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‘The damage is unbelievable:’ Tornadoes kill 3 in Oklahoma

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

By KEN MILLER and JAMIE STENGLE (Associated Press)DALLAS (AP) — Crews scrambled Thursday to restore power to thousands of residents after tornadoes plowed through Oklahoma during another deadly spring storm in the U.S., killing at least three people and damaging dozens of homes.A day after at least eight tornadoes spun through Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said authorities were still assessing the scale of destruction. He toured the aftermath in Shawnee, where nearly every building at Oklahoma Baptist University showed damage. A home improvement store was destroyed, but several people sheltering inside survived. Two long-term care facilities and a hospital in Shawnee were also damaged.“The damage is unbelievable when you walk through there,” Stitt said after touring the city.Stitt also visited the small town of Cole, where he said two people died and 50 to 100 homes were damaged. Authorities said a third person who was injured had also died, but it was not immediately...

Deadline quickly approaches for short-term rental licenses in San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The deadline for whole-home rentals to apply for a license to become compliant with San Diego's short-term rental ordinance is quickly approaching."We've always been for sensible, reasonable regulations, we want what everybody else does," said Greg Ross, owner of Nancy's Vacation Rentals. He is gearing up to become compliant with San Diego's short-term rental ordinance. Ross will now need to post their license on the front window of all the whole home rentals he manages."I'm a real estate broker and I really believe in the bundle of rights and personal property rights. I don't feel that people should be able to tell you can do or not do with a property. And I do feel you have to be a respectful neighbor and a good neighbor to everybody around you," Ross said.Starting on May 1, all short-term rental hosts that rent out their entire home will need to pay $1,000 for a two-year license."So that's one thing that could've done better in the ordinance, maybe a price per bedroo...

Campsites at California State Parks could get easier to reserve. Here are the proposed changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Frequent campers at California state parks are no stranger to the difficulties of getting a reservation at one of the thousands of campsites across the state. But, a new state bill might make it a bit easier for outdoor enthusiasts to snag a spot.AB 618, introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, proposes to amend reservation policies for campsites to add incentives for early cancellations and penalties for not showing up -- regulations which aim to open up spaces to meet the current demand.The bill will also direct the California State Parks department to implement a lottery system for a handful of the most coveted campsites, as well as provide a substantial discount to low-income visitors that hold a Golden Bear pass."California's public parks and beaches are treasures that should be enjoyed by all Californians," Bauer-Kahan said in a February press release. "Unfortunately, our current outdated reservation system has led to a situation where many ca...

Argument at large Hawaii cockfight led to deadly shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A shooting that killed two people and wounded three others in Hawaii began with an argument at a cockfight attended by 100 to 200 people, according to court documents.Probable cause papers detailing one of the most serious shootings in state history were made public Thursday after an initial court appearance for one of the suspects, Jacob Borge. Borge, 23, and a 16-year-old boy turned themselves in to police. Borge was charged with first- and second-degree murder, three counts of attempted murder and firearms charges. Bail was set at $2 million. Petitions were filed against the juvenile for the same charges, police said.State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represented Borge at the initial hearing, said it is too early to comment on the case. Honolulu police were dispatched to a rural neighborhood in Waianae following a report of shots fired shortly after midnight Saturday at a cockfight. When police arrived, attendees were hurrying away from the scene, cour...

Early warning is first defense in India climate disasters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

KOCHI, India (AP) — For deep sea fishermen Charlene Lenis, Jerome Beji and their 10-person crew, knowing when a cyclone is approaching can spell the difference between life and death. When 2021’s Cyclone Tauktae was nearing fishing areas off the southern coast of India, India’s weather agency sent out a message about the major storm. The fishers had been at sea two days and immediately returned to port after getting the satellite phone warning.“We are gillnet fishers and we always travel as a troupe of boats. At least one boat will have a satellite phone,” said Lenis, who primarily catches tuna, sharks and other big fish.The India Meteorological Department, as well as the state of Kerala, have increased infrastructure for cyclone warnings since Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, which killed 245 fishermen out at sea. Just a year later, unprecedented flooding cost the southwestern state of Kerala billions of dollars in damage, including in its largest city Kochi. Ramping up ways to warn pe...

