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Military withdraws final conduct charge against Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

GATINEAU, Que. — Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan wiped away tears this morning as military prosecutors asked the judge in his court martial to withdraw the case against him. Whelan had pleaded not guilty to one count of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline for changing a performance report in 2011. The military alleged he gave the complainant in the case, a woman who was under his command at the time, a better score to prevent her from telling senior commanders about flirtatious emails Whelan had sent her before they worked together. Prosecutors dropped a different charge at the beginning of the court martial last week related to what the military called an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.This morning, prosecutors asked the military judge, Cmdr. Martin Pelletier, to withdraw the remaining charge, based on “an assessment of the evidence.”Pelletier ruled on Friday that the emails at the centre of the case could not be admitted as evidence for the pros...

UN authorizes a second malaria vaccine. Experts warn it’s not enough to stop the disease spreading

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization authorized a second malaria vaccine on Monday, a decision that could offer countries a cheaper and a more readily available option than the world’s first shot against the parasitic disease. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the U.N. health agency was approving the new malaria vaccine based on the advice of two expert groups, recommending its use in children at risk of the disease. “As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria. Now we have two,” Tedros said. Oxford University developed the new three-dose vaccine with help from the Serum Institute of India. Research suggests it is more than 75% effective and that protection is maintained for at least another year with a booster. Tedros said the shot would cost about $2 to $4 and could be available in some countries next year if funders agree to buy it. Earlier this year, regulatory authorities in Ghana...

Chicago woman, 104, skydives from plane, aiming for record as the world’s oldest skydiver

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

OTTAWA, Ill. (AP) — A 104-year-old Chicago woman is hoping to be certified as the oldest person to ever skydive after making a tandem jump Sunday and landing 13,500 feet (4,100 meters) later at a northern Illinois airport.“Age is just a number,” Dorothy Hoffner told a cheering crowd moments after touching the ground Sunday at Skydive Chicago Airport in Ottawa, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported.The Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden. But Skydive Chicago is working to have Guinness World Records certify Hoffner’s jump as a record, WLS-TV reported.Hoffner first skydived when she was 100. On Sunday, she left her walker behind just short of the Skyvan plane at the Ottawa airport and was helped up the steps to join the others waiting inside to skydive.“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner said after she was finally seated.When she first skydived at 100 sh...

Southern Republicans look to nationalize 2023 governors’ races by invoking Biden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s name won’t appear on the ballot anywhere in 2023, but you wouldn’t know it from the campaigns that Republican candidates for governor are running in Kentucky and Mississippi.GOP nominees in both states — Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and first-term Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves — are just as likely to mention the Democratic president as they are to name the person they face in the Nov. 7 general election.Tying candidates for governor to national political figures is a well-worn strategy but also reflects an era of deepening ideological divides, according to Carrie Archie Russell, an expert on southern politics at Vanderbilt University. She says forging such links, even when there’s no evidence of a strong connection, allows candidates to create a “mental shortcut for identifying individuals as ‘us’ or ‘them.’”In 2020, then-President Donald Trump won 62% of the vote in Kentucky and 58% in Mississippi...

Cat reunited with owner after viral search following Lyft trip

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A Texas man was reunited with his pet cat, Tux, early Monday morning after the two were separated during a rideshare trip and his search for the feline went viral.Palash Pandey had posted updates on social media throughout his search for Tux. He told Nexstar's KXAN that investigators hired by Lyft found Tux about a mile away from where the driver dropped Pandey off, and he was alerted around 1:30 a.m. Monday. He said Tux is back home, ate food and drank water, and will be taken to a vet later Monday. Palash Pandey's cat, Tux (Palash Pandey)According to Pandey, he took the trip Saturday to bring his cat in for medical care at a Banfield Pet Hospital location on Research Boulevard in Austin, Texas. When they arrived, he exited the vehicle and went around to the other side in order to retrieve Tux's carrier.But before he could, the Lyft driver began to drive away. "I, like, ran behind him, screaming like 'wait, wait, wait,' I banged on his windows hoping that he would n...

