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Police make arrests after protest outside Democratic HQ calling for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police in the nation’s capital responded Wednesday night to a protest outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington. Members of Congress were evacuated from the building as the protest erupted. Video posted on social media showed protesters shoving police officers and trying to grab hold of metal barricades as the officers moved in to make arrests. Many of the protesters were wearing black shirts that read “Cease Fire Now.” Protesters included members of If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace, who have organized other demonstrations in Washington. If Not Now posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “police are being extremely violent.”“We are linking arms, threatening no one, and begging our politicians to support an end to the ki...

Eight cases of salmonella linked to imported cantaloupes in B.C.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s Centre for Disease Control says there have been eight confirmed cases of a rare strain of salmonella in the province since mid-November.The centre says in a statement that the outbreak has been linked to imported cantaloupes sold under the label “Malichita” that should be disposed of and not consumed.It says the cases cover people ranging in age from less than a year to 68 years old, living in the Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Island Health regions.Symptoms of the illness include diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes fever, nausea and vomiting.The centre says B.C.’s cases show a link to recalled cantaloupes elsewhere in Canada and the United States and on Tuesday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated its recall notice from earlier this month to include B.C.British Columbians are being told to discard Malichita cantaloupes that were sold from Oct. 11 to Nov. 14 as well as any other cantaloupes if their origin is unclear....

Thousands of California scientists strike over stalled contract talks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of scientists who work for California began a rolling three-day strike Wednesday — the first walkout by a state civil service union.Members of the California Association of Professional Scientists marched under cloudy skies in Sacramento to protest lack of progress in contract talks. The walkout will spread to Los Angeles, Oakland and other cities on Thursday and Friday.The union represents about 5,200 members who work in more than 50 state departments and deal with issues ranging from air pollution and toxic waste control to earthquake hazards and agricultural pests, according to its website.Members have been without a contract since 2020 despite bargaining and mediation. The membership rejected a tentative agreement earlier this year. Another state mediation session is planned for Nov. 28.It is the first time that state workers have struck since civil servants won collective bargaining rights in 1977, The Sacramento Bee reported.“Nobody wants to...

Roger Waters denied hotel stays in Argentina and Uruguay over antisemitism allegations, report says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay reportedly rejected reservations for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters over accusations of antisemitism leveled at the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views.Waters was due to stay in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires ahead of shows scheduled for Nov. 21-22 as part of his “This is Not a Drill” tour, but the reservations fell through, with hotels citing a lack of availability, the Argentine newspaper Pagina 12 reported.Hotels in Montevideo, in neighboring Uruguay, also refused to host him but did not provide a reason, a Pagina 12 story on Wednesday quoted Waters as saying.The singer said that as a result he was still in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed a few days ago.“I had a dinner date on the 16th with José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, who is a friend of mine. And I can’t go (…) because the Israeli lobby and whatever they call themselves have canceled me,” Waters told Pagina 12.The president...

Gerrit Cole a unanimous winner of his 1st AL Cy Young Award. Blake Snell takes the NL prize

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole was a unanimous winner of his first American League Cy Young Award, and Blake Snell took the National League honor Wednesday in becoming the seventh hurler to earn baseball’s top pitching prize in both leagues.After coming close several times before, Cole finally finished on top following an outstanding season for the New York Yankees. The ace right-hander received all 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.A steady model of consistent excellence, Cole went 15-4 with 222 strikeouts while leading the AL in ERA (2.63) and innings (209). He made 33 starts and finished with a flourish, throwing a two-hit shutout at Toronto in his final outing.Cole became the sixth Yankees pitcher to win a Cy Young and first since Roger Clemens in 2001. Cole and Ron Guidry (1978) were the only unanimous choices.“It makes me tremendously proud that I feel that I’m holding up my end of the bargain in terms of those great players a...