Biden to host Marcos for talks at White House next month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for talks at the White House next month as the U.S. looks to continue to tighten relations with the Pacific nation.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the two leaders’ meeting on May 1 is expected to focus on deepening economic cooperation, climate change, human rights, efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region and more.The visit comes after the Philippines announced earlier this year that it would allow U.S. forces to broaden their footprint in the Southeast Asian nation. It was one of a series of moves by the administration aimed strengthening an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan.Biden and Marcos had their first face-to-face meeting in September on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.Marcos, the son and namesake of the country’s former dictator, took o...

California driver accused of intentionally mowing down teens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A man accused of intentionally ramming his car into a group of California high school students, killing one and injuring three others, was charged Thursday with murder and other counts in a series of alleged crimes earlier this week.Austin Eis, 24, of Camarillo, appeared in a Ventura County courtroom but didn’t enter a plea. His attorney asked that his arraignment be postponed, and Eis was ordered held without bail until his court hearing next month, the county district attorney’s office said in a statement.Eis is accused of committing a string of crimes in Ventura County on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege that he entered a Simi Valley Walmart where he used pepper spray and stabbed a worker, “physically assaulted and attempted to drag a second employee and lunged at two additional employees with a knife,” according to the DA’s office statement.He then left and forced his way inside a home in neighboring Camarillo, where he argued with some member...

North Korea lambasts G-7, says its nukes are ‘stark reality’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s foreign minister on Friday called the Group of Seven wealthy democracies a “tool for ensuring the U.S. hegemony” as she lambasted the group’s recent call for the North’s denuclearization. The top diplomats from G-7 nations, who met recently in Japan, had jointly condemned the North’s recent ballistic missile tests and reiterated their commitment to the goal of North Korea’s complete abandonment of its nuclear weapons. Their communique was prepared as a template for leaders at the G-7 summit next month in Hiroshima, where North Korea’s nuclear program will likely be discussed again.North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said her country will take unspecified “strong counteraction” if G-7 countries — the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union — show “any behavioral attempt” to infringe upon the fundamental interests of North Korea.“G7, a closed group of a handful of egoistic countries,...

MP Han Dong sues Global News for defamation over foreign meddling allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

OTTAWA — Toronto MP Han Dong is suing Global News and its parent company, Corus Entertainment, over stories he says portrayed him as a “traitor” and a knowing participant in Chinese interference in Canada.The statement of claim, provided by his lawyers and filed Thursday with the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, accuses Global News of publishing “false, malicious, irresponsible, and defamatory” stories that have “destroyed … Dong’s hard-earned reputation and career.”In March, Global published a story citing unidentified security sources who alleged Dong told a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor would benefit the Conservatives.The two Canadian men at that time had been detained in China since December 2018, just over a week after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.Global had previously published allegations that Dong benefited from Chines...

Thefts prompt 17 states to urge recall of Kia, Hyundai cars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:44 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Attorneys general in 17 states on Thursday urged the federal government to recall millions of Kia and Hyundai cars because they are too easy to steal, a response to a sharp increase in thefts fueled by a viral social media challenge.Some Kia and Hyundai cars sold in the United States over the last decade do not have engine immobilizers, a standard feature on most cars that prevents the engine from starting unless the key is present. Videos circulating on the social media service TikTok have shown how people can start Kia and Hyundai models by using only a screwdriver and a USB cable. In Los Angeles, thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars increased by about 85% in 2022, now accounting for 20% of all car thefts in the city, according to the California attorney general’s office.These social media-inspired thefts have often ended in tragedy, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blaming the stolen car trend for 14 reported crashes and eight deat...