List of All Articles with Tag 'ca'

More than 1,000 fires are still burning across Canada - one-third of them in British Columbia.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have received plenty of calls on closer David Bednar. What would it take to acquire him?The asking price for closer David Bednar is said to be enormous, and rightly so -- he made the NL All-Star team and still has at least three years left of team control on his contract. ...

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was confronted by her victims’ sobbing family members at her sentencing hearing where they branded her a “monster” and described her 1,841-day “cruel campaign of terror”. The 50-year-old convicted killer appeared in Fremont County Courthouse in Idaho on Monday morning to be sentenced for the murders of her two youngest children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and conspiracy to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell. Sitting slouched cross-legged at the defence table, Vallow kept her head down and refused to look her victims’ devastated family members in the eyes as they gave heartwrenching impact statements to the court. JJ’s grandmother Kay Woodcock broke down in tears as she told Vallow she will “never understand” how she – who once appeared to be a loving mother – could have murdered the son she “chose” to adopt. “The deplorable woman that chose to be his mother, the woman who five years earlier made the conscious decision to stand in front of a judge and swore to provide for, care, love and protect him,” she sobbed. “Lori always showed her deepest appreciation that we gave her the greatest gift ever, being JJ,” she said. “That same mother murdered [her son]... and I will never understand it.” Ms Woodcock is JJ’s biological grandmother and the sister of Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow. She told the court how when JJ was born, he spent time in the NICU and was born with drugs in his system because his parents struggled with substance abuse. She described her joy as she and her husband Larry Woodcock took in JJ as their own son. They “loved every minute of raising him”, she said, describing it “as priceless”. But, around a year later, Vallow and Charles Vallow adopted the little boy. Sobbing, Ms Woodcock said that they all believed that would be best for JJ – who had autism – so he could grow up with younger, more energetic parents who had greater access to the resources he needed. Describing Vallow as a caring mother to JJ, Ms Woodcock said it was even more “mind-blowing” that the woman who “chose to be his mother” could a few years later be the same person to murder him. “I knew it was the best thing for him. I knew she [Lori] would always be 1000 percent involved in his care... that is part of why this is so hard – how could someone [do this]... it’s mind-blowing and I will never understand it,” she said. Ms Woodcock went on to speak of 16-year-old Tylee and how close the teenager was to her younger brother. “It warmed our hearts seeing her and JJ together,” she said. “The love they had for each other is evident in the last photo they have with each other,” she added, referring to the final photo of Tylee alive – an image of her taken on a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Cox, Vallow and JJ. Ms Woodcock began her statement by reeling off a list of numbers and said they are “more than numbers”. “Today marks 1,481 days that have been filled with terror,” she said. “One was the day that my brother was murdered.” In August 2019, Charles Vallow was shot dead by Vallow’s brother Alex Cox at her home in Arizona. Vallow is currently awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to murder for Charles’ killing. “This was the beginning of her cruel campaign of terror,” said Ms Woodcock. Ms Woodcock said that Vallow’s killing spree “all began with greed” for a $1m life insurance policy in the event of Charles Vallow’s death. She said she would have given her the money if she could only have just let JJ and Tylee live. “I would have given her the money. She could have let JJ and Tylee live and have $1m,” she said. “She could have been free to be Chad’s mistress and foot the bill with money from spilled blood. JJ and Tylee could have lived with us and had wonderful lives.” Following Charles Vallow’s murder, she said that she was fearful for JJ’s safety but that – legally – she had no rights to step in and take him into her care. When JJ and Tylee then went missing, she described “319 days” of “pure hell” where she feared the worst – only for it to be realised when their remains were found in Mr Daybell’s yard. “Nothing can describe the pure hell of not knowing where the children were,” she said. “319 days from the last day we were allowed to be able to Facetime with JJ and the day we knew the children had been found, in Chad Daybell’s backyard, buried like animals.” Vallow’s only surviving child Colby Ryan said in a statement read by prosecutors how he had lost so much as a result of his mother’s actions. “I’ve watched everything crumble and shredded to pieces,” he said, speaking about all the things that Tylee and JJ will now never experience after their lives were cut short. Tammy’s sister Samantha Gwilliam also took the stand to deliver an emotional victim impact statement where she dismissed Vallow’s doomsday cult beliefs that she and Mr Daybell are “exalted” beings and that their victims were “zombies” or “dark spirits”. “You are a liar, an adultress and a murderer,” she told her. “I am not a dark person or a zombie. For me and my family to be presented that way is unacceptable,” she said. “Everyone knows what liars you are. They now know what horrible things you have