Here are the latest Top News stories from The Canadian Press. All times are Eastern unless otherwise stated. Coverage plans are included when available. Entries are subject to change as news develops.
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TOP HEADLINES:
Governor General tests positive for COVID-19
People charged at logging protest want charges stayed
Ottawa police warn protesters of mischief charges
Border blockades tighten supply chain bottlenecks
Ontario to maintain masks, passports as health orders ease in other parts
Census: Despite COVID-19, population hits 36.9M
Kenney apologizes for COVID, AIDS analogy
Olympic rookies Dubois, O'Dine shine for Canada
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NEW TOP STORIES SINCE THE LAST ADVISORY:
Governor General tests positive for COVID-19
COVID-Governor-General
Ottawa, , -- Canada's Governor General has tested positive for COVID-19. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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People charged at logging protest want charges stayed
Old-Growth-Blockades
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada -- A lawyer for several people arrested for breaching an injunction during protests over old-growth logging on Vancouver Island wants the charges against her clients and others arrested to be stayed, alleging "systemic police misconduct." Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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Vancouver's beached barge to be disassembled: city
Stuck-Barge-BC
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- A barge that had been the subject of jokes and the star of many photos after becoming stuck on a popular Vancouver beach during a severe storm in November is on its way out. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Workers at Sobeys distribution centre go on strike
Sobeys-Warehouse-Strike
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- Workers at a Sobeys distribution centre in Quebec have gone on strike after negotiations between the company and the union broke down, a situation that could strain an already delicate food supply chain. By Brett Bundale. Wire: Business. Photos: 1
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UPDATED CONVOY PROTESTS:
Ottawa police warn protesters of mischief charges
Trucker-Protest
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Ottawa police issued a long-awaited warning to the protesters clogging Canada's capital to clear the streets or risk criminal charges on Wednesday, while deep political divisions burst forward on Parliament Hill after nearly two weeks of anti-vaccine mandate protests. By Mike Blanchfield, Laura Osman and Mia Rabson. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Protest continues to block Ambassador Bridge
Ont-Trucker-Protest-Border
A protest against COVID-19 measures prevented Canada-bound traffic from crossing a busy international bridge for yet another day as police in Windsor, Ont., looked to diplomacy to solve the problem. By Maan Alhmidi and Liam Casey. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Border blockades tighten supply chain bottlenecks
Border-Blockades-Supply-Chain
Trucker blockades at border crossing points are adding more pressure to an already overloaded supply chain. Wire: Business. Photos: 1
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Protesters block border crossing in Alberta again
Trucker-Protest-Border
Coutts, Alberta, Canada -- A long line of trucks is building at Alberta's main crossing into the United States as protesters against pandemic restrictions once again block the highway leading to the border village of Coutts. By Bill Graveland. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Ottawa organizers step up for downtown neighbours
Trucker-Protest-Help
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- On the Monday after the first weekend that trucks and demonstrators filled the streets of downtown Ottawa, Ellie Charters went for a walk in the area. By Erika Ibrahim. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Protests, waning patience test U.S. restrictions
US-Cda-COVID-Restrictions
Washington D. C., Washington, D.C., United States -- Safety measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 seem to gradually be giving way in parts of the United States. Wire: National.
