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Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex and what dog owners need to know

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

Flu and cold season is upon us this year — and our canine companions aren’t exempt. You may have seen recent reports about a respiratory disease that is infecting dogs in parts of the United States.I asked our Chief Veterinarian and Animal Care Officer, Dr. Maria Pyrdek, to write a guest column this week to inform you about this sometimes-fatal disease. Dr. Pyrdek (who we affectionately call Dr. P) writes:This fall veterinarians in Oregon, Colorado and San Fernando Valley reported clusters of dogs with coughs and pneumonia that were not responsive to treatment. Some of these dogs became very ill very fast, and unfortunately, a few passed despite aggressive treatment.These outbreaks were all linked to dogs who had been in boarding facilities, doggie day cares and dog parks, where many dogs were interacting. Similar cases have been reported in LA County and Pasadena, and more cases are expected to be reported in the next few weeks.This disease is called Canine Infectious Respiratory D...

Elderly man on trial for killing 70-year-old woman with butcher knife at California boarding home

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

An elderly man used a butcher knife to stab his 70-year-old housemate to death at the breakfast table of their Anaheim boarding home in order to “put her out of her misery,” a prosecutor told jurors on Monday morning.Michael Carl Hallgren (Photo courtesy Anaheim Police Department) Michael Hallgren is on trial for the unprovoked slaying of Lucinda Palms at their shared residence in the 1200 block of North Siesta Street in 2018, a killing that a prosecutor argued constitutes second-degree murder, but that a defense attorney countered should be considered a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.Around 9 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, Hallgren, then 64, picked up a butcher knife while Palms was sitting at a dining room table trying to eat breakfast and began stabbing her over and over in the throat, Deputy District Attorney Brian Orue told an Orange County Superior Court jury during his opening statements in a Santa Ana courtroom. He used enough force to break the handle of the knife a...

California police shoot, kill woman pointing gun at 3-year-old boy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

San Bernardino police officers faced a tense standoff on Sunday when a 35-year-old woman locked herself in a room of an apartment and held a 3-year-old boy at gunpoint, authorities said.When officers kicked down the door of one the apartment’s bedrooms, they came face-to-face with the woman who was standing on a bed pointing a handgun at the boy who was seated next to her, according to police and photos released from the scene. One officer then fired shots at the woman, according to San Bernardino Police Lt. Jennifer Kohrell.The woman kept the gun in her hand and, after the officer ordered her to drop it, pointed the firearm back at the child. The officer shot her again before additional police rushed in to get the child away from harm, Kohrell said.Officers were unable to negotiate with the woman as the child’s life was in “imminent danger,” Kohrell said.“The gun was pointed directly at the child’s head, and we couldn’t spend too much time negotiating and risk the safety of the chi...

2 dead after being found shot in Northeast DC

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

Two men have been found dead after being shot in the Brentwood neighborhood of D.C. late Monday night.D.C. police told WTOP that officers responded to the area of 4th Street near the intersection of Adams Street in Northeast just before midnight, where a pair of men were found dead.Both people had been shot.Shooting Investigation in the 2300 block of 4th Street NE. LOF a B/M wearing blue jeans, brown shoes and a black\white jacket. // 2399— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) December 12, 2023Police issued a lookout for a man wearing blue jeans, brown shoes and “a black/white jacket.”A map of the area where the shooting happened, east of The Glenwood Cemetery, is below. This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP for the latest.Source

Choice Hotels launches hostile takeover bid for rival Wyndham after being repeatedly rebuffed

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

Choice Hotels is launching a hostile takeover offer for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts after repeated attempts to reach a deal with the rival hotel chain were rebuffed.Choice Hotels said Tuesday that its exchange offer to shareholders of Wyndham remains the same as its last bid, which was $49.50 in cash and 0.324 shares of Choice common stock per Wyndham share. The exchange offer gives Wyndham shareholders the chance to choose to receive all cash, all shares or a combination of the two. The offer puts the value of the deal at about $8 billion. The exchange offer is set to expire on March 8, 2024 unless extended or terminated. Choice said it currently holds about 1.5 million shares of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc. shares valued at more than $110 million. Source

