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Coroner says Montreal police used unnecessary force, lacked training in man’s death

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

MONTREAL — A coroner’s report into the 2017 death of a man killed by Montreal police says arresting officers used unnecessary force and lacked proper training in de-escalation tactics.Coroner Luc Malouin says in his report released today on the death of Koray Kevin Celik that police were unprepared when they arrived at his home on March 6, 2017, in the Montreal neighbourhood of Île-Bizard.His parents called police because they wanted to prevent Celik, 28, from driving a car while intoxicated.Responding officers tried to subdue Celik with force, and his parents said they witnessed police repeatedly beat their son with their feet and knees before the unarmed man stopped breathing.Malouin says the force used by police was unnecessary and that none of them had received training in de-escalation tactics or in strategies to deal with people in crisis.The coroner says the City of Montreal since 2019 requires its officers to receive de-escalation training.This report by The Canadian P...

Vancouver officer testifies about efforts to resuscitate Myles Gray after beating

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

BURNABY, B.C. — A Vancouver police constable told a coroner’s inquest that “time was standing still” as he waited for advanced life support paramedics to arrive and help revive 33-year-old Myles Gray after he was beaten by officers trying to arrest him.Const. Derek Cain described to the jury Friday of their efforts to resuscitate Gray, who stopped breathing twice in the moments after police handcuffed him. Cain said he arrived in the yard where police were struggling to subdue Gray in response to a call for backup on the day the man died in August 2015.Gray had been in Vancouver making a delivery to a florists’ supply shop for the business he operated on the Sunshine Coast, and the inquest has heard the initial 911 call was about an agitated man who sprayed a woman with a garden hose.The beating left Gray with injuries including a fractured eye socket, nose and rib, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles.Cain testified that Gray was sweating profusely, he...

Wicker Park bar named one of the nation's best by Food & Wine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

CHICAGO — Cheers are in order for one Chicago bar's national recognition. The Violet Hour in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood is ranked among the best in the United States, as voted by readers of Food & Wine. Located at 1520 N Damen Ave., the James Beard Award-winning bar cracked the 2023 top-10 list for its “artisanal cocktails in the heart of Wicker Park" and "attentive staff.""Whatever direction [staff] point you to (drinks are broken down by Shaken or Stirred), you’ll come away with something as distinctive as it is delicious," the online magazine wrote. The list includes the following entries:SEE ALSO: A new cocktail book from The Violet Hour’s Beverage Director1.) The Fox: Nashville, Tennessee2.) Chez Zou: New York, New York3.) Chandelier Bar: New Orleans, Louisiana4.) Pebble Bar: New York, New York5.) Overstory: New York, New York6.) Bar Marilou: New Orleans, Louisiana7.) The Bar at The Spectator Hotel: Charleston, South Carolina8.) Bemelman’s Bar: New York, New York9.)...

Erykah Badu coming to Chicago this summer

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

CHICAGO -- Considered to be one of the queens of R&B, Erykah Badu will be stopping in the "Windy City" this summer. Erykah Badu will be performing at the United Center in Chicago as part of her "Unfollow Me Tour" on Saturday, July 1. Chicago & House Music: A relationship over four decades in the making Badu won four Grammy's for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the 1996 hit "On & On," and Best R&B Album for her 1997 debut album "Baduizm." She also won Best Rap Performance by a duo or group for her 1999 feature on The Roots' "You Got Me," and Best R&B Song in 2002 for "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)."The 19-time Grammy Award nominated artist was last in Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2021.Yasiin Bey, the artist formerly known as Mos Def, will also be apart of the "Unfollow Me Tour."The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 1.For ticket information, click here.

Best high schools for sports in Illinois

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

More than 7.6 million high school students played sports across the U.S. during the 2021-22 academic year, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. Those athletes participated in a slew of sports: from football—the most popular sport for high school boys with 1 million players nationwide—to track and field, which is the most popular sport amongst high school girls in the U.S. with more than 488,000 athletes.The dynamic landscape of high school sports has created competition not only between athletes but the institutions they represent. With more than 23,500 public and private secondary and high schools across the country, determining the best options for athletes is an arduous process.High schools across the country are vying to be crowned the best institution for athletes in America and not only has the battle become personal but regional as well. States like California and Florida, which have high-profile high-school athletic prog...

