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Dirty money: Corruption case highlights Hawaii cesspool mess

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A former Hawaii lawmaker is expected in court Thursday for sentencing in a federal corruption case that’s drawn attention to a perennial problem in the islands: the tens of thousands of cesspools that release 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the state’s pristine waters every day.Cesspools — in-ground pits that collect sewage from houses and buildings not connected to city services for gradual release into the environment — are at the center of the criminal case against former Democratic state Rep. Ty Cullen. He has admitted to taking bribes of cash and gambling chips in exchange for influencing legislation to reduce Hawaii’s widespread use of cesspools. The toxic pits proliferated in Hawaii in the ’50s, ‘60s and ’70s. when investment in sewer lines didn’t keep up with rapid development. Today Hawaii has 83,000 of them — more than any other state — and only banned new cesspools in 2016. Now Hawaii is in a rush to get rid of them because of...

Adesanya couldn’t wait for UFC title rematch with Pereira

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

Israel Adesanya could’ve taken the easier path by fighting lesser opponents and building back his resume after losing to Alex Pereira in November at UFC 281.Adesanya didn’t want to wait.He will be back in the Octagon on Saturday for UFC 287 in Miami for a rematch for the middleweight championship.Even though he is the challenger, the 33-year-old Adesanya is a minus-142 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. He was either unaware of the betting line or chose to ignore it, offering his own narrative of a comeback that he called “one of the greatest storylines in MMA history.”“Not many people get the opportunity to show how great they are, to rise to the occasion when all the odds are stacked against them, when people have counted them out,” Adesanya said. “For me, this fight I feel like the underdog. I feel like everyone’s counting me out. They’ve forgot what I’ve done in this game. They’ve forgot who I am, and it’s time to remind people how great I am.”May...

Wildfire in southern Spain forces evacuation of 70 residents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities said Wednesday that they evacuated 70 people from their homes to ensure their safety as a wildfire burned unchecked in southern Andalusia.Emergency services for fighting wildfires in the Andalusia region said that heavy winds with gusts as strong as 80 kph (50 mph) have fanned the flames that broke out on Tuesday in Tarifa near the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.The residents were evacuated from the settlement called El Chaparral as a precaution. Authorities said had scorched some 50 hectares (123 acres) in hilly terrain close by.Five units of firefighters battled the fire with the support of seven aircraft, authorities said.Spain led Europe in land burned last year during a record hot 2022 that government officials and independent experts said was a product of global climate change. A prolonged drought has authorities concerned that the wildfire season is starting earlier than usual after the country endured its first major fires of the year...

King Charles III supports probe into monarchy’s slave ties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III for the first time has signaled support for research into the British monarchy’s ties to slavery after a document showed an ancestor with shares in a slave-trading company, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Thursday.Charles takes the issue “profoundly seriously” and academics will be given access to the royal collection and archives, the palace said.The statement was in response to an article in The Guardian newspaper that revealed a document showing that the deputy governor of the slave-trading Royal African Company transferred 1,000 pounds of shares in the business to King William III in 1689.The newspaper reported on the document as part of a series of stories on royal wealth and finances, as well as the monarchy’s connection to slavery.Charles ascended to the throne last year after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. His coronation is planned for May 6. Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, have expressed their ...

Average 30-year mortgage rate dips as spring season opens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dipped for the fourth straight week, a good sign for potential home buyers and a real estate market that’s been mostly cold since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates more than a year ago.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate dipped to 6.28% from 6.32% the previous week. The average rate last year at this time was 4.72%.The average long-term mortgage rate hit 7.08% in the fall — a two-decade high.The recent decline in mortgage rates is good news for prospective homebuyers, many of whom were pushed to the sidelines during the past year as the Federal Reserve cranked up its main borrowing rate nine straight times in a bid to tamp down persistent, four-decade high inflation.Though supply remains low, home prices appear to be leveling off, another development that could lure buyers back into the market. The national median home price slipped 0.2% from February last year to $3...

