Newsworthy but not its own thread worthy

[JustKelli]

This one ended well luckily as Canada has a new instant celebrity as over 100 news outlets worldwide contacted her for comment. It made every major news outlet including The Daily Show ... and funny enough I pulled this article from the Weather Channel lol.

B.C. woman thwarts potential cougar attack by playing Metallica

Nathan Howes*
Digital Writer

**

Tuesday, August 6th 2019, 5:20 pm - Gallant scared off the cougar with Metallica track, 'Don't Tread on Me'

It's no secret music can have a positive impact on a person's life. In the case of Dee Gallant, it literally saved hers.

Two weeks ago, the Vancouver Island woman was having a peaceful walk with her dog, Murphy, on a logging road in south Duncan when she suddenly found herself up close with an animal not normally seen at such a short distance.

SEE ALSO:*Bear begins to chase tourist while she takes a selfie in B.C.

While Gallant was surprised when she saw it was a cougar, as it slowly made its way towards her, she wasn't really scared, she told the Weather Network.

"At first, I was just excited and I was almost honoured to see it because you don't see it very often.I thought, 'this is perfect,'" said Gallant.

After several unsuccessful attempts to scare the cougar away, including waving her arms, shouting at it and recording a video should the animal attack, Gallant decided to try using music. She scrolled through her library to see find a song that would have the right lyrics and tone to fend off a possible attack.

"Me calling it bad kitty didn't have an affect on it, so I thought, 'what do I [have]?' I didn't want to reach down and grab a rock or anything because throwing a rock and bending down would make me look smaller," said Gallant.

The B.C. woman landed on Metallica's "Don't Tread on Me," aptly-named for such a situation, turned the volume up and pointed the phone at the cat. The song worked and the animal immediately ran away. Once the feline took off, Gallant said she felt empowered.

If Metallica's song saving Gallant's life wasn't enough, she also received a phone call from the band's frontman, James Hetfield, who she thanked for helping her during her time of need. The rock singer found out about the encounter through social media, after friends of Gallant began tagging the band, media and sharing her video.

Hetfield introduced himself to Gallant over the phone, but Gallant already knew who he was and then questioned the authenticity of the voice, she explained.

"He said, 'you can ask me anything or you can just trust me, I guess.' I could tell by his voice that it was him, though," said Gallant, who then received a text and photo from Hetfield as further confirmation it was the Metallica frontman.

Metallica frontman James Hetfield sent Gallant a text and photo to prove it was him she was speaking to on the phone. Photo: Dee Gallant.

"I almost couldn't speak [to him], I was so excited," said Gallant.

It didn't take long for the story to make headlines internationally, as the B.C. woman has been conducting interviews with several media outlets since the encounter.

[JustKelli]

I can't speak for all Canadians but we love Australia and her fine citizens and are so sorry for the loss of Lucas. The same to the USA for your loss of Chynna who were both senselessly killed by 2 mad men. I know it will never bring back your children but small consolation is the bodies of their killers have been found and they will never take another breath or step on this earth.


Canada authorities believe they have found bodies of suspects in killings

By Elizabeth Joseph and Steve Almasy, CNN

Updated 7:06 PM ET, Wed August 7, 2019


Authorities believe they have found the bodies of two Canadian men suspected of killing three people before beginning a long trek across the country last month, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Wednesday.

The bodies were found on the bank of the Nelson River after*a weekslong manhunt*focused in northern Manitoba, said Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy, commanding officer of the Manitoba RCMP.

The scene was about five miles from where a car thought to be stolen by the pair was located last month, and close to where Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, were reportedly last seen July 22.

An abandoned boat leads police to the Nelson River as the Canadian manhunt continues

"I'm confident that it is them," she said, adding that an autopsy will confirm the identities of the deceased, who were from the Vancouver area.

MacLatchy said she could not say how they died, or how long they have been dead.

The teens are suspected of killing North Carolina resident Chynna Deese, 24, and her Australian boyfriend, Lucas Fowler, 23.

