Municipal staff have said removing the building and creating a park is the best option for an area with a burial ground that has never been properly acknowledged.

Experts in Nova Scotia have mixed reviews on the different federal parties' election housing promises. They say there's ambiguity around parties' definitions of affordability and challenges with having the construction work force needed to fulfil election promises.

A three-year-long saga that began with an abrupt council decision to close the Greenwich department has ended with a decision not to merge with the Wolfville department.

The very popular SailGP circuit will make a stop in HRM next year.

SailGP has announced the Canada Sail Grand Prix will return to the city in June 2026, following the success of the sold-out event in 2024. Halifax is one of several global stops confirmed so far for the 2026 season, which begins in Australia and wraps with a grand final in Abu Dhabi.

Twelve national teams, including Canada’s NorthStar SailGP Team, will compete in identical 50-foot foiling catamarans reaching speeds close to 100 km/h. SailGP chief executive officer Sir Russell Coutts called Halifax “a top fan favourite,” adding, “We had an incredible turnout by fans who were passionate for our racing last year.”

Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore said the city is thrilled to welcome the event back.

“Last year’s Grand Prix brought an electrifying energy to our waterfront, showcased our world-class harbour to the globe, united Haligonians in a celebration of sport, innovation, and community pride,” Fillmore said. “Halifax is Canada’s ocean city and there’s no better backdrop for the return of the fastest racing on water.”

Nova Scotia Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage Minister Dave Ritcey said hosting SailGP again is a proud moment for the province.

“Few international events deliver this much energy to our doorstep,” Ritcey said. “The Canada Sail Grand Prix will showcase high-performance racing and celebrate our deep maritime roots. We can’t wait to welcome the world back to Halifax and show them what makes Nova Scotia such a remarkable place.”

Race dates for the 2026 season will be released in the coming months. Fans can sign up at SailGP.com for ticket access and updates.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Crews worked early Thursday to restore power to Puerto Rico after a blackout across the entire island that affected the main international airport, several hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers

The outage that began past noon Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and 328,000 without water. At least 175,000 customers, or 12%, had power back at the end of the day. Officials expected 90% of customers to have power back within 48 to 72 hours after the outage.

“This is a shame for the people of Puerto Rico that we have a problem of this magnitude,” said Gov. Jenniffer González, who cut her weeklong vacation short and returned to Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening.

The blackout snarled traffic, forced hundreds of businesses to close and left those unable to afford generators scrambling to buy ice and candles.

It’s the second islandwide blackout to hit Puerto Rico in less than four months, with the previous one occurring on New Year’s Eve.

“Why on holidays?” griped José Luis Richardson, who did not have a generator and kept cool by splashing water on himself every couple of hours.

The roar of generators and smell of fumes filled the air as a growing number of Puerto Ricans renewed calls for the government to cancel the contracts with Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, and Genera PR, which oversees generation.

González promised to heed those calls.

“That is not under doubt or question,” she said, but added that it’s not a quick process. “It is unacceptable that we have failures of this kind.”

González said a major outage like the one that occurred Wednesday leads to an estimated $230 million revenue loss daily.

Ramón C. Barquín III, president of the United Retail Center, a nonprofit that represents small- and medium-sized businesses, warned that ongoing outages would spook potential investors at a time that Puerto Rico urgently needs economic development.

“We cannot continue to repeat this cycle of blackouts without taking concrete measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure,” he said.

Many also were concerned about Puerto Rico’s elderly population, with the mayor of Canóvanas deploying brigades to visit the bedridden and those who depend on electronic medical equipment.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Vega Alta opened a center to provide power to those with lifesaving medical equipment.

It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years.

Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said Wednesday that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon, a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are few machines regulating frequency at that hour.

Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017 when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild.

The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of a lack of maintenance and investment.

Dánica Coto, The Associated Press

SAN MIGUEL ESCOBAR, Guatemala (AP) — Stitch by stitch, artisans have worked for months on the elaborate garments that will debut this week in Holy Week processions across Guatemala and beyond.

The hefty velvet cloaks, finely embroidered with gold thread will cover the wooden Virgin Mary and Christ figures carried by the faithful down cobblestone streets lined by thousands.

Palm Sunday commemorates the Christian belief in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when he was greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches that they set out on the ground along his path, according to the Bible. The most sacred week of the Christian year also includes the Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus’ crucifixion story and death, and their belief in his resurrection on Easter.

At Alejandro Juárez Toledo’s María Auxiliadora workshop about 25 miles (41 kilometers) southwest of Guatemala City, 28 artisans — mostly women — lean over yards of rich velvet spread across tables, hand-stitching the cloaks, embroidering gold floral designs. The dormant Volcano of Water, one of Guatemala’s highest, acts as an impressive backdrop to their workshop.

A cloak for the Virgin Mary can measure 4 square yards (about 3 meters) and weigh more than 50 pounds, requiring a metal frame to support the weight of the fabric without damaging the wooden figure.

Juárez Toledo has been crafting the pieces for 26 years but is still moved to tears when they robe the figures at the center of the Holy Week processions.

“The moment most important for me is when the embroidery is attached to the fabric, that’s when you start to live the process with your client, it starts to generate more emotion, you start to enjoy (the work) even more,” he said.

His workshop’s creations have clothed figures from Guatemala to El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama.

Guatemala’s Holy Week celebrations are especially exuberant. UNESCO, the United Nations cultural arm, designated them as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022.

Walter Gutiérrez, a history professor at San Carlos University in Guatemala, said that “the processions are the true expression of Guatemala in all cultural, spiritual and traditional areas.”

____

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Sonia Pérez D., The Associated Press

A possible east-west pipeline and nuclear energy were key elements over which federal party leaders clashed – and in some cases agreed – during Wednesday’s French-language debate.

Not usually on the same page, Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre aligned on support for new oil and gas pipelines as well as nuclear energy as a matter of national security.

French-language debate: Leaders target front-runner Carney, who fends off attacks

Carney said Canada should produce more petrol to reduce imports from the U.S., which he said was threatening Canada.

“We need a low-risk, low-cost, low-carbon petrol to be competitive in the long term. We need to invest in carbon stockage, carbon capture as well,” he said.

Poilievre argued pipelines were a matter of sovereignty and that an east-west energy corridor would reduce Canadians’ and Quebecers’ dependence on the U.S.

“Quebecers that buy Alberta oil, it needs to go through the U.S., giving the power to Donald Trump on our own energy,” said Poilievre, addressing Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet. “You say you’re in favour of sovereignty. I’m in favour of economic sovereignty and energy sovereignty, and that requires a pipeline across Canada.”

Carney agreed with Poilievre’s concerns about Canadian energy passing through the U.S.

“Our relationship with the U.S. has completely changed,” the Liberal leader said. “The pipelines are a national security problem for us.”

