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Los Angeles freeway closed after fire will reopen next Tuesday, ahead of schedule, governor says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Repairs to an elevated Los Angeles freeway closed because of an arson fire are moving faster than expected and lanes are scheduled to reopen next Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. Earlier this week officials said it could take crews between three and five weeks to shore up the mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown after the blaze last Saturday burned about 100 support columns. “The bridge structure itself seems to be in better shape” than previously thought, Newsom said during an evening news conference. “One thing we can guarantee you is we will be open five lanes in both directions at the latest Tuesday of next week.”Officials said the arson investigation was ongoing. “This is a good day in Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.The fire that spread quickly over 8 acres (3 hectares) was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway in an industrial neighborhood. ...

Alaska National Guard performs medical mission in midst of delivering Santa, gifts to rural village

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Santa Claus’ sleigh took on new responsibilities in rural Alaska this week when delivering gifts to an Alaska Native village.Santa’s ride, an Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, was shuttling Santa, Mrs. Claus, volunteer elves and gifts in shifts Wednesday to provide the children of Tuluksak some Christmas cheer. The flights originated about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest, from the hub community of Bethel, the guard said in a release.However, after the first trip to Tuluksak, the helicopter crew got an urgent call seeking help for a medical evacuation in the nearby village of Napaskiak, located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Bethel on the other side of the Kuskokwim River.The river in the winter serves as an ice road, but there was only enough ice at this time of the year to prevent boats from operating. The ice wasn’t thick enough to support vehicles, and bad weather prevented small planes from landing at...

Prospect Palmegiani on Blue Jays radar thanks to ‘Davis Schneider-mould’ approach

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

Damiano Palmegiani began the 2023 season representing Canada at the World Baseball Classic and finished it by helping the Surprise Saguaros win the Arizona Fall League championship.In between, the 23-year-old third baseman born in Venezuela and raised in Surrey, B.C., hit 23 homers with 33 doubles and 73 walks over 128 games, mostly at double-A New Hampshire before a 20-game touch at triple-A Buffalo.Along the way, he established himself as a potential option for the Toronto Blue Jays as soon as next year.“This is all stuff you dream about in your head on how it’s going to go and what you want to happen and how you want to do in these situations,” Palmegiani says during a recent interview in Glendale, Ariz. “Being able to put myself in these positions and perform through them and enjoy the moment at the same time, I think I’m just proud of how all these steps have come one after the other.”That they have, as the 14th-round pick in 2021 batted .239/.342/.473 between low-A...

China’s Xi is courting Indo-Pacific leaders in a flurry of talks at a summit in San Francisco

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, fresh off his meeting with President Joe Biden, courted Indo-Pacific leaders in a flurry of meetings Thursday at a time of intensifying competition with the United States.Xi held individual talks with the leaders of Mexico, Peru and Fiji, and he planned a later session with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all on the sidelines of a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation economies. In a meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Xi said the two countries should strengthen economic and trade cooperation and pledged China’s support for Peru as host of next year’s summit of APEC leaders.In particular, Xi said, China will be willing to import more “premium” agricultural products from the South American country and will encourage Chinese businesses to participate in major projects in Peru.Earlier, Xi held talks with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, praising the Mexican president for his leadership and reform efforts and pledgin...

California scientists seek higher pay in 3-day strike drawing thousands of picketers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — More than 1,000 state scientists in California took to the picket line Thursday on day two of a three-day strike, calling for higher wages for work they say often goes unrecognized in a state that sets environmental policy trends on the national and global stage.The California Association of Professional Scientists, a union representing about 5,200 scientists across more than 50 state departments, decided to strike after three years of stalled contract negotiations, said President Jacqueline Tkac. The push for a better contract began when state scientists were furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic.“We’re not here to settle for anything less than the fair pay and respect that we deserve,” Tkac said. “We hope that the state can recognize the opportunity that we have in front of us.”The strike comes during a big year for labor, one in which health care professionals, Hollywood actors and writers, and auto workers picketed for better pay and working con...

