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Plant-based meat is a simple solution to climate woes – if more people would eat it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

THORNTON, Colo. (AP) — Lars Obendorfer says he was “badly insulted” after he first began offering vegan sausage at his 25 German stands, dubbed “Best Worscht in Town.” He even found himself mediating between customers arguing on social media.“There was downright hostility between the meat eaters and the vegans,” he said. That was six years ago. Today, 15% of the 200,000 sausages each year are plant-based.“It actually tastes like a normal sausage,” customer Yasemin Dural said. Eating more plants and fewer animals is among the simplest, cheapest and most readily available ways for people to reduce their impact on the environment, climate scientists have long said. According to one University of Michigan study, if half of U.S. animal-based food was replaced with plant-based substitutes by 2030, the reduction in emissions for that year would be the equivalent of taking 47.5 million vehicles off the road.An explosion of new types of plant-based “meat” — the burgers, nuggets and other cut...

Woman arrested for deliberately setting fire to house in Cabbagetown: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

A woman is facing charges after she allegedly deliberately set fire to a house in Cabbagetown on Wednesday morning.Emergency crews were called to the house on River Street, just north of Gerrard Street East, around 6:05 a.m. on Wednesday.Fire crews said they encountered two vacant homes fully engulfed in flames with heavy smoke coming from the second floor of one of the homes. The fire eventually spread to neighbouring homes.Two residents needed to be evacuated from one of the adjacent buildings. No injuries were reported.Police allege the fire was started by someone deliberately. Officers arrested 41-year-old Jeannine Hilles, of no fixed address, and charged her with arson and failure to comply with a release.

After court defeat, the UK says its Rwanda migrant plan can still work. Legal experts are skeptical

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s interior minister said Thursday that the U.K. government can revive its blocked plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda without breaching international law, with the first flights taking off next year.Home Secretary James Cleverly said the government is “absolutely determined” to begin Rwanda deportation flights before a national election that must be called by the end of 2024.Many legal experts said that’s wishful thinking, and critics urged the government to ditch a plan they say is costing millions and harming Britain’s international reputation.On Wednesday, the U.K. Supreme Court quashed the government’s plan, saying Rwanda is not a safe country where migrants can be sent. Britain’s top court said asylum-seekers faced “a real risk of ill-treatment” and could be returned by Rwanda to the home countries they had fled.Despite the justices’ unanimous verdict, the British government doubled down on the policy, which it says will deter people from aro...

Small business owners call on government to take on Amazon, level playing field

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

An association representing 97,000 of Canada’s small businesses is calling on Ottawa to do more to address Amazon.com Inc.’s dominance.The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a report Thursday that it wants the federal government to tackle the e-commerce giant by modernizing competition laws to level the playing field for small businesses.“E-commerce offers a lot of opportunity for small businesses to expand and reach more customers, but they’re facing an uphill battle trying to compete with online giants,” Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice-president of advocacy at CFIB, said in a news release.“Many small businesses looking to get a foothold online will sign up for Amazon’s Marketplace but a number of them report that Amazon’s business practices can make it more challenging for them to compete.”As a result, CFIB feels the federal government should use the ongoing review of the Competition Act to stand up for small businesses.Its recommend...

U.S. applications for jobless claims rise as labor market begins to show some signs of cooling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

More Americans filed for jobless claims last week and while the labor market remains broadly healthy, there have are growing signs that it may finally be cooling.Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to 231,000 for the week ending Nov. 11, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most in three months.Jobless claim applications are seen as representative of the number of layoffs in a given week.The Federal Reserve has been tapping the brakes on the economy and the labor market for nearly two years, trying to stem what was the highest inflation in four decades. The central bank raised its benchmark rate 11 times since March of 2022 as part of that effort.Yet for months it seemed as though the aggressive actions from the Fed had little impact and companies have been forced to pay more to land employees. Cracks, however, may be staring to show.Overall, 1.87 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended Nov. 4, about 32,000 more ...

Here’s why heavy rain in Florida has little to do with hurricane season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Why has it been raining so much in South Florida? Experts say the latest windy, rainy storm system has nothing to do with hurricane season — and it’s finally moving on.The storm system that formed over the Florida Keys this week and dumped up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain across parts of South Florida has moved into the Atlantic Ocean, bringing clearing skies to the region on Thursday, the National Weather Service in Miami said.While hurricane season doesn’t officially end until Nov. 30, this storm wasn’t associated with a tropical system, according to Luke Culver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.“It’s not considered a tropical system because of the way it formed,” Culver said, noting that the system developed more like a nor’easter, which are more common in the northeastern United States.Heavy rain started falling across South Florida on Tuesday night, continuing into Wednesday before mostl...

CFD battling massive warehouse fire in Back of the Yards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire Department is currently battling a massive warehouse fire in Back of the Yards.A three-alarm response has been called out to the fire, located in the 4100 block of South Halsted.SkyCam9 is over the scene showing massive flames and dark smoke.WGN News will update this story once more information becomes available.

Eye drops sold at Walmart, Target, CVS and Rite Aid recalled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

(WKBN) – Eye drops sold at national retailers including Walmart, Target, CVS and Rite Aid are being recalled after federal investigators found "insanitary conditions," the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced.The FDA said using the affected eye drops, which were intended to be sterile, can possibly lead to eye infections or "related harm." "Ophthalmic drug products pose a potential heightened risk of harm to users because drugs applied to the eyes bypass some of the body’s natural defenses," the FDA states. 3 brands of applesauce pouches recalled due to lead concerns: FDA The eye drops, recalled by Kilitch Healthcare India Limited, have expiration dates ranging from November 2023 to September 2025, according to the FDA. So far, there have been no related incidents of "adverse events" reported to the company.The following affected products were distributed nationwide under several different labels, according to the FDA.ProductProduct InformationNDC NORetailer / LabelLU...

LIVE: Jury set to begin deliberations in Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- Closing arguments are set to take place Thursday in the murder trial for Kaitlin Armstrong, the woman accused of shooting and killing Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson on May 11, 2022.KXAN will provide a live stream of what the prosecutors and defense attorneys will tell the jury before they begin their deliberations. People can watch that in this story and on the KXAN News Facebook page starting at about 9 a.m. Testimony began on Nov. 1, the State called witnesses for about eight days. Defense called five witnesses on Wednesday and wrapped up its testimony within one day. PREVIOUS: Armstrong's first interview with APD played during murder trial During opening statements, prosecutors outlined a timeline of evidence they said placed Armstrong at the scene and established a motive.As the State's witnesses testified, prosecutors dissected the relationship between Armstrong, Wilson and Armstrong's then-boyfriend Colin Strickland. Strickland testified that he and Wilson were b...

Woman dies after single-vehicle crash on MoPac

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is investigating a single-vehicle crash that happened on MoPac last week and left a woman dead. According to APD, officers responded to the crash in the 9500 block of the MoPac Expressway around 1:45 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. According to police, Taylor Courtney, 29, was driving south when she crashed into a concrete median. She was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle, APD said. Courtney was taken to a hospital where she later died. This incident is being investigated as Austin's 77th fatal crash of 2023, which resulting in 80 fatalities for the year.These statements are from the initial assessment of the fatal crash, and the investigation is still pending. Fatality information may change.Anyone with any information should contact APD's Vehicular Homicide unit at 512-974-8111. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-...