Cost of pipelines vs. climate crisis

Blanchet opposed the pipelines, saying Quebecers did not benefit from a national corridor.

“We have to progressively get out of oil because paying for damages from climate change will cost thousands of dollars per family per year,” he said.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said he favoured public investments in clean and renewable energy as opposed to increasing oil production and nuclear energy.

“I want to spend public funding in a clean electricity grid across the country. Renewable energy is the need of the future,” Singh said.

Singh added the climate crisis was not a future concern, and that Quebecers have already experienced its effects like extreme temperatures, wildfires and floods.

“I spoke to a mom who said, ‘I am scared for my children when they go out to play in British Columbia, because they cannot breathe with all the forest fires,’” he said. “It’s clear that we have to act. We have to protect our environment.”

Blanchet criticized the Liberals for spending billions of dollars on subsidies for oil and gas companies last year, as well as the high costs of the Trans Mountain pipeline that cost Quebec taxpayers and took nine years to complete.

The Bloc leader said “Quebec was the best-placed to become a clean energy superpower; we have a huge market directly to the south without even asking Canada.”

Poilievre said a Conservative government led by him would never subsidize pipelines.

“It’s not necessary. They’re extremely profitable,” he said. “The only reason it costs a lot right now is because we have laws and rules that prevent construction with bureaucracy.”

Poilievre also criticized the other parties for supporting Bill C-69 – the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a 5-2 decision that parts of the law were unconstitutional in October 2023.

“C-69 bans oil and gas pipelines across Canada,” he said, “I will repeal the law to allow construction of hydroelectric projects, mines and pipelines to deal with Donald Trump and become self-sufficient.”

Indigenous and provincial rights

When moderator Patrice Roy asked if a government headed by Poilievre would impose pipelines if provinces or Indigenous nations opposed them, Poilievre cited the example of the Northern Gateway pipeline project in Western Canada, which he said had the support of 80 per cent of the First Nations.

“In those cases, I think, we have to go with the majority.”

He said the companies operating the pipeline should pay a part of their taxes directly to the First Nations to combat poverty in their communities.

Carney said he would never impose a pipeline project if provinces or First Nations opposed it. But he said that during his latest meeting with provincial premiers, they agreed on developing a national energy corridor and removing trade barriers to build projects faster.

“With that and by working with the chiefs of First Nations, we can have a solution,” Carney said.

Nuclear power

Carney and Poilievre also agreed on accelerating nuclear energy across Canada.

The Liberal leader said nuclear was a great opportunity for the country.

“We have uranium,” he said. “We have big nuclear energy companies like Candu and Westinghouse and Cameco, and the technology. So absolutely, yes.”

Poilievre blamed bureaucracy for slowing down construction of nuclear power plants without adding to its safety.

“I will fire ‘politicians’ in the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and permit scientists to do their job so we can add nuclear power source,” the Conservative leader said.

Both Blanchet and Singh said they were not in favor of expanding nuclear energy.

–With files from The Canadian Press

The Halifax Mooseheads were eliminated from the playoffs Wednesday evening as the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies defeated the Herd 5-1 to complete the series sweep at the Scotiabank Centre.

The Huskies pounced on several opportunities in the first period, scoring three to take the lead. Eliot Ogonowski opened the scoring for Rouyn-Noranda, beating Brady Schultz along the boards and sending a low shot past Jacob Steinman. Benjamin Brunelle tipped a shot from Huskies defender Harijs Cjunskis past Steinman and Lucas Veilleux found a small opening at the side of the net and buried his first playoff goal for the Huskies.

Rouyn-Noranda continued to dominate the game in the second period, Rémi Gélinas sending a puck through traffic and past Steinman. Quinn Kennedy opened the scoring for the Mooseheads with five minutes left in the second period, taking a pass from Shawn Carrier and beating Huskies goaltender Samuel Meloche on the powerplay.

In the final frame, Lucas Veilleux scored on the empty net to complete the sweep of the Mooseheads.

With the loss, the Mooseheads season comes to an end while the Huskies advance to the third round.

Jacob Steinman earned first star in his final QMJHL game, recording 35 saves for the Herd in the loss. Harijs Cjunskis and Benjamin Brunelle were awarded second and third stars for Rouyn-Noranda.

This wraps up the Mooseheads 2024 – 2025 season. A season with many defining moments for Halifax Mooseheads. The departure of long time netminder Mathis Rousseau to the Moncton Wildcats at the trade deadline, the battle to enter the post season as the Q’s youngest team in 50 years and defeating the Drummondville Voltigeurs to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Mooseheads did what many in Halifax thought impossible, and ended of their season gaining valuable experience for their young team.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An intense series of suspected U.S. airstrikes hit sites across Yemen held by the Houthi rebels into Thursday morning, with at least one person reportedly being killed in the capital, Sanaa.

The strikes took place around multiple governorates in the country overnight, with the Houthis providing few details about the sites hit. The U.S. military’s Central Command has provided no specifics on targets as well in its campaign, which has been hitting sites in Yemen since March 15.

The U.S military has been conducting strikes from the aircraft carriers the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson, now in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. also has stationed stealth B-2 bombers in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which likely also are being used in the strikes.

The Associated Press

The only daily TV news package to focus on Nova Scotians and their stories

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — China-founded e-commerce sites Temu and Shein say they plan to raise prices for U.S. customers starting next week, a ripple effect from President Donald Trump’s attempts to correct the trade imbalance between the world’s two largest economies by imposing a sky-high tariff on goods shipped from China.

Temu, which is owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, and Shein, which is now based in Singapore, said in separate but nearly identical notices that their operating expenses have gone up “due to recent changes in global trade rules and tariffs.”

Both companies said they would be making “price adjustments” starting April 25, although neither provided details about the size of the increases. It was unclear why the two rivals posted almostidentical statements on their shopping sites.

Since launching in the United States, Shein and Temu have given Western retailers a run for their money by offering products at ultra-low prices, coupled with avalanches of digital or influencer advertising.

The 145% tariff Trump slapped on most products made in China, coupled with his decision to end a customs exemption that allows goods worth less than $800 to come into the U.S. duty-free, has dented the business models of the two platforms.

E-commerce companies have been the biggest users of the widely used exemption. Trump signed an executive order this month to eliminate the “de minimis provision” for goods from China and Hong Kong starting May 2, when they will be subject to the 145% import tax.

As many as 4 million low-value parcels — most of them originating in China — arrive in the U.S. every day under the soon-to-be canceled provision.

U.S. politicians, law enforcement agencies and business groups lobbied to remove the long-standing exemption, describing it as a trade loophole that gave inexpensive Chinese goods an advantage and served as a portal for illicit drugs and counterfeits to enter the country.

Shein sells inexpensive clothes, cosmetics and accessories, primarily targeting young women through partnerships with social media influencers. Temu, which promoted its goods through online ads, sells a wider array of products, including household items, humorous gifts and small electronics.

