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Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald fired after hazing claims

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

(CNN) — Northwestern University fired longtime head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, the school announced Monday. The move comes after allegations of hazing within the Wildcats football program.The decision was effective immediately, university president Michael Schill said in a letter to the Northwestern community.“The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program,” Schill said.CNN has reached out to Fitzgerald’s representative for comment. Fitzgerald, who was initially suspended Friday for two weeks without pay, has said previously he was not aware of the alleged hazing.Fitzgerald addressed the players in a meeting Monday night to say goodbye, according to a university employee familiar with the situation.Schill said he discussed the situation with Fitzgerald, university leaders, and current and former students in the last ...

Excessive Heat in South Florida

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

All of South Florida is under a Heat Advisory. Please make sure to drink plenty of water when spending a prolonged period of time outdoors.Temperatures will peak in the low to mid 90’s during the afternoon today and tomorrow, and potentially through the remainder of this week. In fact, we will be flirting with records today. Why so hot? We have a mid level area of high pressure overhead trapping the heat along with Saharan Dust which prevents temperatures from cooling and suppresses thunderstorm development (we just tend to see less coverage). Also, light winds are contributing to the excessive heat we’ve been experiencing. Sharan dust departs midweek temporarily allowing additional showers and thunderstorms to form in the afternoon and early evening hours. However, the heat is forecast to continue along with another batch of dust arriving late week. Stay cool South Florida! Vivian GonzalezMeteorologist, AMS Certified WSVN Channel 7

US probes complaints that Ford Escape doors can open while SUVs are being driven

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating complaints that the doors on some Ford Escapes can open while the SUVs are being driven.The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers 346,000 Escapes from the 2020 and 2021 model years. The agency says in documents posted Tuesday on its website that it has 118 complaints that spot welds in a door assembly bracket can fail. Investigators contacted some of the owners and found 25 reports of minor injuries.Many reported a popping noise when they opened the door as a bracket begins to separate. The agency says continued use could dislodge the door, and it could fail to latch when closed. Ford says it’s working with the agency to support the investigation.NHTSA says the probe will determine whether the problem creates an unreasonable risk to highway safety. The agency could seek a recall. The Associated Press

German opposition leader takes aim at migration, but largely rules out working with far right

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s conservative opposition leader said Tuesday that large-scale migration is one of the country’s biggest problems and the main reason for a recent surge in support for the far right.But Friedrich Merz ruled out cooperating at the state or national level with the Alternative for Germany party that has overtaken his center-right Christian Democratic Union in polls for three state elections in the east next year — to the alarm of mainstream politicians. One senior security official of Jewish origin told The Associated Press that he would leave the country if the far-right party, known by its German acronym AfD, comes to power in a state election.“The refugee issue will remain the main topic in our society in the coming weeks and months, maybe even in the next years, and that’s why I’m so interested in finding a solution,” Merz said at a news conference with foreign reporters in Berlin.“The sooner the problem is solved, the sooner this...

At least 5 dead after helicopter carrying Mexican tourists crashes near Mount Everest in Nepal

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — At least five people were killed after a helicopter carrying Mexican tourists crashed Tuesday near Mount Everest in Nepal, authorities said. One person was missing.The helicopter crashed in the Lamajura area and rescuers had recovered the bodies of five people and were searching for the sixth, said Basanta Bhattarai, the chief government administrator in the area.All five tourists were Mexican nationals and the pilot was Nepalese, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said in a statement. The Mexicans included two men and three women.The aircraft was returning to the capital Kathmandu on Tuesday morning after bringing the tourists on a sightseeing trip to the world’s highest peak.Weather conditions had caused the helicopter’s planned flight route to be changed, airport official Sagar Kadel said.It is common for flights to be delayed and routes changed during the monsoon season amid heavy rains.The tourist and mountaineering season ended in May with the ...