Deese and Fowler*were on a road trip through Canada to Alaska, their families said. Fowler was living in British Columbia, and they were exploring the area while Deese was visiting, RCMP said.

Tourists Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese, left, and university lecturer Len Dyck.

The victims' bodies were discovered on July 15 on a remote highway in northern British Columbia. Four days later, investigators found the burned out gray Dodge pickup McLeod and Schmegelsky were traveling in, and said the teens were missing.

The body of Vancouver university professor Leonard Dyck was discovered also on July 19, and authorities believe McLeod and Schmegelsky were responsible for Dyck's death, as well.

Dyck was a lecturer in the*University of British Columbia's Department of Botany*and worked as a research associate at the university's DeWreede Lab, where his research focused on*seaweeds.

The suspects were later seen in his RAV4 in Saskatchewan, a few days before that vehicle was found burned out in Manitoba, near the small, remote town of Gillam.

Kevin Hackett, the RCMP assistant commissioner in British Columbia, said the investigation is not yet closed even though authorities believe the suspects were the killers.

He said it will be difficult to determine what the motive was for the slayings. But authorities are sure the two killings are connected.

"There was significant evidence that linked our suspects to both crime scenes," he said.

Father of suspect in three killings in Canada says son plans to go out 'in blaze of glory'

Officials narrowed the search area after critical evidence was found on the shore of the river Friday. The remains were found Wednesday around 10 a.m. in very dense brush less than a kilometer from where the evidence was discovered.

Schmegelsky's father told The Canadian Press two weeks ago that his son had planned to go out in "a blaze of glory."

Alan Schmegelsky said*his son had been in mental anguish.

McLeod and his son hung out a lot together, he said.

Both had jobs at Walmart, but said they weren't making enough money and decided to go to Alberta to look for work, he said.

[JustKelli]

This is one way to do it but probably not recommended ... the outcome is sad.



Bear bites dog, owner punches bear in a northern B.C. encounter

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Updated: August 9, 2019

VICTORIA — A pair of tourists visiting northern British Columbia had a terrifying close encounter with a black bear recently.

Nicole Caithness, a conservation officer with the BC Conservation Officer Service, says the couple stepped out at a common tourist pullout on the South Klondike Highway just south of the Yukon boundary on July 29.

She says they took their dogs for a walk on leash and happened upon a lone black bear as it came out of a ditch.

The man jumped on the bear and began punching it

The bear attacked one of the dogs and then the man jumped on the bear and began punching it, but Caithness says the bear remained focused on the dog until both bear and man rolled into the ditch.

The bear bit the man, who managed to escape and get help at the Carcross Health Station in Yukon.

In a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Caithness says Yukon conservation officers later attended the area and destroyed the bear when it came at them in an aggressive manner.

[JustKelli]

Thank goodness no tourists were on it when this happened

British Columbia 'It's a crime scene': RCMP says Squamish Sea to Sky gondola cable deliberately cut




Almost all of the 30 gondola cars attached to the cable crashed to the ground around 4 a.m. on Saturday

CBC News*·*Posted: Aug 10, 2019 9:02 AM PT | Last Updated: August 10

Squamish RCMP say someone deliberately cut the cable of the Sea to Sky gondola in Squamish, B.C., overnight.*(Squamish RCMP )

RCMP*say they believe someone deliberately cut the cable of the Sea to Sky gondola located along Highway 99*in Squamish, B.C., felling the*two-kilometre cable route*early Saturday morning.

The gondola, which wasn't operating at the time, normally carries up to 240 passengers at a time on its 30 cars. The trip from the base*to the summit 885 metres above sea level lasts approximately 10 minutes and gives visitors views over Howe Sound. It is a major tourist destination in B.C.

"We believe the cables were cut and this was a deliberate act of vandalism,*" said Inspector Kara Triance with Squamish RCMP.*

"At this time, it's a crime scene."