In November, American e-commerce giant Amazon launched a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced at under $20. Many of the electronics, apparel and other products on the storefront Wednesday resembled the types of items typically found on Shein and Temu.

In their customer notices about the pending price increases, the companies encouraged customers to keep shopping in the days ahead.

“We’ve stocked up and stand ready to make sure your orders arrive smoothly during this time,” Temu’s statement said. “Were doing everything we can to keep prices low and minimize the impact on you.”

Mae Anderson, The Associated Press

Nova Scotia is among the first three Canadian provinces to sign reciprocal trade agreements that will lower provincial trade barriers and open up new markets for companies delivering goods and services.

The post Nova Scotia premier signs free trade agreement with Ontario appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to fast-track permits for building a protective tunnel around an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, stoking environmentalists’ fears that the project will escape scrutiny, damage the sensitive region and perpetuate fossil fuel use.

The move comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January declaring that the U.S. has become too dependent on foreign energy sources. The order mandates that federal agencies identify energy infrastructure projects for expedited emergency permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The corps designated the tunnel project on Line 5 as an emergency under the order late Tuesday. The corps had initially planned to make a permitting decision early next year. Corps officials were vague during a conference call with reporters Wednesday morning about how quickly the process may move forward.

The Detroit District’s regulatory chief, Shane McCoy, said that the timeline will be “truncated” but didn’t elaborate beyond saying no steps would be skipped and the process will result in “a very legally defensible, very well-informed decision.”

Multiple groups lined up to criticize the fast-track decision Wednesday, including the Sierra Club, environmental law firm Earthjustice and the Great Lakes Business Network, a coalition of businesses that works to protect the Great Lakes with sustainable business practices.

“The only energy ‘emergency’ the American people face is Trump’s efforts to disregard clean air and water safeguards in order to rush through dirty, dangerous fossil fuel projects,” said Mahyar Sorour, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Fossil Fuels Policy.

Enbridge spokesperson Ryan Duffy said in a statement Wednesday that Line 5 is “critical energy infrastructure” and the tunnel project is designed to “make a safe pipeline safer.” He noted that Enbridge first began applying for permits five years ago.

Enbridge says pipeline is safe, but tunnel would protect it better

The pipeline runs through northern Wisconsin into Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas before terminating in Sarnia, Ont. Enbridge has used the pipeline since 1953 to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wisc., and Sarnia. It currently moves about 87 million litres a day, according to Enbridge.

Enbridge wants to build a protective tunnel around a 5.8-kilometre section that runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.

Company officials maintain the aging pipeline is structurally sound. But concerns about a potentially catastrophic spill in the straits that could contaminate Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have been mounting since 2017, when Enbridge officials revealed engineers had known about gaps in the pipeline’s coating in the straits for three years. Fears of a spill escalated in 2018 after a boat anchor damaged the line. The company reached an agreement in 2018 with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration to encase the line in a protective tunnel.

Environmentalists push back in court

Environmental groups, tribal nations and Democrats have spent the last five years filing lawsuits to remove the line from the straits. A Michigan appellate court ruled in February that state permits for the tunnel were properly issued. Separate lawsuits from Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer seeking to void the easement that allows the pipeline to run beneath the straits are still pending in state and federal court.

The lawsuits notwithstanding, Enbridge needs only approval from the Army corps and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it can begin tunnel construction.

Tribes refuse to consult after fast-track decision

Seven Native American tribes consulting with the corps about the tunnel project’s potential impacts on their treaty rights have ended any discussions beyond impact on historic properties after learning the project would be fast-tracked. Tribal leaders said in a March letter to the corps that the corps has failed to include the risk of a spill in its analysis and has disregarded the project’s effects on climate change.

Katie Otanez, regulatory project manager for the corps’ Detroit District, said Wednesday that the corps continues to consult with 20 other tribes. She did not elaborate.

Pipeline reroute in Wisconsin bogged down in court

Enbridge is embroiled in a separate legal battle over Line 5 in Wisconsin. About 19 kilometres of the line runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. The tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it’s prone to a spill and easements allowing the company to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. A federal judge in 2023 gave the company three years to get the pipeline off the reservation.

Enbridge has proposed a 66-kilometre reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state Department of Natural Resources’ contested case process.

Companies in this story: (TSX: ENB)

Todd Richmond, The Associated Press

Nurses from across Nova Scotia are gathering this week for the annual general meeting of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union. While a variety of items are being discussed, violence in the workplace is one of the most prominent. Michael Gorman has the story.

A ruling Wednesday from the top court in the United Kingdom that says the legal definition of a woman is someone born biologically female is the latest high-profile action globally involving the issue of what legal recognitions transgender people are allowed. The spectrum of protections around the world ranges widely, from none at all in a number of countries to the existence of anti-discrimination protections and legal gender identity changes in some others.

Here’s a look at actions in some countries recently:

United Kingdom

The decision from U.K. Supreme Court revolved around the U.K. Equality Act, which bars discrimination along protected categories including age, race, and sex. The court’s ruling said that for the purposes of the act, the definition of a woman is someone born biologically female, which excludes transgender people. The unanimous decision means trans women can be barred from places like women-only changing rooms and homeless shelters and kept from groups like those offer medical or counseling services only to women. But the ruling also said the decision didn’t mean transgender people were without any legal protection, because the Equality Act also recognizes gender reassignment as a protected category.

Supporters of For Women Scotland, the group that brought the suit, celebrated the decision while advocates for transgender rights called it a setback.

Hungary

Rights for transgender people were restricted as part of a wider crackdown on LGBTQ+ communities in Hungary through an amendment to its constitution passed on April 14. The measure was proposed by the ruling coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and easily sailed through Hungary’s parliament.

Under the new amendment, the nation’s constitution says there are two sexes, male and female. A government spokesman called it “a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality.” It lays a constitutional groundwork for denying transgender people the ability to have their gender identities protected.

Critics of the amendment said it was about humiliating and excluding people, and part of the ruling party’s moves toward authoritarianism. The amendment also banned any public events from LGBTQ+ communities, which Hungary’s government has strongly campaigned against in recent years.

United States

President Donald Trump has made a ban on transgender participation in sports a central focus of his administration. On Wednesday, he sued the state of Maine for not following an executive order he signed that banned transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

In a February meeting with state governors, Trump called out Gov. Janet Mills for not complying with his order, and threatened to pull federal funding, to which Mills replied, “We’ll see you in court.”

The administration’s lawsuit calls for Maine to be ordered to tell its schools that it’s prohibited for males to participate in athletic competition designated for females.

Another of Trump’s executive orders insists on a rigid definition of the sexes, rather than gender, for federal government purposes. The orders are facing court challenges. For its part, Maine sued the administration after the Department of Agriculture said it was pausing some money for the state’s educational programs. A federal judge on Friday ordered the administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program.

