Month: February 2023

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s First Budget Has $2.4 Billion Surplus, More Spending on Health Care, Education, Police

Alberta’s United Conservative government delivered the 2023 budget on Feb. 28, the last one before a scheduled May election, and it includes a $2.4 billion surplus by 2024, despite more spending across the board. The budget is balanced, with debt on the decline, according to Finance Minister Travis Toews. He said Albertans pay $20 billion…


2 Trains Collide in Greece, at Least 32 Killed, 85 Injured

ATHENS—Two trains collided head-on in Greece killing at least 32 people and injuring 85 late on Tuesday night, the fire brigade said, but the cause of the deadliest rail crash in Greece in decades remained unclear. An intercity passenger train traveling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided at high speed with a…


2 Trains Collide in Greece, 26 Killed, at Least 85 Injured

ATHENS—Twenty-six people were killed and at least 85 injured after two trains collided head-on in Greece late on Tuesday night, the fire brigade said, while the circumstances of the crash remained unclear. An intercity passenger train travelling from Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided with a cargo train outside the city of Larissa…


Don’t Overestimate China’s Inflationary Impact

Commentary The so-called restart of the Chinese economy has largely just echoed the market. But some suggest this will give a new push to global inflation when strong demand from China drives the resource markets. However, maybe we should revisit the basics: Where does that strong demand for Chinese production come from? Isn’t China the…


Least Expensive Orange County Cities to Purchase a Home

With inflation showing no signs of stopping any time soon, many looking to purchase a home in Orange County, California, face heightened obstacles in the already pricey market to do so. According to the California Association of Realtors, the average median home price in the region is just under $1.2 million, according to their January…


Mount Hope Police Chief Paul Rickard Retires, Takes Charge of Hope Not Handcuffs

Looking back at the past decade, Mount Hope Police Chief Paul Rickard said he accomplished what he had set out to do—transform the department into a more professional operation.  He said he improved almost every facet of the police department in the small rural town in upstate New York, from hiring, training, and policy to infrastructure…


Panel Says Foreign Interference Didn’t Impact 2021 Election Integrity

A panel of senior federal employees examining foreign meddling in Canadian elections has concluded that the integrity of the 2021 federal election wasn’t impacted by foreign interference. In a Feb. 28 news release, the minister for Democratic Institutions said the panel “did not detect foreign interference that threatened Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election”…


Top Georgia Official Calls on McCarthy to Oppose ‘Federal Takeover of Elections’

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to oppose a federal takeover of elections and support election law reforms. In a letter on Monday, Raffensperger called on the GOP’s congressional leadership to “remain steadfast” in opposing the Democrats’ 700-page voting reform bill, known as the “For the People Act,”…


‘Shen Yun Gave Us Much Positive Guidance,’ Says Taiwan President of Kiwanis International

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan—A president of the Kiwanis International Taiwan branch said Shen Yun Performing Arts was worth attending every year after the performance at the Chih-The Hall of the Kaohsiung Cultural Center on Feb. 28. “The beauty of Shen Yun is astounding,” said Ms. Chang Su-mei, the president of the Kiwanis International Guanshan Branch. “I saw…


COVID-19 Likely Came From Lab Leak: Energy Department

Did COVID-19 leak from the Wuhan virology lab? This question is back in the spotlight after the U.S. Energy Department concluded that the virus mostly likely came from a lab leak. The report comes from new intelligence. Plus, we have a recap of China’s infamous “bat woman” researcher from Wuhan and the lab’s ties to…