done. “You are not an exalted being. There is no huge event that is going to save you. No angels are coming to rescue you.” Instead, she said that Vallow will now spend her life behind bars. Ms Gwilliam also read out a statement from her father Ronald Douglas who spoke of “the eternal ramifications” of Vallow’s actions on their family. As well as taking away Tammy, Vallow’s actions had also torn apart the family that they still have left. Following Tammy’s murder and the chilling revelations that came out over the past three years, Tammy’s mother’s health deteriorated significantly and she passed away. Beyond that, Mr Douglas said that the family had also lost their relationship with Tammy and Mr Daybell’s five children – who he said have believed their father’s lies. In her victim impact statement, Tammy’s aunt Vicki Hoban slammed Vallow’s “shameful” conduct during the murder trial, calling her out for “smirking, smiling, giggling, talking” – something that was “extremely disrespectful to watch”. She said it was time for Tammy’s story, and not Vallow’s. “Tammy was beloved. There will be a huge void in our life. This is Tammy’s story. She was a mom, a grandma, a niece, a friend, a librarian,” she said. “More than a librarian, she was a teacher. Her last days went to preparing a bookfair for underserved children.” The night she was killed, she said she imagines Tammy went to bed with “no idea what the plan was for that night”. “Unbeknownst to her, Lori had already killed two of her children. Tammy was already on her list of obstacles,” she said. “Instead ofa good night’s sleep, Tammy was brutally executed in her own bed. She was taken from us by murdering thieves.” Vallow is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison after the death penalty was taken off the table ahead of trial. Vallow was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, back in May. She was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy, 49. Judge Steven Boyce ruled last month that only victims’ immediate family members would be permitted to speak at the sentencing hearing, ruling out some loved ones who hoped to have their say in court. Vallow will also have the opportunity to speak before the court – something she declined to do at her trial. Judge Boyce said that a pre-sentence assessment was carried out, producing a 430-page report to inform his sentencing decision. However, he said that Vallow refused to participate in the assessment. Her sentencing comes almost three years after JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace in September 2019 – sparking fears for their safety from desperate family members all the while Vallow refused to say where they were. One month later, Tammy – an otherwise healthy 49-year-old – also died suddenly. Her death was initially ruled natural causes. This bizarre spate of disappearances and death came just months after Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow was shot dead by Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in Arizona in July 2019. With Vallow’s children and both of their spouses then out of the way, she and Mr Daybell embarked on a new life together – flying to Hawaii to get married in a fairytale wedding on the beach. But, with months passing since the last signs of life of Vallow’s children, concerns continued to grow, prompting authorities to exhume Tammy’s body. A subsequent autopsy revealed that she had died by asphyxiation. In June 2020 – nine months after they were last seen alive – Tylee and JJ’s remains were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho. JJ, who had autism, had been smothered with a plastic bag taped over his face, his little body still dressed in a pair of red pyjamas. Tylee’s cause of death meanwhile has been impossible to establish as the teenager’s dismembered, charred bones and body parts were found scattered in the ground on Mr Daybell’s pet cemetery. Jurors in Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, took almost seven hours to find Vallow guilty on all charges over the three murders after a grueling six-week trial where the panel heard harrowing details about the doomsday cult mom’s path of deadly destruction and were shown graphic images of the murdered children’s remains. The state called over 60 witnesses to lay out its case that Vallow was motivated by both her cult beliefs but also lust for Mr Daybell and financial greed when she conspired with him and her brother Cox to kill the three victims. In a bombshell move, Vallow’s attorneys declined to present any defence case or call any witnesses and the “cult mom” chose not to take the stand to give her side of the story. Vallow’s legal troubles and the chilling case are far from over. Following her sentencing, she is expected to be extradited to Arizona where she is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to murder her fourth husband Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of her niece’s husband Brandon Boudreaux. Meanwhile, Mr Daybell is still awaiting trial for the murders of JJ, Tylee and Tammy – with a scheduled trial start date set for 1 April 2024. But, the third person accused of being a co-conspirator in the case won’t ever have his day in court. On 11 December 2019 – hours after Tammy’s body was exhumed – Cox died suddenly at the age of 51. His death was ruled natural causes, with indications of a blood clot wedged in the arteries of his lungs. However the overdose drug Narcan was also found in his system. Read More Lori Vallow sentencing – live: ‘Cult mom’ faces life in prison for murders of children and Chad Daybell’s wife Did a doomsday cult really drive Lori Vallow to murder her children? A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow

Shell Plc has resumed talks to sell its stake in a joint venture that operates onshore and shallow-water

E-cigarette company Juul Labs is seeking US authorization to sell a "next-generation" vape with age verification capabilities in the United States.

At least six people, including a 10-year-old girl, died in an early morning strike in Kryvyi Rih.

These 31 outstanding players were anything but tramps during their days in the National Football League. However, baby, they were certainly born to run. It is important that you take the title of this piece at face value. Understand that this is not a list of the greatest running back for each o...

In 2020, Lindsay Shiver posted a wedding photo on Instagram about her “perfect marriage” to a former Auburn University football player. But their relationship may not have been picture perfect as it seemed. Their relationship looked like a modern-day romance: football player meets beauty pageant queen. Mr Shiver played as a deep snapper for Auburn’s football team from 2006 to 2008, before signing with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. And before becoming Mrs Shiver, Lindsay Shirley was named Miss Houston County in 2005. “So thankful for that fitness class 13 years ago that brought us together and all of the love, laughter, and life we have created ever since! I love you babe,” she wrote in the 2020 post. “Cheers to many more.” Three years after toasting to “many more,” Lindsay Shiver was accused of plotting to murder Robert Shiver. The couple – with their three kids – had a home in the Bahamas, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. That’s where Ms Shiver met Terrance Bethel, the outlet reported. “On July 16, 2023 at Abaco, while being together did, with a common purpose agree to commit an offense, namely the murder of Richard Shiver,” a police report obtained by the outlet said. According to court documents, Robert Shiver filed for divorce on 5 April, and his wife subsequently filed counterclaims. But it wasn’t until 28 July, that his soon-to-be ex-wife would be accused of plotting his killing. Bahamas investigators found out about the alleged plot in a roundabout way. According to Bahama Court News, officials were looking into a suspect for an unrelated break-in at Grabbers Bed Bar & Grill. WhatsApp messages on the suspect’s phone revealed the murder plot. Three people were arrested: Mrs Shiver; her alleged 28-year-old lover, Mr Bethal; and 29-year-old Faron Newbold, purported to be the hired hitman. They were arrested in Abaco, and the three were then flown to Nassau, where they are currently being held in custody. They were not required to enter a plea, Bahama Court News reported. The trio appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on Friday, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. They are scheduled to appear in court again on 5 October. Although the pair appears to not follow each other anymore on social media, their descriptions are still in-sync. Mrs Shiver’s Instagram bio reads, “Mom to the Shivertrio,” while Mr Shiver’s reads, “Dad to the trio!” The former football player has worked at Senior Life Insurance Company since 2009, where he serves as executive vice president, according to the company website. Read More American mother-of-three arrested in Bahamas over alleged plot to kill ex-football star husband Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow

Up to 87 customers are affected after diesel was delivered in an underground petrol tank, it says.

Carlos de Oliveira is seen in court in Miami as he is charged in the Donald Trump document inquiry.

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is busy working the phones at the MLB trade deadline. So, who is next to go?The Cardinals have already traded away key players like Jordan Montgomery and Jordan Hicks -- both of whom are technically rentals -- for five prospects. FanSided's ...

Nearing the deadline, the White Sox have communicated that two of their stars, Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr., could be moved for the right price.The Chicago White Sox have been keeping their fingers on the pulse of the MLB trade market, and they're reportedly open to moving a few supersta...