This Colorado mountain ranked as one of the best places to snowboard

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you're looking to shred some powder, this Colorado mountain might be the best place to do it on a snowboard.USAToday asked a panel of snowboard experts to compile a list of the best places to snowboard in the U.S. and Canada. Readers voted and picked the best 10 places to snowboard. Colorado spot named one of the best ski restaurants in North America Here are the best places to snowboard across the U.S. and Canada:Bald Mountain Ski Area - Pierce, IdahoBig White Ski Resort - Kelowna, British ColumbiaLake Louise Ski Resort - Lake Louise, AlbertaNorthstar California Resort - Truckee, CaliforniaWhistler Blackcomb - Whistler, British ColumbiaPalisades Tahoe - Olympic Valley, CaliforniaMammoth Mountain - Mammoth Lakes, CaliforniaJackson Hole Mountain Resort - Teton Village, WyomingRevelstoke Mountain Resort - Revelstoke, British ColumbiaBreckenridge Ski Resort - Breckenridge, ColoradoBreckenridge Ski Resort was ranked as a top resort for snowboarders.The mountain aver...

Whale seen in video with swimmers dies off Australian beach

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

Sydney (CNN) — A sperm whale that became stranded on a sandbank at a popular beach near Perth, Western Australia on the weekend has died.Officials from the Parks and Wildlife Service of Western Australia confirmed the 15-meter (49-feet) long whale died Tuesday morning after it swam off the sandbank into open water.“It was moving pretty gingerly and swam only 200 or 300 meters before it really seemed to sort of stop. Its respiration gave us some signs that it really was coming to the end,” said Mark Cugley, Incident Controller from the Parks and Wildlife Service.The whale appeared on Saturday at Rockingham Beach, where people swam close to it, touching it and taking selfies.The whale would already have been in distress on Saturday when it arrived at the beach and the interaction with people may have increased its stress, government marine mammal expert Kelly Waples said Monday.“Sperm whales are pelagic animals, that means they live offshore in deep water and that’s where they fo...

Turning Unsettled

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

Wind Advisory has been issued for Coastal Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade through Wednesday morning. This is mainly for those exposed waterfront areas along the Atlantic coast, since winds will pick up through the day. It will become much gustier by the afternoon with the trend continuing into the overnight hours.After a very cool start in South Florida in the 50’s and 60’s, we will focus on the wind and rain as they will play a big role for the second half of the week. For now, there’s a stalled front to our South and we will no longer have the warmth and humidity that we had over the weekend.Winds are expected to veer out of the East-Northeast and become stronger through the day with more typical temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. However, the wind will make it seem cool with gusts reaching up to or over 35 mph.Models are showing the rain likely starting Wednesday as the front lifts North. The activity could become heavy as a minor disturbance flares...

Zelenskyy in Lilliput: Someone shrunk Ukraine’s war coalition

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

For a second week in a row, Washington is the most important theater in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Billions in military and economic aid for Kyiv hang in the balance. As does, with only a bit of exaggeration, Ukraine’s fate as a nation, stability in Europe and America’s credibility as a world power. It’s a big moment. So why do the players on this stage all look so small?You have Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose heroic aura has diminished with every visit here (Tuesday’s stop will be his third). The Ukrainian president’s host in the White House is a shrunken figure with poor polls and reelection prospects. Fresh off their latest bout of dysfunctional bloodletting, Republicans on the Hill are their own species of Lilliputians. Missing in this group picture but would fit right in: The Europeans, who act is if the worst armed conflict since World War II isn’t playing out in the heart of their continent.There are a couple players in this drama who’ve avoided the shrinkage of the rest. You may h...

UK flies its COP28 chief home early to help save Rishi Sunak’s skin

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:26 GMT

LONDON — The minister leading the U.K.’s delegation to the COP28 U.N. climate summit has left at critical stage in negotiations, as his beleaguered government faces a critical vote on immigration policy at home.Graham Stuart’s departure sparked a furious reaction from climate campaigners. The talks were due to end on Tuesday but have overrun — as many had expected — with countries, including the U.K., seeking major changes to a draft agreement published on Monday.British MPs are set to vote Tuesday afternoon on the government’s plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, with right-wingers in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party saying a new government bill does not go far enough to ensure the scheme overcomes legal hurdles.Green groups and NGOs expressed dismay at the decision to withdraw the head of the U.K.’s delegation at a decisive moment. “There can be no more tragic outcome for U.K. climate diplomacy than this,” said Oxfam’s senior climate chan...