Backpage founder convicted of 1 count of money laundering. Arizona jury deadlocks on 84 other counts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Michael Lacey, a founder of the lucrative classified site Backpage.com, was convicted Thursday on a single count of money laundering and acquitted on another. But an Arizona jury deadlocked on 84 other counts against him in a case that alleged he participated in a scheme to sell sex ads, leading the judge to declare a mistrial.U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa in Phoenix declared the mistrial after jurors deliberated for six days. It marked the second time a mistrial has been declared in the case against the site’s co-founder. Lacey’s first trial in 2021 ended in a mistrial when another judge concluded prosecutors had too many references to child sex trafficking in a case where no one faced such a charge. Lacey declined comment as he walked out of a Phoenix courtroom. Lacey, 75, was tried on a total of 86 criminal counts in the case against him and four other Backpage employees.Chief Financial Officer John Brunst was convicted of one count of conspiracy to viol...

IBM pulls ads from X, citing 'zero tolerance for hate speech'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

(The Hill) — IBM confirmed to The Hill it is pulling advertisements from X, the platform formerly known as Twitter Thursday, citing “'zero tolerance for hate speech." “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation,” IBM told the Financial Times.Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, faced backlash Wednesday for appearing to agree with an antisemitic post on the platform, replying it was the “absolute truth.” The post that Musk replied to was a response to another post by a user raising an issue with increasing antisemitism. Trump claims New York fraud trial imploded with Cohen’s testimony “To the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and posting ‘Hitler was right’: You got something you want to say?” the initial user, who identified themselves as a “Jewish Conservative” in their bio, wrote. “Why dont you say it to our faces.”In response, anothe...

Santos won't seek reelection after Ethics Committee report reveals 'substantial evidence of wrongdoing'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The House Ethics Committee has publicly condemned Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) after its investigation found substantial evidence of wrongdoing."He is a serial liar, a serial fraud and does not deserve to be representing anyone in Congress," Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) said.The report said Santos used his candidacy for his own personal profit. Ryan said this report is enough to remove Santos from office."George Santos needs to be immediately expelled," Ryan said. "He should not be able to serve another day, another hour in Congress."According to the report, Santos used tens of thousands of his campaign dollars to pay off personal credit card bills and debt, as well as buy luxury goods, subscriptions to an adult website, and Botox. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) said it's time for Santos to go."The people of America deserve better and we're going to make sure he's held accountable," Nunn said.Santos called the report a disgusting politicized smear and said he has no plans to...

Check your cash: 'Fancy' serial numbers worth big bucks

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

JOPLIN, Mo. (KSNF) — That $1, $5, or $10 bill in your wallet might be worth way more than its face value. Knowing what your paper money might be worth is all in the serial number. Serial numbers are eight digits long and are unique to each bill. They are paired with other identifying letters and numbers that identify the series year the bill is from and where it was printed. Serial numbers are found on the front of U.S. currency and are always printed twice.One of the most valuable serial number variations is known as a “ladder," and could be worth anywhere from $9 to $100,000, according to financial news outlet The Penny Hoarder. When the serial number ascends (example: 12345678) or descends (example: 8765431) in order, currency collectors/dealers call it a ladder.Eric Gerner, owner of Gold and Silver of Joplin, LLC., said the worth of a modern bill depends on its serial number and how unusual it is. Gerner said currency collectors look for several different typ...

AFD demonstrates how not to fry a Thanksgiving turkey

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:36:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the Austin Fire Department, with help from H-E-B, demonstrated how not to fry a turkey.AFD said the demonstration was in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday.According to the department, Texas ranks No.1 for the most grease and cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day.AFD said some common mistakes people make while frying a turkey included:Too much oil in the fryer potDropping a frozen or partially thawed turkey into oilFryer is too close to structuresOil and ice do not mixUnattended cookingAccording to AFD, the National Fire Protection Association said deep fryers cause an average of five deaths, 60 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage each year.