It’s not just on the federal level; the question of legal protections for transgender people is a political issue in many American states as well. In twenty-six states, transgender girls from are banned from girls school sports. Other issues around the country include access to gender-related healthcare for minors and bathroom access in public spaces like schools and government buildings.

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice says staff from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency contacted them to assign a team to the organization and told them they planned to similarly install teams with all nonprofits receiving funds appropriated by Congress.

Nick Turner, president of the New York-based criminal justice nonprofit, said Wednesday the nonprofit’s attorneys asked the DOGE staffers what legal basis they had to investigate a nonprofit and informed the staffers that the U.S. Department of Justice recently terminated grants to Vera. The DOGE staffers then withdrew their request to assign a team, according to a transcript of the call provided by Vera.

The White House and Justice Department did not immediately return requests for comment.

Vera, which has an annual budget of around $45 million that mostly comes from private funders, advocates for reducing the number of people imprisoned in the U.S. They consult with law enforcement and public agencies to design alternative programs to respond to mental health crises or traffic violations, and also support access to lawyers for all immigrants facing deportation.

Nonprofit advocates say DOGE’s request threatens the basic freedoms of civil society.

“It would clearly undermine a core tenet of civil society: its independence from the state,” said Benjamin Soskis, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. “Regulatory oversight is one thing, but this would seem to go into much further, darker territory, where the government threatens the functioning of nonprofits that it does not agree with.”

Vera’s president said in an interview it is speaking publicly about DOGE’s request so other nonprofits can prepare.

“I think it is a terrifying harbinger of what might be a DOGE agenda to start infiltrating nonprofits that receive federal funding,” Turner said. “It could be a misunderstanding. It could be an aggressive overreach,” but it seemed clear that DOGE believed receiving any federal funding would be a reason to install a team at a nonprofit.

Not the first threat from the White House to nonprofits

Diane Yentel, the president and CEO the National Council of Nonprofits, called the request from DOGE to Vera a blatant abuse of power that should alarm all Americans.

“This action by DOGE sets a dangerous precedent, leaving any recipient of federal funding — nonprofit, for-profit, and individuals alike — vulnerable to the whims of this destructive group,” Yentel said in a statement. Her organization sued to prevent a freeze of all federal funding.

In February, the White House directed federal agencies to review all funding for nonprofits because many “actively undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people.”

The Trump administration has also sought to cancel other funding previously allocated by Congress and awarded to nonprofits, though the courts have paused some of those actions.

DOGE has also taken control of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent nonprofit created and funded in part by Congress that worked to promote peace and security around the world. Employees and board members of USIP have sued the administration, arguing that the nonprofit is independent and not a part of the executive branch.

DOGE staffers referenced USIP as an example of DOGE assigning a team to a nonprofit that receives Congressional funds, according to the call transcript provided by Vera.

Many nonprofits receive federal funding

The federal government offers hundreds of billions of dollars in funding to nonprofit organizations in every state.

Researchers at the Urban Institute found that 103,475 nonprofits received $267 billion in government grants in 2021, according to an analysis of nonprofit tax forms. The analysis excludes the many small nonprofits with few assets that file less detailed tax forms.

Vera said the terminated grants from the Justice Department totaled around $5 million over three years. Those funds would have provided sign language interpretation for victims of crimes who are deaf, helped to develop responses to human trafficking and changed the way prosecutor offices work to reduce the number of people entering the legal system.

The Justice Department notified Vera it terminated the grants because it had change its priorities to, “more directly supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and better coordinating law enforcement efforts at all levels of government.”

Turner said he believed the administration targeted Vera because it’s outspoken about its mission to pursue racial justice and support immigrants, policies the White House opposes.

“The Trump administration is obviously doing everything that it can to hobble and handicap civil society, whether it’s in academia or law firms or foundations and now has obviously opened this front on nonprofits,” Turner said.

____

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Thalia Beaty, The Associated Press

David Miller and Nova Scotia councillors say all orders of governments need to work together to address climate change.

The post Former Toronto mayor says letter to federal leaders on climate action ‘really hit a nerve’ appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s populist president said Wednesday that he hasn’t changed his mind about attending Vladimir Putin ’s victory day parade in Moscow next month despite great pressure from the European Union over his decision.

European officials have warned Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic that his visit to Moscow for the World War II commemorations would be a breach of the bloc’s membership criteria for potential new members and could derail the country’s declared EU ambitions.

The visit would also effectively amount to a show of support for Putin and Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Vucic, who has often expressed pro-Russian views, has said that one of Serbia’s military units would be participating in the May 9 parade on the Red Square in the Russian capital. He also said that for the first time Serbia is taking part in “jointly” organizing the parade.

“In the coming period, we will be under pressure regarding the event in Moscow in which we have announced our participation,” Vucic told reporters.

Earlier this week, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc “made it very clear that we do not want any candidate country to participate in these events on the 9th of May in Moscow.”

Though he claims he wants to take Serbia to the EU, Vucic has maintained close relations with Russia and refused to introduce Western sanctions against Moscow, policies that have almost completely stalled the Balkan country’s accession talks with the 27-nation bloc.

Vucic has said he would travel to Moscow with his right-wing ally, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Slovakian leader has branded as “disrespectful” remarks by Kallas warning European leaders against traveling to Moscow.

Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik has said he will also be attending.

At home, Vucic has faced massive student-led anti-corruption protests that have seriously shaken his autocratic 13-year rule. They started soon after the Nov. 1 rail station canopy collapse in the northern town of Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The collapse has been linked to murky deals with Chinese and other construction firms building in the Balkan country.

Also on Wednesday, Serbian parliament approved a new government packed with anti-EU ministers, including Information Minister Boris Bratina who has been shown recently setting an EU flag on fire and chanting “we don’t want the EU, we want union with Russia.”

The previous government collapsed under protesters’ pressure.

At the same news conference on Wednesday, Vucic cited a report by Russia’s spy agency, FSB, which claimed that widespread reports that the authorities used a sonic devise to target massive and peaceful anti-Vucic protests on March 15 in Belgrade are fake.

Sonic weapons, which use sound waves to incapacitate a person, have been used as crowd control devices.

“The Russian FSB categorically concluded that there was no use of any sonic weapons,” Vucic said. He did not elaborate how FSB had concluded this or whether the agency investigated the alleged incident in Belgrade.

Dusan Stojanovic, The Associated Press

PROMONTORY, Utah (AP) — An explosion at Northrop Grumman’s remote rocket testing site in northern Utah destroyed a building Wednesday.

Officers found no injuries or fatalities in their initial investigation of the wreckage, according to the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency crews had responded to reports of a loud blast and a dark plume of smoke rising over the rangelands at 7:38 a.m.

It was not immediately clear which building was destroyed and what its purpose was. The aerospace and defense company maintains a large presence in Utah, where it manufactures and tests solid rocket motors.

