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High rent prices near University of Guelph drives family to almost resort to van living for their son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

A dire student housing situation has almost forced one GTHA family to take unorthodox measures for their son. The mother of a University of Guelph student says rent for off-campus housing is so high, their son has planned to live in a van while going to school. Melissa and Jim, who are from Caledonia, have a converted van that the couple use for camping adventures. Up until a week before the start of the school year, their son would have called the van home while attending classes this year.He has since luckily found an actual room to rent.A combination of OSAP, scholarships, and money from a summer job helped their son stay in residence in his first year. This year, however, the housing situation was tougher.“I’m thinking maybe $550, $600 for a room but they were not. Anything that you wanted fairly close to the university was going to be at least $850 or more,” said Melissa. “Plus the bills on top of that,” added Jim. “So you’re getting up...

Guatemalan authorities raid electoral facilities, open boxes of votes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Agents from Guatemala’s Attorney General’s office on Tuesday opened dozens of boxes of votes and photographed their contents in another raid on facilities of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.Luis Gerardo Ramírez, spokesman for the tribunal, said the body had not given permission to open the boxes and said the raid was being carried out by the Attorney General’s office with the order of a judge.The Attorney General’s office had asked to review at least 160 boxes of votes from various parts of the country, Ramírez said.The raid was apparently part of some of the various ongoing investigations related to the national elections that culminated last month with the election of Bernardo Arévalo.Anti-corruption prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who has been investigating Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, was leading the operation. Curruchiche has been sanctioned by the United States government for allegedly obstructing the fight against corruption.The Attorney General’s office...

Pulitzer officials expand eligibility in arts categories; some non-U.S. citizens can now compete

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pulitzer Prize Board has revised its longtime rules on eligibility for many of its arts awards and will now allow those not born in the U.S. and other non-citizens to compete. The board announced Tuesday that permanent residents and those who have made the U.S. their longtime primary home will be eligible in the categories for books, drama and music. The changes go into effect for the 2025 awards cycle, which begins next spring. “The Board is enthusiastic about ensuring that the Prizes are inclusive and accessible to those producing distinguished work in Books, Drama and Music,” board-co-chairs Prof. Tommie Shelby and Neil Brown said in a statement. “This expansion of eligibility is an appropriate update of our rules and compatible with the goals Joseph Pulitzer had in establishing these awards.” Last August, hundreds of writers endorsed an open letter calling for the Pulitzer board to permit non-U.S. citizens to compete. Signers included Sandra Cisneros, B...

Walkerton and XL Foods: A look at some of the major E. coli 0157 outbreaks in Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

An outbreak of E. coli infections at several Calgary day centres has infected more than 200 people, most of them children. It’s not the first major outbreak of the food-borne illness, which is caused by bacteria that live in the feces of animals and is carried to humans through undercooked meat, unpasteurized food or contaminated water.The E. coli variant known as 0157 is often the most virulent and can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which affects the kidneys and the ability of blood to clot.Here’s a list of some of Canada’s major E. coli 0157 outbreaks.1980: In one of the first recognized outbreaks of the E. coli, 14 Toronto-area children fell sick with hemolytic uremic syndrome and one of them eventually died. Doctors traced the outbreak to unpasteurized apple juice. 1982: An outbreak in an Ottawa nursing home affected 31 residents. One person died. Undercooked hamburger was the suspected source.1985: Seventy-three residents and staff in a nursing home in Londo...

