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Canada votes in election that could see Trudeau lose power

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced the threat of being knocked from power after one term as the nation held parliamentary elections on Monday. The 47-year-old Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, the liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he won in 2015, but a combination of scandal and high expectations have damaged his prospects. Results began to trickle in as the first polls closed along Canada's Atlantic coast.

Union official: Fired Wisconsin school guard gets job back

A Wisconsin school district is rehiring a black security guard after he was fired last week for repeating a racial slur while telling a student not to use it, a union official said Monday. Doug Keillor, executive director of Madison Teachers Inc., said that the union was contacted by school officials Monday saying interim Superintendent Jane Belmore decided to rescind the firing of Marlon Anderson. Anderson said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon, "I'm back!!" He said he learned of his rehiring while at his new job Monday.

Grand jury declines to indict monsignor in consent case

A Texas grand jury has declined to indict the onetime deputy to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo on charges he sexually assaulted a married woman in a case that raised questions about consent in the #MeToo era. The Harris County District Attorney's Office had presented the case against Monsignor Frank Rossi on Monday, more than a year after Laura Pontikes filed a criminal complaint with Houston police. "A grand jury was presented all the evidence and determined that no criminal charges are warranted," said Dane Schiller, spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Florida Senate considers fate of sheriff removed by governor

The tragedy of the Parkland school massacre framed a developing political drama Monday in Florida's capital, as the state Senate began considering whether to reinstate a county sheriff over the objections of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Just days after taking office in January, DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, faulting the lawman's handling of the Feb. 14, 2018, shootings that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. If the Republican majority Senate sides with DeSantis it would be rejecting the recommendation of an official it appointed to investigate the suspension.

The Latest: Union official: Fired guard getting job back

A union official says a black security guard is getting his job back at a Wisconsin school after he was fired for repeating a racial slur while telling a student not to use it. Doug Keillor, executive director of Madison Teachers Inc., said Monday that the union was contacted by school officials saying interim Superintendent Jane Belmore decided to rescind last week's firing of Marlon Anderson. Keillor says Anderson will be on paid leave as he works with the district on a transition plan back to the school.

Mom accused of killing daughter who fulfilled 'bucket list'

In a grand jury indictment revealed Monday, Kelly Renee Turner, 41, also known as Kelly Gant, was charged with 13 criminal counts that included child abuse, theft and charitable fraud in the death of Olivia Gant in 2017. The indictment alleges Turner caused Olivia Gant's 2017 death, not the multiple illnesses that the mother claimed the girl had and that prompted publicized ride-alongs with police and fire crews. Olivia's actual cause of death was not immediately clear.

The Latest: TV station apologizes for not breaking into game

A Dallas-Fort Worth television station owned and operated by NBC is apologizing for not airing warnings promptly as a tornado raked Dallas. While other network-affiliated stations went wall-to-wall with weather coverage about the tornadoes Sunday night, including one that devastated parts of northern Dallas, KXAS stayed with the football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. KXAS apologized in a statement issued Monday, saying it "made a mistake by not immediately interrupting the football game with a tornado warning." Instead, it waited six minutes before breaking into the broadcast.

South Africa's Eskom takes Deloitte to court alleging improper contracts

South Africa's cash-strapped state power firm Eskom said on Monday it had filed court papers in a bid to recover 207 million rand ($14 million) in connection with contracts it alleged were improperly awarded to Deloitte Consulting in 2016. Deloitte was not immediately available for comment. Eskom, drowning in debt of over 450 billion rand and reliant on government bailouts to keep the lights on, is at the center of a judicial inquiry into corruption at state entities, in addition to several other probes into mismanagement at the company.

Study finds US public land workers facing assaults, threats

Federal employees overseeing U.S. public lands were assaulted or threatened at least 360 times over a five-year period marked by heightened tensions with anti-government groups and dwindling ranks of law enforcement officers, a congressional watchdog agency said Monday. The Government Accountability Office in a new report highlights anti-government tensions that at times have boiled over, including a six-week armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016 and other standoffs with armed protesters in Montana and Nevada. The clashes have been rooted in a deep distrust of government on the part of the protesters, who view the federal bureaucracy as unlawfully impeding people from using public land for grazing, mining and other economic purposes.

