Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass removed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley from her position due to the city's response to last month's deadly wildfires. Mayor Bass cited concerns about public safety and the fire department's operations, emphasizing the need for accountability after over 25 deaths and widespread destruction. (UPI)

Federal workers were instructed to document their weekly accomplishments by responding to an email from the Office of Personnel Management. Elon Musk warned that failure to respond would result in resignation, but some agencies advised employees to disregard the request, raising questions about its enforceability. (CBS News)

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated he would resign his position for peace or NATO membership. The announcement was made during a press conference in Kyiv, in response to a question from ABC News. Zelenskyy's remarks followed tensions with President Trump and demands for Ukraine to pay $500 billion to the U.S. (ABC News)

Pope Francis is in critical condition with double pneumonia and mild renal insufficiency. The Vatican confirmed his illness and treatment at a hospital in Rome. Despite some stability in his red blood count, his health remains serious due to multiple complications. He remains alert and participated in Holy Mass on Sunday. (NBC News)

The Bureau of Prisons plans to relocate transgender inmates to prisons based on their sex at birth, not their gender identity. This policy change, driven by a Trump executive order, has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the transgender inmate population, resulting in a lawsuit to block the moves. (NPR)

One of Grand Falls-Windsor’s favourite sons will be immortalized in the form of a statue.

The late Canadian actor was born in the central Newfoundland town, and the provincial arts and culture venue bears his name.

Sculptor Morgan MacDonald has been commissioned by the town to execute the work. It will be a full-scale life-size version of Gordon Pinsent sitting on a bench.

MacDonald is keeping details under wraps until the grand reveal.

Mia Francis popped off on social media last summer hosting well-decorated proposals and parties in St. John's. Now she has a space on Water Street and hosting social events.

The Town of Grand Falls-Windsor is passing its Perfectly Centered Gymnastics program to a private operator.

Current Manager Ashley Crewe will lease the existing gymnastics equipment and the town’s space at 44 Hardy Avenue and will continue to provide the programming she established back in 2017.

The town council says it’s delighted to have played a role in the popular program’s start-up and is pleased to transition gymnastics to a new privately-operated format.

Technology leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador say they want to see the province bring their 'buy local' approach to the tech sector.

Heritage NL has unveiled the winners of the 20th annual Heritage Places Poster Contest.

The organization says they received over 1,000 entries this year from 50 schools across this province, including both the English and French school districts, Indigenous schools, private schools and home-schooled students.

Photo via Heritage NL

This year’s overall winning submission is from Mariell Sanchez, a grade 11 home-schooled student from CBS who created a colourful picture of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in St. John’s.

The work is also the winning submission for the senior high category.

Winning submissions were also selected for other grade categories and regions.

Independent breweries from every region of the country, including Newfoundland and Labrador, have launched “Glorious and Free” to create a truly Canadian beer.

Breweries will make their own version of Ottawa-based Dominion City’s “Glorious and Free” using 100 per cent Canadian-sourced ingredients.

Josh McJannett, co-founder of Dominion City, says the goal is to harness the power of local beer to build a stronger country.

Port Rexton is the Newfoundland and Labrador partner in the campaign.

“We’re honoured to have the folks from Port Rexton on board,” says McJannett. “A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charitable cause.”

The campaign invites breweries and homebrewers across the country to join in and create a wave of demand for Canadian growers and suppliers.

We now have more information on the car crash in Labrador.

Two vehicles collided head on yesterday on the stretch west of Wabush between the landfill and the Bloom Lake tracks. The operator of each vehicle was taken to hospital. The most serious of the two, a woman who was driving one of the vehicles, was later airlifted to hospital in Quebec.

That section of the Trans Labrador Highway remains reduced to one lane.

The RNC are asking anybody who has any information on the accident to contact the Lab City detachment at 709-944-7602.

The provincial government says it has been a successful first month for its Business Navigator program.

The program, which operates out of St. John’s, Corner Brook, and Clarenville, provides one-on-one support for businesses sifting their way through provincial requirements needed to operate.

Since it was launched last month, government says 70 inquiries have been received by the team.

There are three ways people can get in touch with program, including an online portal, email and phone number.

Catholic churches in this province are watching the Vatican closely at Sunday Service this morning as Pope Francis remains in hospital for pneumonia.

The Vatican relayed that the Pope “is not out of danger,” and “the condition of the Holy Father continues to be critical.”

Officials say this morning he experienced an “asthma-like respiratory crisis,” and high-flow oxygen had to be used while he was in hospital.

On Sunday morning, the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis had a peaceful ninth night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he is being treated for double pneumonia
25-02/pope-francis-morning-23-february-2025-health-gemelli-hospital.html

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) February 23, 2025

They say he could be in hospital for at least another week.

It’s estimated there are roughly 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.

The provincial government has shifted to an “expression of interest model” for processing immigration applications.