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UPDATED COVID and OMICRON:
Ontario to maintain masks as health orders ease
COVID-Cda
Ontario's health minister says masking will be important for some time to come even as Alberta and Saskatchewan take steps to get rid of nearly all COVID-19 public health restrictions. By Kelly Geraldine Malone. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Protests, waning patience test U.S. restrictions
US-Cda-COVID-Restrictions
Washington D. C., Washington, D.C., United States -- The long shadow of an enduring, Canadian-born protest movement is darkening America's doorstep, just as waning public patience and conflicting policy adviceDa put ever more pressure on fragile COVID-19 defences in the United States. By James McCarten. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Experts: anxiety could rise as restrictions ease
COVID-Reopening-Anxiety
As provinces begin lifting COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, psychology experts expect stress and anxiety to run high among those who remain wary of letting their guards down. By Melissa Couto Zuber. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Canadians less trusting as COVID-19 drags on: poll
COVID-Poll
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- There is a noticeable decline in how trusting Canadians are of their leaders and institutions as the pandemic drags on, and it's particularly striking among those who remain anxious or stressed about COVID-19, a new survey suggests. By Mia Rabson. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Ontario sticking with masks, vaccine passport
COVID-Ont
Ontario has no immediate plans to end its mask mandate and COVID-19 vaccine certificate system, the province's health minister said Wednesday as she announced details of a plan to distribute free rapid tests at grocery stores and pharmacies. By Holly McKenzie-Sutter. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Two COVID-19 deaths bring N.L. total to 50
COVID-NL
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say two more people in the province have died from COVID-19, bringing total pandemic-related deaths in the province to 50. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Kenney apologizes for COVID, AIDS analogy
Kenney-COVID-AIDS
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has apologized for comparing the stigma of being unvaccinated for COVID-19 to the plight of HIV-AIDS patients in the 1980s. Wire: Prairies/BC. Photos: 1
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N.S. says booster good for at-risk youth 12 to 17
COVID-NS
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- Health officials in Nova Scotia are recommending a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for youth aged 12 to 17 who are at higher risk of severe illness from an infection. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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UPDATED CENSUS RELEASE:
Census: Despite COVID-19, population hits 36.9M
Census
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- Canada's population grew at a faster rate than many of its peers, rising to over 36.99 million on census day last year despite a historic slowdown caused by COVID-19. By Jordan Press. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Downtown growth accelerates: census
Census-Downtown
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- When Mark Garner looks around downtown Toronto all he sees is growth. By Tara Deschamps. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Rural Canada sees uneven population change: census
Census-Rural
Kelly Rae, the administrator of Arran, Sask., says the denizens of dwindling rural communities like her own are clinging on to a vanishing way of life in Canada. By Adina Bresge. Wire: National.
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Affordable housing draws more to smaller centres
Census-Pandemic-Shifts
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- Last February, Audrey Eldaoud and Robert Mawe set out to find a single-family home where they could put down roots. By Noushin Ziafati. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Alberta growth slowing but still strong: StatCan
Census-Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada -- Laid off twice from energy-related jobs, Calgary engineer Bill Copeland figured it was time to move with the times. By Bob Weber. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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B.C. sees 2nd-highest population growth in Canada
Census-BC
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -- Canada's latest census shows British Columbia had the second-highest population growth among the provinces, but realtors and buyers say an influx of people has created fiercer-than-ever competition for real estate. By Camille Bains. Wire: Prairies/BC, National. Photos: 1
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Maritime provinces are growing rapidly: census
Census-Atlantic
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada -- After living in Toronto for 25 years, Beth Hitchcock was ready for a change, having grown weary of big city life. By Michael MacDonald. Wire: Atlantic, National. Photos: 1
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See also:
Census-Prairies-Snapshot
Census-Ontario-Snapshot
Census-Quebec-Snapshot
Census-BC-Snapshot
Census-Atlantic-Snapshot
Census-North-Snapshot
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UPDATED OTHER TOP NEWS
Feds rebuffed privacy czar advice over phone data
Data-Privacy
Ottawa, , -- The federal privacy commissioner says his offer to advise the government on the implications of collecting data from millions of mobile phones during the COVID-19 pandemic was rebuffed. By Marie Woolf. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Toxic drug deaths in B.C. highest ever in 2021
Overdose-Crisis-BC
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada -- Illicit drug overdose deaths in British Columbia are second only to cancers in shortening the lives of residents to an average age of 44, prompting a call from the chief coroner to let go of old prevention measures that have been "an abject and very costly failure." Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Sen. Denise Batters back in national Tory caucus
Conservatives-Batters
Ottawa, , -- Conservative Sen. Denise Batters is back in the party's national caucus one week after the leader who kicked her out was himself dumped. By Stephanie Taylor. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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P.E.I. potato farmers ready spuds for Puerto Rico
PEI-Potato-Wart
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada -- Potato farmers on Prince Edward Island are preparing to ship potatoes to Puerto Rico after the United States announced earlier this week it would allow exports to resume to the territory. Wire: Atlantic. Photos: 1
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Military sex misconduct deal hit by privacy breach
Military-Misconduct-Breach
Ottawa, , -- The company administering the federal government's $900-million settlement deal with Armed Forces members and veterans who experienced sexual misconduct while in uniform has inadvertently released private information about dozens of claimants. By Lee Berthiaume. Wire: National. Photos: 1
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Teen sentenced to 3 years in terror case
Terror-Youth
A Kingston, Ont., teen who pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges has been sentenced to three years, with two years to be spent in custody and one in the community under supervision. By Nicole Thompson. Wire: National.
