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Drones sweep for sharks along New York coast as encounters rise with beachgoers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

WANTAGH, N.Y. (AP) — Off the coast of Long Island, drones sweep over the ocean, patrolling the water for any danger that might lurk below the surface as beachgoers grow more vigilant because of a recent spate of shark encounters.Over two days this week, five people reported being bitten by sharks at some of New York’s most popular beaches, leading to heightened surveillance of the area’s waters.The sighting of a 10-foot (3-meter) shark on Thursday prompted officials to keep people out of the water at Robert Moses State Park, the same Long Island beach that delayed its opening July 4 after a drone spotted a group of 50 sand sharks off the coast.“We are now more vigilant than ever,” said George Gorman, the state’s park director in Long Island. “We have drones in the sky that watch over the waters. We have lifeguards on WaveRunners that watch over the waters.”Just a few years ago, encounters with sharks were rare. But more recently, reports of sharks biting people hav...

Kansas attorney general sues to prevent transgender people from changing driver’s licenses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general of Kansas sued in state court Friday to block transgender residents from changing their sex on their driver’s licenses and to rebuke the Democratic governor for defying his interpretation of a new law.Attorney General Kris Kobach is seeking an order to stop Gov. Laura Kelly, and agencies under her control, from allowing the changes to transgender people’s licenses. Kobach contends a law that took effect Saturday prevents such changes and requires the state to reverse any previous changes in its records.Kobach has argued that the law applies in the same way to birth certificates, but the lawsuit filed Friday doesn’t address those documents. The settlement of a 2018 federal lawsuit requires Kansas to allow transgender people to change their birth certificates.More than 900 people have changed the listing for sex on their birth certificates in the past four years. About 400 have changed their driver’s licenses ...

‘Don’t fall off the horse’: Astronaut Jeremy Hansen leads Calgary Stampede parade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

CALGARY — Col. Jeremy Hansen is preparing to become the first Canadian to travel to the moon as part of the Artemis II mission, but Friday he  cowboyed up to become the second astronaut to be marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade. The 10-day Artemis II mission could launch as early as November of next year and involves slingshotting into deep space for a figure-8 manoeuvre around the far side of the moon. It would mark the first time any human has ventured so far from Earth. Hansen, wearing a grey cowboy hat, blue jeans and cowboy boots, was part of the two-hour parade ride through downtown. A blue NASA jacket was a giveaway that it wasn’t his world.“This is pretty special. I am Christmas-kid kind of excited about riding Cisco today and being amongst all these cowboys,” Hansen said on horseback just before the parade began.“I am just a pretender today, I guess, but excited to be here. It feels good.”Chris Hadfield was the first Canadian astronaut to be...

Online News Act creates ‘moment of reckoning’ for publishers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

TORONTO — Meta and Google’s move away from linking to Canadian news sites is a “moment of reckoning” for publishers and broadcasters that have heavily relied on social media to build audiences, marketing and journalism experts say.They believe the Online News Act, which will force digital giants to pay media outlets for content they share or repurpose on their platforms when it comes into effect later this year, could spark new discussions about how publishers market themselves and engage with audiences.“This is a moment of reckoning for brands that want to support the public interest and want to be seen, but don’t want to be seen on platforms that are negatively perceived by the public,” said Courtney Radsch, director of Center for Journalism and Liberty, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.In response to the act known as Bill C-18, Meta and Google have said they will remove news by Canadian journalism outlets from their sites before the law come...

Twin babies found dead in childcare center bathroom, unanticipated delivery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The bodies of two infant girls discovered in a bathroom of a Streeterville childcare facility Thursday night.According to police, the twin babies were found inside a garage bag in the bathroom of a childcare center on the 400 block of East Ontario Street in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood just before 7 p.m.Police said a cleaning crew found the newborns in garbage bags.A spokesperson for the childcare said that a staff member experienced a medical emergency that resulted in an unanticipated delivery of newborn twin babies.The baby girls were reportedly unresponsive and taken to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago where they were pronounced dead.The Bernice E. Lavin Center also said that all children and families at the center were safe and that none were involved in the incident. 4 CPD officers under investigation for sexual relationship with migrants living at station The daycare is on the Northwestern Memorial Hospital campus and provides childcare for hospital e...

