Here are the latest Top News stories from The Canadian Press. All times are Eastern unless otherwise stated. Coverage plans are included when available. Entries are subject to change as news develops.
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TOP HEADLINES:
Postal workers can wear N95s — with a mask on top
Four dead in B.C. home from one family, police say
Crowds gather to cheer on trucker convoy
Parliamentary security preps for weekend protest
Trudeau isolating after COVID-19 exposure
Bodies of migrant family that died in Manitoba field identified
EU envoy says unity prevails against Russia
ECHL player Panetta suspended for 'racial gesture'
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NEW TOP STORIES SINCE THE LAST ADVISORY:
Postal workers can wear N95s — with a mask on top
Canada-Post-Masks
Ottawa, , -- Canada Post says its employees will be able to wear N95 masks at work, but only if they wear a disposable medical mask they have provided on top. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Four dead in B.C. home from one family, police say
Targeted-Shooting-BC
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada -- Police say two men and two women who were found dead at a home after a shooting in Richmond, B.C., were from the same family. By Brieanna Charlebois. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Appeal Court reserves decision on drug-use sites
Alta-Drug-Sites
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- Judges from Alberta's top court have reserved a decision on a request to stop a provincial policy that personal identification be shown to get into supervised consumption sites. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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Surprise new documents identified in James case
Legislature-BC-Trial
VANCOUVER - A surprise disclosure temporarily delayed proceedings at the B.C. Supreme Court trial of the former clerk of the legislature, who is accused of misspending public dollars. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Alberta premier wants to relax COVID measures soon
COVID-Alta
EDMONTON - Premier Jason Kenney says he wants to eliminate Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine passport program as soon as it's safe to do so. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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All are safe after engine fire on B.C. school boat
School-Boat-Fire
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada -- Students and crew aboard a marine school bus were safely rescued Thursday morning after an engine fire on the vessel used to ferry children to schools on British Columbia's southern Gulf Islands. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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Grenade causes evacuation of RCMP office in B.C.
RCMP-Grenade-BC
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada -- The Mounties called in explosive experts after a person walked into one of their offices in Surrey, B.C., with a grenade on Thursday. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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N.S. utility seeks 10 per cent hike over 3 years
NS-Power-Rates
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- Nova Scotia's power utility is asking for an average general rate increase for residential customers of 9.9 per cent over three years, with possible additional costs due to severe weather and energy efficiency costs. By Michael Tutton. Wire: Atlantic, Business. Photos: 1
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Global greenlights Director X drama series
TV-Robyn-Hood
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Global has greenlit a scripted series created by Toronto music video artist Director X that reimagines the classic Robin Hood tale. Wire: Entertainment. Photos: 1
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UPDATED TRUCKER PROTESTS:
Crowds gather to cheer on trucker convoy
Trucker-Protest
Crowds cheered, waved flags and hoisted signs in Ontario and New Brunswick on Thursday as parts of a large national convoy of truckers headed for Ottawa to protest the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border drivers. By Maan Alhmidi and Kevin Bissett. Wire: National, Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Parliamentary security preps for weekend protest
Truckers-Protest-Security
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says nobody wants a planned anti-vaccination protest on Parliament Hill this weekend to turn into a violent attempt to overthrow the government and warned people not to dismiss the protesters as simple freedom fighters. By Mia Rabson. Wire: National.
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UPDATED OMICRON AND COVID-19:
Provinces tweak COVID-19 rules; PM in isolation
COVID-Cda
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was isolating at home Thursday after being exposed to COVID-19 and some provinces were planning to revise some of their public health restrictions. By Daniela Germano. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Quebec sees big drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations
COVID-Que
Montreal, , -- Quebec reported a significant drop in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday, as well as 56 new deaths linked to the virus. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Cinemas will be allowed to serve popcorn: source
COVID-Ont
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Ontario is expected to tweak some reopening rules Thursday to allow moviegoers to eat popcorn and other snacks in theatres next week. Wire: Ontario/Quebec.
