Lethbridge news

• Dog unharmed after Saskatoon owner finds meat with razor blades in her yard

  06-01-2020 23:46
  
  Saskatoon police are advising the public following a report Monday regarding a suspicious plastic bag found in the backyard of a home on Langevin Crescent. Police were called when a dog owner noticed the pet had picked up a suspicious looking plastic bag while in the yard, police said in a news release. Upon closer inspection the complainant identified what appeared to be a piece of meat containing razor blades inside the bag, police say. The dog was not harmed and there have been no other repor
  
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• Calgary neurologist pleads guilty to dozens of assaults dating back to 1980s

  06-01-2020 23:23
  
  A retired neurologist has admitted in court to sexually assaulting 28 female patients over three decades. Keith Hoyte, 71, pleaded guilty to 28 counts as his trial was to begin Monday in Calgary. Two counts were stayed because they were melded into charges involving the same victims. Crown prosecutor Rosalind Greenwood read aloud an agreed statement of facts describing how victims between 17 and 46 felt confused, embarrassed, numb and angry during appointments with Hoyte. "The common thread runn
  
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• 'Nothing but blunders': Alberta NDP says $30M energy war room should be killed

  06-01-2020 23:07
  
  The Opposition in Alberta says the government's $30-million energy war room has been a cavalcade of flubs and mistakes and it's too late to fix a disastrous first impression. NDP energy critic Irfan Sabir says his party's caucus supports promoting the message of oil and gas development, but it's time to shut down the war room and put the money to other projects. “(Premier) Jason Kenney's war room spends $82,000 of Alberta taxpayers' money ever single day,” Sabir said Monday. “I
  
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• Alberta NDP says $30M energy war room a cavalcade of errors, should be shut down

  06-01-2020 23:07
  
  The Opposition in Alberta says the government's $30-million energy war room has been such a cavalcade of flubs and mistakes that it should be shut down. NDP energy critic Irfan Sabir says the party's caucus supports promoting the message of oil and gas development, but says the war room is doing more harm than good with its high-profile errors. He says at $82,000 a day, there are much more important projects that could be funded. The energy war room, officially known as the Canadian Energy Centr
  
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• Lethbridge cannabis stores prepare for sale of edibles

  06-01-2020 22:58 via globalnews.ca
  
  Edibles are slated to hit the retail market in mid-January. Taz Dhaliwal looks into how Lethbridge cannabis stores are preparing for what some have dubbed “cannabis 2.0”.
  
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• Appeal Court rules on anti-abortion protest at the University of Alberta

  06-01-2020 22:48
  
  A campus group that staged an anti-abortion protest at the University of Alberta that led to a counter-demonstration has lost an appeal over how the school handled the event, but won a second appeal about security costs. UAlberta Pro-Life sought a judicial review of the university's decision not to investigate the group's complaint that counter-demonstrators should have been disciplined in 2015 for blocking its displays, which included pictures of dismembered fetuses. The group also wanted a rev
  
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• Man in custody in connection with Boxing Day homicide

  06-01-2020 22:44
  
  Police have located a man they believe is connected to a Boxing Day shooting in Calgary that left one man dead. Mohamed Hussein Ahmed, 24, was located Saturday in Ontario, according to a release from police, and was taken into custody on an impression warrant. Investigators are continuing to search for a newer model white Dodge Durango they believe is connected to the shooting, which killed Farah Hersi Handule, 23. Handule was shot to death in the area of 16th Avenue and Home Road N.W. about 9 p
  
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• Fatal assault in Radisson Heights ruled as non-culpable homicide

  06-01-2020 22:38
  
  The death of a 48-year-old man last month in Radisson Heights has been classified as a non-culpable homicide, Calgary police say. On Dec. 27, an upstairs resident of a fourplex called police to report a fight between people in the lower unit. When police arrived at the home in the 2500 block of Ninth Avenue S.E., officers found one man dead and took a 39-year-old man into custody. Neither of them have been identified. An autopsy performed on Dec. 30 revealed the man's death was the result of a h
  
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• Death following New Year's Eve assault at Alpha House ruled a homicide

  06-01-2020 22:25
  
  An autopsy has confirmed the death of a man who had been found in medical distress at a shelter in Victoria Park on New Year's Day was a homicide. Police had been dispatched to Alpha House, a detox and transitional centre in the 200 block of 15th Avenue S.E., on the evening of  New Year's Eve after staff reported an assault. The emergency response was cancelled a short time later after the assault victim informed staff he was alright. On the morning of Jan. 1, the assault victim was discove
  
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• B.C. LNG pipeline project to resume work despite opposition, says company

