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Marauding cross-country storm threatens Thanksgiving week travel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

Joseph Wilkinson | New York Daily NewsA poorly timed storm system is expected to bring wind, rain and even snow to the eastern half of the U.S. during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.The worst of the storm will strike New York and the tri-state area on Tuesday, with flight delays and weather-related traffic jams possible from Tuesday afternoon into the night.At least 55 million Americans are expected to travel over the next several days for the Thanksgiving holiday, and anyone on the move east of the Rockies could encounter stormy conditions.Severe thunderstorms are predicted for the Midwest and the South on Monday, as the gathering storm rumbles across the plains. Tornados are possible in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi from Monday afternoon through Monday night, according to Accuweather.Meteorologists believe the storm system will then push north and east, dumping rain from Pittsburgh to Atlanta on Tuesday morning. Across Appalachia and the Great Lakes, the storm c...

Documentary about Buffy Sainte-Marie wins International Emmy Award

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

NEW YORK — A documentary about folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie, made before her Indigenous ancestry was called into question, has won an International Emmy Award.“Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On,” directed by Madison Thomas and narrated by Sainte-Marie, won in the arts programming category.The award is presented by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.Producers describe the film as a retrospective of Sainte-Marie’s life and career, including interviews with famous friends and colleagues, never-before-seen archival material and cinematic recreations.The singer-songwriter’s ancestry was challenged in a CBC investigation last month that presented several identity documents that suggested she is Italian American.Saint-Marie has denied the accusations.Sainte-Marie’s story of her birth, childhood and identity has shifted throughout her six-decade career, with her identifying as Algonquin and Mi’kmaq before saying she was Cree, adop...

Mentally ill man should not have been in jail where he died, inquest hears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

A handcuffed, mentally ill man was slapped, struck multiple times in the head area, sprayed twice in the face with a pepper spray foam and restrained face down on the ground as correctional officers took him from a shower to his cell at an Ontario jail, a coroner’s inquest into his death heard Monday.Soleiman Faqiri was subjected to “various incidents of use of force” in the moments leading up to his death on Dec. 15, 2016, at the Central East Correctional Facility in Lindsay, Ont., east of Toronto, according to an agreed statement of facts read at the inquest.He was then left alone, face down with his hands cuffed behind his back and a spit hood _ a hood or mask meant to prevent someone from spitting _ on his head, inside his cell for close to a minute until an operations manager became concerned that Faqiri wasn’t breathing, the statement said.When officers removed the spit hood, there was fluid inside and Faqiri was unresponsive, the statement said. A medi...

All 9 aboard US Navy plane that overshot runway escape injury, Hawaii official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department was called to respond to a downed military aircraft in Kaneohe Bay on Monday, but when they got to the scene, military officials told the emergency workers that all nine people on board made it safely to shore and there were no injuries, spokesperson Shayne Enright said.Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Ryan Fisher said the Coast Guard responded but that rescue operations were quickly called off. “It sounds like all parties involved were rescued,” he said.The P-8A aircraft overshot the runway at a Marine base on Kaneohe Bay, said U.S. Marine Corps spokesperson Gunnery Sgt. Orlando Perez. He did not have further information.The P-8A is often used to hunt for submarines and used in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. It is manufactured by Boeing and shares many parts with the 737 commercial jet.The base is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Honolulu on Oahu. Audrey Mcavoy, The Associated Press

CEO of Fortnite game maker casts Google as a ‘crooked’ bully in testimony during Android app trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on Monday portrayed Google as a ruthless bully that resorts to shady tactics to protect a predatory payment system.His portrayal came in testimony in an antitrust trial focused on Epic Games’ attempt to upend Google’s store for Android phone apps.Sweeney’s more than two-hour stint on the witness stand in San Francisco came less than a week after Google CEO Sundar Pichai defended before the 10-member jury the way his company runs its Play Store for Android apps. It’s one of two antitrust cases against Google, whose tech empire valued at $1.7 trillion is being threatened by legal attacks seeking to break it up.Testimony in the Android phone app case is scheduled to finish before Christmas.The other case, focused on Google’s dominant search engine, ended last week, but won’t be decided by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., until next year.While Sweeney sought to depict Google as a greedy monopolist un...

