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Dangerous heat wave baking US Southwest brings triple digit temperatures, fire risk to California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — After a historically wet winter and a cloudy spring, California’s summer was in full swing Thursday as a heat wave that’s been scorching much of the U.S. Southwest brings triple digit temperatures and an increased risk of wildfires.Blistering conditions will build Friday and throughout the weekend in the central and southern parts of California, where many residents should prepare for the hottest weather of the year, the National Weather Service warned. Midday highs were mostly expected to be above 100 degrees (37.7 C), and desert areas could reach 120 (48.8 C), forecasters said. Little relief was expected overnight, when temperatures could remain in the 80s (above 26.6 C). An excessive heat watch was in effect through Sunday for interior Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. “Please plan accordingly, this is not the time to be hiking or be outside for long durations,” the weather service’s LA office said on Twi...

House Republicans set to interrogate FTC’s Khan over ethics, antitrust issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans who say the Federal Trade Commission has been overzealous and politicized under President Joe Biden are set to interrogate agency head Lina Khan on Thursday, bringing her before the House Judiciary Committee for the first time amid her court battles with big technology companies.Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has criticized Khan in recent months on a multitude of issues, including what he says are politically motivated actions directed at Elon Musk after he acquired Twitter last year, questions about whether she should have recused herself from certain cases and her legal actions against tech giants on antitrust issues. In April, the committee subpoenaed Khan after an investigation by the panel that concluded the FTC “harassed” Twitter in the wake of Musk’s acquisition.The hearing will examine “mismanagement of the FTC and its disregard for ethics and congressional oversight under Chair Lina Khan,” the Judiciary panel’s website says.The he...

AP explains court ruling siding with Amish families who balked at Minnesota septic tank rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

A long-running religious freedom case has come full circle, with court ruling this week that a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota cannot be threatened with the loss of homes if its members don’t install septic systems to dispose of their bath, laundry and dish water.The state Court of Appeals on Monday found that the Swartzentruber Amish community in southeastern Minnesota doesn’t need to install septic systems to dispose of “gray water,” which is dirty water left from dishwashing, laundry, bathing, and other tasks not involving toilet waste. Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed court rulings that had required the group to install septic tanks.Here’s a look at the legal dispute and the traditionalist religious community at the root of it.Who are the Swartzentruber Amish? The Amish are a Christian religious group that, based on its religious beliefs, shuns many modern technologies like electric and gas-powered machinery. Members are likely most recogniza...

The US House majority is in play next year after a weak GOP midterm showing and recent court ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Republican Rep. David Schweikert used to win his wealthy, suburban Phoenix congressional district by nearly 30 points. Then Donald Trump was elected president, and his victories started shrinking.Schweikert, who won his last election by just 3,200 votes, is now among the top 2024 targets for Democrats, who sense better-than-expected odds of retaking the House majority they lost last year.After an anemic showing in the midterms, Republicans have virtually no cushion in their quest to retain control of the House, which was made all the more complicated by a surprise U.S. Supreme Court decision last month that will likely bring two new safely Democratic districts. Democrats need to pick up just five seats to control the House. Republicans are counting on a strong showing from incumbents like Schweikert, one of 18 GOP lawmakers representing districts that supported Democrat Joe Biden for president in 2020. Many are in upscale suburbs like Scottsdale that lean co...

Biden is closing out his Europe trip by showcasing new NATO member Finland

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — President Joe Biden will close out his five-day trip to Europe on Thursday standing alongside Nordic leaders in an effort to show NATO’s expanding power and influence against a burgeoning Russia.The brief stop in the shoreline Finnish capital is the coda to a Biden tour that was carefully sketched to highlight the growth of the military alliance that the president says has fortified itself since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined as NATO’s newest member earlier this year, an entry that effectively doubled the alliance’s border with Russia.Biden arrived in Helsinki after what he deemed a successful annual NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where allies agreed to language that would further pave the way for Ukraine to join the military alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the summit’s outcome “a significant security victory” for his country but nonetheless expressed disappointment Kyiv did not get an outright invitation to j...