  06-01-2020 22:21
  
  The company building a 670-kilometre natural gas pipeline as part of the massive LNG Canada project in northern British Columbia says it plans to resume construction this week despite an eviction notice served by members of a local First Nation over the weekend. Coastal GasLink says in a statement on its website it will mobilize construction crews, beginning with safety refresh meetings tomorrow and Wednesday, after a break over the recent holiday season. The company says clearing and other work
  
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• Poems by man who killed Indigenous woman removed from parliamentary website

  06-01-2020 22:20
  
  Two poems written by a man who killed an Indigenous woman have been removed from the parliamentary poet laureate website. The poems by Stephen Brown included one about a sex worker, eliciting a chorus of public concern, including from Manitoba MLA Nahanni Fontaine, who said they showed disrespect toward his victim and other missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Brown, who changed his name from Steven Kummerfield, and his friend Alex Ternowetsky were convicted of manslaughter in the 19
  
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• Website documents climate change in Alberta since the 1950s, and what it might look in the decades ahead

  06-01-2020 22:11
  
  Albertans wanting a glimpse of how much climate has changed in the province in recent decades — and those wondering how it might change in the decades to come — can now turn to an interactive website. Launched by two University of Lethbridge professors, Dr. Stefan Kienzle from the department of geography and Christine Clark from the department of new media, the website AlbertaClimateRecords.com has been updated to include observed weather between 1951 and 2017, as well as future clim
  
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• Private island near Victoria listed for $2M after death of reclusive owner

  06-01-2020 21:51
  
  One of B.C.'s smallest Gulf Islands is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years, according to an international real estate firm. Halibut Island is a 9.67-acre property in the Haro Strait, just east of the larger Sidney Island and bordering the U.S. Gulf Islands. Also known as Low Island, the property is listed for $1,995,000 and is registered to one Hilton Clarence Burry of Sidney. "Halibut Island is really quite unique in that it's far enough away from things that it's really, rea
  
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• 500 more WestJet flights impacted by delay of grounded 737 Max jet

  06-01-2020 21:48
  
  WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it has scrubbed Boeing's grounded 737 Max jet from flight schedules through April 4. The move marks the ninth delay to the plane's return after regulatory authorities across the globe banned the Max from the skies last March following two fatal crashes in five months. WestJet says the adjustment impacts about 500 more flights on routes that include Toronto-Vancouver and Calgary-Ottawa, with the airline now notifying passengers of rebooking options. WestJet says it is c
  
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• Environment Canada warns of possible extreme cold weather alerts in Alberta

  06-01-2020 21:45
  
  Environment Canada is telling Albertans to bring out their parkas ahead of a possible deep freeze later this week. Extreme cold weather alerts could be issued next week if temperatures reach the -40 to -45 C range, Environment Canada said. "A deep freeze is in store for Alberta beginning later this week," Environment Canada said on Twitter. "Once in place, this cold dome is expected [to] linger through next week."(2/2) Extreme cold alerts could be issued next week. Criteria for Extreme Cold is w
  
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• U.S. to start collecting DNA from people detained at border

  06-01-2020 21:35
  
  The U.S. government on Monday launched a pilot program to collect DNA from people in immigration custody and submit it to the FBI, with plans to expand nationwide. The information would go into a massive criminal database run by the FBI, where it would be held indefinitely. A memo outlining the program published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security said U.S. citizens and permanent residents holding a "green card" who are detained could be subject to DNA testing, as well as asylum seeker
  
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• Alberta opposition says $30M energy war room a parade of errors, should be shut down

  06-01-2020 21:16 via globalnews.ca
  
  The Opposition in Alberta says the government's $30-million energy war room has been such a cavalcade of flubs and mistakes that it should be shut down.
  
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• Online camping reservations for Alberta's national parks open this week

  06-01-2020 21:07
  
  If winter has you down and you're keeping warm thinking about summer adventures, Parks Canada will open their camping reservation system this week. Between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9. Alberta's six national parks will open their campgrounds for bookings between April 2020 and March 2021. Jasper National Park will be the first to launch on Jan. 7 at 8 a.m., followed by Banff on Jan. 8 at 8 a.m. Camping reservations for Elk Island National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, Rocky Mountain House National H
  
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• Calgary neurologist Keith Hoyte pleads guilty to 28 sex assaults dating back to 1980s

  06-01-2020 20:26 via globalnews.ca
  
  As a trial for Keith Hoyte was to begin, he pleaded guilty to 28 counts while two were stayed.
  
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• Accused in fatal Red Deer Walmart shooting applying for legal aid ahead of February court date

  06-01-2020 20:20 via globalnews.ca
  
  A man accused in a fatal shooting outside a Walmart store in central Alberta is applying for legal aid and has yet to secure a lawyer.
  