Olympian, one of the first Chicago Sky players, Nikki McCray-Penson, dies at 51

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The women's basketball world is mourning the death of one of the original members of the Chicago Sky who had a decorated career on the national and international stage.Nikki McCray-Penson, who was a professional All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist as a player and won a coach of the year honor as well, died at the age of 51 on Friday, according to the WNBA. In her ninth and final year in the WNBA, she joined the expansion Chicago Sky as one of their original players. She was in the starting lineup for the team's inaugural game against the Charlotte Sting at then Charlotte Bobcats Arena on May 20, 2006. During that contest, McCray-Penson had nine points with a rebound and a steal in 11 minutes in an 83-82 victory. She would play in 11 games for the Sky that season in a more limited role, averaging two points in 7.5 minutes per game. In late June, she made the decision to retire from basketball, doing so halfway through the Sky's first season. She was a three-time WNB...

Ohio family seeking justice after police officer shoots, kills their dog: 'She didn't deserve it'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

LORAIN, Ohio (WJW) - An Ohio family is heartbroken and furious over the death of their dog, and now they're determined to get justice.Mellenie Kerns, the owner of a 3-year-old Labrador/golden retriever mix named Dixie, broke down in tears while watching body-camera footage from an officer with the Lorain Police Department, who shot and killed the dog on July 2. “It brought up the memories of watching it and the fear I had,” Kerns said. “It’s my baby. She didn’t deserve it. There was no aggression in her body language.” Wrong dog euthanized at West Virginia animal shelter, investigation underway On the day of Dixie's death, Kerns and her family said Dixie and their other three dogs were scared by nearby fireworks and ran out of the house at around 1 p.m. Sunday.“They got out by accident,” said Tammie Kerns, Mellenie Kerns' mom.When an officer arrived, the family thought he would help retrieve the dogs, but instead, they say he shot Dixie multiple times, killing her.“He should’ve li...

Woman arrested at Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home; police say she was previously warned to stay away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) — A woman has been arrested after she allegedly tried to trespass at Taylor Swift's home in Rhode Island earlier this week, police told Nexstar's WPRI.A woman attempted to trespass at Taylor Swift's home in Westerly, Rhode Island, on Monday. (WPRI)On Monday, officers with the Westerly Police Department were called to Swift's residence in the Watch Hill section of the city, where they found Kimberly Meyer outside the front gates.Police said they had previously warned the woman to stay away from the home.Meyer is charged with one count of trespassing and is scheduled to appear in court July 14. Taylor Swift releases ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’: Here's what to listen for A source for TMZ claims Swift had stayed at the house over the Fourth of July weekend, but it was unclear if the singer was home at the time of the alleged attempted trespassing. Images Swift shared to social media also suggest she had spent the holiday with friends, including Selena Gomez an...

Texas Walmart shooter gets 90 consecutive life sentences; death penalty still possible

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases.Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read.Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas.In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “invasion,” waving off critics who say the rhetoric fuels anti-immigrant views and v...

‘Stuff the Bus’ collects school supplies for Stillwater area students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:48:24 GMT

Officials working on collecting school supplies for this year’s “Stuff the Bus” campaign for students who live in the Stillwater Area School District School are once again expecting a rise in demand.“The expenses associated with acquiring these essential needs continues to climb,” said Jennifer Kmecik, executive director of United Way of Washington County-East. “Our aim remains to relieve the financial burden on families.”Supplies most needed include wired headphones/earbuds; TI-30XS calculators; 2-inch and 3-inch three-ring binders and Ticonderoga pencils.Families in need can register online July 24 through Aug. 7. The registration form will request the name of the school that each child will attend and the grade they are entering; families will be given options for a curbside pickup date and time Aug. 16-17 at Community Thread.Donors can drop off supplies at American Family Insurance, Animal Inn Pet Resort and Spa, Community Thread, Courage Kenny Reha...