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Joe the Plumber, who questioned Obama’s tax proposals during the 2008 campaign, has died at 49

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Samuel “Joe” Wurzelbacher, who was thrust into the political spotlight as “Joe the Plumber” after questioning Barack Obama about his economic proposals during the 2008 presidential campaign, and who later forayed into politics himself, has died, his son said Monday. He was 49.His oldest son, Joey Wurzelbacher, said his father died Sunday in Wisconsin after a long illness. His family announced this year on an online fundraising site that he had pancreatic cancer.“The only thing I have to say is that he was a true patriot,” Joey Wurzelbacher — whose father had the middle name Joseph and went by Joe — said in a telephone interview. “His big thing is that everyone comes to God. That’s what he taught me, and that’s a message I hope is heard by a lot of people.”He went from toiling as a plumber in suburban Toledo, Ohio, to life as a media sensation when he asked Obama about his tax plan during a campaign stop. Their exchange and Obama’s response that he wanted to “spre...

Quebec kids killed: Domestic homicide often follows many warning signs, experts say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

MONTREAL — The death of a Quebec man and his two children is a reminder for Canadians to be aware of the warning signs that someone may harm members of their own family, domestic violence researchers say.Police allege that Ian Lamontagne, 46, killed his two three-year-old children, Antoine and Tristan Lamontagne, before killing himself in Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Que., northeast of Montreal, on Saturday.Katreena Scott, with the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University, says cases of domestic homicide usually follow multiple warning signs.“Domestic homicides are among the most predictable and the most preventable of all homicides,” she said Monday in a phone interview. “If we look back, we know that there are things that are going wrong and it’s a matter of being able to put the pieces together and act on those concerns.”A recent separation, escalation of abuse, expressions of fear from a victim, or a...

FEMA changes wildfire compensation rules for New Mexicans impacted by last year’s historic blaze

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced changes Monday to its wildfire compensation rules after last year’s planned burn by the U.S. Forest Service exploded into the largest and most destructive blaze in New Mexico’s recorded history.FEMA officials said they are expanding coverage for those impacted by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire for mental health treatment and reduced long-term property values, and removing the 25% cap on reforestation, revegetation costs and risk reduction practices.The changes stem from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act, which U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan and other members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation helped get passed last year.The legislation also established a claims office within FEMA that Lujan said has secured $3.95 billion for New Mexico families and businesses impacted by the wildfire.“The federal government started these fires and now it has a moral obligation to help New ...

Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice accuses liberal majority of staging a ‘coup’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The conservative chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday told the new liberal majority in a scathing email that they had staged a “coup” and conducted an “illegal experiment” when they voted to weaken her powers and fire the director of state courts.Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, in two emails obtained by The Associated Press, said that firing and hiring a new state court director was illegal and ordered interim state court director Audrey Skwierawski to stop signing orders without her knowledge or approval.“You are making a mess of the judiciary, the court and the institution for years to come,” Ziegler wrote to her fellow justices and Skwierawski. “This must stop. … I have no confidence in the recent hostile takeover and the chaotic effect it has had on the court, staff, and the overall stable functioning of the courts.”Liberals gained a 4-3 majority on Aug. 1 when Justice Janet Protasiewicz began her 10-year term after winning elect...

Spanish soccer federation leaders ask president Rubiales to resign over his kiss of player

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation asked suspended president Luis Rubiales to resign on Monday because of his behavior at the Women’s World Cup, including kissing a player on the lips after Spain won the championship match.The heads of the regional bodies that make up the federation (RFEF) made the request in a collective statement.“After the latest developments and the unacceptable behavior that has caused great damage to the image of Spanish soccer, the presidents request that Luis Rubiales resign immediately as president of the RFEF,” the statement said.Earlier Monday, the federation asked UEFA to suspend it from international competitions because of government interference related to Rubiales. However, in their statement, the heads of the regional bodies urged interim federation president Pedro Rocha to withdraw that request immediately.The federation’s request for a suspension was widely seen as an attempt to silence some of Rubia...

CP NewsAlert: Elections NWT says legislature has delayed election over wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

INUVIK, N.W.T. — The body that runs elections in the Northwest Territories says an election scheduled for October has been delayed for six weeks because of wildfires.In a release, Elections NWT says territorial leaders made the move after a special legislative session that decided to send territorial residents to the polls on Nov. 14.The territory had been scheduled to go to the polls on Oct. 3.But because of massive evacuations in several communities and general safety concerns, the N.W.T.’s chief electoral officer had suggested that be pushed until November. The legislature also pushed forward a $75-million special assessment for firefighting in the territory, an amount that dwarfs its average budget of about $20 million.Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek says the extra spending is going to put a serious dent in the N.W.T.’s public finances. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2023. The Canadian Press

Former Pirates majority owner and newspaper group publisher G. Ogden Nutting has died at 87

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — G. Ogden Nutting, who once held a majority ownership stake in major league baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates before his son took over and helped grow his family’s newspaper business to more than 50 daily publications in 18 states, has died. He was 87.Nutting died Friday, according to The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, which published his obituary and a separate story on his death Monday.A Wheeling resident, Nutting was the longtime publisher of Ogden Newspapers Inc. and spent more than 60 years in various roles with the private company. His grandfather, H.C. Ogden, founded The Wheeling Evening News in 1890, and it formed the basis of the newspaper chain.Nutting was a partner in the Pirates when he joined team owner Kevin McClatchy in buying out a disgruntled investor’s stake in the club in 1996. McClatchy and Nutting knew each other initially through their newspaper industry ties before McClatchy brought Nutting into his ownership group that kept the te...

How to contain soaring food costs while at the grocery store and at home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

Throughout the past several months, we’ve seen the cost of food soar with inflation and the rising prices are affecting residents and business owners alike.“I started my business more full-time in [January 2021] and compared to now, it (prices) is double — like everything,” Noel Cunningham, a Toronto-based chef and cookbook author, told CityNews. “The problem is that the customers they don’t, often times, understand because their expectation is the same or the same quality for the same price that we’re paying maybe two, three years ago, and it’s different. I can’t give the customer more portions for a lesser price either.”Cunningham, who specialized in Jamaican cuisine, said a doubling of meat prices and higher costs to use items imported from Jamaica have particularly hit his bottom line. He said had to cut down on combo offerings and charge for sides like fries in order to not sacrifice on quality and authenticity.“Someti...

30 years later: A look at the last shooting at Sox Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

CHICAGO — There has been a lot of discussion about the shooting that left two people injured at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday night since incidents like that rarely happen inside ballparks. But the South Side venue has seen an incident like that before. You have to go back 30 years to find it.It took place on September 29, 1993, as the White Sox were facing the Mariners at then Comiskey Park, which was in its third year of hosting games. According to the WGN archives, Marine Lt. Rodolfo Diaz was adjusting a handgun in the pocket of his coat when it fired. Related: Chicago Police: White Sox fan likely shot from inside the ballpark It struck him in the hand and hit his wife, Brenda, in the left thigh. She would be released from the hospital the next day while he was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm.According to a United Press International account of the game, the incident happened in the 8th inning of the game but play continued. The White Sox would go on to wi...

Emergency crews called to house fire in Chicago Lawn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:48 GMT

CHICAGO — Emergency crews have responded to a house fire at 69th and Rockwell in Chicago Lawn. SkyCam9 flew above the scene. Details are limited, but SkyCam9 shows a house engulfed, with heavy smoke from the roof area. Chicago fire officials said the blaze has spread to neighboring homes, affecting at least three structures.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesAt this time, there is no word on injuries or what may have sparked the blaze.This is a developing story. Check back with WGN News for updates.