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Naming suicide in obits was once taboo. Changing that can help loved ones grieve

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

Debby Waldman | (TNS) KFF Health NewsWhen Deborah and Warren Blum’s 16-year-old died by suicide in November 2021, they went into shock. For two days, the grief-stricken Los Angeles couple didn’t sleep.But when it came time to write a death notice, Deborah Blum was clearheaded: In a heartfelt tribute to her smart, funny, popular child, who had recently come out as nonbinary, she was open and specific about the mental health struggles that led to Esther Iris’ death.“Esther’s whole thing was that people should know and talk about mental health and it shouldn’t be a secret,” Deborah Blum told KFF Health News. “The least I could do was to be honest and tell people. I think being embarrassed just makes it worse.”While it was once unheard-of to mention suicide as a cause of death in news obituaries and paid death notices, that has been changing, especially in the past 10 years, said Dan Reidenberg, a psychologist and managing director of The National Council for Suicide Prevention. High-pr...

Police seek suspects in Richmond Hill tow truck arson

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

York regional police believe a tow truck fire in Richmond Hill on Tuesday was intentionally set.Police were called to a home on Bayel Crescent near Bayview Avenue and Elgin Mills Road East at around 5:15 a.m. and arrived to find the tow truck engulfed in flames.The fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported.“Investigators believe the fire was intentionally set and that the suspects may have been operating a dark-coloured SUV,” investigators said in a release.Earlier this month, Toronto police said three tow trucks were set on fire in one night in Scarborough.At the time, police said the fires were being treated as suspicious but couldn’t confirm if they were related.

Arrest made in cold-case sex assaults, suspect released by judge: Vancouver police

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

Vancouver police say they have solved a series of cold-case sexual assaults dating back 14 years, leading to the arrest of a suspect in Saskatchewan.Arturo Garcia Gorjon, 45, has been linked to four “blitz-style” assaults in Vancouver from July 1, 2009, to Christmas Eve 2010, Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Wilson told a briefing on Wednesday.She said Gorjon, who is believed to live in Vancouver but travels for work, went before a judge and has been released with conditions.He was only identified as a suspect in the past six to 12 months, she said.A “safety plan” is in place to monitor Gorjon’s behaviour to make sure he abides by the conditions of his release, she said.The investigation stretches back to the early hours of Canada Day in 2009, when a 20-year-old woman was sexually assaulted while walking near Granville Island by a stranger who fled before officers arrived, police said in a statement.A 25-year-old woman was sexually assaulted while entering ...

National Bank Q3 results show financial markets pressure, rising bad loan provisions

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

National Bank of Canada reported a notable drop in performance in its financial markets division in the last quarter as it also boosted provisions for bad loans in preparation of a potential economic slowdown ahead.“We continue to operate in a challenging environment,” said chief executive Laurent Ferreira on an analyst call Wednesday.“The Canadian economy has yet to absorb the full impacts of rate hikes since the start of monetary policy tightening, resulting in lingering uncertainty.”He said the bank had solid earnings, but saw a “less constructive backdrop” in its financial markets segment. The division had earnings of $205 million in its latest quarter, down from $279 million in the third quarter of 2022, which the bank blamed on lower trading activity and exceptionally low market volatility.Overall, the Montreal-based bank reported a net income of $839 million or $2.36 per diluted share for the quarter ended July 31, up from $826 million or $2.35 p...

Abortion anecdote from DeSantis at GOP debate is more complex than he made it sound

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked during last week’s GOP presidential debate whether he would support nationwide abortion restrictions, he instead offered a startling anecdote.“I know a lady in Florida named Penny,” he said. “She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and brought her to a different hospital.”He offered no other details and the debate moderators moved on. But according to news reports, doctors who reviewed her case and an interview with the woman, the story is far more complicated than DeSantis made it sound.It dates to 1955, a vastly different time both medically and socially. Abortion was largely illegal, including in Florida, contraception options were few and babies born at an extremely early gestational age were not expected to survive. Anti-abortion groups often use stories like this to argue against abortion. DeSantis also has frequently criticized abortions later in preg...