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Saskatchewan to manage COVID-19 like the flu
COVID-Sask
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada -- Saskatchewan is revising its public health orders as it moves to treating the COVID-19 Omicron variant like other common respiratory viruses such as influenza. By Mickey Djuric. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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N.S. teachers feeling staff-shortage strain: union
COVID-NS
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union says his membership is feeling the strain of staff shortages in schools nearly two weeks after students returned to in-person learning. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Total N.L. COVID-19 deaths double in under a month
COVID-NL
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are today reporting four new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the province's total number of fatalities since the pandemic first began to 38. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Ontario releases Paxlovid eligibility guidelines
COVID-Ont-Paxlovid
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Ontario is prioritizing older, unvaccinated residents and immunocompromised individuals for a new antiviral COVID-19 treatment, as limited supplies become available across the province. By Allison Jones. Wire: Ontario/Quebec.
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UPDATED OTHER TOP NEWS:
Bodies of migrant family from India identified
Mba-Border-Deaths
A family of four Indian nationals was only in Canada for a week before their bodies were found frozen in Manitoba near the Canada-U. S. border, RCMP said Thursday as new details emerged about the deaths believed to be linked to a human smuggling operation. By Brittany Hobson and Hina Alam. Wire: National. Photos: 1
See also:
Harsh reality of human smuggling business
Mba-Human-Smuggling
Police in a western state of India have begun delving deeper into the deaths of four Indian migrants whose bodies were found in Manitoba just short of the Canada-U. S. border. By Hina Alam, Fakiha Baig and Brittany Hobson. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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EU envoy says unity prevails against Russia
Cda-EU-Ukraine
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The European Union envoy in Ottawa says her 27-country bloc remains united in the face of a possible Russian invasion despite concern that some countries in Europe may be waffling due to economic self-interest. By Mike Blanchfield. Wire: National. Photos: 1
See also:
Canada can help Ukraine without weapons: experts
Cda-Ukraine-Arms
Ottawa, , -- The debate around sending weapons to Ukraine was being panned as a “red herring” on Thursday, as several experts suggested Canada can better support the eastern European country in its standoff with Russia in other ways. By Lee Berthiaume. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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CRA sends new round of letters to CERB recipients
CRA-Benefits
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The Canada Revenue Agency is sending out a new round of letters to pandemic aid recipients to verify they were eligible for the help, and warning of potential need for repayments. By Jordan Press. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Seek more diverse Tory candidates: election review
Conservative-Caucus
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- A report into how the Conservatives fared in last year's election calls on the party to recruit more diverse candidates and for better outreach into different cultural communities, where the review says the party's brand is still damaged from the divisive 2015 campaign. By Stephanie Taylor. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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NDP wants probe into donations, vaccine contract
Ont-Vaccine-Contract
Ontario's New Democrats want an investigation into political donations made by board members at a company that was later awarded a government contract to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. By Holly McKenzie-Sutter. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Draft health standards for long-term care released
LTC-Standards
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- An organization that develops health-care standards has released a draft of new long-term care guidance that the authors hope will fundamentally change the way Canadian care homes are accredited and inspected. By Laura Osman. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Alberta mayor fears coal concerns will be ignored
Alta-Coal
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- An Alberta mayor says he's concerned a massive public outcry over coal mining in the province's Rocky Mountains will be ignored after hearing Premier Jason Kenney tell him he remains an "unapologetic supporter" of the industry. By Bob Weber. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Nine people hospitalized after house fire
Mba-House-Fire
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada -- Five children and four adults were sent to hospital early this morning after a house fire in Winnipeg. Wire: Prairies/BC.
