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Maui surveys the wreckage caused by the deadliest US wildfire in years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

WAILUKU, Hawaii (NEXSTAR) — The search of the wildfire wreckage on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of burned out homes and obliterated communities as firefighters battled the stubborn blaze that has already claimed 36 lives, making it the deadliest in the U.S. in recent years.Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, the fire started Tuesday and took the island by surprise, racing through parched growth and neighborhoods in the historic town of Lahaina, a tourist destination that dates to the 1700s and is the biggest community on the island's west side. PHOTOS: Intensifying fires wreak havoc on Maui Maui County said late Wednesday that at least 36 people had died, making it the deadliest U.S. blaze since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and laid waste to the town of Paradise. The Hawaii toll could rise, though, as rescuers reach parts of the island that had been unre...

Nuclear regulator weighs decision as First Nations irate over Chalk River waste site

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

OTTAWA — Several First Nations are sounding the alarm about a proposed nuclear waste facility near the Ottawa River, as Canada’s nuclear regulator decides whether the project should be approved. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission held a final public hearing about the matter on Thursday after pausing its decision to move ahead with the site last year amid the criticism.“When building a camp and you need potable drinking water and you build a well, you don’t go and build your outhouse beside that well,” said councillor Justin Roy of Kebaowek First Nation.“That is what (the Near Surface Disposal Facility) is trying to do here.” The facility is slated to be built on the Chalk River Laboratories site in Deep River, Ont., about 180 kilometres northwest of Ottawa. The lab tests nuclear technology.The site sits within a kilometre of the Ottawa River, or the Kichi Sibi as it is known in the Algonquin language, and is located near sacred sites at Oiseau...

17-year-old suspect in the New York stabbing of a dancer is indicted on a hate-crime murder charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A 17-year-old was indicted on a hate-crime murder charge in a stabbing that followed taunts and confrontation over a group of men dancing shirtless to Beyoncé as they gassed up their car, prosecutors said Thursday.Prosecutors concluded O’Shae Sibley’s death was motivated by anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ bias, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.“It’s clear to me, under the circumstances of this case, that in substantial part, this attack was caused because people were offended by Mr. Sibley and his friends dancing and celebrating,” Gonzalez said.The suspect is due in court Friday to answer the charge. It mirrors the charge on which he was arrested last week. If convicted, he faces at least 20 years in prison.The Associated Press sent a text message to his attorney, Mark Pollard, seeking comment. Pollard’s voicemail box was full. The teen’s grandmother told the Daily News he was defending himself. Prosecutor’s have not released the suspect’s na...

Sleep Country Canada earns $12.7 million in second quarter as revenues decline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

TORONTO — Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. reported net income of $12.7 million in the second quarter, down from $22.7 million last year.The Toronto-based company says revenues for the quarter were $217.2 million, down 4.6 per cent from $227.6 million during the same quarter last year. Diluted earnings per share were 36 cents, down from 61 cents. President and CEO Stewart Schaefer says the company continued to see softness following a slowdown of consumer spending on large discretionary goods that began in the second half of last year. The company says same-store sales were down 10.9 per cent from the same quarter last year. The second quarter saw Sleep Country acquire the Canadian operations of Casper Sleep Inc. for US$20.6 million.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:ZZZ)The Canadian Press

Coal miners plead with feds for stronger enforcement during emotional hearing on black lung rule

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

BEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — Laboring to breathe, West Virginia coal miner Terry Lilly told federal regulators Thursday he is appreciative the U.S. government is finally considering a proposal to limit the poisonous rock dust causing a severe resurgence of black lung.But Lilly said the rule — a half-century in the making — will mean nothing if there aren’t strict enforcement mechanisms in place to ensure companies comply. “Cheating the samples is what we need to stop. If we can stop this, we can save some lives,” said Lilly, asking officials to excuse him as a took a pause to catch his breath. He’s now limited to 40% lung capacity, he said.Lilly was one of the dozens of miners and advocates who came to the historic coal-mining county in West Virginia’s southern coalfields to discuss a proposed rule from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration that would cut the current limit for silica dust exposure in half.During an emotional, hours-long hearing — the second of three before...

