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Welding led to deadly explosion at Quebec propane company last January: safety board

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

JOLIETTE, Que. — Quebec’s workplace safety board says a fatal explosion earlier this year at a fuel distributor might have been avoided had proper safety procedures been followed.The board, known as the CNESST, released its report today on the explosion that killed three people on Jan. 12 at Propane Lafortune in St-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Que., about 50 kilometres north of Montreal.Board inspector Annie Lépine says a welder was sealing cracks in a fuel tanker truck when sparks from his tool came into contact with gas vapour.The explosion and ensuing fire killed the welder, Christophe Paradis, 26, and two secretaries working in an adjacent office, Celine Pilon, 65, and France Desrosiers, 65.Board inspector Martin Rondeau says the company and the welding contractor should have verified that the tanker was empty of fuel before work started.Rondeau says the risk of danger was increased because the welding was being done indoors.The CNESST says its legal department is analyzing th...

Remains found sunk in Kentucky lake almost 25 years ago finally identified

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Authorities in Kentucky have identified human remains found wrapped in heavy chains and sunk to the bottom of a lake more than two decades ago.The identity of the man had remained a mystery since the discovery of his remains in Lake Barkley by two fishermen in 1999, Kentucky State Police said in a media release. The body had been wrapped in tire chains and anchored with a hydraulic jack.Efforts to identify the man were unsuccessful until state police began seeking help from a private forensic lab earlier this year. The company, Othram Inc., specializes in cold cases and performed genealogy DNA testing on the remains.With the testing, they were able to link a relative to the remains, which led to the identity of the man, Roger Dale Parham.Parham was awaiting trial on criminal charges in Fort Smith, Arkansas, at the time of his disappearance in 1999, state police said. He vanished in March of that year and was thought to have left the area to escape prosecution. S...

Machete-wielding woman charged in Kitchener road rage incident

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

A woman has been charged in an alleged road rage incident that saw the accused grab a machete and chase a driver through a Kitchener parking lot.The Waterloo Regional Police Service said officers responded to the parking lot of Fairview Park just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 17 for a weapon call.Police determined a verbal argument between a female driving a white Nissan and a male driving a silver Toyota occurred in the parking lot. It’s alleged that during the altercation, the female driver grabbed a large machete, exited her vehicle, and proceeded to chase the male driver on foot. A male passenger who was with the female driver intervened and took away the machete, sustaining minor injuries as a result.The man involved in the altercation with the machete-wielding woman was not injured. Police said the female driver was seriously injured while grabbing the machete and was taken to an out-of-region hospital.On Tuesday, authorities confirmed a 42-year-old woman from Waterloo was charg...

Bombardier won’t contest Ottawa’s sole-source deal on new Boeing military planes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

MONTREAL — Bombardier Inc. says it won’t contest the federal government’s decision to replace the military’s aging patrol planes with aircraft from U.S. rival Boeing Co.The government announced last month it will buy at least 14 Boeing surveillance planes from the United States in a sole-source deal that marks the coming phaseout of its half-century-old fleet of CP-140 Auroras — closingthe door on Quebec-based Bombardier.Defence Minister Bill Blair said Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which features submarine-hunting technology, meets all the needs of the Air Force and presents the only choice available, given the proposed Bombardier alternative is not slated to start rolling off the line until the early 2030s.In a statement, Bombardier says it remains disappointed it was not allowed to bid on the contract but that it will focus on building relationships between its own industry and the Canadian Armed Forces, rather than file a lawsuit.The Boeing agreement w...

Greek consulate in New York removes pink flag artwork against domestic violence, sparking dispute

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s government on Tuesday defended a decision to remove a piece of artwork on display at its consulate in New York, a pink-and-white quilt in the design of the country’s flag that was part of a campaign against domestic violence.The piece entitled “Neighborhood Guilt” by Georgia Lale was put on display Friday. Government officials in Athens confirmed that it had been taken down at the request of the Foreign Ministry.“Clearly we will always protect the freedom of art, and that is something that need not be the subject of political debate. But there are some things that are sacred above all. One of them is our flag,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told private Skai television.The flag – its colors replacing the official blue and white that form a cross and stripes – was made out of bed sheets donated by women living in Greece, according to organizers of the exhibition aimed at showcasing Greek artists based in New York.“I’m saddened that my work...

