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Kai Thomas wins Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for debut novel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

TORONTO — Debut novelist Kai Thomas took home the top fiction prize at the Writers’ Trust Awards on Tuesday evening for his story of two Black women at the northern end of the Underground Railroad.Thomas, who is from Ottawa, won the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for “In the Upper Country,” published by Penguin Canada, at a ceremony in Toronto.“I’ve obviously never done this before and having guides like you all is fantastic,” he said after thanking his editors and publisher.Thomas’s novel was also shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction and the 2023 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.Writers’ Trust jurors praised the book as a “mesmerizing, lyrical testament to the power of storytelling.”“Thomas deftly and compassionately braids deeply engrossing stories within stories that explore a little-known aspect of Canadian history,” they wrote in their citation.Mea...

Food insecurity continues to get worse in Ontario and across Canada, study shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

As so many Canadians have been battered with inflation and soaring costs on a wide range of goods, a new study out of the University of Toronto is showing food insecurity is getting worse in Ontario and other provinces.Researchers at PROOF, which works to provide policy recommendations to deal with food insecurity, found 18.7 per cent of Ontario households were dealing with food insecurity. That figure is 2.6 per cent higher than 2021. Roughly similar numbers were found in other provinces.“Food insecurity, we’ve known it’s been around for a long time and the fact that it’s getting worse now is something that I think all governments should be paying attention to,” Tim Li, a research program coordinator, told CityNews on Tuesday.“What we saw when we compared the previous year to this year is a majority of the increase of the additional households that were food-insecure were in Ontario.”According to figures provided by PROOF, 2.8 million Ontar...

2 suspects sought after Rexdale stabbing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

Toronto police say two suspects are being sought after a stabbing in Rexdale on Tuesday night.It happened shortly after 7 p.m. in the Kipling Avenue and Brookmere Road area.Officers located a male with stab wounds at the scene. He’s been taken to hospital with undisclosed injuries.Two male suspects remain at large.Stabbing:Kipling Ave & Brookmere Rd area7:08 pm-reports of a stabbing -police o/s-locate a male w/stab wounds-transported to hospital-2 suspects: #1 male, white, 30's, blonde hair & goatee, #2 male 17/18 yrs, skinny, 5'10, black jacket & black pants#GO2693178^av— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) November 22, 2023

Physicians, clinic ask judge to block enforcement of part of a North Dakota abortion law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Physicians and the former, sole abortion provider in North Dakota on Tuesday asked a judge to block enforcement of part of a revised law that bans most abortions, saying a provision that allows the procedure to protect a woman’s health is too vague.North Dakota outlaws all abortions, except in cases where women could face death or a “serious health risk.” People who perform abortions could be charged with a felony under the law, but patients would not.Tuesday’s request for a preliminary injunction asks the state district court judge to bar the state from enforcing the law against physicians who use their “good-faith medical judgment” to perform an abortion to treat pregnancy complications that could “pose a risk of infection, hemorrhage, high blood pressure, or which otherwise makes continuing a pregnancy unsafe.” The doctors and clinic are asking the injunction to remain in place until their suit against the full law goes to trial next year.Physicians have per...

Brawling fans in stands delay start of Argentina-Brazil World Cup qualifying match for 27 minutes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Lionel Messi led his Argentina lineup off the field and into the locker rooms because of a brawl between rival fans in Brazil, delaying the start of their South American World Cup qualifier by 27 minutes Tuesday at the Maracana Stadium.Argentina players asked fans in the stands for calm before heading to the locker rooms. Goalkeeper Dibu Martinez raced to one of the rails in front of the Argentina fans to ask police to stop the violence.Police used batons to break up the fights in the crowd. Parts of seating were being thrown and hit some spectators behind one of the goals. At least one fan left the stadium bleeding from his head.Argentina told Brazil officials they would only return to the pitch after the situation was calm. They returned after 22 minutes in the locker rooms, and warmed up for several minutes before the game was finally started.It was 0-0 at halftime. As the match began, dozens of police surrounded Argentina fans as they cheered, and even more...