Refurbishment work ahead of schedule at Darlington power station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

Some of the work to refurbish the reactors at the Darlington Nuclear Power Station in Bowmanville has finished ahead of schedule.Ontario Power Generation (OPG) said they’ve successfully reconnected reactor number three to Ontario’s electricity grid, 169 days earlier than expected.It’s part of an ongoing project at the station to refurbish all four reactors on site, costing over $12 billion.OPG Senior Vice President of Nuclear Refurbishment, Subo Sinnathamby, is crediting the early completion to both the planning process and learning from the refurbishments of both reactor two, and from other operators who’ve completed similar work in other locations.“The culture on the project where all the vendor partners are very committed to a single goal of achieving inventory return to service and the rest of the project to ensure we return back to Ontario’s homes on schedule and on budget,” said SinnathambyReactor unit number 3 is the second unit to undergo complete res...

Senseonics: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

GERMANTOWN, Md. (AP) — GERMANTOWN, Md. (AP) — Senseonics Holdings Inc. (SENS) on Thursday reported a loss of $20.4 million in its second quarter.On a per-share basis, the Germantown, Maryland-based company said it had a loss of 4 cents.The results met Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was also for a loss of 4 cents per share.The medical technology company posted revenue of $4.1 million in the period, which did not meet Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $4.6 million.Senseonics expects full-year revenue in the range of $20 million to $24 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SENS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SENSThe Associated Press

Allusions to mobster movies and book burning at appeals court hearing on Biden social media contacts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Allusions to book burning and mobster movies arose during a federal court hearing Thursday as appellate judges heard arguments on whether the Biden administration crosses the line from legal persuasion to unconstitutional censorship in communications with social media platforms about controversial posts. At issue was a broad July 4 order from U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in the north Louisiana city of Monroe ruling in a lawsuit by attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri. A conservative website owner and four critics of the administration’s COVID-19 policy are also plaintiffs in the suit.The lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censors free speech with threats of regulatory action the government could take while pressuring companies to remove what it deems misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, the FBI’s handling of a laptop that belonged to President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and election fraud allegations were among the topics spotlighte...

Family members found dead in Crystal Lake home identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. —  Officials in McHenry County have identified the family members who were found dead Wednesday inside a house in Unincorporated Crystal Lake.According to police, the shooting happened just before 4 a.m. Wednesday on the 5800 block of Wild Plum Road. Officers were dispatched to a residence for the report of a “single household member shooting their relatives.”Upon arrival, police found a total of five people inside the house. Three females were pronounced dead on the scene. Previous Coverage: 4 dead, including suspected ‘aggressor,’ after shooting inside home in Crystal Lake: police A male, who is believed to be the aggressor, was transported to an area hospital where he later died.On Thursday the McHenry County Coroner identified the four people as Jean Song, age 44, Lauren Smith-Song, age 32, Chang Song, age 73, Yuna Song, age 49.Another female, who initially called 911, was seriously injured and transported to an area hospital.Police said the five peop...

Killer of Indian Head Park teen dies in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:09 GMT

The man who a judge once called a “cold” and “calculating” killer for stealing the life of a suburban teenager has died in prison, the Illinois Department of Corrections confirms.Kelli Joy O’Laughlin was 14-years-old, a freshman at Lyons Township High School back in 2011.  She went home from school early on an October afternoon when the man broke into her home during a robbery and encountered Kelli and killed her. The torment didn’t end there. Among the items he stole was Kelli’s cell phone and he used it to send taunting text messages to Kelli’s mom in the days after her daughter’s death.“The day has come for Kelli Joy to rest in peace,” Brenda O’Laughlin wrote on Facebook after learning of the man’s death. “You took away Kelli’s future by your calculated vile actions. You took away our ‘Joy’ of watching our baby grow up to see the woman that she would have become,” she wrote. PREVIOUS: Indian Head Park parents’ 6-year mission of ‘spreading joy’ after young daughter’s death The I...