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Terror murder case to go straight to trial
Ont-London-Attack
London, Ontario, Canada -- A man facing terror-related murder charges in the deaths of four members of a Muslim family will head straight to trial. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Dentist in N.L. let jail guard pull inmate's teeth
NL-Unwanted-Dental-Work
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- A dentist with practices across Atlantic Canada has been sanctioned in Newfoundland and Labrador for allowing a correctional officer to extract "one or more" teeth from a sedated inmate while another officer filmed the procedure with his phone. Wire: Atlantic, National. Photos: 1
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Macklem says productivity key to reduced inflation
BoC-Macklem
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -- The governor of the Bank of Canada says higher interest rates are coming, but businesses also need to boost productivity to help keep rising prices in check over the long term. Wire: Business. Photos: 1
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Toronto company creates self-driving car simulator
Waabi-Tech
Toronto, Ontario, Canada -- One of Canada's leading autonomous vehicle experts has unveiled a way to help self-driving vehicles develop intuition and experience away from the road. By Tara Deschamps. Wire: Business. Photos: 1
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Ontario looks at lower overnight electricity price
Ont-Overnight-Electricity
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada -- Ontario is looking into offering a lower price plan for overnight electricity use, a move Minister Todd Smith said would help spur electric vehicle adoption. Wire: Ontario/Quebec. Photos: 1
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Olympic rookies Dubois, O'Dine shine for Canada
OLY-Canada-Roundup
BEIJING - A concussion robbed Meryeta O'Dine of her first chance at Olympic glory. O'Dine had made Canada's snowboard team for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics after a successful 2017-18 campaign on the World Cup snowboard cross circuit. But an injury suffered in training two days before her event knocked her out of the Games. On Wednesday, the 24-year-old from Prince George, B.C. was one of two Olympic rookies to climb the podium for Canada as she captured bronze in the women's snowboard cross. She was joined by speedskater Steven Dubois, who battled his way to a photo-finish silver medal in packed, 10-man field in the men's 1,500-metre short-track event. MOVED sports premium. PHOTO.
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Winter Games ratings down 25% in opening days
OLY-TV-Coverage-Review
Brampton, Ontario, Canada -- Ratings are like Winter Olympic athletes. They can go downhill, soar or go sideways; they can crash and get spun. On top of all that, they're not always easy to judge. By Bill Brioux. Wire: Entertainment. Photos: 1
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N.L.'s 'Gushue Girls' up early for Olympic curling
OLY-Gushue-Girls
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada -- There were gasps, shouts and cheers in Jeanne Collins's Gander, N.L., living room Wednesday morning as six Team Gushue superfans gathered to watch Canada's men's curling team pull ahead of Denmark to win its first match in the Beijing Olympics. By Sarah Smellie. Wire: Atlantic, Sports. Photos: 1
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"Representation is everything:" Black athletes hope to inspire in Beijing
OLY-BLACK-HISTORY-OLYMPIANS
Elladj Baldé calls it the video that forever changed his life. The Canadian figure skater is turning circles across a frozen, deserted Lake Minnewanka outside Banff, Alta. His Chicago Bulls bomber jacket is flapping open, his hair's tucked up under a black tuque. His arms are outstretched, his face turned up to the sun. His blades carve perfect circles like a Spirograph on the untouched ice. The video propelled Baldé to online stardom, providing him a vehicle to express his love for skating and connect with new audiences. As a biracial figure skater, Baldé spent much of his career trying to fit a mold in one of the Winter Olympics' stuffier sports. 1,300 words. By Lori Ewing. PHOTOS. ETA 1 p.m. Moves: Sports premium.
