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Toronto-based food pickup service Ritual lays off 40% of staff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

TORONTO — Ritual says it has laid off about 40 per cent of its company.The cut carried out by the Toronto-based food pickup service amounts to about 38 workers.The company did not say what promoted the layoff but described it as a difficult decision in a statement.Ritual says it believes the move will strengthen the company, position it for success and better help it service restaurants as they grow their businesses.The cut comes after Ritual said in May that it would begin charging consumers a fee for every order they place on its platform.The charges amount to between 15 and 99 cents for orders under $30 and $1.99 for orders above $30.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2023.The Canadian Press

Stock market today: Wall Street sinks toward first losing week in last six

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Another drop for stocks on Friday has Wall Street on track to close out its first losing week in the last six.The S&P 500 was 0.7% lower in late trading, pulling back further from last week when it reached its highest level in more than a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 209 points, or 0.6%, at 33,737 with less than an hour remaining in trading. The Nasdaq composite was 1% lower.Overseas markets also fell, while crude oil prices slipped amid worries that a stressed global economy may burn less fuel.Europe’s economy appears to be weaker than expected, according to a preliminary report measuring manufacturing and services businesses. That’s adding to this week’s hesitance in markets, caused by a crank higher in interest rates by central banks around the world as they try to get high inflation under control. High rates drive down inflation by slowing the economy, which raises the risk of a recession.High interest rates in the United States have alread...

Judge stays medical marijuana licenses as companies argue selection process was flawed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A judge on Friday ordered Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to temporarily halt the issuance of licenses to growers and distributers as two companies argue the state used a flawed and secretive process to selectin winners for the potentially lucrative licenses. The order re-enforces a decision already made last week by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission to pull back the licenses awarded on June 12 after the chairman said they discovered “potential inconsistency in the tabulation of scoring data.” Montgomery Circuit Judge James Anderson on Friday issued a temporary restraining order on top of that, staying the licenses until the issue regarding the scoring data is resolved. The state and companies agreed to the stay. Anderson scheduled a July hearing on the companies’ request for a preliminary injunction as the companies argue the entire selection process was flawed. Alabama Always and Hornet Medicinals, two companies that applied for the five int...

West Virginia industrial gas plant will pay $1.9 million for Ohio River pollution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. (AP) — A producer of industrial gas in West Virginia has agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act by dumping copper, aluminum, residual chlorine, iron and phenolics into the Ohio River at levels above what was permitted, federal regulators said Friday.Messer LLC produces liquid nitrogen, oxygen, argon, krypton and xenon at the facility in New Cumberland.According to the EPA, the facility violated its pollution discharge permit at least 186 times since 2016. Messer assumed liability for the violations when it acquired the facility in 2019, the EPA said.In addition to the civil penalty for exceeding discharge permits, which will be paid in equal amounts to the state and federal governments, Messer agreed to build a new treatment system and do more to inspect stormwater discharges, the statement said.The Associated Press

Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive. The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, among other things, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed special counsel. That designation would have would have given Weiss the same status as the prosecutor leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump.Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against President Joe Biden’s son. And Garland added that if Weiss — first appointed U.S. Attorney by Donald Trump — agrees to testify before Congress, the Justice Dep...

Carlos Ghosn says $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan is reasonable given his suffering after arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Carlos Ghosn said Friday that the $1 billion lawsuit he recently filed against Nissan and others is just the beginning of his fight. The former Nissan CEO said during an interview with The Associated Press in Beirut that had he been an American citizen filing a lawsuit in the United States, “I would not be asking for $1 billion, but for much more,” given his suffering. Ghosn led Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades, rescuing it from near-bankruptcy, before he was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gains and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation. He fled Japan in December 2019 for Lebanon where he has lived since.Ghosn is wanted in Japan and France. Since he fled to Lebanon, Beirut has received three notices from Interpol based on arrest warrants for him from those countries. In France, he is facing a number of legal challenges, including tax evasion and alleged money l...

Separate arrests made after assaults of Toronto parking enforcement officers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

Toronto police have arrested two people in separate assaults targeting parking enforcement officers, including an incident that saw a 19-year-old refuse a ticket and squeeze an officer’s hand.The first alleged incident happened on June 15 around 5:15 p.m. in the Beverley Street and Cecil Street area in the city’s downtown core.Police said a parking enforcement officer was patrolling along Cecil Street when he observed a man throwing an object near pedestrians. The man then smashed a beer bottle on the ground.The unknown man chased the parking enforcement officer, who fled to his vehicle. Police said the officer placed himself on the other side of his car, away from the man, and called dispatch for assistance.The male suspect then fled on foot and, a short time later, was taken into police custody.The accused was identified as 30-year-old Ivan Ramos Hernandez of Toronto. He was charged with assault and resisting arrest.He’s expected to appear in court on July 11.19-...

Interim Supt. Fred Waller to discuss safety plans ahead of weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

CHICAGO -- Interim CPD Supt. Fred Waller is expected to discuss plans to tackle weekend violence ahead of the Chicago Pride Parade set to take place Sunday. As businesses and locals gear up for one of the biggest events this weekend, police are getting ready to discuss their safety plans for the upcoming Pride parade that is expected to round up about one million people, based on years in the past. Last weekend, 75 people were shot with 13 fatalities in the city of Chicago. Ahead of the following weekend, police have responded to eight people shot overnight. A 17-year-old boy suffered a graze wound to the back of the head in Gage Park around 9:22 p.m. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition. Body recovered from Lake Michigan near where woman went missing Another shooting happened near the Loyola University campus in the 1200 block of West Columbia Street around 8:09 p.m. A 24-year-old man self-transported to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the buttocks. He is ...

FBI looking for masked man who robbed bank in Humboldt Park, Bucktown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

CHICAGO — Authorities in Chicago are searching for a man suspected of robbing two separate PNC Bank locations in Humboldt Park and Bucktown.While no injuries were reported, FBI Chicago said the masked man should be considered armed and dangerous after robberies that occurred on June 21 and June 16. Mother instructed 14-year-old son to shoot, kill man at hot dog stand, court docs allege On June 21, just before 9:40 a.m., the suspect robbed the PNC Bank on N. Damen Avenue. He wore black pants, a red t-shirt, a blue face mask, a black baseball cap with a white Nike logo, and a black cross-body bag. He also had a white sleeve on his right arm and was wearing glasses.Days earlier, on June 16 around 1:30 p.m., the suspect allegedly robbed the PNC Bank on W. North Avenue. The unknown suspect wore all-black clothing with a blue face mask. He also donned a black baseball cap with a square logo and a black cross-body bag. He was also wearing glasses.Authorities described the robbery suspec...

Nicki Minaj's neighbors want her out, cite husband's criminal history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:50 GMT

(KTLA) -- Nicki Minaj's neighbors want to boot her out of Hidden Hills, California, over concerns about her husband's criminal history. Resident Beverly Barden issued a petition called Say No to Sex Offenders in Hidden Hills and is calling for the eviction of Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, from the posh Los Angeles County neighborhood."We, the residents of Hidden Hills, must put our resident’s safety first," the petition reads. "Don’t wait to receive a letter from the government saying a predator has moved in near you. DO NOT allow this dangerous sex offender to live near you, SHOW that you are against sex offenders in our Hidden Hills neighborhood!"The couple moved into the home in December 2022 and reportedly paid a whopping $19.5 million, according to TMZ. The petition started that same month. That July, Petty was sentenced to three years probation and a year of in-home detention after pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender in California in 2020...