Science (general)

Ottawa, Manitoba decided jointly to send evacuees to Niagara Falls

Scott Billeck 4 minute read Preview

Ottawa, Manitoba decided jointly to send evacuees to Niagara Falls

Scott Billeck 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 6, 2025

The Manitoba government confirmed Friday the decision to send some of the 18,000 wildfire evacuees to southern Ontario was made jointly with the federal government.

“Manitoba, in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada, worked quickly to ensure evacuees secured shelter and lodging in Ontario, much like Manitoba housed over 1,000 evacuees from Wabaseemoong Independent Nations (in northwestern Ontario) in May,” a spokesperson said in an email.

The province said it requested assistance from Ottawa — via Public Safety Canada’s Government Operations Centre — that emphasized the need for federal help to ensure a successful emergency response, including evacuation logistics.

“Support measures remain in place for affected on-reserve and eligible First Nation communities, with resources available for both immediate and long-term recovery,” ISC said in an emailed statement.

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Friday, Jun. 6, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Lisa Naylor, the minister responsible for Emergency Management Operations, said the Ontario hotel rooms were offered “before we were able to mobilize as many rooms here in Manitoba.”

Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while 1,000 more flee in Manitoba

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while 1,000 more flee in Manitoba

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday, as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes and Saskatchewan RCMP charged two people with starting blazes.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that one charge relates to starting a fire near La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people from the area.

“The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,” Moe said.

An 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation and a 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows each face one count of arson, said RCMP.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

A reception centre for evacuees of the wildfires in northern Manitoba is being staffed by provincial Emergency Social Services, and the Canadian Red Cross at the Billy Mosienko Arena in Winnipeg, Thursday, May 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

Every Floridian should have a plan for this year’s hurricane season, DeSantis says

Mike Schneider, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Every Floridian should have a plan for this year’s hurricane season, DeSantis says

Mike Schneider, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Two days away from the start of hurricane season, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s top emergency manager joked Friday that they didn't want to encounter each other again until the storm season ends in late November. Forecasts suggest that’s unlikely.

While the upcoming season, which starts Sunday, isn't expected to be as topsy-turvy as last season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there's a 60% chance it will be above normal, a 30% chance near normal and just a 10% chance it will be quieter than average. Relentless storms, including Debby, Helene and Milton, which landed in Florida last year, made for the third-costliest hurricane season on record last year.

“You just have to prepare and plan that we are going to have impacts,” DeSantis said at a news conference in front of shelves of generators at a Home Depot store in Jupiter, Florida. “If you plan and it doesn't happen, you're never going to have regrets. If you don't plan and it happens, you're going to immediately be saying, ‘Why didn’t I do this?'”

Ahead of any hurricanes headed toward the peninsula, Floridians should be prepared to have seven days of food, water and supplies for their households, including pets. If they need to evacuate, they don't have to travel hundreds of miles when traveling just a few miles inland to a hotel or shelter works, officials said.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

FILE - Debris from destroyed homes and structures floats in a canal in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Aug. 31, 2023, one day after the passage of Hurricane Idalia. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body

Greg Beacham, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to fight for new governing body

Greg Beacham, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport's new governing body.

World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands.

“The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” World Boxing wrote in a statement. The fighters' national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing.

Khelif won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships after claiming they had failed an unspecified eligibility test.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Algeria's Imane Khelif poses after defeating China's Yang Liu to win gold in their women's 66 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

Swiss president pledges aid for Alpine villagers left homeless after glacier collapse

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Swiss president pledges aid for Alpine villagers left homeless after glacier collapse

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Oct. 13, 2025

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland's president on Friday said evacuees from an Alpine village whose homes and businesses were destroyed by a landslide caused by a glacier collapse were “not alone," and the government was calculating ways to help.

Karin Keller-Sutter spoke after a helicopter flight to see for herself the damage to the village of Blatten that was largely destroyed on Wednesday as an estimated 10 millions of tons of mud, ice and rock thundered down from the Birch glacier overhead.

“The force with which the mountain here wiped out an entire village is indescribable,” Keller-Sutter said. “I’d like to tell you all that you’re not alone. The whole of Switzerland is with you, and not just (people) in Switzerland.”