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Attacks on homeless not a surprise: advocate
Alta-Stabbing-Attack
Calgary, Alberta, Canada -- An advocate for the homeless says stabbing attacks on three vulnerable people last month are a sad reality. By Bill Graveland. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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Halifax hotel being converted to serve homeless
NS-Housing
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- A hotel in Halifax is being converted into a housing project for homeless adults, including those who struggle with addictions and people just released from hospital. By Michael Tutton. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Deadly assault in N.B. nursing home investigated
NB-Nursing-Home-Assault
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada -- An investigation into the death of a 91-year-old man who was twice assaulted at a New Brunswick nursing home has uncovered a wide array of failures, including the home’s inability to protect residents from harm. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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N.S. man trying to sue accusers in abuse case
NS-Ernest-MacIntosh-Abuse
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- A Nova Scotia man whose convictions for sexually abusing boys in the 1970s were quashed on appeal is now trying to sue his accusers. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Boards take non-standard approaches to EQAO test
COVID-Ont-Schools
There's nothing standard about Ontario's provincewide high school math test this year. By Nicole Thompson. Wire: Ontario/Quebec.
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Biden gave Trudeau and Putin same sunglasses
Trudeau-Sunglasses
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Gifts by heads of state to other world leaders are not just a gesture of friendship, but a tool of diplomacy, carefully chosen by protocol advisers to reflect the recipient’s taste. By Marie Woolf. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Alberta nurses ratify contract with wage hikes
Alta-Nurses
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- Alberta's nurses have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, closing the book on what the union calls some of the most contentious and bruising negotiations in its history. By Dean Bennett. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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Crown drops case against N.L. corrections officers
NL-Prison-Death
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- Newfoundland and Labrador Crown prosecutors are dropping their case against nine correctional officers formerly charged in the 2019 death of an inmate in a provincial jail in St. John's. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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No fans at Scotties disappoints hometown rink
CUR-Scotties-Advance
To prepare for this year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Krista McCarville and her rink from Thunder Bay, Ont., spent time with a sports psychologist learning how to cope with the excitement and pressure of playing for the Canadian women’s curling championship in front of a hometown crowd. By Jim Morris. Wire: Sports. Photos: 1
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ECHL player Panetta suspended for 'racial gesture'
HKO-ECHL-Racist-Gesture
The ECHL has suspended former Jacksonville Icemen forward Jacob Panetta for the remainder of the season for a "racial gesture" directed toward South Carolina Stingrays defenceman Jordan Subban in a game on Saturday. Wire: Sports. Photos: 1
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Former Canuck Virtanen charged with sexual assault
HKN-Canucks-Virtanen-Charged
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- Former Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has been charged with sexual assault following a police investigation. Wire: Sports, Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE STORIES:
The LJI is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is delivered on the CP wire in the "Y" or spare news category, or you can register to access it at https://lji-ijl.ca. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited by The Canadian Press. Please credit stories to the reporter, their media outlet and the Local Journalism Initiative. Questions should be directed to LJI supervising editor Amy Logan at amy.logan@thecanadianpress.com. Below is a sample of the dozens of stories moved daily:
Looking for accountability, Iqaluit resident urges public inquiry into water crisis
LJI-NU-PUBLIC-INQUIRY-WATER-IQALUIT
As some in Iqaluit are calling for a public inquiry into how government leaders have handled the city’s water emergency, those who could call such an inquiry have not committed to such a step. The city has been under a boil-water advisory for a week as officials try to determine how fuel keeps getting into the city’s water treatment system. 650 words. PHOTO. David Venn/Nunatsiaq News
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Canadian Coast Guard celebrates 60 years
LJI-BC-CCG-turns-60
The Canadian Coast Guard has sailed from coast to coast to coast for 60 years. Jeffery MacDonald, captain of the search and rescue vessel McIntyre Bay, which patrols the waters in and around Prince Rupert, has been in the coast guard for more than 20 years. “It has been the best career I could ever choose,” he says. 700 words. PHOTOS. Norman Galimski/Prince Rupert Northern View
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New stats reveal extent of opioid overdose problem in N.B.
