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Massachusetts animal welfare organizations waiving adoption fees for guinea pigs this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

Animal welfare organizations across the region are waiving adoption fees for guinea pigs this weekend following a large surrender, shining the spotlight on a new ordinance that bans the sale of the critters at pet shops in Boston.Recently, the Animal Rescue of League received 55 guinea pigs from a single home, with MSPCA-Angell taking in 20 of the pets. The surrender prompted the two agencies to team up with Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, and the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts in hosting the fee-waived adoption event.The event starts Friday and runs through Sunday, with the $30 adoption fee for guinea pigs being waived. In total, the groups are hoping more than 100 guinea pigs will find their new homes.“Their owners purchased guinea pigs from pet stores where they were incorrectly sexed, resulting in many litters,” MSPCA-Angell said of the 55 surrenders on X, the former Twitter platform. “This underscores the importance of measures like Boston’s recently passed...

SeaWorld guests removed from attraction after ride stops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- SeaWorld San Diego experienced an issue with one of its rides on Thursday, park officials said.Journey to Atlantis, a popular flume ride, "experienced a stop," forcing the SeaWorld team to safely remove guests from the attraction, according to the theme park."The guest removal was conducted in accordance with safety standards and practice procedures," SeaWorld said. Legoland California celebrates 25th birthday with kids ticket deal Around 1 p.m., SkyFOX was over the scene after the guests were removed. The ride was operating with no one on it.No other details were released about the what caused the stop.In June, SeaWorld's rollercoaster “Electric Eel” rollercoaster was temporarily shut down after a person was injured on the ride, according to California safety regulators. The ride features a drop from heights of 150 feet while traveling both forwards and backwards at speeds as high as 60 miles per hour.

Federal appeals court denies effort to block state-run court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court has denied a legal effort to stop Mississippi officials from creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, over objections from the NAACP. In a Thursday ruling, three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied the NAACP’s motions for an injunction pending an appeal and vacated an administrative stay that had temporarily blocked state officials from creating the court. The panel’s unanimous decision means state officials can begin setting up the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court, which will have a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general — officials who are white and conservative. A state law approved by the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature created the court; Jackson is governed by Democrats. The 5th Circuit’s decision said the NAACP’s argument did not meet the burden for ...

Ailing 53-year-old female elephant euthanized at Los Angeles Zoo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 53-year-old Asian elephant has been euthanized at the Los Angeles Zoo after she was unable to stand up, the zoo announced Thursday.Shaunzi, one of two female elephants at the zoo, was discovered unable to stand in her exhibit on Tuesday night. “Animal care staff and zoo veterinarians responded quickly and worked through the night to help Shaunzi up. Despite the use of all resources and personnel available, the extraordinary efforts were ultimately unsuccessful,” a zoo statement said. A “heartbreaking” decision was made to sedate and euthanize the animal on Wednesday, the statement said.Born in Thailand, Shaunzi spent her youth in a circus, came to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 1983 and was sent to the Los Angeles Zoo in 2017.The median life expectancy of female Asian elephants in human care has been estimated by various zoos, researchers and conservation groups as around 40 to 50 years. Elephants in the wild can live decades longer. Asian elephants are conside...

Man on lifetime firearms ban charged, found asleep at the wheel in Vaughan: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

York Regional Police have arrested and charged multiple people in various firearm investigations out of Vaughan, including one incident involving a man on a lifetime firearms ban found asleep at the wheel.Investigators responded to calls of an idle driver in the left turn lane on Rutherford Road at Jane Street in the early morning of Jan. 1. It’s alleged that officers found a male driver unresponsive and asleep at the wheel. When the man woke up, he attempted to speed away, striking a police cruiser. Officers located an open bottle of alcohol on the passenger seat and, as they searched the driver, found a loaded handgun in the waistband of his pants. A quantity of drugs suspected to be fentanyl was also discovered.On Thursday, police identified the man as 23-year-old Christian Marius Kamukuny of Brampton. He’s been charged with various firearms offences, including possession of firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order, impaired operation and possession for the...

