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Former Montreal school teacher sentenced to eight years for abusing young girls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

MONTREAL — A former Montreal primary school teacher who used his position as an educator and basketball coach to lure and sexually abuse five young girls has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Quebec court Judge Mélanie Hébert told a Montreal courtroom Tuesday that Dominic Blanchette’s crimes were aggravated by the fact that he was in a position of authority and trust with his victims, three of whom were 10 when the abuse began. “The fact that his offences occurred repeatedly, over a total period of a little less than five years and involved five different victims, demonstrates that Mr. Blanchette’s actions were not isolated or the result of a simple lack of judgment in a particular situation,” Hébert said as she read her sentence.Hébert said that Blanchette, who turned 29 Tuesday, could not have been ignorant of the consequences of the abuse he committed between September 2017 and May 2022. “By repeating the same acts, on multiple occasions, with five ...

Guatemala’s veterans about face to support Sandra Torres for president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s largest military veteran organization endorsed presidential candidate Sandra Torres Tuesday after battling her during her first two bids for the presidency, showing just how far her progressive opponent’s surprise place in the runoff has shaken the country’s politics.Torres and her hosts at the Guatemalan Military Veterans Association painted her opponent Bernardo Arévalo as a threat to the country’s democracy and families.As she did during their first debate the previous night, Torres criticized Arévalo for not really knowing his country because he was born in Uruguay when his father, former President Juan José Arévalo, was in exile after the CIA-backed overthrow of his successor Jacobo Arbenz.“Today more than ever Guatemala is in danger,” Torres said, warning that Arévalo would dissolve the army, legalize same-sex marriage and expropriate private property. “We don’t want communism in Guatemala.”Arévalo, a lawmaker, academic and former diplomat, ha...

22 victims identified in child porn case involving Mississauga camp counsellor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

Peel Regional Police say 22 child victims have been identified in an ongoing child pornography investigation involving a former camp counsellor in Mississauga, including an incident where the accused allegedly filmed a 6-year-old while they were in the washroom.Investigators arrested 26-year-old Alexander Clarke on August 3, alleging the accused committed various acts while working as a counsellor at MC Day Camp in Mississauga.Clarke had been a camp counsellor volunteer from June 2018 until his arrest. The 26-year-old was initially taken into custody on charges including voyeurism, possession of child pornography, making child pornography and making available child pornography.On Tuesday, police upgraded charges to include seven counts of sexual assault and sexual interference, 11 counts of making child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of forcible confinement.Const. Donna Carlson said 22 young victims were identified through the investigation. The...

‘Building stronger communities:’ Mayor Johnson celebrates CPS Safe Passage workers at rally

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

CHICAGO — As students from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) prepare to head back to class, Mayor Brandon Johnson is putting the spotlight on the workers who help them get there safely.On Tuesday, a rally was held for the district's nearly 1,200 Safe Passage workers.The workers are employed by community-based organizations that operate in the areas that they serve. They are trained and serve as the eyes and ears in the neighborhoods to keep tabs on any potential violence. Annual Ducky Derby raises nearly $600K for Special Olympics Illinois “By establishing bonds with our students and ensuring their safety on their way to school and back, the Safe Passage workers are building stronger communities one student at a time,” Mayor Johnson said.Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez says that he believes the program is the first step in getting kids to school on time and securely. Christkindlmarket sets schedule for 3 Chicagoland locations for 2023 "You are doing God's work. You're makin...

Top 40: Bolingbrook man prepares for 40th consecutive Chicago triathlon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

In four weeks, thousands of athletes from around the world will come to Chicago to compete in the Lifetime Chicago Triathlon. WGN’s Mike Lowe is participating again and raising money raise money for It Takes a Village Chicago, a non-profit that builds weight rooms for youth in underserved communities and underfunded schools. You can donate here. BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — This week, in Bolingbrook, we’re catching up with Jeff Sabbath, a triathlete who has competed in every Chicago Triathlon since the founding of the event back in 1983.This year will be his 40th consecutive.  “When you start out you don’t think ‘I’m going to do 40 years of this,’” Sabbath said.  “I was pretty consumed with it and did a lot of races.”It all started in 1982 when, as a 23-year-old, he watched an episode of ABC’s Wide World of Sports.“It was a famous one when Julie Moss started faltering less than a mile from the finish,” Sabbath said. “(She) was crawling, and they’re covering the dramatic footage of ...

