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US sending F-16 fighter jets to protect ships from Iranian seizures in Gulf region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is beefing up its use of fighter jets around the strategic Strait of Hormuz to protect ships from Iranian seizures, a senior defense official said Friday, adding that the U.S. is increasingly concerned about the growing ties between Iran, Russia and Syria across the Middle East.Speaking to Pentagon reporters, the official said the U.S. will send F-16 fighter jets to the Gulf region this weekend to augment the A-10 attack aircraft that have been patrolling there for more than a week. The move comes after Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strait last week, opening fire on one of them.The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of military operations in the region, said the F-16s will give air cover to the ships moving through the waterway and increase the military’s visibility in the area, as a deterrent to Iran. The U.S. Navy said in both instances the Iranian naval vessels backed off when the USS McFaul, a ...

Alex Galchenyuk of Coyotes repeatedly used racial slur, intimidated officers after stop, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Alex Galchenyuk repeatedly used racial slurs toward a police officer in training and threatened to have two officers killed during a traffic stop last weekend, police said in a report, actions that led the Arizona Coyotes to terminate the player’s contract on Friday.A Scottsdale Police Department report said Galchenyuk was erratic and aggressive toward officers after apparently crashing a car into a sign.Galchenyuk cited connections in Moscow while saying “I’m gunna chop you, your wife, your daughter” and “One phone call and you’re all dead, your whole family, your blood line is dead,” police said in the report.Galchenyuk, who was born in the U.S. to Belarusian parents and spent much of his childhood in Russia, uttered a racial slur several times while referring to the officer in training, the report said.The Coyotes terminated Galchenyuk’s contract due to a material breach of terms a day after placing him on unconditional waivers.“We are aware o...

‘Kind and thoughtful’ firefighter, 19, who died in B.C. is identified by her brother

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

REVELSTOKE, B.C. — A 19-year-old B.C. firefighter who police say was killed by a falling tree near Revelstoke on Thursday has been identified by her brother as Devyn Gale, who was a former member of the B.C. gymnastics team and a star pupil at her high school.Nolan Gale said in an Instagram post that his sister was “kind and thoughtful,” and he’s grateful to have grown up alongside her.“Devyn was an amazing sister,” Nolan posted. “She was smarter and better at what she did than she gave herself credit for.” “She truly didn’t deserve this.” A post on Devyn Gale’s Instagram account from 2021 shows her posing with other members of the BC Wildfire Service, saying in a caption that her crew from the Southeastern Fire Centre was “the best.” Gale was one of three children. Their mother is a local dentist, and their father is a teacher. Revelstoke RCMP said in a news release that does not name Devyn Gale that the ...

US to reopen review of Nevada geothermal plant near endangered toad while legal battle is on hold

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — In a reversal that marks a significant victory for conservationists, federal officials have decided to “revisit” the 2021 environmental review that cleared the way for construction of a geothermal power plant in Nevada where an endangered toad lives.Environmentalists and tribal leaders suing to block the project said the move will trigger an unprecedented third review of the partially built power plant that they say the Bureau of Land Management illegally approved in December 2021. “This vindicates what we’ve been saying for years,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The federal government’s environmental review was flawed and it never should’ve approved the project.”Justice Department lawyers representing the bureau didn’t specify in court documents last week whether the agency intends to conduct a supplemental analysis of the potential impacts of the project or scrap the previous review and initi...

Brazil wants 10-year pause on deep sea mining as UN agency under pressure to draft regulations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Brazil on Friday urged a10-year precautionary pause on deep sea mining in international waters just days after companies and countries were allowed to start applying for provisional licenses.The call came during a two-week conference held by the International Seabed Authority, a regulatory U.N. agency based in Jamaica that failed to approve a set of rules and regulations to govern deep sea mining by a July 9 deadline.The agency has not issued any provisional licenses, nor has it received any applications, although the government of Nauru is expected to apply soon for a license via the Canadian-based Metals Co.The government of the tiny Pacific island said Friday that it wants to diversify its “limited economic base,” but promised it would not sponsor an application during the U.N. conference, which ends July 21.Nauru noted that its “good-faith decision” does not mean officials are withdrawing their plan to pursue deep sea mining.“We’re no longer in a ‘wh...

