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Kentucky governor’s efforts to help storm-ravaged towns may dilute GOP advantage in rural areas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Gina Thorn’s life was uprooted when a monstrous tornado tore through her Kentucky hometown of Mayfield, but her family stuck it out and now they’re homeowners for the first time.Thorn says Gov. Andy Beshear deserves credit for their brighter outlook, and the hardware store cashier intends to show her appreciation by voting for the Democratic incumbent in November.Thorn’s story had a happy outcome when Beshear, who is seeking a second term in a state that’s trending Republican, recently headlined a ceremony where house keys were presented to the Thorns and four other Mayfield families. But that hasn’t happened yet for everybody, and some storm survivors grumble about the slow pace of recovery. In a governor’s race that could turn on whether Republican Daniel Cameron, the state’s attorney general, is able to run the table in rural Kentucky by large enough margins to overcome a Democratic advantage in the state’s two bigges...

Dutch customs officials make record cocaine seizure worth 600 million euros

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Customs authorities in Rotterdam have confiscated more than 8,000 kilograms (17,600 pounds) of cocaine, the largest seizure of the drug in the Netherlands, prosecutors said Thursday.The drugs had an estimated street value of 600 million euros ($662 million), the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service said in a statement. No arrests have been made yet in an investigation following the discovery, which was kept secret because of the ongoing probe.Prosecutors said the drugs, which have been destroyed, were discovered on July 13 hidden in a container of bananas from Ecuador. The announcement came the day after a presidential candidate known for speaking out against drug cartels and corruption in the South American nation was fatally shot at a political rally.The flourishing drug trade in Europe also is fueling violence and corruption on the continent, the European Union agency that monitors drugs and addiction said in its annual report in June.It said record ...

Russia is to launch its first mission to the moon in almost 50 years

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Russia is scheduled to launch its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years on Friday, pitting it in a space race with India which is also aiming to land a lunar craft this month. The launch of the Luna-25 craft to the moon will be Russia’s first since 1976 when it was part of the Soviet Union and will be conducted without assistance from the European Space Agency, which ended cooperation with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.The Russian lunar lander is expected to reach the moon on Aug. 23, about the same day as an Indian craft which was launched on July 14.Both countries’ modules are headed for the lunar south pole, an area where no spacecraft has landed smoothly. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, said it wants to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface...

Appeal arguments are set on an order limiting Biden administration communications with social media

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Biden administration attorneys were set to ask appellate court judges in New Orleans on Thursday to block a Louisiana-based federal judge’s broad order limiting executive branch officials and agencies’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Monroe issued the order last month in a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who will be asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals to uphold the order. Plaintiffs also include a conservative website owner and four individual critics of government COVID-19 policies.Critics of the ruling say it could hamper attempts to squelch misinformation on topics such as public health and elections. Supporters of the order say it keeps the government from illegally censoring points of view.The 5th Circuit granted a temporary pause on enforcement of the order on July 14, giving both sides time to file briefs and prep...

Man, 21, found beaten to death in Gage Park home ID'd

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- A 21-year-old man who was found beaten to death in a home on the Southwest Side Wednesday afternoon has been identified. The medical examiner's office identified the man as Trevon Moye from Chicago. Police said Moye was found unresponsive in his home in the 4900 block of South Maplewood Avenue around 1:58 p.m. Paddleboarder discovers body of Wilmette man in Lake Michigan A family member said he was found unresponsive with blunt force trauma to the head and was pronounced dead on the scene. There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident.

Emmys to air on MLK Day, 4 months later than first planned

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The strike-delayed 75th Emmy Awards have a new date — one that places them squarely within Hollywood's awards season, for a change.Fox announced Thursday that the Emmys will air Jan. 15 from the Peacock Theater at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles. The show will air on the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.The timing means that the Emmys, which honor the best shows on television, will air weeks before the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which honors film and television actors. Numerous other shows like the Golden Globe Awards, which haven't been confirmed for a return to network television, and the Critics Choice Awards, also are held in January.The ceremony will happen roughly four months later than originally planned. Disney+ is raising prices as huge losses continue While the move is a bit of a throwback — the first Emmys, where only six awards were handed out, were held in January 1949 — the show traditionally airs in September, a slot that once heralded the upco...

