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Former SDSU punter Matt Araiza speaks out after rape claims dismissed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Former San Diego State and Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza spoke out for the first time during a press conference Wednesday morning after sexual assault allegations levied at him were dismissed from an ongoing lawsuit.Alongside his attorneys, Araiza, 23, reflected on how the lawsuit, which stemmed from a claimed gang rape of a then-underage girl at an off-campus house party in October 2021, changed the trajectory of his life.“It has changed me a lot," Araiza said of the time after the lawsuit was filed about a year and a half ago, in August 2022. Shortly following the complaint's filing, the punter was released from the Bills. Second lawsuit filed in USD hazing allegations case: report “My name, my reputation — this will be tied to me forever, that won’t go away," he continued. "It was tough to watch the pain that it caused my family, because I have been proven innocent but they for sure had absolutely nothing to do with this."According to the lawyers for both parties...

Look up! Here's how to watch the Geminid meteor shower from San Diego

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diegan stargazers are in for a treat this week, as the best celestial display in the year will be lighting up the night with bright and colorful meteors.The annual Geminid meteor shower, which historically peaks in mid-December, will be at its most visible Wednesday and Thursday night. According to NASA, the Geminids — named after the constellation they appear to come out of — are considered one of the most reliable and active showers, with reputations for its vibrant color as the fiery rocks cross the sky.Unlike other meteor showers, the Geminids are not associated with a comet, rather an asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon. La Jolla Children’s Pool set to close this week for seal pupping season When the conditions are right, observers will be able to see up to 120 Geminid meteors per hour at its peak. The meteors are known for moving at especially high speeds and, with its distinctive yellow color, its crossing creates a shooting star effect.For those in San Diego th...

Boy, 15, charged after bomb threat at Mississauga high school

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

Peel Regional Police have charged a 15-year-old boy after a bomb threat was made at a high school in Mississauga.Police say the threat was made on Thursday, November 30 at around 8:28 at the school in south Mississauga.After an investigation, police determined the threat was unfounded.On Friday, December 8, police arrested and charged the teen suspect with one count of public mischief.He can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.No further details were released.

New Mexico lawmakers ask questions about spending by university president and his wife

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard was peppered with questions about spending on overseas trips and his wife’s use of a university credit card during a hearing Wednesday before a group of powerful lawmakers.The Legislative Finance Committee — the state’s lead budget-writing panel — was hearing presentations from higher education officials on budget priorities when the focus shifted to Shepard and recent reports detailing tens of thousands of dollars in spending on international travel and high-end furniture.The questions come as higher education leaders press lawmakers to funnel more money to state-run colleges and universities, citing inflation and the need to boost faculty compensation to meet growing demands. Nationally, some universities are considering cutting programs as budget shortfalls grow and calls for greater accountability mount.Shepard told lawmakers during the hearing in Santa Fe that regents vet his spending requests...

Congressional group demands probe into Beijing’s role in violence against protesters on US soil

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional commission is asking the Justice Department to investigate the role of Beijing after protesters claimed they were beaten and harassed by Chinese government agents in November in San Francisco during an official visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.The protesters, who were defending the rights of Hong Kong, Tibet and ethnic Uyghurs, said their attackers’ attire, coordination and strong reaction to anti-Communist Party rhetoric indicated official Chinese involvement. They provided no definitive evidence, but U.S. officials have previously accused Chinese operatives of targeting people in the United States.Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said Tuesday it was demanding a thorough investigation to “find out why all of these wonderful people who were peacefully protesting were hit with poles, have scars that now you know will not go away.”The Chinese Embassy denied any involvement and i...