L.A. man accused of tossing caged puppy over fence, police say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — A man was arrested for animal cruelty after reportedly tossing and injuring a caged puppy in Los Angeles' Tujunga area.The suspect was identified as Daniel Arias, 25, by the Los Angeles Police Department.Police were alerted to a “disturbing video showing a suspect throwing a caged puppy over a fence near Renaissance Drive and Cardamine Court" on March 27. Elon Musk pays for LeBron James, Stephen King and William Shatner’s Twitter check marks Arias was reportedly shown on video exiting his SUV and opening the rear gate before grabbing a dog crate with a two-month-old puppy still inside, police said.Arias then walked to the side with the caged dog and tossed it over a fence, said LAPD. Officers later responded to the area and contacted a resident who had discovered the injured pup along the Tujunga wash.L.A. Animal Services took the puppy in and a physical examination revealed “several injuries that doctors noted were most likely due to the fall from being throw...

Execution date withdrawn for Texas death row inmate Ivan Cantu

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A judge in Collin County ordered that the execution date for convicted murderer Ivan Abner Cantu be withdrawn "pending further order" from the court.Ivan's execution had been scheduled for April 26.Collin County District Court Judge Benjamin Smith signed the order on Wednesday, the same day that Ivan's mother, Sylvia Cantu, went to the Texas Capitol to advocate for a stay of execution from the Governor's Office. PREVIOUS: Mother of death row inmate Ivan Cantu seeks new trial after key witness recants testimony The order also notes that the court determined the necessity of further hearings in the case. No dates have been set for those proceedings.You can read the full order below:0230416-Proposed-Order-Motion-to-WithdrawpdfDownloadOne group assisting Sylvia in her son's case is the non-profit Death Penalty Action. Abraham Bonowitz, that organization's executive director, issued a statement in a press release Wednesday night: U.S. Supreme Court sid...

Body found just north of Temple identified as missing Austin woman

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

BELL COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) -- A body found in Bell County has been identified as a missing person out of Austin.Bell County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded Friday morning to a report of a dead person in a bar-ditch near the 1300 block of Berger Road - just north of Temple. Investigators identified the person as 25-year-old Tiera Strand - who was listed as a missing person out of Austin. She was last seen on Sunday, April 16 near the 400 block of E. 6th Street in Austin. Investigators coordinated with the Austin Police Department to notify the victim’s next of kin, officials said. The cause and manner of death are unknown - pending a determination from the medical examiner, the release.This is a joint investigation between BCSD and the Austin Police Department's Homicide Unit. If anyone has any information regarding this case, you can call the BCSD CID at (254) 933-5442 or the Austin Police Department's tip line at (512) 472-8477.

DFL senator files ethics complaint over message with link to ‘disturbing’ video

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

Minnesota Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, filed an ethics complaint against Sen. Glen Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, over an email he sent to the chamber’s 34 Democrats containing a link to a video labeled “transgender surgeries on minor children.”Maye Quade said the video included images of “children’s genitalia” that Gruenhagen himself called “extremely graphic and disturbing.” Maye Quade said the email was against Senate rules because it amounted to a violation of “accepted norms of Senate behavior, that betrays the public trust, or that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor or disrepute.”Maye Quade mentioned the ethics complaint during a news conference Friday before the Senate was expected to debate legislation making Minnesota a refuge for families where transgender youth can receive gender affirming care.“This crossed the line,” Maye Quade said of the email.Sen. Erin Maye QuadeIn response to the complai...

Wild want the puck on Kirill Kaprizov’s stick

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:32:20 GMT

Kirill Kaprizov was a big reason the Wild were competitive in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series against St. Louis last season, finishing Minnesota’s loss with seven goals and an assist in six games.That’s a tall order to repeat, but the Wild will likely need more out of their young left winger to get past Dallas in this year’s first-round series against the Stars, which was knotted at a game apiece before the series moved to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday at Xcel Energy Center.Kaprizov scored on a deflection in the Wild’s 3-2, double-overtime victory in Game 1, but he didn’t make much of an offensive impact in Wednesday’s 7-3 loss in Game 2 at American Airlines Center.Kaprizov, in fact, finished that game with more hits (5) than shots on goal (2). In two games, he has one point and just eight shots on goal.“We need Kirill to have the puck a little bit more, probably, make them chase him a little bit more,” coach Dean Evason said after his team’s morning skate Friday.Af...