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German lawmakers approve plan to shrink bloated parliament

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Lawmakers in Germany approved electoral reforms Friday that would reduce the size of the country’s increasingly bloated parliament, but two opposition parties were vehemently critical and the plan is expected to face a court challenge.Parliament’s lower house, or Bundestag, currently has a record 736 members. The changes approved on a 400-261 vote with 23 abstentions would reduce that number to 630.Other proposals to reform the system have failed in recent years because of the difficulty of reconciling parties’ interests. Germany’s next national election is expected in the fall of 2025.In German elections, every voter gets two votes: one for a directly elected candidate, the other for a party list.Each of the country’s 299 constituencies elects its legislative representative directly by a simple majority vote. At least 299 further seats go to candidates elected on party lists. The list votes are critical because they determines the percentage of seats each ...

‘Brother’ was a moment to be seen for Lamar Johnson and Kiana Madeira

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

TORONTO — In the opening scene of “Brother,” two Black teens prepare for a climb, the elder instructing his younger sibling: “follow my every step.” As they trek up a hazardous hydro tower, an impeccable sight of Toronto comes into view. It’s treacherous but rewarding, an allegory for the Black experience.At an early point in his life, Lamar Johnson — who stars in the Clement Virgo-directed coming-of-age chronicle — said he couldn’t imagine himself starring in this scene.“I didn’t even know that being able to act, much less in a film like ‘Brother,’ was possible until I sat down and saw a commercial with a little Black kid, and I was like, ‘whoa, hold on, I could do that too,’” said Johnson, 28, who spent most of his growing years as a self-taught dancer.  “In a way, it was quite beautiful to be able to sit down and read the script and feel seen.”“Brother,” adapted from Vancouver-based author David Chariandy’s novel of the same name, i...

Man who hoped to kill Arab and Black people gets 20 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man who shot at two convenience stores hoping to kill Arab and Black people has been sentenced to serve 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal hate crime charge.Larry Edward Foxworth, 48, fired a Glock pistol multiple times through the windows and doors of two convenience stores in Jonesboro, just south of Atlanta, shortly before 3 a.m. on July 30, 2021, the U.S. attorney’s office in Atlanta said in a news release. Both stores were open and people were inside, but no one was hit.Clayton County police arrested Foxworth shortly after the shots were fired. He told investigators he wanted to kill Arab and Black people and believed that’s who was inside those two stores, the release says. He said he hoped he had killed people and expressed belief in white supremacy.“He fired repeatedly into convenience stores in his effort to kill those inside based solely on the color of their skin,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in the releas...

Lobster giant partially owned by Indigenous bands delivering higher sales and profits

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

HALIFAX — A seafood giant that is half-owned by a coalition of East Coast First Nations is reporting a leap in annual sales, as 2022 revenues rose by $71.6 million compared to the year before.George Paleologou, the chief executive of Premium Brands Holdings Inc., said during the company’s fourth-quarter conference call that Clearwater Seafood’s annual earnings reached a “record-breaking” level of $130 million on $604 million in revenues in 2022.Much of the gain for Nova Scotia-based Clearwater came in the last three months of the year, as the firm increased sales by $50 million compared to same period the year before, according to results released Thursday by Premium — which is based in Vancouver.The $1-billion investment in Clearwater led by the Membertou First Nation in Cape Breton and Miawpukek First Nation in Newfoundland and Labrador was the largest ever by Indigenous communities in the Canadian seafood industry.Clearwater harvests a variety of seafood, ...

Four Ontario youths arrested with ‘pen gun’ after stealing vehicle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrested four youths in Durham Region after the group stole a vehicle in possession of a single-shot pen gun.OPP’s Highway Safety Division said the four youths tried to Toronto police officers in a stolen car on Salem Road in Ajax.The four young people were charged with stolen property and other offences. Toronto police also charged one of the youths with weapons offences for possessing a .22 calibre pen gun.No injuries were reported. The group was not identified due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).Pen guns have been in circulation for decades — often as homemade weapons as a form of self-defence in the 20th century.The small gun is a single-shot weapon with a safety notch, and it is designed to be carried in a pocket.Yes, this is a gun! Four youths arrested after trying to flee from police in a stolen vehicle on Salem Rd #Ajax. #TorontoOPP charged all youth with stolen property and other offences. One youth also charged with wea...

