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Getting used to the spotlight: A profile of Manitoba PC Leader Heather Stefanson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

WINNIPEG — Despite her 23 years as a politician — and almost two as Manitoba’s first female premier — Heather Stefanson says she is still getting used to the public spotlight. She is more accustomed to working in the background.“I’m not someone that seeks attention. I like to get things done,” Stefanson said in an interview.“I’ve always been … a little bit of a behind-the-scenes kind of person. So I think that spotlight is not something I’m used to. It’s not something I seek out. And I think that has been challenging for me because it’s just not something that comes naturally to me.”Stefanson, 53, was seven years old when she got her first taste of politics. Her father ran for a seat in the legislature, finishing second to Liberal Lloyd Axworthy.She studied political science at university and later worked for Mila Mulroney, whose husband, Brian Mulroney, was prime minister at the time.While in Ottawa, she met her futu...

Who will become Manitoba’s next premier? A look at party leaders vying for the job

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s provincial election has been called for Oct. 3. Here’s a look at the leaders of the province’s three parties that have seats in the legislature. Heather Stefanson, Progressive Conservative LeaderAge: 53. Born May 11, 1970. Pre-Politics: Political science degree from the University of Western Ontario. Worked as a special assistant in the Office of the Prime Minister under Brian Mulroney before returning to Manitoba in 1993 as an assistant to then-agriculture minister Charlie Mayer. Also worked as a financial planner at Wellington West Capital. Politics: Won a byelection in 2000 replacing former premier Gary Filmon as the member in Tuxedo. Has won her seat in every election since then. Under her predecessor, Brian Pallister, she held several roles and portfolios including deputy premier, minister of justice and attorney general, minister of families and health minister. Defeated former member of Parliament Shelly Glover in 2021 to become the fir...

Soccer player’s killing draws attention to struggles in one of Panama’s principal ports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

COLON, Panama (AP) — The killing of a member of Panama’s national soccer team in the rough Caribbean city of Colon has focused a light on the high levels of violence residents suffer here despite having a bustling port and one of the world’s largest free-trade zones.While massive cargo ships enter and exit the Panama Canal here 50 miles north of the capital, Colon has wrestled for years with high levels of unemployment and crime. It has become fertile ground for gangs battling over control of drug trafficking routes.“The gang war is costing innocent lives,” said Rafael Cañas, an evangelical pastor who is also the city of Colon’s director of citizen security. “There are a lot of hitmen too because of the lack of jobs and opportunities.”Defender Gilberto Hernández, 26, was shot Sunday afternoon while hanging out with friends in front of the apartment building where his mother lives beside a Catholic church. Gunmen riding in a taxi opened fire on the group, killing Hernández and woundi...

Israel’s Supreme Court delays pivotal judicial overhaul hearing after attorney general opposes plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday delayed the first of three pivotal hearings on the legality of the judicial overhaul, spearheaded by the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, after the country’s attorney general expressed staunch opposition to the plan.For the eight months since the coalition took power, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a Netanyahu ally, has refused to convene the committee that selects the nation’s judges, leaving numerous judgeships open across the country. Lawyers for Attorney General Gail Baharav-Miara, will now argue against the justice minister’s counsel in court, a situation which experts said is highly exceptional. Levin, a key architect of the overhaul, seeks to change the makeup of the selection committee to give Netanyahu’s far-right ruling coalition the final say over the appointment of judges, part of a broader judicial overhaul proposed by Netanyahu’s government. Before the Court delayed the hearing f...

Israeli military kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank, a militant in an army raid and an alleged gunman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant during an army raid in the West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said, while elsewhere in the occupied territory a Palestinian gunman opened fire at Israeli soldiers, wounding one before being shot and killed. The events marked the latest violence to roil the territory during one of the most violent stretches of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in nearly two decades. Israel has pressed on with near-nightly raids in the West Bank while Palestinian militants have ramped up shooting attacks against Israelis.The early morning military raid into the Nur Shams refugee camp near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem on Tuesday prompted a firefight between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants. The army said troops found and demolished an explosives stockpile. Residents shared videos of bulldozers ripping off all the asphalt on the camp’s main road.The army also said that soldiers came under attack from ar...

