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Lightning sparks about 40 new B.C. wildfires, but rain may bring relief

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

Lightning strikes have sparked dozens of new wildfires in British Columbia, as thunderstorms brought mixed blessings to the province’s battle against its worst fire season on record.A forecast of rain promised relief for some wildfire zones in the south and Interior, but lightning associated with the storms triggered most of the 47 new blazes recorded in the past day, pushing the total number of fires in the province above 400 on Tuesday.Thirty-seven lightning-caused fires started in the Coastal fire region, including Vancouver Island, but there were also new lightning-related blazes in the Kamloops and Prince George regions.Some much-needed rain fell on the island, with almost two millimetres recorded at Victoria’s airport, but the BC Wildfire Service had warned on social media that lightning associated with a severe thunderstorm event over the island Monday night risked setting fires.Meanwhile, crews battling a destructive wildfire in the Shuswap region in the Interior...

Trades dominate the day as NFL teams trim rosters to 53 players

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

A slew of trades highlighted roster cutdown day in the NFL on Tuesday.Kicker Wil Lutz is reuniting with coach Sean Payton in Denver. The Eagles got tight end Albert Okwuegbunam from the Broncos. Veteran kicker Nick Folk went from New England to Tennessee.Defensive end Boogie Bashum, defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr., cornerbacks Noah Igbinoghene and Kelvin Joseph, offensive lineman Dan Feeney and Kendrick Green and wide receiver/returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette are among the players on the move in trades.Jonathan Taylor isn’t going anywhere, however. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t trade the disgruntled star running back, but they’re keeping Taylor on the physically unable to perform list. That means he will miss the first four games, even if he’s traded.The most surprising cut came from New England, which let second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe go. Zappe was 2-0 as a starter last year filling in for Mac Jones but struggled in the preseason. The Patriots currently don’t have a backup be...

‘Like Snoop Dogg’s living room’: Smell of pot wafts over notorious U.S. Open court

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s become a stink at the U.S. Open: a pungent marijuana smell that wafted over an outer court, clouded the concentration of one of the world’s top players and left the impression there’s no place left to escape the unofficial scent of the city.While the exact source of the smell remained a mystery Tuesday, one thing was clear: Court 17, where eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari complained about an overwhelming whiff of pot during her first-round loss, has become notorious among players in recent years for its distinctive, unmistakable odor.“Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room,” Alexander Zverev, the world’s 12th-seeded man who won his opening match on the court Tuesday. “Oh my God, it’s everywhere. The whole court smells like weed.”Stung by stories in the wake of Sakkari’s match Monday that made it appear the U.S. Open’s stands are the sporting equivalent of a Phish concert, the United States Tennis Association conducted its own investigation, of...

Biden talks immigration and trade with Costa Rican President Chaves at the White House

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden hosted his Costa Rican counterpart, Rodrigo Chaves, at the White House on Tuesday, discussing ways to strengthen an agreement between the two countries on possible legal pathways for the increasing numbers of Central American migrants arriving to the U.S. southern border.The two talked about deepening U.S.-Costa Rica trade tries, creating new jobs and advancing democracy in addition to promoting a more orderly immigration process. Chaves’ nation has emerged as an immigration hotspot, as migrants increasingly travel through the dangerous Darien Gap from Colombia into Central America and north into Costa Rica. Sitting down for the meeting in the Oval Office, Biden thanked Chaves for his leadership in helping meet “migration challenges that we face every single day,” and said that one of his key objectives was “deepening security cooperation” between their countries, including on organized crime.“Our nations are not only united by the challenges we...

Judge delays deciding whether prosecution of man charged in Colorado supermarket shooting can resume

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday granted a defense request to hold a hearing with experts to determine if a mentally ill man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 is mentally competent to be prosecuted for the mass shooting.Prosecutors revealed last week that experts at the state mental hospital determined that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa is now mentally competent to proceed in the case. However, his lawyer, Kathryn Herold, exercising the defense’s right to challenge the finding, requested a hearing with testimony from both prosecutors and the defense to be held before Judge Ingrid Bakke rules on whether she believes he is competent. Bakke was required to schedule the hearing under the law but she denied Herold’s request for another evaluation to be done. Herold told Bakke that all the evaluations done on Alissa — including the most recent one that found him competent — say he is “profoundly mentally ill.” She also said she does not believe h...