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• WestJet delays 737 Max return for another month, affecting about 500 flights

  06-01-2020 20:12 via globalnews.ca
  
  WestJet has scrubbed Boeing's grounded 737 Max jet from flight schedules through April 4, 2020.
  
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• Fuzzy, Joelle Tomlinson and David Spence named finalists for Best of Calgary awards

  06-01-2020 19:56
  
  The finalists have been announced for the annual Best of Calgary 2020 awards, and personalities from CTV Calgary and Virgin Radio Calgary have made the shortlist. Meteorologist David Spence and CTV Morning Live co-host Joelle Tomlinson are up for the Best TV Personality award. Global Calgary's Linda Olsen and Jordan Witzel are the other finalists in the category. Spence was named Best TV Personality in 2019. In the category of Best Radio Personality, Virgin Radio Calgary's Fuzzy of VIRGIN Mornin
  
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• Campground reservations for national parks in Alberta open this week

  06-01-2020 18:40 via globalnews.ca
  
  As much of Alberta heads into a deep freeze later this week, what better way to get over the winter blues than plan your summer camping getaways?
  
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• Flair Airlines 24-hour flight delay strands passengers in Winnipeg

  06-01-2020 18:31
  
  A 24-hour delay of a flight to Toronto that originated in Abbotsford, B.C., left some passengers stranded in Winnipeg without answers. The Flair Airlines flight was supposed to leave Winnipeg at 1:40 p.m. Sunday and reach Toronto by early evening. According to the website for Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport, it won’t be leaving Winnipeg until 1:20 p.m. Monday. One passenger who boarded in Calgary told CTV News after being told of the full extent of the delay and bei
  
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• Simulated speed: Alberta race car driver trains for busy 2020 season on simulator

  06-01-2020 18:24
  
  Parker Thompson rounds the corner, shifts into fifth gear and slams his foot down on the gas pedal. Within seconds, the digital speedometer indicates Thompson is flying down the straightaway at 263 kilometres per hour.But the 21-year-old professional race car driver from Red Deer, Alta. isn't in a real car on a real track — he's sitting in an $80,000 car simulator at Speeders Indoor ProKarts in Calgary. Thompson spends hours every week in a simulator, practicing his craft and racing agains
  
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• Canadian-led NATO mission in Iraq in limbo as alliance stands pat on suspension

  06-01-2020 18:01
  
  The head of the NATO military alliance is suggesting the Canadian-led training mission in Iraq is not about to be permanently shut down. The comments by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg follow a suspension of the mission's activities over the weekend due to security concerns following the killing of an Iranian military commander in Iraq by the U.S. Speaking after a meeting of ambassadors from all 29 NATO countries, including Canada, Stoltenberg says the training mission is essential for c
  
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• Charges laid in fatal hit and run in southern Alberta

  06-01-2020 17:59 via globalnews.ca
  
  Cochrane RCMP have laid charges in a deadly hit and run in Morley, Alta., last week.
  
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• Morley woman killed in hit-and-run crash, charges pending

  06-01-2020 17:40
  
  RCMP is looking at speed as a factor after a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision in Morley on Friday. Police were called to the crash on Morley Road in the Morley Townsite, about 60 kilometres west of Calgary, where they found a 40-year-old woman deceased. RCMP Const. Jennifer Brewer says the victim was crossing the road when she was hit. No other details have been released. Soon after police arrived, a driver returned to the scene and was taken into custody. A 19-year-old woman, fr
  
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• Trump tweets Iran will 'never have a nuclear weapon'

  06-01-2020 17:01
  
  U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday repeated his insistence that Iran will not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, amid mounting tension over the US killing of a top Iranian commander. Writing in all-caps, the U.S. leader tweeted: "IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!" The tweet came a day after Tehran announced it was further winding down observance of parts of an international deal struck to ensure that the country does not secretly develop a nuclear weapon under cover of its civilian n
  
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• Canadian recession not expected in 2020, despite uncertainties: economist

  06-01-2020 15:44
  
  A recession is not expected in Canada this year despite a number of global uncertainties and trade tensions, according to a top Scotiabank economist, but growth will likely remain unexceptional. Anxiety around global trade, the future of Brexit, and the U.S. elections later this year are all factors that will continue to keep the global economy in check, though some recent progress on trade talks between U.S. and China could help ease some of the uncertainty. “Going into 2020, we think it&
  
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• 'This is terrifying': Aussie comedian's wildfire appeal raises millions

