‘Stay on the line’: Philadelphia Police Commissioner responds to concern of long 911 wait times

Police are investigating after the constituency offices of two GTA politicians have been targeted. The most recent, a fire investigation at MP Peter Fonseca’s office in Mississauga.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revoked the use of the Emergencies Act on Wednesday, explaining that there were “occupations so solidly implanted that police didn’t have the resources or tools available to dislodge them, that emergency is now over.” Trudeau added that the “threat continues,” but that his government has a high level of confidence in the existing tools police forces have across Canada will be sufficient to deal with further disruptions.

COVID-19.The move comes on the heels of the province’s chief medical officer’s re-evaluation of letters sent last year to various sectors, including hospitals and post-secondary institutions, requiring the development of immunization policies.A spokesperson for the Hamilton Police says the service will be following the Ford government’s direction and dropping rapid test requirements for members who didn’t get shots or didn’t disclose their status.

Saphia Speller, 25, and Hassan Matthews, 3, have not been seen since Tuesday morning in Crescentville. PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in Philadelphia are searching for a mother and her young son who have not been seen since Tuesday morning. The Philadelphia Police Department said 25-year-old Saphia Speller and her 3-year-old son Hassan Matthews were last seen on the 5900 block of Weymouth Street around 7:30 a.m.Saphia is described as 5-foot-3, 194 pounds with short brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is revoking the Emergencies Act after 10 days that have seen police crack down to clear out hundreds of demonstrators with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” that had encamped in the nation’s capital for three weeks. “Today, after careful consideration, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency,” he said.

Last week global COVID-19 cases, as well as deaths, continued to decline, except for parts of Asia that are experiencing later Omicron variant surges, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in its weekly update.

Police say a 20-year-old man suffered a non-fatal-gunshot wound Wednesday afternoon in North Philadelphia.

PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - For almost three months, Ethan Crumbley has been housed in the Oakland County Jail after the Oxford High School shooting. On Tuesday, he was in court for a hearing on a request to transfer the teen out of Oakland County jail and into a juvenile detention center.

WINTER PARK, Fla. - Daniel Knight's family said they want the truth to come out. They said police are lying about what happened the night they shot and killed the 39-year-old man at a Winter Park wedding reception. They also want the officers involved charged with murder."He was killed… in front of me.

Las Vegas police are continuing to investigate the death of a child after his body was found in a freezer in a home where his mother and her boyfriend were living, officials said.The mother’s boyfriend was arrested as a suspect and was detained on two kidnapping charges and a murder charge, after authorities searched the home and found the body of the preschool-age boy, who was last seen in Dec., Fox 5 of Las Vegas reported. The investigation into the home started after the mother gave a note to her other child, who was instructed to give it to their elementary school teacher, officials said.RELATED: 78-year-old woman robbed while praying in churchThe note said the mother was being held against her will and that she has not seen her son since Dec. 11., and assumed he was dead, Fox 5 reported. The teacher forwarded the note to Clark County School District Police Department officers, who then called Las Vegas police, officials said.Police officers surveilled the home until they saw the couple leave at about 10 a.m.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 28: Colin Kaepernick attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "Colin In Black And White" at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic) Colin Kaepernick is launching an initiative through his Know Your Rights Camp that will offer free, secondary autopsies to family members of anyone whose death is "police-related."The initiative collaborates with a panel of board-certified forensic pathologists who perform autopsies, disclose preliminary findings, and issue final reports to requesting families."We know that the prison industrial complex, which includes police and policing, strives to protect and serve its interests at all costs," Kaepernick said.

PERRY, Fla. - The suspect who was wanted for shooting and critically injuring a north Florida deputy -- setting off a statewide Blue Alert -- was killed in a shootout with a homeowner after he broke into the man's house.The Dixie County Sheriff's Office said 33-year-old Gregory Miedema was shot and killed around 7 a.m. Wednesday at a home near Tennille, Florida.

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate reported instances of "abusive gender-transitioning procedures" done on Texas children.Abbott sent a letter to DFPS earlier this week saying the law "imposes a duty on DFPS to investigate the parents of children subjected to gender-transitioning procedures, and on other state agencies to investigate licensed facilities where such procedures may occur."The letter comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released a formal opinion concluding that "performing certain ‘sex-change' procedures on children, and prescribing puberty-blockers to them, is 'child abuse’ under Texas law."Abbott's letter also states that Texas law imposes reporting requirements on licensed professionals with direct contact with children, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and criminal penalties for failing to report abuse. In August 2021, Abbott had previously directed DFPS to issue a determination on whether gender reassignment surgery constituted as child abuse.In a letter to the governor, Commissioner Jaime Masters determined that "genital mutation of a child through reassignment surgery" constitutes child abuse because it may cause "a genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child"."Genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse," reads Commissioner Masters' letter.

