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Clashes in Iraq’s Kirkuk over handover of police HQ to Kurds leave 1 dead, several injured

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — Demonstrations in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk over the handover of a key facility from federal to local Kurdish authorities turned violent Saturday, and one protester was killed and several were injured, witnesses and local officials said.Clashes broke out around the planned handover of the Iraqi federal police headquarters to the Kurdish Democratic Party in the city, which is home to a mixed population of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen.Federal forces seized Kirkuk and the surrounding oil fields in October 2017 after Kurdish regional authorities organized a symbolic but controversial referendum for Kurdish independence. The KDP vacated its headquarters in the city at the time.The agreement to form the current government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, included a provision for the return of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to the province.Last week, a group of Arabs from Kirkuk closed the Kirkuk-to-Erbil highway in protest over the re-ope...

Twenty six properties on evacuation order in B.C. wildfire zones dropped to alert

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

VICTORIA — Evacuation orders for 26 properties in British Columbia’s Kamloops and Shuswap Lake areas affected by two separate wildfires have been lifted and downgraded to alert status.The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued a statement on Saturday saying the changes involve three properties affected by the ongoing Ross Moore Lake wildfire south of Kamloops and 23 properties ordered evacuated by the Bush Creek East blaze.The regional district statement says residents of properties placed on evacuation alert can return to their homes, but should still be prepared to leave on short notice.The regional district says the downgraded evacuation orders allowed officials to expand the alert areas in both the Ross Moore Lake and Bush Creek East wildfire areas.The regional district advises residents of 11 properties in the Little Shuswap Lake area to access their homes by boat due to fire damage to the local road.Regional district officials say about 200 homes in the Shuswap lake ar...

Biden surveys hurricane’s toll from the sky and ground in Florida. DeSantis won’t see him

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

LIVE OAK, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden got a look Saturday from the sky at Hurricane Idalia’s impact across a swath of Florida before setting out on a walking tour of a city recovering from the storm. Notably absent from his schedule was any time with Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican president candidate who suggested a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts.The mayor of Live Oak, which is about 80 miles east of Tallahassee, the capital, thanked the president and first lady Jill Biden for coming to their community and “showing us that we’re important to you.” “Everybody thinks Florida is rich, but this is not one of the richest counties in the state and there are people who are suffering,” said Frank Davis, who was grateful that he knew of no loss of life or serious injury. At Suwannee Pineview Elementary School, local officials offered praise for early disaster declarations by the White House and the quick flow of federal aid. “What the federal government...

Some Ottawa residents lose up to $2,000 in fake Taylor Swift ticket scam

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

Ottawa police say they’ve seen an increase in reports of fake ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s sold-out Toronto shows due to what they’re describing as online ticket scams.Demand is high for next year’s six shows in Toronto, the only Canadian stop on Swift’s global Eras Tour, and are expected to draw fans from all over the country and beyond.The OPS Fraud Investigation Unit said they have received an increased number of reports of fake Taylor Swift ticket sales, with fraudsters targeting fans through Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace.According to the OPS, some victims have lost upwards of 2,000. In all, scammers have taken more than $12,000 in the last three days from people from Ottawa looking for tickets.Police are urging buyers to take time to meet with prospective sellers and inspect what they are acquiring before closing the deal. Fraud Unit investigators said they’re seeing a recent trend where buyers place large deposits on unseen goods with unknown...

'One in a million:' Art found at thrift store could fetch $250K, expert says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

(NewsNation) – One person's trash literally became another person's treasure after a New Hampshire woman found a valuable painting among the artwork at her local thrift store.The woman, who was searching for frames, reportedly purchased the artwork for $4. It sat in her home for years — and at one point in her closet — until she posted a photo of the artwork to a Facebook group.That's when it caught the eye of art conservator Lauren Lewis, who recognized the painting was an original work by renowned American illustrator N.C. Wyeth dating to 1939.Lewis has worked with the Wyeth family since 1998, and recognized the painting's potential significance."I happened to be scrolling through one day in mid-May, and I saw photos of this piece with the tagline, 'Is this real?'" Lewis said. "That happens fairly often, but what intrigued me about this one is she included photos of the back of the painting, and you can see the labels. And so that made me look a little bit closer."The lost N.C. Wy...

