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Death toll in Maui wildfires rises to 110

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

Hawaii's governor on Wednesday added four more people to the list of those killed in a fire that decimated the town of Lahaina on Maui last week. Gov. Josh Green said 110 people are confirmed dead and that 38% of the disaster area has been searched.“It makes us heartbroken,” Green said at a news conference.He also said about 2,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity in the area and that those people would also be eligible for services if they are suffering without power.WHAT TO KNOW— What spurred the fires? Right now, it’s unclear; authorities say the cause is under investigation— What is the status of the fires? The county says the fire in centuries-old Lahaina has been 85% contained, while another blaze known as the Upcountry fire has been around 60% contained— How does the loss of life confirmed so far compare with other U.S. fires? For now, it is the country’s deadliest fire in more than 100 years, with officials saying more than 100 people are ...

US women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski resigns after early World Cup exit, AP source says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski has resigned, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The move comes less than two weeks after the Americans were knocked out of the Women’s World Cup earlier than ever before. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the move had not been officially announced. An announcement was expected Thursday.The four-time tournament champions struggled throughout this World Cup. A victory over Vietnam to kick off the group stage was followed by a pair of draws against Netherlands and Portugal — barely enough to get the team into the knockout stage, The Americans played well in the Round of 16 against Sweden, but ultimately fell on penalties after a scoreless tie. The U.S. scored just four goals over the course of the tournament. The United States had never finished worse that third in the tournament. The 46-year-old Andonovski was named coach of the United States in October 20...

Ex-Anaheim mayor to plead guilty in federal corruption case over Angel Stadium sale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The former mayor of the Southern California city of Anaheim agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to obstructing an FBI corruption investigation into the $150 million sale of Angel Stadium to the owner of the Major League Baseball team, federal prosecutors announced.Harish “Harry” Singh Sidhu acknowledged in a plea agreement that he provided confidential city information to people working for the Angels while serving on the city’s negotiating team for the deal, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office. The information was intended to help the team buy the stadium under favorable terms.“Sidhu later was recorded saying he expected a $1 million campaign contribution from the Angels after the baseball club purchased Angel Stadium,” the statement said.The charges to which Sidhu will plead guilty — including obstruction of justice, wire fraud and lying to authorities — carry a combined maximum possible penalty of 40 years in federal prison. Sidhu ...

Texas woman accused of threatening to kill judge overseeing Trump election case and a congresswoman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas woman was arrested and has been charged with threatening to kill the federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in Washington and a member of Congress. Abigail Jo Shry of Alvin, Texas, called the federal courthouse in Washington and left the threatening message — using a racist term for U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — on Aug. 5, court records show. Investigators traced her phone number and she later admitted to making the threatening call, according to a criminal complaint.In the call, Shry told the judge, who is overseeing the election conspiracy case against Trump, “You are in our sights, we want to kill you,” the documents said. Prosecutors allege Shry also said, “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you,” and she threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat running for mayor of Houston, according to court documents.A judge earlier this week ordered Shry ...

Campers evacuated after flaring wildfire trapped them in southern B.C. backcountry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

VANCOUVER — About 80 campers have been evacuated from Cathedral Provincial Park in southern British Columbia after being trapped overnight by a nearby wildfire.Dale Bojahra, a co-ordination officer with the BC Wildfire Service, told a news conference Wednesday that an increase in wind speed a day earlier triggered a “dramatic increase in fire behaviour” by the Casper Creek wildfire and the nearby Gillanders Creek blaze.An evacuation order was issued as the fires grew from a combined 11 square kilometres early Tuesday to what the wildfire service estimates is now 100 square kilometres. Bojahra noted that the two fires have combined into one blaze, now called the Crater Creek wildfire.Officials initially said the nearby Cathedral Lakes Lodge was not in immediate danger and that conditions on the rough access road, including wildfire debris, meant that sheltering in place was the best option for campers and staff trapped there while an evacuation plan was formed.Brittany Se...