Billie Lourd pays tribute to her late mom Carrie Fisher on her birthday

Carrie Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd, is keeping her late mother's spirit alive on the actress' birthday. Lourd shared a video on Instagram Monday, in which she sings Tom Petty's "American Girl," saying the song was her mother's favorite. Fisher, who died of cardiac arrest on December 2016, would have been 63 today.

General: Georgia soldiers died when vehicle fell from bridge

Soldiers were training in darkness when their armored vehicle fell from a bridge and landed upside down in water below, killing three of those inside and injuring three others, the commanding general of Fort Stewart said Monday. Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto struggled to hold back tears at a news conference as he read the names of the soldiers who died Sunday during a training exercise hours before dawn.

4 women testify on Indiana attorney general groping claims

Attorney General Curtis Hill looked on as Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon and three other women described what they called unwelcomed and inappropriate touching of their backs or buttocks and sexual comments during a party celebrating the end of the 2018 legislative session. Hill disputes the claims from Reardon and three legislative staffers, and his lawyers questioned whether his actions were misinterpreted. Reardon, a Democrat from Munster, testified that she encountered Hill soon after she arrived at the party about 1 a.m. and that he leaned in close to as if to hear her even though she wasn't saying anything to him.

Tornado slams Dallas; 4 killed in Arkansas, Oklahoma

A tornado tossed trees into homes, tore off storefronts and downed power lines but killed no one in a densely populated area of Dallas, leaving Mayor Eric Johnson to declare the city "very fortunate" to be assessing only property damage. "Anytime you have a tornado in a major metropolitan area, the potential for large loss of life is always there," said Patrick Marsh, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Santander to sell Puerto Rico unit to FirstBank in $1.1 billion deal

The deal includes Santander's 27 bank branches on the island and total assets of $6.2 billion, the companies said. First BanCorp , the bank holding company of FirstBank Puerto Rico, said its 2020 consensus earnings of 81 cents per share are now expected to get a boost by 35%.

Inmate convicted of murder in deadly prison breakout attempt

A North Carolina inmate was found guilty Monday of murdering four prison workers during a failed escape attempt two years ago. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel Brady, 30, of four counts of first-degree murder in the state's deadliest attempted prison breakout. The jury next will recommend whether Brady should get life in prison or execution.

Trump fielding ideas for replacing acting chief of staff Mulvaney: sources

U.S. President Donald Trump has been fielding suggestions from allies on who might succeed his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, amid frustration at his team's response to the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, two sources close to the White House said on Monday. Trump's irritation at being dogged by a variety of issues - from impeachment to his decision to move U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria - was on display on Monday in the White House Cabinet Room as the president aired his grievances at length before his senior advisers and a group of reporters. The president has been focused in part on Mulvaney's comments to reporters last week that Trump had withheld military aid from Ukraine in an effort to get Kiev to investigate a debunked claim about the 2016 U.S. election.

Former Chevron exec seeks $500 million for post-sanctions Venezuela

The former chief of Chevron Corp's Latin American operations is moving to raise $500 million from big financial firms to invest in Venezuela once U.S. sanctions are eventually lifted, confident that political change will come and that foreign investment will be needed to boost sagging oil output. Amos Global Energy LLC, an oil and gas firm started by former Chevron executive Ali Moshiri, begins a road show to raise funding next month, seeking five big investors to put in $100 million each. Amos Global, which includes Moshiri and two co-founders, also is researching Venezuela public debt holders for another fund that would be even larger.

Lizzo ties record with 7th week at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" has now tied the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a rap song by a female artist. "We... Are... Officially.... Tied w/ Fancy for longest female rap #1 thank you to everyone who streamed," Lizzo commented on Instagram with a screenshot of the chart.

