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The complex reasons Josh Hart opted into his contract and skipped free agency

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

Josh Hart is returning to the Knicks at a discount. At least until his expected extension kicks in.With a move that undoubtedly symbolizes other agreements on the horizon, Hart opted into his one-year, $12.9 million contract for next season, a source confirmed. It would’ve been a shock a month ago, when Hart said in an interview that he’ll likely opt out and hit free agency. But circumstances dictated a pivot.By opting into his deal, Hart, 28, is eligible for an extension in August worth up to four years and $81 million. Logic indicates he wouldn’t have opted into his contract without assurances that the Knicks will extend his contract this summer at a strong number.Hart is represented by CAA, the agency closely associated with the Knicks.By taking less money for the upcoming season (his salary in free agency would’ve probably been around $17.5 million compared to the $12.9 option), the Knicks have more financial flexibility for this summer. Put simply: Hart&...

Anti-gang community defense activist Hipólito Mora slain in Mexico

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The leader of an armed civilian movement that once drove a drug cartel out of the western Mexico state of Michoacan has been killed, authorities confirmed Thursday. Tributes quickly rolled in for slain “self defense” leader Hipólito Mora. He was one of the last surviving leaders of Michoacan’s armed vigilante movement, in which farmers and ranchers banded together to expel the Knights Templar cartel from the state between 2013 and 2014. Mora was one of the few fighters to reman in his hometown after the struggle, tending to his lime groves. But Mora complained in recent years that many vigilante forces were later infiltrated by the cartels and that gang violence was worse than ever.“He was a man who could not be corrupted, a natural leader, an authentic voice,” said Rev. Gregorio López, a Roman Catholic priest who accompanied and participated in the self-defense movement of that time. All the leaders of the movement were in constant danger, and López was known for...

Double whammy of new climate policies in Atlantic Canada fuel political battle

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

OTTAWA — There is a clash of wills growing in Atlantic Canada over two new climate policies that take effect this weekend, with premiers demanding Ottawa put the brakes on the plan and the federal government accusing them of playing politics with the planet.“Climate change won’t wait,” Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in an interview.New regulations that come into force everywhere in Canada on Saturday will require gasoline and diesel refineries and importers to start cutting down the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions that come from their products.The situation is particularly heated on Canada’s East Coast, because on the same day, the four Atlantic provinces will move from their own provincial carbon-pricing systems to the national carbon levy.That is creating a double cost whammy for consumers at the gas pump, particularly in Nova Scotia where the outgoing provincial cap-and-trade system wasn’t adding to gas prices anywhere near the amount...

Fraud lawsuit against Black Lives Matter foundation dismissed in California

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

A California judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit that grassroots racial justice activists from around the U.S. brought last summer against a foundation with stewardship of the Black Lives Matter movement’s charitable endowment worth tens of millions of dollars.Black Lives Matter Grassroots Inc., a collective of organizers and BLM chapters, claimed Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. had raised donations off the work of city-based branches of BLM, then defrauded the public and shut activists out of decision-making.In dismissing the lawsuit, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick sided with the foundation’s lawyers, who argued that local BLM activists failed to prove they were entitled to the raised funds or that the foundation’s leaders had siphoned off millions of dollars for nefarious purposes, among other unproven allegations.The fraud claim against the foundation was, in part, based on the alleged misrepresentation of a $6 million Los Angeles-area...

Community in Northwest Territories evacuated as wildfires near

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

WEKWEÈTÌ, N.W.T. — A community north of Yellowknife is being evacuated as three wildfires burn nearby. The Tlicho government says the first plane from Wekweeti, which is home to more than 100 people, left for Yellowknife at 1 p.m. Thursday. The Northwest Territories’ wildfire agency says the closest wildfire is burning between Wekweeti’s airport and the community, and is within two kilometres of homes.It was initially estimated to be half a square kilometre in size, but the agency says the situation is changing quickly.N.W.T. Fire says five airtankers and several helicopters are working to limit its spread toward the community, while structures are being protected with sprinklers on the ground. Another wildfire is burning across Snare Lake from the community while a third is burning at the western tip of the lake.All three fires are believed to have been naturally caused. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023. The Canadian Press