B.C. drops Facebook, Instagram advertising in response to Meta’s news block, says Eby

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says it has stopped advertising on Facebook and Instagram to send a message to parent company Meta, which is blocking Canadian news from the social media platforms.Meta’s decision to cut off news access for many people in British Columbia is “unacceptable,” Premier David Eby said in a statement.B.C.’s move comes after the federal and Quebec governments suspended advertising on the Meta platforms on July 5, in response to the tech giant’s announcement that it would block Canadian news on its platforms in response to the new federal Online News Act, which became law on June 22.“Local media creates much of the content that tech giants have relied on to build their business models, and many British Columbians now rely on social media to get their news,” Eby said. “Meta’s decision to cut off that access is totally unacceptable.”The Online News Act, expected to come into force within six month...

GOP attorneys general shift the battle over affirmative action to the workplace

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Thirteen Republican state attorneys general are cautioning CEOs of the 100 biggest U.S. companies on the legal consequences for using race as a factor in hiring and employment practices, demonstrating how the Supreme Court’s recent ruling dismantling affirmative action in higher education may trickle into the workplace.The state attorneys general sent a letter to the CEOs on Thursday arguing that the controversial June ruling declaring that race cannot be a factor in college admissions — consequently striking down decades-old practices aimed at achieving diverse student bodies — could also apply to private entities, like employers.“Treating people differently because of the color of their skin, even for benign purposes, is unlawful and wrong,” they wrote. The GOP officials also suggested that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs could be a form of discrimination.The letter and similar actions elsewhere have raised questions about the far-reaching consequenc...

Several people displaced after fire at senior living apartments in Schaumburg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Residents of about 20 units at a senior living apartment building in Schaumburg are displaced after a fire on Friday.The apartment building is near West Wise Road and Roselle Road.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesVideo from Skycam 9 showed flames coming from the roof of the building.According to a spokesperson for the village, no injuries have been reported, but two residents were taken to local hospitals as a precaution for smoke inhalation.A reunification point has been set up at Frost Junior High School, located just a few blocks away at 320 West Wise Road.This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Man found fatally stabbed at baseball diamond in Uptown, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

CHICAGO — A death investigation is underway after Chicago police say a body was found at a baseball diamond near Marine Drive and Montrose Friday morning. According to police, a 64-year-old man was found unresponsive near the 4400 block of North Marine Drive at Claredon Park around 5:30 a.m. with stab wounds to the head and neck. The man was pronounced dead on the scene. The baseball diamond is located just west of DuSable Lake Shore Drive.There is currently no one in custody and police are investigating the incident. "This is the second stabbing in a matter of three weeks, so we would like to have something done," a concerned resident told WGN News. Man shot, critically wounded during armed robbery at Bucktown liquor store City data shows it's the first homicide in Uptown this year.Anyone with information may leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.com.Area 3 detectives are investigating.

3 piping plovers released on Montrose Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:09 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago's Uptown community has some new neighbors. Three piping plovers were released at Montrose Beach after being rescued from a nest in upstate New York.  Piping plover Imani returns to Montrose Beach Sea Rocket, Wild Indigo and Prickly Pear are just over a month old and are helping increase the piping plover population along the shoreline.   Armand Cann is a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and joined WGN Evening News at 4 p.m. to reveal what made the release so special. How the story of two little birds captivated Chicago "This is the first time they have been released outside the state of Michigan and, of course, the first time at Montrose Beach itself, so that's what makes it special," Cann said. "It's really another stepping stone in the course of recovery for the species. The species has dwindled down to as low as 13 pairs when it listed in 1986 and at the moment, we're back up to 80, which is a record-high."Read more: Lat...