Officials limited access to the area and warned that waters from the Lonza River, which has been dammed up by deposits stacked tens of meters high over a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) swath of valley, had pooled into a lake. The future course of those waters could not yet be predicted precisely.

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Monday, Oct. 13, 2025

Swiss federal president Karin Keller-Sutter observes from a helicopter the damage caused by the catastrophic landslide destroying the village of Blatten, Switzerland, Friday, May 30, 2025. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Winds push smoke from Canadian wildfires south into US and worsen air quality

Corey Williams And Sarah Raza, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Winds push smoke from Canadian wildfires south into US and worsen air quality

Corey Williams And Sarah Raza, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Air quality in some parts of the United States is worsening as smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada travels south, pushed by winds high in the atmosphere.

Through parts of Minnesota and into Wisconsin, the air quality is deemed unhealthy for people and animals sensitive to pollution and other airborne particles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow page.

As of Friday afternoon, the interactive air quality map showed a strip of orange moving northwest to southeast across Wisconsin. Most of the state showed moderate air quality as did all of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois also showed moderate air quality on the AirNow map.

Over the next day or so, particulates from the burning trees, leaves and other vegetation could reach further south into Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas, said Patrick Ayd, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota.

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Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Man., on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts

Todd Richmond, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Army Corps analysis finds Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts

Todd Richmond, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts.

The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting.

A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026.

With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

FILE - In this photo shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020, shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Mich. (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File)

With ‘Atmosphere,’ Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

With ‘Atmosphere,’ Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space

Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Taylor Jenkins Reid recalls a moment writing her new novel, “Atmosphere: A Love Story,” set against NASA's robust 1980s shuttle program, where she felt stuck. She went, where she often goes, to her husband to talk it through.

“I said, ‘I can’t write this book. I don’t know enough about the space shuttle. I don’t know what happens when the payload bay doors won’t shut and you have to get back within a certain amount of revs, but they can’t land at White Sands. They have to land at Cape Kennedy.’ And he's like, ‘Just listen to yourself. You know so much more than you knew a couple months ago. Keep doing what you’re doing.'”

“Atmosphere," out Tuesday, follows the journey of astronomer Joan Goodwin, an astronomer selected to join NASA's astronaut program. She and fellow trainees become like family and achieve their dream of going to space — until tragedy strikes.

The story unfolds in two timelines: One when Joan first joins the NASA program and the other in December 1984 when a mission goes terribly wrong. The duo behind “Captain Marvel,” Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, are adapting the book into a film with a theatrical release in mind.

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Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

FILE - Author Taylor Jenkins Reid poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles on Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

1 dead and several injured when storm rips through Kentucky community, authorities say

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

1 dead and several injured when storm rips through Kentucky community, authorities say

The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

SPRINGFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia on Friday, hours after a harsh storm hit a remote area of central Kentucky, killing one person and injuring seven others.

In Kentucky, Washington County Judge-executive Timothy Graves said two or three houses were destroyed and downed trees temporarily blocked roads.

“We were fortunate this was located in a remote part of the county,” Graves said.

Gov. Andy Beshear canceled a visit planned for Friday to Pulaski and Laurel counties, which were hit by a tornado earlier this month. That storm left 19 dead in the state. Officials were responding to reports of a possible tornado in Washington County, he said in a social media post.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

This photo provided by Washington County Sheriff's office shows damage from severe weather in Washington County, Ky., on Friday, May 30, 2025. (Sheriff Jerry Pinkston/Washington County Sheriff's office via AP)

Bloodhounds hunting ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive are seen as key part of manhunt

Jeff Martin, Andrew Demillo And Safiyah Riddle, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Bloodhounds hunting ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive are seen as key part of manhunt

Jeff Martin, Andrew Demillo And Safiyah Riddle, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

A bloodhound picked up the scent shortly after the “ Devil in the Ozarks ” escaped from a lockup in northern Arkansas. The hound didn't have to go far to begin the hunt — it lives at the prison as part of a specialized unit that uses man's best friend to help track fugitives.

Although the scent of convicted killer Grant Hardin was lost because of heavy rain, experts say that even days after Sunday's escape, the animal's highly developed sense of smell can still pick up a fresh trail.

