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Hurricane Idalia is gaining power; possible catastrophic storm surge on Florida’s Gulf coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

Hurricane Idalia is gaining strength over the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico ahead of a projected landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a major Category 3 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The result could be catastrophic storm surge.Idalia, which became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday, was 120 miles west of the Dry Tortugas and 275 miles south-southwest of Tampa as of 11 a.m., traveling north at 14 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Life-threatening storm surge and winds are “becoming increasingly likely” for parts of Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. Evacuation orders and school closures were already in effect along the Gulf Coast.If the hurricane arrives during high tide, storm surge could reach 8-12 feet in some areas, DeSantis said.“If you’re there in that storm surge, you’re putting your life in jeopardy,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. “Please heed those orders. You don’t have to leave the state. You don’t have to go h...

Kim says North Korea must be ready against US-led invasion plots, while US, allies start new drills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the military to be constantly ready for combat to thwart its rivals’ plots to invade, state media said Tuesday, as the U.S., South Korea and Japan held a trilateral naval exercise to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats. The U.S. and South Korean militaries have been separately holding summer bilateral exercises since last week. North Korea views such U.S.-involved training as an invasion rehearsal, though Washington and its partners maintain their drills are defensive. Kim said in a speech marking the country’s Navy Day on Monday that the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been made unstable “with the danger of a nuclear war” because of U.S.-led hostilities, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.He accused the U.S. of conducting “more frantic” naval drills with its allies and deploying strategic assets in waters around the Korean Peninsula. Kim also cited a recent U.S.-South Korean-Jap...

No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise is diagnosed with blood cancer and undergoing treatment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2-ranking House Republican, said Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma and is undergoing treatment.Scalise, 57, said he will continue to serve in the House. He described the cancer as “very treatable” and said it was detected early. The Louisiana Republican was among several people wounded in 2017 when a rifle-wielding attacker fired on lawmakers on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington. Scalise was shot in the hip and endured lengthy hospitalizations, multiple surgeries and painful rehabilitation. The cancer diagnosis came, Scalise said, after he had not been feeling like himself in the past week. Blood tests showed some irregularities and after additional screening, he said he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.“I have now begun treatment, which will continue for the next several months,” Scalise said in a statement. “I expect to work through this period and in...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises following updates on consumer confidence, job openings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Tuesday as two economic reports suggested the economy is cooling enough for the Federal Reserve to pause hiking interest rates.The S&P 500 rose 0.9%, adding to the weeks’ early gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 135 points, or 0.4%, to 34,696 as of 11:29 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq rose 1.4%.The Conference Board, a business research group, reported that consumer confidence tumbled in August, surprising economists that were expecting levels to hold steady around the strong July reading. Consumer confidence and spending have been closely-watched amid persistent pressure from inflation.Also on Tuesday, the government reported that job openings fell more than expected by economists. The report also showed that the number of Americans quitting their jobs fell sharply for the second straight month, clear signs that the labor market is cooling in a way that could reduce inflation.A strong job market has been credited as a bulwark ...

A village in Maine is again delaying a plan to build the world’s tallest flagpole

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — Plans to build the world’s tallest flagpole are being delayed — again.The tiny town of Columbia Falls in Maine is extending its moratorium on big developments for another six months following a proposal for a flagpole taller than the Empire State Building, with an observation deck and a flag larger than a football field. The planned tourist attraction would also have an auditorium, living history museums and a monument.Town officials said they lacked rules and regulations for such a large project.The town of 485 residents began grappling with zoning regulations after Morrill Worcester proposed a structure stretching skyward some 1,461 feet (445 meters). Worcester’s family operates a wreath-making company and founded the Wreaths Across America organization, which provides holiday wreaths for military cemeteries.Columbia Falls residents voted to adopt a six-month moratorium in March to give local officials time to draft regulations. The three-member ...

London, Ont. man recorded couple in Airbnb bathroom: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

A London, Ont. man is facing a voyeurism charge after a couple inside an Airbnb rental discovered a hidden camera in the bathroom.The London Police Service (LPS) said a couple were inside an Airbnb on Blackacres Boulevard on July 15 when they located a hidden camera. Investigators were contacted, and authorities began looking into the allegations.On July 28, LPS Street Crime Unit members executed a search warrant and located video evidence of voyeurism.Police said two unidentified victims were captured in the video evidence obtained.On Monday, authorities arrested 41-year-old Abinash Samal of London, Ont. He’s been charged with one count of voyeurism.The accused will appear in a London, Ont. court on October 5.

Tech and base metal stocks help S&P/TSX composite gain more than 150 points

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

TORONTO — Gains in the technology and base metal sectors helped lead a broad-based rally as Canada’s main stock index rose more than 150 points, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher in late-morning trading.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 166.06 points at 20,191.20.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 127.15 points at 34,687.13. The S&P 500 index was up 40.43 points at 4,473.74, while the Nasdaq composite was up 192.56 points at 13,897.69.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.59 cents US compared with 73.55 cents US on Monday.The October crude contract was up 33 cents at US$80.43 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down less than a penny at US$2.66 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$14.90 at US$1,961.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$3.83 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Preliminary hearing in Jackson Mahomes’ felony case delayed because judge has COVID-19

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The preliminary hearing in the felony case for Jackson Mahomes, the brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been pushed back nearly a month because the judge has COVID-19.Jackson Mahomes was charged in May with three felony counts of aggravated sexual battery and one misdemeanor count of battery. He is accused of forcibly kissing a woman Feb. 25 in the office of an Overland Park, Kansas, restaurant that she owned at the time.The hearing was initially scheduled for Thursday. Johnson County District Court Judge Thomas Sutherland said during a scheduling conference over Zoom on Monday that he has COVID-19 and couldn’t be sure he would be well enough by Thursday, the Kansas City Star reported. The hearing was postponed until Oct. 24.At the preliminary hearing, the prosecution is expected to outline its case and the judge will likely hear testimony from witnesses. Jackson Mahomes pleaded not guilty to the charges and is free on $100,000 bo...

Northeast B.C. swelters as Shuswap region hopes for rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

Large portions of northeastern British Columbia continue to swelter a day after some areas hit daily record temperatures. Environment Canada says temperatures will again push near or past 30 C in parts of the Peace River Regional District and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.The heat warning is expected to be in place until this evening.Historic records for daily high temperatures for Aug. 28 were broken Monday in Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson.Fort Nelson reached 33.9 C, almost six degrees higher than the previous record for that day recorded in 1986.The BC Wildfire Service has cautioned that warm, dry conditions in northern parts of the province have led to increased fire activity in the region, with the Fort Nelson First Nation putting two reserves on alert. Meanwhile, crews battling a destructive wildfire in the Shuswap region are hoping for help from rain that could begin falling in the area Tuesday night.Mike McCulley, an information officer with the BC ...

Suncor’s revised focus on oil production proof of need for emissions cap: Guilbeault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says he is more convinced than ever of the need to regulate emissions in the oil and gas industry, following a prominent CEO’s comments about refocusing his company on oil production.Suncor CEO Rich Kruger told investors in a conference call on Aug. 15 that the company had a “disproportionate” focus on the longer-term energy transition to low-emitting and renewable fuels. He promised a “revised direction and tone” focused more on the immediate financial opportunities in the oilsands.Guilbeault says the comments were extremely disappointing in the middle of a summer when global temperatures hit record highs and climate change is exacerbating wildfires across Canada.He also says they have furthered his resolve to introduce a cap on greenhouse-gas emissions from the oil and gas industry in a bid to force companies to ratchet down their carbon footprint.The draft regulations that will identify where the cap wi...