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LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE STORIES:
The LJI is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is delivered on the CP wire in the "Y" or spare news category, or you can register to access it at https://lji-ijl.ca. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited by The Canadian Press. Please credit stories to the reporter, their media outlet and the Local Journalism Initiative. Questions should be directed to LJI supervising editor Amy Logan at amy.logan@thecanadianpress.com. Below is a sample of the dozens of stories moved daily:
U of M students able to report sexual violence online
LJI-MAN-u-of-m-sexual-violence-reporting
Students at the University of Manitoba can now anonymously report campus incidents of sexualized violence 24/7, owing to a new partnership between the school’s undergraduate students’ association and an online reporting initiative. 650 words. Maggie Macintosh/Winnipeg Free Press
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World’s largest protected boreal forest sees major expansion
LJI-ALTA-BOREAL-PARK-EXPANSION
The Mikisew Cree Nation is celebrating the expansion of the Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Park in Northern Alberta to nearly double its existing land area to 775,000 acres. 550 words. Chevi Rabbit/ Alberta Native News
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Connectivity gap closing for B.C.’s isolated coastal communities
LJI-BC-ConnectedCoast-rural-internet-gap
It’s a landmark moment for an ambitious project to bring rapid internet to a swath of remote communities along the B.C. coast. The first 50 kilometres of subsea fibre-optic cable was recently laid at the northern reach of the $45.4-million Connected Coast project that will hook up 139 rural remote communities to high-speed internet. 1,000 words. PHOTO. Rochelle Baker/Canada's National Observer
FROM AP:
The latest AP advisory is unavailable. This is the previous version.
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TOP STORIES
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK — President Joe Biden entered office pledging to lead the nation out from the pandemic, but more than a year into office, as even Democratic states plot out their recovery from COVID-19, Biden is taking a back seat. After prematurely declaring victory over the virus last summer, Biden’s cautious approach is putting him at odds with members of his own party and threatens to make him appear disconnected from the American people. By Zeke Miller. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 4 p.m.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-CANADA-PROTESTS — A rapidly growing list of Canadian provinces moved to lift their COVID-19 restrictions as protesters decrying virus precautions kept up the pressure with truck blockades in the capital and at key U.S. border crossings, including the economically vital bridge to Detroit. By Rob Gillies. SENT: 715 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-SCHOOLS -- Responsibility for school mask mandates is shifting back to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most divisive issues of the pandemic. Some school officials around the country welcomed the state-imposed mandates to spare them from having to make unpopular decisions, especially early in the pandemic. But many superintendents say they now have the tools to decide whether masks should be required. The governors of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon this week announced plans to lift mandates in schools by the end of February or March. By Carolyn Thompson. SENT: 905 words, photos.
SUPREME COURT VACANCY-BLACK WOMEN — Black women have been buoyed by President Joe Biden’s pledge to nominate a Black woman to the court. But many are also disheartened by talk from some corners about the appointment amounting to “affirmative action” — especially remarks from likes of Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who have sought to diminish the appointment as an example of affirmative action that disadvantages white people. By Jocelyn Noveck and Deepti Hajela. SENT: 1,275 words, photos.
UKRAINE TENSIONS-KEEPING CALM — Washington is raising the rhetoric about the buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine’s border, but the Ukrainian president is projecting calm. This sense of calm is reflected in the opinions of many in Ukraine’s east, which is as likely as any place to see fighting first, although Russia has denied any plans to invade. A senior U.S. administration official says the White House believes spotlighting their concerns will dissuade the Kremlin from an invasion. By Inna Varenytsia, Lori Hinnant and Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT: 1,030 words, photos. WITH: UKRAINE-TENSIONS — Britain’s top diplomat heads to Moscow to try to defuse tensions raised by Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine. SENT: 890 words, photos. WITH: UKRAINE-TENSIONS-THINGS-TO-KNOW —Ukraine-Russia crisis: What to know about the fears of war. SENT: 925 words, photos.
For full coverage of Ukraine.
LOUISIANA-DEATH-FEDERAL-PROBE — Declaring “no cover-up will be tolerated,” Louisiana’s top GOP lawmaker announced a bipartisan legislative investigation Wednesday into the deadly 2019 arrest of Black motorist Ronald Greene, an inquiry that will examine the state’s response at “all levels,” from troopers to the governor. It comes in response to an AP report that showed the governor was informed within hours that troopers arresting Greene engaged in a “violent, lengthy struggle,” yet he kept quiet for two years as state police told a much different story to the victim’s family and in official reports: that Greene died in a crash after a chase. By Jim Mustian. UPCOMING 650 words by 5 p.m.