That’s partly due to about 300 million cells in their nose that supercharges their sense of smell, said Terri Heck, a Bloodhound handler and trainer who works with the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney’s Office.

They’ve got wide nostrils to scoop up smells, and their long ears often work to stir up scents as they drag along the ground. Even their drool plays a role, as that wetness wakes up scents, Heck said.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Police set up checkpoints looking for escaped prisoner Grant Hardin, Thursday, May 29, 2025, near downtown Calico Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Nicholas Ingram)

Hudbay Minerals staff evacuate Flin Flon, Man., due to wildfires

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Hudbay Minerals staff evacuate Flin Flon, Man., due to wildfires

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

TORONTO - Hudbay Minerals Inc. says its non-essential staff in the Flin Flon, Man., area are evacuating because of wildfires in the region.

The company says it hasn't been actively mining at its Flin Flon site since 2022, but it still runs care and maintenance work and also has services there to support its Snow Lake operation.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba have declared provincewide states of emergency to deal with the wildfires that, in Manitoba, has forced 17,000 residents to evacuate including 6,000 in and around the northwest city of Flin Flon.

Hudbay says the evacuation order because of wildfires will likely affect production at Snow Lake because a large portion of its staff live in Flin Flon, which sits about 200 kilometres west, but it still expects to reach its guidance for the year.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A wildfire in the Flin Flon, Man. area is shown in a government handout photo on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO — Manitoba Government *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Flin Flon, Man., virtually deserted, thousands more evacuees expected as fires rage

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Flin Flon, Man., virtually deserted, thousands more evacuees expected as fires rage

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

WINNIPEG - Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says thousands more evacuees are expected and the city of Flin Flon is virtually deserted as wildfires continue to rage in his province.

Kinew told a Friday news conference that the mayor, councillors, health-care staff and other officials have had to depart Flin Flon.

"The only folks remaining on the ground are firefighters and folks in the office of the fire commissioner and RCMP, who are there to battle the blaze," Kinew said.

"We do expect some very, very challenging conditions in Flin Flon and in the surrounding community."

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Jennifer Chretien and her husband Rob Burroughs sit with their dogs Taco and Gunner on their truck outside of a reception centre for evacuees of the wildfires in northern Manitoba at the Century Arena in Winnipeg, Thursday, May 29, 2025. The couple drove from Flin Flon as evacuations were ordered, and will be spending the night at the community centre. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Isabella O'malley, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Isabella O'malley, The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Scientists say 4 billion people, about half the world’s population, experienced at least one extra month of extreme heat because of human-caused climate change from May 2024 to May 2025.

The extreme heat caused illness, death, crop losses, and strained energy and health care systems, according to the analysis from World Weather Attribution, Climate Central and the Red Cross.

“Although floods and cyclones often dominate headlines, heat is arguably the deadliest extreme event,” the report said. Many heat-related deaths are unreported or are mislabeled by other conditions like heart disease or kidney failure.

The scientists used peer-reviewed methods to study how much climate change boosted temperatures in an extreme heat event and calculated how much more likely its occurrence was because of climate change. In almost all countries in the world, the number of extreme heat days has at least doubled compared with a world without climate change.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - Bathers cool off in the water while others sunbathe on a Barcelona beach, Spain, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti,File)

French Open tennis players say nasal strips aren’t just for snoring

Tom Nouvian, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

French Open tennis players say nasal strips aren’t just for snoring

Tom Nouvian, The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

PARIS (AP) — If more tennis players find themselves breathing easier, it might just be thanks to Carlos Alcaraz.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, whose bid for a second consecutive French Open title was scheduled to continue with a third-round match Friday night, has often worn a nasal strip in matches since last season — although not during his first two contests at Roland-Garros this week — and the sport's other athletes took note.

After all, if Alcaraz finds something useful on the court, their thinking goes, maybe it makes sense to give the adhesive bands a shot.

“I saw Carlos playing in it,” said 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, a semifinalist in Paris last year and the No. 6 women's seed this time. “I’d be pretty interested to try and see if there is really a difference. If he plays matches in it, then probably there is.”