Police body camera ramp up started a decade ago. How well have they worked?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Body cameras have proliferated in law enforcement agencies in the U.S. over the past decade, amid mounting scrutiny over how officers and agents interact with the communities they serve. They’re forcing major changes in how policing is done, even as research is mixed on their effectiveness. The Associated Press on Thursday sat in on a discussion of the law-enforcement tool with representatives from more than 200 agencies nationwide, hosted by the think tank Police Executive Research Forum.New York City became one of the first large departments to adopt body cameras in 2013 after a federal court found police wrongly targeted minorities with a stop-and-frisk program, and many more joined amid the national outpouring of protest after the 2014 death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri. An influx of federal money accelerated the process, and by 2016, 80% of large departments were using them, according to the most recent Justice Department...

TTC marks Indigenous History Month with help of prominent Indigenous artist

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

Throughout Indigenous History month, and up until National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, the TTC is showcasing Indigenous artists on many of its vehicles – including bus displaying a work by Ojibway artist Ryan Besito.Besito created the piece called ‘We the Nish’ to contribute to the conversation around appropriating Indigenous names and symbols.“To see something that, that I did on, on a very grand scale like this, it’s humbling,” said Besito upon seeing the art on display for the first time.“It’s a play on We the North. I have great respect for Indigenous artists that tackle the misrepresentation, the misuse of Indigenous imagery in sports logos… ensuring that more people understand that those things aren’t okay. And so that’s my little piece of that.”The piece is also rich with symbolism as Besito says the art is a representation of the stories that reside in himself and that the stories need to be shared loudly in order for oth...

Tennessee court rules man who received clemency in Virginia still can’t register to vote

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against a man who sought to register to vote in the state after receiving clemency for a crime committed decades ago in Virginia. Ernest Falls was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Virginia in 1986, according to court documents. He moved to Tennessee in 2018. In 2020, then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam granted Falls clemency, restoring his full rights of citizenship. But when Falls tried to register to vote in Tennessee, he was prevented from doing so. That’s because of a Tennessee law that requires people seeking to restore their voting rights to first prove they have paid all outstanding court costs, restitution and child support obligations. At issue is whether that section of Tennessee law should be read together with another section that prohibits people who have been convicted of certain crimes in other states from voting in Tennessee unless their rights have been restored. During oral argumen...

UN votes to establish independent body to clarify fate of over 130,000 Syrians missing in conflict

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday that will establish an independent body to determine what happened to more than 130,000 people missing as a result of the conflict in Syria.The resolution, an important response to appeals by their families and loved ones, was adopted by the 193-member world body on a vote of 83-11 with 62 abstentions. Among those opposing the resolution was Syria, which said it will not cooperate with the new institution. Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba and Iran also voted no.The resolution, spearheaded by Luxembourg, noted that after 12 years of fighting in Syria “little progress has been achieved in alleviating the suffering of families by providing answers as to the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons.”It authorizes the establishment of an Independent Institution of Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, under U.N. auspices, “to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons … and to...

Wall Street execs host Biden fundraisers as president closes out an end-of-quarter campaign blitz

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:55:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden closed out an end-of-quarter campaign blitz Thursday with a pair of Manhattan fundraisers hosted by Wall Street power brokers, a funding push designed to put Biden on strong financial footing for a 2024 White House contest expected to set spending records.The pair of evening events are Biden’s 9th and 10th fundraising receptions of the past two weeks, numbers matched by Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff. The Biden campaign has been mum before the July 15 reporting date about how much he has raised at the often freewheeling gatherings but is confident about the size.“The reason I’m standing here is in large part because of you all,” Biden said to a small crowd gathered in a high rise overlooking Central Park. “I’m not the essential man, but I represent the essential country.”The president is also marshaling the whole of the Democratic Party to dial for dollars, enlisting help from Govs. Gavi...