911 call center says it misidentified crossing before derailment of Chicago-bound Amtrak train

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (AP) — A 911 call center on Monday took some responsibility for an Amtrak train derailment last week in southwestern Michigan, saying it misidentified a crossing and contacted a different railroad to warn that a car was stuck on tracks.The train with 200 passengers crashed into the empty car and a tow truck Thursday night near New Buffalo, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Chicago. Six people on the train were taken to a hospital, though their injuries weren’t serious.The Chicago-bound train derailed but remained upright.The Berrien County Public Safety Communication Center said it received two 911 calls about a car on the tracks, roughly 40 minutes before the crash.Because of a “software issue,” the wrong crossing was identified and CSX railroad was contacted — not Amtrak, the county said.“It appears a technology failure and misidentification of a crossing contributed to the accident,” 911 Director Caitlin Sampsell said in a statement.Sampsell’s...

City of Chicago trying to collect $15M in rat fines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

CHICAGO -- In August, two Chicago families dealt with severe rat infestations, with one of them having no choice but to move out of their northwest side apartment building.In 2022, the City of Chicago received more than 50,000 rat complaints. ORIGINAL: Chicago’s ‘Rat’ Rage Grows A WGN investigation found that even when the city stepped in rat-related fines were rarely paid with less than 20% of the dollars collected. In fact, one real estate company owed $15 million in fines.The "Illinois Answers Project" has now found that the City of Chicago will be going after that real estate company which will look to sell a string of properties. The 50 ‘rattiest cities’ in the US, as ranked by Orkin In the last month, Mayor Brandon Johnson also increased the rodent control budget by $1.5 million to address some of its staffing issues.In 2022, Orkin named Chicago the rat capital of the U.S. for the eighth consecutive year.

Illinois releases 2023 dangerous toys list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Public Interest Research Group unveiled its 2023 dangerous toys list at Lurie Children's Hospital on Monday.They focused heavily on high tech toys this year, which often have apps, microphones and cameras involved. African cat injured, dies after escaping home in Vernon Hills: police The Meta Quest Virtual Reality headset is sure to be on some kids wish lists, but experts say it could pose significant dangers for children.Low tech toys can be dangerous too, including beads that expand when doused in water. They can cause serious health problems, even death, if swallowed.Experts said many recalled toys are still being sold by private sellers on the internet.

Wayne Brady involved in car crash and alleged altercation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Television host and comedian Wayne Brady was involved in a two-car crash in the Los Angeles area, police said, and reports are emerging that he may have gotten into an altercation with the other driver. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Brady was one of two parties involved in the collision around 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.“[Brady] was in the vehicle that was hit by another driver,” officials with the sheriff's department confirmed to KTLA.  Pop star Shakira reaches a deal with Spanish prosecutors on the first day of tax fraud trial Reports from People and TMZ indicate that Brady and the other driver, identified by both outlets as a 51-year-old man, got into an "intense argument" that escalated into a physical altercation. Authorities who spoke with KTLA were not able to confirm whether the fight took place, but they did say that the suspect fled the scene on foot before being apprehended. The s...

Travis Kelce spelling error prompts Chipotle to rename one of its restaurants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:57 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) -- A Chipotle in Kansas City has changed its name, at least for now, in response to a viral tweet from Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Within the past week, some of the star player's old tweets from as far back as 2009 have resurfaced on social media. Here are just a few posts that fans have liked thousands of times on X, formerly Twitter: "I just gave a squirle a peice of bread and it straight smashed all of it!!!! I had no idea they ate bread like that!! Haha #crazy," Kelce said in 2011."I HOP!!!!!! I love commin here for breakfast! Ummm I think ill have the T-bone steak n Eggs please! Haha with some white toast on the side!" Kelce tweeted in 2010. "Went from class to therapy, now I need some #chipolte and then I'm off to check out my new apt!!" Kelce tweeted in 2011. That last tweet caught Chipotle's attention. The company responded to the post on Nov. 15, saying, "it's me, hi," in a nod to Taylor Swift's popular "Anti-Hero" lyrics. Kelce Bowl: Travis an...