FDA forces unproven premature birth drug Makena off market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered the immediate market withdrawal of a drug intended to prevent premature births, which has remained available for years despite data showing it doesn’t help pregnant women.The decision follows repeated efforts by Swiss drugmaker Covis Pharma to keep Makena on the U.S. market while it conducted additional studies. The medication was the only drug approved in the U.S. to help reduce the risk of early births in women with a history of preterm deliveries.In recent months, Covis finally bowed to FDA pressure, proposing a “winding down” period of several months so that women taking the drug could complete their treatment. The FDA rejected that and said Thursday that the action against Makena and several generic versions should take effect immediately.“Makena and its generics are no longer approved and cannot lawfully be distributed in interstate commerce,” the agency said in a statement.The injectable drug is a sy...

UN court says it can hear Guyana-Venezuela border dispute

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ highest court ruled Thursday that it can hear a case between South American neighbors Guyana and Venezuela about a border dispute that dates back to 1899.The decision to reject Venezuela’s challenge to the case’s admissibility means it will go ahead at the International Court of Justice, though will likely take years to resolve.The ruling was a second defeat for Venezuela’s attempts to have the case tossed out. It came more than two years after judges rejected a challenge by Caracas to the world court’s jurisdiction.In the admissibility challenge rejected Thursday, Venezuela had argued that the court could not hear the case without the involvement of the United Kingdom, which was Guyana’s colonial master at the time of the original border decision. The Guyanese side had argued that Britain ceased to have any involvement in the case once Guyana gained its independence in 1966 and that Venezuela was ...

NTI investigates allegations of ‘potential’ enrolment fraud

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

Last Updated on April 6, 2023 by YGK News StaffBy Jeff PelletierLocal Journalism Initiative Reporter with Nunatsiaq NewsNunavut Tunngavik Inc. is investigating what it describes as “potential” enrolment fraud in connection to two sisters who claimed Inuk heritage.According to a news release sent by NTI on Thursday evening, a woman named Karima Manji claimed her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, were adopted from an Inuk mother.“Today, she initiated the process to have Amira and Nadya removed from the Inuit enrolment list,” NTI’s news release said.“The Iqaluit Community Enrolment Committee will review the removal application and make a decision.”According to a news release sent by NTI on Thursday evening, a woman named Karima Manji claimed her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, were adopted from an Inuk mother.However, according to the news release, NTI has received information from the woman identified as their birth mother that the Gill sisters are not her children.“Today, s...

Reimagined wooden coaster Twister III opens at Elitch Gardens this summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — After a summer at Elitch Gardens without the iconic Twister II roller coaster, the theme park announced that the wooden thrill ride is back after being refurbished and reimagined.Riders are invited back to Twister III: Storm Chaser this summer. According to Elitch Gardens, the reimagined coaster will take gutsy guests on a journey starting in the aftermath of a tornado. Guests will go to the Storm Chaser Recruitment Center and join the elite storm chaser team to see what it's like to be in the eye of a tornado.If you make it through the Twister, you will become an official member of the Twister III: Storm Chaser team. Plans for new development around Ball Arena "Reimagining this awesome wooden roller coaster is a great opportunity for us to re-introduce one of the most thrilling rides in the park and also offer a new and exciting experience at the same time," says David Dorman, general manager of Elitch Gardens. "The new name, Twister III: Storm Chaser, pays homag...

Wildfire threat grows as Florida drought gets steadily worse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:08 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The threat of wildfires is growing in Florida over the coming weeks as more than half the state is experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions likely to persist until rainy season resumes around mid-May, state and federal officials said Thursday.The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center reported Thursday that 55% of Florida is in the severe to extreme drought category, with most of the rest of the state listed as “abnormally dry.” The driest conditions are in southwest Florida, the same region hammered by Hurricane Ian in September.“When you look at a drought map of the state of Florida, you have very dry conditions all across the state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, whose agency includes the Florida Forest Service. “We’ve had numerous fires already.”Indeed, since Jan. 1 more than 1,000 wildfires in Florida have burned over 33,000 acres (13,300 hectares), according to state statistics. ...