CPD: 18-year-old shot in the head in Hermosa neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

CHICAGO — An 18-year-old man is in the hospital after being shot in the head Wednesday evening, according to the Chicago Police Department.Police said an 18-year-old male victim was in an alley in the 2200 block of North Kilbourn Avenue around 5:30 p.m. when two unknown males walked up to him, pulled out guns and opened fire, hitting the 18-year-old in the head.After first responders arrived on scene, the 18-year-old man was taken to Stroger Hospital where he is listed in fair condition. $2,000 reward announced in Humboldt Park food delivery driver homicide investigation Police have no one in custody and Area Five detectives are investigating.Anyone with information that can help lead police toward making an arrest and conviction in the investigation of this incident can file an anonymous tip online with CPD at cpdtip.com.

Maui's pink pond may have a different cause, researchers say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

HONOLULU (KHON) — The shocking color of a pond on Maui has gained worldwide attention and garnered multiple theories, the most prevalent of which may not, in fact, be the cause.The phenomenon was spotted earlier this month in the Keālia Pond in the Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge.Initially, it was believed algae that thrives in water with high levels of salt may be to blame. Researchers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa now say their preliminary findings point instead to a bacteria as the cause of the shocking pink color, not algae. What’s causing this pink pond on Maui? "The early findings have led the experts to suggest that halophilic (thriving in salt conditions) prokaryotes, also known as archaea and bacteria, were likely the cause of the brightly colored water," UH said in a news release. UH researcher, Marek Kirs, said he has no knowledge of something like this happening in Hawaii before. “According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the sand plug between the p...

'A warrior's death': APD to release body cam video from SWAT incident that killed officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)— The Austin Police Department says it'll be releasing body camera footage later this month, showing the moments one of their own was killed in a SWAT situation on Saturday morning.This is in line with its policy to release video within 10 business days of an officer-involved shooting. Officer Jorge "George" Pastore was shot and killed by Ahmed Mohamed Nassar, according to APD. Mother and son, Eyman El-Nemr Nassar and Riad Nassar were also killed, according to a search warrant affidavit. Another relative was stabbed, was able to escape and called 911, the affidavit said. Search warrant provides new details about suspect involved in APD officer’s death Days after the horrific tragedy, the area on Bernoulli Drive is still blocked off. On Wednesday, APD and the FBI were out on scene investigating, going in and out of that home where the killings happened. Deafening silence, sunflowers and a police flag rest outside the crime scene where Pastore was killed trying to save...

St. Paul house, an early work of famed architect Cass Gilbert, is named a city historic site

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

The Dwight and Clara Watson House and Barn, designed by master architect Cass Gilbert, is the newest St. Paul Heritage Preservation Site after a city council vote Wednesday.The home on the West Side is among Gilbert’s earliest works. Born in 1859, Gilbert grew up in St. Paul and died at the age of 74 in 1934. He’s famous for the state Capitol building in St. Paul, the Woolworth building in Manhattan and the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.Mark Thomas, the current owner of the home and a retired physician, says he originally bought the house at 402 Hall Ave. so he could walk to work. By the time he purchased the house in 1993, it had passed through the hands of two other families since 1914 and was clad in asbestos shingles.Thomas noticed that the house had a unique design, one that told him its architect had a very particular eye for the room layout and exterior. Curiosity piqued, he researched the original owners of the house: the Watson family. Dwight Watson,...

St. Paul murder sentencing: ‘He is a coward,’ victim’s sister says of man who shot through window of home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:39 GMT

Lashonda Nix had so much going for her and to look forward to.The 40-year-old mother of four was expecting her second grandchild and was to soon graduate from her studies in medical billing and coding.Lashonda Nix (Courtesy of the family)But then Curtrez Darale Johnson showed up at her St. Paul home last December carrying a gun and grudge. He knocked on the door of the Payne-Phalen home, where his son was shot and injured six days earlier.When Nix peeked through a curtain of her interior porch door, Johnson fired once, shooting her in the head and killing her.“A person like the defendant doesn’t deserve to see the light of day,” Nix’s younger sister, Sharonda Nix, said Wednesday before Johnson, of St. Paul, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the Dec. 16 killing. “He is a coward.”Jurors found Johnson, 41, guilty of second-degree intentional murder on Sept. 11, following five days of testimony and about six hours in deliberation. Johnson, who denied being the shooter, was a...