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US would support Colombian, Panama forces to slow migration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — United States forces will assist their Colombian and Panamanian counterparts with intelligence gathering to dismantle smuggling rings operating in the dense jungle of the Darien Gap, a key route for migrants heading to the U.S. from South America, a senior Biden administration official said Wednesday.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public, said migration through the Darien would not end, but the campaign is expected to have significant impact.The Darien Gap, linking Colombia and Panama, is among the most dangerous portions of the long route to the U.S. borders. Migrants and international human rights groups have denounced sexual assaults, robberies and killings in the remote jungle. That’s in addition to the natural dangers posed by venomous snakes and rushing rivers.U.S. forces could assist in targeting smugglers for arrest and locating “stash houses” where smugglers hold migrants, the official said with...

Teacher’s pest: NYC hires former educator to slaughter rats

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Every New York City mayor has waged war — and mostly lost — against one of humanity’s most cunning and enduring foe: rattus norvegicus. But has the city’s vilest enemy, better known as the common brown rat, finally met its match? Mayor Eric Adams introduced a former elementary school teacher and anti-rat activist as his new “rat czar” on Wednesday. Officially, Kathleen Corradi, the mayor’s new hire, will be known as the director of rodent mitigation.Corradi is tasked with battling the potentially millions of rats lurking in myriad urban nooks and crannies, subway tunnels and empty lots.Hers is a new job, which the city advertised with a help-wanted ad seeking applicants who are “bloodthirsty,” possess “killer instincts” and could commit to the “wholesale slaughter” of rats.“When I first saw this job posting, I wasn’t sure if it was real. ‘Blood thirsty’ is not a word you usually see in a job description and it’s certainly not a word I usually ...

Estonia’s Parliament approves PM Kaja Kallas’ 3rd Cabinet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia’s Parliament on Wednesday gave the green light to a new coalition to form a government, led by the center-right Reform Party of Kaja Kallas. Her pro-business party overwhelmingly won the parliamentary election in the Baltic country on March 5 with 31.2% of the vote — receiving nearly twice as many votes as its closest rival, the far-right populist EKRE party, which will not be part of the government.Lawmakers in the 101-seat Riigikogu legislature voted 59-38 to accept the proposed three-party Cabinet, made up of the Reform Party, the centrist Estonia 200 party and the Social Democratic Party.After weeks of intense talks, the three parties clinched a deal over the weekend to form a liberal-oriented coalition government to be led by prime minister-designate Kallas. It will be Kallas’ third term as prime minister of Estonia, which is a member of both the European Union and NATO. She has led the country since January 2021, when she became the first female h...

Michigan State’s Izzo says a few players could enter draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said “a bunch of guys” in college basketball are putting their names in the NBA draft.“I think that’s the popular thing to do,” Izzo said Wednesday.A few Spartans may join the trend, declaring themselves eligible to at least be evaluated for the draft with an opportunity to withdrawal from it in June, he said.“Jaden (Akins) could,” Izzo said. “ (A.J.) Hoggard and Tyson (Walker) could. Guys could put their names in and see where they’re at. That’s the next thing to deal with, and it seems to be more common now. We’ll find out in the next couple of weeks.”If all three of the Spartans’ standout guards return, Izzo will have a talented and experienced team that will get a boost from one of the top recruiting classes that includes a pair of McDonald’s All-America selections.“We got something to celebrate,” Izzo said.Recently, Walker and forward Malik Hall announced plans to come back for a fifth season. Izzo said Hal...

A surprise for history fans: Tours down Georgetown’s C&O canal continue this spring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

Tourists and locals alike were told last fall they wouldn’t be able to take a boat tour on the Georgetown portion of the C&O Canal until the likely date of 2025 — but a surprise announcement from the organization that is running it said it will happen much sooner.The aptly-named boat, the Georgetown Heritage, will begin tours on the first mile of the C&O Canal on May 5.In October, it was announced that restoration of Locks 1, 2 and 5, as well as critical valve and wall repairs, would delay future boat tours by up to three years. But due to adjustments in construction schedules, the canal will be filled with water and tours will resume earlier.“Every boat tour is a singular look into the past,” S. Rex Carnegie, Director of Education and Partnerships for Georgetown Heritage, said in a statement. “So much of our diverse history in Georgetown, and the years of work by Georgetown Heritage and our partners, have made this a unique experience for visitors, and an exciti...