'The honor of my life:' Chicago's top doc speaks out after sudden firing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago’s former top doc is speaking out.As commissioner of the Chicago’s Department of Public Health, Dr Allison Arwady helped citizens navigate the many unknowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, regularly facing the community and media to provide guidance and answers. And while she doesn’t have all the answers when it comes to her sudden firing from the post she loved, she says she’ll always be a champion for public health and patients.“When I look back, I’m not thinking about the way it ended,” she said.She was always on call. The internal medicine specialist who chose public health over private practice showed her competence and commitment during the rigors of Covid.“It’s been really the honor of my life to be able to lead my team through this,” she said. “But it is a lot of the work that doesn’t get talked about as much that in many ways I am most proud of.” Mayor Johnson fires Dr. Allison Arwady as Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner That work includes pr...

Entire Minnesota police force resigns over pay concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

(The Hill) – A small city in southeast Minnesota is without a police force after its chief and officers resigned over low pay.Goodhue — population 1,250, according to the 2020 census — accepted the resignation of its police chief, only full-time officer, and five part-time officers at a city council meeting on Monday that was originally intended to discuss pay raises.Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck said the Goodhue County Sheriff Department will patrol the city when the officers’ contracts expire later this month. Odds of a ‘strong’ El Niño grow again: Will you feel it locally? “We need to pursue other options. So, at this point, there is no reason to really talk about pay increases since we no longer have a police force,” she said at the meeting Monday evening. “We will have police coverage in the City of Goodhue. That is not an issue.”The county sheriff will also take over active criminal cases, she said.The council was adamant on its intent to eventually re-form the department, which...

Southwest employees find show cat missing at Denver airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) – After spending almost 24 hours lost in the Denver International Airport, Breezy, a year-old Bengal cat, was found hiding in the Southwest ramp area.Breezy and her owner Ginger Thompson flew to Denver for a cat competition. While boarding their flight on the way back to Washington, a mishap with the cat carrier caused Breezy to fall between the airplane door and jet bridge and onto the tarmac. Did you know Denver is one of the freshest non-coastal places you can get fish? Since Sunday, Breezy was on the run in DIA. Thompson stayed an extra day to search for Breezy, but booked a flight home Monday night after little luck, according to her Facebook. "It’s been a little over 24 hours since I lost Breezy. I’m going out of my mind worrying. Trying to be patient but laying here in the hotel waiting is killing me and I’m losing any hope as each hour passes," Thompson said on her Facebook. After a desperate search for the cat, Breezy was found on Monday by Southwest empl...

Christie rejects Trump-Gore comparison: 'When Al Gore lost his legal challenges, he conceded'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

GOP presidential candidate and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday rejected a comparison of former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and former Vice President Al Gore’s legal challenges in the 2000 vote, noting that eventually Gore conceded when rebuffed by the courts. Harvard University law professor and The Hill opinion contributor Alan Dershowitz had argued to Fox News ahead of Monday's release of the Georgia indictment against Trump that the former president’s actions in challenging the election results in the state were “very similar” to those of Gore during the Florida recount, which ultimately decided the 2000 presidential race for George W. Bush. Fox News host Bill Hemmer asked Christie, one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics, about Dershowitz’s argument that the same tactics were used for Gore’s challenge in Florida. “Except when Al Gore lost his legal challenges, he conceded the election,” Christie said. “Al Gore ...

'Only going to get worse': Local leaders issue local disaster declaration amid wildfire danger

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- City of Austin and Travis County leaders discussed ongoing efforts to address record-breaking heat and the potential for wildfires Tuesday. Several city and county officials talked about wildfire and disaster preparation at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. A total of 30 fires have burned 2,826 acres in the 15-county KXAN viewing area, as of Aug. 13. You can find an active map here. "It's terrible but it's going to get worse," said Bob Nicks, the president of the Austin Firefighters Association. "The dirty little secret about wildland fires is that they get to a certain size, there's nothing you can do to stop them." Another 7+ days of triple digits but hints of change ahead According to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, the city ranks sixth in the nation in the number of homes at risk of wildfire. The top five cities are in California. Because 90% of wildfires are caused by people and are preventable, Watson said the city has been "paying specific attention" to home...