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Hurricane Idalia makes landfall as dangerous Category 3 storm on Florida's west coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm on Wednesday and was unleashing life-threatening storm surges and rainfall in an area not accustomed to such pummeling.Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph). The storm also brought flooding to the streets of Tampa and other communities. LIVE: Hurricane Idalia brings catastrophic storm surge, destructive winds to Florida’s Big Bend Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. And those who didn't were warned to find a safe place while the storm moves through. “Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb a...

Severe kennel cough cases on the rise in Denver metro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KDVR) — Local veterinarians are warning pet owners about a potentially deadly strain of kennel cough spreading throughout the Denver metro area. VCA Highlands Ranch Animal Specialty and Emergency Center sent an email to clients on Monday addressing a rise in canine respiratory diseases most commonly known as kennel cough.The first symptom of kennel cough is a dry, hacking cough. It is sometimes described as a noise similar to a goose honk. “Every year we do see it around this time usually. But this year, the kennel cough complex is very severe,” Dr. Danielle Williams said.  Woman loses $14,000 in tech repair service scam Williams is the critical care veterinary specialist at VCA Highlands Ranch. She is responsible for cases involving the sickest pets. She said severe kennel cough cases started to become more prevalent in July and have sharply increased in August. “I’ve seen at least 20 cases in the last two weeks,” Williams said. “Young healthy dogs ar...

Accident kills tiger at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KXRM) — Staff at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Toronto Zoo are mourning the loss of Mila, a 2-year-old Amur tiger who transferred to CMZoo in March 2023.CMZoo said Mila died on Aug. 25. She was brought to the zoo in March on a future breeding recommendation. However, as Amur tigers are solitary animals, she never met CMZoo's male tiger, Chewy. ‘He was a fighter for sure’: Denver Zoo tiger dies at 12 years old CMZoo had recently discovered that Mila had a severe dental issue that was advancing to her sinuses, and if left untreated the issue could be deadly for animals. On Friday, Mila received an injection of initial anesthesia, she then jumped up on a bench where she began to lay down and let the anesthetic drugs take effect. CMZoo said that less than a minute after lying down, she slipped off of the waist-high bench, causing a deadly spinal injury.CMZoo said due to the short timeframe from lying down to slipping off, it was impossible from a human safety ...

TSA crowns 3-year-old German Shorthair Pointer as cutest canine of 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (WSVN) — A 3-year-old German Shorthair Pointer has made her mark as the cutest Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent in 2023. “Paws” for dramatic effect … Meet Dina! She was announced TSA’s cutest canine of the year after the agency hosted a nationwide competition on social media last week. Dina works as an explosives detection canine at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of her well-deserved win, Dina is expected to be featured on the cover of TSA’s 2024 Canine Calendar set to be released later this year. The annual contest was held on Saturday in honor of National Dog Day. Dina’s victory carries a special significance, as she follows in the pawprints of her fellow Harry Reid International Airport alum, Alona. In 2021, Alona, a charismatic 4-year-old golden retriever, clinched the title of TSA’s cutest canine.The competition was fierce this year, with three other remarkable canines vying f...

Search underway after suspect escapes custody during arrest in Miami

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

A man managed to escape from police custody in the city of Miami, triggering a large-scale search operation. Although few details have been divulged thus far, law enforcement authorities have revealed that the escapee was initially being apprehended for battery and was wearing an ankle monitor when they escaped on Tuesday.The escape prompted an immediate response from the police, who established a perimeter in the vicinity of Northwest 10th Avenue, near 62nd Street. The area was cordoned off as law enforcement officers embarked on a search effort to locate and apprehend the individual who managed to evade custody.The circumstances surrounding the escape and the methods employed by the escapee remain unknown at this time. Authorities have been contacted for updates on the incident as they continue their investigation.

