- NewsThe Canadian Press
Activists take step to recall judge in sex assault case
Activists seeking to recall a judge who sentenced a former Stanford University swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman say they believe voters will still support the effort even if it appears on the ballot two years after the trial. The case drew national attention when critics decried the sentence as too lenient. The activists, led by Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber, filed paperwork Monday with the Santa Clara County registrar — the first formal step toward winning the removal of Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Supervisors suspended amid NYC subway derailment probe
Investigators probing the derailment of a New York City subway train said the accident was caused by an improperly secured spare rail, left on the tracks to make it easier to fix breakdowns quickly. Two supervisors responsible for oversight of track maintenance work were suspended without pay pending a formal review, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday. "The key to this being an effective and safe practice is making sure that the extra equipment is properly bolted down, which does not appear to have happened in this case," they said.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Man destroys new Ten Commandments statue at Arkansas Capitol
A man yelled "Freedom!" as he crashed his vehicle into Arkansas' new Ten Commandments monument early Wednesday, nearly three years after he was arrested in the destruction of Oklahoma's monument at its state capitol , authorities said. The privately funded Arkansas monument had been in place outside the state capitol in Little Rock for less than 24 hours before it was knocked from its plinth and smashed to pieces. Michael Tate Reed, 32, of Van Buren, Arkansas, was booked in the Pulaski County jail shortly after 7:30 a.m. on preliminary charges of defacing objects of public interest, criminal trespass and first-degree criminal mischief.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Utah officials blame lack of logging for major wildfire
Insisting that logging could have cleaned up dead, bug-infested trees that are fueling a Utah wildfire, a Republican state lawmaker blamed federal mismanagement and lawsuits by "tree hugger" environmentalists for the blaze that has burned 13 homes and forced the evacuation of 1,500 people. A conservation group called that contention "shameful" and misleading, saying it fails to take into account climate change and drought. In addition, a U.S. Forest Service researcher said logging probably would not have made a big difference in the high-altitude fire that is sending embers from tree-to-tree over long distances — normal for the ecosystem.
NewsReutersAustralia flies indigenous flags above its oldest public office
Australia raised indigenous flags to fly alongside its national standard over its oldest public building on Wednesday, another step on a long and often troubled road to reconciliation with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.The flags, representing the oldest living cultures in the world, were raised as Australia marks the 50th anniversary of Aborigines being counted as part of the population, and the 25th anniversary of a milestone court case that paved the way for recognition of indigenous land ownership. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are our first people," New South Wales Governor David Hurley said at the flag- raising, where a traditional smoke, or cleansing, ceremony was performed.
- NewsCBC
Missing Squamish teenager found safe in Alberta
The family and friends of a the missing teen sent out a desperate plea Tuesday — asking the public for help finding him after 10 days of searching. It's like he's disappeared into thin air," said Tanya Sinnes.
NewsReutersToshiba misses self-imposed deadline for chip unit sale, sues Western Digital
By Makiko Yamazaki CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's Toshiba Corp has pushed back its timeline to clinch a sale of its prized flash memory chip unit, saying the $18 billion deal was being held up due to differences of opinion within the consortium chosen as preferred bidder. The delay came as the conglomerate sued its chip business partner Western Digital Corp for interfering in the sale, one day after the U.S. firm resubmitted a bid for the unit. Scrambling to cover billions of dollars in cost overruns at its bankrupt Westinghouse nuclear unit, Toshiba had pledged to have a signed agreement for the sale of the unit - the world's No. 2 producer of NAND chips - by Wednesday, the day of its annual shareholders meeting.
NewsReutersJPMorgan Chase to centralize energy controls for 4,500 branches
JPMorgan Chase & Co is shifting control of heating, air-conditioning and lighting in 4,500 of its branches to an operations center hosted in the internet cloud. Sol Gindi, chief administrative officer for JPMorgan's consumer bank, said the company is making the change so that bank branch managers and loan officers can do their jobs instead of adjusting thermostats and keeping track of replacing light bulbs before they burn out. The move is expected to reduce energy consumption in the branches by 15 percent, Gindi told Reuters on Tuesday.
- NewsCBC
After 35 years, doctor says palliative care 'one of the most rewarding things I've done'
A West Vancouver leader in the field of palliative medicine is being honoured for 35 years of service. Dr. Paul Sugar, who works at Lions Gate Hospital, was lauded for his work caring for people with serious and terminal illnesses by Vancouver Coastal Health. Sugar says palliative care, like all aspects of medicine, faces challenges in terms of resources.
- NewsCBC
Chief medical examiner top earner of Alberta government employees
Alberta chief medical examiner Elizabeth Brooks-Lim earned the highest base salary of any Alberta government employee in 2016, according to new 'sunshine list' figures released Tuesday. Brooks-Lim, then the deputy chief medical examiner before she was promoted in December of 2016, earned $383,144 in base salary and $21,922 in cash benefits.
- NewsCBC
Nothing shabby about Chablis wines, columnist says
Philip says wines from the Chablis region of France stand out from other Chardonnays and this is the perfect time of year to enjoy them. "Home to some of the most famous Chardonnays in the world, Chablis makes great wines in a range of price bands," she told On The Coast guest host Gloria Macarenko. Here are Philip's picks for great Chablis wines.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Sarah Palin sues paper for tying her PAC ad to mass shooting
Former vice-presidential nominee and Alaska governor Sarah Palin is accusing The New York Times of defamation over an editorial that linked one of her political action committee ads to the mass shooting that severely wounded then-Arizona Congressman Gabby Giffords. In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday, Palin's lawyers say the Times "violated the law and its own policies" when it accused her of inciting the 2011 attack that killed six people. The lawsuit refers to a June editorial in the Times on the recent shooting of Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise (skuh-LEES').