Vancouver police officers kept on their toes over this past long weekend responding to an alarming number of assaults. Aaron McArthur reports.

FILE - Generic gavel on wooden table. DOVER, Del. - Delaware’s Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by conservative political commentator Candace Owens against USA Today and another media organization over fact-checking coronavirus posts she made on Facebook.After oral arguments two weeks ago, the court issued a two-paragraph order Tuesday affirming the July decision by Superior Court Judge Craig Karsnitz.Karsnitz said Owens had failed to state an actionable claim against USA Today or Lead Stories LLC, a Colorado-based entity.

KENT, Wash. - Police rescued a disabled woman who was stuck in a car for nine days after it was towed from a gas station parking lot to a tow yard in Burien. According to Kent Police, the woman was reported missing by her sister after she hadn't been seen since earlier in the month.Officers determined that the last time the woman was seen was on Feb. 5 with her mother, a 45-year-old Kent resident.

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Police in Jenkintown say they have arrested a man for his role in the "road rage"-style assault on a woman that happened on February 10. Police say the incident happened shortly after 8 a.m. that Thursday.According to police, the female victim turned into a parking lot from Old York Road after an enraged motorist began tailgating her. The man that was following her, continued to do so and pulled his car around to block her path of travel. Police say the man then approach the victim's vehicle and when she lowered her window, he punched her in the face, grabbed her cell phone from her lap, and smashed it on the ground before fleeing from the scene. After a thorough investigation, police were able to identify the suspect as 42-year-old Tyree Darnell Lawson.

Lorna Klefsaas paid her teen son, Sivert, $1,800 to stay off social media for six years.  (Lorna Klefsaas)MOTLEY, Minn. - A mother had a unique idea to get her son to enjoy his teenage years without the added pressure of Instagram, Facebook, or any other apps.She paid him $1,800 to stay off social media for six years. Lorna Klefsaas of Motley, Minnesota, said she heard about a similar challenge before propositioning her then 12-year-old son, Sivert, the youngest of four children. "I was already a little sensitive to social media since his siblings had struggled with it a bit," Lorna told FOX Television Stations. "I watched social media cause stress, anxiety and hurt feelings in my other kids and I loved the idea of coming up with a way to spare Sivert from that."She came up with the monetary amount to reflect the age at which he could re-join social media.

Two people were rescued from a trench in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday afternoon.  LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Firefighters in Montgomery County rescued two people from a trench on Wednesday afternoon.SKYFOX was over the scene of the incident at 1221 Mt. Pleasant Road and captured the moments one person, who was conscious, was pulled out. Authorities confirmed both people were rescued from the trench. Their conditions are unknown at this time. This is a developing story.

omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID-19?Experts say it's not likely that the highly transmissible variant — or any other variant — will lead to herd immunity."Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus," says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.Herd immunity is when enough of a population is immune to a virus that it’s hard for the germ to spread to those who aren’t protected by vaccination or a prior infection.RELATED: Omicron variant may be less dangerous than delta, US health officials sayFor example, herd immunity against measles requires about 95% of a community to be immune.

BRENTWOOD, Calif. - A woman had her scalp torn off by a Brentwood police dog after she shoplifted some perfume and makeup from a nearby mall, video obtained by KTVU shows, raising serious questions about when and why K-9 units are deployed. Talmika Bates, then 24, is seen in the video provided by her lawyers screaming and wailing in pain. The skin on top of her head was ripped off exposing blood and bone. "Help me! The dog is biting me," she screams.

SAN FRANCISCO - Calling all doughnut lovers! A California bakery known for its high-quality treats is looking to hire a "doughnut enthusiast content intern" — which includes sampling and photographing the thousands of doughnuts it makes each day. Johnny Doughnuts, a San Francisco-based chain named one of the Food Network’s top five doughnut shops in the U.S., is on the hunt for a content creator and "social media savant." The person will create weekly photo and video content for the shop’s Instagram and other social media accounts — as well as help brainstorm new ideas. "While Instagram has been our bread-and-butter platform (pun intended), TikTok enthusiasts are welcome and we value your insights as active creators," the job description reads, noting how the selected candidate must have a keen understanding of cross-promotional opportunities within the growing #FoodTok community. The selected candidate will photograph in-store displays, as well as new and seasonal flavors."They might even get a chance to taste some of Johnny's newest creations in the kitchen," Craig Blum, the founder of Johnny Doughnuts told Business Insider, which noted how the shop hand makes 3,500 doughnuts each day.FILE - Chocolate glazed doughnuts with colorful sprinkles and icing on top are shown in a file image. (Photo by Dünzlullstein bild via Getty Images) The job pays $17.50 per hour and can be used as college credit if needed. The applicant must have one to two years of photography experience and be familiar with editing software and design tools like Photoshop, Lightroom and Canva.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's highest court broke a partisan deadlock Wednesday over a new map of congressional districts by selecting new boundaries that broadly adhere to the outlines of current districts, even as the state loses one seat because of sluggish population growth.The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision picked a 17-district map that had been proposed by a group of Democratic-aligned voters who sued last year in an effort to get the court involved.It is unlikely to create a big shift in the makeup of the congressional delegation, as the state loses a seat, going from 18 to 17, to account for relatively stagnant population growth in census findings over the past decade, particularly in rural white areas predominantly represented by Republicans.The map provides eight Republican-leaning districts, six Democratic-leaning districts and three closely divided districts, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight, a website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics and other topics.Pennsylvania's delegation is currently split evenly, nine Republicans and nine Democrats, in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 4 million to 3.4 million.It lumps two Republican incumbents — U.S. Reps.

