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Last Republican on Philly City Council Fired Staffer Who Reported Sexual Harassment, Says Lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

The office of a Philadelphia City Council member fired a staff member who took medical leave for mental health treatment after a complaint that she was sexually harassed by another staffer.Philadelphia City Council member and Minority Leader Brian O’Neill, the last remaining Republican on the council after this month’s elections, fired an administrative assistant in his office in April 2017, less than six months after she accused a co-worker of sexual harassment, according to court documents.The administrative assistant, Linda Trush, sued the city in 2021 and alleged that she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a co-worker and subjected to a hostile work environment before being unlawfully terminated from her job. In her suit, Trush said she was retaliated against after reporting “severe and pervasive sexual harassment” and taking medical leave for mental health treatment as a result of the alleged harassment. (Trush’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.)&nb...

Beautiful, Sunny Start to New Week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Following clouds and milder temperatures on Saturday, more sunshine returns Sunday as an upper-level disturbance continues to depart from the Sunshine State.Expect mostly sunny skies for our Sunday with highs very seasonable into the low 80s. Humidity will be nice and low along with a light breeze out of the north.That wind will shift more out of the east by Monday morning though, allowing for a gradual warmup. Temperatures should gradually rise through Wednesday as a result, returning to the mid 80s for highs and lows back in the 70s.There will also be a brief increase in the beach breeze Monday into Tuesday, which will provide hazardous marine conditions.Through this early week period, the pattern will be quiet with bright and generally sunny skies and low rain chances.That will change by Thanksgiving, however, as a front nears South Florida. The model guidance remains in disagreement in regards to how far south this front will be. At this time, look for rain chances in the 20-30%...

‘Death zone:’ WHO slams situation at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

The World Health Organization described Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital as a “death zone,” after a U.N. team visited the largest medical complex in the Palestinian enclave on Saturday.“The team saw a hospital no longer able to function: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, medical supplies depleted,” WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wrote on social media. He announced WHO was trying to set up an urgent evacuation plan from the current situation, which was described as “unbearable and unjustifiable,” and called for a cease-fire. Some 290 patients, including 32 babies in extremely critical condition, were left at al-Shifa, according to the U.N.-led mission, which accessed the facility briefly. The team also saw a mass grave at the entrance of the hospital, it said.Meanwhile, the White House said the U.S. was working “hard” to get a deal between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of hostages seized by the militant group in e...

Saturday’s high school tournament scoreboard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

FOOTBALLBen Scalzi’s third touchdown pass of the game, a 34-yarder to Mehki Bryan with 9:32 left, gave top-seeded Hanover (11-0) a hard-fought 27-24 win over No. 5 Danvers in a Div. 5 state semifinal.Alex Barlow rushed for 135 yards and a pair of scores as No. 1 Duxbury (9-1) defeated No. 4 Tewksbury 19-7 in a Div. 4 state semifinal. The Dragons will face Scituate in a rematch of the 2021 Div. 4 final.Patrick Miller threw three TD passes, while Nathan Ehui ran for two scores as No. 3 Milton (8-3) defeated 10th-seeded Westfeld 37-14 in a Div. 3 state semifinal.Justin Marques ran for 247 yards and five touchdowns on 44 carries as No. 8 Fairhaven (10-1) held off fourth-seeded Hudson 40-37 in a Div. 6 semifinal. Colby Correia added 152 yards and a touchdown on six carries.Jamie McNamara ran for a pair of scores as No. 1 West Boylston (11-0) blanked No. 4 Cathedral 36-0 in a Div. 8 semifinal.Charly Gublin threw for three scores and ran for a fourth as Hamden Hall (9-0) held off Dexter So...

Why Americans feel gloomy about the economy despite falling inflation and low unemployment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation has reached its lowest point in 2 1/2 years. The unemployment rate has stayed below 4% for the longest stretch since the 1960s. And the U.S. economy has repeatedly defied predictions of a coming recession. Yet according to a raft of polls and surveys, most Americans hold a glum view of the economy.The disparity has led to befuddlement, exasperation and curiosity on social media and in opinion columns.Last week, the government reported that consumer prices didn’t rise at all from September to October, the latest sign that inflation is steadily cooling from the heights of last year. A separate report showed that while Americans slowed their retail purchases in October from the previous month’s brisk pace, they’re still spending enough to drive economic growth.Even so, according to a poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about three-quarters of respondents described the economy as poor. The disparity between t...

