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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy leaving Italy vacation early after death of lieutenant governor

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is cutting his Italy vacation short and returning to the state after the death this week of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, his spokesperson said Wednesday. Murphy, a Democrat, will depart Italy Thursday morning and is expected back in New Jersey that afternoon, spokesperson Mahen Gunaratna said in a phone call. He had been set to be in the country, where he owns a home, until Aug. 13. Oliver died after a short stay at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, for an undisclosed medical issue. She had been serving as acting governor when her hospitalization was announced Monday. She died the next day. No cause was given for her death in a statement from the governor’s office on behalf of Oliver’s family, which asked for privacy.Oliver, also a Democrat, was the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in New Jersey, winning the vote alongside Murphy in 2017 and again in 2021. She was a well-known figure...

Gambling sting at Iowa and Iowa St. results in charges against 7 current and former athletes so far

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

Gambling investigations at Iowa and Iowa State have resulted in criminal charges filed against seven current or former athletes, with ex-Hawkeyes basketball player Ahron Ulis and Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers the ones with the highest profiles.Each is accused in the complaints of tampering with records related to an Iowa Criminal Division investigation into sports gambling. Current athletes also face a loss of eligibility for violating NCAA gambling rules.According to Johnson County online court records, charges have been filed against Ulis, Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen and former Iowa kicker Aaron Blom.Dekkers was charged in Story County, as were ISU football player Dodge Sauser, ISU wrestler Paniro Johnson and former football player Eyioma Uwazurike, who who was drafted by Denver in 2022 and suspended indefinitely by the NFL for betting on Broncos games during his rookie season.The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Wednesday the investigation was ongoing and a...

Feds try to reclaim $347 million insurance payout to Suncor linked to Libya unrest

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

The federal government is trying to reclaim nearly $350 million in insurance paid to Suncor Energy Inc. in the wake of political unrest in Libya.The oil giant claimed $300 million in risk mitigation payments for losses linked to Libyan energy assets after fighting between rival political factions spread to the country’s oil crescent region in 2015, a Federal Court judge said in a ruling this week. The total — $347 million with interest — was determined by an arbitrator.But Export Development Canada, which insures against losses caused by political violence, argues that Suncor’s oil production facilities still deliver returns for the Calgary-based company.“According to EDC’s May 15, 2022, notice of arbitration, the Libyan assets continue to have significant value and generate revenue for Suncor and its subsidiaries. EDC seeks to recover the amounts realized in connection with the assets until the $347 million has been repaid in full,” judge Christine Pallotta ...

Judge agrees to allow football player Matt Araiza to ask rape accuser about her sexual history

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers for former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza will be allowed to ask about the sexual history of the woman who accused him and other men of raping her at a house party near San Diego State University, a judge ruled this week. Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner said Monday he will allow deposition questioning in the woman’s civil suit to focus on the year before the alleged assault in October 2021. He also ordered that most of the questions be phrased to elicit a “yes” or “no” response, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday. The accuser’s credibility “will be a central issue in this case,” the judge wrote, and so Araiza should be permitted to ask the woman about her public statements regarding her age and number of sexual partners.The woman is suing Araiza and four other former Aztec football players. The lawsuit alleges Araiza had sex with her in a side yard of the house then brought her into a bedroom where she said men took turns raping...

The spread of rented lounge chairs on Greece’s beaches brings a pledge to increase inspections

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s finance minister promised Wednesday to intensify inspections of beach bars and other businesses renting out seaside chaise lounges and umbrellas, following complaints that non-paying island beachgoers can’t find a spot on the sand.Finance Minister Costis Hadzidakis issued a statement saying breaches of the law will not be tolerated. “I have given instructions … for inspections to be stepped up,” he said.Private beaches are illegal in Greece, where the constitution stipulates that all coastal strips are state property with guaranteed public access. However, rocketing numbers of vacationers in the tourism-reliant country have driven up demand for beaches offering sun loungers, shelters, refreshments, snacks and — all too often — loud music. Local authorities lease limited sections of beaches to entrepreneurs who bring in the amenities during the summer months and in some cases charge customers more than 100 euros ($109) for an umbrella ...

