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Hilary moves through Southwest with historic amount of rainfall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

(CNN) — Hilary has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone that’s still threatening deadly flooding and powerful gusts across parts of the West as it’s turned streets into raging rivers, forced some residents to flee and left others in need of rescue.After hitting Southern California on Sunday as a tropical storm – the state’s first since 1997 – Hilary headed into Nevada as the state’s first tropical storm and was moving over central parts of the state early Monday, about 390 miles north of San Diego, packing sustained winds of 35 mph with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said.Live updates: Hilary brings major flood risk to CaliforniaThe storm broke rainfall records in multiple locations across Southern California. Palm Springs received nearly a year’s worth of rain – 4.3 inches – in 24 hours, one of the rainiest days in the city’s history. Nearly half a year’s worth of rain fell in just a six-hour period there.Death Valley nearly set a new ...

Kim Jong Un inspects missile test as regional rivals meet and kick off joint military drills

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

(CNN) — North Korean state media released images of leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a missile test on Monday, days after its regional rivals held a historic summit, and as US-South Korea joint military exercises kick off nearby.The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim was on site to monitor the launch of strategic cruise missiles fired from a patrol ship, belonging to the North Korean Navy’s East Sea Fleet.While on board, Kim inspected the patrol ship’s weapons and combat preparedness, and “highly praised the ship for maintaining high mobility and mighty striking power and constant preparedness for combat to cope with sudden situation,” according to KCNA.It added that the missile test demonstrated the ship’s capabilities and prepared the sailors for “carrying out the attack mission in actual war.”Photos released by KCNA show Kim, dressed in white and black, standing with his hands on his hips beside uniformed sailors on the ship deck. Other photos show th...

Teen turns himself in after allegedly punching state trooper in Norwell

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

A 17-year-old turned himself in to police over the weekend after allegedly punching a state trooper and fleeing into the woods following a traffic stop in Norwell late Friday night, state police said. State police in a statement said a trooper first stopped a Dodge Durango driven by the teen’s mother around 11:45 p.m. Friday on Pond Street in Norwell after the Durango drove up behind the trooper’s cruiser at a high speed and pulled in front of her on Route 3. State police said the trooper found the Durango had an expired inspection sticker and learned a 17-year-old associated with the car had three active arrest warrants. The same teen, state police said, allegedly had “a known violent history towards police.” Police said the trooper stopped the Durango on Pond Street in Norwell after it took an exit off Route 3. As she activated her emergency lights, state police said, the trooper saw a passenger in the car climb over the center console into the back seat. State...

Orioles reset: The Athletics are a cautionary tale. John Angelos should avoid making similar mistakes. | ANALYSIS

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

Negative chants about the home team are expected at Oakland Coliseum.The Athletics are the worst team in the major leagues and one of the worst MLB clubs in recent history. But their play isn’t necessarily what’s animating Oakland fans. Instead, it’s the team’s ownership.Sound familiar?The “sell the team” chants heard at Oakland Coliseum this weekend — a result of Athletics ownership systematically driving the fan base away to justify moving the team to Las Vegas — might have felt a bit familiar for the Orioles fans at the run-down ballpark. Earlier this month, it was Orioles fans who directed “Free Kevin Brown” chants at ownership as a message to bring back the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcaster after he was benched for stating facts about the club’s past struggles.The similarities between the Athletics, who are testing the limits of modern-day futility, and the Orioles, who are attempting to push the limits of ...

Former Toronto mayors urge city staff to reconsider renaming Dundas Street

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

Three former Toronto mayors are expressing their opposition to changing the name of one of the city’s most well-known streets.Former mayors David Crombie, John Sewell and Art Eggleton have issued a letter to current mayor Olivia Chow and city councillors, asking them to reconsider the decision to rename Dundas Street.“Henry Dundas, for whom the street is named, was a committed abolitionist who, when facing strong opposition and certain defeat, rather than give up his quest, advocated for interim measures that would ultimately lead to that result,” reads the letter.“It seems he was doing the best he could under challenging circumstances at that time in history.”Council voted in favour of changing the name of the 23-kilometre east-west thoroughfare in 2021 due to its namesakes alleged connection to the slave trade. Henry Dundas never set foot in Toronto and was an active British politician from the 1770s to the early 1800s when the parliament was debating...