Tropical Cyclone Jasper weakens while still lashing northeastern Australia with flooding rain

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The first tropical cyclone to hit Australia in the current season weakened to a low pressure system but continued to lash the northeast coast Thursday with flooding rain and left almost 40,000 homes and businesses without power.Cyclone Jasper crossed the Queensland state coast late Wednesday as a category 2 storm on a five-tier scale that whipped the sparsely populated region with winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph).The cyclone crossed near the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal, 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the city of Cairns, though many of its 300 residents evacuated before Jasper struck.Katrina Hewitt, who operates tourist accommodation at Wujal Wujal and did not evacuate, said the community was largely unscathed except for damaged trees.“It looks amazing. No flooding, no breakages of buildings,” Hewitt told Nine Network television.“It was a big waiting game. We just didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said.Hewitt expected Wujal Wujal would b...

How Canada’s UN vote breaks with long-standing policy — and what Israel says about it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada shifted its long-standing stance at the United Nationsto join international calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday.It marked a departure from years of Canadabacking Israel at the international body, a policythat had come under renewed scrutiny during the latest Israel-Hamas war. The conflict was sparked when Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,200 people and took 240 more hostage in an Oct. 7 attack on Israel. More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed since then amid Israel’s retaliation campaign in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.Here’s a look at how Canada has approached its UN votes over time, and what Israel is saying about the policy shift. A LONG-STANDING POLICYIsrael is regularly subject to motions at the United Nations condemning its treatment of Palestinians. Many Arab countries argue that Israeli officials are violating international law. Israel rebuffs those claims, arguing it receives disproportionate scrut...

OPP report multiple collisions, roll-overs due to wintry weather

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said officers were busy on Wednesday as wintry weather in southern Ontario created hazardous road conditions, with multiple collisions and injuries reported.Officers responded to several incidents on Hwy. 115 and Hwy. 35, with as many as 12 vehicles involved, including nine in the ditch and multiple cars rolled over.An OPP spokesperson said two people were taken to a hospital with injuries and that one involved a person being struck by a vehicle while they were outside of their car.Winter driving conditions today on #Hwy115/35 – 12 vehicles, 9 in the ditch, several rolled over. 2 people to hospital with injuries. One of the injured was outside of their vehicle when they got hit. #DriveSafe. #TorontoOPP ^ks pic.twitter.com/Kl7cJuWvUk— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) December 13, 2023Environment Canada issued snow squall warnings in various regions on Wednesday, including areas in northern York and Durham, including Newmarket, Barrie,...

Enbridge to sell Alliance, Aux Sable stakes to Pembina Pipeline for $3.1 billion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

CALGARY — Enbridge Inc. says it has agreed to sell its stakes in the Alliance pipeline and Aux Sable gas processing facility to Pembina Pipeline Corp. for $3.1 billion.The Alliance pipeline is a 3,848-kilometre pipeline stretching southeast from B.C. that brings gas into Chicago’s Aux Sable, one of the largest natural gas liquids processing facilities in North America.Enbridge currently owns 50 per cent of Alliance and 42.7 per cent of Aux Sable, while Pembina Pipeline owns the remaining 50 per cent of Alliance and 42.7 per cent of Aux Sable.As part of the transaction, Pembina, which is the current operator of Aux Sable, will become the sole operator of Alliance.The $3.1 billion purchase price includes non-recourse debt of approximately $0.3 billion.Enbridge says the proceeds from the sale will fund a portion of its previously announced US$14-billion acquisition of three U.S.-based gas utilities, and will also be used to pay down debt. The deal is expected to close in the firs...

Georgia election worker tearfully describes fleeing her home after Giuliani’s false claims of fraud

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Georgia election worker suing Rudy Giuliani over false claims he spread about her and her daughter in 2020 cried on the witness stand on Wednesday as she described fleeing her home after she endured racist threats and strangers banging on her door. Ruby Freeman’s online boutique was flooded with threatening messages, including several that mentioned lynching, after Giuliani tweeted a video of her counting votes as a temporary election worker while he pushed Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud, Freeman told jurors. Freeman, 64, said she had to leave her home in January 2021, after people came with bullhorns and the FBI told her she wasn’t safe. “I took it as though they were going to hang me with their ropes on my street,” Freeman testified about the threats on the third day of the trial in Washington’s federal courthouse. She added: “I was scared. I didn’t know if they were coming to kill me.”Lawyers for Freeman and her daughter...