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DEA warns horse tranquilizer xylazine is making fentanyl overdose crisis worse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Joseph Wilkinson | (TNS) New York Daily NewsThe drug xylazine, which has been linked to an increase in overdoses, has now been seized in 48 of 50 states, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced Monday in an alert.Xylazine, also known as tranq, is often cut with fentanyl. Xylazine is legal as a horse tranquilizer, but it’s not approved for human use.“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” DEA boss Anne Milgram said in the alert. “The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that in 2022 approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.”Fentanyl is cut with xylazine to extend the high that users feel. The average fentanyl high is relatively short, but the sedative effects of xylazine can make it last longer.However, xylazine itself is not an opioid, meaning that overdose-reversal drug naloxone, better known by the brand name Narcan, does not work on it.Because xylazine is ofte...

Gophers point guard Katie Borowicz retiring from basketball

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Katie Borowicz, the Roseau point guard who left high school early to join the Gophers basketball team only to miss her second season after surgery to relieve pressure in her brain, is retiring from basketball.A 5-foot-7 sophomore whose ball-handling skills made her an uncommon threat when driving to the rim, made the announcement on her Twitter account Wednesday morning. She called the decision “the most difficult and painful one I’ve ever had to make.”As a redshirt freshman this season, Borowicz averaged 8.5 points and 3.0 assists a game and shot 37 percent from 3-point range for the Gophers (11-19, 4-14). She missed all of last season after surgery to repair an injury to the back of her skull that was putting pressure on her spine, ultimately causing nerve damage that resulted in tingling, numbness and weakness in her legs.“When I play,” she wrote Wednesday, “it only gets worse and I’ve come to associate basketball with pain. I have been struggling for the past year to push throug...

PB considers joining immigration worker initiative under Taber

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsThe Town of Taber has extended an offer to the Town of Picture Butte to join the The Rural Renewal Stream immigration initiative.The rural renewal stream is part of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program to support attracting and retaining newcomers to rural parts of Alberta. The program supports rural communities in their efforts to recruit and retain foreign nationals to the area.The program is administered by the designated municipality, the Town of Taber, which has recently on-boarded Coaldale and the Town of Picture Butte to join the program on a trial basis to determine whether or not the program would be worth implementing on their own in the future.The program facilitates retention through an expedited permanent residency process. Picture Butte’s CAO Keith David explained, “this means that you can become a designated community that businesses that have immigrant workers or are looking for immigrant workers can apply to the designated munici...

Agriculture in the spotlight at Lethbridge College

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By Al BeeberSouthern Alberta NewspapersLethbridge College agriculture programs were in the spotlight earlier this month, led by members of its student-run Aggie Club.Agriculture students began sharing their passion for the industry with activities to engage and inform others on campus about the science of agriculture.The events were an opportunity for students to learn about agriculture lessons via online lessons delivered to them by email. Students could learn about careers, summer jobs and the role played by agriculture in southern Alberta.The event was spearheaded Aggie Club president Emma Knodel whose family has farmed just north of Coaldale for more than a century.“This day is really important in that it showcases our industry and hopefully helps to dispel some myths about the agricultural sector,” said Knodel.She and her vice president started the day last year after COVID and the event has become “a really big, important event to the college,” said Knodel.“I’m really passiona...

Coaldale Christian takes home 1A boys provincial championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By Garrett SimmonsFor Sunny South NewsThe 1A Boys Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association Provincial Championships gold medal game was never in doubt.Coaldale Christian led from start to finish, as the host team rolled to a 111-61 win over Clear Water Academy.The route was on early, as Coaldale Christian raced out to an insurmountable 33-4 lead after only one quarter of play, thanks to a 13-point opening quarter from Noah VanderHeide, who finished with 30 points in the contest.VanderHeide’s big first quarter was matched by Micah Visser’s 31-point effort, as Coaldale Christian’s offence overwhelmed Clear Water from the opening tip, all the way to the final buzzer. Asher Slomp added 25 points for Coaldale, as the three-headed monster of Slomp, VanderHeide and Visser were too much for the silver medalists, who were led by Joshua Njongwe, who scored a game-high 36.No. 1 ranked Coaldale Christian earned a first-round bye in the tournament, and kicked off play Friday with a big 109-43 win o...