Small Town Week, Episode 2: What happens to a town when its only ER room closes?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

(This is the second episode of Small Town Week, a five-part series in which we examine big problems facing small communities.)In today’s Big Story Podcast, the strain on Canada’s health-care system has been building for years, but the pandemic dealt the final blow to our already struggling and threadbare system.The permanent closure of the emergency room in Minden, Ont., highlights the dire challenges faced by small communities across Canada. Nowhere has our capacity for care been tested more than in rural areas, where family doctors, nurses, walk-in clinics, and hospitals are scarce.Emily Stonehouse, Editor of The Minden Times, says the closure of the ER has impacted the community as a whole, resulting in people rallying together. “While it’s a challenging and trying topic, it’s humbling to watch an entire community come essentially behind the same cause.”Is Minden’s ER closure just the beginning? What are the consequences for a town when its primary m...

Man killed, woman injured in South Chicago shooting

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was killed and a woman was injured after a shooting in the city's South Chicago neighborhood.According to police, officers responded to the 8500 block of South Kingston around 12:05 a.m. Tuesday and discovered a 32-year-old man shot multiple times. The man was pronounced dead on the scene. The medical examiner has identified him as Bryson Roundtree.Police said a woman was also struck by gunfire on the thigh, but refused treatment on the scene. The woman self-transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she is listed in good condition. 16-year-old girl critical after shooting in South Shore A witness told police the victims may have been traveling in a vehicle when the shooting happened.There is no one is custody. Area Two Detectives are investigating.

Amazon Prime Day: Deals galore and scam warning

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – Amazon Prime Day runs July 11-12 and the e-commerce giant promises more deals than ever before.“What makes this Prime Day different than those in the past is we have more items with great deals than ever,” Andy DiOrio, an Amazon spokesperson, said.Diorio says the company is proud to feature products from locally owned small businesses among its Prime Day offerings.“A small business right here in St. Louis, Lorenzen Candle Co., which has really expanded in reed diffusers, has 60% off their products as well,” he said.Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial for new Prime members with $10 off Prime Day shopping.“A lot of people are now using Prime Day to stock up on everyday essentials,” said Jacob Palmer with BestReviews.com, which is owned by KTVI/KPLR’s parent company Nexstar. These household items are worth stocking up on during Prime Day Diapers, batteries, and trash bags were among the top sellers last year. This year, Amazon will have deep discounts on invit...

Austin pipes leaked enough drinking water in 2022 to fill Lady Bird Lake nearly 3 times

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – From service-line drips to main-line cascades, Austin Water’s pipes leaked more than enough treated water to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every hour of every day last year.In total, city pipes lost over 6.9 billion gallons of drinkable water in 2022. That’s enough to fill Lady Bird Lake nearly three times, and it’s an increase of more than 400 million gallons compared to the year before, according to water loss audit data obtained from the Texas Water Development Board.While 6.9 billion gallons may seem like a staggering amount of treated water, it’s less than the city’s all-time high of 7.3 billion gallons leaked in 2020. Last year’s leaks were also within a satisfactory range, according to an industry measurement called the “infrastructure leakage index,” which takes into account a utility’s total connections, miles of pipes and water pressure, the city said.Austin Water Utility said some lost water is unavoidable in a system of Austin’s size. Each year the n...

Teen brothers working to pay off Pflugerville ISD students' school lunch debt

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:15:19 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) — As kids get geared up for the start of school next month, many students aren’t able to afford a lunch on campus within the Pflugerville Independent School District.According to Pflugerville ISD, there is currently $126,000 worth of unpaid lunch charges owed to the district. Austin church donating $24K to pay AISD students’ school lunch debt In April, PfISD put in place a policy that any students owing more than $6 in their school lunch account had their main entrée taken away and substituted with a sandwich.This sparked some outrage on social media and embarrassment for certain students.“Kids get made fun of, if they have the cheese sandwich or if they do have the alternative lunch,” John Amador, a junior at Hendrickson High School, explained.With this in mind, he and his brother Maxx decided to lend a helping hand to their fellow students."We saw students get their lunch taken away and given a humiliating alternative lunch,” Maxx said. “We knew we wanted to ...