Vigil held for 19-year-old Rutland police officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

RUTLAND, V.T. (NEWS10) -Flowers, candles and messages of support fill the street right in front of the Rutland City Police Department where Officer Jessica Ebbighausen worked. At only 19, she is the youngest law enforcement officer in Vermont's history to die in the line of duty. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! It was Officer Ebbighausen's desire to serve and protect her community that led her to become a police officer. Her career and life cut short Friday during a police chase. A burglary suspect's truck crashed head-on with Ebbighausen's cruiser."We are all hurting, and sometimes we don't share that and it's wrong. When our men and women in uniform are hurting, it's our job to stand up for them like they stand up for us," said a member of the Rutland community. SPAC concert evacuated due to bomb threat Everyone at Wednesday night's vigil honoring her memory and her life. Through loss and hurt, the community is finding ...

Nuggets summer league observations: Denver’s lack of P-Wattage, a series of Julian Strawther spins and Jalen Pickett does a bit of everything

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

Observations from the Nuggets’ 96-91 loss to the Utah Jazz at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.Lack of P-Wattage: Peyton Watson’s summer league appears to be over. The second-year Denver wing averaged 19 points over the first two games in Las Vegas and was not in uniform for the Nuggets Wednesday night against Utah.It showed early on.The Nuggets struggled on both ends, falling behind the Jazz 55-35 by halftime and hitting just 6 of 23 3-pointers while Utah poured in 11 triples. Utah eventually prevailed, 96-91.Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth joined the broadcast during the second quarter and said that while it’s important to watch the rookies in Las Vegas, he thinks it’s more likely Watson and others will help fill the void left by departed free agent Bruce Brown.“I think more so it’s some of the guys on the roster. The Christian Brauns of the world,” said Booth, who sat courtside next to Braun. “Christian maybe averaged 13-14 minutes pre game in the regular season last...

Bodycam video shows Los Angeles County deputy punching mother in the face

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

Bodycam footage released Wednesday shows a deputy punching a mother in the face as she held her three-week-old baby in Palmdale.A press conference with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna was held Wednesday to address the two use-of-force incidents captured on video.The incident, which was captured on bodycam, took place on July 13, 2022, shortly before midnight, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.Palmdale Station deputies spotted a vehicle driving without headlights and initiated a traffic stop at the time.Approaching the vehicle, authorities smelled alcohol coming from the car while also spotting five adults and three infants sitting inside.The three babies were being held in the arms of the women instead of strapped into a car seat. The male driver was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a suspended license. The female passengers were arrested for felony child endangerment.Bodycam footage of the arrest shows one mother, who is se...

Santa Monica police apologize for blasting neighborhood with classical music

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

Santa Monica Police are apologizing after a program meant to deter crime and improve public safety instead angered neighbors near the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Broadway.Last week, police installed traffic signals that play classical music as part of a broader city-wide initiative, the police department said.Residents complained, including one caller who contacted KTLA to say the music was too loud and made sleeping difficult.On Facebook Wednesday, police blamed a glitch."The cameras were installed on Thursday and the volume was set at an acceptable level and unfortunately the software glitched on Tuesday and reset the volume to the highest level possible," the department explained. "We truly do apologize to all those impacted."The music has now been turned off, police said.A music-playing traffic sign is seen in Santa Monica on July 12, 2023. (KTLA)Public response to the Facebook post has been mixed."I don’t know about you but, as long as it was safe, I would freaking love to...

Push these over, say rangers at Yosemite National Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:34 GMT

Have you ever passed by a rock cairn and felt the urge to knock it over? Well, officials with Yosemite National Park strongly advise that you do.Rock cairns are man-made piles of rock stacked on top of each other. According to park rangers, Leave No Trace ethics states that when recreating in wilderness spaces, the goal is to leave no signs of human impact on the land so as to respect the other creatures living in it.And while the effort and aesthetics of these rock cairns may seem too precious to ruin, oversized cairns are a mark of human impact and are distracting in a wilderness setting. Officials also say building them disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that live on the underside of these rocks.In general, park rangers say rock cairns should only be built by trail workers and are meant for navigation, safety, and delineating new or hard-to-follow trails.Yosemite National Park advises visitors to dismantle and refrain from building rock cairns when visiting the ...