Dentist accused of killing wife by poisoning her protein shakes expected to plead not guilty

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison is expected to plead not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in October, his defense attorneys said Tuesday. Police said Craig, who began an affair before his wife’s March 18 death, had searched online for answers to questions such as, “Is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “How to make murder look like a heart attack.” In the following days, Craig’s wife, Angela Craig, then Googled symptoms she was having including vertigo, shaking and cold lips, said District Attorney John Kellner at a July preliminary hearing. Angela Craig, a mother of six who was married to her husband for 23 years, died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to the Arapahoe County coroner Kelly Lear.After Tuesday’s hearing, where James Craig’s arraignment was postponed to Oct. 9, Craig...

Jury convicts central Indiana man of 3 counts of murder in 2021 apartment slayings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A jury convicted a central Indiana man of three counts of murder Tuesday in the 2021 execution-style slayings of three people that authorities said resulted from an ongoing feud between one of the victims and a friend of the defendant.Chad Grimball, 42, of Thorntown also was found guilty of firearm offenses in the slayings of Larry Stogsdill Jr., 42; Stogsdill’s 20-year-old son, Brannon Martin; and Martin’s 19-year-old girlfriend, Grace Bishop, all of Lebanon.Officers found their bodies on Sept. 8, 2021, at a Lebanon apartment after receiving a report that three people may be dead. All three had been shot in the head.The slayings occurred amid a feud between one of the victims and a friend of Grimball’s, a probable cause affidavit said.“Our hearts are with the families of Grace, Brannon, and Larry,” Deputy Boone County Prosecutor T.K. Morris said. “. . . We hope this verdict can help the families and our community heal.”Grimball acted as his own attorney during ...

Migrant woman dies after a ‘medical emergency’ in Border Patrol custody in South Texas, agency says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — A migrant woman died in South Texas after spending less than a day in federal custody, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol announced Tuesday.Border agents encountered the 29-year-old woman and her family in the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday afternoon, according to a statement from the agency. While she was in custody, she experienced a “medical emergency” and was treated by an on-site medical team and then taken to a hospital in Harlingen where she was pronounced dead, the agency said. The woman spent less than 20 hours in custody, according to the statement. Agency guidelines state migrants must be processed within 72 hours. No details were offered about the woman’s medical condition or her nationality.An investigation, per agency protocol, is underway by the Office of Professional Responsibility. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the Harlingen Police Department were also notified.The Associated Press

Chicagoans voice frustrations over unusually high water bills

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

CHICAGO — Residents voiced their frustrations at City Hall on Tuesday over unjustified water bills, some worth tens of thousands of dollars. Frustrated residents told the Finance Committee they were mailed bills for water they did not use. "The usual consumption of the water for this apartment is around 150 gallons a day. Now it went up from 150 gallons to 45,000 gallons per day. So obviously there’s something wrong," said Victor Catarino. Former University of Illinois basketball star sworn-in with new Peoria police recruits To make matters worse, residents say it's next to impossible to fix the bills.  "There’s no way I used 107,000 gallons of water in two months," Lisa Beard, another frustrated resident, said. Last fall, WGN Investigates reported a 200% jump in the number of people who owe the city at least $20,000 in past-due water bills. Now some alderpeople are growing impatient. "I don’t understand why people got to call y’all to say 'Come chang...

'A fantastic piece of property': New life for vacant mental health care site in Tinley Park

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:12:27 GMT

TINLEY PARK, Ill. — New life is finally coming to the site of the former mental health center in southwest suburban Tinley Park. Closed in 2012 for cost-saving purposes under then-Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, the Tinley Park Mental Health Center, a sprawling ​280-acre site, once housed thousands of patients over decades of use.Its boundaries roughly run from 183rd and Harlem to 175th and 80th Avenue, comprising 280 acres. Once eyed as a potential casino site, Tinley Park residents rejected that plan for one that would incorporate various indoor and outdoor recreational activities and a fair amount of undeveloped green space.Phase one will develop 90 acres, with parts of the property to be devised later as part of a public-private venture. In early August, the state signed over the property for $1 and has set aside $15 million for environmental cleanup. Traffic troubles lead to hundreds of fans missing majority of concert in Tinley Park "Our main focu...