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What’s behind Canada’s surge of car thefts?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

In today’s The Big Story podcast, the number of car thefts across Canada has been climbing for years, and last year they reached a high not seen since the old days of manual hot-wiring. This year figures to be even worse, as a perfect storm of factors make modern cars vulnerable, movable and highly sought after by organized thieves.Bryan Gast is vice president of investigative services at the Équité Association. He says automakers are falling behind in terms of protecting their cars from newer methods of theft. “Currently the standards are very outdated, to the point where these vehicles aren’t protected against these types of attacks,” says Gast.How does a modern car-theft work, anyway? What’s the best way to stop this wave, on both an individual and regulatory level? And just where do all those stolen cars wind up, anyway?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Cubs' postseason fate is in their hands in final week

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

CHICAGO — As the final week of the season arrives, the Cubs are in the position they'd hope to be in when the 2023 season began. With six games remaining, they control their playoff fate, but they've got a lot of work to do to lock up a playoff bid over the next seven days.(Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)Thanks to a three-game sweep of the Rockies, the Cubs are now 82-74 on the season.That puts them in the last playoff spot in the National League Wild Card race, sitting a full game ahead of the Marlins and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Reds with six games to play.To just make the postseason, the Cubs' "Magic Number" currently sits at six, but they still have a shot to move up one more spot. At the moment, they sit a half-game behind the Diamondbacks for the second spot as Arizona has seven games remaining in their season. Sammy Sosa’s chase for MLB’s home run record 25 years later One thing to consider, however, is that the Cubs don't hold the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks...

Hollywood writers strike nearing end. What's next?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Hollywood strike of nearly five months appears about to end as a tentative deal has been reached between unionized screenwriters and the studios, streaming services and production companies that hire them. Here's a look at the steps to come for writers, and for the actors whose strike continues.FIRST COMES TWO CRUCIAL VOTESAfter five days of marathon negotiating sessions that included the CEOs of Hollywood's biggest studios, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came to terms Sunday night on a contract good for three years, the standard length in the industry.But two successful votes must happen before the strike is over. First, boards of the WGA's eastern and western branches must approve the deal. Then the 11,500 members themselves must vote for approval. Such votes are actually common with Hollywood unions, taking place every time a new three-year contract is negotiated, though they don't normally come at the...

Cars, homes damaged after Sunday night hail storm

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- People in the Austin area woke up to shattered windshields, dented cars, and damaged roofs Monday morning after hail fell from the sky overnight. KXAN viewers shared their videos and photos of the severe storm from overnight and its aftermath. Roy Armendariz said he saw baseball-sized hail fall in his Cat Hollow neighborhood. That kind of hail can harm people and animals that are outside. Armendariz said he had to save his pet who was outside in the storm when it started. "Matter of fact, my dog was in the front yard and got hit, and then it came down like hail," Armendariz explained. "Causing damage to my vehicle, the house, and my whole neighborhood."The Honda dealership in Round Rock sustained thousands of dollars of damage to vehicles in its lot. Cars lined up closes to the frontage road all shared the same characteristics -- a severely cracked windshield, shattered back windshield, and dents along the car.Cars in the dealership lot had cracked and s...

Texas ranks among states most impacted by natural disasters, study says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas continues to rank among the states most impacted by natural disasters, a new study showed.The state ranks third most-impacted by natural disasters over the past four decades, according to the study by WalletHub. Only Mississippi and Louisiana rank higher, while Florida and Iowa round out the top five.The website ranked all 50 states by looking at the number of natural disasters since 1980 that have caused at least $1 billion in damages, as well as the damage cost per capita.Texas received a score of 87.88 out of 100, up almost four points from last year's study. No other state saw a higher number of billion-dollar disasters. Meanwhile, Texas ranked ninth for per capita damage cost.Maine again ranked as the state least impacted by natural disasters, with a score of 11.85 out of 100. Alaska, New Hampshire, Utah and Nevada all received scores of less than 15.Since 1980, the National Centers for Environmental Information have reported 380 natural disasters that cau...

