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Kansas agency investigated girl’s family 5 times before she was killed, a report shows

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Child welfare officials investigated the family of a 5-year-old Kansas girl five times in the 13 months before she was raped and killed, but couldn’t confirm allegations of neglect or drug use by her mother, and the family repeatedly declined offers of help, a report released Tuesday showed. The report by the state Department of Children and Families said in one case, the agency confirmed that the mother wasn’t properly supervising Zoey Felix, but the girl was placed with her father and because of that, “No safety concerns were identified.” After receiving allegations in late August of drug use and lack of utilities in the home, child welfare officials made seven failed attempts to reach the family over the next month.On Oct. 2, Zoey died after fire crews couldn’t resuscitate her at a gas station. Neighbors believe Zoey and her father had been camping in a grove of trees on a vacant lot nearby. Mickel Cherry, a 25-year-old homeless man, is charg...

Canada Pension Plan board says Alberta pension exit consults are biased, manipulative

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

EDMONTON — The board of the Canada Pension Plan says Alberta’s consultation with its citizens on quitting the CPP is not a straightforward fact-finding exercise but rather a biased manipulation of public opinion.Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner, in response, says he welcomes all feedback but says the CPP is not an innocent bystander given the disproportionately large share of assets it accrues from his province.The CPP launched its criticisms of Alberta’s pension exit public survey and advertising campaign in a letter Tuesday to Jim Dinning, the heading of a panel collecting public input on whether Alberta should leave the CPP. “We respectfully want to flag to you as head of the panel some troubling elements that in our view undermine the transparency, fairness, and integrity of the consultation process that has been put forward to the public so far,” Michel Leduc, the senior managing director of the CPP Investment Board, writes to Dinning.Leduc focuses on the government’s onlin...

Remains of at least 189 people removed from Colorado funeral home, up from 115, officials say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The remains of at least 189 people have been removed from a Colorado funeral home, up from an initial estimate of about 115 when the decaying and improperly stored bodies were discovered two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.The remains were found by authorities responding to a report of an “abhorrent smell” inside a decrepit building at the Return to Nature Funeral Home in the small town of Penrose, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Denver. All the remains were removed from the site as of Oct. 13, but officials said the numbers could change again as the identification process continues.The updated count comes as families who did business with the funeral home grow increasingly concerned about what happened to their deceased loved ones. Local officials said they will begin notifying family members in the coming days as the remains are identified.There is no timeline to complete the work, which began last week with help from an FBI team that gets deployed to mas...

Martin Scorsese is still curious — and still awed by the possibilities of cinema

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A moment from years ago keeps replaying in Martin Scorsese’s mind.When Akira Kurosawa was given an honorary Academy Award in 1990, the then 80-year-old Japanese filmmaker of “Seven Samurai” and “Ikiru,” in his brief, humble speech, said he hadn’t yet grasped the full essence of cinema.It struck Scorsese, then in post-production on “Goodfellas,” as a curious thing for such a master filmmaker to say. It wasn’t until Scorsese also turned 80 that he began to comprehend Kurosawa’s words. Even now, Scorsese says he’s just realizing the possibilities of cinema.“I’ve lived long enough to be his age and I think I understand now,” Scorsese said in a recent interview. “Because there is no limit. The limit is in yourself. These are just tools, the lights and the camera and that stuff. How much further can you explore who you are?”Scorsese’s lifelong exploration has seemingly only grown deeper and more self-examining with time. In recent years, his films have swelled in sca...

Palestinian ambassador warned Ottawa of rising tensions, urges Israel peace talks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

OTTAWA — The Palestinian ambassador to Canada says she warned Ottawa six months ago that rising tensions in the region were going to explode into violence.“It’s not about justifying or not, (but) if you blow into a balloon, it has to pop,”Mona Abuamara, the chief representative of the Palestinian General Delegation to Canada, said in an interview Tuesday.The envoy said that Israel’s right-wing government has made it harder to work toward peace. She said Palestinians want Canada to be vocal about cases where Israel may have violated international law, citing this week’s siege on Gaza or the expansion of certain settlements.“Just implement the international law that you care so much about — that’s our only ask,” Abuamara said between meetings with MPs on Parliament Hill.Abuamara said she’s deeply disturbed by the recent bloodshed in the region, where more than 4,000 people have died on both sides of an escalating war.The recent con...