Northrop Grumman did not immediately release a statement.

The public is advised to avoid the area as officials continue to investigate.

The Associated Press

Elections Canada has opened special polling stations at universities across Canada in hopes of boosting turnout among young voters. Brett Ruskin has the story.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that children in the U.S. are being diagnosed with autism at an “alarming rate,” promising on Wednesday to conduct exhaustive studies to identify any environmental factors that may cause the developmental disorder.

His call comes the day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that found an estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, a marked increase from 2020.

“Autism destroys families,” Kennedy said. “More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this.”

Kennedy described autism as a “preventable disease,” although researchers and scientists have identified genetic factors that are associated with it. Autism is not considered a disease, but a complex disorder that affects the brain. Cases range widely in severity, with symptoms that can include delays in language, learning, and social or emotional skills. Some autistic traits can go unnoticed well into adulthood.

Those who have spent decades researching autism have found no single cause. Besides genetics, scientists have identified various possible factors, including the age of a child’s father, the mother’s weight, and whether she had diabetes or was exposed to certain chemicals.

Kennedy said his wide-ranging plan to determine the cause of autism will look at all of those environmental factors, and others. He had previously set a September deadline for determining what causes autism, but said Wednesday that by then, his department will determine at least “some” of the answers.

The effort will involve issuing grants to universities and researchers, Kennedy said. He said the researchers will be encouraged to “follow the science, no matter what it says.”

The Trump administration has recently canceled billions of dollars in grants for health and science research sent to universities.

The CDC’s latest autism data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate — from 2020 — was 1 in 36.

Boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black.

To estimate how common autism is, the CDC checked health and school records for 8-year-olds, because most cases are diagnosed by that age. Other researchers have their own estimates, but experts say the CDC’s estimate is the most rigorous and the gold standard.

On Wednesday, Kennedy criticized theories that the rise in autism cases can be attributed to more awareness about the disorder. Autism researchers have cited heightened awareness, as well as medical advancements and increased diagnoses of mild cases.

“The reasons for increases in autism diagnosis come down to scientific and health care progress,” said Annette Estes, director of the autism center at the University of Washington. “It’s hard for many people to understand this because the causes of autism are complex.”

___

Associated Press writers JoNel Aleccia in Temecula, California, and Mike Stobbe in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Amanda Seitz, The Associated Press

ST. JOHN’S — Authorities in Newfoundland and Labrador say highly potent cocaine is circulating in the province, and killing more people than fentanyl.

Figures supplied today by the province’s chief medical examiner’s office show 43 people died of cocaine toxicity last year compared with 20 from fentanyl and eight from a combination of the drugs.

RCMP Insp. David Emberley says cocaine recently seized in the province was found to be more than 90 per cent pure — a potency he described as “alarming and highly toxic.”

Emberley says cocaine that pure is typically sold by the kilogram and diluted with other substances before it is consumed.

He says that until two or three years ago, purity rates for street-level cocaine seized in the province were typically between 15 and 20 per cent.

Dr. Nash Denic, the province’s chief medical examiner, says three teenagers have died from drug toxicity so far this year in confirmed or suspected cases of Xanax or Dilaudid contaminated with protonitazene, a synthetic opioid.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press

According to the Dalhousie University study, almost half of participating health care providers reported seeing cases of sexualized or domestic violence in the last six months. 

The post New study finds N.S. health care providers ill-equipped to respond to cases of sexualized and intimate partner violence appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

Five people were arrested early Wednesday morning when police searched a central Halifax residence as part of an ongoing weapons investigation.

Premier Doug Ford says new bill introduced Wednesday will help strengthen the economy of the province and country. Ford also signed MOUs with the premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to support free trade between the provinces.

The international sailing competition known as SailGP will return to Halifax in June 2026, two years after it made its Canadian debut in the city and attracted thousands of spectators who watched the high-speed racing from both sides of the harbour.

VILLA CALETA, Panama (AP) — The Trump administration’s crackdown on migration has ended the massive flow of people heading north through a treacherous jungle on the Colombia-Panama border called the Darien Gap. Local residents who gave up their crops to make good money supporting the migrants say the business has disappeared. Some had transformed their lives by installing electricity in their homes or funding their children’s education. Now many are struggling. Some seek work in Panama City. Others have returned to farming or dream of panning for gold. And some hope the next U.S. administration will change its migration policies once again.

Matías Delacroix, The Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A group representing many of the white farmers whose land was seized during Zimbabwe’s land reforms over two decades ago has rejected a compensation deal and said it wants to reopen negotiations with the government.

The group has criticized the compensation that some farmers have accepted as “token” amounts.

There was little sign Wednesday that the government of the southern African nation would reopen talks. It has said the compensation deal represents closure.

About 4,000 white farmers lost their homes and swaths of land when the Black-majority country’s then-president, Robert Mugabe, launched the redistribution program in 2000. Mugabe pointed to the need to address colonial-era land inequities after the southern African nation gained independence from white minority rule in 1980.

Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, last week announced that the government had started paying compensation to white farmers who lost land and property during the reforms. He said the government had approved the disbursement of $3.1 million, equivalent to 1% of the total compensation claim of $311 million.

According to the deal, the farmers would receive 1% of their claim in cash, with the balance settled through the issuance of treasury bonds over 10 years.

A first batch of 378 farmers has already been paid out of 740 farms approved for compensation, a move confirmed by Andrew Pascoe, who represents the beneficiary farmers. He said they were “extremely grateful.”

The dissenting group representing nearly half of the 4,000 commercial farmers asserted that those accepting the payments were doing so out of desperation.

“The limited number of farmers who have accepted the government’s revised deal have generally done so because they are destitute and require urgent funds for food, accommodation and healthcare,” representative Deon Theron said.

He called the government compensation “a tiny fraction” of the $3.5 billion to be paid in cash over five years that was agreed under a deal between white farmers and President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2020.

The compensation deal is part of conditions of a debt resolution and international re-engagement strategy by Zimbabwe after years of sanctions and isolation by the United States and other Western countries over alleged rights abuses against perceived critics of the government.

A few thousand farmers had owned most of Zimbabwe’s prime farmland before the land reform, which saw about 300,000 Black families resettled on the acquired land, according to government figures.

Theron said most of the white farmers are now in their 70s and 80s and are unlikely to benefit from the issuance of the treasury bills.

“They are going to their graves without receiving any compensation. They need cash, and it has to be paid while they are still alive,” he said.

He added, however, his group would not take legal action. He said efforts by his group to meet government officials have been unsuccessful.

Land ownership is an emotive topic in Zimbabwe and neighboring countries such as Namibia and South Africa, a result of colonial land conquests that dispossessed local Blacks.

In South Africa, a new land expropriation law has attracted criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who views it as a rights violation against a white minority who owned huge swaths of land. South Africa has rejected Trump’s claims.

