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Freeland meets with bank regulator head, BoC following U.S. bank collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is assuring that Canada’s financial institutions are secure after meeting with the head of Canada’s bank regulator and the Bank of Canada.The meeting follows the closure of California-based Silicon Valley Bank by U.S. regulator on Friday, which also prompted Canada’s Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to seize its Canadian assets on Sunday.In a statement, spokesperson Adrienne Vaupshas says Freeland met on Monday with Superintendent of Financial Institutions Peter Routledge.According to the statement, Freeland has also convened meetings with the heads of national and regional Canadian financial institutions, which were attended by Routledge and Bank of Canada representatives.Vaupshas says “significant structural and regulatory safeguards” are in place and that Canadian financial institutions “are stable and resilient.”Routledge has emphasized the limited nature of the cri...

Ontario’s anticipated Zellers stores opening next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

Canadians highly anticipating the return of a nostalgic retail giant will be pleased to hear that the first Zellers’ stores will open in Ontario and Alberta next week.Zellers will also re-launch its online platform, “Zellers.ca,” on March 23.The full list of Canadian locations inside Hudson’s Bay had already been released. They include Burlington Mall, Erin Mills Town Centre and Scarborough Town Centre in the GTA, and six other locations, including White Oaks Mall in London, Pen Centre Shopping Plaza in St. Catharines, Cambridge Centre in Cambridge, Rideau Centre in Ottawa, St. Laurent Center in Ottawa, and Cataraqui Town Centre in Kingston.RELATED: Food trucks to serve up classic Zellers restaurant items at new storesAlberta’s stores include Kingsway Garden Mall in Edmonton, and Medicine Hat Mall and Sunridge Mall in Calgary.“We know Canadian shoppers are smart and savvy and will be looking for both value and an elevated aesthetic in the products...

Ohio Supreme Court to review block of near-ban on abortion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a county judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of the state’s near-ban on abortions, and to consider whether the clinics challenging the law have legal standing to do so.In its split decision, the court, however, denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yost’s request to launch its own review of the right to an abortion under the Ohio Constitution, leaving those arguments to play out in lower court.This mean abortions remain legal in the state for now up to 20 weeks’ gestation.Yost appealed Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins’ order to the state’s high court in January, after a failed effort to get it overturned by the First District Court of Appeals. The appellate court ruled the appeal premature, as it was only an interim step in the lawsuit challenging the so-called heartbeat law’s constitutionality.Justices will now decide whether such orders are appropriate legal p...

EU assesses new electricity plan in wake of energy crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is working on a thorough reform of its electricity market to shield citizens from sudden price spikes, speed up the use of renewable energy sources and make the bloc more independent in an increasingly unstable world.Tuesday’s plan from the EU’s executive Commission will seek to phase out the use of gas in electricity production after volatile prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed millions of people in the 27-nation bloc into or to the brink of poverty. It is only part of a whole package of EU measures to cushion the blow of the energy crisis that hit the EU especially last summer. The plans from the Commission will now be assessed by the EU parliament and the member states before they can be turned into a series of laws, a process which is set to take several months at least. “I do believe that parliament and (the member states) are willing to treat this as a priority,” said EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. ...

See Chicagoland's 2023 IHSA boys basketball state champion & finalists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

CHICAGO - Once again, Chicagoland was well represented at the IHSA State Basketball Championships in Champaign this weekend. Six teams that are from the area made it to the final four of their respective class, with one of those teams coming home with a state champion with two others making the title game. A title for DePaul PrepA year after reaching the state finals and finishing third, DePaul Prep finished the job this time over the course of two strong games at the State Farm Center. In Class 2A, the Rams crushed Teutopolis 45-17 in the semifinals Thursday and then knocked off Bloomington Central Catholic 65-41 in the championship on Friday for their first state championship. Four members of the Rams scored in double digits in that championship contest, with Maurice Thomas leading the way with 21.DePaul Prep was welcomed home with a state title celebration at the north side school on Monday.A finale for Robert Smith at SimeonIt was the end of an er...

