA and others to a few minutes of weightlessness, before parachuting back down to the desert. The rocket landed first, after releasing the capsule. It reached an altitude of 66 miles (107 kilometers) during the 10-minute flight.During 2022’s failed launch, the rocket started to veer off course shortly after liftoff, prompting the escape system to kick in and catapult the capsule off the top. The capsule landed safely, but the rocket came crashing down.The problem was traced to an overheated rocket engine nozzle that broke ...

Toronto Pearson airport has some advice ahead of busy holiday weekend

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

With the holiday weekend rapidly approaching, Toronto Pearson International Airport is sharing some valuable, time-saving guidance for would-be travellers.Deborah Flint, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), said Canada’s largest airport has taken significant steps to enhance its winter operational capabilities as it readies to welcome a record number of passengers.“The holidays are an exciting time, and Toronto Pearson is proud to play a big part in connecting people with loved ones around the world,” said Flint.The airport expects a 10 per cent increase in passenger traffic this holiday season and will try to better meet that demand by increasing staffing, expanding deicing capacity, and adding new advanced snowplows.Digital tools to help Pearson airport travellers, courtesy of the GTAAYYZ Express: An online reservation program that allows travellers to book a spot in the security line ahead of their flight, up to 72 hours in advance...

Brazil lawsuits link JBS to destruction of Amazon in protected area, seek millions in damages

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

JACI-PARANA, Brazil (AP) — Meat processing giant JBS SA and three other slaughterhouses are facing lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in environmental damages for allegedly purchasing cattle raised illegally in a protected area in the Brazilian Amazon.The lawsuits, filed December 5 to 12 by the western Brazilian state of Rondonia, target the exploitation of a protected area known as Jaci-Parana, once rainforest but now mostly transformed into grassland by decades of misuse by land-grabbers, loggers and cattle ranchers. Despite a law forbidding commercial cattle in the reserve, some 216,000 head now graze on pasture there, according to the state animal division. The lawsuits contain a type of evidence that is getting the attention of deforestation experts and veterans of Brazil’s illegal cattle trade: transfer documents showing cows going straight to the slaughterhouse from protected areas, with the information apparently provided by the illegal ranchers themselves. “In two d...

Members of a union representing German train drivers vote for open-ended strikes in bitter dispute

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:50:13 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Members of a union representing German train drivers have voted overwhelmingly to stage open-ended strikes in a bitter dispute with the main national railway operator over working hours and pay, union leaders said Tuesday.The GDL union said that 97% of members who voted in a ballot authorized fully fledged strikes at state-owned Deutsche Bahn, easily beating the 75% approval required. It said that turnout was more than 70%.GDL already has staged two one-day “warning strikes,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations. But this dispute has escalated unusually fast. GDL’s chairman, Claus Weselsky, declared last month that negotiations with Deutsche Bahn had failed after only two rounds of talks.Weselsky has said there will be no strikes before Jan. 8. He left open when and for how long members will strike after that.“What is coming now will be more powerful, longer and harder for customers” than the walkouts so far, he said. The central issue is the union’s...