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Brazil’s prosecutors block zipline construction at Rio’s touristic Sugarloaf Mountain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal prosecutors blocked a decision to authorize the installment of ziplines at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain, claiming they will damage the environment around one of the United Nations world’s heritage sites.Prosecutors announced the decision late Thursday, arguing that Iphan, a federal organ under the Ministry of Culture, “illicitly” authorized the project after construction had already begun in September 2022.Now, both Iphan and the company responsible for the construction of the ziplines are defendants in a civil lawsuit and each must pay a fine of at least US$9.5 million (50 million reais). Prosecutors gave the company a 60-day deadline to present a schedule to work on repairing a damaged area and to remove every structure and residuals used at the construction site.Sugarloaf — known in Portuguese as Pao de Açucar — juts out of the earth at the entrance to Rio’s bay. The United Nations heritage center named it a...

Connecticut lawmakers vote to allow people to use deadly force as the bear population grows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

Connecticut lawmakers voted Friday to take steps to protect people from the state’s growing bear population. But they stopped far short of a bear hunt and restrictions on people unintentionally feeding the hungry animals.The legislation, which cleared the House of Representatives on a 115-32 vote after being revamped by the Senate, instead explicitly allows someone to use deadly force to kill a bear in Connecticut if they reasonably believe it’s inflicting or about to inflict great bodily harm to a person, a pet or is entering an occupied building.“This is just taking away second-guessing to defend what we love,” said Republican Rep. Patrick Callahan, whose northwestern Connecticut district has seen a lot of bear activity in recent years. The bill, which now moves to Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, has been one of the most emotional issues of this year’s legislative session. It has pitted legislators who want to protect the animals against those whose cons...

3 women who say Cuba Gooding Jr. sexually abused them can testify at sex assault trial, judge rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Three women who claim Cuba Gooding Jr. sexually abused them — including one upset she never got her day in court when Gooding resolved criminal charges without trial or jail — can testify at a federal civil trial next week to support a woman’s claim that the actor raped her in 2013, a judge ruled Friday.Judge Paul A. Crotty said the allegations by the women were relevant for a jury deciding if the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star raped a woman in a Manhattan hotel room after they met at a bar. He also ruled in a separate order that the plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit seeking $6 million in damages, must reveal her name at trial.He said the claims by the three women who can testify “are sufficiently similar” to the claims at stake in the trial because “all involve sudden sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults” connected to Gooding and stemmed from the presence of the women and Gooding in social settings such as festivals, bars, nightclubs ...

Black men were likely underdiagnosed with lung problems because of bias in software, study suggests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests.As many as 40% more Black male patients in the study might have been diagnosed with breathing problems if current diagnosis-assisting computer software was changed, the study said.Doctors have long discussed the potential problems caused by race-based assumptions that are built into diagnostic software. This study, published in JAMA Network Open, offers one of the first real-world examples of how the the issue may affect diagnosis and care for lung patients, said Dr. Darshali Vyas, a pulmonary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital.The results are “exciting” to see published but it’s also “what we’d expect” from setting aside race-based calculations, said Vyas, who was an author of an influential 2020 New England Journal of Medicine article that catalogued examples of how race-based as...

Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run in Highland Park, mayor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — A hit-and-run Friday afternoon in Highland Park claimed the life of a female bicyclist, the city's mayor confirmed. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said on Twitter that the crash occurred just before 12:40 p.m. at the intersection of Deerfield and Piccadilly roads.The bicyclist suffered severe injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead. There is no description of the fleeing vehicle at this time. Rotering said Deerfield Road between Carriage Way and Lilac Lane is closed due to an ongoing crash investigation.Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Highland Park Police Department at (847) 432.7730 or by email at [email protected] is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Churchill Downs suspending races after 12 horses die

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — In the wake of 12 horse deaths at Churchill Downs, the race track best known for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby, says it will suspend racing as a precaution.Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the Louisville-based track, says remaining meets will be moved to Ellis Park Racing and Gaming, located in Henderson, Kentucky. CDI says transitioning Spring Meet races will begin June 7. PETA: Stop playing ‘Russian roulette’ with horses’ lives Since the "unusual" number of horse deaths at the race track, Churchill conducted an inspection and jointly announced new safety measures with the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority. “What has happened at our track is deeply upsetting and absolutely unacceptable," CDI CEO Bill Carstanjen said in a statement. "Despite our best efforts to identify a cause for the recent horse injuries, and though no issues have been linked to our racing surfaces or environment at Churchill Downs, we need to take more time to conduct a ...

Cook County man on parole charged with possession of child porn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

CHICAGO — A 22-year-old Richton Park man on parole is charged with possessing child pornography. Joshua CollymoreFollowing a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip, Cook County Sheriff's Office investigators assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit looked into Joshua Collymore. According to deputies, the 22-year-old was on parole for a 2022 conviction of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Aurora man sentenced to 100 years for breaking into woman’s home, sexually assaulting her Upon further investigation, authorities determined that an online shared account file titled "young sex" belonged to Collymore. The file allegedly contained nearly 130 sexually explicit videos of young children. Collymore was arrested on Thursday and admitted to recognizing several recovered images. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved one count of Class 2 possession of child pornography of victims under the age of 13. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines...

Pentagon bans drag shows on military bases after GOP pressure

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

A day before the Pentagon celebrated the June 1 start of Pride Month, top defense leaders were quietly enforcing a militarywide ban on drag performances.The move became public after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley stepped in to stop a drag show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., which had been scheduled for Thursday.In enforcing the ban, which stems from a long-standing Defense Department policy that has not always been applied, critics say the Pentagon appears to have acquiesced to GOP pressure in recent months to cancel those performances at military installations. Republican lawmakers, in hearings and letters to the Defense Department, have raged over drag shows and diversity programs, which they claim hurt recruiting efforts and compromise warfighting.LGBTQ rights groups have slammed the apparent shift from the Pentagon, noting the U.S. has a long history of supporting drag shows going back to at least World War I.Kelley Robinson, ...

'Crisis averted': Biden addresses bipartisan debt ceiling deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

(NewsNation) — In a Friday evening address from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden addressed the debt ceiling deal he negotiated with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that sailed through Congress with bipartisan support. Biden celebrated a “crisis averted" in his first address since the deal's passage, saying, “No one got everything they wanted, but the American people got what they needed.”The deal will suspend the debt limit for two years, while also putting in new work requirements for older Americans receiving food assistance. It also boosts funding for veterans and defense and approves a natural gas pipeline going from West Virginia to Virginia. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the plan cuts the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade.  Biden highlighted the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “We averted an economic crisis and an economic collapse,” he said. When will you need to start repaying your student loans? White House press secretary Kari...

Texas might use eminent domain to prevent developer taking over state park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:45 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state of Texas may try to use eminent domain to prevent a developer from turning a state park into a private community.The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will hold a special meeting June 10 to consider acquiring the land through condemnation, the process by which governments can use eminent domain.The developer, Dallas-based Todd Interests, plans to turn the property into a gated community with multi-million dollar homes and a golf course. The company will officially take over the land, which includes Fairfield Lake State Park, from the current owner on June 13.Lawmakers previously considered allowing the state to use eminent domain to acquire the property. A bill filed in the legislature was significantly altered to focus on water rights in the lake rather than using eminent domain. House Bill 4757 was passed by the House, but left pending in a Senate committee after some senators warned it could open the state up to possible litigation.The meeting announce...