Fort Worth Police Have More Violence to Answer For, Residents Say

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Before there was Atatiana Jefferson, there was Jackie Craig, a black woman who called police to report that her white neighbor had grabbed her son -- and found herself pinned to the ground by the officer who responded.There was Henry Newson, a black man who had just been discharged from the hospital and was waiting for a ride home when two officers working security questioned why he was there. He refused to leave, and a white officer punched him in the face.There was Craigory Adams, also black, who knocked on his neighbor's door late one night carrying a barbecue fork -- to keep stray dogs away, he said -- and the neighbor called police. A white officer pointed a shotgun at Adams but said he wasn't meaning to fire it. He did, striking Adams in the arm.These names and others have all been brought up again in the days since Jefferson, a 28-year-old black woman, was shot and killed in her bedroom this month by a white police officer who was standing outside her window. In the largely black and Hispanic neighborhood in southeast Fort Worth, where Jefferson lived, and in others nearby, many residents recalled times when they had tried calling police -- and ended up sorry that they did."This is not an isolated incident," said the Rev. Kyev Tatum, who is part of a coalition asking the Justice Department to investigate "overaggressive policing" in Fort Worth's communities of color. "This is historic and it is systemic, and we understand that racism is at the heart of this."The long-simmering tensions boiled to the surface this month after Jefferson became the sixth person to be killed by Fort Worth police since June. Four of the six were black.Five years after a police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, stoked a national debate over race and policing, Fort Worth is far from the only community where residents complain that the conversation in their city never really went anywhere.In Dallas, just 30 miles east of Fort Worth, a similar case played out tragically over the last year: A white off-duty police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this month after she mistakenly entered the apartment of a black neighbor, Botham Shem Jean, and shot him to death while he was watching television."There's a pattern," said Craig, 49. "They want to say that it's not racially motivated," she said. "It's just obvious to the eye that it is."Jefferson's death drew hundreds to a vigil outside her house in Fort Worth. At City Hall, protesters held signs reading "Say Her Name." And on the Democratic presidential debate stage last week in Ohio, Julian Castro brought up Jefferson's death to discuss police violence.The mayor and police officials have described Jefferson's death as inexcusable, and city leaders said they planned to bring in an outside team of experts to review the Fort Worth Police Department."This incident has eroded the trust that we have built with our community and we must now work even harder to ensure that trust is restored," Ed Kraus, the interim police chief, said.Fort Worth has a storied history as a Western outpost -- it lives up to its Cowtown nickname with twice-daily cattle drives in the historic district -- but today, the nation's 13th largest city is in some ways two different places, divided along racial and economic lines. It is home to Walmart heiress Alice Walton, the wealthiest person in Texas, but neighborhoods like Jefferson's are dotted with abandoned homes.Most of the police force, about 65%, is white -- as are the mayor, the city manager, a majority of the City Council and now the police chief, after the department's first black chief was fired earlier this year. Black and Hispanic residents, who together make up a majority in the city, complain that they often feel ignored by city leadership and unfairly targeted by police. Black residents on their own make up about 18% of the population, but they accounted for 40% of arrests in 2017.The latest turmoil began after midnight Oct. 12, when Jefferson was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew. Two officers responded to a neighbor's report that her doors were open. As Jefferson grabbed a gun from her purse, one of the officers fired the fatal shot through a bedroom window without identifying himself, police said. The officer, Aaron Dean, who quickly resigned, now faces a murder charge.From the beginning, city officials knew the case was going to be unlike any of the previous police shootings. The mayor, Betsy Price, said Kraus called her at about 6:30 a.m. and told her the essence of what had occurred overnight."He just said, 'I don't think it's going to be pretty,'" Price recalled. "'It's too early. I don't have the details yet, but it looks like the wheels fell off.'"Public resentment had been building for years. In interviews, many residents said they knew people who had been shot, shocked by stun guns or wrestled by police. At least four highly publicized encounters have been documented in video footage and lawsuits. Some of those officers have faced criminal charges and left the department; others remain on the force.An Arrest Over RaisinsOne of the first cases to incite outrage was Craig's arrest in December 2016.It started with flavored raisins. Craig's 8-year-old son dropped some raisins onto the street outside her white neighbor's house. The man grabbed her son by the back of the neck and pushed him down to pick up the raisins, she said.Craig called 911 and a white officer, William Martin, responded. As seen in body-camera footage and cellphone