Tenor Freddie de Tommaso, a young British sensation, makes US opera debut

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — “British Tenor Saves Night at Opera,” proclaimed the Daily Mail.The opera was Puccini’s “Tosca,” and the tenor was then-28-year-old Freddie de Tommaso, jumping in at London’s Royal Opera House when the scheduled singer withdrew after Act 1 because of illness.That was nearly two years ago. Now de Tommaso has just made his U.S. debut at the Santa Fe Opera in the same role, appearing to enthusiastic applause on Aug. 12, five days after a bout of laryngitis forced him to cancel his first performance. His final performance is Saturday.And he’ll return in the 2024-25 season for another debut, this time at the Metropolitan Opera, where he’ll again be Tosca’s lover, Mario Cavaradossi.In an interview at the opera house here, de Tommaso reflected on his career so far and the “star is born” moment in London that first brought him headlines.“So many people thought I was like an understudy or somebody they found walking down the street whistling ‘Tosca,’ and that wasn’t the...

TVO employees walk off the job Monday after negotiations stall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

TORONTO — Dozens of workers at Ontario’s public broadcaster walked off the job Monday morning.The Canadian Media Guild, which represents the workers, says it wasn’t able to reach a fair agreement with the employer. The union represents around 70 journalists, producers and education workers at the Ontario organization.Earlier in August, almost 96 per cent of Canadian Media Guild members at TVO rejected an offer from the employer. The union has previously said that one of its main bargaining sticking points is the use of contracts to fill permanent positions.It has also said the wages on offer are well below what’s needed for workers to catch up to inflation. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Premier Caroline Cochrane recounts search for homeless during Yellowknife evacuation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane was a social worker before entering politics, so when the territory ordered everyone in its capital to leave last week due to encroaching wildfires, she said she checked to make sure homeless people weren’t forgotten.“My heart’s with those people. I’ve worked in that field for over 20 years,” Cochrane told an online news conference about the firefighting efforts over the weekend, when she was asked about government plans to keep in touch with Yellowknife’s homeless.Cochrane, who is among the nearly 70 per cent of N.W.T. residents forced to flee the fire threat, responded that the government worked closely with shelters in the city of about 20,000 to make sure people were being brought to the evacuation centre.But she said she knew that many of the most vulnerable people — in fact, most of them — don’t use the shelter all of the time.“On Thursday morning, I drove to the shelt...

Nigerian leader swears in 45-member Cabinet with a promise to fast-track reforms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Monday swore in 45 ministers nearly three months after his election, promising that his government will accelerate its development agenda.The Cabinet is intended to help improve Africa’s biggest economy and most populous country, where millions are grappling with economic hardship worsened by the new government’s policies which have had an immediate impact of further squeezing millions of poor and hungry Nigerians.At an inauguration ceremony in the capital, Abuja, Tinubu acknowledged Nigeria’s “daunting” challenges and said the Cabinet brings an opportunity to implement “long overdue reforms.” “We must hold each other responsible; we have to do the job to meet the expectations of all Nigerians,” the president told the ministers. It is Nigeria’s largest Cabinet since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, triggering criticisms about high government expenditure despite Tinubu’s promises to cut costs. Fewer than 20...

10 damaged homes remain uninhabitable, a week after Pennsylvania explosion that killed 6

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:50:18 GMT

PLUM, Pa. (AP) — Three houses at the center of a recent explosion near Pittsburgh that killed six people will need to be torn down and 10 others are not currently inhabitable, county officials said over the weekend.The Aug. 12 blast in Plum leveled one home and engulfed two neighboring houses in flames. The 10 uninhabitable homes will need to be inspected by structural engineers for next steps, an Allegheny County spokesperson said.Investigators with the county fire marshal’s office are still trying to determine the origin and cause of the explosion in a development about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh. All of the victims were found on the property of the home that exploded, an Allegheny County spokesperson said. One victim was found outside of the garage area. Four others were located in the basement and the sixth was located and rescued from the rear yard. He was transported to a trauma center, where he died several days later.Natural gas from an abandoned under...