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Record-breaking wildfire season will continue to burn hot for months: officials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

OTTAWA — Natural Resources Canada says the country’s record-breaking wildfire season will continue to be abnormally intense throughout July and into August.The projections are based on anticipated high temperatures, dry conditions and historical comparisons. The risk is expected to shrink slightly in August, but it will remain high across the country.Canada surpassed the known historic record for total area burned by wildfires in one season on June 27, with months of hot weather still to come. Some 88,000 square kilometres have burned as of July 5 — nearly 11 times the average amount burned by that date over the past 10 years.More Canadians have been evacuated from their homes this year than in the last four decades, with more than 155,000 forced to leave due to fire and smoke. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Wimbledon is finally dry after 3 days of rain. Wawrinka wins and gets Djokovic next

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The courts are finally dry at Wimbledon and the sun is even shining through the clouds at times, giving organizers hope of fitting in a full day of tennis on Thursday for the first time at this year’s tournament.The first three days of action at the All England Club were affected by rain. Only eight matches were completed on Tuesday. Those matches were played on either Centre Court or No. 1 Court, the only stadiums on the grounds with roofs.Because of the all the disruption, there were a handful of first-round matches being played on Day 4. Normally, the first Thursday of the tournament would wrap up the second round.Among the winners was Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland. Wawrinka beat No. 29-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the third round.The 38-year-old Wawrinka, who won his major titles at the other three Grand Slam tournaments, will next face Novak Djokovic — the 23-time ...

Chicago man receives 15 years for child pornography possession

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

CHICAGO — A registered sex offender received 15 years in prison for child pornography possession.Jason Jeffries, 41, of Chicago, was arrested in Oct. 2022. He was on parole at the time for a 2017 child pornography conviction.Prior to his arrest, detectives received a tip from the Illinois Department of Corrections that Jeffries downloaded and stored several videos on a memory card that contained sexually explicit material involving children.Jeffries pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of child pornography with a prior conviction. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and will be required to service three years of supervised release.

5 things to know about Threads, Twitter's newest rival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Twitter has faced rival apps before, especially after Elon Musk's purchase of the social media platform last year. Now, it seems a new challenger is coming after Twitter, and it's already gaining traction. On Wednesday, Meta — the company behind Facebook and Instagram — launched Threads, a text-based version of Instagram. Within seven hours, 10 million people had signed up for Threads, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg even took to Twitter for the first time in 11 years, sharing a meme appearing to call out the similarities between Twitter and Threads.If you haven't tried Threads yet, or aren't sure what to do on the platform, here are 5 things to know. What is Threads?As mentioned above, Threads is a text-based app, like Twitter. Also like Twitter, you can share photos and videos on Threads — it is, of course, built by photo-and-video-based Instagram. Threads is intended to provide "real-time updates and public conversations," according to a post on Meta...

George Tickner, Journey co-founder and former guitarist, dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

(WGHP) – George Tickner, best known as a founding member and former rhythm guitarist of the rock band Journey, has died at age 76, according to original member Neal Schon."RIP George you now fly with the Angels," wrote Schon, the only original member in Journey's current lineup, in a Twitter post shared Wednesday.Members of Journey are seen at the band's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 2005. From left: Jonathan Cain, George Tickner, Steve Perry, Aynsley Dunbar, Neal Schon, Robert Fleischman, Ross Valory, Steve Augeri, Steve Smith and Deen Castronovo. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)Tickner, who played with Frumious Bandersnatch before co-founding Journey in 1973, wasn't with the band for long. After forming the group with lead guitarist Schon, bassist Ross Valory and keyboardist/vocalist Gregg Rolie, Tickner helped to write two songs for Journey's self-titled debut album and stayed with group through its recording before leaving to study medicine at Stanford University.While pursuing a c...

