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Stealing a few minutes of extra sleep via the snooze button seems beneficial, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

Theresa Braine | (TNS) New York Daily NewsHitting the snooze button doesn’t hurt, and might even help one wake up, a new study has found.While use of the snooze button tends to carry negative connotations, a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Sleep Research found otherwise. Lead researcher Tina Sundelin said in a statement, “Those who snooze on average sleep slightly shorter and feel more drowsy in the morning compared to those who never snooze.” However, they found “no negative effects of snoozing on cortisol release, morning tiredness, mood, or sleep quality throughout the night.”Snoozing for an extra 30 minutes “improved or did not affect performance on cognitive tests directly upon rising compared with an abrupt awakening,” Sundelin and fellow researchers at the University of Stockholm said in the study. “A brief snooze period may thus help alleviate sleep inertia, without substantially disturbing sleep.”They were even a little more quick-thinking when they did get up, ...

Kingston police dole out hefty fines during wild homecoming weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

You can add some hefty fines to go along with the headaches from homecoming hangovers after Kingston Police cracked down on unruly partying in the Queen’s University District over the weekend.The largest fines of $2,000 were doled out twice for hosting a nuisance party, while 90 people were hit with $500 tickets for failing to leave the parties after being ordered to disperse.Other charges included amplified sound, open liquor, underage drinking and public intoxication.Two people were charged with obstructing a police officer.“Over the weekend, City Bylaw continued to work with Kingston Police to respond to large unsanctioned gatherings in the University District,” Kyle Compeau, Manager of Enforcement Services at the City of Kingston, said in a release.“Although we saw more cooperation with enforcement, officers still dealt with a substantial number of residential parties, along with a complete street takeover that posed safety risks to the community.”Police closed...

Boys arrested for bomb threat aboard TTC subway that forced evacuation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

Three boys are facing charges after allegedly accessing the PA system on a subway train and telling passengers there was a bomb, leading to the TTC station’s evacuation during rush hour.Investigators were notified of a bomb threat at St. Patrick Station at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17. Police said three male youths were aboard a southbound train when they entered the rear operator cab and gained access to the PA system. The boys then told passengers that there was a bomb on the train and fled from the station with stolen property.Due to the incident, subway service was halted between St. Patrick and Union stations for just under an hour, with trains turning back at St. Andrew and Spadina stations.Police evacuated the subway station and train as a precaution while offers attended, searched and cleared the station of any threats before service was resumed.No injuries were reported. Police said three boys, aged 17, were arrested. The youths face several charges, including...

Chiefs hopeful court will approve landmark child-welfare settlement this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

OTTAWA — First Nations chiefs and advocates are hopeful the Federal Court will approve a landmark child-welfare settlement this week.The court is hearing final arguments in Ottawa this week on a proposed settlement agreement that would be the biggest in Canadian history if it passes. The settlement includes $23 billion in compensation for more than 300,000 children and their families, and another $20 billion to reform the child welfare system.The Assembly of First Nations interim national chief, Joanna Bernard, says families have been waiting decades for this settlement.Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society that took Canada to task in 2007, says there are still a number of issues.Blackstock says First Nations children living on-reserve are still subject to inequitable access to health care, and Ottawa must do more to protect them.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2023.The Canadian Press<!– ...

World’s oldest dog ever, 31, dies in Portugal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

A 31-year-old dog in Portugal that had been ranked as the world’s oldest dog ever has died, his owner said Monday.The guard dog, called Bobi, died over the weekend in a veterinary hospital, Leonel Costa told The Associated Press.Bobi lived on a farm in the village of Conqueiros in Portugal with Costa and four cats. He was born on May 11, 1992, when his owner was just 8 years old.In an interview earlier this year, Costa told the Associated Press that Bobi’s secret to a long life was good food, fresh air and lots of love.“Bobi eats what we eat,” said Costa. What’s more, Bobi had never been put on a leash.Bobi, a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo Portuguese dog, poses for a photo with his owner Leonel Costa and his Guinness World Record certificates for the oldest dog at their home in Conqueiros, central Portugal, Saturday, May 20, 2023. Bobi’s owner said Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, that he passed away Saturday at 31 years and 165 days of age. (AP Photo/ Jorge...