  06-01-2020 15:16
  
  Australian comedian Celeste Barber -- known for being an internet satirist who pokes fun at celebrities – organized a fundraiser to assist the rural firefighting service currently battling wildfires all over the state of New South Wales, raising more than $33 million in four days. On her official Facebook page, Barber posted a fundraiseron Jan. 2 with the title “Please help anyway you can. This is terrifying.” She also posted photos of the orange haze and smoke outside her moth
  
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• Aussie comedian known for internet satire raises more than $33 million for wildfires

  06-01-2020 15:16
  
  Australian comedian Celeste Barber -- known for being an internet satirist who pokes fun at celebrities – organized a fundraiser to assist the rural firefighting service currently battling wildfires all over the state of New South Wales, raising more than $33 million in four days. On her official Facebook page, Barber posted a fundraiseron Jan. 2 with the title “Please help anyway you can. This is terrifying.” She also posted photos of the orange haze and smoke outside her moth
  
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• TSB investigators trying to determine why jet skidded off Halifax runway

  06-01-2020 15:07
  
  Three investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are trying to determine why a passenger jet skidded off the end of a runway at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport on the weekend. WestJet Flight 248 landed in the midst of a snowstorm just after noon on Sunday and overshot Runway 14 with 172 passengers and seven crew members aboard. There were no injuries and it remains unclear whether the Boeing 737 was damaged when it came to a stop on a grassy area about 50 metres bey
  
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• Bullets pierce windows of home in Auburn Bay

  06-01-2020 14:34
  
  Police are on scene in the city’s southeast after shots rang out early Monday morning. Officers responded to a home on Auburn Meadows View S.E. shortly before 4 a.m. and have taped off the building.  There are multiple bullet holes in the front window of the residence as well as bullet holes in an upstairs window.  No injuries have been reported and, as of 6:30 a.m., police have yet to locate the resident of the home. Neighbour Katelyn Anderson says it was a scary start to the da
  
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• Bullets pierce front window of home in Auburn Bay

  06-01-2020 14:34
  
  Police are on scene in the city’s southeast after shots rang out early Monday morning. Officers responded to a home on Auburn Meadows View S.E. shortly before 4 a.m. and have taped off the building.  There are multiple bullet holes in the front window of the residence.  No injuries have been reported and, as of 6:30 a.m., police have yet to locate the resident of the home. Neighbour Katelyn Anderson says it was a scary start to the day. "It startled me awake. It was very loud. I
  
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• Accused triple murderer in Calgary court for preliminary hearing

  06-01-2020 14:10
  
  The Calgary man charged with killing his girlfriend, mother and stepfather in July 2018 returned to court Monday for the start of a preliminary hearing that will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Dustin Duthie, 26, faces three counts of second-degree murder.Dustin Duthie was taken into custody following the discovery of three bodies at two different Calgary homes on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. The body of his girlfriend — 24-year-old Taylor Toller — was d
  
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• Accused triple murderer expected in Calgary court for preliminary hearing

  06-01-2020 14:10
  
  The Calgary man charged with killing his girlfriend, mother and stepfather in July 2018 is scheduled to return to court Monday for the start of his preliminary hearing that will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Dustin Duthie, 26, faces three counts of second degree murder.Dustin Duthie was taken into custody following the discovery of three bodies at two different Calgary homes on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. The body of his girlfriend –– 24-year-old Tayl
  
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• Morning apartment fire was deliberately set; displaced residents need donations

  06-01-2020 13:57
  
  More than a dozen people were displaced on Monday morning after a deliberately set apartment fire. The call came in around 2:20 a.m. for the Whyte Champagne building at 106 Street and 83 Avenue. The fire started in the lower level of the building and spread to the second floor, damaging several floor joists and electrical wiring. There was also water damage to the first floor, and smoke damage to floors two, three and four. Damage is estimated at $325,000 for contents, and $350,000 in structural
  
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• Fire at Edmonton apartment displaces more than a dozen residents

  06-01-2020 13:57
  
  Fire investigators are on scene at an apartment building near Whyte Avenue after a blaze on Monday morning. The call came in around 2:20 a.m. for the Whyte Champagne building at 106 Street and 83 Avenue. No injuries were reported, but 13 people have been displaced. A cause and damage estimate has not been determined. 
  