Montbello: Denver's 2023 murder flashpoint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It isn't Five Points or East Colfax driving Denver's homicide rates this year. It's Montbello. The last three years in Denver have seen record numbers of violent crime, including murders. This year, city core neighborhoods still have the greatest number of homicides, but even those are not as tightly located as half a dozen murders in Montbello. Teacher’s suspected meningitis death closes Aurora school The neighborhood is pressed between the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Park to the north and Interstate 70 to the south, between Peoria Street to the west and Chambers Road to the east. It is one of Denver's more economically depressed areas, with a lower-than-average income. There have been six homicides in this neighborhood alone in 2023, including four which happened blocks from each other.None of the homicides have happened at the same time, rather, they have been regularly spaced out throughout 2023, with the first occurring on Jan. 11 and the most recent occ...

Berthoud Pass closed due to avalanche activity, safety concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Safety concerns and snow removal have prompted the closure of U.S. 40 over Berthoud Pass after recent avalanche activity. The first closure began just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Colorado Department of Transportation says snow removal will continue until 8 p.m. and continued closures are possible.The highway is closed in both directions between Winter Park and Henderson Mine Road. Avalanche photos: See images from Tuesday's snow slide on Berthoud Pass Small avalanches came down Monday and Tuesday afternoons across U.S. 40 on the north side of Berthoud Pass near Winter Park Resort. Crews removed snow while cars were backed up. Warm temperatures in the afternoon can loosen snow from recent storms and cause small avalanches called bank slides, CDOT said. Big change coming Friday in Denver weather after record-breaking heat The Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s forecast had the area at “Considerable” risk for avalanches Wednesday, level 3 of 5 on i...

Police arrest homeless man armed with machete in SW Miami-Dade who was once a Cuban baseball player

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

The Miami-Dade Police Department set up a perimeter in a Southwest Miami-Dade area after a man armed with a machete was spotted inside a nearby supermarket. According to officials, the man was detained and his charges are now pending.The suspect was later identified as 54-year-old Oscar Macias Hernandez, a former baseball player in Cuba, who is now living homeless in Miami-Dade.Around 6:30 a.m., Wednesday, authorities closed off the parking lot inside a plaza on Southwest 127th Avenue and 88th Street in an attempt to subdue the armed suspect, Wednesday.A TikTok video showed the standoff between police officers and the armed man that would last almost an hour. Eventually, officers blocked off the entire parking lot and led the man away from the businesses in the plaza. Witnesses said there was an incident that morning involving the same man police apprehended. Cellphone video showed the man waving around a machete at customers in front of a ventanita.Locals said the man has been prob...

Mother, 9-year-old girl rescue man at Florida apartment pool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

POLK COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — Friday, a woman and her 9-year-old child helped rescue a man at a pool in Polk County.Police said a mother and her daughter were at the Carlton Arms Apartment Complex pool around 4 p.m. Friday.The 9-year-old notified her mom when she saw a man struggling in the deep end of the pool, according to Winter Haven police.The woman went into the pool to help the man after he sank to the bottom.Police said she then pulled him out of the water and started CPR. The man soon started breathing.He was taken to the hospital to get examined and was later released after no issues were found.Winter Haven Public Safety Director Charlie Bird said the woman and the 9-year-old’s quick thinking saved the man.“The swift actions, first by this very alert young lady followed by the quick response of her mother, saved this man’s life,” Bird said in a statement.

Florida leaders aim to ban drag shows as Miami Beach prepares for Pride festival

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:54 GMT

An organization is sending a strong message by issuing a travel warning to the LGBTQ community before they make plans to come to the Sunshine State amid legislators approving a bill aimed at drag shows, and as Miami Beach hosts its Pride festival.Drag performers in Florida could be hit with major fines if a Florida bill becomes laws.“An overreach of government, and the bill is way too vague,” said Tiffany Fantasia, a drag performer. “A legitimate concern for parents and our constituents is about children exposed to nudity, sexual activities and lewd conduct,” said Republican State Sen. Clay Yarborough. Tuesday night, the Republican-led Florida Senate passed a bill that would ban anyone under 18, even accompanied by a parent, from attending adult live performances, which includes drag shows and parades, which elected officials have deemed performances lewd. “Classified as adult entertainment is prejudice, bottom line,” Fantasia said. “We are ...