Farai Mutsaka, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and his family will travel to Italy and India this week and next to meet with leaders and visit cultural sites.

Vance’s office said Wednesday his trip from Friday to April 24 will include visits to Rome and New Delhi along with the Indian cities of Jaipur and Agra.

The trip comes as Vance has taken on a prime role in the White House’s engagements abroad. The Republican vice president and his wife, Usha Vance, traveled to Greenland last month, and he went to Paris and Munich in February.

President Donald Trump is expected to make his first foreign trip in May to Saudi Arabia.

In Rome this week, Vance is expected to meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is due to visit the White House on Thursday. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, will also meet with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, according to his office, and is expected to participate in ceremonies around Easter Sunday.

Vance’s visit to India marks his first trip to the country, which has added significance for the second family. Usha Vance is the daughter of immigrants from South India.

While in India next week, Vance is expected to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met with Trump at the White House in February.

Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press

Nations are trying to reach an agreement to charge commercial vessels a fee for their emissions in what would effectively be the world’s first global carbon tax.

The International Maritime Organization, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee meets Monday through Friday in London.

The committee, comprised of IMO member states, is working to approve proposed new global regulations to put a price on maritime greenhouse gas emissions and to set a marine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels.

The measures are more than climate aspirations – they will become mandatory for ships operating globally, said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who thinks the industry must do more to cut carbon pollution. The committee will “set the course for a net-zero future for the maritime sector,” he told The Associated Press in a statement Thursday.

The future of clean shipping hangs in the balance, said Emma Fenton, senior director for climate diplomacy at a U.K.-based climate change nonprofit, Opportunity Green. Fenton said a high price, simple flat-rate levy on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions is the only way to decarbonize the industry equitably.

“If an agreement is reached, it would represent a huge moment of solidarity in the fight to tackle climate change,” Fenton said. “For the first time, we will have, hopefully, an effective global framework tackling this international issue. Most emissions are tackled domestically.”

Here’s what to know:

What are the talks about?

Emissions from shipping have increased over the last decade — to about 3% of the global total according to the United Nations — as vessels have gotten much bigger, delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel oil.

Maritime nations agreed in 2023 to slash emissions from the shipping industry, though several experts and nations were critical of the deal since it did not set 2050 as a hard date. The IMO is now in the process of adopting regulations to achieve the goals agreed to in 2023.

Why are they important to the world?

A simple climate levy paired with a green fuel standard would help narrow the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, such as hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, according to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry. Shipping relies heavily on fossil fuels and the sector won’t transition off those on its own, said Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forum’s decarbonization work. And it will take time to build up a supply of e-fuels based on renewable electricity so investments need to happen now, he added.

Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil, releasing carbon dioxide and other pollutants as it’s burned. Dominguez has said that major decarbonizing requires an overhaul of shipping fuel.

The Clean Shipping Coalition is calling on governments to commit to a high price on all ship emissions and a strong fuel standard. The alliance of environmental non-profits is also urging countries to revise the IMO’s tool for measuring a ship’s carbon intensity, to quantify and raise their efficiency transparently and drive down the amount of fuel burned long-term.

What is the status of the negotiations?

Led by Pacific island nations, whose very existence is threatened by climate change, more than 60 countries support a flat levy per metric ton of emissions to reach net zero in a fair way. The shipping industry supports a fee, too. The International Chamber of Shipping represents over 80% of the world’s merchant fleet. Its secretary general, Guy Platten, said a pricing mechanism for maritime emissions is a pragmatic solution and the most effective way to incentivize a rapid energy transition in shipping.

Some countries, notably China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, want a credit trading model instead of a fixed levy, where ships get credits for staying under their emissions target and ships purchase credits if they go over. Other countries want a compromise between the two models.

Some fear that anything short of a universal levy would jeopardize climate goals and allow wealthier ship owners to buy compliance while continuing to pollute. Ambassador Albon Ishoda, Marshall Islands’ special envoy for maritime decarbonization, said IMO’s climate targets are “meaningless” without the levy. Revenue from a levy could be used to help developing countries transition to greener shipping, so they aren’t left behind with dirty fuels and old ships.

What’s expected by the end of the meeting?

If the committee agrees and finalizes text for the regulations, they could be formally adopted in October and take effect in 2027. That could send a powerful signal that the green transition is happening and that it’s possible for a global industry, according to the IMO.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press

OTTAWA — With just three weeks to go until election day, Canada’s federal party leaders are back on the road today.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is expected to make an announcement in Toronto today following weekend campaign stops on the East Coast, where he announced plans to impose national rent control and to get every Canadian access to a family doctor in the next five years.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is wrapping up a campaign sweep on the West Coast today before flying to Edmonton for a rally.

Poilievre says a new funding model for drug treatment centres, rolled out at a campaign event Sunday, could help treat 50,000 Canadians facing drug addiction.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney will spend the day in British Columbia, where he is scheduled to begin the day by meeting with B.C. Premier David Eby and later hold a rally in Richmond with local candidates.

Carney’s office said Prime Minister Carney spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday to discuss deepening trade ties.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2025.

The Canadian Press

<!– Photo: eda7aad393471b52d765bfab1cd871f30ef85c8e034e13d8ed318c41e7bd12d3.jpg, Caption:

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in New Westminster B.C., on Sunday, April 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

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LAVAL — The man accused of killing two children and injuring six others when the transit bus he was driving crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is back in Superior Court today.

Both the Crown and defence are expected to argue at the Laval, Que., courthouse that he was not criminally responsible for his actions.

Prosecutor Karine Dalphond told the court in February that the Crown and defence would present the facts of Pierre Ny St-Amand’s case jointly, after two experts independently concluded he should not be held criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

The 53-year-old was arrested after the city bus he was driving crashed into the front of a daycare in Laval on Feb. 8, 2023, killing a four-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.

Ny St-Amand is facing two counts of second-degree murder, and assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm in relation to the other children.

The trial is expected to last a few days and will include a detailed recounting of the facts and testimony from both psychiatric experts.

Superior Court Justice Eric Downs will preside over the hearings and will make the final decision on Ny St-Amand’s criminal responsibility.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2025.

The Canadian Press

Israel struck tents outside two major hospitals in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least two people, including a local reporter, and wounding nine, including six reporters, Palestinian medics said.

Separate strikes killed 15 others across the Strip, according to hospitals.

The war, now in its 18th month, started when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, and taking 251 others hostage. The group still holds 59 captives — 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the territory has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Here is the latest:

Israeli strike kills a reporter

The strike hit a media tent outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, setting it ablaze, killing Yousef al-Faqawi, a reporter for the Palestine Today TV station and another man. The six reporters were wounded in that strike.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas militant, without providing further information.

Israel also struck tents on the edge of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza.

