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A billion-dollar coastal project begins in Louisiana. Will it work as sea levels rise?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s a nearly $3 billion attempt to mimic Mother Nature: Massive gates will be incorporated into a section of a flood protection levee southeast of New Orleans to divert some of the Mississippi River’s sediment-laden water into a new channel that will guide it into southeast Louisiana’s Barataria Basin.If the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project works as intended, the solids in the river water will settle out in the basin and gradually restore land that has been steadily disappearing for decades. State coastal officials call it a first-of-its-kind project they are certain will work, even as climate change-induced rising sea levels threaten the disappearing coast.A groundbreaking ceremony with Gov. John Bel Edwards was set for Thursday morning in Plaquemines Parish, where Louisiana’s close associations with commercial seafood harvests, recreational fishing and the offshore oil industry are all on display — as is the vulnerability to land...

Wildfires take Maui by surprise, burning through a historic town and killing at least 6 people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — The sky was dark from smoke and flames were racing through Hawaii’s historic town of Lahaina when Kamuela Kawaakoa returned to his apartment after a quick dash to the supermarket for water with his girlfriend and their 6-year-old son. They grabbed a change of clothes and ran as the bushes around them caught fire.Across the street, a senior center erupted in flames. They called 911 but don’t know if the people got out. Fire alarms blared. As they drove away Tuesday afternoon, downed utility poles and fleeing cars slowed their progress.“We barely made it out in time,” Kawaakoa said at an evacuation shelter on Wednesday, still unsure if anything was left of their apartment.At least six people were killed when wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood. Flames roared thro...

A year ago, an Iranian woman’s death sparked hijab protests. Now businesses are a new battleground

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — For months, Iranian authorities did little to enforce the law on women covering their hair but now the country’s theocracy is pushing to make businesses the new battleground over the mandatory headscarf. The effort comes ahead of the first anniversary of nationwide protests that erupted after the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police. A crackdown by security forces that followed saw more than 530 people killed and over 22,000 arrested. These days, with uncovered women a common sight on Tehran streets, authorities have begun raiding companies where women employees or customers have been seen without the headscarf, or hijab. Iran’s parliament is discussing a law that would increase punishments on uncovered women and the businesses they frequent. The developments could foment new unrest as parliamentary elections loom next year and the country’s economy struggles under the weight of international sanctions im...

Khanun slams into South Korea, toppling trees and ripping off roofs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

BUSAN, South Korea (AP) — A strong tropical storm slammed into South Korea’s southern coastal regions Thursday, bringing intense rains and winds that toppled trees, ripped off roofs and turned roads into chocolate-colored rivers as it slowly plowed north toward major urban centers near the capital.There were no immediate reports of storm-related deaths or injuries as of 11 a.m., according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. More than 10,000 people, mostly in southern coastal areas, were forced to evacuate from their homes and the number was expected to grow.Officials shut down hundreds of motorways, streets and public parks and broadcast text alerts warning about the perils posed by the storm, Khanun, which came just weeks after torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides that killed at least 47 people.More than 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain has fallen already in southern parts of the mainland and emergency workers were responding to a growing number of floods a...

Las Vegas food service workers demanding better pay and benefits are set to rally on the Strip

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Food service workers at a Las Vegas Strip arena demanding higher pay and better benefits are set to rally Thursday evening beneath the glittery lights of the famed tourist corridor amid ongoing negotiations for a union contract.The Culinary Workers Union, a political powerhouse in Nevada, said in a statement ahead of the rally that servers, dishwashers, cooks and bartenders who work at T-Mobile Arena have been locked in contract negotiations for nearly a year with their employer, Levy Premium Food Service. The workers say they want a fair contract that will ensure “one job is enough to provide for their families.”The union represents 60,000 hospitality workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including 200 Levy employees who work at the arena, the home stadium of the Vegas Golden Knights.The rally is scheduled to be held near the arena, and thousands are expected to participate. It comes two weeks after members voted 97% in favor of authorizing a strike if a contract isn̵...