Texas lawmakers speak on property tax relief plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas state representatives spoke Thursday regarding a plan for property tax relief for all Texans.Rep. Ana-María Ramos joined Rep. John Bryant and other members of the Texas House to discuss the plan.“The agreement delivers significant property tax relief in a fair and equitable plan,” Ramos said in a release.A recap of the 9:30 a.m. news conference is available in the video player below. According to Ramos, Bryant’s plan:Increases the basic allotment by $1,000 and indexes it to inflation, resulting in a permanent increase in teacher salaries of $4,300 per year.Establishes a homestead exemption of the higher of $100,000 or 25% of their home's appraised value, up to a cap of $200,000.Extends tax relief to the 38% of Texas households who rent their homes with a cash rebate of up to 10% of the rent paid in the previous year.Implements a six-cent reduction of school maintenance and operation taxes. A balance between the House and Senate pr...

Volkswagen bringing self-driving vehicle tech to Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Car manufacturer Volkswagen announced Thursday it would roll out self-driving vehicle technology in the Texas capital later in July, per CNBC reporting.Approximately 10 of VW's ID Buzz electric vans will be deployed in Austin by the end of 2023, with the first two vans scheduled to begin testing before the end of the month. The vans utilize autonomous driving systems, developed in coordination with Mobileye. The ID Buzz vans are manufactured with lidar, radar and camera systems to assist the vehicle's self-driving mechanisms. VW officials told CNBC the vehicles will be "geofenced," or operable only in certain areas of Austin that have already been mapped out. During this early testing phase in Austin, all of the self-driving vehicles will feature human drivers on board to oversee the testing. RELATED: General Motors' Cruise to begin rolling out autonomous 'robotaxis' in Austin this spring “We selected Austin as the first U.S. hub, as the city has a track record fo...

Twins prepare for highest draft pick — No. 5 — since Royce Lewis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

It has been more than six months since the day in San Diego that the Twins found out that the ping-pong balls were on their side. An ecstatic Sean Johnson, the Twins’ vice president of amateur scouting, said at the time he had a weird feeling all week that the Twins were going to jump from No. 13 into the top six in the upcoming draft.They did one better.The Twins were the biggest beneficiary of Major League Baseball’s first draft lottery, moving up eight picks to No. 5 in what often has been described as a five-player draft.“We’re excited just to be here,” Johnson said then. “We were picking 13 a few months ago and now we’re up where we’re at. We’re going to try to do the best we can with that opportunity. “Work for the 2023 draft launched into hyperdrive this week as the Twins prepare for the event, which will start Sunday and run through Tuesday. The Twins have three picks in the top 50 (Nos. 5, 34, 49).During this week’s draft meetings, Johnson said, the Twins will dissect each ...

Cobleskill man charged with rape

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

COBLESKILL, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Cobleskill man has been arrested following a sexual assault investigation, according to state police. Robert Whitbeck Jr., 49, faces multiple charges. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On June 4, police received a report of several past occurring sexual assaults. The investigation yielded that Whitbeck Jr. allegedly physically and sexually assaulted a victim multiple times in the fall of 2022 while in Cobleskill and Schoharie. Continued investigation by police determined that Whitbeck Jr. had reportedly violated a full stay-away order of protection 14 times. The court order had been issued against him in December 2022 by the Schoharie County Family Court to protect the victim. Corinth man arrested in home burglary investigation Following the investigation, troopers arrested Whitbeck Jr. on July 1. He faces the following charges:ChargesFirst-degree rapeFirst-degree criminal sexual act2 counts...

Three in custody following attempted armed robbery in Fulton County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:34 GMT

BLEEKER, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police arrested three Gloversville suspects following an investigation into an alleged armed robbery on July 4. Two suspects, Tiffany M. Bleyl, 29, and Tyler J. Macklin, 31, were arrested on July 4. Joshua L. Litchfield, 33, was taken into custody on July 5 after fleeing from police on July 4. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! While responding to the report of an armed robbery at a residence in Bleeker, Troopers observed the vehicle that the victim reported traveling on County Highway 6 in Benson. Troopers conducted a traffic stop and identified the driver as Macklin. Two passengers were identified as Bleyl and Litchfield. Litchfield fled on foot into a nearby wooded area.Police investigations determined that Bleyl and Litchfield entered the reported residence. Litchfield displayed a weapon and demanded money from the victim. The two then fled in a vehicle driven by Macklin. SP: Man...