Andreescu withdraws from Canada’s BJK Cup team ahead of its title defence in Spain

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Suspended South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins has had the charges against her dismissed, according to online judicial records.

Watkins was charged with assault and kidnapping on Aug. 31. She has been suspended from the women’s college basketball team ever since and did not accompany her teammates to the White House in September to be honored by President Biden for their national championship season.

Court records showed Watkins’ charges were dismissed Nov. 1. There was no immediate word on her suspension.

The top-ranked Gamecocks opened the season Monday night with a closer-than-expected 68-62 victory over Michigan in Las Vegas. They get a sterner test next time out when they face No. 9 N.C. State in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday.

Watkins was a big factor in South Carolina’s 38-0 national title season. The 6-foot-3 forward led the Southeastern Conference with 91 blocks. She averaged 9.2 points and was second behind WNBA first-round pick Kamilla Cardoso on the team with 7.4 rebounds a game.

She dunked once in each of her freshman and sophomore seasons, the first two dunks in the South Carolina program.

Watkins is expected to play an even bigger role with the team when she returns to the basketball court.

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RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – Veterans and current full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces will soon be able to ride GO Transit for free.

Ontario’s minister of children, community and social services made the announcement Tuesday, saying the province is introducing a transit relief program for them that will begin March 1.

Michael Parsa says there are also plans to extend the free fares to UP Express in the future.

Parsa also says the government is increasing the amount that eligible veterans and their family members can receive each year through the Soldiers’ Aid Commission from $2,000 to $3,000.

The money covers costs such as health-related expenses, home repairs and moving costs, as well as personal items such as clothing for those in financial need.

Parsa says veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to make Canada and Ontario what they are today and they deserve the government’s unwavering commitment to their well-being.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

British Columbia’s Crown utility says crews have restored power to 95 per cent of some 290,000 businesses and homes that were in the dark at some point Monday as strong winds battered coastal areas and parts of the central Interior.

BC Hydro says crews have been working around the clock to replace dozens of spans of power lines as well as power poles knocked down by toppled trees.

Environment Canada had issued now-lifted wind warnings for most of the south and central coast, including Metro Vancouver, where the weather office said gusts of wind were expected to reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

A statement from BC Hydro says it expects to restore power throughout Tuesday to most of the remaining customers whose lights remain out.

But the utility says it’s possible the outage will continue for “small pockets” in areas with significant damage.

The outage map shows close to 10,000 customers remain without power in the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast, with about 5,500 on Vancouver Island.

Environment Canada has also lifted winter storm warnings that covered the Coquihalla Highway from Hope to Merritt and Highway 3 from the Paulson summit area to the Kootenay Pass, which saw significant snow overnight.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.