Phillips gets five years in fatal Coalhurst collision case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By Delon ShurtzSouthern Alberta NewspapersA southern Alberta man who slammed into a vehicle more than three years ago, killing the elderly driver, has been sentenced to five years in a federal penitentiary.Wesley Brian Phillips was sentenced last week in Lethbridge Court of King’s Bench, where he pleaded guilty to one count of failing to provide a breath sample following an accident causing death.Phillips was driving his Volkswagen Jetta west on Highway 3 shortly after 7 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2019 when he smashed into a Ford Escape that was stopped at a stop sign and waiting to enter the highway from Coalhurst.The driver of the Escape, 66-year-old Elizabeth Ment, was the only occupant of the vehicle and died in the collision.“Mr. Phillips travelled from the through-lanes into the turn lane that turns into Coalhurst, and continued straight, striking a concrete curb island,” reads an agreed statement of facts submitted to the court.“The curb provided a slight vaulting action to the Volkswa...

Official Animal Wellness Committee for Coaldale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By Nikki JamiesonSunny South NewsCoaldale town council has approved the creation of an official committee focused on animal wellness.Back in March 2022, Council had directed Municipal Enforcement to research a made-in-Coaldale option for animal control and wellness agency, as they did not have an animal facility contract, and an ad hoc committee was formed to look for a solution for animal control and wellness in town. The goal of the committee is to create a Coaldale facility where people can access a variety of animal services, from animal control to veterinary to a human society.Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn had reached out to surrounding municipalities for documentation on forming a society, MOU’s and operational information. This documentation will reduce the work necessary for the formation of a society, build consistency between Coaldale and surrounding communities within animal wellness societies and build strong partnerships. However, documentation shared with the Town is su...

Massachusetts learner's permit exam now in more foreign languages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles announced that the learner's permit exam is offered in seven additional foreign languages. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The Class D, passenger car, and Class M, motorcycle, learner's permit tests are available in 35 languages. The even new foreign languages added as of Monday include:AlbanianCape Verdean CreoleHungarianKiswahiliPashtoTurkishUkrainian“MassDOT is focused on equitably supporting all communities in Massachusetts,” said Transportation Secretary & CEO Gina Fiandaca. “This announcement demonstrates MassDOT’s continued focus on identifying ways in which customer service offerings can be improved to be more accessible, inclusive, equitable and convenient for residents across the Commonwealth.”To apply for a learner's permit, the fee is $30 and the age requirement is at least 16 to take an online test with 25 random questions. They cover...

International food event returning to Glens Falls

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The World Awareness Children's Museum is setting the table for its biggest event of the year. Foods from across the world will converge downtown for the annual International Cuisine Dinner and Auction, set to come to downtown Glens Falls this May. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Sunday, May 21, international cuisine will be on display at the Queensbury Hotel, as area restaurants show off foods and flavors from different parts of the world. New culinary experiences will come along with raffles and live and silent auctions offering items from local businesses and organizations. Every year, the festivities benefit a family institution in the Glens Falls community, with this year's yet to be announced.Every year, the museum and hotel see over 200 visitors take part - and this 35th is no exception. Early bird tickets are for sale now, set at $100 for young professionals ages 35 and under, and $110...

Billboard on 787 roasts Hochul over BPRA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Renewable energy advocates unveiled a billboard meant to hold Gov. Kathy Hochul accountable to New Yorkers. According to their billboard—and a December survey from Data for Progress—“More New Yorkers want to build public renewables than voted for Kathy Hochul." Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The billboard will be up through April 1, when the budget is due. It's visible from Interstate 787 about 1.25 miles south of the Dunn Memorial Bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer. They're also holding a rally for BPRA—featuring State Sens. Michael Gianaris and Julia Salazar, Assemblymembers Robert Carroll and Sarahana Shresthain—in the War Room of the State Capitol on Thursday at 11 a.m.The survey gauged support for the Build Public Renewables Act (BPRA), legislation that failed in 2022, but would become the nation's biggest climate bill. Data for Progress asked 1,210 about BPRA, ultimately finding that 63% ...