Spain’s Feijóo asks Sánchez to let him be prime minister for two years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

Some dates are doomed from the start.Alberto Núñez Feijóo, head of Spain’s center-right Popular Party, on Tuesday met with with his main political rival, caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to ask for the Socialist Party’s support for his bid to be prime minister.As expected, Sánchez scoffed at the proposal.During the meeting, held one week after Spain’s King Felipe VI invited Feijóo to attempt to form a government, the conservative leader asked to be allowed to govern on his own for a two-year term. During that time he proposed the Popular Party and the Socialists could work together to pass major bipartisan legislation, at the end of which new elections would be called.“We have the opportunity to overcome obstacles and reset our democracy,” Feijóo said in a press conference after the meeting.The conservative leader argued the two parties could forge six “state pacts” on Spain’s territorial organization, democratic regeneration, s...

Europe’s climate activists face ‘repressive tide’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

MUNICH, Germany — Before Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick answers any questions, he makes sure to switch off his phone. “Per court order, they can tap it,” he says. Over the past year, Metzeler-Kick, 49, has spent several weeks in jail and racked up tens of thousands of euros in fines. His crime? Taking part in climate protests. The Bavarian activist has delivered manure to Germany’s agriculture minister, dug up the lawn in front of Olaf Scholz’s chancellery and tried to disrupt flights at Berlin airport to draw attention to the dangers of global warming. Mainly, he glues himself to roads to “disrupt our fossil-fueled routines,” as he puts it. “We have to stop doing business as usual,” he adds. “We’re hurtling toward disaster.” As a wave of similar protests sweeps Europe — targeting key infrastructure, causing travel chaos and sparking widespread public outrage — governments are getting tough on activists. Too tough, say human rights advocates. United Nations exp...

US economic growth for last quarter is revised down to a 2.1% annual rate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.1% annual pace from April through June, showing continued resilience in the face of higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, the government said Wednesday in a downgrade from its initial estimate.The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded at a 2.4% annual rate last quarter.The Commerce Department’s second estimate of growth last quarter marked a slight acceleration from a 2% annual growth rate from January through March. Though the economy has been slowed by the Federal Reserve’s strenuous drive to tame inflation with interest rate hikes, it has managed to keep expanding, with employers still hiring and consumers still spending.Wednesday’s report on the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — showed that growth last quarter was driven by upticks in consumer spending and business investment.The American economy — the world’s largest — has proved surp...

Column: 2 mysteries of the strangest week in Chicago White Sox history could have answers soon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

The two biggest mysteries of the strangest week in Chicago White Sox history might have been answered.How did two women get shot in the left-field bleachers at Guaranteed Rate Field? And who will replace fired executives Ken Williams and Rick Hahn?The two mysteries are unrelated, though they share some of the usual attributes of a Sox news story, which typically are more ridiculous than what meets the eye.We’ll start with the shooting, a serious issue that became comical thanks to a wild theory emanating from the Sox front office that the bullet that hit the two women might have come from outside the ballpark. Chicago police interim Supt. Fred Waller basically dismissed that theory Monday, saying investigators had “almost completely dispelled” the idea that a bullet from outside somehow hit the two women.That meant someone inside the park apparently smuggled in a gun past security, resulting in the shot that grazed one woman in the abdomen and went into the right t...

Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López among 6 players reportedly put on waivers by Los Angeles Angels

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:52 GMT

Lucas Giolito found out on X he could become an ex-Angel.ESPN reported Tuesday that Los Angeles has placed Giolito, relievers Dominic Leone, Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers. Teams have until 2 p.m. EDT Thursday to claim the players.Giolito said he read the news on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.“I’d say, surprised,” Giolito said after a 12-7 loss to Philadelphia. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business. It can be a very strange business sometimes. You just roll with it.”Los Angeles, 63-70 and headed to its eighth straight losing season, would get some salary relief if the players are claimed and their contracts assumed.Giolito allowed three homers in a loss Monday.ESPN cited unidentified sources confirming the waiver placements.“Thursday is when it all goes down,” Giolito said. “Until then, I’m here. We’ll see what happens aft...