Politicians condemn protest at Jewish-owned business as police monitor demonstrations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

OTTAWA — Toronto police say they are aware of a demonstration that happened this weekend in front of a Jewish-owned business, but no one has filed a report with them. Footage shared on social media shows a group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in front of a restaurant in Toronto, with some members of the crowd calling it a “Zionist café” and calling for a boycott.There has been widespread condemnation of the chant from political leaders including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who said in a statement that “targeting a business in this way is wrong.” University of Ottawa criminology professor Michael Kempa says it is ultimately up to police to decide what behaviour crosses a line into criminality when it comes to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Police services across Canada say they are dealing with heightened fears from both Jewish and Muslim groups since the Israel-Hamas war broke out more than two weeks ago. Many have increased their prese...

35 years later, Georgia authorities identify woman whose body was found in a dumpster

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

MILLEN, Ga. (AP) — A body found wrapped in plastic inside a Georgia dumpster 35 years ago has been identified as that of a South Korean woman, officials announced Monday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they used DNA analysis, paid for by donors, to determine that Chong Un Kim, 26, was the person whose body was discovered in rural Millen in February 1988.Kim died from asphyxiation, but it’s unclear whether someone killed her or who dumped her body. She was found wrapped with plastic and duct tape, inside a suitcase that had been placed in a trash bin. Investigators said Kim had been dead four to seven days when her body was found.Kim had moved to the United States in 1981, investigators said. She had lived for several years in Hinesville, which adjoins Fort Stewart and is 70 miles (110 kilometers) miles south of Millen.Investigators were unable to identify Kim for decades, despite the use of fingerprints, dental records and a forensic sketch. DNA found at the time could not...

Five youth, one adult taken to hospitals after school bus rolls over north of Calgary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

DIDSBURY, Alta. — Six people have been transported to hospital after a collision involving a school bus in central Alberta.An RCMP officer from Didsbury, about 82 kilometres north of Calgary, came across the school bus rollover on Highway 2A at Township Road 320, police said Monday. “The bus contained numerous students,” they said in a news release. Emergency Medical Services said paramedics responded around 10:30 a.m. “A total of six individuals were transported to hospital,” spokesman Adam Loria said in an email.Two youths and an adult were taken to hospitals in Calgary, while three youths were taken to Didsbury Health Centre.Loria said all six were transported by ground ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.Highway 2A is closed and no traffic can get through the area.Police said earlier they were responding Monday to multiple collisions in the area, including potentially 12 between Carstairs and Olds on Highway 2, due to poor road conditions.Alberta...

2 Israeli women held hostage in Gaza released by Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released two elderly Israeli women held hostage in Gaza on Monday, as the United States expressed increasing concern that the escalating Israel-Hamas war will spark a wider conflict in the region, including attacks on American troops.The death toll in Gaza was rising rapidly as Israel ramped up airstrikes, flattening residential buildings in what it says was preparation for an eventual ground assault. The United States advised Israel to delay an expected ground invasion to allow time to negotiate the release of more hostages.A third small aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza, where the population of 2.3 million has been running out of food, water and medicine under Israel’s two-week seal. With Israel still barring entry of fuel, the U.N. said its distribution of aid would grind to a halt within days when it can no longer fuel its trucks. Gaza hospitals are struggling to keep generators running to power life-saving medical equipment and incubators for pre...

Remains of WWII soldier from Winnetka to be buried Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:50 GMT

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — The remains of a suburban U.S. Army soldier who was killed during a World War II battle will be buried on Friday.Pfc. John Gordon, a Winnetka native, was killed in action during the Battle of Reipertswiller in France in January 1945. He was just 32 years old.That day, his company, Company G, was subjected to a German counterattack after it had been cut off from allied forces the day before. By Jan. 20, all of the men from Company G had been killed or captured — and American forces were unable to recover Gordon’s body.Last summer, Gordon's remains were accounted for. Suburban rescue in ‘dire’ need of new van to save animals from being euthanized His remains will be buried Friday at Wood National Cemetery in Milwaukee.