Cake at Texas supermarket goes viral with message about 109-degree heat: 'Realest thing I have read today'

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – If you can’t stand the heat, get over to the H-E-B bakery.The bakery display at an H-E-B supermarket in Texas has captured the attention of TikTok thanks to a cake decorated with a peculiar apology.“I’m sorry for what I said when it was 109º outside,” the message on the cake reads.(Emily Hinds) Viral TikTok reveals H-E-B seafood ‘hack’: Did you know this? Emily Hinds, who spotted the cake at an H-E-B in Hutto last week, told Nexstar that the message “perfectly sums up” what locals are feeling about the summer heat in Hutto and nearby Austin, where temperatures routinely top 100 degrees. (In recent weeks, the state’s capital has experienced the longest continuous stretch of 100-degree days in 125 years of record-keeping, KXAN previously reported.)Hinds later shared a clip of the contrite cake to TikTok, where plenty of viewers appeared to agree that the apologetic message could be applied to their own behavior.Texas heat got me getting mad at my husband every time [we’r...

Trump valet pleads not guilty; property manager's arraignment postponed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, appeared before a judge on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to conspiring with the former president to obstruct the investigation into his possession of classified documents at his Florida estate.But the property manager of Mar-a-Lago, Carlos De Oliveira, was again unable to enter a plea in the case because he still hasn't secured a Florida-based attorney, which is required under local court rules.The magistrate judge also formally accepted the latest not guilty plea of Trump, who told the judge in court papers last week that he is not guilty and waived his right to appear at the hearing in person.De Oliveira and Nauta appeared in the federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, on an updated indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith alleging they schemed with the Republican former president to try to delete Mar-a-Lago surveillance video sought by investigators.Walt Nauta, a valet to former President Donald Trump, ...

'Sad tragedy': 3 people recovered from hole in Bastrop County corn field

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

BASTROP COUNTY, Texas -- The Bastrop County sheriff called it a "sad tragedy" while describing the lengthy recovery efforts it took to pull the bodies of three people and a dog from a hole in a corn field Wednesday. Sheriff Maurice Cook said a man from Red Rock led three people from Florida on a hog hunt and called deputies for help at about 1:02 a.m. Wednesday. The man reported three people trapped in a hole in the 300 block of New Trail, which is close to County Road 461 in northern Bastrop County. The hole turned out to be a cistern that had standing water in it about six to eight feet below ground level. The sheriff said the hunting guide told deputies that a dog escaped from a truck and fell into the cistern. One man apparently jumped into the hole to save the dog, and another man and a woman removed some of their clothes and dove in later. The cistern had a high amount of hydrogen sulfide gas built up inside it, so Cook said that likely killed the three people and the dog. "If...

Residents being allowed access to Cedar Park apartments, townhomes after evacuating due to wildfire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:39 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Most residents who were evacuated from an apartment complex and townhomes in Cedar Park amid a wildfire that broke out Tuesday are now being allowed access to their apartments and homes. Cedar Park police said crews responded around 6:16 p.m. Tuesday to the fire near 12820 West Parmer Ln., which is close to East Whitestone Boulevard. The fire is being referred to as the Parmer Lane fire. Progress made in 37-acre Cedar Park brush fire; apartment building destroyed According to the city, about 300 apartment units, 95 townhomes and multiple businesses in the area were evacuated.Residents of Bexley at Silverado Apartment Complex as well as the Whitestone Landing Townhomes are now allowed to access their units and homes, with the exception of apartment building 10 at the apartment complex, the city said in a release Thursday morning. VIDEO: Drone footage shows scope of Cedar Park brush fire damage According to the city, the following structural damage was...