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A record 6.9 million people have been displaced in Congo’s growing conflict, the U.N. says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A record 6.9 million people have been displaced by conflict across Congo, the United Nations migration agency said, making it one of the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crises.The decadeslong conflict has been the primary reason for displacement, the International Organization for Migration said Monday in a report based on data from Congo’s 26 provinces.At least 80% of the displaced people live in eastern Congo’s provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika, which have long been overrun by dozens of armed groups seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources. Some groups reportedly have been backed by Congo’s neighbors. Some groups are trying to protect their communities.“The most recent escalation of the conflict has uprooted more people in less time like rarely seen before,” said IOM’s chief of mission in Congo, Fabien Sambussy.More than two-thirds of those displaced, nearly 4.8 million people, live with host fami...

CEO of massive rail project says hurdles abound — and express trains may be solution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

MONTREAL — Martin Imbleau, head of Via Rail’s new high-frequency rail project, says getting in and out of big cities quickly will be one of the thorniest challenges to itsambitious goalof a three-and-a-half-hour trip between Toronto and Montreal.The sheaf of tracks in and around the Greater Toronto Area is largely owned by regional transport authority Metrolinx and Canadian National Railway Co., with little room for more lines in a dense downtown.In Quebec, the planned route from its capital along the shore of the St. Lawrence River to Montreal would likely mean entering that city from the north, raising the question of whether a pricey new tunnel would need to be bored to reach the heart of the city.While stops in Ottawa, Peterborough, Ont., and Trois Rivières, Que., are mandated, Imbleau says there could also be express trains that whizz through those cities without halting.The federal government has selected three consortiums to submit proposals by next fall for the roughly 1,000...

Day 7: Defense could take over Tuesday in APD officer's murder trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

Editor's note: The video above is KXAN's coverage of day 6 (Monday, Oct. 30, 2023) in Christopher Taylor's trial. AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Prosecutors have told a judge they are nearly finished presenting their case against Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor, who is on trial for murder in the death of Mike Ramos. Taylor's attorneys are expected to take over as early as Tuesday. Prosecutors expect to wrap mid-week in APD officer’s murder trial Taylor shot and killed Ramos, 42, during an incident with police back in April 2020 at a south Austin apartment complex parking lot. Taylor is on administrative leave with APD.KXAN's Grace Reader will be in court Tuesday providing live updates of the trial on X.Day 7: The state could finish presenting its case as early as today in the trial of APD Officer Christopher Taylor. A reminder that Taylor's attorneys reserved opening statements. If they chose to give them, that would come next. Thread for today 🔽— Grace Reader (@GraceReaderTV...

From TakeAction MN to the St. Paul Firefighters, political action committees aim to pick winners for city council, school board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

In no uncertain terms, the candidate screening questionnaire from TakeAction Minnesota seeks allegiance, and not just to the progressive organizing group’s principles and priorities such as rent control and police divestment, but to the institution itself.“How will you relate to us in an ongoing way so that we can govern together?” asks a question on the survey recently issued to candidates for the St. Paul City Council. “How do you imagine yourself being in an accountable relationship with us and the greater movement of people’s organizations in Minnesota?”Another question asks, “What makes you excited and/or nervous about a relationship with us? What are you hoping to get out of a relationship with us?”Some candidates for city council have balked at what they perceive to be a purity test for a progressive agenda. Still, six prominent candidates have won the TakeAction endorsement, including two who are already seated on the city coun...

'Got a joke?' Why St. Louis trick-or-treaters might be asked this on Halloween

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's lining up to be one of the coldest Halloweens in recent history, but that shouldn't stop thousands of trick-or-treaters from dressing up and collecting goodies around the St. Louis region. That said, they might need to earn their tasty treats with a sense of humor. As part of one Halloween tradition in the St. Louis area, your child might be asked to tell a joke in exchange for candy. Occasionally, this may come as a surprise to parents who venture out with their children for the first time, families who recently moved to the St. Louis area, or out-of-towners. Surveillance cameras capture dramatic images of Central West End attack It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this started, but jokes have been part of the St. Louis trick-or-treating experience for decades. As to why, it depends on who you ask.Folklorist John Oldani offers some insight in his 2013 book St. Lou-isms, noting the tradition is tied to Irish culture. Historians say, as part of an Oct. 31 festi...

QuikTrip offers free ice cream cone for trick-or-treaters on Halloween

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Thousands of children will venture around neighborhoods for trick-or-treating on Tuesday, but they can also score a free ice cream cone in celebration of Halloween. QuikTrip is offering a free vanilla ice cream cone to any trick-or-treaters under 13 years old who visits a St. Louis-area location. In order to get the free ice cream, children will have to dress in a costume. The deal is good from 4 p.m. to each QT Kitchens location's closing time. To find a QuikTrip location near you, click here.

Man sitting in apartment shot through front door: LAPD 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

A man in Hollywood was shot while sitting in his apartment, authorities said. Initial reports from the Los Angeles Police Department indicate that the man was in his residence, located in the 5600 block of Franklin Avenue, around 11 p.m. Monday evening when he heard a knock at his door.  Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run; LAPD searching for driver As he went to answer, the suspect fired several shots through the door, striking the victim. A man in Hollywood was shot while sitting in his apartment on Oct. 30, 2023. (OnSceneTV)Responding paramedics transported the man to a nearby hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition. Police could not confirm whether the shooting was gang related.  The suspect remains outstanding, and no description has been released. 

Assistance available for residents who need to keep the water on

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

Californians who need help paying their water bills can benefit from a state-administered program.The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which is administered by the state Department of Community Service and Development, is available to both renters and homeowners."Many low-income residents behind on their water or sewer bills have received hundreds or even thousands of dollars in financial support to help pay their bills," California CSD said on its website.Through March or until federal funding runs out, Californians can apply for one-time help to "pay past due or current residential water and sewer bills ​and keep their water on," state officials added.For information or to apply, visit the California CSD website.

Police find shooting victims near Placentia In-N-Out; 1 dead, 1 hospitalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

One man is dead and another was hospitalized after a Placentia Police Department officer found them suffering from their wounds near an In-N-Out Burger on Monday.At about 8:15 p.m., an officer leaving the restaurant found the hospitalized man lying in the street in the 800 block of Sunset Drive with a gunshot wound to his leg, police said in a news release. Another man was found on the front porch of a nearby home suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso. He was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.The man shot in the leg was hospitalized. Police believe the attack, which may have been gang-related, occurred about a half mile away in the 200 block of South Bradford Avenue.Anyone with information is encouraged to call detectives at 714-993-8164. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or on their website occrimestoppers.org.

San Francisco homicide: Two stabbed, one fatally, in daytime attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:16:42 GMT

Two people were stabbed, one fatally, in a daytime attack Sunday near San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Search on for suspect after Hayward man dies in shooting Crime and Public Safety | Oakland homicide suspect gets 90 days in jail for violating parole by possessing guns during police chase after fatal shooting Crime and Public Safety | Gypsy Hill killings: Elderly sex offender convicted of 1976 murder of Daly City woman Crime and Public Safety | Oregon man accused of killing Bay Area boy in 1987 pleads not guilty Crime and Public Safety | Inmate suspected in prison attack on Kristin Smart’s killer previously murdered ‘I-5 Strangler’ The stabbing was reported at 4:13 p.m. at Bayshore Boulevard and Cortland Avenue, just north of the 101/280 interchange, the report from the San Francisco police said.Officers found two male victims with life-threate...