The model uses a two-step process for people who apply.

First, applicants will fill out a short form identifying characteristics like their occupation, education, language, and willingness to stay in the province.

Then, those forms will be reviewed and used to select people to move on to the next step, which involves completing a full application to one of the province’s two immigration streams.

The province says the change will ensure immigration spaces are used strategically throughout the year, and help employers better respond to labour market needs.

All applications made prior to the transition will remain active within the government’s system, and those people will be contacted regarding the next steps.

Some people will move directly to the application process, while others will be asked to submit an expression of interest. Those decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The government says because of the changes, it may take up to three months for a decision to be made on an application.

An expert in the medical field is back from a conference in Saudi Arabia which focused on healthy aging.

Dr. Mike Wahl visited the Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh to learn about health and longevity from a global perspective.

Dr. Wahl spoke to Dr. Mehmood Khan, who says longevity needs to start with policymakers to prioritize healthy living initiatives.

“How do we invest behind the science, the breakthroughs? But that’s not sufficient,” said Dr. Khan.

“Bringing that science to the marketplace is converting an invention to an innovation. How do you do that? You need private and public capital to actually take the winners and demonstrate which ones are gonna make a difference in the marketplace.”

Seamus, a pet miniature donkey and Pound Cove’s newest resident, is being trained as a therapy animal for Bonavista North residents.

It took coming to Canada from Nigeria to prompt this St. John's resident to gain an understanding of Black History Month, and now he wants people to better appreciate Black innovators.

For the first time ever, an awards show celebrating the local drag community is happening in St. John’s.

Dakota Russell, known by his drag persona Misty Manifest, is the head of the organization Drag Is Art.

Russell says he has been doing drag for about a decade, and there is an “ever-growing” community in the St. John’s region.

He says at one point, there were about 70 active performers here, and now that number is down to between 40 and 50.

Russell says he wanted to create an awards show to give back to the community and “showcase what drag is here.

Russell says the response so far has been great and people are very excited, noting that a drag-specific awards show hasn’t been done here before.

The Newfoundland Drag Awards are taking place March 15th at the Rockhouse on George street.

Memorial University is making it less onerous for students to be admitted to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

Candidates who meet certain standards, including holding an undergraduate business degree from Memorial or being members in good standing of some professional associations, will no longer have to write the admission test to be eligible for the MBA program.

Dr. Travor Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Business, says they’re committed to making their high-quality programs more accessible for a greater number of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Dr. Rachel Shanahan of the Faculty of Business told the Tim Powers Show on VOCM that removing the G-Mat took a long time because they wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do.

Following a confirmed break and enter at a business on Hamilton River Road in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 36-year-old Kieran Pardy was apprehended by RCMP Police Service Dog Phox.

Shortly after 3:00 a.m. Tuesday, police received a report of an alarm sounding at a business. Officers observed fresh foot tracks in the snow. RCMP PSD Phox and his handler, Corporal Rouleau, conducted a track of the suspect. Pardy was located a short time later, hiding in a bush nearby. He was arrested without further incident. Police determined that two neighboring properties had been broken into.

Pardy is charged with two counts of break and enter and breach of a probation order.

A Labrador teen shares the music that inspires her during Black History Month.

There were no injuries following a fire at Kelsey’s Restaurant in St. John’s this morning.

Crews were called in the 10:00 hour after staff noticed sparks coming from an outlet at the restaurant.

Platoon Chief Michael Hall says when firefighters arrived, the kitchen was filled with smoke, and there was fire behind the walls.

The restaurant is expected to be closed for short period of time.

A family of four have discovered a unique hobby in powerlifting. A mother and her three children train together five days a week at a small basement gym in Stephenville. They have gotten so good, they all qualified to compete at the Powerlifting Union National Championships.

A snowy winter in central Canada and the east coast means a reduction in blood donors braving the elements to roll up their sleeves.

Canadian Blood Services is putting out the call for donors as the need for blood products never diminishes.

Spokesperson Gord Skiffington says there aren’t enough donors to meet the need.

They get an average of 230 donors per day at donor centres across Canada, but extreme cold and heavy snowfall across the country this month has made things more challenging. He says they need about 450 new donors across Canada to help meet patient need.

1-888-2-DONATE is the number to call to book an appointment.

It’s the Coldest Night of the Year in St. John’s – figuratively speaking.

Some 300 people will walk from Atlantic Place through the downtown for 2.5 km beginning at 4:00 today.

The event focuses on social justice and ending youth homelessness.

Coldest Night of the Year reached its fundraising objective of $60,000 yesterday.

Our sister station, Hot 99.1, is one of the sponsors.

Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 2.5 per cent nationally to almost $70-Billion in December, boosted by gains at food and beverage retailers and motor vehicle and parts dealers.