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it has set up a new hub in South Korea to train low- and middle-income countries to produce their own COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A micro-preemie is celebrating his first birthday after a four-and-a-half-month stay in the neonatal intensive care unit and surpassing doctors’ expectations.Doctors said baby Jari Lopez had a 30% survival rate after concerns of fetal growth restriction combined with mom Amber Higgins’ preeclampsia diagnosis. Preeclampsia is described by Mayo Clinic as a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure. It occurs one in 25 pregnancies, according to the CDC.Higgins told Fox News Digital it was at her 20-week ultrasound when she learned Jari had been measuring small.

TRE - Come Monday, the next time New Jersey’s Legislature meets, the requirement to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test will be no more. The State Capitol Joint Management Commission voted 8-0 Tuesday to rescind orders it instituted in late November requiring a negative test or vaccination proof to enter the statehouse or adjacent buildings. The decision comes as New Jersey’s COVID-19 trends fall from highs during the holidays. ___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Republic of Korea and the WHO Academy today announced the establishment of a global biomanufacturing training hub that will serve all low- and middle-income countries wishing to produce biologicals, such as vaccines, insulin, monoclonal antibodies and cancer treatments. The move comes after the successful establishment of a global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

It was a special day on Abemama Island when community leaders gathered in the ‘maneaba’, the meeting house at the heart of every community in Kiribati. Tekinano Karereiti, a primary health care worker, was facilitating a discussion about mental health. Community dialogue, the practice of listening and talking to each other on important issues, is deeply grounded in the history and culture of the Pacific Islands and this was a good opportunity to raise awareness of an increasingly important issue for islanders.

Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department are searching for this suspect they say stole a bag from an unlocked car containing a gun.  (Philadelphia Police Department )PHILADELPHIA - Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department are searching for a man who allegedly stole a gun and other items from a car in North Philadelphia. According to police, the suspect was caught on camera checking car doors on the 2400 block of North 17th Street in North Philadelphia on Sunday. After finding several cars locked, police say the suspect reached a car that was unlocked and took a bag from inside. RELATED: DA: Bucks County man sentenced for selling guns he stole from unlocked carsThe bag contained a black Mossberg 9mm handgun, police say. Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call the police at 215-686-8477 or submit an anonymous tip here. ____MORE LOCAL HEADLINES ___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

MacKenzie Scott attends the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) WASHINGTON - MacKenzie Scott is continuing to pay it forward by helping communities and groups through her philanthropy.

The damage from the explosion and subsequent flooding is shown in provided images. (Credit: Brigham Young University Police) PROVO, Utah - Authorities at Utah’s Brigham Young University said 22 college students had to be relocated after someone attempted to make rocket fuel on the stove in their dorm, which led to a "fireball" explosion.Campus police subsequently reminded students to "keep your experiments in the lab."Firefighters first responded to the incident around 4:30 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police now say a body that was found burned near Kelly Drive has been identified as an unknown male. A police source tells FOX 29 that the victim is estimated to be between the ages of 10 and 20. The source added that the incident is now being investigated as a homicide. Investigators say someone found the human remains near Brewery Hill and Kelly Drive Sunday, around noon.The remains were taken to the medical examiner’s office for evaluation. More information on the victim’s cause of death has not yet been released.___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

(Photo by Nick Tre.

a statement posted on Twitter.Mickelson, who last year became the oldest major champion in history when he won the PGA Championship at age 50, received criticism for comments he previously made to author and golf writer Alan Shipnuck writing a biography on him that is due out in May. In the remarks, Mickelson told Shipnuck that the Saudis behind a proposed breakaway rival league were "scary mother (expletive)s to get involved with." He also told Shipnuck that it was worth getting in bed with the Saudis, despite their history of human rights abuses, if it meant a chance to change the PGA Tour."We know they killed (Washington Post columnist Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay," he said.

Former Louisville, Kentucky detective Brett Hankison poses for a mug shot in September 2020. Hankison is charged in connection to the deadly shooting of Breonna Taylor by police.

