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Blast at north Iraqi airport raises tension in Kurdish area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

BAGHDAD (AP) — An explosion struck next to the Suleimaniyah International Airport in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Friday, local officials said.The blast came days after Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from the airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity threatening flight safety.Turkey has spent years fighting Kurdish militants in its east. Large Kurdish communities also live in neighboring Iraq and Syria where they have a degree of self-rule.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based opposition war monitor, and some local media reported that the explosion was a Turkish drone attack on Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force in Syria.Officials with the SDF and the Kurdish regional government in northeast Syria denied that Abdi was in Suleimaniyah at the time or had been the target of an attack. Fethullah al-Husseini, a representative of the Kurdish self-rule ad...

Mayor-elect Johnson meets with Gov. Pritzker

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson continues his tour to meet local leaders, including Governor JB Pritzker. The meeting is expected to take place Friday at the State building. Johnson met with former mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday for more than an hour in a closed-door meeting. Johnson shared that Lightfoot gave him advice to seize the moment and enjoy the opportunity to lead the city. Mayor-elect Johnson meets Mayor Lightfoot ahead of inauguration Lightfoot also promised Johnson a smooth transition of power. Pritzker and Johnson are expected to meet at 1 p.m. Friday with Johnson's inauguration next month.

NHL's Pride nights collide with LGBTQ+ political climate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

Sports leagues and teams often use Pride nights to raise the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people — as well as sell them tickets — and the NHL has been a leader. They can include special jerseys designed by LGBTQ+ artists, performances, information tables, even drag performances. And they're largely a hit.But seven NHL players recently opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on their teams' Pride nights for the first time, leading the league's commissioner to say it is weighing the future of the events.That worries some fans and LGBTQ+ supporters, who say it's a sign that a political climate that has led to restrictions on expression, health care and transgender sports participation both in the U.S. and internationally is now threatening events that are meant to be fun and affirming. Roger Powell Jr. named Valparaiso men’s basketball coach “It’s definitely fair to say that this political landscape is helping to sort of normalize people for opting out of the op...

Man pleads guilty to charge in alleged Chicago mosque attack plot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A 19-year-old accused of making homemade explosives and plotting to attack a mosque in the Chicago area pleaded guilty Friday to providing material support to terrorists.Xavier Pelkey appeared in federal court to enter the plea under under an agreement in which prosecutors dropped a second charge. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced at a later date. Former IL gov. candidate charged for threatening Lake County judges Pelkey, of Waterville, was 18 when he was arrested last year by FBI agents who found three homemade explosives in his residence, along with a handwritten document that appeared to be a draft statement about the planned mosque attack. In the statement, Pelkey claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group and an IS flag was painted on his bedroom wall, investigators said.He had been communicating with two juveniles in Canada and in Illinois about conducting a mass shooting at a Shiite mosque in the Chicago area, law enforcement offi...

How should the federal government regulate AI?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — With artificial intelligence technology developing rapidly, the White House is promising not to turn a blind eye and urging Congress to institute regulations.Experts agree Congress must catch up as tech giants like Microsoft, Meta and Google race to unleash AI tools to the public."I'm concerned … (The government is) a little bit behind already," Patrick Hall, a scientist whose firm consults on AI products, said. "We don't have strong data privacy regulations to build off."At a meeting with his council of science and technology advisers this week, President Joe Biden acknowledged the benefits and risks of AI "to our society, our economy and our national security." The president said tech companies need to create safeguards to prevent discrimination and misinformation and called on Congress to pass legislation to ensure user data isn't misused."Social media has already shown us the harm that powerful technologies can do," Biden said.Experts in the field agree pr...

Easter Bunny pays early visit to NICU babies at St. David's

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Babies in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. David's Women's Center of Texas got a special visit this week. The Easter Bunny made an early appearance at St. David's NICU, giving families the chance to take their first Easter photos with their newborns. Baby in the NICU at St. David's is dressed up for Easter (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits triplets in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits newborn in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)Easter Bunny visits newborn and mom in the St. David's NICU (Photo credit: St. David's Women's Center of Texas)St. David’s Women's Center of Texas recently expanded its NICU from 67 to 97 beds as part of St. David's HealthCare's nearly $1 billion investment in Central Texas healthcare infrastructure.

Border Patrol seeks public's help naming its four new horses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — ValleyCentral is teaming up with U.S. Border Patrol to help name their four new horses.Viewers will have the chance to participate and nominate the most fitting names for each horse. Each horse is a male.The photos below show each horse's unique personalities and traits that may help pick out a name. Instagram: @BorderPatrol (Source: Border Patrol press release) Instagram: @BorderPatrol (Source: Border Patrol press release) Instagram: @BorderPatrol (Source: Border Patrol press release) Instagram: @BorderPatrol (Source: Border Patrol press release) Instagram: @BorderPatrol (Source: Border Patrol press release) Nominations for names will be held now through April 14.Voting for the names will take place from April 17 through April 30. The names will be revealed on May 6. To participate visit, https://www.valleycentral.com/kveo-contests/name-the-customs-border-patrol-horses/.

Climate change adding 50 homers a year in MLB, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found.Hotter, thinner air that allows balls to fly farther contributed a tiny bit to a surge in home runs since 2010, according to a statistical analysis by Dartmouth College scientists published in Friday’s Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. They analyzed 100,000 major league games and more than 200,000 balls put into play in the last few years along with weather conditions, stadiums and other factors.“Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball,” said study co-author Justin Mankin, a Dartmouth climate scientist.It’s basic physics.When air heats up, molecules move faster and away from each other, making the air less dense. Baseballs launched off a bat go farther through thinner air because there’s less resistance to slow the ball. Just a little bit farther can mean the difference between a homer and a flyout,...

Bill would extend downtown St. Paul TIF district to 2033 to cover RiverCentre, Xcel, parking ramp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

Property tax gains that would otherwise flow into the capital city’s general fund could be redirected from 21 square blocks of downtown St. Paul into $38 million of construction improvements to the downtown RiverCentre, Xcel Energy Center and the convention center parking ramp through the year 2033.On the eve of its scheduled expiration, state legislative bills in the House and Senate would extend a large downtown St. Paul “tax increment finance” district by another 10 years. The “Minnesota Events” TIF district, created under another name in 1978, was extended for 15 years in 2008 and otherwise set to run out this year.“If the RiverCentre is the most important economic driver downtown, it’s in our best interest to make sure we have a revenue stream that is investing back into that space,” said St. Paul Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher, in an interview Thursday. “Combined, over 1.7 million people attended events at the arena and RiverCe...

Canine influenza causes Animal Humane Society’s Twin Cities shelters to close

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:34 GMT

All three Twin Cities metro Animal Humane Society adoption centers closed Thursday for about six weeks after the organization discovered nearly 200 possible cases of canine influenza, a highly infectious disease in dogs.Testing to confirm the cases at the Golden Valley, Woodbury and Coon Rapids shelters is ongoing, with length of quarantine and all precautions taken having been recommended by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health based on signs of disease, according to a press release from AHS.Concern also was raised because dogs were transported to the shelters on March 23 from an Oklahoma shelter with a confirmed outbreak, according to a press release from the state Board of Animal Health.AHS said in the release they planned to contact all people who adopted animals after March 23 to alert them of the potential for exposure to the virus and provide free medication and “supportive care” to adopted dogs exhibiting symptoms.While shelter animals do not interact with owned ...