Soldiers in Gabon say they’ve seized power and appointed the republican guard chief as head of state

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Mutinous soldiers in Gabon announced late Wednesday that the head of the country’s elite republican guard would lead the Central African country, hours after saying they had placed the country’s newly re-elected president under house arrest.The coup leaders said in an announcement on Gabon’s state TV that Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had been “unanimously” designated president of a transitional committee to lead the country.Oligui is the cousin of President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who earlier Wednesday had been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election in a victory that appeared to extend his family’s 55-year rule in the oil-rich nation.In a video apparently from detention in his residence, Bongo called on people to “make noise” to support him. But the crowds who took to the streets of the capital instead celebrated the coup against a dynasty accused of getting rich on the country’s resource wealth while many of its citizens struggle.“Thank ...

Four companies inch closer to realizing wind, hydrogen plans in Newfoundland

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Four companies are one step closer to building wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia plants on the blustery island of Newfoundland.The province announced today it has chosen four proposals from an initial pool of 24, and asked the companies to formally apply for the Crown land needed to realize the projects.The successful bidders include the Newfoundland and Labrador arm of EverWind Fuels, based in Nova Scotia, and World Energy GH2, a company whose directors include seafood billionaire John Risley and Brendan Paddick, a close friend of Premier Andrew Furey.Energy Minister Andrew Parsons assured reporters today that political ties played no role in the process used to evaluate and select the successful projects.He notes that the team assigned to analyze the proposals included an independent fairness adviser, as well as a third-party financial analyst and representatives from the Department of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation.The government launched its call ...

Critical fire weather arrives in Northern California’s interior; PG&E cuts power to 8,400 customers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gusty winds and low humidity brought high risk of wildfires to the interior of Northern California on Wednesday and a utility proactively cut electricity to approximately 8,400 customers to prevent potential ignitions in the blustery conditions.Red flag warnings for critical fire danger were to remain in effect until 8 p.m. in much of the Sacramento Valley and adjacent areas to the west, the National Weather Service said.Pacific Gas & Electric said that shortly before 2 a.m., it began public safety power shutoffs in small portions of eight counties.Customers in the “targeted high-fire-threat areas” were notified in advance Tuesday, the utility said in a statement.The gusty northerly winds were generated in the wake of a trough of low pressure that moved through Northern California on Tuesday, the weather service said.Public safety power shutoffs are intended to prevent fires from starting when power lines are downed by winds or struck by falling trees or win...

McConnell freezes for 2nd time while taking questions

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to freeze up at the podium while taking questions in Kentucky on Wednesday, the second time in recent weeks that he paused while talking to reporters.During a gaggle in Covington, Ky., a reporter asked McConnell, 81, for his thoughts about running for reelection in 2026. The Senate GOP leader twice asked the reporter to repeat the question, then responded “that’s a,” before freezing and looking ahead for roughly 30 seconds, according to a video posted on X by MSNBC.At one point during the freeze-up, an aide walked up to McConnell and asked “did you hear the question, senator, running for reelection in 2026?” To which McConnell replied with a word that was inaudible.“Alright, I’m sorry you all, we’re gonna need a minute,” the aide said.After the roughly 30 seconds of unresponsiveness passed, McConnell said “okay,” and his aide resumed the gaggle, asking reporters to “please speak up.”A spokesperson for McConnell said the GOP lea...

Notre Dame will make history in 2 ways Saturday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:51 GMT

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — It was already a unique opening week for Marcus Freeman's team, and now the second week is going to bring some history for the program. That's because of their opponent, who is coming to South Bend for a football game for the first time. The Fighting Irish will host Tennessee State University at 2:30 p.m. central time after they defeated Navy 42-3 in their season opener at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, their first game in Ireland since 2012. Notre Dame's home opener is significant for two reasons: The Tigers will not only be the first Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team the Irish have ever faced but also the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) program they've played in football. It's a match-up that was set in April 2022 and will be the season opener for Tennessee State, which is under the leadership of third-year head coach Eddie George, a former Heisman Trophy winner and four-time NFL Pro Bowl running back."I'm truly, and we'll make sure t...