U-S President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were met with crowds who chanted “do something,” as he visited Uvalde, Texas in the wake of last Tuesday’s shooting at an elementary school.

Biden met privately with anguished families left behind when a gunman killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers.

Meanwhile, state governors across the U-S are diverging over how to respond to such mass shootings.

An Associated Press survey of governors shows Democrats are amplifying their calls for greater restrictions on guns, while many Republican governors instead emphasize more security at schools.

 

A lawyer representing two families of victims killed during Nova Scotia’s mass shooting in 2020 says it took too long to find five of the bodies in Portapique.

A study released Thursday indicated the bodies of Peter and Joy Bond and of Aaron Tuck, Emily Tuck and Jolene Oliver weren’t discovered until about 4:45 p-m on April 19.

That’s 18 hours after the killer had carried out the murders and fled the community.

Lawyer Josh Bryson says the family had been calling asking for someone to check their home, but somehow that message didn’t reach senior officers _ and nobody went to the small street until the late afternoon.

 

The Nova Scotia RCMP laid over 1,100 Motor Vehicle Act charges and charged 38 impaired drivers during Canada Road Safety Week, which ran May 17-23.

The Mounties say that in Nova Scotia, 38 impaired drivers were charged, 562 drivers were charged for speeding or stunting, 40 drivers were charged for distracted driving, 78 drivers were charged for driving without a seatbelt, 470 drivers were charged for various other traffic offences such as driving without insurance.

 

The federal minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion is expected to announce new federal spending in the skilled trades today.

Carla Qualtrough is to make the announcement while delivering remarks at the National Apprenticeship Conference in Halifax.

Conference organizers say employers in the skilled trades have faced labour shortages that were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference will also hear an update on the national strategy

to support women in trades.

 

Canadian rock and roll pioneer Ronnie Hawkins has died at the age of 87.

Hawkins died Sunday morning after a long illness.  The southern U.S. rockabilly artist moved to Canada and became godfather to a generation of influential rock musicians.

Hawkins earned himself several nicknames over the years, including Mr. Dynamo, Sir Ronnie, Rompin’ Ronnie and the Hawk.