- NewsCBC
'It's not just her journey, it's our journey': Moms go bald to help kids beat cancer
Jerusalem Kahsay's daughter Sara was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was two-years-old. Now five, Sara helped to shave her mom's head on Tuesday for the inaugural Mom Shave Event for Childhood Cancer Canada. "I want people to know what it means to have childhood cancer," said Kahsay.
- NewsCBC
AHS firings over racial slur sends strong message, says target of derogatory text
Big Head is the principal of Tatsikiisaapo'p Middle School in Stand Off, Alta., which is on the Kainai First Nation southwest of Lethbridge and about 200 kilometres south of Calgary. An AHS employee intended to send a text message to a colleague following a training exercise that included Big Head, but instead accidentally texted a member of the Kainai Board of Education. In that text, Big Head was referred to as a "rabid squaw," she said.
- NewsCBC
Windsor psychotherapist faces disciplinary hearing for alleged sex with client
A Windsor psychotherapist is facing a disciplinary hearing over allegations she had sex with two clients and served alcohol to members of a therapy group while intoxicated herself. Elisabeth Haramic has also been accused of illegally referring to herself as a doctor and sending a client "unprofessional, threatening or abusive" messages, according to the College of Psychotherapists of Ontario. An 11-page notice of hearing details the accusations that the psychotherapist slept with a person she was treating starting in 2009.
- BBC News
German WW2 pilot flies in Spitfire
German ace Hugo Broch took to the skies over Kent to achieve a long-held ambition.
- NewsCBC
Tenants 'in the dark' on fire inspection results in apartment buildings
After spotting potential fire safety issues in his North York building — including a blocked fire exit — Mark Legate wanted to see the results of a fire inspection for himself. What came next, Legate said, were dozens of emails and phone calls to city staff, all of which came back with the same answer: privacy legislation overrides the fire act. Legate was told he would have to file a freedom of information request to find out what happened in his own building, something he called "incredibly" frustrating.
NewsReutersSwedish actor Michael Nyqvist dies after lung cancer battle
(Reuters) - Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, best known for a leading role in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Swedish film series, died in Sweden on Tuesday after a year-long battle with lung cancer, his representative said. Nyqvist "passed away quietly surrounded by family" in Stockholm, his spokeswoman Alissa Goodman said in an emailed statement that called him "one of Sweden's most respected and accomplished actors." "Michael's joy and passion were infectious to those who knew and loved him.
- NewsCBC
Ontario announces $85M to clean up mercury near Grassy Narrows, Wabaseemoong First Nations
Ontario will spend $85 million to clean up industrial mercury contamination that is poisoning the people at Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations in northwestern Ontario, Environment Minister Glen Murray announced on Tuesday. The mercury was dumped into the river by Reed Paper, upstream of the First Nations in Dryden, Ont., in the 1960s and early 1970s.
- NewsCBC
Edmonton mayor backs away from city hosting 2022 Commonwealth Games
The flicker of hope for Edmonton to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games is getting closer to being snuffed out, if the mayor gets his way. "The time has come for us to be honest with ourselves that it's not the right time to be pursuing mega-events on our own," Don Iveson said Tuesday. Edmonton had dropped its initial bid in February 2015 after the provincial government wouldn't financially back the event.
- NewsThe Canadian Press
Kinderdijk windmills a must-see on any trip to Holland
The windmills at Kinderdijk were built in the mid-1700s as a way to clear water from the low-lying landscape of the western Netherlands. Sometime in the 1950s, the millers and water board members started seeing visitors in sneakers carrying cameras. The Dutch embraced the visitors and the Kinderdijk windmills have since become one of the country's most popular tourist destinations while continuing to help manage the Netherlands' ongoing fight to stay above water.
- NewsCBC
Aylward vows to continue push for public hearings on mental health
An Opposition MLA and PC leadership candidate in P.E.I. says he won't relent on a push for public hearings on mental health services on the Island. "I'm hearing from Island families on a daily basis," said James Aylward Tuesday. "As elected officials, it's incumbent upon us to get out and talk to Islanders and to hear their stories and have a better sense of what's actually happening, get a finger on the pulse of what's happening — or not happening — within services around mental health," Aylward told CBC News: Compass's Kerry Campbell.
- NewsCBC
Vancouver city council approves fees for electric car charging stations
Motorists driving electric vehicles in Vancouver will soon have to pay to use the city's 16 curbside charging stations. City council voted in favour of a pilot project Tuesday that would see drivers charged fees for using the stations. According to a staff report, the city is opting to charge by the hour instead of by units of energy, in order to encourage faster turnover at the charging stations.
- NewsCBC
No information, no decisions: Yellowknife councillors discuss water rate options
A discussion in Yellowknife city council chambers on water rates led to plenty of suggestions but few answers, as council debates how to respond to a drastic increase in trucked water prices for some residents. The city's Municipal Services Committee met Monday evening to discuss potential water and sewage rate changes for residents. Many city residents relying on trucked water services complained following a sudden rate hike.
NewsReutersCyber attacks have long-lasting business impact: Lloyd's of London
Businesses in Europe underestimate the "slow-burn" effects of cyber attacks and need to prepare more fully for a loss of customers, a fall in share price and other potential consequences, Lloyd's of London said in a report on Wednesday. The risk of cyber attacks is rising and slow-burn effects are additional to short-term costs such as notifying customers, paying ransoms or public relations expenses, the report, written with consultants KPMG and law firm DAC Beachcroft, said. "There is a lack of understanding as to what cyber attacks can mean," Lloyd's of London Chief Executive Inga Beale told Reuters.