Former NFL receiver Mike Williams dies at 36

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Former NFL receiver Mike Williams has died at age 36.Family members said Williams died just before 9 a.m. Tuesday in Tampa, Florida. He was hospitalized earlier this month and put on life support following complications from a workplace accident in August. Williams was able to breathe on his own after being taken off a ventilator Sept. 7, but was said to be unresponsive.Williams is survived by his son, Mike Jr., 10, and daughter, Mya, 8. He had been accompanied by family in the hospital, including his mother Mary Rosenthal and brother Eric Baylor.Reports that Williams had died circulated in local and national media earlier this week, but friends of Williams and his family told WIVB that those reports were false.Williams’ on-the-job accident last month was not immediately thought to be life-threatening. Rosenthal told WIVB that Williams was doing electrical work when someone above him dropped a steel beam that struck Williams in the head. He thought he had walk...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s, breezy and cool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a 20 percent chance of showers. Decreasing clouds, winds: N 10-15 G20. High: 70. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly cloudy tonight with a 30 percent chance of rain/storm. Winds: NNE 5-10. Low: 53.Wednesday Forecast: Partly cloudy, 20 percent chance of showers. Winds: NNE 5-10. High: 67.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Paxton's affair, bribery accusations take center stage on day five of impeachment trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Texas' Court of Impeachment reconvened Tuesday morning for the second week of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton's trial, leading off with testimony from Brandon Cammack — the outside counsel Paxton hired to help investigate campaign donor Nate Paul's claims that are central to the articles of impeachment. The session began about an hour late, after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said both defense and prosecution were settling some issues before the day could begin. Patrick reminded parties of how much time is left, with House managers starting day six with about nine hours left and Paxton's team starting with about 12 hours left. Catch up on highlights from Monday's session, day five of the trial, below: RELATED: Texas Republicans weigh in on Paxton impeachment after week one of trial Former chief of staff says Paxton's alleged fair hurt office moraleHouse prosecutors' sixth witness, Katherine "Missy" Cary — the former chief of staff in the attorney general's office ...

Cooler days ahead with rain chances increasing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A few additional isolated showers or storms will be possible today (10%) after seeing some good soaking overnight rain and storms in the Hill Country. Mason and San Saba counties received the most; averaging between a quarter up to an inch of rain. Expect mainly cloudy skies for your Tuesday with high temperatures a few degrees cooler from yesterday. NEW BLOG: Peak Atlantic hurricane season is here, what’s next? A few spotty storms will be possible again Wednesday as a cold front hangs to our north, but better rainfall chances look to arrive Thursday through Saturday. Rainfall totals for the next 7-days still appear to bring most of us around 1.0"-2.0" of rain with localized amounts up to 3.0" in our northwestern counties.Potential rainfall through SaturdayAfter 78 days of triple digit heat this summer, our temperatures finally look to fall short of the century mark through at least the next 7+ days. Afternoon high temps through the next 7 daysAfternoon highs will...

Aaron Rodgers’ season ends early with torn Achilles tendon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

Aaron Rodgers got the news on Tuesday that was widely feared since he departed the New York Jets’ Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills: He had torn his left Achilles tendon and will miss the season, the league said in a social media post.After a long and glittering career as the Green Bay Packers quarterback, Rodgers had come to the Jets at age 39 in the hopes of pushing the team to a Super Bowl, which the franchise had not won since the days of Joe Namath. Already stocked with an elite defense and young stars at key positions, Rodgers’ experience and leadership were thought to be the final puzzle piece to a team that could contend for a championship.But the star quarterback was sacked just 3-1/2 minutes into his first game at MetLife Stadium on Tuesday. Although he stood for a moment after being felled by Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd, he soon sat down on the turf. He was helped to the sideline then carted off to the locker room and TV cameras showed Rodgers wearing a pr...

Amsterdam man arrested following stabbing investigation in Fort Johnson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:42 GMT

AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 21-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested following an investigation into a stabbing on September 6. State Police charged Thaj E. Sobers with assault in the second degree and criminal contempt in the second degree. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! Police say the victim sustained stab wounds to the head and face. Investigations determined that Sobers got into an altercation with the victim in the area of Main Street in Fort Johnson. Sobers reportedly stabbed the victim multiple times. The victim was transported to the Albany Medical Center with serious injuries. Police located Sobers during a traffic stop on Church Street in Amsterdam. During the investigation, Sobers was observed having phone contact with an individual. Police determined the individual had an active court-issued full stay-away order of protection against Sobers.Sobers was arraigned at the Amsterdam City Court and remanded to the Montgomery Coun...