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Haze, heat and storms are bringing danger and discomfort to many parts of the US

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Smoky haze, hot weather and powerful storms brought dangerous and uncomfortable conditions to parts of the U.S. heading into a long July Fourth weekend that typically draws Americans to outdoor gatherings.From heat waves in the South and West to unhealthy air quality in the Northeast, much of the U.S. was under the threat of extreme weather. In the Midwest, some residents Friday were recovering from a powerful storm that moved through Illinois and Indiana a day earlier packing winds that reached more than 70 miles per hour (112 kilometers per hour).That storm damaged trees and buildings in the central parts of both states from the Mississippi River to the Indianapolis area. Crews worked to replace electrical lines entangled in downed trees ahead of more expected thunderstorms and temperatures climbing to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). Utility companies reported that more than 250,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity.Brian Al...

Jill Biden hosts military chefs crowned ‘Chopped’ champs for guest stint in White House Navy Mess

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Air Force chef and a Marine Corps chef, both crowned “Chopped” champions during Jill Biden ‘s appearance on a military-themed episode of the Food Network show, spent Friday whipping up lemon-herb scallops and osso buco in the White House Navy Mess. Air Force chef Opal Poullard, 37, and Marine Corps chef Dustin Lewis, 34, accepted the mission from the first lady, who made a surprise appearance in a May episode of “Chopped,” as part of her White House initiative to support active-duty and retired service members, their families and caregivers.A panel of judges ruled that the four-person team of military chefs, which included an Army and a Navy cook, had defeated a team of four Food Network celebrity chefs. The first lady congratulated the winners, gave them White House aprons signed by herself and President Joe Biden and invited them to the executive mansion to help cook for the Fourth of July on Tuesday. The guest chef stint at the White House came as Jill ...

Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s vision for his Chasing M’s Foundation coming to fruiting in Pittsburgh

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Damar Hamlin never doubted the Chasing M’s Foundation could do big things. He just didn’t exactly anticipate being able to do so many of them so quickly.Not that the 25-year-old Buffalo Bills safety is complaining.If anything, it’s the opposite.Actually, it’s exactly the opposite.Sure, Hamlin didn’t anticipate becoming a touchstone on the importance of CPR or an inspirational figure to millions when he established Chasing M’s on college at the University of Pittsburgh. Yet it hardly matters. Hamlin is thankful for many things these days, including the seemingly never-ending ripple effects of his near-death experience in Cincinnati in January. Among the biggest is the spike in interest in his foundation.Chasing M’s has seen its profile rise dramatically in the last six months in lockstep with Hamlin’s recovery. Millions of dollars have poured in. Opportunities that Hamlin thought he’d have to save for down the ro...

Georgia police arrest mother of 7-year-old girl whose body was found decaying in closet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Police in Georgia have arrested the mother of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found decaying in the closet of a vacant apartment. Alondra Hobbs, 27, was charged with felony murder and cruelty in the second degree, DeKalb County police said on Facebook. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney.A police spokeswoman, Officer Elise Wells, said Hobbs was at a hospital Friday. She was charged on Thursday, according to police. They identified her daughter as Alivia Hobbs-Jordan.An officer discovered the girl’s body Sunday at an apartment complex outside Atlanta after someone called to report a dead child in the closet, according to a police report.A neighbor told the officer the tenant had moved out and she had not seen her for a couple of months. The officer said he saw what appeared to be a full head of hair and a decaying arm and leg in the closet.Another officer found a piece of mail with the name Alondra Hobbs on it, according to the report.Police...