Manitoba premier kicks off election campaign, calls provincial vote for Oct. 3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson has launched an election campaign with voters set to go to the polls on Oct. 3.Stefanson, who became premier two years ago, said she visited Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville Tuesday morning and the writ for the election was officially dropped.“I am excited to be here with many excited members of our strong PC team to talk about affordability and how we will continue helping you — Manitobans — make ends meet,” Stefanson told a news conference flanked by cheering Progressive Conservative candidates.She said if re-elected, her party would remove the carbon tax on hydro within 10 days and lower income taxes.Stefanson is aiming to lead the Progressive Conservatives to a third consecutive majority.Opinion polls have suggested it will be an uphill battle, as support for the Tories dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.The Opposition New Democrats have been leading in the polls, especially in Winnipeg where most legislature seats are co...

Tropical Depression 13 forms in Atlantic, could become 'powerful hurricane' this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Another major hurricane could be on the horizon as Tropical Depression 13 took shape in the central tropical Atlantic Ocean late Tuesday morning.The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Depression 13 officially formed over the central tropical Atlantic about 900 miles west-southwest of Cape Verde. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph with higher gusts. 2 bitten by shark at same Florida beach, officials say The NHC said the system will likely become Tropical Storm Lee before strengthening into a "powerful" major hurricane later this week as it nears the northern Leeward Islands.The NHC is also tracking a strong tropical wave that is forecast to move off the coast of West Africa on Tuesday.Once the wave moves offshore, the NHC said a tropical depression could form over the far eastern tropical Atlantic during the middle to the latter part of the week.The system is expected to move across Cape Verde Wednesday night and Thursday. It has a 70 percent ...

Dennis Rodman's emotional return to the United Center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

CHICAGO — For the first time in over a decade, one of the key members of the Bulls' famed 1990s dynasty was back in the arena where he made plenty of Chicago sports history.It wasn't basketball that brought Dennis Rodman to the United Center this weekend, but it was his memories of his time with the NBA team that made for an emotional moment. The Basketball Hall of Famer returned to the Bulls' home arena to take part in All Elite Wrestling's shows at the venue this weekend. He first appeared at AEW's Collison, where he was greeted by a host of cheers from the crowd, Rodman took part in a segment with Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh along with The Acclaimed, where it was announced he would be part of an AEW Trios' championship match at "All Out" on Sunday.Rodman was in the corner with The Acclaimed, where he delivered a guitar shot to Singh during the match. Related: AEW’s Tony Khan recalls WGN wrestling show ahead of return to United Center It's a throwback for the for...

How Chicago gas prices have changed since the 70s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

(STACKER) — It wasn't all that long ago, 1999 in fact, that a gallon of regular gasoline cost less than $1. And that price was much more common throughout the 1980s.Prices have been quite a bit higher lately, but what happens when you adjust for inflation? The median price of gas when Jimmy Carter was president was just over $3 per gallon in 2023 dollars. Back then, in 1978, the price at the pump was about 65 cents which equates to roughly $3.09 today. READ: Jimmy Buffett's connections to Chicago sports Gasoline has been the lifeblood of the nation's work and social lives since the automobile became widely adopted in the mid-1900s. It's an expense most Americans simply can't avoid, and one that is constantly at the forefront of political discussions when election time rolls around.CheapInsurance.com used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to chart monthly changes in the price of Chicago gas over the past 45 years. Prices are converted to July 2023 dollars to account for infl...

Prosecutors ask Congress for help in 'race against time' to protect children from AI dangers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:52 GMT

(The Hill) -- The attorneys general in all 50 states are calling on Congress to look into how artificial intelligence (AI) can exploit children through pornography and put forward legislation to address it. “We are engaged in a race against time to protect the children of our country from the dangers of AI,” the prosecutors wrote in the letter. “Indeed, the proverbial walls of the city have already been breached. Now is the time to act.”The top prosecutors sent a letter Tuesday to Congressional leadership, asking lawmakers to “establish an expert commission to study the means and methods of AI that can be used to exploit children specifically.” The letter notes that AI can be used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and deepfakes that can exploit abused children.“As Attorneys General of our respective States and territories, we have a deep and grave concern for the safety of the children within our respective jurisdictions,” the prosecutors wrote. “We also have a ...