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LOCALIZE IT: 10 States sue to halt jump in premiums under flood insurance revamp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: Ten states have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to block sharp increases in national flood insurance rates that are slated to be phased in over the coming years under new methods of calculating premiums for the National Flood Insurance Program.The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said the new formula it began implementing in 2021 means owners of lower-cost homes will no longer be subsidizing the flood risk for pricier, waterfront properties. But local government officials, business leaders and home owners in some flood-vulnerable areas say they are facing soaring costs in the coming years under the new program. ___AP’S LATEST COVERAGE Louisiana, nine other states file suit over methods used to calculate National Flood Insurance Program premiums ___THESE STATES ARE PLAINTIFFS IN THE LAWSUIT However, the policy affects people throughout the nation. LouisianaFloridaIdahoKentuckyMississipp...

NCAA champ Rose Zhang 1st LPGA Tour winner in pro debut in 72 years, wins Mizuho in playoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Rose Zhang lived up to all the pre-tournament hype as the next great women’s golfer — at least in her first week as a pro.The two-time NCAA champion became the first player in 72 years to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut, capturing the Mizuho Americas Open with a par on the second playoff hole against Jennifer Kupcho on Sunday.Zhang arrived on the LPGA Tour with the most fanfare since Michelle Wie West in 2005, and she delivered in the shadow of the Big Apple. “I just can’t believe it,” Zhang said. “It was just last week when I won NCAAs with my teammates, and to turn pro and come out here, it’s just been amazing. I’ve enjoyed the journey.”The span was actually 13 days.The last female player to win as a pro in her debut was Beverly Hanson, who edged Babe Zaharias to take the Eastern Open in 1951.The performance was so impressive it drew the attention of fellow Stanford product Tiger Wood.“Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title...

Colorado has some of the best hiking cities in the nation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — No surprise, but Colorado's cities are among the best in the nation when it comes to hiking. National Trails Day was on June 3, so LawnStarter ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on five hiking-related categories: trail and supplies access, quality, climate and safety using data from AllTrails, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NeighborhoodScout, ReserveAmerica.com, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Yelp. Each city got a final score out of 100. 10 breathtaking spring hikes to take in Colorado Colorado Springs ranks ninth in the nation. It has the third-best trail access, the fourth-best hiking quality and the 12th-best access to supplies. It scored lower for climate (63rd) and for safety (163rd). Predictably, western cities top the list. Portland claims the number one spot, followed by Phoenix, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Tucson. Salt Lake City...

Free summer lunch program begins Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One in six Colorado children don't have access to the food they need. Kids that don’t have proper nutrition during the summer are more likely to experience learning loss. Thirty percent of students in the Cherry Creek School District qualify for free or reduced meals, and during the summer, families have to make up for the two meals that their students are missing. Free summer meals Monday, June 5, is the first day that free meals will be served to students at mobile sites.There are six sites in the Aurora area for Cherry Creek School District students and two joint sites with Aurora Public Schools.   Denver woman creates online community to help those navigating through cancer Last year, the district served 1,000 meals a day at all of the sites combined. They anticipate serving that many, if not more, this summer. However, one COVID-era change is being missed by parents and students.  “Unfortunately, the waivers that we had durin...

‘Barbie’ movie’s pink paint splurge led to global shortage, production designer says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

(CNN) — Creating the perfect backdrop for the upcoming “Barbie” movie required so much pink paint that it led to a global shortage, according to its production designer.“The world ran out of pink,” said Sarah Greenwood in a recent interview with Architectural Digest.Greenwood, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including for the art direction of “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement,” said constructing the set involved huge amounts of Rosco’s fluorescent pink paint.The live action movie, which hits theaters on July 21, stars Margot Robbie in the titular role and a blond Ryan Gosling as her plastic boyfriend, Ken.Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach, told the magazine the color was all-important to the movie.“Maintaining the ‘kid-ness’ was paramount,” she said. “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much.”This was part of what Gerwig described as “literally creating the alternate universe of Barbie Land.”Wh...