Animal cruelty charges spur calls for official’s resignation in Pennsylvania county

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Residents in a western Pennsylvania county are calling for the resignation of an official who is facing felony animal cruelty charges after authorities say her dog starved to death.Washington County Controller April Sloane, 43, was arrested last week at her county office. North Strabane police filed the charges after a necropsy of her dog, Thor, showed the animal died of “severe emaciation” and weighed only 20 pounds, less than half of what its weight should have been.According to court documents, Sloane’s 14-year-old son told police that he asked his mother to take Thor to a veterinarian, but she refused. Officials say an emergency veterinary clinic is located less than 500 feet from Sloane’s house.Authorities allege the dog was neglected from Nov. 1 until its death on Nov. 27.The dog’s body was found stuffed in a garbage bag in a back corner of Sloane’s garage as they served a search warrant at her home on Dec. 6, authorities said. She’s facing two fel...

Lawsuit against former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice dismissed after she turns over records

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An open records lawsuit against former Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack was dismissed Tuesday after Roggensack turned over all records she had related to her work investigating possible impeachment of a sitting justice.None of the records Roggensack produced earlier this month shed any light on the impeachment advice she actually gave to Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Vos has said he spoke with Roggensack on the phone about impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz and he has refused to say what her advice was. Roggensack has also not said what she told Vos.Two other former justices Vos tapped for recommendations, David Prosser and Jon Wilcox, both advised against impeachment.The liberal watchdog group American Oversight sued Vos, Prosser, Wilcox and Roggensack to get all of the records related to the possible impeachment. The group also alleged that the three former justices had broken the state’s open meetings law.Dane Co...

Father dies saving 2-year-old daughter from oncoming driver

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A man from Denver risked his life to save his 2-year-old daughter from being hit by an oncoming car.The family of Alonso Garcia says he pushed his daughter Liz out of harm's way before he was struck by a driver on the evening of Dec. 7. He was transported to a hospital and died shortly after he was released."He loved her very much. He did everything for her. Even sacrificing his own life for her," said Karla Alanis, Garcia's sister. "Alonso took his daughter out to get something to eat, and they were on foot. He took her in a stroller. They were walking across the crosswalk when a car came on head-on and hit Alonso."'It's hard for me to accept he's gone'In that split second, Alanis said her brother made a quick decision.“[He] decided to throw the stroller to push Liz, his daughter, out the way before getting ran over," she said. Dad paralyzed after trying to stop teen with gun near Denver school Alanis told Nexstar's KDVR she rushed to the scene, where she performe...

Mark Zuckerberg building bunker in Hawaii: report

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

(NewsNation) — Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg is building a massive Hawaiian compound complete with tree houses, dozens of bedrooms and even an underground bunker, according to an investigation by Wired.The in-depth investigation by Wired said the compound is being built in Kauai, Hawaii, and reportedly cost $100 million to build.The Wired investigation cited sources and planning documents obtained through public records requests. New FCC rules close robocall loophole Ko'olau Ranch, as it is reportedly called, sits on land purchased by Zuckerberg for $170 million.In a statement to People, a representative for Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla, said they "value the time their family spends at Ko'olau Ranch and in the local community and are committed to preserving the ranch's natural beauty."The spokesperson went on to explain that when the Zuckerbergs purchased the plot, "the rescinded an existing agreement that would have allowed portions of the property to be divided into 80 luxu...

PHOTOS: Texas holiday drone show breaks 2 Guinness World Records

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:24:37 GMT

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (KXAN) -- When you think of holiday light shows, you probably don't typically think of hundreds of drones flying around, but that's exactly what one Texas company had in mind to ring in the season. Its show even broke records. Sky Elements, a drone show company based in North Richland Hills, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, achieved two Guinness World Records on Sunday at their holiday drone show: Largest Fictional Character made with multi-rotors or drones Largest Aerial Image made with multi-rotors or drones Austinites get ‘Rickrolled’ during drone light show in downtown Austin The event, held at Birdville FAAC’s football stadium on Dec. 17, displayed 1,499 that took various holiday-related shapes, including Santa, a candy canes scene, a nutcracker, an elf, a Christmas tree and more. Sky Elements Drones Breaks Two Guinness World Records in North Richland Hills on Sunday, December 17th (Courtesy: Sky Elements Drones)Sky Elements Drones Br...