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B.C. to boost minimum wage to $16.75 an hour, matching inflation with 6.9% hike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s minimum wage will increase to $16.75 an hour, a boost that the government says fulfils a promise to tie the benchmark pay level to inflation.The new minimum wage kicks in on June 1 and represents a 6.9 per cent increase from the current $15.65 an hour.Labour Minister Harry Bains says the measure is a key step to preventing the province’s lowest-paid workers from falling behind.He says the same percentage increase will apply for residential caretakers, live-in home-support workers and camp leaders.A ministry statement says the wage increase matches B.C.’s 2022 average inflation rate and will benefit about 150,000 workers, most of them food service staff, grocery store workers, retail workers and others who were essential workers during the pandemic.The $1.10 increase is much greater than the 45-cent boost in 2022, which matched the previous year’s 2.8 per cent inflation rate.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Ap...

White House addressing antisemitism at the start of Passover; opportunity for all faiths to combat hate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - On Wednesday, Jews around the world will celebrate the first night of Passover, and the White House is using the occasion to address antisemitism in the U.S."It really is a cautionary tale about what is also going on right now in America. Unfortunately, antisemitism is on the rise," White House Jewish Liaison Shelley Greenspan said.Greenspan says President Biden is sending a message to the Jewish community and all Americans."He is with them, that we will condemn antisemitism, every step of the way," Greenspan said.In 2021, an FBI report showed Jews were the target of more than half of religiously-motivated crimes."No one should ever feel unsafe to practice their religion and to express their identity," Greenspan said.During this year's Passover, Christians and Muslims are also observing their own holidays of Easter and Ramadan. Greenspan says it's a special opportunity for each faith to combat hate together."Working in an interfaith capacity, building bridges ...

Country star Brad Paisley to headline Firestone Legends Day Concert ahead of Indy 500

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS – Brad Paisley will bring some star power to this year’s Firestone Legends Day Concert.The country megastar will perform at the TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park on Saturday, May 27. Special guests Russell Dickerson and Jackson Dean will open the show at 7 p.m.The concert brings the celebration surrounding the Indianapolis 500 to downtown Indianapolis on the night before the race. Bulls will have an MVP in their organization in 2022-2023 “Concerts build tremendous energy and excitement in the lead-up to the green flag on Race Day,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “As fans enjoy country hits at the Firestone Legends Day Concert under the lights of downtown in a fantastic venue, we’ll have IMS ready to welcome more than 300,000 people beginning at 6 a.m. the following morning.”Legends Day starts at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Public Drivers’ Meeting and autograph sessions. After that, the party heads downtown with the AES 500 Festival Parade a...

Man convicted on aggravated kidnapping, sexual assault charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Court records showed a 49-year-old man was convicted Tuesday in Travis County on charges of aggravated kidnapping involving bodily injury of a child younger than 17, as well as 2 counts of sexual assault of a child.According to records, Ronald Martin pleaded guilty to the three charges March 23, and he was sentenced by a judge Tuesday to serve 15 years in state prison.Records showed the charges stemmed from a December 2021 incident.Previous coverage:APD: Missing Kentucky teen found in AustinSex offender caught assaulting child in south Austin, police sayAPD: Man faces additional kidnapping charge in child sex assault caseAccording to past KXAN reports, APD officers said Martin was caught during a sexual act with a child outside a south Austin building Dec. 27, 2021. Investigators said he met the 14-year-old victim on social media and traveled to another state to pick up the victim and return to Austin.

Soaking rain spreads in overnight through Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The rain that fell this morning was just an "appetizer" for the persistent soaking that arrives for the next two days.The "big winners" from this morning's rainIsolated showers and storms slowly increase in coverage this evening, but widespread rain doesn't arrive until Thursday morning. Overnight lows drop down to 50 on a cool night by recent standards.Tonight's forecastThursday morning's rain starts to spread northwest from our eastern counties to the I-35 corridor. As the rain overspreads the area the Hill Country will be the last to see the widespread soaking rain, but just about everyone will have rain by late morning or early Thursday afternoon. Rain will be heavy at times with the low risk for an isolated strong or severe storm with hail up to 1" in diameter. Thursday severe weather risk (SPC)Flash flooding is a slightly higher concern, but not all that high given our drought and need for rain. Still, the Weather Prediction Center has the Austin Metro and our...