Nearly 2 months after train crash, CTA Yellow Line set to re-open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Nearly two months after a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a piece of snow removal equipment, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital, train service is set to resume, the transit agency said. Scheduled service for the Yellow Line is set to begin Friday at 4:45 a.m. As the citywide transit agency continues to work with the National Transportation Safety Board, several interim safety enhancements will be in place:SEE ALSO | Emergency brakes were activated before CTA Yellow Line collision with snow equipment, NTSB report suggestsReduced Travel Speeds: Yellow Line trains will run at reduced speeds of 35 mph, down from 55 mph. Track Cleaning: Crews also have power-washed the Yellow Line, clearing debris and residue from the rail. Enhanced Operations Communications: CTA also added an extra layer of communication and protection, implementing what’s known as “manual blocking” on the rails for non-transport vehicles, such as snowplows and ot...

Amid race to finish to migrant intake center, Chicago food bank seeks to help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

CHICAGO — City and state personnel are still grappling with the surge of new migrants that arrived over the holiday season as construction ramps up on facilities to deal with the arrivals.  Workers are still in the early stages of building half a dozen heated tents at the downtown migrant intake center as Illinois planners and a host of non-profit organizations scramble to deal with the ongoing flow of migrant buses.   The latest bus from Texas dropped off what appeared to be a group of migrants at the north suburban Wilmette Metra station. It's the newest challenge for the state and city’s coalition of non-profit service organizations.   The Greater Chicago Food Depository aims to help by providing more than 20,000 meals a day for shelter migrants.   “Currently 20 out of the 26 shelters, we are currently providing food and supplies to,” said Man-Yee Lee, a spokesperson with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “We all deserve to eat...

Charges: St. Paul man used East Side house like a store to sell and stash drugs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

A St. Paul man is jailed and charged with possessing hundreds of pounds of marijuana, bags of psychedelic mushrooms and illegal guns at a house in the city’s Battle Creek neighborhood that prosecutors say was set up like a store for drug sales.A 16-year law enforcement officer had never seen the quantity of marijuana that was recovered during Tuesday’s search, according to charges filed in Ramsey County District Court against Brian Terrance Krueger, 39.The small, yellow and white rambler in the 2100 block of Bush Avenue, just west of McKnight Road, was “Krueger’s store and stash house,” the criminal complaint states. In the living room, a U-shaped glass display case presented 1-pound bags of marijuana and large bags of mushrooms and marijuana edibles. An electronic money counter was found in a bedroom.Krueger is jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of an initial appearance on the charges Friday morning.Drugs, guns and cashAccording to the criminal complaint:Officers on Tuesday ob...

Construction to begin on 164-unit affordable housing property in Rosemount

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

Development company Schafer Richardson is moving forward with an affordable housing complex in Rosemount.The Minneapolis-based developer announced the completed acquisition and financing for a 164-unit affordable housing complex, called Croft at Rosecott, that will sit at the intersection of Akron Avenue and Connemara Trail in Rosemount.Of the 164 units, 25 will be set aside for households at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income and the remaining units will be available for those earning no more than 60 percent of the AMI, according to a news release from the developer. The median household income for Rosemount was $127,252 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.Designed by Minneapolis’ UrbanWorks Architecture, the four-story building will have one, two and three-bedroom units, a club room, multi-purpose space, work-from-home space, a fitness center, a kids zone and a teen lounge, per the news release.Funding for the project, which will be constructed by Bauer Design ...

Central Minnesota man charged with fatally shooting wife as children were in home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:00 GMT

A rural Dassel man who last week surrendered himself to law enforcement at his central Minnesota home after reporting that he shot his wife is now charged in the homicide, alleged to have been witnessed by their two children, ages 8 and 11.Bryan William Demarais, 35, made his first court appearance Tuesday in Meeker County District Court on a second-degree murder charge and two felony counts of child endangerment.Kayla Marie Demarais was killed Dec. 28, 2023. She is shown in a photo shared by family on a fundraising website. (GoFundMe)The death of his wife, Kayla Demarais, 29, was ruled a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy report from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.According to the criminal complaint, Bryan Demarais suspected his wife was having an affair and was arguing with her about his suspicions as well as the couple’s financial difficulties.A search of the residence in the 22000 block of 713th Avenue yielded multiple .22-caliber rou...