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• Apartment fire displaces more than a dozen residents; donations needed

  06-01-2020 13:57
  
  Fire investigators are on scene at an apartment building near Whyte Avenue after a blaze on Monday morning. The call came in around 2:20 a.m. for the Whyte Champagne building at 106 Street and 83 Avenue. No injuries were reported, but 13 people have been displaced. Edmonton Emergency Relief Services is asking for donations of new socks and underwear, new toiletries and clean, gently used clothing or footwear to help the displaced residents. Donations can be dropped off at 10255 104 Street betwee
  
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• Trump doubles down on threat to Iran cultural sites

  06-01-2020 13:41
  
  U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on a threat to attack Iranian cultural sites despite accusations that any such strike would amount to a war crime. After his top diplomat, Mike Pompeo, had insisted that any military action would conform to international law, Trump said he would regard cultural sites as fair game if Iran resorted to deadly force against U.S. targets.Read more: Congress demands answers about Soleimani killing"They’re allowed to kill our people, they're allowed
  
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• Iveson and Freeland to discuss Edmonton priorities, USMCA

  06-01-2020 13:40
  
  Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is meeting with Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson Monday morning to discuss Edmonton's priorities and the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The meeting comes six weeks to the day since Freeland first met with Iveson. "We're glad to have you here, as always, and really appreciate the open dialogue between local government leaders and federal government," Iveson told Freeland before the meeting. Freeland said she would brief Iveson on USMCA and seek
  
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• Chrystia Freeland, Don Iveson to meet on Monday morning

  06-01-2020 13:40
  
  Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is scheduled to meet with Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson on Monday morning. The meeting comes six weeks to the day since Freeland’s last meeting with Iveson. The agenda for the meeting has not been made public. The two are scheduled to meet at city hall at 11 a.m.  
  
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• Aliens exist and they could be living among us, says Britain's first astronaut

  06-01-2020 13:19
  
  Aliens definitely exist, Britain's first astronaut has said -- and it's possible they're living among us on Earth but have gone undetected so far. Helen Sharman, who visited the Soviet Mir space station in 1991, told the Observer newspaper on Sunday that "aliens exist, there's no two ways about it." "There are so many billions of stars out there in the universe that there must be all sorts of different forms of life," she went on. "Will they be like you and me, made up of carbon and nitrogen? Ma
  
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• Bedbugs released in a Walmart changing room, police investigating

  06-01-2020 13:05
  
  A Walmart in Pennsylvania is facing a bedbug infestation after someone released the parasitic insects in a men's changing room, state police said. A manager at the store in Edinboro found a closed pill bottle with live bugs crawling inside and reported it to authorities Thursday, police said in a release. The bottle was found inside a boy's jacket which was for sale. "We take this seriously and are looking into this," a Walmart spokesperson told CNN. "We are fully cooperating with law enforcemen
  
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• Oil price keeps rising as industry eyes Iran-U.S. conflict

  06-01-2020 12:11
  
  The global benchmark for crude oil rose above US$70 a barrel on Monday for the first time in over three months, with jitters rising over the escalating military tensions between Iran and the United States. The Brent contract for oil touched a high of $70.74 a barrel, the highest since mid-September, when it briefly spiked over an attack on Saudi crude processing facilities. Stock markets were down as well amid fears of how Iran would fulfil a vow of "harsh retaliation." "The market is concerned
  
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• As tension in Middle East rises, so does price of oil

  06-01-2020 12:11
  
  The global benchmark for crude oil rose above US$70 a barrel Monday for the first time in over three months amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States. The Brent contract for oil touched a high of $70.74 a barrel, the highest since mid-September after an attack on Saudi crude processing facilities. Stocks moved in the opposite direction with Iran vowing "harsh retaliation" for an American drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. "While it is unclear how and when Iran
  
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• U.S. braces for Iranian response: a 'tit for tat' assault?

  06-01-2020 08:10
  
  U.S. officials on Monday braced for Iran to respond to the killing of its most powerful general, noting heightened military readiness in the country and preparing for a possible "tit-for-tat" attempt on the life of an American military commander. President Donald Trump ordered the Jan. 2 strike against Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, after the death of an American contractor in Iraq. Now, as the massive demonstrations of Iran's public mourning period for Soleimani com
  
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• Lethbridge cannabis stores prepare to sell edibles around mid-January

  06-01-2020 06:33 via globalnews.ca
  
  As edibles and beverages made from cannabis make their "slow" transition into the retail market, local stores are making sure their employees are ready to take on the second wave of cannabis legalization in Canada.
  
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• Plans for Canadians unclear after Iraq lawmakers call for expulsion of foreign troops

  06-01-2020 06:08
  
  Canada is closely monitoring developments after Iraq's parliament called for the expulsion of foreign troops from the country, a spokesman for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said. But Sajjan's press secretary, Todd Lane, would not say whether contingency plans are in the works for getting Canadian military personnel out of Iraq should the situation there deteriorate further. Iraqi lawmakers approved a resolution Sunday asking the Iraqi government to end an agreement under which American and alli
  
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