Nasser Hospital also said it received 13 bodies, including six women and four children, from separate strikes overnight. Al-Aqsa Hospital said two people were killed and three wounded in a strike on a home in Deir al-Balah.

The Associated Press

The province has been hit with a recent spate of vandalism targeting 2SLGBTQ+ businesses and people, with one advocate saying these types of actions are being influenced by the U.S. president.

The Nova Scotia government has confirmed to CBC News it is in the process of purchasing two parcels of federally owned land at the former military site.

Most Nova Scotia municipalities have not followed the province's request to publicly support more resource development in the province.

BANGKOK (AP) — Japan’s share benchmark nosedived on Monday after the meltdown Friday on Wall Street over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost nearly 8% shortly after the market opened and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 tumbled more than 6%.

South Korea’s Kospi lost 4.4%.

U.S. futures signaled further weakness. The future for the S&P 500 lost 4.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 3.5%. The future for the Nasdaq lost 5.3%.

On Friday, Wall Street’s worst crisis since COVID slammed into a higher gear. The S&P 500 plummeted 6% and the Dow plunged 5.5%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 5.8%.

The losses came after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs announced earlier this week.

The Associated Press

About 250 people braved rain and wind to gather at Dartmouth's Alderney Landing for the "Elbows Up" pro-Canada event. 

The post Elbows up and spirits high: Nova Scotia celebrates Canadian patriotism in face of tariffs, annexation threats appeared first on Halifax Examiner.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — UConn is back on top of women’s basketball, winning its 12th national championship by routing defending champion South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday behind Azzi Fudd’s 24 points.

Sarah Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds while Paige Bueckers had 17 points in her final game at UConn (37-3).

“Well, it’s amazing to have three players, three people like that on the same team,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “And Sarah, you would think Sarah was graduating the way she plays, right? All three of them complement each other so well. They all have such unique skill sets.”

Bueckers capped her stellar career with the Huskies’ first championship since 2016, ending a nine-year title drought for the team. That was longest for Auriemma and his Huskies since the team won its first championship in 1995 led by Rebecca Lobo.

Since then the Huskies have had dominant championship runs, including in the early 2000s led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, 2009-10 with Maya Moore and finally the four straight from 2013-16 with Breanna Stewart. All were in attendance in Florida on Sunday to see the Huskies’ latest title.

“You just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again,” Auriemma said. “And there were so many times when I think we all questioned, ‘Have we been here too long? Has it been time?’ And we kept hanging in there and hanging in there and that’s because these players make me want to hang in there every day.”

Finally healthy, the expected No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 14, Bueckers delivered for the Huskies throughout their championship season.

It was the only thing missing from an incredible UConn career that was slowed by injuries. She was the first freshman to win AP Player of the Year before missing a lot of her sophomore season with a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear. She then tore an ACL before the next season.

UConn closed the first half up 10 points and then put the game away in the third quarter behind Fudd, Strong and Bueckers. The trio combined for 23 of the team’s 26 points in the quarter. UConn was up 50-39 with 3:21 left in the period before closing with a 12-3 run.

Fudd, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and Strong got it started with back-to-back 3s, and the rout was on. Auriemma subbed Bueckers, Fudd and Strong out with 1:32 left in the game. Bueckers and Auriemma had a long hug on the sideline, having finally gotten that championship that he so wanted for her.

“They’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong. But this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when a player has walked off the court,” Auriemma said.

Dawn Staley’s team was trying for a third title in four years and fourth overall. It would have tied her with Kim Mulkey for third most behind Auriemma and former Tennessee Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who had eight.

UConn had reached the title game only once during its drought since 2016. The Huskies had been eliminated by heartbreaking last-second losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies’ last title game appearance came in 2022 when Staley’s team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks’ current run of success, a game that ended Auriemma’s perfect record in title games.

There seemed to be no nerves early for either team as the game got off to a fast start. The teams traded baskets for the first few minutes before the defenses started to clamp down. The Huskies led 19-14 after one quarter and then extended the advantage to 36-26 at the half. Fudd had 13 points and Strong added eight points and 11 rebounds.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press

Several hundred hardy souls braved the rain at Alderney Landing in Dartmouth on Sunday to attend Nova Scotia's first Elbows Up, Canada! event. 

In December, Calix Marchand, 13, became the youngest player from the Maritimes to be designated a national chess master by the Chess Federation of Canada.

A 47-year-old Dalhousie Junction, N.B., woman is dead after a crash Saturday in Upper Tantallon, N.S.

VANCOUVER — There is a window of relief for British Columbia farmers from the devastating waves of avian flu, leaving them to assess the toll of outbreaks spanning more than three years that saw millions of birds culled at hundreds of farms.

Farmers and scientists also worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring this year.

Some farmers moved their operations outside British Columbia’s Fraser Valley or have exited the industry altogether since the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu began circulating, said farmer Ray Nickel.

Nickel, who operates a farm in Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, was forced to cull 60,000 chickens in the fall of 2022 due to avian flu. He said his flock of about 9,000 turkeys on another farm were also euthanized in 2023.

“It’s just daunting, and the uncertainty about what’s happening around you does weigh on you,” Nickel said of the virus.

“We’ve had reoccurring events, particularly in the fall, and the amount of anxiety and stress that goes in for producers when this is going on is significant.”

“Infection protocols” have been imposed on B.C. flocks 239 times since the first case was detected in the province in April 2022, but only six premises are currently infected, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

More than 8.7 million commercial and backyard birds have been culled in the province, more than half the national toll of 14.5 million.

The agency said in January that the worldwide scale of the avian flu is “unprecedented and continues to have significant impacts on Canada’s poultry industry.” But there have been no new infections reported in B.C. since Jan. 11.

Nickel, who also serves as director of the BC Chicken Marketing Board, said farmers are feeling “relieved” at the moment, but there’s an underlying concern about the virus persisting.

“Although there’s relief that we seem to be out of it now, there’s anxiety on what is next and what the next episode is possibly going to look like in the fall,” he said.

“We’ve had some (farmers) that have certainly decided to move their operations out of the valley. We’ve also had producers that accelerate their succession planning and have decided to exit.”

Farmers are diligent about safety measures, but researchers say it is currently impossible to know exactly how a virus is transmitted to flocks.

Troy Bourque, a veterinary operations specialist for the CFIA, said Canada first detected the highly pathogenic avian flu in 2021 and had since gone through six waves of outbreaks.

“They are both in the spring and fall during migration season. Over the last couple of years, particularly in B.C., we have seen larger outbreaks in the fall rather than the spring,” he said, noting the Fraser Valley had been hit hard.

Bourque, the planning chief for avian influenza outbreak response, said it’s too soon to say how this year’s spring migration will impact poultry flocks.

“The challenge is highly pathogenic avian influenza is circulating in the wildlife population, and so we don’t have a good idea of what the virus level is in those migratory birds,” he said.