lji-nb-opioid-nb
While New Brunswick doesn't have the skyrocketing numbers of larger provinces, it's matching a national trend of spiking accidental opioid overdose deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 1,100 words. PHOTO. Robin Grant/Telegraph-Journal
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UPDATED FROM AP:
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NEW/DEVELOPING
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Adds: TUNISIA-MIGRATION; CHICAGO-VIOLENCE-GIRL-SHOT; CONGRESSWOMAN'S CAR-GUNFIRE; PENTAGON-CIVILIAN CASUALTIES; CANADA-US-BORDER-DEATHS; VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-MANDATES-EXPLAINER; OVERDOSE DRUGS; SMUGGLED-IN-COFFIN; SAME-SEX-SILENCING; SUPREME COURT-BREYER'S ARC; SUPREME COURT-CONGRESS; BIDEN-PENNSYLVANIA
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ONLY ON AP
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WHO-TURMOIL IN ASIA — Current and former staffers have accused the top director of the World Health Organization in the Western Pacific of racist, unethical and abusive behavior that has undermined the U.N. health agency’s efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. The allegations were laid out in an internal complaint filed in October and again in an email last week, sent by unidentified “concerned WHO staff” to senior leadership and the executive board and obtained by the AP. Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the head of a vast region that includes China and the Philippines, refuted the allegations. By Medical Writer Maria Cheng. SENT: 1,600 words, photos. An abridged version of 960 words is also available.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-POLL — Will the pandemic ever really be “over”? And what would that mean? A new AP-NORC poll shows that few Americans — just 15% — say they’ll consider the pandemic over only when COVID-19 is largely eliminated. By contrast, 83% say they’ll feel like the pandemic is over when it’s largely a mild illness, like the seasonal flu. By Kate Brumback, Nathan Ellgren and Jocelyn Noveck. SENT: 950 words, photo.
SPACEX-PRIVATE FLIGHT WINNER — The real winner of a sweepstakes for a ride in space has finally come forward: a Florida-based airline pilot. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. SENT: 810 words, photos, video.
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LOCALIZE IT
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-GOVERNMENT AID-LOCALIZE IT: The AP is offering ways to localize reporting regarding city, county and state government finances during the pandemic. That includes how much revenue they lost during the first year of the virus outbreak, how they have recovered since and how they plan to spend their federal aid and other surplus money. Find the localize it guide here.
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TOP STORIES
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SUPREME COURT-BIDEN — President Joe Biden strongly affirms that he will nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. He says such historic representation is “long overdue” and he’s promising to make his selection by the end of February. By Colleen Long, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville. SENT: 1,010 words, photos, video. With SUPREME-COURT-THUMBNAILS — Who’s who among possible Supreme Court contenders. SENT: 1,190 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-CONGRESS — The Senate confirmation of the next Supreme Court justice is not expected to be a politically toxic and bitter battle like those during the Trump era. With the ideological balance of the court not at stake, senators are already staking out cautious positions that lower the temperature. By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick. UPCOMING: 990 words, photos by 7 p.m.
SUPREME COURT-BLACK WOMEN — President Biden’s vow to nominate the first Black woman on the Supreme Court is a striking reflection of the demographic’s critical role in the Democratic Party and its increased societal clout. By Nicholas Riccardi. UPCOMING: 990 words, photos by 7 p.m.
UKRAINE-TENSIONS — The Kremlin said that there was “little ground for optimism” in resolving the crisis over Ukraine after the U.S. rejected Russia’s main demands, but that dialogue was still possible. Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the United States and its NATO allies expressed concern that a buildup of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signaled that Moscow planned to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. Russia denies having any such designs — and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe. By Vladimir Isachenkov. SENT: 1,150 words, photos. WITH: UKRAINE-TENSIONS-THINGS-TO-KNOW — Ukraine crisis updates: What to know as tensions rise. SENT: 1,075 words, photos.
SMALL-TOWN-DIVIDE — The headline in the little newspaper said COVID-19 numbers were spiking in the farm towns of western Minnesota. Doctors urged people to get vaccinations, the Monitor-News reported. But to some in the town of Benson, the Monitor-News was lying. It’s vaccinations that are killing people, they say. It’s another measure of how, in an America increasingly split by warring visions of itself, division doesn’t just play out on cable television, or in mayhem at the U.S. Capitol. By Tim Sullivan. SENT: 2,385 words, photos, 980-word abridged version.
