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Police arrest three in Alberta for trafficking Toronto woman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

Three people in Grande Prairie, Alta., have been arrested for the alleged human trafficking of a Toronto woman, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said Friday.Investigators say the suspects recruited the woman through social media and “coerced” her into moving from Toronto under the pretense of a legitimate job.Once she arrived in Grande Prairie, ALERT says she was forced to work in the sex trade under the threat of violence and had her money withheld in order to “pay back the travel expenses she was fronted.”However, in May, she escaped the situation and contacted the Toronto Police Service.Officers say the suspects were arrested on Sept. 19 with the help of the Grande Prairie RCMP. Two homes were searched, and cash, a truck, and $30,000 worth of cocaine were seized. Staff Sgt. Chris Hayes with ALERT Human Trafficking says his best advice for avoiding situations like this is to know who you’re communicating with and what you’re gettin...

Hezbollah official says his group already ‘is in the heart’ of Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A top official with Hezbollah vowed that Israel will pay a high price whenever it starts a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and said Saturday that his militant group based in Lebanon already is “in the heart of the battle.”The comments by Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, came as Israel shelled and made drone strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles toward Israel. For Hezbollah, heating up the Lebanon-Israel border has a clear purpose, Kassem said: “We are trying to weaken the Israeli enemy and let them know that we are ready.” Hamas officials have said that if Israel starts a ground offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah will join the fighting. Exchanges of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border have picked up in the two weeks since the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that killed over 1,400 civilians and soldiers in southern Israel. Retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed more than 4,000 Palestinians.There are c...

York U threatens sanctions against student unions over controversial statements about Hamas attacks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

York University has called for the resignation of the leaders of three student unions following controversial statements made about the Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month.University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton said in a statement Friday that they believe the student unions have breached their responsibilities under the Regulation Regarding Student Organizations by failing to operate in an open, accessible, democratic, non-discriminatory manner when it comes to all students.The university has given the unions until 5 p.m. Oct. 25 to retract their statements, acknowledge the harm done to members and to the community by the statements, and for union executives to resign or they will face further consequences.“If the union denies that a breach has occurred, there will be a due process hearing to determine if there has been a breach, which could result in sanctions, the most severe of which would be the University withdrawing recognition of the union,” ...

Home Depot employee allegedly embezzled $1.2M in cash in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

(KRON) -- A San Rafael, California Home Depot employee was arrested after the home improvement retail store alleged she embezzled approximately $1.2 million over the past year, according to the San Rafael Police Department.Home Depot reported the incident to police on Oct. 17 after an internal investigation revealed the female employee allegedly started taking cash from the retail store starting in August 2022. At the time of arrest, police said the employee had over $8,000 in her possession. How to protect yourself from student loan scams as bills resume A search warrant served at the employee’s residence uncovered a small amount of cash and a “high volume” of designer merchandise, which police investigators believe was purchased with the embezzled funds.Police said the employee admitted to taking cash from the business since last year.The employee was booked into Marin County Jail on felony embezzlement charges. Detectives added a bail enhancement due to the amount of cash alleg...

These scary movies raise heart rates the most, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Looking for a scary flick that will get your heart racing and haunt your dreams? These movies are scientifically proven to do that – at least the first part. The Science of Scare Project strapped heart-rate monitors to 250 test subjects and measured which horror films impacted their heart rate in two important ways. The first is overall beats per minute, or BPM. Spikes in heart rate could indicate a movie has effective jump scares that get the blood pumping. The team also measured heart rate variance (HRV), which is the time between each heart beat. They used this measurement to assess how stressed audience members might become while watching the film, making it "a good indicator of slow burn fear and dread." ‘Brutal heat’: South Carolina expert who set world’s hottest pepper record does it again They combine the two metrics to create a "Scare Score" and determine which scary movies have the biggest impact. The highest possible score is 100.The highest ranked movie is...

