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Soleiman Faqiri’s death left family ‘adrift,’ coroner’s inquest hears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

The family of a mentally ill man who died in his cell at an Ontario jail nearly seven years ago has told a coroner’s inquest that his death has left a “deep, painful hole” in their lives.A statement by Soleiman Faqiri’s older brother, Yusuf Faqiri, on behalf of the family was read by coroner’s counsel Friday afternoon at the inquest into the 30-year-old man’s death.In it, Yusuf Faqiri described his brother as a devoted son and sibling who “always put family first,” a gifted scholar and chess player, and a “source of wisdom” for many around him.The statement says Soleiman Faqiri helped his father manage his business, taught his mother how to read Arabic and Farsi, and supported his sister when she wanted to leave a bad marriage.It says Faqiri was “an anchor” and his death has left his family “adrift.”The inquest has heard Faqiri was arrested in early December 2016 after allegedly stabbing a neighbour ...

5 family members and a commercial fisherman neighbor are ID’d as dead or missing in Alaska landslide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

WRANGELL, Alaska (AP) — Authorities on Friday identified those missing or killed in an Alaska landslide this week as five family members and their neighbor, a commercial fisherman who made a longshot bid for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House last year.Timothy Heller, 44, and Beth Heller, 36 — plus their children Mara, 16; Derek, 12; and Kara, 11 — were at home Monday night when the landslide struck. Search crews found the bodies of the parents and the oldest child late Monday or early Tuesday; the younger children remain missing, as does neighbor Otto Florschutz, 65, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in an emailed statement.Florschutz’s wife survived the landslide.Florschutz, a Republican who previously served on Wrangell’s Port Commission, entered the race to fill the congressional seat vacated when longtime U.S. Rep. Don Young died last year. He received 193 votes out of nearly 162,000 cast.In a candidate statement provided to the Anchorage Daily ...

SIU called in to review new information from Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

Ontario’s police watchdog has been called in by its Nova Scotia counterpart to review new information unearthed by the inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in the Maritime province.Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) confirmed Friday that Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit recently determined the inquiry, which released its final report in March, had yielded new information about two RCMP officers who shot at a firehall as they were searching for the killer, who was disguised as a Mountie.The Nova Scotia team issued a statement saying the Ontario agency has agreed to conduct another independent review to determine if the new information would have had any impact on SIRT’s decision in March 2021 to clear the officers of wrongdoing.The statement says nothing about the nature of that information.The federal-provincial inquiry heard that the suspect, who killed 22 people and was later shot dead by other officers, was not at the Onslow, N.S., fir...

Federal policing watchdog probing B.C. RCMP unit experiencing ‘significant delays’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

OTTAWA — The federal agency tasked with reviewing complaints against the RCMP says the police force is causing “significant delays” in an investigation of a unit set up to deal with protests of energy and logging industry projects. In an investigation update this week, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP says it has received “little information or records” since July from the police force’s E Division, headquartered in Surrey, B.C.The commission says it has made progress in its probe of the controversial Community-Industry Response Unit, but says finishing the investigation will be delayed.It says a recent meeting between the commission and the RCMP outlined “concerns about the delays,” and the force has since provided it with more than 400 files, though “significant” information is yet to be provided. The commission hired a law firm to help in its “systemic investigation” to interview people wh...

Pro-Palestinian protesters continue calls for ceasefire in Gaza amid march along Michigan Ave.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

CHICAGO — Protesters marched down the Magnificent Mile on Friday to draw attention to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied on Michigan Avenue as they looked to catch the attention of Black Friday shoppers. Some of those who participated in the march said it is important to keep the focus on the war in the Middle East as many people's attention now turns to the holidays. Israeli media say Hamas has released Israeli hostages Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day-long ceasefire on Wednesday, but protesters on Michigan Avenue said it was not enough and called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupationFriday's crowd grew to about 1,000 protesters by noon, and briefly caused a portion of Michigan Avenue to shut down to traffic.1,200 Israelis were killed when Hamas attacked civilians near the border in early October, and more than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting began, according to the Gaza Health...