videos, one of the first questions Martin asked was, "So why don't you teach your son not to litter?" After Craig told him that her neighbor did not have the right to put his hands on her son, whether or not he had littered, the officer asked, "Why not?"As Craig grew agitated, he added, "I'm just asking."Martin told her that if she did not stop yelling at him, "you're going to piss me off, and I'm going to take you to jail."Moments later, the officer pushed aside one of her daughters, Jacques Hymond, who was 15 at the time, pulled out his Taser and pointed it at Craig as he forced her to the pavement. He later handcuffed and arrested Craig, along with Jacques and Craig's other daughter, Brea Hymond, who was 19 at the time.Craig said she had hoped her arrest would serve as a warning of the need to make changes in the Police Department. A task force appointed by the City Council examined issues of race and culture in the police force, but major reforms never happened. The officer was suspended for 10 days but remains with the department."I believe it will continue, because I'm not seeing any consequences behind the actions that these police officers are taking," Craig said. "If there's no punishment behind it, why not keep doing it?"Another incident occurred in August 2017, when Dorshay Morris called 911 to report that her boyfriend was drunk and threatening to kick in her door. She had a knife in her purse to protect herself.The two officers who arrived made her feel like a criminal, she said. When she refused to give them her ID, the officers grabbed her by the hair, and Sgt. Kenneth Pierce, who is white, ordered a rookie officer to shoot her with a Taser. She was taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She said she spent four days in jail. The charges were later dropped.Pierce was fired but was reinstated after he appealed."I never was supposed to be arrested," Morris said in an interview this week. "I was the caller."Six Fatal Police ShootingsSo far this year, Fort Worth police officers have fired shots at nine people, killing six and injuring two. The fatal shootings have all happened since June and are more than the department had in the previous two years combined.Policing experts caution against extrapolating from one year of data -- the numbers can fluctuate from year to year -- but six fatal shootings is more than most police departments in similarly sized cities have recorded. For example, in Indianapolis, police have fired at three people this year, killing one. And in San Francisco, police have not fired a gun at anyone this year, a spokeswoman said.In one of the fatal cases in Fort Worth, an officer shot a white Army veteran who had barricaded himself with a rifle in his father's home. Police said they thought he had pointed the rifle toward them when he was shot, but in fact, it was a flashlight.In another scrutinized case, an 18-year-old black man who was a person of interest in a homicide was killed while holding a gun and running from police, according to video footage. Activists noted that he was shot in the back.In each of the fatal shootings this year, the victims were armed. In several, they had barricaded themselves inside a home or vehicle in a standoff with police. Still, four of the six victims, including Jefferson, were black, and community members have questioned whether police could have done more to de-escalate or avoid risk."Just because they had firearms doesn't warrant a death sentence on the street," said Pamela Young, an organizer who is pushing for community oversight of the police department.The mayor and police officials have apologized for the killing of Jefferson. City leaders said they were working on changes to improve diversity and accountability."Please, do not let the actions of one officer reflect on the other 1,700," Kraus, who has been on the job since May, said during an emotional news conference. "There's absolutely no excuse for this incident, and the person responsible will be held accountable."In an interview, Price said she had heard from some black residents who said they feared police so much that they would no longer call them for help. She was deeply worried by that sentiment. But she flatly rejected the idea that the city's white leadership was not engaged with black residents."I am in the minority community more than anywhere else," the mayor said.The tensions gripping the city were on full display Oct. 15 when residents poured into City Hall for the City Council's first meeting after the shooting -- so many that a large, frustrated crowd was forced to wait for hours outside.Many residents demanded to know not only what the city was going to do for the family of Jefferson -- who many call "Tay" -- but for everyone else."You mentioned that we need to provide Tay's nephew with anything he needs," Jen Sarduy, a black Fort Worth resident, told the council. "He needs his aunt alive. He needs to not have witnessed her murder. He needs the city to be equitable and just and safe."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company

Wildfire burns near hilltop homes in coastal Los Angeles

A furious firefighting air and ground attack beat back a blaze Monday as it raced up canyon walls toward multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes on a ridge in Los Angeles. The wildfire broke out around 10:30 a.m. in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood and flames churned uphill through green trees and dry brush. Many residents evacuated from the hillside community west of downtown Los Angeles, while others stayed behind and used backyard garden hoses to try and protect their homes.