How an injury turned Wild winger Brandon Duhaime into a Lego Master

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

Brandon Duhaime was walking around a local Target store shortly after Thanksgiving when something caught his eye.As he neared the checkout lane, he spotted a set of Legos and figured he might as well throw it in his cart.Why not? He had nothing better to do with his time.“It was like 1,000 pieces or something like that,” Duhaime said. “I finished it pretty quick, and I ended up getting obsessed with it.”No kidding. The 25-year-old Duhaime has since garnered the reputation as the resident Lego Master inside the Wild locker room. Naturally, his teammates have had some fun with it.“They call me a nerd,” Duhaime said. “It’s fine.”The newfound obsession was born out of necessity more than anything else.There’s something comforting about the routine that comes with being a hockey player. On a typical game day, for example, almost everything is the same. You wake up, go to morning skate, sit in on the team meeting, head home, rela...

‘3 Old Guys’ await clutch parts on home stretch of snowmobile trip from Minnesota to Alaska

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

The “3 Old Guys” – Rob Hallstrom, Rex Hibbert and Paul Dick – are approaching the end of their epic snowmobile ride from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to Fairbanks, Alaska, but the final stretch of their trip is temporarily on hold as they wait for clutch parts to be flown into the remote community of Old Crow, in Canada’s Yukon Territory.According to an evening update posted April 4 on the “3 Old Guys Ride to Alaska” Facebook page, the trio of snowmobile adventurers had made it to Old Crow, which is only accessible by air.“Upon arriving in Old Crow, they stopped at the Co-op where they understood there were a couple of rooms; they were told that no rooms were available tonight when a woman walked in and said curiously, ‘are you the 3 Old Guys?’…. ‘we have a cabin waiting for you'” Hallstrom’s daughter, Kasie Plekkenpol, reported on the “3 Old Guys” Facebook page. “What a wonderful journey to be welcomed with such hospitality! T...

Budget negotiations continue on indexing minimum wage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- Governor Kathy Hochul wants to peg minimum wage to inflation. This proposal is something AFL-CIO, a federation of unions, supports."We know that overtime the cost-of-living increases so purchasing power decreases, and as a result from year to year minimum wage earners, find it much more difficult to support themselves and their families," said Mario Cilento, President of the Union Movement in New York Cilento said this would be beneficial to all New Yorkers, not just those who make minimum wage."When we have a stimulated economy like this and we have the lowest wage earners contributing to our economy, it allows us to have more tax dollars to pay for health care, education, transportation, sanitation, so really all 20 million New Yorkers can benefit by raising the minimum wage and index it."However, not everyone is totally on board."We have a problem with that because consumer price index goes up as inflation rises, and if you pegged an increase in minimum w...

As swatting continues, law makers push for stronger penalties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- As schools across New York continue to receive a series of hoax threats, our Capitol Correspondent, Amal Tlaige took a closer look at legislation that would make school swatting a class E felony.  "We will find you. This is a serious form of terrorism; we have to send a message and that’s what this bill is all about," said Senator Jim Tedisco, who is co-sponsoring a bill that would change the legal ramifications of school swatting. As of right now, swatting about an active shooter at a school is considered falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor. Senator Tedisco along with other lawmakers want to change that to falsely reporting an incident in the second degree, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison.  "The fact of the matter is that it’s having an emotional, psychological impact, its spreading fear, anxiety, tremendous stress, impacting the staff and the administration, our families and this cannot stand," said Ted...

Adirondack Thunder captain named 'player of the month'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:42 GMT

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The captain of the Adirondack Thunder has been named the player of the month by the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Captain Shane Harper was named the Warrior Hockey/ECHL Player of the Month for the month of March.Harper, 34, was chosen after scoring eight goals and adding 18 assists across 15 games throughout the month of March. He picked up at least one point in 12 of those games, and more than one in seven games. He was previously named ECHL Player of the Week for the week of March 19, after taking seven points across three games. Harper, a Valencia, California native, previously played 335 games with the Western Hockey League's Everett team. He has also played with Utica, Springfield, Chicago, Albany and Portland.