ECONOMY-GDP — The U.S. economy grew last year at the fastest pace since Ronald Reagan’s presidency, bouncing back with resilience from 2020′s brief but devastating coronavirus recession. The nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — expanded 5.7% in 2021. It was the strongest calendar-year growth since a 7.2% surge in 1984 after a previous recession. The economy ended the year by growing at an unexpectedly brisk 6.9% annual pace from October through December as businesses replenished their inventories, the Commerce Department reported. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman. SENT: 690 words, photos. WITH: UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week following three straight increases economists blamed on the surge in cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19. SENT: 485 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS
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OLY--FIG-THE AGE OLD QUESTION — Tara Lipinski was a sprightly 15-year-old ballerina-on-ice when she won figure skating gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and Sarah Hughes but a year older when she did the same thing four years later in Salt Lake City. Indeed, just about every Olympic champion in women’s figure skating going back decades has been a teenager, feather light and carefree. SENT: 875 words, photos.
FAT DON’T FLY — Fat don’t fly. The crude phrase is well known in ski jumping circles, and it has historically led to eating disorders in a sport that is trying to address the problem with rule changes and access to nutritionists. By Sports Writer Larry Lage. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
BEIJING-THE BUBBLE — For journalists covering the Beijing Winter Olympics, China’s strict pandemic measures are creating a surreal and somewhat frustrating experience. SENT: 340 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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VIRUS OUTBREAK-HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES — A congressional watchdog says the Department of Health and Human Services is failing to meet its responsibilities for leading the nation’s response to public health emergencies including the coronavirus pandemic, extreme weather disasters and even potential bioterror attacks. SENT: 730 words, photo.
MED-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-COVID-PILL-AUTHORIZATION — The European Medicines Agency has recommended that Pfizer’s coronavirus antiviral drug be authorized for use in the 27-nation European Union, the first time the agency has recommended a pill for treating COVID-19. SENT: 370 words.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRAZIL-HOSPITALS — There has been a renewed surge of COVID-19 in Brazil with the spread of the omicron variant and, as elsewhere in the world, it is largely a pandemic of the unvaccinated. SENT: 740 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE-MANDATES-EXPLAINER — Millions of health care workers across the U.S. now must be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a result of a mandate from President Joe Biden’s administration. SENT: 970 words, photos.
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TRENDING NEWS
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WRONG-MAN-ARRESTED -- A South Florida cook says he lived a nightmare recently when police mistook him for a fugitive with the same name, similar looks and almost the same birthday. SENT: 425 words, photos.
SCHOLARSHIP-ERROR — Dozens of prospective Central Michigan University students who were mistakenly told they had won full-ride scholarships that include room and board have received an apology from the school — and offers of the equivalent of full-tuition scholarships. SENT: 350 words, photos.
TOM-BRADY-CARD — One of just 20 special football cards from the year Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl is up for auction. SENT: 235 words, photos.
HOLOCAUST-BOOK-BANNED — A Tennessee school district has voted to ban a Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel about the Holocaust due to “inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman. SENT: 530 words, photo.
CONGRESSWOMAN'S CAR-GUNFIRE — Bullets strike Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri's parked car; she wasn’t in it. SENT: 140 words.
SMUGGLED-IN-COFFIN — A Texas man who transported two men from Mexico in a U.S. flag-draped coffin has pleaded guilty to human smuggling. SENT: 160 words.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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SUPREME COURT-POLITICS — Democrats stung by a series of election year failures to deliver legislative wins for their most loyal voters hope they will be buoyed by the prospect of President Biden naming the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Justice Stephen Breyer’s pending retirement, could not have come at a better time for a Democratic Party reeling from the collapse of Biden’s legislative agenda. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-BREYER’S ARC — In the nearly 30 years Justice Stephen Breyer has spent on the Supreme Court, it has been conservative, then more conservative and now much more conservative. SENT: 840 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT-PUBLIC OPINION — The American public has increasingly negative views of the Supreme Court. The shift follows former President Donald Trump’s seating of three justices who gave the court a 6-3 conservative bent on most contentious issues. SENT: 800 words, photos.
