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Firefighters from France arrive to battle blazes as wildfire smoke lingers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

Firefighters from France arrived in Canada to help Quebec face a marathon wildfire season while most evacuation orders were lifted in Nova Scotia nearly two weeks after intense infernos caused thousands to flee their homes. Meanwhile, wildfire smoke that hung over Toronto for several days cleared Canada’s most populous city Friday, but the hazy skies persisted in other parts of Ontario and Quebec and blanketed much of the west as 420 wildfires continued to burn across the country. The arrival of firefighters from France and New Brunswick bolstered efforts in Quebec to fight 140 fires. “The sprint phase has ended and we’re now in the marathon phase,” said Maïté Blanchette Vézina, the province’s minister of forests and natural resources.There is expected to be about 1,200 people fighting fires in the province by Monday, including hundreds of firefighters from the United States, Portugal and Spain who were expected to arrive in the coming days. Quebec Prem...

Officer who raced to Parkland massacre scene testifies against deputy who stayed outside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — A police officer who rushed into a high school building during the 2018 Parkland shooting testified Friday that a sheriff’s deputy outside confirmed that the shooter was upstairs.The former Broward County deputy, Scot Peterson, is on trial for failing to confront the shooter who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. He has insisted since he spoke to investigators two days after the massacre that he couldn’t tell where the gunshots were coming from, and that he thought they may have been fired outside.On the third day of Peterson’s trial, Coral Springs officer Richard Best related what he says Peterson told him outside the classroom building, WPLG-TV reported. “I said, ‘Hey brother, what do we got?’” Best told the jury. “He said, ‘Gunshots second or third floor.’”Peterson, 60, could be sentenced to nearly a century in prison if convicted.“It is understood that the longer you wait, the more damage is being done,” Best said. “Every time yo...

Judge in FTX bankruptcy rejects media challenge, says customer names can remain secret

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The names of individual customers of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading can be permanently shielded from public disclosure, a Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Friday.Following a two-day hearing, Judge John Dorsey rejected arguments from lawyers for several media outlets and for the U.S. bankruptcy trustee, which serves as a government watchdog in Chapter 11 reorganization cases, challenging FTX’s request to keep the names of customers and creditors secret.Dorsey ruled that customer identities constitute a trade secret. He also said FTX customers need to be protected from bad actors who might target them by scouring the internet and the “dark web” for their personal information.“It’s the customers that are the most important issue here,” he said. “I want to make sure that they are protected and they don’t fall victim to any types of scams that might be happening out there.”Katie Townsend, an attorney for the media outlets, had argued that the press ...

Commission to revise plan to provide noise relief to residents near O'Hare International Airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The FAA is planning to revisit a plan to address the noise from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.From January to March, the Chicago Department of Aviation received more than 9,000 complaints from residents who live near the airport. Over $600K worth of counterfeit watches, socks, sunglasses seized at O’Hare People who live along Hillside Drive in Bensenville said the noise of the planes is something they experience dozens of times a day and during the night."We can't sleep, can't go outside, the vortex is terrible, the planes are terrible," Leonarda Gonzalez, who has lived in the area for 39 years, said.In addition to the nose, the trailing wind vortices that follow the planes are sometimes strong enough to damage homes."The vortex winds tore off my roof and part of the overhang on the front," Mark Keane said. "So I had to spend $11,000 and put 130 mph shingles on my roof so it wouldn't happen." United plans to hire 15,000, adding to surge in airline jobs These r...

What's ahead in Chicago sports this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

CHICAGO — The second weekend in June features a split of teams that are home and away, as south side baseball fans and local soccer fans have options in Chicago. Meanwhile, the north siders along with the WNBA team in town are hitting the road out west for a few games from Friday through Sunday. The Cubs are facing the Giants in San Francisco as they hope to have a better finish to the road trip after a tough series in Anaheim, where they were swept by the Angels in three games. They'll face the Giants for a trio of contests starting Saturday.After taking 2-of-3 from the Yankees in New York, the White Sox make a quick stop home to for an interleague series against the Marlins starting Friday. With three contests against Miami, they can try to creep closer to first place in the AL Central Division, where they sit just 3 1/2 games out of first place. Off to a 5-3 start, the Chicago Sky are on the west coast for a pair of games, facing the Sparks in Los Angeles to start on Friday. Then...