S&P/TSX composite closes out trading week on winning streak

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index closed out the first half of the year on a buoyant note, posting triple-digit gains heading into the three-day weekend while U.S. stock markets also moved higher. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 242.12 points at 20,155.29.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 285.18 points at 34,407.60. The S&P 500 index was up 53.94 points at 4,450.38, while the Nasdaq composite was up 196.59 points at 13,787.92.The Canadian dollar traded for 75.53 cents US compared with 75.44 cents US on Thursday.The August crude oil contract was up 78 cents at US$70.64 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was up almost 10 cents at US$2.80 per mmBTU.The August gold contract was up US$11.50 at US$1,929.40 an ounce and the September copper contract was up six cents at US$3.76 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Prince Harry seeks over $550,000 in phone hacking lawsuit against British tabloid publisher

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry’s lawyer put a price tag Friday on the prince’s lawsuit accusing the publisher of the Daily Mirror of hacking his phone and using other unlawful means to dig up dirt on the early years of his royal life: 440,000 pounds ($558,000).The Duke of Sussex’s lawyer submitted the proposed legal award at the conclusion of courtroom proceedings in the first of Harry’s cases against the British tabloid press to go to trial. If he managed to win the entire sum, it would be a massive award in the broader phone hacking scandal that has plagued several tabloid publishers.Attorney David Sherborne said in closing arguments this week that there was “hard evidence” Mirror Group Newspapers employed journalists who eavesdropped on voicemails and hired private investigators to use deception and unlawful means to learn about Harry and other celebrities.“These methods were the tried and tested tools of the tabloid trade,” Sherborne said.Mirror Group Newspap...

Unlicensed Hong Kong radio station that hosted pro-democracy guests goes off the air after 18 years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — An unlicensed pro-democracy radio station in Hong Kong shut down Friday after 18 years on the air. The closure of Citizens’ Radio came on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China’s rule. Since its launch in 2005, the station had hosted prominent democracy advocates, including former lawmakers Szeto Wah, Emily Lau, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan. But its founder, Bull Tsang. said it was becoming increasingly difficult to invite guests following the enactment of a Beijing-imposed law that jailed or silenced many activists. Coupled with banking problems and limited resources, Tsang said he had no choice but to say goodbye. “It’s hard to let go. It’s like my third son,” Tsang, 67, told reporters before he hosted his last show on Friday night. The closure reflects the collapse of the city’s pro-democracy movement under the national security law that followed massive protests in Hong Kong in 2019. After the law’s enactmen...

Longtime Toronto broadcaster Bob McCown hospitalized with serious health issue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

Longtime Toronto sports broadcaster Bob McCowan is off the air dealing with a serious health issue. The former Sportsnet 590 The FAN personality said Friday he is recovering in hospital after having “two strokes over the last couple of weeks.”“Can’t walk or talk but am getting better very slowly!” the 71-year-old said in a tweet. “Hope to get home and back on the podcast as quick as possible!”I guess I should let you know that I have had two strokes over the last couple of weeks and have been in hospital since. Can’t walk or talk but am getting better very slowly!Hope to get home and back on the podcast as quick as possible!— Bob McCown (@FadooBobcat) June 30, 2023McCown is best known as the former host of Prime Time Sports, which he fronted from 1989 until 2019. He is currently host of his own podcast, which airs on his YouTube channel and is broadcast weekdays on Sirius XM.A native of Columbus, Ohio, McCown began his radio career in 1975. ...

Father speaking out about Islamophobic incident at Brampton high school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

A Brampton father is speaking out after he says his son in high school was the target of an Islamophobic conversation in a Peel District School Board (PDSB) classroom.Rahim Kassam tells Omni News his 16-year-old son’s teacher showed controversial cartoons from the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, during his Grade 11 French Class at Harold M Brathwaite Secondary School.The incident happened in January. “There is an Islamophobia in it, anti Semitism, Anti-Black Racism,” Kassam said.The cartoons featured controversial imagery of the Prophet Muhamad that many around the world have chosen not to publish due to its Islamophobic tone. The teacher not only shared it with the class, but allegedly sparked a very uncomfortable conversation.“He approached him and asked him if he found these photos, these cartoons, offensive. He replied he did. He was offended. And then she followed up with that: ‘Do you condone the criminal acts that took place regarding t...

Rare lizard found in major US oil patch proposed as endangered species

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:29 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world’s most lucrative oil and natural gas basins.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1.Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There have also been conservation agreements, but some groups have criticized them for not doing enough to protect the lizard’s habitat.The Center for Biological Diversity sued in 2022, accusing the agency of stalling on issuing a decision. The Fish and Wildlife Service, as part of a court-approved agreement, faced a June 29 deadline for making a determination o...