Asteroid passing Earth: Why NASA's OSIRIS-REx is now heading towards a once dangerous space rock

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - NASA brought rock samples back from space for the first time since the Apollo Mission over the weekend. The OSIRIS-REx mission launched in 2016 towards Bennu, a more than four billion year old asteroid orbiting our sun."It took us about two years to actually catch up to it in the right place and be able to get into orbit," said NASA Senior Scientist Amy Simon.Once in orbit, OSIRIS-REx scanned the surface of the asteroid before eventually touching down and collecting a sample in 2020. It then spent three years bringing the sample back to Earth."Now that the sample has come back, the spacecraft is still healthy, it will actually be diverting on to a new mission, it will be going to near Earth asteroid Apophis."Apophis was once considered a risk to Earth. Discovered in 2004, scientists believed it would hit the Earth in 2029.Will an asteroid hit Earth in 2029?Luckily, a decade later with more precise measurements, Scientists were able to determine it wouldn't hit Earth,...

Retired Saratoga County Sheriff's Office K9 dies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, Brodie, a retired K9 with the office, died Friday evening. Brodie was 12 years old. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Deputies say Brodie started his career 10 years ago in 2013 after being selected for the Sheriff's K9 school and was trained for patrol and narcotics detection. Brodie retired in 2017 due to medical reasons.His handlers were Sergeant Joe Shields and Deputy Dave Zecca. Brodie lived with Zecca and his family after retirement.

Hit-and-run kills Littleton pedestrian, police search for SUV driver

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

Officers are searching for a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that allegedly hit and killed a Littleton pedestrian Sunday, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in finding it.Littleton officers responded to the pedestrian-motorist crash just after 3:20 a.m. Sunday on Bowles Avenue, near the intersection of Santa Fe Drive.The driver of a white SUV was traveling eastbound on Bowles Avenue when they hit a Hispanic man in his 40s or 50s, according to a Sunday news release from the Littleton Police Department. The unidentified man died from his injuries.The Jeep left the scene westbound, the news release stated.Littleton police and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation believe the white SUV is a Jeep Grand Cherokee model from between 2016 and 2021, according to a CBI medina alert.There is damage to the front of the vehicle on the driver’s side, the alert stated.UPDATED MEDINA ALERT: On 9/24/23 at about 3:38 AM, a 2016 to white 2021 Jeep Grand Cherok...

Aurora’s Mango House is a food hall delight | Opinion

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).Denver’s food scene has endured extreme highs and lows in recent weeks, from bittersweet closures to the state’s first Michelin-starred eateries.But in Aurora, eating out is often more about the affordable, modest comforts of home than impressing out-of-state judges or holding down high-profile real estate in hip neighborhoods.A sterling example — and one that blows away most food halls for diversity and authenticity (yes, I know the latter can be a problematic term) — is the nonprofit Mango House. Founded 12 years ago by Dr. P.J. Parmar, the hulking pair of buildings at 10180 E. Colfax Ave. hold refugee-focused healthcare, shops, religious and social services, and events.Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and...

Small talk gives way to horror in “The Minutes” at Curious Theatre

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:51:08 GMT

On the civic-minded set of “The Minutes,” things get very strange, even funny, before going downright dark. Tracy Letts’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated drama about a city council meeting gone awry launches the new season at the Curious Theatre Company with artistic aplomb and to roiling effect.Letts, the author of the family meltdown drama “August: Osage County,” brings his knack for the implosive to what should be a routine Big Cherry city council meeting — if only Mr. Peel (played with hapless decency by Josh Robinson) would stop asking about the absence of Mr. Carp (Erik Sandvold).New to the council, Peel has just returned from burying his mother. It’s only natural for him to wonder, what did I miss? When he last saw Carp, the latter was talking about a cache of stolen bicycles that the brother of another council member had come into lucrative possession of.Carp’s chair and nameplate sit at the end of a long table, but he’s nowhere in sight. Why? Might a reading of the min...