Texas rent relief program applications now open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) reopened the Texas Rent Relief (TRR) application portal from March 14-28.It is accepting new applications for a remaining $96 million in rent relief funds. The TRR application portal goes live Tuesday, March 14 at 8 a.m. and ends Tuesday, March 28 at 11:59 p.m. to help eligible households with rent and utility payments.A couple people have reached out to KXAN saying they've had issues with the website Tuesday morning. KXAN has reached out to TDHCA officials and will update this story when we hear back.Applications can be also made over the phone for first-time or additional program assistance by calling the TDcall center at (833) 9TX-RENT (833-989-7368).First-time TRR applicants may be eligible for up to 18 months of rent and utility bill assistance, either with past due payments or a combination of past due and up to three months of current and future payments made on their behalf.Returning applicants who...

City of Georgetown asking for feedback on downtown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Georgetown is asking residents to share feedback on the downtown area as the city works to update its master plan. Residents are asked to share how they use downtown Georgetown and what they'd like to see improved. The public can fill out a survey online to share their feedback until April 10. Georgetown is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of its historic downtown district to create a vision for future land-use, facilities, programming and conditions to "ensure the continued success of this storied district for years to come," according to a release from the city. "Over the next year, the city and its consultant, Design Workshop, will be investigating and analyzing our existing downtown area, comprehensively engaging the public, researching national trends and best practices, developing and evaluating recommendations, and documenting findings," it said.The city is asking for information from the community regarding why they visit downtow...

Hey, it could happen: Potential Longhorns-Aggies rivalry matchup in 2nd round of March Madness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — They haven't played each other since 2019 and just twice in the past eight years, but if Texas and Texas A&M make it through their first-round matchups at the NCAA men's basketball tournament, folks in Des Moines, Iowa better get to their seats early.They used to play each other on a regular basis, and they'll get to again soon enough when Texas joins the Southeastern Conference next year. For now, however, the teams have met on an Olympics timeline, going 1-1 in their two meetings since 2015.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersThe Longhorns are 78-56 against the Aggies all-time and 7-3 in their last 10 meetings, but you have to go all way the way back to 2009 to get to 10 games between the two. But before the teams can take the court against each other at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, they have to take care of the teams in front of them.The Aggies fac...

Charges: Former St. Thomas track member sexually assaulted freshman at off-campus party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

A freshman University of St. Thomas track athlete blacked out after drinking alcohol given to her by teammates and woke up to a former member of the school’s men’s track team sexually assaulting her, according to a criminal complaint.Jack Samuel Osborne, 23, of St. Paul, has been charged in Ramsey County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the March 5 assault in his bedroom at an off-campus house in the 2100 block of Lincoln Avenue.Osborne was a member of the St. Thomas track and field team until spring 2020. He graduated last May and is no longer enrolled at St. Thomas, the university said in an emailed statement.Osborne was charged Monday by summons. He is scheduled to make a first court appearance April 13. An attorney for Osborne is not listed in court records.According to the complaint:Police responded to an area hospital March 7 on a sexual assault report. The woman told police she went to an “initiation party” for her track team around ...

Woman, 21, hospitalized with life-threatening injury after St. Paul shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:13 GMT

A 21-year-old woman was shot Monday in St. Paul and hospitalized with a life-threatening injury.Police received a report just before 5 p.m. that someone brought the woman to a hospital in a private vehicle, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. She had a possible gunshot injury to her head.Officers found evidence of a shooting at Marion Street and St. Anthony Avenue, and believe the woman was shot in the vehicle that took her to the hospital, Ernster said.Police are investigating the circumstances of the shooting. No one was under arrest as of Tuesday morning.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul man sentenced for fatally beating man last summer in Fargo Crime & Public Safety | Sheriff: 2 found fatally shot in Andover home were result of murder-suicide Crime & Public Safety | Man killed in St. Paul stabbing ID’d as 55-year-old Crime & Public Safety | Charges: Landfall woman sta...