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MORE ON THE OLYMPICS
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OLY-OLYMPIC-RDP — Lindsey Jacobellis is finally an Olympic gold medalist. Let that sink in for a moment because Jacobellis has been trying for 16 years. Jacobellis helped make the wild sport of snowboardcross famous. After all, who could forget her premature celebration as she approached the finish line in the 2006 Turin Games, an ill-timed board grab that sent her tumbling out of the lead. SENT: 890 words, photos.
WOMEN’S SLALOM — Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin missed a gate early in the first run of the slalom at the Beijing Games and is out of the event. It was a quick end to her day just like in her first event in Beijing, the giant slalom. By National Writer Howard Fendrich. SENT: 980 words, photos. With BEIJING-OLYMPICS-THE LATEST; DAY 4-PHOTO GALLERY — Athletes soar high in Day 4 at Beijing Olympics.
PAUL NEWBERRY-SHIFFRIN — When Mikaela Shiffrin careened off the course, another expected gold medal slipping away before she hardly got started, the announcers from NBC let her have it. In a different era, this sort of coverage would have been accepted, almost expected. Not anymore. Social media quickly turned on the network, while raising some perplexing issues. By Sports Columnist Paul Newberry. SENT: 870 words, photos.
WOMEN’S SNOWBOARDCROSS — Lindsey Jacobellis captured the United States’ first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, riding hard to the line in her snowboardcross final a full 16 years after a mistake cost her the title. SENT: 815 words, photos.
OLY-LUG-DOUBLES — Another day, another German Olympic luge threepeat. The best sliding nation in the world is leaving absolutely no doubt at the Beijing Games. SENT: 725 words, photos.
ISOLATION ROOM NO. 2 — Like laundering with gasoline or hiking naked, traveling three weeks after a bout of COVID-19 to the Winter Olympics in China where the coronavirus is Public Enemy No. 1 is proving to have been a silly idea. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.
LATIN AMERICAN ATHLETES — None of the naysayers deterred Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo, the rare Latin American athlete at the Winter Games who has now become an even more rare success story – however relative – from that part of the globe. SENT: 1,220 words, photos.
TEAM EVENT-MEDALS POSTPONED — The winners in the team figure skating competition at the Beijing Olympics still have not received their medals two days later because of what the IOC said were “legal issues.” SENT: 325 words, photos.
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MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK
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MASK-MANDATES-NEW-YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state will end a COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, but will keep masking rules in place in schools. The mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, like grocery stores, shops and offices, was put in place Dec. 10 as the omicron variant of the virus began infecting huge numbers of New Yorkers. It was set to expire Thursday. SENT: 630 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFGHANISTAN — All but five of the 38 COVID-19 treatment hospitals that once operated in Afghanistan have been forced to close in recent months for lack of doctors, medicines, even heat. This comes as the economically devastated nation is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of reported coronavirus cases. SENT: 800 words, photos, video.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BRITAIN — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says laws requiring people in England with COVID-19 to self-isolate could be lifted by the end of the month, bringing an end to all domestic coronavirus restrictions. SENT: 495 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SWEDEN-TESTING — Sweden has halted wide-scale testing for COVID-19 even among people showing symptoms of an infection, putting an end to the mobile city-square tent sites, drive-in swab centers and home-delivered tests that became ubiquitous during the pandemic and provided essential data for tracking its spread. SENT: 920 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-WHO — The World Health Organization says coronavirus case counts fell 17% worldwide over the last week compared to the previous week, including a 50% drop in the United States, while deaths globally declined 7%. SENT: 340 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-LONG COVID — Experts say it’s too early to know whether people infected with the omicron variant will develop long COVID. SENT: 350 words, illustration.
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TRENDING NEWS
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INDONESIA-CROCODILE — Indonesia frees crocodile from tire stuck on its neck for six years. SENT: 460 words, photos.