China is expanding its crackdown on mosques to regions outside Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

The Chinese government has expanded its campaign of closing mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, where for years it has been blamed for persecuting Muslim minorities, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday.Authorities have closed mosques in the northern Ningxia region as well as Gansu province, which are home to large populations of Hui Muslims, as part of a process known officially as “consolidation,” according to the report, which draws on public documents, satellite images and witness testimonies.Local authorities also have been removing architectural features of mosques to make them look more “Chinese,” part of a campaign by the ruling Communist Party to tighten control over religion and reduce the risk of possible challenges to its rule.President Xi Jinping in 2016 called for the “Sinicization” of religions, initiating a crackdown that has largely concentrated on the western region of Xinjiang, home to more than 11 million Uyghurs and other Muslim ...

Damage 'extensive' at Calumet Fisheries after accidental fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire Department battled a fire Tuesday afternoon at Calumet Fisheries that left "extensive" damage.Just after 1:15 p.m., the department said they responded to the Chicago staple, located in the 3200 block of East 95th Street.CFD said the fire was in the roof area and no injuries have been reported. However, the department said damage to the restaurant is "extensive." Fire officials later ruled the blaze accidental due to an electrical issue. Courtesy Chicago Fire DepartmentThe fire was in a large void in the upper area of the building, authorities said. It was struck out, though potential damage is not known at this time.The restaurant reopened Saturday after it was closed by health officials over dead mice and droppings.The iconic restaurant is known for smoking fish steps away from the Calumet River.

Lakeview nightclub Berlin closes after nearly 40 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

CHICAGO — A nightclub on Chicago's North Side is closing its doors after nearly 40 years in business. Berlin, a nightclub located in Lakeview, announced in social media posts on Tuesday that it would be shutting down for good. In the posts, the closure was blamed on increasing expenses that took a toll on the club."The expenses of increased security, insurance and licensing, equipment, rent and more cannot be overestimated and we could not imagine morphing the bar into a bottle service, VIP area venue. So the doors are locked," the post read in part. Migrant camp construction begins at former Jewel-Osco lot The posts did not make mention of the recent strike and unionization efforts by employees.Back in October, the club shared an open letter on its website following the unionization of its employees and the contract negotiations that followed. In the letter, the club's owners claimed that the union's economic proposals would cost over half a million...

Ed Burke trial shifts to alleged Burger King scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Testimony continued on Tuesday as the trial of former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke shifted focus to an alleged scheme to pressure the owners of a Burger King restaurant in his ward. Prosecutors say Burke tried to pressure the owners into hiring his private law firm, in exchange for city construction permits. Burke, who is charged with 14 counts of racketeering, bribery and extortion, arrived at the Dirksen Federal Building on Tuesday morning in his signature fedora and raincoat. Burke, Chicago's longest-serving alderman, was the powerful chairman of the finance committee, controlling the city's purse strings for decades. Ed Burke trial focus shifts to Field Museum The federal case rests on four incidents of alleged wrongdoing — dealing with a Burger King, a Binny's, the old main Post Office and the Field Museum.Burke and his former aldermanic aid Peter Andrews were front and center on Tuesday as prosecutors presented evidence that they say showed a "pressure campaign" ...

Man accused of killing 3 over property dispute in Colorado arrested in New Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A man who allegedly shot three people to death and injured another in Custer County, south of Colorado Springs, was arrested Tuesday afternoon.According to the Custer County Sheriff's Office, 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark was taken into custody by New Mexico State Police. He was driving a white truck police were searching for, and investigators said there was a female in the vehicle with him.At around 2:30 p.m. Monday, a shelter-in-place was issued for the area of Rocky Ridge Road in Westcliffe while police investigated the shooting. The small rural community only has a population of 435 people.Other neighbors not involved in the shooting have accused Clark of harassing them, denying them court-ordered use of part of his property to access their property, and posting signs saying he was armed, court records said.According to the Custer County Sheriff's Office, multiple people were shot over what they believe was a dispute between neighbors over easement lines.The shooti...