Almost all of the 30 gondola cars attached to the cable crashed to the ground at around 4 a.m., according to*staff working overnight. No injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.

"It's just an incredibly unusual thing to happen," said Kirby Brown, Sea to Sky's general manager. "We just did our maintenance on the line very recently and it was a big, thick, beautiful healthy rope."

The Sea to Sky gondola was not operating when its two-kilometre cable snapped around 4 a.m. on Saturday.(Deborah Goble/CBC)

Loud banging, metal scraping

Hikers camping in the area say they were woken by loud banging and sounds of metal scraping.

The cable is 55 millimetres in diameter and is made up of six strands. It regularly transports several tonnes*when the gondola cars are loaded and is made to withstand most weather events, said Brown.

The 55-millimetre-wide cable supporting the Sea to Sky gondola came crashing down early Saturday morning.(Kirby Brown)

Triance said RCMP investigators are working with multiple investigators on the ground including WorkSafeBC and Technical Safety BC, an independent organization that oversees heavy equipment in the province.*

"[The experts] know the difference between a compromised cable and something that would be cut deliberately," Triance said.*

She said in order to access the cable, the perpetrator could have hiked the trail underneath the gondola and climbed up one of the maintenance poles on the route, which have ladders attached.**

"They put themselves in extreme jeopardy, not only the nature of the action of climbing up that pole and being in that position …*but also the velocity at which the cable would unravel at that point," she said.

As for the damage, Triance said this act has cost over $1 million*in property damage, not to mention lost revenue. If there were people on board the gondola, she says the results could have been "catastrophic."

Witnesses sought

BC Parks says it has closed three*trails directly under the gondola that were*affected by the crash. The trails closed are the Sea to Summit Trail, the Shannon Falls Connector Trail, and the Upper Shannon Falls Trail.*

RCMP officers are canvassing a large geographic*area for their investigation.

"The trails in the area may have been used to access the gondola line," said Triance.*

"We know that there were people that hiked to the top of the [Stawamus Chief Mountain] this morning, and we are asking that anybody in the area that did hike the trails to come speak to police. We're looking for witnesses."

Calls for regulating trampoline parks, new airline passenger rights: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Brown said the cable and cars can be fixed or replaced, but the company's main priority is the investigation.

"We've got a lot of hours ahead of us of really coming to grips with what occurred before we get focused on the fix."

The gondola's normal operating hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 8*p.m on Thursday to Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Sunday to Wednesday.

[JustKelli]

This is tragic and my heart goes out to all ...

Erie, Pa.**Three of the five children who*died in Sunday's fire at an Erie day care*were the kids of a local volunteer firefighter. CBS affiliate WSEE-TV*reports*that the firefighter, Luther Jones, was responding to another call in the city just blocks away with Lawrence Park Fire Department when the deadly blaze broke out.

The day care center where children could stay overnight as their parents worked was ravaged by a fire that killed five and sent the owner to the hospital, authorities said. The victims in the lakeside city of Erie ranged in ages from 8 months to 7 years, Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department said.

At least four of the victims were staying overnight at the residential house that had been turned into a day care center, Erie Chief Fire Inspector John Widomski told the*Erie Times-News.

Lawrence Park Fire Department was asked to assist in handling other calls while the Erie Fire Department battled the fire, WSEE-TV reported. To help Jones and his family cover funeral costs, LPFD is setting up a bank account to collect donations.

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The fire, reported at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, was funneling out of every first-floor window when firefighters arrived, Widomski said.

Valerie Lockett-Slupski, standing across the street from the fire-damaged house, told the newspaper she was the grandmother of four of the children, and that they were staying at the day care center because their parents were working overnight. She said the family had two boys and two girls and had used the center for almost a year.

"So we are all at a loss, trying to figure out how this happened," Lockett-Slupski said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday afternoon, Widomski told the newspaper.

The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership lists the Harris Family Daycare as "a 24 hour, 7 days a week childcare service including holidays."