Second woman accuses country star Jimmie Allen of sexual assault

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A second woman has accused country star Jimmie Allen of sexual assault.The woman, identified only as "Jane Doe 2," filed a federal lawsuit Friday.The lawsuit claims that in early May 2022, she met Allen on a plane to Nashville. While she did not know who Allen was, Allen's bodyguard allegedly followed her to the airport and told her that Allen wanted her phone number.While in Nashville, Allen took the victim and her friends for a night out on the town and then told the women he was leaving to tour but would keep in touch, the lawsuit says.Over the next several months, the woman and Allen allegedly spoke via FaceTime and text message several times per day. It was during this time Allen allegedly led her to believe he was currently separated from his wife, loved her, and wanted to marry and have children with her, believing she would also be a good stepmother for his children, according to the lawsuit.After months of talking long-distance, the alleged victim ...

APD searching for driver in east Austin hit-and-run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said detectives were searching for a driver suspected of a hit-and-run crash in east Austin earlier this week.APD said officers responded to the crash June 4 at approximately 5:45 p.m. at the intersection of E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Harvey Street.According to police, a preliminary investigation revealed the driver of a pickup truck hit and forced a driver of an SUV onto the sidewalk. The crash then caused the SUV driver to hit a residential fence and telephone pole.APD said the driver of the SUV did not have any life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash; however, the driver of the pickup left the scene without attempting to render aid or call 9-1-1.Austin Police described the suspect vehicle as a dark-colored, newer model Dodge Ram pickup truck with black-colored rims. APD said the vehicle was possibly green and could have damage on the front passenger side.Anyone with information about the driver or vehicle was as...

Jury gives Cedric Marks death sentence for killing Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

BELTON, Texas (FOX 44) - UPDATE: The jury has given Cedric Marks the death sentence for killing Jenna Scott and Michael Swearingin. The jury made the decision after only a few hours of deliberation.As the fifth day of testimony in the punishment phase of the Cedric Marks Capital Murder Trial got underway, Marks’ sister, Darlena Marks Simmons testified in the morning. Darlena said she’s voluntarily testifying because she loves her baby brother. Darlena described Marks as protective, having a calm demeanor, and being a great father.Marks-Simmons said this is the most heartbreaking thing for their family and she was in shock. Marks-Simmons said she doesn’t want Cedric to be a political pawn and doesn’t believe in the death penalty. Darlena recommended life without parole and said whoever did this should be held accountable.The prosecution brought forth two officers who had arrested Marks as rebuttal witnesses, testifying regarding his prior bad acts before resting its case.Closing argu...

In finally competitive Stanley Cup Final, Vegas may still have edge on Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

By STEPHEN WHYNO (AP Hockey Writer)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The sour taste in the aftermath of their Stanley Cup Final Game 3 loss is gone for the Vegas Golden Knights, who quickly moved on to enjoying the nearby ocean breeze.They’re breathing easily up 2-1 on the Florida Panthers in the series, knowing fully they’ve been the better team so far. Taking a day away off the ice and away from the rink — but not too far away from hockey on this big a stage — the Golden Knights are calm, cool and confident going into Game 4 Saturday night with another chance to move toward hoisting the Cup.“We’re not going to change a lot. We don’t need to,” coach Bruce Cassidy said from his team’s beachfront hotel Friday morning. “We’re not going to beat ourselves up over (Game 3). We’re going to do what we’ve always done. We’re going to work to get better and keep growing our game and hopefully be better.”...

Judge rejects lawsuit over property tax, TABOR measure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:58:52 GMT

A multi-faceted proposal to increase Colorado’s cap on tax collection and reduce property owner’s tax burden is clear enough for the ballot this November, a Denver District Court judge wrote Friday.The legislature, with Gov. Jared Polis’ backing, passed the referred measure, known as Proposition HH, this spring. Voters will need to approve the proposition this November for it to become law. If passed, the measure would alter the formula used to establish how much property tax is owed by owners — potentially reducing their burden by hundreds of dollars a year, according to advocates’ projections.The measure would also change the formula set in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, that’s used to establish how much tax money the state can keep for about the next decade. It would also flatten the refund mechanism for overcollections for the next year. A flatter refund mechanism means lower-income Coloradans will receive a bigger refund, whil...