BIDEN-PENNSYLVANIA — When President Biden goes to Pittsburgh on Friday, two of the three Democrats on Pennsylvania’s statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with Biden will not be in attendance. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
CAPITOL-RIOT-COMMUNITY-SERVICE— A federal judge has denied a news media coalition’s request for public access to records of court-ordered community service by one of the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol last year. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth says Anna Morgan-Lloyd’s community service records aren’t “judicial records” subject to public disclosure because they played no role in the judge’s decision-making process. SENT: 565 words, photos.
BUTTIGIEG-ROAD SAFETY — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is vowing to help stem rising traffic fatalities, releasing a broad-based strategy aimed at reducing speed, redesigning roads and boosting car safety features such as automatic emergency braking. SENT: 860 words, photos.
HEALTH-INSURANCE-SIGN-UPS — President Biden says 14.5 million Americans got private health insurance for this year under the Obama-era health law, thanks to help from his administration. SENT: 600 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EDUCATION — Education Secretary Miguel Cardona calls on the nation’s schools to use billions of dollars in federal aid to act more urgently to help millions of students who have fallen behind during the pandemic. SENT: 750 words, photo.
UNITED STATES-GERMANY -- The White House says President Joe Biden and new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss Russian aggression toward Ukraine when they meet next month. SENT: 250 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-AUDITS-WISCONSIN— A Nebraska-based voting machine company has told the Republican-hired attorney leading an investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin that it will not comply with subpoenas issued seeking a broad array of information. SENT: 435 words.
PENTAGON-CIVILIAN CASUALTIES — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin orders his staff to quickly develop an “action plan” for improving how the Pentagon limits and responds to civilian casualties caused by American airstrikes. SENT: 500 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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CAPSIZED BOAT-FLORIDA — The Coast Guard says it has found four more bodies in its search for 38 migrants lost at sea off Florida, for a total of five bodies. The maritime security agency said it also plans to call off its active search for survivors at sunset if it doesn’t receive any new information. SENT: 460 words, photos, video.
SCHOOL-SHOOTING-MICHIGAN — A teenager charged with killing four students at Michigan high school will pursue an insanity defense, his lawyers said in a notice filed as he, his parents and school officials faced a new lawsuit over the attack at Oxford High School that killed four students. SENT: 1,030 words, photos, video.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — The commander of the Minneapolis Police Department’s training division at the time of George Floyd’s killing testified that the three officers on federal trial for allegedly violating Floyd’s civil rights were trained to use the lowest level of force necessary to detain someone. SENT: 650 words, photos.
SAME-SEX-SILENCING — Florida Republicans want to forbid discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools with a bill that activists say endangers children and echoes a previous wave of laws that sought to squelch LGBTQ conversations in the classroom. SENT: 920 words, photos.
OKLAHOMA EXECUTION-GRANT — Oklahoma executed a man for the brutal slayings of two hotel workers during a robbery in 2001. SENT: 585 words, photos.
MICHAEL-AVENATTI-STORMY-DANIELS — Stormy Daniels took her star turn on the witness stand at California lawyer Michael Avenatti’s trial, telling a jury Avenatti “stole from me and lied to me.” SENT: 790 words, photos.
INDIGENOUS MASSACRE-REMAINS RETURNED — The remains of 20 Native Americans massacred in Northern California in 1860 have been returned to their tribe. SENT: 1,090 words, photos.
POLICE OFFICERS-SHOT — Fallen New York City police officers sought bridges between the department and the communities they served. SENT: 790 words, photos.
CHICAGO-VIOLENCE-GIRL-SHOT — A man and teen were ordered held without bond in the shooting death of an 8-year-old Chicago girl, who was walking and holding her mother’s hand when she was shot in the head by a gunman authorities say was targeting someone else. SENT: 660 words, photos.
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INTERNATIONAL
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MEXICO-AVOCADOS-DEFORESTATION — Regular citizens have taken the fight against illegal logging into their own hands in the pine-covered mountains of western Mexico, where loggers clear entire hillsides for avocado plantations that drain local water supplies and draw drug cartels hungry for extortion money. SENT: 1,280 words, photos, video.