THAILAND-THREE-LEGGED TIGER — Thai wildlife group says tiger missing a leg needs help. SENT: 330 words, photos.
ODD-LONG-LOST-KITTY — Snowbird kitty: Lost cat heads home to Maine — from Florida. SENT: 155 words.
SUPER BOWL-SUPER FANS — Three friends who’ve attended every Super Bowl are hoping for a memorable contest this year, because it will probably be their final trip to the big game as a group. SENT: 475 words, photos.
AMERICAN-IDOL-CONTESTANT-DEADLY-CRASH — A country music singer who was a finalist on TV’s “American Idol” has been charged with driving under the influence resulting in death, South Carolina authorities said. SENT: 245 words, photo.
MOTHER-KILLED-PAROLE — A Missouri man who has insisted for more than 20 years that he was wrongly convicted as a teenager of killing his mother has been granted parole. SENT: 325 words, photo.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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CAPITOL-POLICE — A year after the Jan. 6 insurrection, U.S. Capitol Police officers are facing increasingly heated and baseless allegations from House Republicans that the department’s officers are operating as politically driven spies. The rhetoric is complicating the force’s effort to win back public confidence. SENT: 1,055 words, photos.
BORDER PATROL MORALE — A strained Border Patrol is getting increased attention from the Biden administration after tense meetings between senior officials and the rank-and-file. The agency is dealing with one of the largest spikes in migration along the U.S.-Mexico border in decades. By Ben Fox. SENT: 850 words, photos.
FLORIDA REDISTRICTING — For decades, Democratic Rep. Al Lawson’s district has stretched like a rubber band from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, scooping up as many Black voters as possible to comply with requirements that minority communities get grouped together so they can select their own leaders. But the ground rules for districts like Lawson’s may be changing. Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, is taking the unusual step of asking his state’s Supreme Court to advise whether Lawson’s district can be broken into whiter, and more Republican, districts. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 5 p.m.
CONGRESS-GAS-TAX — Some Democratic senators are calling for suspending the federal gas tax for the remainder of the year to help consumers struggling with rising fuel prices. The bill announced Wednesday faces an uphill fight to become law. But the legislation from Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire could prove popular during an election year when the average price of gas nationally exceeds about $3.45 a gallon. SENT: 315 words, photos.
FDA COMMISSIONER-SENATE — President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the powerful Food and Drug Administration has stalled in the narrowly divided Senate. SENT: 1,000 words, photo.
DRUG-PIPES — Following outrage on the political right, the Biden administration said a grant program to help prevent additional harm to people who use illicit drugs will not pay for safer pipes to smoke crack or meth. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 4 p.m.
CHILD TAX CREDIT-EXPLAINER — Millions of Americans who have never filed a tax return will need to do so this year in order to claim what’s coming to them under the enhanced child tax credit program Biden expanded as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. SENT: 735 words, photo.
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NATIONAL
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MOTHER-CHILD-ABUSE-DEATH — A Colorado woman will be sentenced after killing her 7-year-old daughter after lying in a string of TV appearances about her daughter being seriously ill to get money to fulfill the girl’s bucket list dreams. The mother’s pleas drew publicity and donations that included an $11,000 “bat princess” costume party provided by the Make-A-Wish-Foundation. But the mother was lying and now faces years in prison after pleading guilty last month to negligently causing the 2017 death through child abuse. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
COLORADO SUPERMARKET SHOOTING — A Colorado supermarket in the college town of Boulder where 10 people were killed when a gunman opened fire last year is set to reopen in a move that is triggering mixed emotions for families of the victims. SENT: 590 words, photos.
MICHIGAN GOVERNOR-KIDNAPPING PLOT — A man charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded guilty, a second key conviction for the government just a month before four others face trial. SENT: 340 words, photo.
CHURCH-IN-SCHOOL-WEST-VIRGINIA — Students in a West Virginia city have staged a walkout to protest a Christian assembly they were forced to attend during school hours. More than 100 Huntington High School students left their homerooms to demonstrate against a mini revival held last week in the school’s auditorium. SENT: 1,040 words, photo, video.
GEORGE FLOYD-OFFICERS-CIVIL RIGHTS — The judge overseeing the federal trial of three former officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights dismissed a juror because his son is ill. SENT: 655 words, photos.
