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‘Persistent’ bears force 160 firefighters to pull out of B.C. Interior camp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

GOLD BRIDGE, B.C. — About 160 firefighters battling a blaze in British Columbia’s Interior have pulled out of their camp after they were subjected to what the BC Wildfire Service calls “persistent bear activity.”The service says the bears threatened the safety of personnel “within and around” the camp near Gold Bridge, about 100 kilometres west of Lillooet, B.C., prompting the decision to move everyone Wednesday evening.Nic Kokolski, an information officer with the service, says the animals had been moving around tents and other camp infrastructure.Kokolski says no one has been injured and no animals have been harmed, but conservation authorities felt it would be safest if the firefighters left the area.A social media post by the wildfire service says its personnel are being hosted at T’it’q’et First Nation and Lillooet municipal facilities for the time being.It says conservation officers have been “assessing and advising” ...

Hong Kong and parts of southern China grind to near standstill as Super Typhoon Saola edges closer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Most of Hong Kong and some other areas in southern China ground to a near standstill Friday with classes and flights canceled as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer to the region. The typhoon could make a landfall in parts of southern China and many workers were forced to stay at home. Pupils in various cities had the start of their school year postponed to next week. Hong Kong’s stock market trading was suspended and nearly 200 outbound flights for Friday were canceled in the key center for regional business and travel.China Railway Guangzhou Group said nearly 4,000 trains were suspended between Thursday and Sunday, state media CCTV earlier reported. The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, early Friday. Its forecast said Saola — with maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour — would be “rather close” to the financial hub on Friday and Saturday morning, skirting withi...

Belarus journalist jailed for ‘facilitating extremism’ after collecting data for human rights group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A court in Belarus has sentenced a high-profile journalist to 3 1/2 years for “facilitating extremist activities” and “discrediting Belarus” after she provided data for a renowned human rights group, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said Thursday.Larysa Shchyrakova — sentenced during a closed trial in the city of Gomel — will serve her sentence in a high-security penal colony and must pay a fine of 3,500 Belarusian rubles (about $1,100).Belarusian authorities detained Shchyrakova in December 2022. Officials initially placed her son in a state orphanage before transferring custody to her ex-husband.Shchyrakova, 50, is the latest in a string of journalists jailed in Belarus after covering the large-scale political repression that has rocked the country since its last presidential elections three years ago.Large-scale protests erupted in Belarus in August 2020, when President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in a vote that both the opposition a...

Texas authorities say 2 dead, 3 injured after shooting outside shopping center in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two people were dead and three others were injured, one of them critically, following a shooting Thursday outside a large shopping center in Austin, Texas, authorities said. The Austin Police Department said there didn’t appear to be any threat to the public following the gunfire near The Arboretum on the city’s north side. No one had been detained, police said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Two adults died at the scene, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. One person was transported to a hospital with critical injuries, and two others were evaluated for minor injuries, authorities said.Police asked potential witnesses to come forward and submit any photos or videos from the area.The Associated Press

Blue Jays to call up Spencer Horwitz, Chad Green when rosters expand Friday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays are calling up first baseman Spencer Horwitz and right-handed reliever Chad Green from triple-A Buffalo as rosters expand on Friday, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith confirmed on Thursday.Green will join the Blue Jays for the first time after signing a two-year, $8.5-million deal in the off-season. In 12.1 minor-league innings this year, Green has a 1.46 ERA with 15 strikeouts and just one walk.The 32-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the New York Yankees, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over 383.2 innings. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year, ending his 2022 campaign early.This is Horwitz’s second recall in 2023. He made his MLB debut earlier in the season, picking up two hits and walking twice in three games and eight at-bats.Since returning to the Bisons, Horwitz has gone on a tear at the plate, slashing .379/.484/.599 with eight home runs and 14 doubles in 50 games.The 25-year-old is ranked as Toronto’s No. 17 prosp...

Opening statements begin in website founder’s 2nd trial over ads promoting prostitution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A founder of the classified site Backpage.com and four employees carefully strategized how to bring in ads for prostitution to maintain their top-earning platform, a prosecutor said Thursday at a federal trial in Phoenix. Attorneys for Michael Lacey and the other four defendants countered that their clients had nothing to do with the daily operations of classified ads. The clash over culpability was at the center of opening statements in the second trial of all five on charges of facilitating prostitution and laundering money in what authorities say was a scheme to knowingly sell ads for sex on the classified site. “They made money on one section — adults, specifically prostitution,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Stone said. “There are such things as legal escorts. The evidence is going to show the term escort used on Backpage, that’s not what it meant.” Paul Cambria, who represents Lacey, described him as “an old time newspaper guy” who focused on the articles...

Which states have the most confrontational drivers?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

(WAVY/NEXSTAR) — How angry is your state behind the wheel? A new Forbes Advisor study found road rage incidences are on the rise — and some states have higher shares of confrontational drivers than others. Forbes Advisor surveyed 10,000 licensed drivers and compared all 50 states across nine metrics. States were then ranked out of 100. Pentagon releases new website on UFOs Overall, Arizona ranked no. 1 for the worst road rage while Delaware was home to the most polite drivers in the U.S. Arizona received a full 100 score, the only state to do so. See the top 10 most confrontational drivers by state below.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rAs Forbes explains, five of the top 10 most confrontational-driver states are in the south, while many of the most polite are located in the Pacific and Western U.S.See an ...

$600K in grants awarded for Mohawk River preservation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

(NEWS10) -- More funding has been awarded to a program meant to preserve the Mohawk River. State grants worth $600,000 will be given to local communities, schools and nonprofits for flood resilience, recreation, habitat protection and water quality. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Fourteen different projects will receive a chunk of the funding. It's part of a five-year plan to invest in the Mohawk River Basin, which launched in 2021.

Racing community honors Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The racing community held a moment of silence at the Saratoga Race Course on Wednesday to honor Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 82. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! Sheppard was born into a horse family in Britain and carved out a career as a Steeplechaser. He set the National Steeplechase Association's wins record with more than 1,200 victories and nearly $25 million in earnings.He was a staple at Saratoga and won at least one race for 47 straight years. He was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1990, and NYRA named one of its two Grade I Steeplechase races after him two years ago.

Push for safe driving as school commute resumes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:22 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- As schools prepare to welcome students back to the classroom, local leaders are reminding drivers they will once again have to share the road with school commuters.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the hours immediately before and after school have been identified as the most dangerous times for pedestrians. School officials at Pine Bush Elementary in Schenectady celebrated a newly installed sidewalk that they said will allow students a safer route to class. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! "A large part of the district's mission is ensure students feel safe," Pine Bush Principal Christopher Sanita said. "This leads to success. Removing barriers such as a lack of safe sidewalks can make great strides towards this goal."Guilderland is also one of a few local districts that have installed stop arm cameras on their school buses. Drivers caught passing or not stopping for buses wil...