'Jersey Shore' DJ Pauly D, White Sox Liam Hendriks to host 'Be The Match' tailgate event

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

CHICAGO -- Yeah buddy, Jersey Shore's DJ Pauly D and White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks are working together to fight cancer.White Sox pitcher and MTV's Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D will host a Be The Match tailgate event ahead of Friday, Sept. 15 game against the Minnesota Twins.The Be The Match organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program to provide a registry for patients searching for bone marrow donors."Be The Match is an incredible network of donors, volunteers, and healthcare professionals who provide life-saving treatments to patients in need," Hendriks wrote on his Instagram. Their work hits close to home, and I’m stoked to be able to raise awareness for such an important community." After comeback from cancer, Sox closer Liam Hendriks has Tommy John surgery on right elbow DJ Pauly D commented on Hendriks Instagram post, "Let’s Save Lives!!!!!" The MTV superstar previously worked with the Be The Match organization before during an episode of the "Jersey Shore F...

Researchers find increase in younger people diagnosed with cancer 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

(The Hill) - New research has found an increase in early-onset cancer rates among younger people between 2010 and 2019.In a study published in the JAMA Network Open Journal, researchers found that “the incidence rates of early-onset cancers increased substantially” between 2010 and 2019. The researchers said that gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing rates among all the ones they looked at.The study, using data from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results, found that there was a .74 percent increase among all age groups in incident early-onset cancers. The study found that the rates increased in those aged 30 to 39 years and remained stable in all other age groups below the age of 50. Pool have a ‘chlorine smell’? Don’t swim in it “There is a need to inform health care professionals about the increasing incidence of early-onset cancer, and investigations for possible tumors need to be considered when clinically appropriate, even in patie...

Texas agency warns there could be thousands of abandoned, deteriorated water wells

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) said the recent incident in Bastrop County where three people died trying to rescue a dog that had fallen into an abandoned cistern highlighted the dangers of abandoned or deteriorated water wells in Texas.TDLR said there could be thousands of abandoned or deteriorated water wells in Texas posing safety hazards and contributing to groundwater pollution.According to the department, a well is considered “abandoned” when it is no longer in use. PREVIOUS: ‘Sad tragedy’: 3 people recovered from hole in Bastrop County corn field Anyone who is aware of abandoned or deteriorated wells is urged to report them to the TDLR. The department said people should include an address or GPS coordinates, as well as any photos or video of the well, if possible when filing the report.To avoid problems in the future, landowners should install a locking well cap or sanitary well seal – not just a cover over the well – to prevent un...

City Council president urges redesign of Como Park Pavilion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

For the past decade or more, Amy Brendmoen has watched one eatery after another struggle to make money at the Como Lakeside Pavilion, even as many thousands of visitors each year walk, jog, bike or paddle around Como Lake.St. Paul City Council president Amy Brendmoen. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Brendmoen, who lives just off the lake, is St. Paul City Council president and the wife of former St. Paul Parks and Rec Director Mike Hahm. If anyone should have inside knowledge about the city-owned pavilion’s promise and challenges, it would be her.As Brendmoen sees it, the problem hasn’t been the seasonal and year-round vendors who contract at the site. Rather, the problem is the pavilion itself, which was rebuilt in 1992 in a way that leaves visitors watching stage performances with their backs to the water and restaurant-goers with no view of the lake at all.“The music was in the bandstand and everybody faced the lake,” Brendmoen said in an interview, describing...

Additional lawsuits, with over a dozen plaintiffs, filed in connection to Tops mass shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:12 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Additional lawsuits tied to the Tops mass shooting were announced Wednesday, with plaintiffs including over a dozen survivors of the racially motivated attack as well as the son of a deceased victim.Two civil lawsuits were filed: One on behalf of Wayne Jones, who lost his mother, Celestine Chaney, in the shooting, the other on behalf of 16 shoppers and store employees who were inside the store or in the parking lot as the shooting took place. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "These two lawsuits are to answer this horrific injustice by shining a spotlight on this American disease of this American disease of racism and gun violence that has metastasized every community in America," Charles Bonner, an attorney representing Jones and a group of the plaintiffs, said in a press conference. "All of those who participated — directly and indirectly — in contributing to this unrestorable loss, injury and harm must...