POLICE-SHOOTING-STUN-GUN — An officer thought he was deploying his stun gun when he shot and seriously wounded a naked man last summer, Hollywood police said. The police statement was released after civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump announced a lawsuit to force the release of surveillance video of the July 3 shooting that paralyzed Michael Ortiz. SENT: 495 words.
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INTERNATIONAL
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TONGA-VOLCANO — Elon Musk is helping reconnect Tonga to the internet after a volcanic eruption and tsunami cut off the South Pacific nation more than three weeks ago, according to officials, while repairs on an undersea cable are proving more difficult than first thought. SENT: 860 words, photos.
AUSTRALIA-US — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and key allies are “voting with their feet” by flying to Australia to focus on challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia’s foreign minister says, as fears rise of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on the other side of the globe. SENT: 890 words, photos.
WORLD-COURT-CONGO-UGANDA — The International Court of Justice ordered Uganda to pay $325 million in compensation to Congo for violence in a long-running conflict between the African neighbors that began in the late 1990s. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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HEALTH & SCIENCE
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SPACEX-DOOMED-SATELLITES — Spacex’s newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have either reentered the atmosphere and burned up, or are on the verge of doing so, the company said. SENT: 365 words, photos.
APOLLO 16 CLEANUP — The Apollo 16 spacecraft is dusty and home to a few cobwebs decades after it carried three astronauts to the moon. But workers at a space museum are getting the capsule ready for events marking the 50th anniversary of its flight in 1972. SENT: 620 words, photos, video.
BIRD-FLU-INDIANA-TURKEY-FARM —A strain of avian flu that can cause high mortality rates among birds has been confirmed at a commercial turkey farm in southern Indiana, federal and state agencies said. SENT: 300 words.
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BUSINESS/ECONOMY
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WORSENING CHIP SHORTAGE-EXPLAINER — Even coming off its fastest rate of annual growth in 37 years, the U.S. economy is still bogged down by a persistent shortage of the computer chips essential to the technology that connects, transports, and entertains us. It’s a problem that has been building up since government lockdowns triggered by the pandemic began shutting down major chip factories in Asia more than two years ago and seems likely to remain a problem into the summer. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 4 p.m.
CYBERSECURITY-RANSOMWARE-TRENDS — Cyber criminal gangs are getting increasingly adept at hacking and becoming more professional, even setting up an arbitration system to resolve payment disputes among themselves, according to a new report by the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom that paints a bleak picture of ransomware trends. SENT: 560 words, photos.
SAMSUNG-PREMIUM-PHONE-CHALLENGE — Samsung is trying to reclaim lost ground in the coveted high end of the smartphone market with a new lineup of Galaxy S models designed to appeal to consumers who are increasingly sharing videos of their antics on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and other popular apps. SENT: 610 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS — Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street, putting the market further into the green for the week after a solid gain a day earlier. SENT: 365 words, photo.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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VALENTINE’S-DAY-LOVE-AND-LOGINS — When love goes wrong, exactly what is today’s etiquette on maintaining joint access to streaming and other online services? While many people maintain access after a breakup, cyber security experts strongly recommend a digital divorce, even when things end amicably. By Leanne Italie. SENT: 1,015 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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FBN—SUPER BOWL-RAMS-KUPP — The long days of rehabbing from a knee injury in 2018 wasn’t the most challenging thing Cooper Kupp had to go through. It was missing the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver was on the sideline three years ago in Atlanta when the Rams failed to score a touchdown in a 13-3 loss to New England. Kupp’s 2018 injury is one of the reasons he has emerged as one of the best pass catchers in the NFL going into Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals for the Lombardi Trophy. SENT: 650 words, photos.
FBN—SUPER BOWL-SEC FLAVOR — Odell Beckham Jr. cheered Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase two short years ago, enjoying every minute as the duo led their alma mater LSU to the national championship. He also knew he’d be seeing both of them again in the NFL because they’re born winners. Sunday’s Super Bowl will have a very distinct Southeastern Conference flavor. The Rams have 11 and the Bengals 12 players from SEC programs, with seven more combined on the practice squads. SENT: 850 words, photos.
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The Canadian Press