However, the advance estimate for January suggests retail sales fell 0.4 per cent in the first month of 2025.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, retail sales rose by 8.3 per cent from December 2023 to December 2024, topping a billion dollars. From November 2024 to December 2024, retail sales rose by 0.4 per cent in NL.

He’s one of the province’s most decorated multi-sport athletes, representing Canada on the international stage for over a decade.

Liam Hickey is a sports icon in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Easter Seals, he says, helped him achieve his dream of competing on a world stage.

Today, another milestone for the 26-year-old. Easter Seals NL has named him the Incoming Board Director – Programs Advisory Committee Member.

From his early days as an Easter Seals NL Ambassador – participating in wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey – to becoming a three-time Paralympian, world champion, and a current member of the Canadian Men’s National Para Ice Hockey Team, Hickey embodies excellence, resilience, and the spirit of inclusion.

In his new role, he will help steer the strategic direction of our programs and play a key role in the expansion of our accessible park (Phase III), ensuring our initiatives remain responsive, inclusive, and effective.

In late October, Hickey was named a recipient of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Order is the province’s highest honour and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefiting in an exemplary manner the province and its residents.

Last month inflation increased blights to 1.9 per cent, it was 1.8 per cent in December.

In January, Canadians paid more for energy and in the cost of vehicles increased. These price increases were partly offset by continued downward pressure on prices for products affected by the goods and services tax break introduced in December. 

Prices for the food component fell 0.6 per cent, the first yearly decrease since May 2017. It was driven by a record decline in prices for food purchased from restaurants.

The Trans-Labrador Highway is closed this morning as first responders deal with a car crash.

Two vehicles collided head-on on the stretch between Wabush and Fermont.

There is no word on any injuries, and RNC have not given a timeline on when the highway will be reopened.

The opening of the new mental health and addictions hospital is on track, according to NLHS boss Pat Parfrey.

Attached to the Health Sciences, it will replace the antiquated Waterford Hospital.

The new facility has 106 beds and allows patients with easier access to facilities such as washrooms and watercoolers.

Parfrey says the timeline remains early April, and he expects the exchange between old and new to be accomplished in a relatively short period of time.

He points to the transfer of patients between the old Corner Brook hospital and the new facility last year with the use of the ambulance system.

The winter wallop on the Avalon Peninsula delivered a little more than the region had bargained for. Weather Watcher Kelly Butt says a total of 26 cm fell in metro.

The snow began in the morning through the south and spread to the metro by lunchtime. It came fast and furious, resulting in numerous closures and gridlock as facilities shut down early in the afternoon.

Whiteouts were commonplace as police asked people not to venture out unless travel was absolutely necessary.

Snow hanging on over the northeast Avalon.

St. John’s east snowfall through 10:30pm: 26.2cm. An additional 2.1cm in the last two hours.#NLwx #nltraffic pic.twitter.com/C9gfhQWSJG

— Kelly Butt  (@kellymbutt) February 22, 2025

The cleanup continues today, with roads snow-covered, slippery and narrow in places.

Two companies and one person have been charged in a fatal workplace accident at a fish farm on the south coast.

The incident happened in July 2023 when a man who was working on a barge in St. Alban’s was found dead in the water.

Ocean Trout Canada of Bedford, Nova Scotia and its subsidiary, Nova Fish Farm of St. Alban’s, are up on nine charges, while a supervisor has been charged with failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers under his or her supervision.

Occupational Health and Safety says the first court appearance for all involved is set for February 26 in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Police had to lay down a spike belt in Conception Bay South last night to stop a car which first sped from them in the west end of St. John’s.

The game of cat and mouse began at about 8:30, but did not end until the driver encountered the obstruction in the roadway.

A 34-year-old man has been charged with several breaches, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, resisting arrest and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

He spent the night in the lockup.

Residents of Labrador West say the region is facing one of the province's worst housing crises, with near-zero vacancies and sky-high rent — and while the province's housing minister agrees, he says local industry needs to pitch in to solve the supply issue.

Two years after Charles Marsh died en route to a Clarenville hospital, Bonavista resident Reg Durdle says not much has changed to improve health-care services in the town that would prevent future tragedies.

Diamond Comic Distributors has been one of the world’s largest comics distributors for decades. But now that the American company has gone bankrupt, that’s left many small publishers in a troublesome financial situation. The CBC’s Elizabeth Whitten reports on how a St. John’s company is feeling the pinch.

Bell is looking for answers at a subsea fibre optic cable connecting western Newfoundland with Nova Scotia was severed for the second time within a year. CTV’s Genevieve Beauchemin reports.

Federal small business minister Rechie Valdez announced a second round of funding Friday for Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurship program. The money is going to organizations in Nova Scotia, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Newfoundland and Labrador has officially lowered the age for breast cancer screening to women in their 40s, which an advocate says could potentially save the lives of an additional 34,000 women.

Occupational Health and Safety charges have been laid against a fish farming operation on Newfoundland's south coast.