The state Department of Human Services Office of Child Development and Early Learning listed the day care as in compliance with requirements following a Dec. 28, 2018, inspection. But a Jan. 3, 2019, inspection note on that listing highlighted "ashes and cigarette or cigar butts" in "a child care space, play space or food preparation area."

The day care center's response to the note reads, "I will make sure it will be cleaned up and remain that way," and the department listed the issue as corrected.

Another department note from the same date reads "protective receptacle covers shall be placed in electrical outlets accessible to children 5 years of age or younger," to which the day care's response was, "I turned the outlets so they were closed. I will make sure that they are turned closed when not in use."

That issue was also listed as being corrected.

Widomski told the newspaper that the fire appeared to have started in the living room area on the first floor. The department's two fire inspectors and three Erie police detectives trained in fire investigations are working to determine the cause of the blaze.

The owner of the center was flown to UPMC Mercy for treatment, Santone said.

Erie police detectives said the owner was in stable condition, the newspaper reported.

Santone said a neighbor was also injured.

[JustKelli]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and family survive plane crash in Tennessee

Retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy and baby daughter have survived a small plane crash in east Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Earnhardt Jr., 44, was hospitalized and eventually discharged following the crash at Elizabethton Municipal Airport, according to*CBS affiliate WJHL-TV.

The Cessna Citation business jet rolled off the end of runway 24 and caught fire after landing at the airport at 3:40 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. Videos on social media showed a large plume of smoke and the aircraft on its side.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller confirmed her brother and his wife and 15-month-old girl, Isla, were on board the plane. "Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,"*she tweeted.

Two pilots were behind the controls of the Cessna. Officials didn't immediately release their identities.

"We're incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today's accident," NBC Sports said in a statement to The Associated Press. "After being discharged from the hospital, we communicated with Dale and his team, and we're all in agreement that he should take this weekend off to be with his family."

Earnhardt Jr. and his family were in the area near Bristol Motor Speedway where he was expected to join the broadcast team to cover the race this weekend.

In this CBS News exclusive video, first responders are seen treating Dale Earnhardt Jr.ASHLEY GARCIA

In the aftermath of the crash,*video captured by Ashley Garcia shows*first responders treating Earnhardt Jr.

A reporter with WJHL-TV*tweeted*video from the scene and said a "portion of the plane" was on fire in the water. Firefighters at the airport said they were "burning off" excess fuel that spilled at the airport, but it didn't pose an environmental threat.

Video posted on Facebook showed the aftermath of the crash. It appeared the Earnhardt's dog was also on the Cessna and survived.

The FAA will investigate and two investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident.

Earnhardt Jr. retired*from NASCAR in 2017 and has since been working as an analyst and was slated to join the broadcast team for Saturday's Cup Series event in Bristol, Tennessee. The Earnhardt family is no stranger to tragedy. Earnhardt Sr. — one of the most revered names in all off racing — died at the 2001 Daytona 500 in a crash. "Junior," as he is known, went on to win the Daytona 500 two times.

[JustKelli]

This really touched my heart. Originally a 400 seat church was booked but a much larger venue has since been secured ...

El Paso shooting: Man with no family invites community to wife's funeral

14 August 2019

The husband of a woman killed in the El Paso shooting has invited the community to attend her funeral as he has no other family in town.

Margie Reckard, 63, was among 22 people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso on August 3.

Her husband Antonio Basco extended the open invitation through the funeral home arranging the service.

Basco*told KFOX14*they were together for 22 years and their life was "like a fairytale."

"When I met her she was an angel and she still is. I was supposed to be strong, but I found out I'm the weak one.

"We were gonna live together and die together that was our plan," he said.

A Facebook post by Perches Funeral Home showing Basco at his wife's memorial welcomes "anyone to attend" the service on Friday.

The post has been shared more than 10,000 times with more than 1,000 comments from people offering their condolences and keen to show their support.