Severe Weather Potential for Chicago Friday; High Winds Fan Wildfires in Hawaii; Nighttime Heat in Phoenix

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

Fast spreading wildfires burning on sections of Maui and the Big Island in Hawaii The fires rage as high winds—the product of a "tight" (i.e. "varied") pressure gradient, strengthened by Hurricane "Dora" passing more than 700 miles south of the islands—and a sprawling 1032mb (30.47") Pacific Ocean high pressure to the north. Reports indicating the town of Lahaina has been destroyed by fire.Hurricane Dora and its CAT 4-level 130 mph peak sustained winds trekking 795 miles S/SW of Honolulu, Hawaii not impacting the Hawaiian Islands with its downpoursBig changes in pressure over a region produce strong winds and whip up high surf—particularly on the east-facing shores of the Islands. The non-hurricane wind gusts on Hawaii have topped 70 mph overnight, particularly at the Islands' higher elevations—though winds are gusty elsewhere on the Island chain as well. So the fires being fanned by high winds AREN'T directly related to Dora—the hurricane's effect in strengthening Hawaiian winds i...

President von der Leyen travels to Slovenia to express support amidst unprecedent floods

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) travelled on 9 August to Slovenia, where she expressed her solidarity and witness the destruction caused by the floods that hit the country in the past days. She will also discuss the ways in which the EU can support reconstruction and prevention efforts. The President will be accompanied by Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.The president met the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Robert Golob. Together, they travelled to the areas most damaged by the floods. President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Golob held a press point, which was on EbS.Later in the day, back in Ljubljana, the president addressed the extraordinary plenary session of the National Assembly of Slovenia. Her speech was broadcast live on EbS. 

Protesters shut down 134 Freeway in Glendale

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

A protest in the eastbound lanes of the 134 Freeway in Glendale brought traffic to a standstill Wednesday night and prompted officials with the California Highway Patrol to issue a SigAlert.  The large group of protesters, who were trying to bring attention to the plight of Armenians in Artsakh, were seen using cars and semi-trucks to block the roadway. The group continued to occupy the freeway even after CHP officers ordered them to leave.  Aerial footage from Sky5 showed protesters laying large signs across the road addressed to U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, who represents California’s 30th District.  Protesters hoping to bring attention to the plight of Armenians in Artsahk, blocked eastbound lanes of the 134 Freeway in Glendale on Aug. 9, 2023. (KTLA) Issued at 9 p.m., the SigAlert on SR-134 began at Central Avenue and was scheduled to last for three hours. 

Woman attacked by snake that fell from the sky, then a hawk hunting it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

A Texas woman was mowing her lawn when the unthinkable happened: a snake fell from the sky and landed on her arm, then a hawk came after them both.After the snake fell, it started wrapping around Peggy Jones' arm and striking her glasses, the Silsbee Bee reports. “The snake was squeezing so hard, and I was waving my arms in the air. And then, this hawk was swooping down clawing at my arm over and over,” Peggy Jones told KPRC. “I just kept saying, ‘Help me, Jesus, Help me, Jesus.’’A photo obtained by the Silsbee Bee shows Jones' arm bleeding profusely from jagged gashes crisscrossing her arm, from her wrist to her elbow.Jones told KPRC that the hawk swooped down on her at least four times trying to get the snake before ultimately ripping the snake off her arm and flying away with it.She said blood was everywhere and that her husband heard the noise and came running.“I was yelling and screaming. He didn’t know what I was saying. I thought I was bit by a snake,” Jones told KPRC.Jones' ...

Ex-Raider Henry Ruggs sentenced for fiery fatal Las Vegas crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:55:59 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Henry Ruggs, a former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, was sentenced Wednesday morning for a fiery crash that claimed the life of a young woman and her dog and ended his career with the NFL team.Tina Tintor and her dog Max. (Credit: Tintor family)Ruggs, 24, was sentenced to between 3 and 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to driving 156 mph under the influence and crashing into a car killing 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog in November 2021. Prosecutors said his blood alcohol level was 0.1 which is twice the legal limit.The sentencing took 20 minutes and the Las Vegas courtroom was filled with family and supporters of the Ruggs as well as Tintor's family members. Ex-Las Vegas Raider Henry Ruggs spent month in treatment for PTSD after fatal crash Prior to the reading of his sentence, Ruggs read a statement to the court he said was for the parents and family of Tina Tintor.“I sincerely apologize for my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021,” he read. "My ...