Solar eclipse takes big stage during ACL weekend two

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Limits festival goers are going to get a special performance this year courtesy of the sun. The first of two eclipses that will pass over Texas in the next seven months will occur on October 14th during weekend two of ACL.While Austin isn't in the path of totality of this annular eclipse, 88% of sunlight will be blocked out. The eclipse will peak at 11:54 a.m., according to the University of Texas in Austin's Department of Astronomy.As an annular eclipse, the moon will not totally blot out the light of the sun. Instead, a ring of fire will appear around the moon, with the center of the star blocked out.Eye safety during the annular eclipseWhile you can look directly at the sun during the peak of total eclipse, an annular eclipse is different. It is very dangerous to look at the sun during an annular eclipse and you are risking damage to your eyes.According to the American Astronomical Society, "The only safe way to look directly at the un-eclipsed, parti...

KXAN Weather Q&A: Explaining what a 'hurriquake' is & more

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Questions pour in constantly for the First Warning Weather Team, as viewers ask about different things happening with the weather in Central Texas and elsewhere. There's now a new, interactive way to find out answers. Every Monday morning, Meteorologist Rich Segal will comb through his inbox and join anchor Will DuPree for "KXAN Weather: What's on Your Mind?" to talk through some of the questions submitted that week. Fall storm coming: Rainfall, timing and temperatures Here's a list of the questions that got addressed: Charlotte Haisler: "I heard the term 'hurriquake' on an internet news site. What is it, and what causes it? Can the weather team explain this?"Rich's response: It's the combination of a hurricane and a earthquake. This is extremely rare, but it did happen on August 20, 2023. The term trended on X (formerly Twitter) when the city of Ojai was struck with a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the city prior to Hilary making its landfall.Jo Nell Morris: Lov...

Downtown Saratoga Springs coffee shop closing its doors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Saratoga Coffee Traders, located at 447 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, is closing. Owner Scott Swedish made the announcement in a Facebook post on September 30. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the closing of our Saratoga location on October 29," read the post. "We are hoping to be open in Schenectady in November."Sweedish said the shop's lease is not being extended. Saratoga Coffee Traders could have stayed open until December but he wanted to close at the end of October to give his employees time to find employment before the holidays. Multiple agencies searching for missing child in Saratoga County Swedish told NEWS10 that the circumstances were beyond their control. He still wants to have a shop in Saratoga Springs and is looking for a space."I don't know if I want to be on Broadway," said Sweedish. "I would love to be in the Arts...

Kiss performing at Enterprise Center in October

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Rock and roll legends Kiss will be in St. Louis on Wednesday, October 25, with their big farewell tour for fans.FOX 2 is giving away a pair of tickets to the 'End of the Road' Tour every day this week. Wainwright strikes out in cameo to end career as Cardinals beat Reds 4-3. Votto ejected To get registered, go to the contest page at FOX2Now.com. For a bonus chance to enter, follow @FOX2Now on Instagram.

I-70’s Peña Boulevard exit reopens after crash, fuel spill

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:35:48 GMT

The northbound ramp to Peña Boulevard on eastbound Interstate 70 has reopened after a two-vehicle crash shut down the exit early Monday morning.At 5:39 a.m., the Aurora Police Department posted on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, that officers were on the scene of the crash and the ramp was closed.Paramedics took both drivers to local hospitals with serious injuries, police said.#APDTrafficAlert: Northbound ramp to Pena Boulevard is closed on eastbound I-70 for a two-vehicle crash. No estimate for how long the ramp will be closed. We will update here when more info becomes available. pic.twitter.com/hTLkljc4sl— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) October 2, 2023The crash caused a diesel fuel spill, closing the Peña Boulevard exit for several hours for clean up, Aurora police said in an update.The cleaning crew arrived at 8 a.m., more than two hours after the crash, and by 8:54 a.m. Peña Boulevard had reopened.UPDATE: Pena Boulevard has reopened. Officers ar...