Sporting goods store with Ferris wheel, aquarium coming to Cedar Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — A new sporting goods store—with a Ferris wheel inside—is planned in Cedar Park. Scheels is expected to open a Cedar Park store in 2026, the company announced Friday. The sporting goods store will have specialty shops, boutiques and over one million pieces of inventory.The 240,000-square-foot store will also have a 65-foot Ferris wheel, a 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, a wildlife mountain, a candy shop, sports simulators and a restaurant. Cedar Park SCHEELS will open in 2026. (Courtesy SCHEELS)Cedar Park SCHEELS will open in 2026. (Courtesy SCHEELS)The store will have over 500 employees, with a majority hired locally, according to the company.The North Dakota-based company opened its first Texas location in The Colony in 2020. A release said the Cedar Park store will be the company's 35th location. The Scheels store will be part of a major mixed-use development on New Hope Drive that will also have an NFM store, convention center and hotel. The Scheels s...

Friday Night Lights star 'Boobie' Miles sentenced to 13 years in prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) — James Earl “Boobie” Miles Jr., 53, of Friday Night Lights fame, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after an Ector County jury found him guilty of Failure to Comply With Sex Offender Registration Requirements. According to previous reports, in 2020, Miles was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault in connection with a 1999 assault. One of the terms of his plea agreement was that Miles had to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. Authorities said he failed to do so upon his release in 2022.Miles is now awaiting trial on two family violence charges.According to an Odessa Police Department report, on March 1, 2023, officers were dispatched to a home on Dobbs to investigate a disturbance after a woman called 911 and said her ex-husband was choking her. Dispatch operators asked officers to hurry to the scene because the victim’s emergency call was disconnected and there was no answer on mul...

Gophers running back Darius Taylor set to return vs. Hawkeyes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Gophers running back Darius Taylor is expected to play against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon.The three-time Big Ten freshman of the week was not listed on Minnesota’s status report two hours before kickoff.Taylor, who has rushed for 532 yards and four touchdowns this season, has missed the last two games with a leg injury suffered late in the loss to Northwestern.But the Gophers will be down a tailback. The U has listed senior Bryce Williams as out for the season with an undisclosed injury. Williams, a sixth-year senior, has rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown this season.Linebacker Cody Lindenberg (leg) has been listed as questionable for a fourth straight week. He has not participated in pregame warmups for the last three games, but he was out on the field doing some detailed drills at around 12:15 p.m. Saturday.However, while Lindenberg was doing cone drills in the end zone, the rest of the linebackers were working as a unit at midfield,...

Missouri's top producer of black walnuts, they are edible

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri holds the title of being the top producer of Black Walnuts, which are also edible and serve as the official tree nut of the state. Their fruiting season occurs between September and October, so do not miss the opportunity to enjoy them. The black walnut tree is easily identifiable by its substantial, straight trunk and open canopy. It is recognizable by the presence of nuts, a distinct spicy fragrance, large feather-compound leaves, and twigs with hollow pith. Black walnuts grow individually or in pairs on twigs, enclosed in green, rounded husks measuring 1½ to 2½ inches in diameter. These husks conceal the round, solid, bony, deep brown, or black nuts, which have oily, sweet, and edible kernels.  Brittish Williams – From ‘Basketball Wives’ to guilty plea These nuts have a high protein content. They are hand-harvested and find their way into a wide array of culinary creations, from savory to sweet.  Additionally, the sturdy wood from these trees is a pri...

Broncos Journal: Rookie CB Riley Moss is up to speed after preseason injury and feels ready for an expanded role. Now, will one develop?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:34:26 GMT

The first time Riley Moss stepped on an NFL field, he wasn’t nearly as nervous as he thought.“Juiced up,” he said, but strikingly free of anxiety.“I always had this vision that it would be this whole thing and it would be so much different, but to be honest with you, I was a lot less pressured doing this than I was my first college game,” the rookie cornerback told The Denver Post recently. “So definitely my expectations were a lot higher, but it really isn’t that crazy.”An NFL debut is an NFL debut, and Moss’ came in Week 3 against Miami on the opening kickoff. Since then, that’s been his role. He’s played 71 special teams snaps over the past four weeks, nearly two-thirds of the Broncos’ work in the third phase of the game, but has yet to play a defensive snap.“Obviously it’s a little bit more high-pressure when you’re playing defense, but at the end of the day that’s why we practice so much,” Moss said. “So that when you get into that position you don’t feel the pressure and you c...