Central Park to get first statue honoring women

Central Park has 23 statues of men who left their mark in history but not a single one honoring the accomplishments of a woman. The likeness of Truth, an escaped slave and abolitionist, was added to the sculpture in response to criticism that African American suffragists were initially excluded. "This statue conveys the power of women working together to bring about revolutionary change in our society," said Pam Elam, president of the Monumental Women nonprofit of volunteer advocates, historians and community leaders, with key support from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

'I always try to make her smile': Sanitation worker helps 88-year-old woman with dementia wheel trashcan up her driveway

A sweet moment between an elderly woman with dementia and a waste management employee caught on a doorbell camera is restoring our faith in humanity. In January, 88-year-old Opal Zucca was wheeling her trashcan up the driveway of her Missouri home when she tripped and fell. Zucca hit her head and had to get eight stitches.

US diplomat in Ukraine text messages to testify to Congress

William Taylor has emerged as an unlikely central player in the events that are at the heart of the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. The retired career civil servant was tapped to run the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine after the administration abruptly ousted the ambassador. "I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign," he wrote at one point in excerpts of text messages released by impeachment investigators in Congress.

Man charged in church shooting accused of assaulting lawyer

A man charged with shooting a New Hampshire church pastor and bride during a wedding has been accused of assaulting his attorney during a jailhouse meeting. Thirty-seven-year-old Dale Holloway, of Manchester, was expected to be in court for a bail hearing Tuesday. Capt. Gifford Hisco, chief of security at the Valley Street jail, says Holloway has been accused of assaulting his public defender Monday morning in a room for attorney-client meetings.

4 more parents plead guilty in college admissions scandal

Four more parents pleaded guilty on Monday in the college admissions bribery scandal, and a Texas man accused of helping to orchestrate the scheme also agreed to reverse his plea and accept guilt. Parents Douglas Hodge, Michelle Janavs, Manuel Henriquez and Elizabeth Henriquez entered guilty pleas in Boston's federal court Monday after previously pleading not guilty. Each faces charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Authorities charge officer who opened fire on couple's car

A Connecticut police officer who opened fire on an unarmed couple's car, seriously wounding a woman, was charged Monday with assault and reckless endangerment. State's Attorney Patrick Griffin said in an investigation report that Hamden officer Devin Eaton showed "an extreme indifference to human life" and that the use of force April 16 in New Haven was not justified. Eaton, 29, who has been on the force for three years, posted $100,000 bail and was ordered to appear in court Oct. 28 to face one count of first-degree assault and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

UBS, Simmons Energy pare bankers as shale M&A slows: sources

NEW YORK/HOUSTON (Reuters) - UBS Group AG and the energy arm of Piper Jaffray Companies have cut staff in their oil and gas investment banking teams, three people familiar with the matter said on Monday, as U.S. dealmaking continues to dry up. Mergers and acquisitions activity within the shale business is at its lowest level in a decade, excluding Occidental Petroleum Corp's purchase of Anadarko Petroleum Corp, as shareholders squeeze producers to focus on returns and develop existing acreage rather than expansion. The decline has left investment bankers that advise on such transactions without enough work.

Correction: Crane Demolition story

In a story Oct. 20 about the demolition of two construction cranes at the site of a partially collapsed building in New Orleans, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the cranes weighed thousands of tons. NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Thundering explosions toppled two cranes Sunday that had loomed precariously for days over a partially collapsed hotel in New Orleans, in what city officials hailed as a success and said efforts now would focus on retrieving two bodies still inside the ruined building.