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Recalling a wild ride with a robotaxi named Peaches as regulators mull San Francisco expansion plan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — I won’t forget the first time I took a ride in a car without anyone sitting in the driver’s seat.It happened one night last September when a Chevy Bolt named Peaches picked me up outside a San Francisco bar. Our ensuing half-hour ride together produced, at first, a titillating display of technology’s promise. Then an unexpected twist made me worry that the encounter had turned into a mistake I would regret.Peaches and I were getting along great for most of our time together, as the car deftly navigated through hilly San Francisco streets similar to those Steve McQueen careened through during the famous chase scene in the 1968 film “Bullitt.” Unlike McQueen, Peaches never exceeded 30 mph (48 kph) because of restrictions imposed by state regulators on a ride-hailing service operated by Cruise, a General Motors subsidiary, since it won approval to transport fare-paying passengers last year.It was all going so smoothly that I was starting to buy into the vision of C...

Tugboat sinks in Suez Canal after colliding with tanker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A tugboat sank Saturday in Egypt’s Suez Canal after it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, the waterway’s authorities said.In a statement, the Suez Canal Authority, which oversees the operation of the key water passage, said its teams were working to recover the tugboat after it launched an operation to save the seven-person crew. It did not mention whether the movement of other ships transporting through the canal had been affected.The canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas, sees periodic groundings of mega-large transport ships that go through it, many of them traveling between China and Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Tugboats help guide ships passing through.The tanker involved in Saturday’s collision, the authority said, was the Hong Kong-flagged tanker Chinagas Legend, which it said was now waiting in Port Said.In March 2021 a skyscraper-sized container ship, the Panama-flagged Ever Given, ran aground in a single-lane stretch of ...

Turkmenistan Airlines suspends Moscow flights over safety concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Turkmenistan’s flagship carrier, Turkmenistan Airlines, announced Saturday it would extend its suspension of flights to Moscow until the end of October, citing safety concerns after an increase in drone attacks on the Russian capital.The suspension of flights between the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat and Moscow would be in place until Oct. 28 “due to the situation in the Moscow air zone, and based on a risk assessment in order to ensure flight safety,” the airline said in a statement.The suspension of flights, first announced on Wednesday, was initially planned until Aug. 22.The airline’s Saturday statement said that flights between Ashgabat and Moscow would instead fly to the city of Kazan, located, over 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Moscow.A drone attacked a skyscraper in central Moscow early Tuesday for the second time in around 48 hours, damaging the building’s facade and further underscoring the Russian capital’s vulnerability. Russian authorities accused Uk...

Syrian baby born under earthquake rubble turns 6 months, happily surrounded by her adopted family

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

JINDERIS, Syria (AP) — A baby girl who was born under the rubble of her family home destroyed by the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria six months ago is in good health, loves her adopted family and likes to smile even to strangers.The dark-haired baby Afraa survived 10 hours under the rubble after the Feb. 6 earthquake crushed to death her parents and four siblings in the northern Syrian town of Jinderis. When she was found, her umbilical cord was still connected to her mother.Her story captivated the world at the time, and people from all over offered to adopt her.After spending days at a hospital in north Syria, Afraa was released and handed over to her paternal aunt and her husband, who adopted her and are raising her along with their five daughters and two sons. Afraa was handed over to her aunt’s family days after a DNA test was conducted to make sure the girl and her aunt are biologically related, her adopted father, Khalil al-Sawadi, said.On Saturday, baby Afraa was...

4th body is found in New Jersey house that exploded; 2 injured children were rescued by civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

BUENA, N.J. (AP) — The body of a fourth victim has been found following an explosion and fire that destroyed a New Jersey house and seriously injured two children, who were pulled from the fire by civilians, authorities said. The cause of Thursday morning’s explosion in Buena, about 40 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia, is being investigated. It damaged several nearby homes, but no other injuries were reported.Authorities had previously said those likely in the house at the time included two men, ages 52 and 73, and two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. A 1-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl pulled from the fire by civilians were flown to a Philadelphia hospital, where the infant was in critical condition and the teen was stable, police said.Authorities have not released the victims’ names or said whether they are related.Three of four missing people had been found dead in the rubble by 8 p.m. Thursday, Franklin Township police said. The body of the f...

Weekend Break: Chicago Children's Museum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

Check out this Weekend Break with Marcus Leshock at the Chicago Children's Museum.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Why is it called Capitol Reef National Park if there's no reef?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — It’s nowhere near a capitol, and it certainly doesn’t look like the color reefs you’ll find in Hawaii or off the coast of Australia. So why is this Utah national park called Capitol Reef?It’s not as complicated as you may think, but the answer is a two-part explanation. If you’ve ever been to Capitol Reef, its name will start to make sense in a moment. If you haven’t been to the park, you need to understand its geology first. Located in south-central Utah, Capitol Reef is part of the Waterpocket Fold, a warp in the Earth’s crust that stretches on for nearly 100 miles. Hundreds of millions of years ago, Capitol Reef was more like the Saharan Desert, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Then it became wet, sporting tropical forests, ferns, and swamps.  It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction But then, about 180 million years ago, the area became dry again. Then, 40 million years later, it turned into a coastal area, d...

What should you do if you are bitten by a tick?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

(WHTM) -- Ticks are one of the most common bugs that affect animals and humans alike during the spring and summer months. Some people don't even realize they have a tick on them until it is too late and they are either bitten or become ill.So if you are bitten by a tick, what should you do? The first thing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says is if the tick is still on you, you are to use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible and pull up with "steady even pressure," making sure not to twist the tick or tweezers. CDC: Meat allergy caused by tick bites is a growing concern After the tick is removed, clean the bite with rubbing alcohol or soapy water. Then, flush the tick down the toilet. The CDC says that you can also place the tick in rubbing alcohol and place it in a sealed bag if you'd like to show it to your healthcare provider.The CDC says that although some companies will test the tick for specific germs, they do not rec...

Officials respond to gas leak near elementary school in Cedar Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park Police said there was a gas leak being worked on because of construction in front of an elementary school.CPPD said the leak was near Mason Elementary School located at 1501 Lakeline Boulevard.“Crews will be working to fix the issue, and there is no need for any evacuations at this time,” CPPD said.Officials said the northbound and southbound lanes would be closed until the leak is fixed.

A contest to draw attention to the need for adequate internet access

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:26:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin Financial Services Department is conducting an art contest leading up to Digital Inclusion Week from October 1 to 7. Briana Gowing is the public information officer for the Financial Services Department.This is the 4th annual youth contest to celebrate Digital Inclusion Week. The contest is to draw attention to the fact that about 40,000 households in Austin don't have digital internet at home. It becomes more difficult to get reliable news and weather information without it. The theme centers around what the world would be like if everyone had adequate internet access.She says that during the freeze of 2021 that those with adequate high-speed internet were able to be reached faster to address possible needs than those who either did not have adequate broadband access or had no access at all.Ms. Gowing also related a story about people who are sight-impaired with proper access and are able to find out important weather conditions.Budding artists ag...