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K-12 schools improve protection against online attacks, but many are vulnerable to ransomware gangs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some K-12 public schools are racing to improve protection against the threat of online attacks, but lax cybersecurity means thousands of others are vulnerable to ransomware gangs that can steal confidential data and disrupt operations.Since a White House conference in August on ransomware threats, dozens of school districts have signed up for free cybersecurity services, and federal officials have hosted exercises with schools to help them learn how to better secure their networks, said Anne Neuberger, the Biden’s administration’s deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology.Neuberger said more districts need to take advantage of programs available that would better guard against online attackers who are increasingly targeting schools. Their aim is to lock up computer systems, and in some cases, steal and publish sensitive personal information if a ransom is not paid.“Compromises happens again and again, often i...

A man who killed 3 women and a teenager is found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A suspect in Tennessee died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot while on the run early Sunday after he allegedly killed four and seriously injured a fifth victim during a deadly outbreak of domestic violence Saturday night, police said.Officers found Mavis Christian Jr., 52, in his car during a manhunt following the shootings at three locations in Memphis that left three women and a teenage girl dead and critically wounded another teen girl.Memphis Police Department officers responded to a report of a shooting at 9:22 p.m. on the 100 Block of Howard Drive. Police found a woman with an apparent gunshot wound who was pronounced dead at the scene.Investigators determined there were two other connected fatal shootings. At Field Lark Drive, a woman and a 13-year-old girl were killed and a 15-year-old girl was critically wounded. Another woman was found fatally shot on Warrington Road, Memphis Police Officer Christopher Williams said.Police believed Christian was r...

No Frills reaches deal with Unifor workers to avert strike at 17 Ontario stores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

TORONTO — Unifor says it has reached a tentative deal on behalf of almost 1,300 No Frills workers across Ontario, averting a strike that could have started as early as Monday. The union had announced the strike deadline on Thursday, calling for higher wages and better working conditions for employees at 17 stores. No Frills is the discount grocery banner owned by Loblaw Cos. Ltd., the largest grocery company in Canada. The 17 stores include locations in Toronto, Whitby, Ont., Niagara Falls, Ont. and elsewhere. Unifor previously cited growing profits at Loblaw amid the rising cost of living as the reason for their wage demands, saying workers were fed up with the disparity between their pay and the company’s earnings. The No Frills workers — most of which are part-time — will now vote on the tentative deal from Monday to Saturday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2023. Nov. 19, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:L)The Canadian Press

Toronto-area shift workers need ‘transportation justice,’ better service: study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

A new study out of the University of Toronto is taking a closer look at where evening and night shift workers live in Canada’s biggest cities and researchers say more needs to be done to help commuters realize “transportation justice.”The study, carried out by the University of Toronto School of Cities and the research organization Mobilizing Justice, used long-form 2016 Census data to try to map out where shift workers live. They were able to broadly determine where people most went to work between 12 p.m. and 4 a.m. Researchers also worked to overlay that information with other datasets to try to see where gaps exist and to better understand travel patterns.In the Greater Toronto Area, researchers found larger concentrations of shift workers in east Brampton and northeast Mississauga along with parts of northwest and east Toronto. Generally speaking, the study showed evening and night shift workers have lower incomes. It also showed Black, Filipino, South Asian, ...

Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios wins Miss Universe crown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition late Saturday night in El Salvador, the first to wear the crown from her country.Palacios is a 23-year-old communicologist, who said she wants to work to promote mental health after suffering debilitating bouts of anxiety herself.Miss Thailand, Anntonia Porsild, was first runner-up and Miss Australia, Moraya Wilson, the second runner-up.Eighty-four women competed for the crown in the 72nd edition of the competition.Palacios appeared to secure the win when she confidently answered the question of which woman’s shoes would she like to spend a year in by saying Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th-century English writer and philosopher. Wollstonecraft was an advocate of women’s rights and is considered one of the forerunners of feminism.Palacios said she wants to work to close the salary gap between the genders so that women can work in any area.Miss Universe was last held in El Salvador ...

3 people, including police officer, injured in car crash on South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

CHICAGO -- Three people including a Chicago officer are injured after a crash in the Back of the Yards neighborhood overnight, police said. According to Chicago police, the incident occurred near the corner of 47th Street and Damen Avenue around 3:30 a.m. An off-duty officer was driving when another car entered on-coming traffic and crashed into the police car. Chicago man accused of promoting prostitution arrested after allegedly failing to appear for court date The officer was transported to the hospital with a broken hip.The 33-year-old woman driving the other vehicle was transported to Stroger Hospital with a broken wrist. A 12-year-old boy who was a passenger in her vehicle was also transported to the hospital for observation. The woman was later taken into custody. Charges are pending and police are investigating the incident.

Sunday Brunch: Holiday twist on the Monte Cristo with Harry Caray's

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Join WGN Weekend Morning News with Harry Caray's to make a holiday twist on the Monte Cristo sandwich. Chef Shawn Johnson and Danielle Borisy joined to share more.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Suspect found dead after a teenager and 3 women killed in Memphis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A man believed to have fatally shot three women and a teenager in Memphis, Tennessee, has been found dead following an hours-long manhunt, police have confirmed. Memphis Police say Mavis Christian Jr., 52, was found in a vehicle on Alta Road at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. He had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and was pronounced dead at the scene.Christian was wanted in three separate shootings that killed four and left another critically wounded Saturday night.At around 5:45 p.m. Saturday, police were called to a shooting on Field Lark Drive in southwest Memphis. There, authorities found a woman and a girl, 13, who had been killed, and a 15-year-old girl who had been critically wounded, Memphis Police Officer Christopher Williams told The Associated Press. California nanny faces over 705 years in prison for sexual abuse of 16 boys Less than an hour later, authorities were called to Warrington Road in southeast Memphis for a woman with an ...

Turkeys are a lot cheaper this Thanksgiving. Here's why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

(NerdWallet) - Need something to be thankful for? Well, in addition to the roof above your head and the device you’re reading this on, you can add the price of your Thanksgiving turkey to the list.That’s according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), which found that the average price of an 8-to-16-pound turkey was $1.27 per pound in August 2023 — a 22% decline from August 2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture likewise lists the average price per pound for frozen, whole hen turkeys as $1.27 in August 2023 — down just over 22% from $1.64 in August 2022.The prices of some turkey products fell more dramatically, like boneless and skinless male turkey breasts, which were 61% cheaper in August 2023 than the same time last year, per the AFBF.Why is this happening? Because, finally, a highly contagious avian flu outbreak came under control.Poultry industry ‘holding its breath’In early 2022, what would become the largest bird flu outbreak in U.S. history started infecting wild ...

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expected to endorse former President Donald Trump for 2024 in valley event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

EDINBURG, Texas (Nexstar) — Former President Donald Trump is making a return to Texas on Sunday, where he’s expected to receive backing for his 2024 bid from the Lone Star State’s top Republican.Trump will join Gov. Greg Abbott in the Rio Grande Valley — home to a large portion of the highly-pined for Hispanic vote that Republicans have increasingly been investing time, money and resources in.It follows an early November trip to Houston, where the indicted former president held a rally as his poll numbers soar when ranked against fellow Republicans vying for their party’s nomination to take back the White House.According to a release from the Governor’s Office, the two Republican leaders will meet with state authorities stationed in South Texas as part of Abbott’s Operation Lone Star — his signature multi-billion dollar border security initiative. Trump and Abbott plan to serve meals in Edinburg to Texas National Guard soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, and author...