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, wearing a nasal strip, reacts after scoring a point against Italy's Jannik Sinner in the final of the Italian Open tennis tournament at the Foro Italico in Rome, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

California utility to pay $82 million settlement in lawsuit stemming from huge 2020 wildfire

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

California utility to pay $82 million settlement in lawsuit stemming from huge 2020 wildfire

The Associated Press 3 minute read Sunday, May. 25, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California utility has agreed to pay the federal government $82.5 million stemming from an enormous 2020 wildfire that churned through mountains northeast of Los Angeles and into the Mojave Desert, officials said Friday.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the payment by Southern California Edison on Thursday. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement that the settlement provides "meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the ... fire and for the widespread damage to public lands."

Edison agreed to pay the settlement within 60 days of its effective date, May 14, without admitting wrongdoing or fault, prosecutors said.

Utility spokesperson Diane Castro said, “Our hearts are with the people who were affected by the Bobcat Fire. We are pleased to have resolved this matter and will continue to advance wildfire mitigation measures."

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Sunday, May. 25, 2025

FILE - Members of a Los Angeles County Fire crew make a stand to protect a home from the advancing Bobcat Fire along Cima Mesa Rd. Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in Juniper Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

2024 sees record warm temperatures, less sea ice cover in Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

2024 sees record warm temperatures, less sea ice cover in Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

MONT-JOLI - Last year, the Gulf of St. Lawrence recorded its highest maximum surface temperature and lowest seasonal volume of ice cover in decades, say researchers with the federal Fisheries Department.

Surface temperatures and ice cover are directly related to air temperature, said Peter Galbraith, a research scientist in physical oceanography at the agency's Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Que., northeast of Quebec City.

Last July, the surface temperature hit 16.7 C, a record since data started being recorded in 1981, and 2.4 C warmer than average. Between May and November, the warmest surface temperature was 11.6 C, also a record, and 1.6 C higher than average.

“So it was the warmest air temperature, which gave us the warmest sea surface temperature,” Galbraith said.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Boats make their way through the ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, March 25, 2006. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Guardians’ right-hander Ben Lively will have Tommy John surgery and miss rest of the season

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Guardians’ right-hander Ben Lively will have Tommy John surgery and miss rest of the season

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

DETROIT (AP) — Guardians pitcher Ben Lively will undergo Tommy John reconstruction surgery on his right elbow and will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

The Guardians said before Friday night's game at Detroit that Lively's surgical date has not been set, but it will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas. The right-hander is expected to miss 12-16 months.

Lively — on the injured list since May 13 due to a strained right flexor tendon — sought a second opinion on his right elbow with Meister earlier this week. Meister confirmed the presence of a flexor tendon injury while also noting medial elbow joint laxity due to an insufficient ulnar collateral ligament.

The Guardians physicians and Meister recommended UCL reconstruction along with flexor tendon repair.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Cleveland Guardians' Ben Lively pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Cleveland, Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Trump signs executive orders to boost nuclear power, speed up approvals

Matthew Daly And Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Trump signs executive orders to boost nuclear power, speed up approvals

Matthew Daly And Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach.

To speed up the development of nuclear power, the orders grant the U.S. energy secretary authority to approve some advanced reactor designs and projects, taking authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.

The order comes as demand for electricity surges amid a boom in energy-hungry data centers and artificial intelligence. Tech companies, venture capitalists, states and others are competing for electricity and straining the nation's electric grid.

“We’ve got enough electricity to win the AI arms race with China,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. “What we do in the next five years related to electricity is going to determine the next 50" years in the industry.

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Inquiry must be called to get answers on sand mine scandal

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Inquiry must be called to get answers on sand mine scandal

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

It’s pretty clear by now that an inquiry should be called into the Sio Silica scandal.

Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor released his long-awaited report into the matter this week. He found that former premier Heather Stefanson, then deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then economic development minister Jeff Wharton, violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act by attempting to approve a licence for a controversial silica sand mining project after their government was defeated in the Oct. 3, 2023 provincial election.

All three ministers pushed to have a Class 2 licence under the Environment Act approved for Sio Silica, days before the new NDP government was sworn into office.

