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Officials say fires at Lynn Woods Reservation were intentionally set, seek public’s help as investigation continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

A series of fires that burned roughly 400 acres of the Lynn Woods Reservation in recent days were intentionally set, state and local officials announced Wednesday. In a statement shared by the state Department of Fire Services, officials said at least eight fires had broken out since Friday of last week. After days in the woods battling flames, officials said they’re seeking the public’s help, asking anyone with information on the fires to reach out. “Any fire can present a hazard, but we saw rapid fire growth threatening numerous homes in our community as a result of these fires,” said Lynn Fire Chief Daniel Sullivan. “Firefighters from Lynn and our mutual aid partners worked extraordinarily hard to bring them under control, and we’re extremely fortunate that we had no serious injuries or property damage.”Dry conditions, low humidity and recent warm weather have made conditions ripe for fires, according to experts, also prompting multiple red flag warnings from the N...

Montana becomes 1st state to ban TikTok

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app.The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has said it will fight for Montana residents to be able to use the app.Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on American citizens&n...

Maryland board approves $450 million in improvements to Ravens’ stadium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

Planned improvements to M&T Bank Stadium cleared a formal hurdle Wednesday as a state board approved the Maryland Stadium Authority’s request to issue $450 million in bonds to fund the project. The upgrades should be complete by 2025 or 2026.“It really does underscore the very strong partnership that the state of Maryland has and will continue to have with the Ravens,” Gov. Wes Moore said. “Hopefully, it also means hoisting up a championship in the stadium pretty soon.”Last year, the General Assembly passed a law permitting the stadium authority — which owns M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards — to borrow up to $1.2 billion to improve the two venues ($600 million each), provided the teams signed long-term leases. The bonds will be paid back later with lottery funds.The Ravens are able to access the public money because the team signed a lease earlier this year, extending its formal commitment to Maryland by 10 seasons. T...

Montana becomes 1st state to enact ban on TikTok; law likely to be challenged

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

By AMY BETH HANSON and HALELUYA HADERO (Associated Press)HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana became the first state in the U.S. to enact a complete ban on TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app, which is owned by a Chinese tech company. The measure, which is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned. “Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter argued that the law infringes on people’s First Amendment rights and is unlawful. She declined to say whether the company will file a lawsuit.&#...

Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen kills bird with warm-up toss, draws comparisons to Randy Johnson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen killed a bird with a curveball while warming up before a game Wednesday.Gallen, 27, was tossing in the outfield of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before a game against the Oakland A’s when the bird flew into the ball’s path.The bird appeared to die on impact, while the ball skipped away from its intended target.The collision immediately drew comparisons to Hall of Famer and former Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson. During a 2001 spring training game, Johnson vaporized a bird with a fastball.Johnson went on to win the National League Cy Young Award that year, his third of four consecutive crowns as the league’s best pitcher. The Diamondbacks also won the World Series at the end of the season.Though Gallen doesn’t quite have Johnson’s pedigree, he did finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting last year and entered Wednesday leading the National League in wins and strikeout-to-walk ratio.Gallen did not pitch ...

‘Taco Tuesday’ trademark tiff flares anew  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Declaring a mission to liberate “Taco Tuesday” for all, Taco Bell is asking U.S. regulators to force Wyoming-based Taco John’s to abandon its longstanding claim to the trademark.Too many businesses and others refer to “Taco Tuesday” for Taco John’s to be able to have exclusive rights to the phrase, Taco Bell asserts in a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filing that is, of course, dated Tuesday.It’s the latest development in a long-running beef over “Taco Tuesday” that even included NBA star LeBron James making an unsuccessful attempt to claim the trademark in 2019.“Taco Bell believes ‘Taco Tuesday’ is critical to everyone’s Tuesday. To deprive anyone of saying ‘Taco Tuesday’ — be it Taco Bell or anyone who provides tacos to the world — is like depriving the world of sunshine itself,” the Taco Bell filing reads.A key question is whether “Taco Tuesday” over the ...

Yankees pitcher Germán suspended 10 games by MLB for using foreign substance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán was suspended for 10 games Wednesday by Major League Baseball and fined for violating the sport’s prohibition of foreign substances on the mound.The penalty was announced following Germán’s ejection in the fourth inning Tuesday night at Toronto for what an umpire said was “the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt.”“My fingers had a hard time coming off his palm,” crew chief James Hoye explained after the game.The punishment was imposed by Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations. Germán did not appeal, and his penalty began with Wednesday night’s game in Toronto. Germán had retired his first nine batters Tuesday night. He denied Hoye’s assertion, saying he didn’t have anything on his hand other than rosin.“It was definitely just the rosin bag,” Germán said through a translator. “It was sweat and the rosin bag. I don’t need any extra help to grab the baseball.”Germán’s ejection was the fourth since ...

US judge in Texas dismisses charges against Swiss banker allegedly tied to Venezuela bribery scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in Houston has dismissed criminal charges against a Swiss banker accused of helping stash millions in bribes paid to senior Venezuelan oil officials over long delays in bringing the case to trial.Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled Wednesday that unjustified trial delays violated Paulo Murta’s constitutional right to a speedy trial within 70 days of being charged.Murta was indicted in 2019 on money laundering charges as part of a sprawling multi-year investigation into corruption at Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA. He was extradited to the United States by his native Portugal after a lengthy legal fight and spent nine months in pre-trial detention before being released last year on $75,000 bond.Prosecutors asked Hoyt to stay his order for at least seven days while they file an appeal with the 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals, which oversees federal proceedings in Houston.“Murta is charged for his role in a sprawling foreign bribery and money laundering schem...

‘Embarrassed’: Alberta UCP candidate sorry for comparing transgender kids to feces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

EDMONTON — A United Conservative Party candidate who compared transgender children in schools to having feces in food says she is sorry, plans to learn from it and is staying on to run in the May 29 Alberta election.“I apologize for the way I discussed these issues in September of 2022,” Jennifer Johnson said in a statement Wednesday. “I have nothing but love and compassion for everyone equally and am embarrassed that I have caused hurt in this way.”Johnson added that she is concerned about potentially life-altering medical procedures for children.“This is an extremely sensitive topic for so many and I need to do a much better job communicating my concerns and objectives in a manner that is respectful to teachers, parents and those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.“If elected as an MLA, I will seek advice and counsel on how to best communicate my views and discuss these issues meaningfully moving forward.”Johnson is running to enter the legislature for the first time as a can...

Parents hope to keep Tennessee school shooter’s ‘dangerous and harmful’ writings secret

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:28 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennessee parents whose children attend The Covenant School, where a deadly shooting in March took the lives of three 9-year-olds and three adults, filed a motion Wednesday seeking to keep the shooter’s writings from being released to the public.“The Parents see no good that can come from the release and wish to contend that the writings — which they believe are the dangerous and harmful writings of a mentally-damaged person — should not be released at all,” their filling reads.Their motion comes just days after more than 60 Tennessee House Republicans called for the writings to be released. In a Monday letter to Nashville Police Chief John Drake, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison said the timely release of the records is “critical to understanding the shooter’s behavior and motives” before lawmakers convene for a special session where they are expected to consider a proposal to remove firearms from people judged dangerous ...