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Former NFL star hanging on, helping others despite grim ALS diagnosis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

By Melissa Heckscher, Contributing writerIn the four years since former NFL player Eric Stevens was diagnosed with ALS, a fatal, degenerative neuromuscular disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, he has lost a lot of things:He has lost his ability to feed and bathe himself. To brush his own teeth or get himself dressed. To get up from a chair — or lift his 2-year-old daughter into the air.But he hasn’t lost his hope. After all, he can still walk unassisted inside his family’s San Pedro, California, home. He can still eat normal foods. He can still read his daughter bedtime stories, sing her songs and cuddle her in bed.And he’s still here.“Even though it seems like the end of the world, your perspective changes on what’s really important in life,” said Stevens, 33, who wasn’t feeling well enough to do an in-person interview but instead communicated via email. “Just being alive and being present is enough.”Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease in which motor nerve cells can n...

Victims criticize church after Catholic sex abuse report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — While the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has long touted its transparency in publishing the names of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, a report released this week by the Maryland attorney general’s office raises questions about whether the church’s list is incomplete. Following the report’s long-awaited release Wednesday, victims and advocates called on the Baltimore archbishop to address discrepancies — their latest demand for transparency in a decadeslong fight to expose the church’s coverup tactics.They also celebrated a major step toward potential legal recourse: state legislation passed Wednesday that would eliminate the existing statute of limitations on civil litigation against institutions like the archdiocese in cases of child sexual abuse. Similar proposals failed in recent years, but the attorney general’s investigation brought renewed attention to the issue this legislative session. The bill has been sent to Gov. Wes Moore, who has said he supp...

US would bar full ban on trans athletes but allow exceptions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Schools and colleges across the U.S. would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes under a proposal released Thursday from the Biden administration, but teams could create some limits in certain cases — for example, to ensure fairness.The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalized, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender equity legislation enacted in 1972.It must undergo a lengthy approval process, however, and it’s almost certain to face challenges from opponents.The proposal comes on the same day that the Supreme Court said a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia can continue competing on her middle school track and cross-country teams while legal battles over the state’s transgender law continue. The law bans transgender at...

S&P/TSX composite posts small gain Thursday, U.S. markets also up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index ticked upward Thursday with mixed results among sectors, while U.S. markets also posted gains to end the short trading week. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 37.14 points at 20,196.69.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.57 points at 33,485.29. The S&P 500 index was up 14.64 points at 4,105.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 91.09 points at 12,087.96.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.31 cents US on Wednesday.The May crude contract was up nine cents at US$80.70 per barreland the May natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$2.01 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was down US$9.20 at US$2,026.40 an ounceand the May copper contract was up three cents at US$4.02 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April , 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

IRS pledges more audits of wealthy, better customer service

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS released details Thursday on how it plans to use an infusion of $80 billion for improved operations, pledging to invest in new technology, hire more customer service representatives and expand its ability to audit high-wealth taxpayers. While some Republicans have suggested without evidence that the money from the Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill would help create a mob of armed auditors to harass middle-class taxpayers, new IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said it will not include spending for new agents with guns.The agency’s newly released strategic operating plan lays out the specifics of how the IRS will allocate the $80 billion, through fiscal year 2031, that was approved in that legislation.Some improvements have been long expected, such as bringing more paper-based systems online and answering taxpayers’ phone calls promptly. Others are more ambitious: continuing to explore ways to create a government-operated electr...

Regulators deny request to allow betting on Boston Marathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts gambling regulators on Thursday denied a request to allow legal betting on this year’s Boston Marathon, citing concerns by the race’s organizers.All four members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission who participated in the online meeting voted against the request by DraftKings.Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein shared an email she received Wednesday from the Boston Athletic Association, which runs the marathon.“At this moment, there is not sufficient time for the Boston Athletic Association, nor its many partners and agencies, to coordinate and fully ensure proper protocols are in place to support such a proposal for wagering on our event,” said Scott Stover, chief marketing officer for the BAA.He added: “Until we can complete due diligence, our concerns include, but are not limited to, ensuring event security and potential influence on the outcome of the race.”The commissioners also discussed the proximity of the marathon, scheduled fo...

Stocks tick higher to close out shortened trading week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks ticked higher on Wall Street Thursday, offering a quiet end to a shortened trading week dogged by worries about a slowing economy. The S&P 500 rose 14.64 points, or 0.4%, to 4,105.02. It ended with a 0.1% loss for the week, its first down week in the last four. The U.S. stock market will be closed in observance of Good Friday.The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up by 2.57 points, or less than 0.1%, to 33,485.29, while the Nasdaq composite gained 91.09, or 0.8%, to 12,087.96. A report on Thursday morning showed that fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, though the number was still higher than expected. The government changed how it tracks the numbers, which could cause some swings. Thursday’s data followed a string of reports on the economy earlier in the week that were weaker than expected. That included everything from the number of job openings across the country to the strength of the U.S. manufacturing and services industries...

New York flouts prison solitary confinement rules: lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York prison officials were accused in a lawsuit of subjecting people to prolonged solitary confinement in violation of a state law meant to strictly limit a practice increasingly criticized as inhumane.The New York Civil Liberties Union and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York filed a class-action lawsuit late Wednesday in an Albany court claiming that the state routinely flouts limits on solitary confinement approved in 2021 by state lawmakers.New York is one of several states that in recent years that approved laws limiting solitary to 15 days or less, and similar bills have been introduced in many other states, according to data from the Unlock The Box advocacy campaign. The New York law limits solitary confinement in most cases to three consecutive days or six days in any given 30-day period. But prisoners can be confined alone for longer periods for specified “heinous and destructive” acts, such as injuring someone or acquiring a deadly weapon. In those...

Boy, 14, charged with attempted murder in East York stabbing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

Toronto police have charged a 14-year-old boy with attempted murder after a stabbing in East York on Saturday.Police say a 16-year-old was stabbed on Thorncliffe Park Drive, suffering life-threatening injuries.The suspect, who can’t be named, was arrested on Thursday, April 6.He is also facing several weapons charges and one count of failure to comply with an order.

A major change is coming for the Chicago Wolves next season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:39 GMT

ROSEMONT — There is a big change coming for a Chicago area team in the American Hockey Association.WGN News has confirmed that the Chicago Wolves will be independent starting with the 2023-2024 season as the team will play without an affiliation with an NHL team. Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada was the first to report the move on The Jeff Marek Show. Per The Athletic, the Wolves would be the first independent AHL team since the 1994-1995 season.Essentially, this would mean the team would have more freedom to build their own roster and not be reliant on the NHL team to do so.This will be the first time the organization has been without an affiliate since joining the AHL in the 2001-2002 season. They are currently the affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, which has been the case since September 2020.During their time in the AHL, they've also been affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers (2001-2011), Vancouver Canucks (2011-2013), St. Louis Blues (2013-2017), and Vegas Golden ...