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Safety steps Airbnb renters can take — and measures that operators must

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

A deadly fire that swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday where several apartments were being used as Airbnb units is raising safety concerns about short-term rental properties. Here are several steps guests can take to protect themselves:For guests:Check to see a rental’s registration number is posted in the listing as a way to confirm the operation is above board. (City officials said short-term rentals are illegal in Old Montreal, with 10 establishments authorized to operate, having been grandfathered in. Yet Airbnb lists more than 1,000 places for rent.)Scan the online reviews for any safety concerns.On arrival, confirm that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in place, and test them. Guests can even bring their own just in case.Look out for flammable materials near a gas stove, such as curtains or paper towels.Check the house manual for an evacuation plan, and map out an escape plan.For hosts:Airbnb suggests operators install carbon monoxide alarms near ...

Venezuela’s oil czar resigns amid corruption investigations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s oil czar announced his resignation Monday as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials, including in the state oil industry.Tareck El Aissami announced his resignation on Twitter and pledged to help the investigation into any allegations involving Petroleos de Venezuela SA, commonly known as PDVSA, while also offering support to President Nicolas Maduro’s anti-corruption campaign.Venezuela’s Anti-Corruption Police last week announced an investigation into unnamed public officials in the justice system, the oil industry and in some municipalities, though they did not cite PDVSA. The attorney general said Sunday that some officials had been arrested, but did not give details.El Aissami could not immediately be reached Monday.Corruption has long been rampant in Venezuela, which sits atop the world’s largest petroleum reserves. But officials are rarely held accountable — a major irritant to citizens, the majority of whom live o...

1 dead, 1 hurt in Texas school shooting; suspect arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — One student was fatally shot and another injured when a third student opened fire outside a Dallas-area high school Monday morning before being arrested on a murder charge, police said. The shooting began on a high school campus in the suburb of Arlington around 6:55 a.m., before many students arrived for the first day back to classes after the spring break, according to police and school district officials. Arlington police Chief Al Jones said Monday that a male student who was shot died at a hospital and a female victim was receiving medical care after being “grazed” by gunfire, causing injures that aren’t life threatening. Another male student was arrested at the scene and charged with capital murder, Jones said at an afternoon news conference. The police chief declined to identify the suspected shooter because he is a minor, but said he is being held at a juvenile detention center in the area.The gunman never entered the Lamar High School building a...

How to watch WGN's Chicago Mayoral Debate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The two remaining candidates for Mayor of Chicago will face-off on WGN's debate stage with two weeks remaining before Election Day.The Your Local Election Headquarters: Chicago Mayoral Debate will take place Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. at WGN's studios on Chicago's North Side. WGN News anchors Lourdes Duarte and Tahman Bradley will moderate the debate between candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson. Election Results for the mayoral runoff will be available here on April 4 The entire event will be broadcast live on WGN-TV, the WGN+ streaming app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, the station's website at WGNTV.com/Live and the WGN News mobile app. The audio of the debate will also be simulcast live on WGN Radio 720 AM.Additional coverage, including reaction and analysis, will follow on WGN News at Nine with anchors Ray Cortopassi, Dina Bair and political analyst Paul Lisnek.

The Offspring, Simple Plan and Sum 41 coming to Tinley Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

CHICAGO -- Attention pop punk fans!The Offspring, Sum 41, and Simple Plan will be heading to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on Saturday, August 26."The only thing better than being on tour is touring with your friends!" The Offspring wrote on their website.The pop punk trio will be stopping in the Chicagoland area as part of the "Let The Bad Time Roll Tour," an extension of their past year touring together. Pitchfork Music Festival announces 2023 full lineup and concert dates The Offspring are best known for their hits "The Kids Aren't Alright," "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid," and "Pretty Fly."Sum 41 became wildly known for their hits "In Too Deep," "Fatlip, and "Still Waiting.""We had such a blast touring Europe with Simple Plan and Australia with The Offspring last year that all 3 of us are hitting the road together this August & September for 24 dates across the US," Sum 41 wrote on their website.Simple Plan hit the main stream charts in the early 2000's with ...