B.C. Chief Veterinarian Teresa Burns said preliminary research suggests fall migration periods are worse than spring because birds land and spend more time in the Fraser Valley. They seem to bypass the region in the spring, she said.

“Each fall, we’ve had quite a serious outbreak but we’ve actually been fortunate to have no infections in the spring last year, although the year before, there were some infections in the spring period.”

Burns said all influenzas mutate and the H5N1 strain that emerged in 2021 is “significantly worse than other strains that we’ve had historically.”

She said the hope is that wild birds develop more immunity and the virus mutates into a less damaging strain.

Pandemic researchers worry that avian flu could mutate into a widespread human illness, and Bourque noted human transmission is “always a concern because these viruses can infect mammals, including humans, which is another reason why we don’t want it in our domestic bird population — because it is a threat to humans.”

However, person-to-person transmission of H5N1 is considered very rare.

Canada reported its first domestically acquired human case of bird flu on Nov. 9, 2024. The teenage patient became very ill, and spent two months in a B.C. hospital. She was discharged in January and authorities said they do not know how she was infected.

The federal government announced in February that it had purchased 500,000 doses of a bird flu vaccine as a proactive measure, pointing to guidance that says high-risk people, such as farm workers exposed to infected animals, should be prioritized for the shot.

Bourque said that “if poultry is handled properly, it is safe. There’s no risk for bird flu by eating any poultry or eggs.”

He said the industry is very focused on biosecurity to prevent introduction of the virus to flocks. But, when it happens, the CFIA follows a strict protocol.

Farmers are mandated to report suspicion of avian flu in flocks to the CFIA. Bourque said the agency will quarantine the farm as it administers diagnostic tests. Then, if tests are positive, the animals are ordered to be destroyed.

He said that on large farms, the animals are killed using CO2 gas, while for smaller flocks the bird’s necks are broken. Then, they are buried or composted.

The process isn’t finished after the birds are destroyed. Bourque said that the completion of disposal triggers outbreak surveillance of the surrounding 10 kilometres — also referred to as a control zone — to ensure the virus did not spread.

“Outbreak surveillance is a minimum of 28 days,” he said. “So, it has to be disease free for at least 28 days before that zone can come down.”

The CFIA pays market value for any animal that is culled, to encourage farmers to report outbreaks.

“It is quite costly, but I think it’s important to understand that we do this to keep that disease out of our domestic flock, because the disease itself is very costly. Our poultry export is a billion-dollar-a-year industry,” Bourque said.

The farmers must pay the cost of cleaning and disinfection and “any loss of production,” he said.

Nickel said that’s one of reasons the past three years have been emotionally and often financially taxing.

He said when he was forced to euthanize his flock in 2022, disinfection cost him more than $2,000. Then there’s the farm workers who are forced to stand down when an infection is detected.

“It’s not fun. Nobody wants this,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2025.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is announcing measures to combat rising rents and improve housing security for tenants

DRUMHELLER — A plan to send Tyra the tyrannosaurus, the popular tourist attraction that towers over the skyline in Drumheller, Alta., into proverbial extinction has sparked demands that she be spared.

The town of 8,400 northeast of Calgary bills itself as the Dinosaur Capital of the World. Home to the famed Royal Tyrrell Museum, the community also has statues of dinosaurs that look like they’ve crawled out of “The Flintstones” cartoon greeting people on the streets.

There’s an extinct reptile riding a motorcycle. A triceratops in a frilly dress sits on a bus bench. Another dinosaur wearing a fireman’s hat and holding a hose is poised outside a fire station.

The biggest is Tyra, standing across from the intersection of Gorgosaurus Street and Tyrannosaurus Drive near a visitor information centre. A nearby ice cream stand offers fossils, T-shirts and dino toys.

The 25-metre-high figure, four times the size of a real T. Rex, attracts 150,000 visitors a year, serving as the backdrop to hundreds of thousands of tourist photos over the last quarter of a century.

Tourists can climb 106 stairs through her innards to stand inside her mouth and look down.

But she’s set to become history at the end of 2029.

Built in 2000, the giant dinosaur fit into the industry of the town, with its vast fossil finds and museum, which hosts over 130,000 fossils.

While the town owns the land where she’s located, the Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce owns the attraction. And the chamber said the dinosaur is set to be dismantled when the lease runs out.

“We developed a new strategic plan last year, and part of it was to look at the dinosaur and the future of the dinosaur. So the board knew there was a limited lifespan of the dinosaur, and these decisions had to be made,” said the chamber’s executive director, Heather Bitz.

She said the chamber has received public backlash. The reaction was expected, as there’s an emotional attachment to Tyra, she said. But it’s not a move the chamber intends to back away from.

“I don’t believe so at this time. We’re firm on our decision,” she said.

Mayor Heather Colberg says the news came as a shock, and the town has demanded meetings with the chamber and Travel Drumheller.

“We are the dinosaur capital of the world and the world’s largest dinosaur has been very iconic in our community. We’re going to look for some solutions,” she said.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and the community’s very passionate about their dinosaur. You can see from all the discussions going around — the community loves the dinosaurs, and so do many people who come and visit.”

She said because the chamber owns the dinosaur, there would need to be an agreement.

Bitz said there have been extensive repairs to the dinosaur over the years, including the steel structure in 2023. But she doesn’t think Tyra can be moved safely.

“I don’t think the answer is rip it down — that’s an ‘if we can’t have it, nobody can’ answer,” said local businessman AJ Frey. “To me, it’s like if … you said, ‘We had fun with the Eiffel Tower, but we’re tearing it down.’

“This may not be designated as a world heritage site or a monument … but it’s special to the world, and I want to make sure it stays where it is.”

Frey started a petition to save Tyra, and it has more than 20,000 signatures.

He said he would like to see her turned over to a non-profit and kept where she is.

“The actual citizens can decide what they want to happen here and what they want to do with the pool of money if it’s run properly.”

Julia Fielding, executive director of Travel Drumheller, says Tyra is an important part of the tourism section and hopes a solution can be found to save her.

“Sometimes you need a little kick so we can decide really what we want to do as a community,” said Fielding.

“We’ve got five years to determine what happens. We are that dinosaur capital of the world and we want to keep that. Is Tyra the way and, if so, how do we save her?”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2025.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A helicopter crashed during an operation to extinguish a fire in southeastern South Korea on Sunday, killing its pilot, the local fire agency said.

A local fire office said that the fire at the hill in the city of Daegu had been put out about one hour after it had broken out.

The identity of the pilot and the cause of the crash weren’t immediately known.

The southeastern regions in South Korea suffered last month the worst-ever wildfires on record. Multiple blazes driven by strong winds and dry weather razed vast swaths of land and killed 31 people, including a pilot whose helicopter crashed during efforts to contain one of the wildfires.

The Associated Press