They did so even though they knew, or ought to have known, that it violated the “caretaker convention,” a longstanding constitutional principle in Canada that prohibits governments from making major policy decisions once a general election is called (unless it’s related to an urgent matter of public importance).

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor found that former premier Heather Stefanson, then deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then economic development minister Jeff Wharton, violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act.

Alberta, Ottawa spending $7 million to fund six new urban wildfire teams

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Alberta, Ottawa spending $7 million to fund six new urban wildfire teams

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

STRATHMORE - Nearly $7 million in provincial and federal spending will create six teams of urban wildfire crews, Alberta's public safety minister announced Friday.

Speaking in Strathmore, Alta., Mike Ellis told a news conference that having six more teams means Alberta will have up to eight specialized crews that can respond to fires threatening communities.

"We've witnessed the immense destruction wildfires can cause at home and in other parts of the world," Ellis said.

"That's why we're focused on building more skilled, specialized and ready to deploy teams that can work to ensure communities, businesses and critical infrastructure are protected in the event of a wildfire."

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Firefighters work on the smouldering remains of houses in Slave Lake, Alta., on May 16, 2011. Slave Lake is one of six communities receiving funding to have an urban wildland firefighting team. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ian Jackson

Billy Joel cancels touring after being diagnosed with a brain disorder

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Billy Joel cancels touring after being diagnosed with a brain disorder

The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — Billy Joel has canceled all his upcoming concerts across North America and England after being diagnosed with fluid buildup in his brain that has affected his “hearing, vision and balance.”

Joel revealed on Instagram that he has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, “a brain disorder that can affect brain-related abilities, including thinking and concentrating, memory, movement and more,” the Cleveland Clinic says.

“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance,” according to a statement from Joel’s team. “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period.”

In an accompanying statement, Joel said, “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.”

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

FILE - Musician Billy Joel performs during his 100th lifetime performance at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Picking buffaloberries and electric fences: how wildlife is being managed ahead of G7

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

OTTAWA - There surely won't be lions or tigers at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., next month, and officials are doing their best to keep bears away, too.

As many as 5,000 participants are set to descend on the area in a few weeks, and officials are already working to install security barriers and clear out the area of anything that might attract bears to keep both people, and the animals, safe.

Earlier this week more than 200 local kids began plucking buffaloberry bushes around Kananaskis in an effort to detract bears from venturing into the area.

The bright red berries are quite popular with bears.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

A black bear is seen near Lake Louise, Alta., in June, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Canadians warned to prepare for hurricanes regardless of how many storms are forecast

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadians warned to prepare for hurricanes regardless of how many storms are forecast

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, May. 23, 2025

HALIFAX - As the Atlantic hurricane season is about to start, a senior Environment Canada meteorologist says experts are predicting another active year for tropical storms.

But Bob Robichaud at the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax said Friday the actual impact on Canada is impossible to forecast. That's because there's no telling where these storms will go once they form over the ocean.

"Although we can predict the level of activity, we can't necessarily predict ... if any will make landfall and what the impacts might be," he told an online briefing. "Sometimes, you can have a very active season, but the storm track keeps most of the storms offshore."

As an example, he said last year's very active season produced 18 named storms — 11 of them hurricanes — but only one storm, Ernesto, made it into the so-called Canadian response zone and it didn't cause much of a fuss by staying offshore.

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Friday, May. 23, 2025

Damage from post-tropical storm Fiona at the wharf in Stanley Bridge, P.E.I. on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Brian McInnis

Rescue efforts underway for 260 workers trapped in a South African gold mine

The Associated Press 1 minute read Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Rescue efforts are underway in South Africa to bring 260 workers trapped in a gold mine for a day back to the surface, the Sibanye Stillwater mining company said on Friday.

According to the company, an initial investigation showed that a sub-shaft rock winder skip door opened at the loading point and caused some damage to the mineshaft at the Kloof mine, west of Johannesburg.

“Following a detailed risk assessment, it was decided that employees should remain at the sub-shaft station until it is safe to proceed to the surface, in order to avoid walking long distances at this time,” the company said in a statement.

The National Union of Mineworkers, which represents workers at the Kloof mine, said the miners have been trapped for almost 24 hours, with the company repeatedly changing the estimated time for them to return to the surface.

November 28, 2025