There is growing concern over a mutation of the Omicron variant called 'Stealth Covid', which could spread faster and cause worse illness than previous strains.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka says that Groups A, B, and C will experience a power cut of 4 hours and 40 minutes on Thursday (24).All other areas will experience a 4 hour and 30-minute power cut, approved by PUCSL. 

PHILADELPHIA - Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 is suing the city of Philadelphia and its officials over the new Driving Equity Law. In October, the City Council passed the first-of-its-kind bill, and Mayor Jim Kenney signed it into law in November. It bans officers from pulling over vehicles based on traffic violations that are considered "secondary violations" in an effort to prevent racial disparities in traffic incidents handled by police.  The following issues are considered secondary violations in the new law:The lawsuit from the Philadelphia Lodge #5 Fraternal Order of Police was filed on Wednesday. FOB Lodge #5 President John McNesby said the law is dangerous. "This terrible law puts reckless drivers behind the wheel of unsafe vehicles that ultimately puts the general public in danger," he said. McNesby had expressed concerns about the law before it was passed.

Wendy Williams is going to climb back to the top. So says her lawyer, at least!

KYIV, Ukraine - Russia began evacuating its embassy in Kyiv, and Ukraine urged its citizens to leave Russia on Wednesday as the region braced for further confrontation after President Vladimir Putin received authorization to use military force outside his country and the West responded with a raft of sanctions.Hopes for a diplomatic way out of a new, potentially devastating war appeared all but sunk as the U.S. and key European allies accused Moscow on Tuesday of crossing a red line in rolling over Ukraine's border into separatist regions — with some calling it an invasion.Russia began pulling personnel from its diplomatic posts in Ukraine, state news agency Tass reported, a day after the Foreign Ministry announced a plan to evacuate, citing threats.By Wednesday afternoon, the Russian flag was no longer flying over the embassy in Kyiv, according to an Associated Press photographer.

Twins Addison and Rylee were born on 2.22.22, a rare palindrome date.  BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The rare palindrome date 2.22.22 is now the birthday of a set of twins born in Pennsylvania on Twosday! According to the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Ryan and Katie, who is a twin, welcomed twin girls Addison and Rylee at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg. Another bundle of joy in North Carolina was also born on the palindrome date, but with an added twist. Judah Grace was born to first-time parents Aberli and Hank Spear on 2.22.22 at 2:22 in delivery room No. 2. Palindrome days are rare and only tend to occur in the first few centuries every 1,000 years. According to electrical engineering professor Aziz S.

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka says that Groups A, B, and C will experience a power cut of 4 hours and 40 minutes on Thursday (24).All other areas will experience a 4 hour and 30-minute power cut, approved by PUCSL.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office confirmed Tuesday night that the National Guard has been authorized to assist with traffic control ahead of possible trucker demonstrations — one of which could be in the city as soon as Wednesday night. Much remains unknown about how disruptive protests could be and exactly when and how the region will be impacted.Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and WeatherFOX 5 was first to report on plans by one convoy organizer, Bob Bolus, who said Sunday he would arrive in the D.C.

SALT LAKE CITY - Two Black Hawk helicopters were involved in a training accident on Tuesday near a Utah ski resort, officials said — and multiple witnesses to the incident captured the scene on video. None of those aboard the helicopter nor the dozens of skiers nearby were injured, officials said.The accident, involving two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, was reported around 9:30 a.m. MST near Mineral Basin at Snowbird ski resort, located just outside of Salt Lake City.

WASHINGTON - Clogged U.S. ports are being given access to nearly $450 million in federal money from President Joe Biden's infrastructure law as part of the administration's recent stepped-up efforts aiming to ease supply chain congestion and lower prices for American consumers.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday announced the availability of the first batch of competitive grants for ports that will be double last year's amount annually for five years.

A revolver sits on display in the Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. booth on the exhibition floor of the 144th National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meetings and Exhibits at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Gloria Reyes PHOENIX - Court documents show police in Phoenix have arrested a homeless woman for allegedly shooting and killing her own father.The suspect, identified in court documents as Gloria Loreal Reyes, was arrested on the morning of Feb. 21.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Private Bus operators in Sri Lanka say that they only have fuel that is sufficient for another two days.General Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners Association Anjana Priyanjith told reporters on Wednesday (23) that private bus operators are finding it difficult to source diesel.“A bus can accommodate around 160 – 200 liters of Diesel. So, this will only last for another two days,” he warned.He urged authorities to instruct filling stations to prioritize the issuance of fuel for Private Buses.At the same time, a Sri Lanka Transport Bus operating from Colombo to Matara stalled mid-way and stopped in the Kalutara Town as it ran out of fuel.Bus workers told News 1st that diesel was sourced from a depot close by, and the passengers were moved to a different bus.