Protein powder recalled over potential plastic contamination, choking hazard

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – A protein powder sold under the name of a self-described "Guru of Peace," Jay Robb, is being recalled after it was potentially contaminated with hard, plastic "foreign material," according to a notice from manufacturer Select Custom Solutions.The 24-ounce packages of Jay Robb Vanilla Flavored Egg White Protein were sold online out of North Palm Beach to retailers and customers nationwide, according to the notice published to the FDA website Monday. (FDA/Select Custom Solutions)(FDA/Select Custom Solutions) Over 238,000 Ford Explorers recalled over rear axle bolt after US opens investigation The company warns that powder bearing the lot code a. 23080-2C2, with a time stamp of 09:00 to 12:00, could pose a choking hazard if any plastic pieces are consumed."We are asking that all product with the lot code and time stamp range listed above be removed from retail distribution," the manufacturer wrote. "Customers should discontinue use and discard the product. Customers may c...

Celebration of life for north Austin road rage victim

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The family for Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46, who police say died in a road rage homicide on Sept. 30, held a Celebration of Life for her Tuesday. Police are still searching for the suspect.Homicide Detective Israel Pina with the Austin Police Department said Ferguson was taking her usual route home on Interstate 35, when she was involved in a "minor crash" between the Runberg and Anderson Lane exits. According to APD, she was on the phone with a friend and told them she pulled over to exchange information with the other driver, which is when police believe she was shot. The family for Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46, who police say died in a road rage homicide on Sept. 30, held a Celebration of Life for her Tuesday. | Brianna Hollis/KXAN News The family for Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46, who police say died in a road rage homicide on Sept. 30, held a Celebration of Life for her Tuesday. | Brianna Hollis/KXAN News The family for Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46, who police say died ...

Missouri education board makes social-emotional learning optional amid confusion

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The state's top educators hope to curb bad behavior in the classroom by offering social-emotional learning resources for schools.For the past few months, a group of teachers, school counselors and mental health experts have been researching what would help improve student behavior in the classroom. The reason behind this study is to not only help with teacher recruitment and retention but also to have an effect on the business community.While the initial goal was to implement social-emotional learning standards statewide for all districts, the final decision of the State Board of Education on Tuesday was to instead make them optional."What we were trying to do by bringing together and unifying an approach that we all support has had the opposite effect," Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven said. "It's created a bit more divisiveness than we would like to see."But it's not only educators feeling the effects of the curren...

Man arrested after blowing up giant teddy bear

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

An exploding giant teddy bear led to the arrest of a suspect and the seizure of drugs, weapons and ammunition, police said.According to an Instagram post by the San Bernardino Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call from a local business owner who said he was told by witnesses that an explosive device had gone off in the parking lot in front of their business. The exact date or location of the incident was not released. Surveillance footage from the scene shows a man exiting his vehicle and placing the teddy bear, which contained an explosive device, next to their SUV. Security footage captures a man detonating an explosive device inside a teddy bear in San Bernardino, CA. (San Bernardino Police Department)Security footage captures a man detonating an explosive device inside a teddy bear in San Bernardino, CA. (San Bernardino Police Department)Security footage captures a man detonating an explosive device inside a teddy bear in San Bernardino, CA. (San Bernardino P...

Suspects in North Hollywood triple homicide still outstanding

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:15:54 GMT

The search for several suspects in connection with a triple fatal shooting Monday night in the parking lot of a popular Mexican restaurant in North Hollywood continues.  Calls about the shooting outside Ernie’s Taco House at the intersection of Moorpark Street and Lankershim Boulevard came in around 9:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Details are limited and it’s unclear what exactly led to the deadly shootings, but police said that three to four suspects, described only as Hispanic males dressed in black clothing, pulled up to the victims’ black Mercedes and fired several shots at the four people inside before fleeing the scene in a silver sedan.  One of the victims, identified by the L.A. County Department of the Medical Examiner, as 26-year-old Calvin Saldana, died at the scene. The driver of the Mercedes was able to drive himself and two others to a hospital in Burbank where two of those victims died. Authorities did not provide any informat...