Biden: Conditions on aid to Israel a 'worthwhile thought’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

(The Hill) — President Biden conceded to critics within his party Friday that calls to put specific conditions on aid to Israel are a “worthwhile thought” amid the country’s war against Hamas in Gaza.But at a press conference marking a four-day truce in the war to free 50 hostages taken by Hamas, Biden also implied that those conditions could hamper diplomacy.“I think that’s a worthwhile thought, but I don't think if I started off with that we ever would have gotten to where we are today,” Biden said. “We have to take this a piece at a time.”The president has been under immense pressure from a growing group of Democrats who have criticized the Biden administration for strongly backing Israel in the conflict, despite a growing number of civilian casualties in Gaza.“The blank check approach must end,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday. “The United States must make clear that while we are friends of Israel, there are conditions to that frie...

Big 12 football for the last time in DKR on Friday when Longhorns, Texas Tech clash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's the end of an era Friday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium as the No. 7 Texas Longhorns take on Texas Tech in the final Big 12 Conference game in Austin.Along with Oklahoma, the Longhorns are moving to the Southeastern Conference next season and can clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win over the upset-minded Red Raiders. A loss, however, complicates things and no one will know who is playing for the championship until Saturday's games are done. Longhorns hold at No. 7 in CFP rankings After allowing nine rushing yards in a 26-16 win over Iowa State last week on the road, the Longhorns are No. 4 nationally in rushing defense, allowing an average of 82.7 yards per game. Texas is now tied for first nationally with North Carolina State in third-down defense, allowing teams to convert 26.6% of the time. The Red Raiders are No. 66 in FBS in third-down conversions, earning a new set of downs almost 40% of the time, and they slide in at No. 50 in rushing offen...

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson speaks up about harassment on social media: ‘I’m just tired of it’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson reached a breaking point this week.After internalizing the vitriol on social media as long as he could, the 24-year-old finally decided to clap back. He took to the website formerly known as Twitter and made it clear that he doesn’t care how much his hamstring injury is impacting the outcome of people’s fantasy football games, he is solely focused on getting back to 100 percent so he can help the Vikings win actual football games.Asked for clarification, Jefferson emphasized that his direct messages have been a cesspool since he suffered his hamstring injury against the Kansas City Chiefs a month and a half ago. He has gone on to miss games against the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos.His continued absence has subjected him to a massive amount of harassment on social media.“Y’all have no idea,” Jefferson said. “It’s honestly cr...

As Grand Island mourns prominent business owners, police search for answers in Rainbow Bridge crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) — Just days after a fiery crash at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, police identified the driver and passenger who died and provided new details of the ongoing wreck investigation. Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53 years old and from Grand Island, were driving a 2022 Bentley Flying Spur when it went over an embankment, flew through the air, crashed and exploded near the Customs and Border Protection building by the bridge, as seen in surveillance video released by the CBP on Wednesday evening. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "It's one thing to piece together a scene or an intact vehicle, you can go from here. Obviously, that's not what we have in this situation. That's the major obstacle right now," Niagara Falls Police Superintendent John Faso said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. The Villani FamilyThe Villani family said in a statement obtained by News 4’s Tara Lynch that they wished to “ex...

Suspect arrested in fatal stabbing at Denver migrant encampment on Thanksgiving Day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:44 GMT

Denver police have arrested one man accused of killing another in a Thanksgiving Day knife attack at a downtown Denver migrant camp.Officers on Friday arrested Gido Izquierdo-Ortega, 64, after he was medically cleared of injuries sustained after police say he attacked the stabbing victim on Thursday near the intersection of Park Avenue West and Lawrence Street in Lower Downtown.Izquierdo-Ortega was injured when the group of migrants he was harassing with a knife defended themselves by throwing objects at him, according to a news release. While initial reports indicated a second person was stabbed, no such victim has been found, police said.According to a probable cause statement, police responded to the scene at 10:50 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day on a report of a stabbing.Officers who arrived on the scene found the victim unresponsive. He was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:26 a.m. The Office of the Medical Examiner has not identified the victim...