"Just sent flowers from Los Angeles, CA. I pray Mr Basco knows he and his beloved Margie are in the thoughts of many, including this stranger,"*posted one Facebook user.

Another posted: "Hello from Baltimore, MD. How would I be able to keep in contact with Mr Basco once the funeral is done? At a time like this and since he has no family, time is more valuable than anything."

Others asked about how they could send cards and flowers and even help financially towards the cost of the funeral. Another Facebook user*offered to sing at the service.

Harrison B Johnson, the funeral home director, told the BBC they will be covering the full cost of the funeral with no charge to Mr Basco after learning about his situation.

"We have had a tremendous outpouring of support after we shared the post. It is our privilege to honour and serve the community to try and make that burden lighter after a tragedy that has devastated our community.

"We just wanted to do our part to help in some small way."

"People have been calling to contribute money but we are not accepting any donations," Mr Johnson added.

"We advise anyone who wishes to make a financial contribution to donate to the charities which are already set up to help the families of those affected by the El Paso shootings."

[JustKelli]

"I am blind but yet I see" ... Canada leads the way toward more independence for the blind.

Microsoft 'Soundscape' app allows blind users to hear their environment

CTV National News: Hearing the world

A new app is allowing the visually impaired to hear the world surrounding them with 3D sounds similar to sonar. Avis Favaro reports.

CTV's Avis Favaro and Elizabeth St. Philip, CTVNews.ca
Published Sunday, August 11, 2019 10:00PM EDT*

Armed with his white cane, smartphone, and a pair of sunglasses with built-in Bluetooth speakers, Jason Fayre makes the journey to his local Starbucks with a renewed sense of independence.

Along the way, a new smartphone app designed to revolutionize the way blind people interact with the environment around them alerts him to his surroundings, acting as an audio beacon to his destination.

"It's honestly quite a liberating concept because not only am I getting information about what's around me, but I'm actually getting the spatial information on where it is around me," Fayre told CTV News.

Developed by Microsoft's research arm, the app, called Soundscape, uses 3D audio cues to help users get a better understanding of their surroundings. Unlike traditional step-by-step navigation tools, the app identifies the user's surroundings as they move, alerting them to landmarks through spatial audio.

"It gives you a 3D representation of what's going on… so, for example, if there is a coffee shop to your left, you'll hear it in your left ear," explained Fayre.

Though Fayre describes himself as a confident and frequent traveller, he says the app has allowed him even more confidence during his daily commutes and when he travels outside Toronto.

That type of feedback is music to the ears of Bill Buxton, Soundscape creator and principal researcher at Microsoft.

"The technology behind what we're doing dates back at least 20 years, but it takes a long time to become deployable," Buxton told CTV News.

"We're getting to the point that when you turn your head the sound stays where it is, so you can basically do the audio equivalent of a lighthouse, or a beacon, to let you know where things are."

Buxton, who calls the project the highlight of his career, says the app can also be helpful to sighted travellers when exploring foreign cities where street signs would be in different languages.

Canada is one of four countries to test out the free app, and the first to offer it in two languages: English and French.

The Canadian National Institute of the Blind (CNIB) is now training those with visual impairments to use the app.

"It's very user friendly. It's easy to use and there's not a lot of training required to begin using it," said Shane Laurnitus, lead of accessibility technology at the CNIB.

"It really says how important technology is to people and how important it is to get around independently and safely."

[JustKelli]

This one is as scary as it is sad!!!

California High School Students Seen Giving 'Heil Hitler' Salute, Singing Nazi Marching Song

*10:58 AM PDT, August 20, 2019*- Inside Edition Staff

Video appearing to show a group of California high school students giving*the Nazi salute*has surfaced.

The eight-second clip also appears to show the teenagers, who reportedly attend Pacifica High School outside Los Angeles, saluting as they sing a German World War II-era marching song.

