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3 teens arrested after a suspected hate-motivated ‘violent attack’ in downtown Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

Three teens are in custody after allegedly “violently” attacking someone in an incident believed to be motivated by hate towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community.Police say a victim was in the area of Yonge and Wellesley streets around 1 p.m. Wednesday when they became “concerned with the treatment of a group of young women and intervened to check on their well-being.”It is alleged the victim got into an argument with a group and was physically attacked by three suspects. The victim was left with serious injuries.Police arrested two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old and charged them with assault causing bodily harm.“After consultation with the service’s specialized hate crime unit, the investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence,” reads a Toronto police release.The three youths are scheduled to appear in court in January.Anyone with more information about the incident is asked to contact police.

Fans push Fisher-Price Corn Popper into toy HOF, with NERF, Cabbage Patch Kids, baseball cards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame, elevating it from perpetual finalist to 2023 inductee, alongside baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF foam toys, the Hall of Fame announced Friday.The Fisher-Price push toy that encourages babies to walk was chosen by fans, who were invited to celebrate the Toy Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary by voting for one of five toys that had made it to the finals more than once but were passed over. The rest of the so-called “Forgotten Five” included the pogo stick, My Little Pony, PEZ dispensers and Transformers.Baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF toys were voted in in the usual way from among a field of 12 finalists, with input from a panel of experts. Those finalists included Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, who didn’t make the cut despite a big boost in visibility from the summer “Barbie” movie. “These four deserving inductees represent a great blend of types o...

Mattress retailer Sleep Country reports Q3 profit down from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

TORONTO — Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as it saw pockets of softness in consumer demand, particularly on larger ticket items.Sleep Country chief executive Stewart Schaefer says the company was pleased with the performance amid an evolving environment, as high interest rates and inflation continue to affect consumer confidence. The mattress retailer says its net income attributable to the company amounted to $24.7 million for the quarter, down from $28.9 million in the same quarter last year.The profit amounted to 70 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from 79 cents per diluted share a year earlier.Revenues rose to $255.7 million compared with $251.0 million a year earlier, but same-store sales fell 5.5 per cent.On an adjusted basis, Sleep Country says it earned 76 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 89 cents per diluted share a year earlier.This report by The Ca...

Four Ontario municipalities turn down strong mayor powers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

Several Ontario municipalities have turned down the province’s offer of strong mayor powers because of concerns either with housing targets the government has tied to them, or worries that the powers would lend themselves to a “dictatorship.”The Progressive Conservative government has assigned housing targets to 50 municipalities — their portion of the 1.5 million homes that Premier Doug Ford has promised to get built by 2031. Ontario is currently well behind the pace needed to accomplish that goal.As long as the municipality formally commits to their target through a housing pledge, the province will grant them strong mayor powers, which include allowing the head of council to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, override council approval of certain bylaws, and prepare their city’s budget, instead of council.The province has framed the powers as a way to get more housing built quickly.But some of the mayors with those powers hav...

Suburban man accused of enticing teen into SUV, sexual abuse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. — A suburban man was charged after allegedly enticing a high school teen girl with cash to enter his van and then sexually abusing her.During the morning of Halloween and Nov. 6, James King, 31, of Arlington Heights, allegedly approached two separate high school-aged girls, on the Northeast side of town, in a black Lexus SUV and enticed each girl with cash.One of the girls did get into the vehicle and was sexually abused before being dropped off at school, according to police.King was apprehended on Tuesday following an investigation, police said.He has been charged with two counts of child abduction and aggravated criminal sex abuse.

Biden set to meet China's Xi next week in San Francisco for high-stakes summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 15 in San Francisco in what the White House views as the most important and consequential bilateral meeting of Biden’s term.The two leaders will meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, one year since they last talked face-to-face on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia and as global conflicts and direct tensions between Washington and Beijing have derailed communication and cooperation. “We know efforts to shape or reform China over several decades have failed. But we expect China to be around and to be a major player on the world stage for the rest of our lifetimes,” a senior administration official said during a call with reporters Thursday evening.“And we think diplomacy is how we clear up misperceptions, signal, communicate, avoid surprises, and explain our competitive steps.”Xi’s travel to San Francisco will mark the first time the Chinese leader has come to...

Bedard's 2 goals, 2 assists help Blackhawks snap 8-game skid vs. Lightning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Top draft pick Connor Bedard had his first multi-point game with two goals and two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks beat Tampa Bay 5-3 on Thursday night to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Lightning.The 18-year-old Bedard powered Chicago to its first win over the Lightning since a 4-3 shootout victory on March 5, 2021."I think it’s just kind of sticking with it,” Bedard said of the biggest night in his young NHL career. “I felt like there were games when I could have created more than this and I had zero points. That’s how things go sometimes. It feels good to get on the scoresheet.”Rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski and ex-Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson and Corey Perry also scored for Chicago. Nick Foligno had three assists and Petr Mrazek made 30 saves.Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos scored for the Lightning, who lost in regulation for the first time in seven home games this season (4-1-2). Jonas Johansson made 24 saves.“Listen...

City Council approves ordinance that guarantees 10 day paid leave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

CHICAGO -- Another victory for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s progressive agenda with an ordinance that gives workers in Chicago a totally of 10 days off.The vote came just after 6 p.m. Thursday, the version of the ordinance that passed was a compromise from the initial one introduced. Invest in Kids Act to expire as Illinois legislative session comes to close Starting January 1, 2024, employers must give full time workers five sick days and another five days for any reason. Larger companies with more than 100 workers will have to pay out up to seven sick days when an employee leaves. Whereas medium size businesses, will have a two year faze-in period and companies with 50 or fewer employees will be exempt from the payout. Labor unions are among the policy supporters whereas, Ald. Brendan Reilley whose ward includes downtown said on the council forum that many restaurant groups have told him they won't continue investing. Mayor Johnson suggested the policy be a work in progress and alde...

Another government shutdown looms: Would it impact Social Security, VA benefits?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — We are again just days away from a possible government shutdown, which may leave you worried about how it could impact you. The newest deadline is November 17 after lawmakers passed a continuing resolution in late September, narrowly avoiding an October 1 shutdown. It came after a stretch of chaotic few weeks in Congress but only gave lawmakers 47 days to find a better solution. Those 47 days are dwindling fast. Schumer tees up Senate vote on stopgap spending bill ahead of shutdown deadline On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) teed up a vote on a stopgap government funding bill for next week. Even that would only serve as "a temporary extension to avoid a government shutdown."A vote next week would cut it even closer to the deadline, which lands on Friday. So what would that mean for your Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or Veterans Affairs payments?Just like with the previous near-shutdown, they will not be impacted. Medicare, Medicaid, and ...

Movie review: ‘Dream Scenario’ busy with cultural commentary but not exactly deep

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:25 GMT

Writer/director Kristoffer Borgli is interested in attention. Specifically, he’s interested in the paradoxical postmodern predicament of our addiction to attention, and the ways in which capitalism constantly cannibalizes it, chewing through our time, neurons and emotions like Pac-Man. In his debut feature “Sick of Myself,” set in his native Oslo, Norway, Borgli tracked one young woman’s desperate bids for attention through a series of contrived situations to showcase her suffering and martyrdom. In his second feature, “Dream Scenario,” Borgli sets his sights on America, and imagines what happens when someone gets too much attention for doing nothing at all.The script for “Dream Scenario” feels like three ideas loosely woven into one absurdist screenplay. The first strand is the oddball but oddly simple premise based on a relatably awkward notion: what if everyone in the world started dreaming about one person? The subject in question ...