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Spanish election: Sánchez holds off right surge

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

MADRID — Incumbent Pedro Sánchez is poised to remain the Spanish prime minister as a result of Sunday’s inconclusive national election in which the center-right Popular Party won the most votes but was left with no clear path to form a government.As expected, none of Spain’s major parties secured a governing majority. With 99 percent of the votes tallied, the Popular Party had 136 seats, the Socialists 122, the far-right Vox 33, and the left-wing Sumar 31.Prior to the vote, conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo indicated that he would be willing to form a coalition government with Vox, but both parties fell short of the 176 seats needed to control the Spanish parliament.There is no scenario in which Spanish MPs would back a minority government composed of the Popular Party and Vox, and Feijóo does not appear to have enough support among the country’s smaller, regional parties to cobble together the backing he would need for minority rule on his own.The outcome o...

Woman found dead after grizzly bear encounter near Yellowstone National Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Montana (AP) — A woman was found dead in Montana on Saturday after coming into contact with a grizzly bear on a trail west of Yellowstone National Park.The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement on Sunday that the woman was found deceased on a trail near West Yellowstone, a Montana town nestled in the Custer Gallatin National Forest just west of Yellowstone National Park.They said the woman was found deceased “following an apparent bear encounter” based on what investigators determined were grizzly bear tracks at the scene. The department said the investigation into the grizzly attack was ongoing.Rangers issued an emergency closure of the area where the woman was found, which is popular with hikers.Though the department’s statement said the death appeared to have followed the woman’s interaction with the bear, it did not confirm her cause of death.The attack comes amid a rise in Montana’s grizzly bear population and an ...

Authorities suspend search for missing Maine lobsterman who just graduated from high school

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

STEUBEN, Maine (AP) — Authorities have suspended the search for a missing 18-year-old Down East Maine lobsterman whose unoccupied boat was found adrift.The Coast Guard said in a tweet Sunday afternoon that the search for Tylar Michaud, of Steuben, which involved vessels and aircraft, was suspended after 40 hours “pending further developments.”Michaud was reported missing at 5 p.m. Friday when he did not return from a day of hauling and setting his traps near Petit Manan Point, the state Department of Marine Resources said in a statement. Petit Manan Point is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Mount Desert Island.His boat, Top Gun, was found at Friday by a local fisherman.The Maine Army National Guard, the Maine Forest Service and many good Samaritan boat operators and community members have helped with the search.The search was hampered Saturday by fog that limited visibility, the Marine Patrol said.Michaud was a 2023 graduate of Sumner Memorial High School, according to a...

NAACP National Convention to return to Boston after 40 years

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

For the first time in over 40 year, the national NAACP convention is returning to Boston — and finding a changed and evolving city, leaders said.“The last time the convention was in Boston was 1982, and as a — I count the generations — fourth generation Bostonian I can truly say, we are not the Boston of the 1980s,” said NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan said on a CBS Boston segment aired Sunday. “Thank goodness, we have made some progress, especially when it comes to race relations in the city. But we still have a lot of work to do.”The 114th NAACP National Convention is scheduled to be held from July 28 to Aug. 1 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, overlapping with the organization’s ACT-SO youth competition from July 26 to July 29.This convention is an opportunity for Boston to “reintroduce ourselves,” Sullivan said.“We have to be honest about our reception nationally, and locally sometimes...

Lawmakers call for $60M to help rural schools ‘survive’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

Rural schools have long been cripplingly underfunded, lawmakers, rural educators and students testified last week, calling for a massive influx of funding to address the issue.“We found that many rural schools do not benefit from education with the same level of resources and breadth of opportunities as their peers in the rest of the state,” said Lisa Battaglino, a Dean at Bridgewater State University and member of the state’s Commission on the Fiscal Health of Rural School Districts. “In other words, the rural schools and the children in the rural schools are getting less than what they need and deserve.”Legislators, education organization representatives and others gathered virtually for a legislative briefing on rural and declining enrollment schools.Attendees discussed the currently proposed “Act to provide a sustainable future for rural schools,” filed as House Bill 3567 by Rep. Natalie Blais and Senate Bill 2388 by Sen. Joanne Comerfor...

3 officers hurt in La Jolla beach cart rollover crash

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Three San Diego police officers were injured Sunday in a crash when their law enforcement beach cart rolled over in the La Jolla area, authorities said.The collision occurred along the beach about a half-a-mile north from the La Jolla Shores Scripps Pier, the San Diego Police Department confirmed to FOX 5.The three officers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to police. Jockey ‘under further evaluation’ after horse race fall in Del Mar Authorities did not release any other information about the incident.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Jockey hurt in horse race fall in Del Mar

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

DEL MAR, Calif. -- A jockey was injured in a fall Sunday when his horse fell during a race at Del Mar Racetrack, officials said.The incident occurred in Race 4 when #5 Get the Gold horse fell, was immediately caught by the gate crew and walked off the track under his own power, Del Mar Racetrack tweeted at 4:01 p.m. Empanadas eatery serving artisanal Argentinian pastries opens in North County However, the horse's jockey, Abel Cedillo, was taken by ambulance to a hospital after complaining of neck pain. He is undergoing X-rays on his neck, race officials confirmed.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Small earthquake shakes Arizona town; no immediate reports of any injuries or damage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) — A 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook a northern Arizona town Sunday afternoon but there was no immediate word on any injuries or damage, according to authorities.The United States Geological Survey said the small quake struck near Chino Valley, just north of Prescott, around 2 p.m.The Yavapai County Office of Emergency Management said that it received reports of shaking and tremors in Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley.Records show that since 1850, Arizona has had more than 20 earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.0 or higher.The USGS reports that the largest earthquake on record in Arizona measured a 5.6 magnitude in July 1959.The Associated Press

Discovery of a woman’s body in Mississauga being investigated as a homicide

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

Peel police say the death of a woman last week in Mississauga is being investigated as a homicide. Police say they were called to an apartment building at 28 Helene Street North at around 12:15 p.m. on July 20 for a wellness check of a female resident.When they arrived they found the body of 21-year-old Pitch Phaunpa. Following an investigation, her death has been deemed a homicide and police believe she was killed sometime between July 17 and 18. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Minneapolis backs off arrests for psychedelic plant use

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:56:59 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize buying psychedelic plants or using them in private.Mayor Jacob Frey on Friday ordered police to stop using taxpayer dollars to enforce most laws against hallucinogenic plants. Minneapolis still prioritizes enforcing laws against selling psychedelic plants, bringing them to schools or using them while driving.Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara in a statement said he stands by the mayor’s decision. Announcing the order, Frey cited the potential for hallucinogenic plants to treat mental illnesses including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.“Experts are telling us that these plants help people, and that’s the business we should be in – helping people,” Frey said in a statement. “With a rise in deaths of despair in our city, and in our society, the data is showing that these plants can help be a remedy.”Some researchers believe psilocybin, the compound in psychedelic mushrooms, change...