The video was filmed in November 2018 before “an after-school hours, off-campus student athletics banquet in an empty and unsupervised room at the facility,” the Garden Grove Unified School District said*in a statement.*

A small group of students shared the video with each other on Snapchat, but it was not brought to the administration’s attention until March 2019, the district said.

Authorities said they “strongly condemn” the actions of the students in the video and said they took “immediate action” to*address the incident*with the teens and their families.*

It was not immediately clear what, if any, punishment was meted out to the students involved.*

The district would not give details of how the students were disciplined, saying federal law protects student records,*CNN*reported.*

The video, which was first obtained by*the Daily Beast, is the latest to picture teenagers evoking Nazi imagery.

Last year, several teens in Wisconsin were seen*giving the Nazi salute*while posing for prom photos.

Those students were not punished by their school district, which decided after a 10-day review they were protected under the First Amendment.*

More recently, in March, students in Southern California were seen playing beer pong with cups formed in the shape of a swastika. Anne Frank’s stepsister, Eva Schloss, visited the students to explain why the symbol was*painful and offensive.

[JustKelli]

Now if you thought the above was bad check out how fucking stupid some of our teachers are ...

11-Year-Old Girl Sent to Principal's Office for Telling Classmates to Stop Giving Nazi Salute

NEWS

*10:53 AM PDT, May 15, 2019 - Deborah Hastings

The girl told fellow students it was wrong to make the Nazi 'Sieg Heil' salute.*Keith Jacks Gamble/Twitter

***

An 11-year-old Tennessee girl was sent to the principal's office after shouting at fellow students to stop giving the*Nazi*'Sieg Heil' salute, her father said.

Keith Jacks Gamble, chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreeboro, asked the public to send messages of support to his daughter in a tweet he posted Tuesday.

The dad said a history project at the McFadden School of Excellence involved a student playing Adolf Hitler for a "Living History" project. The student was to deliver the salute at the end of a speech.*

But students started giving the salute on campus and allegedly bullied his daughter with the hand-raised-skyward gesture, the father said.*

The girl told her classmates it was wrong to mimic the*Nazi*salute, Gamble said on social media.

Keith Jacks Gamble@KeithJGamble

*·*May 14, 2019

Please comment with support for my 11-year-old daughter. She was removed from class and sent to the principal’s office for the rest of the day last Thursday for shouting, “Stop it, put your hands down now,” to a group of students giving the Nazi salute.

A tweet below

Children at school have been giving Nazi salutes in the hallways and at recess for weeks, after a teacher assigned a student to give the Nazi salute in a Hitler costume for an assignment.

"Each time, my daughter spoke out even thought she was told by a teacher 'not to address it.' She has been bullied by classmates and targeted personally with Nazi salutes, so school feels lonely sometimes," he tweeted.

During the history project's final rehearsal, the students returned the fake Hitler's salute, prompting Gamble's daughter to shout, "Stop it put your hands down!" her father said. The girl was upset, and she was removed from the room for being "disrespectful," Gamble tweeted. She was then sent to the principal's office.*

James Evans, spokesman for Rutherford County Schools, said the student was not disciplined "or punished in any way for her concerns or actions," in an email to InsideEdition.com. "In fact, the school agrees the actions of the students were completely inappropriate [in returning the salute]," he said.*

He described the final rehearsal as an incident in which "one student became upset and had an outburst. The teacher talked with her and tried to calm the student, but was unable to do so. The teacher took her to the hallway for approximately two minutes to calm down, but to no avail."

The student was then taken to the principal "to talk about what had happened" and left after about five minutes, Evans said.*

The principal investigated the student's concerns and was able to confirm two times when the salute was given outside rehearsals, he said. A meeting was held with all fifth-grade students "to put a stop to any further instances," Evans said.*

The school also sent a note to parents saying officials did not condone any actions that "can be interpreted as hate-filled or insensitive.
The "Living History" project will no longer contain a depiction of Hitler or the*Nazi*salute, Evans said.