AFGHANISTAN-WINTER WOES — In recent weeks winter cold is devastating Afghanistan’s most vulnerable. International aid organizations are scrambling to save millions from starving or freezing because they have neither food nor fuel. For the poorest the only heat or means of cooking is with the coal or wood they can scrounge from the snowy streets or that they receive from aid groups. SENT: 1,020 words, photos.
RUSSIA-LATIN-AMERICA — Russia has been threatening to expand military ties with allies Venezuela and Cuba amid rising tensions with the U.S. over Ukraine. But even if talk of troop deployments is mostly bluster out of step with Russia’s post-Cold War military capabilities, its strategic buildup in Latin America is real, posing national security threats in what generations of U.S. policymakers have considered Washington’s backyard. SENT: 1,240 words, photos.
NORTH KOREA-OPENING BORDERS — After spending two years in a strict lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea may finally be opening up — slowly. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
HONDURAS-INAUGURATION — Hondurans saw Xiomara Castro sworn in as their country’s first female president amid a sea of waving flags in the national stadium. SENT: 990 words, photos.
HOLOCAUST-REMEMBRANCE — Holocaust survivors and politicians warned about the resurgence of antisemitism and Holocaust denial as the world remembered Nazi atrocities and commemorated the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. WITH: ISRAEL-HOLOCAUST-REMEMBRANCE — Several dozen impoverished elderly Israelis, among them Holocaust survivors, received food donations from a charity ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Among Israel’s estimated 165,000 survivors, roughly one in three lives in poverty, according to a survivors’ advocacy group. SENT: 790 words, photos.
ETHIOPIA-TIGRAY CRISIS — Nearly 1,500 people died of malnutrition in just part of Ethiopia’s blockaded Tigray region over a four-month period last year, including more than 350 young children, a new report by the region’s health bureau says. SENT: 790 words, photo.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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OVERDOSE-DRUGS — Emerging reports show that two little-known drugs are making lethal new contributions to America’s drug overdose crisis. SENT: 490 words.
SCI--SAVING OWLS — Moving burrowing owls away from the path of bulldozers is only the first step in protecting the species. Next scientists have to get the tiny charismatic owls to stay put in their new grassland homes - often by tricking them into thinking there are already happy owl inhabitants, by playing recordings of owl sounds and scattering fake owl poop. SENT: 490 words, photos.
SCI-GAS-STOVES-CLIMATE — A new study has found that gas stoves are worse for the climate than previously thought. The study by California researchers that was published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found that more than 2.6 million tons of methane leaks into the air from gas stoves in the United States even when they aren’t running. SENT: 720 words, photos.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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FINANCIAL MARKETS— Stocks gave up an early rally and closed lower on Wall Street as a streak of market volatility continued. SENT: 900 words, photos.
AMAZON-UNION — Federal labor officials say Amazon workers have lined up enough support to vote on whether to unionize a New York City warehouse. It’s a big step forward after a setback this fall for one of the first organizing drives at the nation’s largest online retailer. SENT: 460 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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BOOKS-KELLYANNE CONWAY — Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a memoir out in May. “Here’s the Deal” is billed by her publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life, including her husband, a prominent Trump detractor. SENT: 500 words, photo.
TV-PAM AND TOMMY — Lily James and Sebastian Stan play Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in a new eight-episode series for Hulu, portraying their whirlwind courtship, marriage and fallout from a sex tape that was stolen from their home. The series is told through a post #MeToo lens that perhaps wouldn’t have been portrayed in the same way 10 years ago. SENT: 715 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN--STEELERS-ROETHLISBERGER RETIRES — No more comebacks for Ben Roethlisberger. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced his retirement, saying it was “time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats” after 18 seasons, two Super Bowls, countless team records and a spot in the Hall of Fame all but secure. SENT: 1,010 words, photos.
TEN-AUSTRALIAN-OPEN — Rafael Nadal continues his bid for a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title when he plays Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the Australian Open semifinals. U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev continues his bid for back-to-back major titles when he takes on French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 8 p.m.
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The Canadian Press