Freeland to present fall fiscal update Tuesday as cost-of-living dominates politics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table the fall fiscal update on Tuesday, which is expected to focus on housing and affordability as the Liberal government struggles to regain favour with Canadians feeling overwhelmed and angry about the rising cost of living.But with little money to spend, Freeland has tried to temper expectations.“We have to be sure that we make the investments Canadians need, provide them with the support they need, but do it within a fiscally responsible framework,” Freeland told reporters in Toronto on Thursday.“We won’t be able to do everything.”The finance minister has been relatively tight-lipped on the contents of the fall economic statement, but has repeatedly said measures will be geared toward addressing housing and affordability.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly renewed his government’s focus on these two issues after the Liberal caucus retreat in London, Ont., in September at the end of a rough s...

Memphis shooting suspect kills self after 3 women and girl killed and teen girl wounded

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A suspect in Tennessee died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot while on the run early Sunday after he allegedly killed four and seriously injured a fifth victim during a deadly outbreak of domestic violence Saturday night, police said.Officers found Mavis Christian Jr., 52, in his car during a manhunt following the shootings at three locations in Memphis that left three women and a teenage girl dead and critically wounded another teen girl. Memphis Police Department officers responded to a report of a shooting at 9:22 p.m. on the 100 Block of Howard Drive. Police found a woman with an apparent gunshot wound who was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators determined there were two other connected fatal shootings. At Field Lark Drive, a woman and a 13-year-old girl were killed and a 15-year-old girl was critically wounded. Another woman was found fatally shot on Warrington Road, Memphis Police Officer Christopher Williams said.Police believed Christian was...

At least 30 premature babies have been evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital and are bound for Egypt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 30 premature babies were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday and will be transferred to Egypt, Palestinian health officials said, as scores of other critically wounded patients remained stranded there days after Israeli forces entered the compound.The fate of the newborns at Shifa Hospital had captured global attention after the release of images showing doctors trying to keep them warm. A power blackout had shut down incubators and other equipment, and food, water and medical supplies ran out as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants outside the hospital.A World Health Organization team that visited the hospital on Saturday said 291 patients were still there, including 32 babies in extremely critical condition, trauma patients with severely infected wounds, and others with spinal injuries who are unable to move.Medhat Abbas, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the evacuation of 30 babies. The Palestinian Red Crescent...

Sunday Bulletin Board: Sneaking into the hockey tournament: Those were the days!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

In memoriam . . . and: Gee, our old LaSalle ran great!ZOO LOU of St. Paul writes: “The recent passing of longtime St. Paul Johnson boys’ hockey coach Lou Cotroneo brought back special memories of attending the high-school hockey tournament at the old St. Paul Auditorium in the early ’60s. How we managed to get into this wildly popular event is a highly improbable, if not downright miraculous, saga of good fortune and pure luck. And Lou was a big part of that saga.“My dad, Joe, my brother Tom and I made our first foray to the tourney on Feb. 14, 1961, after reading in the St. Paul Dispatch that a few tickets remained for the semifinal games. Despite a lobby jammed with desperate fans, a friend was able to procure three precious tickets. The late Doug Woog, who I got to know some years later, was playing for South St. Paul that night — in one of a pair of the best games I ever saw.“Bolstered by our ‘miracle’ the year before, we found ourselves once more in a jammed A...

Woodbury woman is driving force behind city’s K-9 program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:00 GMT

When her husband died of a heart attack in 2014, Donna Smith Stafford knew she wanted to donate money in his memory to help the Woodbury Public Safety Department.Bruce Stafford served as a firefighter in Woodbury for 22 years, retiring as fire chief. He also was a paramedic for 35 years with HealthEast and served in the Minnesota National Guard.“When he passed away, Woodbury Public Safety was amazing to me,” Stafford said. “I mean, they cut my grass for two years. They parked a squad outside my house during the visitation and funeral to make sure my home was safe. It was always, ‘What do you need?’ They were so loving and caring to me. It’s, like, how do you say thank you?”The idea came to Stafford one day as she was sitting in her office and looking out the window.“I never know what people believe in, but it literally came to me from above,” she said. “I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and then I heard Bruce saying, ‘Dog.’”Stafford called then-Woodbury Director of Public Saf...