Yellowstone urges visitors to protect wildlife after tourists put baby elk in their car and other incidents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

(CNN) — Yellowstone National Park has urged visitors to protect wildlife after a string of incidents that have left animals killed or endangered, including one in which tourists gave a newborn elk a ride in their car.The park issued a plea late last week asking visitors to drive carefully and follow safety regulations after several reports of fatal collisions between vehicles and wildlife.“In recent days, some actions by visitors have led to the endangerment of people and wildlife and resulted in the death of wildlife,” the park said in a press release.“The park calls on visitors to protect wildlife by understanding how their actions can negatively impact wildlife.”On Memorial Day weekend, visitors put a newborn elk calf in their car and brought it to the West Yellowstone Police Department. The calf later ran into the forest. Its condition is unknown, the park said.On May 28, two adult black bears, both dark chocolate brown in color, were struck and killed in separate vehicle collis...

Stabbing leaves 3 injured after domestic dispute in NW Miami-Dade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

Miami-Dade Police Department officers responded to the scene of a stabbing, Sunday night.According to officials, a woman and her estranged husband got into a verbal argument before it escalated into a physical confrontation.The man then stabbed the woman, her brother and another family member before he fled the scene.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the woman to Jackson Memorial Hospital, while the brother was transported to Hialeah Hospital. The other family member was treated at the scene.Authorities announced a Be On The Lookout for 33-year-old Pablo Caballero.

Restaurant review: Kitchen 151

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

What’s good? Owner and chef Simona El-Harar says she opened her restaurant when she moved to Brussels a decade ago partly as a way to meet people. “When I opened Kitchen 151 I actually opened a house,” she says. El-Harar is Israeli, but she says her home country’s cuisine “borrows from everybody.” Her menu has influences from Yemen, Georgia, Iraq, Morocco and elsewhere — and she only cooks what she eats herself. The delicious Börek (spinach and feta in filo pastry) and Babka (home-baked cinnamon bun) were highlights of our visit.What’s not? The restaurant’s hours are quite restricted — closed on Saturday night, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday — so you’ll need to book a couple of weeks in advance for a table on Friday night. The tables are also close together and the atmosphere can be loud. So not the place for a discrete or intimate dinner.Vibe: Simple furniture. Mismatched crockery. A forest of pot plants perched on hi...

EU wants Google, Facebook to start labeling AI-generated content

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

BRUSSELS — In a bid to clamp down on disinformation online, the European Commission wants tech companies like Google, Facebook and TikTok to start labeling content created by artificial intelligence without waiting for digital laws to come into effect. Text, video and audio created and manipulated by artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E have been increasingly spreading online. The Commission is now calling on dozens of large tech companies that are part of its voluntary anti-disinformation charter to make it easier for people to distinguish facts from fiction. “Signatories who have services with a potential to disseminate AI-generated disinformation should in turn put in place technology to recognize such content and clearly label this to users,” Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová said Monday, as previously reported in Brussels Playbook. Very large online platforms and search engines like Meta, Twitter and TikTok will have to identif...

Worcester police arrest break-in suspect after woman finds ‘strange male’ in her closet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:59 GMT

A man with warrants for his arrest was taken into custody over the weekend after Worcester police say he allegedly broke into an apartment and was found in a closet by a resident.The Worcester Police Department said Jonathan Feliciano, 34, was arrested on Saturday, June 3, after authorities responded to Millbury Street for a reported break-in.There, a witness told officers that when she had arrived home to her apartment, she found her door damaged and a “strange male was in her closet,” according to a Worcester PD news release.Police said the woman was able to take a picture of the male suspect before he fled the scene. The photo was then shared amongst police and, four hours later, an officer on patrol in the area of Vernon Street recognized the suspect from the picture, noting that he was “still wearing the same outfit.”Authorities then approached the suspect, later identified as Feliciano, and confirmed he was the subject in the closet photo.The 34 year ol...