Mission Impossible: Montreal’s new light-rail train traps users in railway garage

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

MONTREAL — Michel-André Grégoire’s plan to ride Montreal’s new light-rail train Monday night to the cinema for the new “Mission: Impossible” movie turned into an adventure of its own.Grégoire, his wife and a tourist from South America ended up trapped in the rail network’s garage after the driverless train unexpectedly drove backward from a station on Montreal’s South Shore instead of across a bridge toward the city’s downtown Central Station.They were eventually driven home by staff of the Réseau express métropolitain, the new rail network known as the REM.“No harm was done, they were responsible, as soon as we got in touch with someone, everything went fine,” Grégoire said in an interview Wednesday. “They did apologize.”The experience by Grégoire, his wife and the Venezuelan tourist, whom they didn’t know, was one of a handful of mishaps that have occurred on the network since opening day on Monday. There have...

New Toronto exhibit to present decades of filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin’s work

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

TORONTO — Acclaimed Indigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin and her work will be the focus of a new exhibition at The Art Museum at the University of Toronto. The gallery space says the exhibit titled “The Children Have to Hear Another Story” will allow unprecedented access to Obomsawin’s films and related archives, along with her artwork and music.   Obomsawin, 90, was born in New Hampshire and grew up in Odanak, an Abenaki community in Quebec. She is known for her decades-long work with the National Film Board.Her work in documentary film has focused on Indigenous Peoples and earned her the 2020 Glenn Gould Prize for her lifetime contribution to the arts. In a news release, Obomsawin called the new exhibition a survey of her life’s work and expressed hope that it would communicate her voice to visitors seeking to understand her people. She has made 56 films, including the 1984 documentary “Incident at Restigouche” about the police raids on a Mi’kmaq reserve and “Kanehsatake: 270 Yea...

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay bringing burger and steak outlets to B.C. casino, resort

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is bringing his burger and steak outlets to a Vancouver casino and nearby resort.Gordon Ramsay Burger is set to open its doors at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver this fall, and Gordon Ramsay Steak will follow next year at River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, B.C.Gaming and hospitality company Great Canadian Entertainment, which runs the two facilities along with 23 others across the country, says more Ramsay eateries could follow.Ramsay’s restaurant brands include Ramsay’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza and Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips. His steak and burger shops are the first to open in Canada.As the name suggests, Gordon Ramsay Burger features comfort food including gourmet burgers, scratch-made sauces, handcrafted shakes and sides.Gordon Ramsay Steak is described as a fine dining establishment that features steaks and specialties including beef Wellington.Great Canadian Entertainment has 25 gaming, entertainment, hospitality and resort ...

City of Austin's DECA Alliance hosts its first small business summit

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An alliance that sets out to provide opportunities and resources for minority communities in Austin, was able to put its partnership to the test in a big way.The Diversity Ethnic Alliance (DECA), hosted its first small business opportunity summit through the City of Austin's Economic Development Department on Wednesday. DECA is made up of the City of Austin's Minority Chambers: The Austin LGBT Chamber, Greater Austin Asian Chamber, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber, and Greater Austin Black Chamber. (KXAN photos/Frank Martinez).The chambers wanted to bring together diverse business professionals to network."We have four pillars that we're representing today, technical assistance, access to capital, workforce development, and certification and procurement, all opportunities that are going to help them grow," Katherine Sobel, program manager for the Small Business Division with the City of Austin's Economic Development Department said.There are people here who are c...

LCRA urging more water conservation efforts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:10:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- There are two big weather stories going on at this time. One is the continued onslaught of highs reaching 100° and higher. Austin will have set a record for consecutive days of a triple-digit high by Friday, August 5.But depending on who you talk to the bigger story is the eventuality that by the middle of August the LCRA will move from Stage 1 of its drought contingency plan to Stage 2.The combined storage of Lakes Buchanan and Travis is forecast to fall below 900,000 acre-feet, or about 45% of capacity by mid-month. As this article is being written (Wednesday, August 2), the combined storage is 930,096 acre-feet, or about 48% full. Storage capacity numbers for Lakes Buchanan and Travis continue to dropAn acre-foot is 326,000 gallons of water. Think of a football field one foot deep and that will tell you what an acre-foot of water is.John Hofmann is the Executive Vice-President of Water for the Lower Colorado River Authority. He says that the water supply is stres...