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Members of US Congress make a rare visit to opposition-held northwest Syria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Three members of the U.S. Congress made a brief visit Sunday to opposition-held northwest Syria in what was the first known trip to the war-torn country by American lawmakers in six years.U.S. Reps. Ben Cline of Virginia, French Hill of Arkansas and Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, all Republicans, entered Syria from Turkey via the Bab al-Salama crossing in northern Aleppo province, according to two people familiar with the trip. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the trip and spoke on condition of anonymity after the U.S. delegation had left Syria.Crossing into opposition-held Syria on what would be a roughly one-hour trip, the lawmakers were presented with flowers from students from Wisdom House. The facility is a school for orphans that is a project of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based Syrian opposition organization that facilitated the lawmakers’ trip. Hill has been among the most vocal supporters in Congress of the Syrian opposition and his Ark...

Two men charged after raid on problematic cannabis dispensary in Mississauga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

Two men are facing drug-related charges after police raided a problematic cannabis dispensary in Mississauga. Peel police say the shop located at 2563 Hurontario Street just south of Dundas Street has been operating without a license and illegally for quite some time and just before noon on August 25, members of the Specialized Enforcement Bureau (SEB) and Strategic Tactical Enforcement Policing (STEP) officers executed a search warrant. Police say they seized a number of items including drugs, drug paraphernalia, and a BB handgun.Dennis Arenburg, 42, from Mississauga has been charged with possession for the purpose of distributing and possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling. Hong Anh Vu, 28, from Toronto, is also facing charges of possession for the purpose of distributing and possession of cannabis for the purpose of selling as well as possession of property obtained by crime. Both have been released on bail pending a future court date. “This premise has shown a b...

Bob Barker remembered as ‘strong voice for animals’ in Canada, says wildlife advocate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

TORONTO — Television host Bob Barker charmed viewers on “The Price is Right,” but it’s his “strong voice for animals” that one Canadian wildlife advocate says will be irreplaceable.Julie Woodyer, campaigns director at Zoocheck Canada, knew Barker for years as they collaborated on both successful and failed efforts to free animals from captivity at Canada’s zoos.She says Barker brought a unique generosity that was unmatched by other celebrities, often opening up his chequebook to support the cause and willingly making appearances at events to raise awareness.Barker died on Saturday from natural causes at the age of 99.Woodyer says she first connected with the TV host and his partner Nancy Burnet as Zoocheck attempted to free Lucy the elephant from the Edmonton Valley Zoo.While the campaign was unsuccessful, Barker reteamed with the organization to move three elephants from the Toronto Zoo to a sanctuary in California and also gave $50,000 to help b...

‘Don’t chop me down.’ 100-year-old gingko trees may get axe for Tokyo redevelopment project

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Miho Nakashima stood in a bathing suit in Tokyo on Sunday next to a 100-year-old gingko tree, her body painted head-to-toe in green leaves and brown branches.Her message was clear, and she repeated it standing at the heart of the Jingu Gaien park area, its sanctity threatened by a disputed real-estate development plan.“I’m a tree,” she said. “Don’t chop me down.”A plan approved earlier this year by Gov. Yuriko Koike would let developers, led by Mitsui Fudosan, build a pair of 200-meter (650-feet) skyscrapers in Jingu Gaien, mow down trees in one of Tokyo’s few green areas and raze and rebuild a historic rugby venue and an adjoining baseball stadium.Takayuki Nakamura, among a few hundred people who gathered on Sunday to protest, pressed his face into the bark of one tree and prayed. The area was set aside 100 years ago to honor Japan’s Meiji Emperor.“I want to appreciate the existence of these trees. Sometime I can feel some sounds inside,” he sai...

Large hailstones cause extensive damage in a small German town as a storm hits Bavaria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A storm with large hailstones damaged four-fifths of the buildings in a small town in the southern German state of Bavaria, local authorities said Sunday.The storm swept across the southern part of Bavaria on Saturday. In Kissing, just outside Augsburg, police said 12 people were injured when a beer tent that they were trying to put up was blown over.Also in Kissing, the wind ripped wooden slats off the roof of a home for the elderly, while hail caused visible damage to the facade of a residential building, German news agency dpa reported.The worst damage appeared to be in Bad Bayersoien, a municipality of about 1,300 people in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen region, near the Austrian border. County authorities said Sunday that it was hit by a hailstones measuring up to 8 centimeters (over 3 inches), which damaged parked cars and smashed roof tiles and attic skylights, while the storm also ripped roofs off some buildings. They said that 80% of the buildings were seriously d...

3 people found shot inside car in Little Village

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

CHICAGO — Three people were found shot inside a car early Sunday morning in Little Village.Chicago Police Department officers were called around 3:10 a.m. to the 2300 block of South Whipple Street on the report of a person shot. Doctor recounts moments after 2 women shot during White Sox game When they arrived, they found two men and a woman who were all shot inside the car, according to CPD.One man, 22, was shot in the leg, the other man, 34, was shot in the shoulder, and the woman, 20, was also shot in the shoulder, according to CPD. They were all taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition.Additional details about what led to the shooting are not clear at this time. No one has been arrested yet in connection with the shooting.Area Four detectives are still investigating.

Weekend Break: Great American Dog Show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

Join Weekend Break with WGN's Christine Flores at the Great American Dog Show.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Sunday Brunch: Shakshuka with Dimo's Pizza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

Sunday Brunch: Shakshuka with Dimos' Pizza.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Is your dog at risk for T. cruzi infection, which can lead to heart problems and sudden death?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Right now in some areas the southern U.S, a significant percentage of dogs are infected with a potentially life-threatening disease — and many of their owners are likely not even aware.Canine Chagas disease, which is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (or T. cruzi), is estimated to be present in 2% to 6% of dogs in the southern U.S. But in more rural areas, or among working dogs housed in communal kennels or dogs who spend most of their day outside, the rate of infection is closer to 20%, and could be as high as 30% in some parts of the South, according to an expert who spoke with Nexstar.“Currently, there might be three-quarters of a million, or a million dogs across the U.S., infected,” estimated Rick Tarleton, a regents professor and distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia’s Department of Cellular Biology. Brain-eating amoeba: How do infections occur, and where are they most common? The parasites that cause the disease, Tarleton said, are...

ERCOT asks Texans to conserve energy for 4th day in a row

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ electric grid operator said it expects “tight grid conditions” again Sunday and is asking Texans to reduce energy use from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, said operating reserves are expected to be low Sunday afternoon and evening because of low wind generation, potentially low solar generation and high demand. PREVIOUS: ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity use for 3rd day This is the fourth consecutive day the electric grid operator has asked Texans to conserve electric use and issued a conservation appeal.ERCOT said current forecasts show a potential to enter emergency operations Sunday evening. RELATED: Virtual power plants to provide power to ERCOT grid for the first time ERCOT said emergency operations were avoided Saturday because of conservation efforts and additional grid reliability tools. These include using reserve power, asking for reductions from large electric customers that have volunteered to lowe...