Austin Police searching for suspect involved in 2 bank robberies

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said it was searching for a man in connection with two bank robberies that occurred in late August.APD said the first robbery occurred at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at a bank in the 1800 block of South Pleasant Valley Road.The suspect showed the teller a note demanding money, and he then left the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to APD.Image of the suspect from the second robbery (APD photos)Image of the suspect from the first robbery (APD photos)Police described the suspect as a white or Hispanic man with a medium build, a large tattoo across the throat and a tattoo on his right wrist.The suspect was seen wearing a white sun hat, a surgical mask, dark gray sweatpants, a gray long-sleeve t-shirt, white Nike Air Jordan sneakers and a gray neck gaiter. The t-shirt had the print “Popeye” and “1929” on the chest, and "Heavyweight Champion of the World" on the back, according to APD.The second robbery occurred at 1:50 p.m. Aug...

Texas A&M study finds new tool to minimize feral hog populations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) — A study conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service reported a new tool has been successful in helping to reduce feral hog populations, according to a Thursday release.The study revealed a warfarin-based toxicant was an effective means for landowners to help minimize feral hog population sizes and damage to their properties. The hogs are responsible for millions of dollars each year in agricultural and property damages, while also negatively affecting native plant and animal species statewide. Estimates theorize there are more than three million feral hogs across Texas that account for more than $500 million in those damages each year.Top leaders from the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management and the Texas Wildlife Services led the two-year study. It analyzed 23 sites across 10 counties within various portions of the state.“Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service was tasked with evaluating the product’s ability to reduce feral hog n...

Austin airtanker base opens for wildfire response

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Airtanker Base is now activated for faster wildfire response times and better cost efficiency for Texas wildfires, a release from the governor's office said. Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that he directed the Texas A&M Forest Service to open the base to help local and state wildfire responders ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. MAP: More than 3,500 acres have burned in Central Texas wildfires this year The base will serve as a reload station for aircraft, including aircraft that drop fire retardant during wildfires. This will supplement the airtanker base in Abilene. The airtanker base at Austin-Bergstron International Airport is the only airport in the state set up for a "Very Large Airtanker, or DC-10," the governor's release said. The Austin base will be manned by personnel from the Texas A&M Forest Service, the US Forest Service and the Austin Fire Department. Abbott also added 10 counties to the state's wildfire disaster declaration for ...

Transient accused of sneaking into California home, touching 12-year-old girl on the face

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

(KTLA) -- A convicted felon accused of sneaking into a California home in the middle of the night and touching a 12-year-old girl was being held without bond Monday, according to police.Around 12:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to a home in Riverside on a report of a possible burglary.Police said the suspect, Daveon Alvarez, 28, entered the home through an unlocked door and encountered the 12-year-old girl, who was sleeping on the couch.“He touched the girl’s face, which startled her, and she ran off to alert her family,” police said.Daveon Alvarez is seen on dash camera footage from Riverside Police. Aug. 28, 2023. (Riverside Police Department)As officers canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses, they learned that Alvarez had been going through cars and fled the home with a set of car keys.He was arrested nearby.Police said Alvarez is a transient from the desert area who was on parole for auto theft. He was booked into jail for what they said was annoying or molesting a child, bu...

Twins’ Byron Buxton pulled from rehab game with Saints because of soreness

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:51:52 GMT

Twins star Byron Buxton was removed early from a rehab game with the Triple-A Saints on Friday after experiencing soreness in the patella tendon, per reports.Buxton played the outfield for the first time in more than a year on Wednesday, spending seven innings in center field. Thursday was a scheduled day off and Friday he got two at-bats before exiting the game.Though he is on the injured list for a hamstring strain suffered at the beginning of last month, Buxton has been kept out of the outfield because of the right knee that flared up.Prior to Wednesday, he had spent the whole season serving as the Twins’ designated hitter as a result of the issue, which impacted him last season to the point where he had a season-ending surgery.The Twins had hoped to bring him back from the injured list as an occasional center fielder, getting him into the outfield a couple times a week. But that plan is dependent on his response to how he felt after playing it while rehabbing with the Sain...