Colorado dentist accused of murdering wife searched for 'poisons they don't test for': affidavit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife allegedly Googled "how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human" and ordered multiple "undetectable poisons."James Toliver Craig, 45, of Aurora, was arrested on a first-degree murder charge Sunday for the death of his wife Angela Craig. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KDVR, the Aurora Police Department believes James, in a bid to begin a new life with another woman, laced his wife's protein shakes with multiple types of poison. What’s the most popular last name in your state? According to the affidavit, Angela said she was suffering from dizziness, headaches and the feeling of being drugged beginning on March 6 through March 15. Angela became sick multiple times within that week and was admitted to the hospital three separate times. Co-workers become suspicious of JamesAccording to the arrest affidavit, James' office manager became suspicious of his behavior on March 6, the first day A...

Anti-trans rant at San Francisco Cheesecake Factory caught on video

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) - A transgender woman enjoying her meal at The Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco's Union Square was faced with an anti-trans rant from a fellow diner, and she caught it all on a TikTok livestream. Lilly Contino is a full-time content creator living in San Francisco. She was dining at the Union Square Cheesecake Factory on Geary Street on March 9 when she began livestreaming to her TikTok followers. "Everything was pretty normal until a woman with a walker entered the restaurant. She sat down a couple of tables nearby, definitely within earshot, no more than 5-10 feet from me," Contino told Nexstar's KRON.At first, the interaction seemed innocuous; the woman told Contino several jokes before offering to show off a scar on her stomach from a recent surgery. When Contino refused to take a look, the woman said, "I'll show you if I want to show you, son." Amanda Bynes placed on psychiatric hold after roaming L.A. streets naked: Report When Contino heard the poin...

New climate report: Drastic, accelerated changes needed now to avert crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) sixth and final assessment report was released Monday. The sixth assessment report is the product of the collaborative work of hundreds of climatologists and scientists who have contributed thousands of peer-reviewed scientific papers to the panel. Warming climate leading to allergy seasons starting sooner The report states current climate actions are being implemented too slowly, and we must instead take more drastic, accelerated steps to avert a global disaster. The report wields together a more complete picture of how human-caused climate change is impacting our lives and what steps can be taken now and in the future to address it.With the warming of the atmosphere up around 1.1°C (2.0° F) since the late 1800s, the report suggests our goal of limiting warming up to only 1.5°C (2.7° F), set as part of the Paris Climate Agreement, is highly unlikely now.Time is running outThe report highlights the importance o...

HCSO to patrol US Highway 290 to slow amount of crashes in Dripping Springs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff's Office has a warning for drivers in Dripping Springs: drive safely and slow down. In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office said starting Monday, deputies will work with Hays County Constables Precinct 4 and Precinct 5 to enforce traffic laws on U.S. Highway 290 in Dripping Springs."This will be a zero tolerance traffic operation to reduce the number of crashes on Hwy 290," the post read. KXAN's Sarah Al-Shaikh will have more on this story. You can watch on KXAN News at 9 and 10.

St. Paul schools seek to boost math scores with $9.9M curriculum buy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:52 GMT

St. Paul Public Schools plans to spend $9.9 million on new K-12 math curricula, updating long-used materials that district leaders say are holding students back.In two recent presentations to school board members, who are expected to approve the purchases on Tuesday, administrators pointed to low test scores. Just 25 percent of district students scored proficient on the state’s math test last spring, compared to 45 percent statewide; among low-income students, those figures were 14 percent in St. Paul and 23 percent for the state.“We need to look at how we are teaching math and do something different, because what we have been doing has not been working for our students,” Maijue Lochungvu, assistant director of the Office of Teaching and Learning, said last month.St. Paul high schools have been using the same materials since 2007, and the company that made them is no longer in business. Elementary schools have had the same books for about 20 years.The new curricula will come with pr...