At least 5 killed in mysterious north Iraq helicopter crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

DOHUK, Iraq (AP) — A mysterious helicopter crash in northern Iraq has killed at least five people, allegedly including militants belonging to an outlawed Kurdish insurgency group, according to statements Thursday from the Iraqi Kurdish-run counterterrorism agency and the regional government. The AS350 Eurocopter crashed in the district of Chamanke in Dohuk province in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday night, the counter-terrorism agency said in a statement posted on social media. At least five passengers were killed, said Lawk Ghafuri, spokesperson for the government of northern Iraq’s Kurdish semi-autonomous region. “The investigations are ongoing by security officials to determine the ownership of the helicopter,” Ghafuri said in a post on Twitter. At least seven were on board, according to an investigator at the crash scene speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation with the media.The helicopter was carrying militants belonging to...

WGN Morning News St. Patrick's Day party returns!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

CHICAGO — The WGN Morning News team is taking their show on the road Friday for a St. Patrick's Day Extravaganza! Join us for a LIVE broadcast from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at 115 Bourbon Street, located at 3359 West 115th Street, in Merrionette Park. Lots of fun is planned from Chicago cops in kilts, the Trinity Irish Dancers, Comedian Pat McGann, The Shannon Rovers, Boy Band Night, the Jesse White Tumblers —  and more! Paul’s list of 6 fun events for the St. Patrick’s Day party Hope to see you all there!

WATCH LIVE | Gov. Pritzker continues community college tour to promote proposed budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is bring his community college tour to Chicago Friday to continue promoting proposed higher education investments.The governor has been making stops across the state in recent weeks to try and garner support for his fiscal year 2024 budget. In addition to higher education, his proposed budget includes the Smart Start Illinois plan to support early childhood education and universal preschool. WGN Sports brought Michael Jordan and the ’90s Bulls to Chicago — and beyond His Friday event will be held at Malcolm X Community College, part of City Colleges of Chicago.WGN plans to livestream the event in its entirety within this story beginning at approximately 9:30 a.m.

Dean shares St Patrick's Day recipes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

In honor of St Patrick's Day, Dean Richards is sharing some of his favorite recipes from the holiday! And we had our first corned beef and cabbage eating contest! Mini “Pepper & Egg Quiche” Muffins Ingredients:2 pkgs, ready-made pie crusts8 Large eggs1 cup, Half and HalfSaltPepperRed pepper flakes1 cup grated Swiss cheese1 Green Pepper, diced and sauteed1 Red Pepper,  diced and sautéedDirections:Bring the ready-made pie crusts to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.Using a 2 ½ inch floured biscuit cutter, cut 24 pastry circles and press into the bottom and up the sides of each mini muffin cup.In a bowl,  whisk together the eggs, half & half, and salt & pepper to taste until fully combined. Transfer to a glass measure with a spout.  Set aside. Fill each of the mini muffin cups with a little shre...

March Madness bracket totally busted? You're not alone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:14:58 GMT

From No. 13 seed Furman beating fourth-seeded Virginia to No. 15 Princeton defeating second-seeded Arizona, most NCAA Tournament brackets were busted Thursday before the sun went down.The NCAA March Madness Twitter account posted after Thursday's late games concluded that only 787 brackets of unspecified millions remained perfect.Numbers were similar elsewhere.In ESPN's Tournament Challenge bracket game, only 658 perfect brackets remained by the end of the first day. More than 20 million had gotten at least one of the 16 games wrong.Furman received a decent amount of support. The Paladins were picked to win their opener in 18.2% of ESPN's brackets. Only 6.6% picked Princeton to beat Arizona, and the Wildcats going down did tremendous damage to many brackets. They were picked in 4.9% of brackets to cut down the nets at the national championship game.Arizona was a popular pick at CBS Sports, too, appearing on 96.9% of brackets win its opener, 84.9% to make the Sweet 16, 55.2% to make ...