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Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Florida after making landfall as a dangerous Category 3 storm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a catastrophic Category 3 storm on Wednesday and unleashed life-threatening storm surges and rainfall across an area that has never before received such pummeling.More than 230,000 customers were without electricity as trees snapped by strong winds brought down power lines and rushing water covered streets. Along the coast, some homes were submerged to near their rooftops and structures crumpled. As the eye moved inland, destructive winds shredded signs and sent sheet metal flying. “We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” posted the fire and rescue department in Cedar Key, where a tide gauge measured the storm surge at 6.8 feet (2 meters), submerging most of hte downtown. “We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island.” Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7...

Tesla is allowing no-hands driving with Autopilot for longer periods. US regulators have questions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is allowing some drivers use its Autopilot driver-assist system for extended periods without making them put their hands on the steering wheel, a development that has drawn concern from U.S. safety regulators.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has ordered Tesla to tell the agency how many vehicles have received a software update making that possible and it’s seeking more information on what the electric vehicle maker’s plans are for wider distribution.“NHTSA is concerned that this feature was introduced to consumer vehicles, and now that the existence of this feature is known to the public, more drivers may attempt to activate it,” John Donaldson, the agency’s acting chief counsel, wrote in a July 26 letter to Tesla that was posted on the agency’s website. “The resulting relaxation of controls designed to ensure that the driver remain engaged in the dynamic driving task could lead to greater driver inattention and failure ...

CNN names Mark Thompson, former BBC and New York Times executive, as its new leader

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — CNN is bringing in a former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times in an attempt to turn around a news organization that has burned through two leaders and bled viewers over the past two years.Mark Thompson was appointed as chair and CEO of CNN by David Zaslav, head of the network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, which made the announcement Wednesday. Thompson replaces Chris Licht, who was fired in June, and a four-person team that had been running CNN in the interim.Thompson, who left the Times in 2020 after eight years as that company’s president and CEO, is credited with transforming it to a digital-first organization more dependent on paid subscribers than the collapsing advertising market that has doomed many newspapers. The England native was director-general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012.Zaslav called him a “true innovator” who pushed two of the world’s most respected news organizations into the digital age.“His strategic v...

Trudeau to visit Indonesia, Singapore and India next week as Canada seeks trade deals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is headed to Asia next week for a whirlwind tour of Indonesia, Singapore and India.The trip involves the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi, and a focus on economic ties in booming regions of Southeast Asia, as Canada seeks alternatives to a rising China.In Jakarta, Trudeau will attend a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, where the group of 10 countries that will ratify a strategic-partnership agreement with Canada.The next stop in Singapore will involve meeting with the city-state’s head of government and business leaders to promote investment in Canada and Canadian exports.Trudeau will then attend the G20 summit where he plans to focus on collaboration on climate change, reforming international finance for poorer states and energy security.A news release suggests Trudeau is slated to spend just two days in each country, with a focus on boosting trade and affordability. Ottawa is in negotiations for separate trade...

Gabon’s wealthy, dynastic leader thought he could resist Africa’s trend of coups. He might be wrong

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, knew well the threat of military coups in his part of the world. But he swore one wouldn’t happen to him.“While our continent has been shaken in recent weeks by violent crises, rest assured that I will never allow you and our country Gabon to be hostages to attempts at destabilization. Never,” Bongo declared this month as the central African nation marked 60 years of independence from France, almost all of that time with his family in power.Now, according to a group of mutinous Gabonese security forces who spoke on state television early Wednesday, he is under house arrest, accused of “unpredictable, irresponsible governance.” The soldiers who claimed authority said people around Bongo had been arrested for “high betrayal,” embezzlement and corruption, though it was not clear whether the president himself faced those charges.In a minute-long video shared with The Associated Press and apparently filmed at home in the ca...

2 seriously injured in Kane County head-on crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

ELBURN, Ill. — Two people were seriously injured Tuesday afternoon following a head-on crash in Kane County.Just before 1:45 p.m., deputies were dispatched to Route 47 at Kenmar Drive, located in Elburn, on the report of a head-on crash involving two vehicles.Authorities said it involved a white pickup truck and a gray Sprinter van. One occupant was flown to Good Samaritan Hospital with serious injuries. The other driver was sent to NorthwesterN Medicine — Delnor in serious condition.

How Justin Steele made his pitch for the Cy Young again on Tuesday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

CHICAGO — As the 2023 season has gone along, the Cubs' top starting pitcher has continued to make his case for the highest honor a pitcher can receive in Major League Baseball. Justin Steele had one of his best arguments on Tuesday, coming up big once again for his team in the midst of a postseason push.The Cubs' All-Star starter was on his game during his outing against the red-hot Brewers at Wrigley Field, throwing six shutout innings in 1-0 victory that stops Milwaukee's nine-game winning streak. It helps keep Steele's team in sight of the top of the National League Central division, as the Brewers lead was trimmed to four with the Cubs' victory. That win also kept the team in the second Wild Card spot, a game ahead of the Giants with 30 games to go. Steele had to work for the six shutout innings, throwing 111 pitches in that time, but he more than did his job. He scattered six hits during the six shutout innings, striking out eight batters while giving up just one walk. After St...

Idalia could set record for intensification rate, expert says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

(The Hill) -- Hurricane Idalia could set a record for its intensification rate, according to hurricane experts, who point to the hot water feeding the storm as a key factor. Hurricanes get their energy from warm waters, so as Idalia rapidly approached the coast of Florida, its momentum was only fueled by the fact that the Gulf and around the coast of Florida has some of the hottest sea water in the world at the moment, experts said.  Hurricane Professor Kerry Emanuel, who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), warned that Idalia “stands a chance of setting a record for intensification rate because it’s over water that’s so warm.”Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said the temperature is "rocket fuel" for the storm.“It’s 88, 89 degrees (31, 32 degrees Celsius) over where the storm’s going to be tracking, so that’s effectively rocket fuel for the storm,” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said.“It’s basica...

CNN hires ex-NYT chief as new CEO

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

(The Hill) -- Mark Thompson, a veteran of the television and print news business who most recently ran the New York Times Company, has been selected to serve as the new CEO of CNN Worldwide.Thompson’s name had been one of the candidates listed in multiple media reports suggesting leaders at Warner Bros. Discover, the media conglomerate that owns CNN, were close to naming its new permanent news chief. He also served as director general of the BBC from 2004 to 2012 before joining the New York Times Company where he presided over the newspaper's business as CEO, a position he held until 2020.  "I want to say that I recognize change isn't easy and I know you've been through a lot of it," David Zaslav, the chief executive of WarnerBros. Discovery wrote in a memo to CNN staff obtained by The Hill on Tuesday, saying he was confident Thompson is "exactly the leader we need to take the helm of CNN at this pivotal time." Thompson steps in for former CNN president Chris Licht, who Za...

KXAN Investigates: Veteran's funeral director license fight with Texas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:58:31 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each week the in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team gets a spotlight on KXAN Live. Tune in Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. for a conversation about this week's top stories with investigative reporter Kelly Wiley and KXAN Live anchor Will DuPree. KXAN Investigates: Texas program to fight pregnancy substance use They'll discuss these headlines: After leaving the service, a Texas military veteran said he fought the state for more than a decade to get a funeral director license. Earlier this year, he finally won that battle, only to have the license taken away months later. KXAN Investigates shows how the interpretation of state law could affect veterans trying to get into many professions requiring a license.Del Valle Independent School District and six other districts are suing the head of the Texas Education Agency over the agency’s decision to change how the state grades schools. The lawsuit against Education Commissioner Mike Morath alleges the chan...