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First congressional hearing on Maui wildfire focuses on island’s sole electric provider and grid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

Hawaii’s top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric testified Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month’s deadly Maui wildfire. Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began — and whether the electrical grid in Lahaina was safe and properly maintained. The fire killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. It first erupted at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric power line to fall, igniting dry brush and grass near a large subdivision.There is still much to sort out about the fire, Rep. Morgan Griffith R-Virginia said at the hearing’s start. Among questions that need to be answerered are how the fires spread and what efforts to reduce fire risk have been made in recent years. “It is extremely important that we ...

Furniture designer crafts a chair named ‘solace’ to aid those harmed by Fiona’s wrath

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

HALIFAX — Furniture designer Jonathan Otter has created a chair that suggests both a hurricane’s power and the support needed afterwards, as part of a fundraiser for those rebuilding after post-tropical storm Fiona.His work crafted from Nova Scotia red oak is up for auction at a starting bid of $30,000, and is among three artistic creations the United Way is selling to raise funds for those still recovering from the storm that hit Feb. 24, 2022.The auction also includes a hand-carved wood sculpture by Adam McNamara and an ink and water colour print of a tree ring by Kalen Roblee, and all three works were made from trees downed by Fiona.The storm was the costliest extreme weather event in the East Coast’s history, with about 100 houses destroyed by a tidal surge in southwestern Newfoundland, along with woodlands, farms, businesses and homes damaged across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.Otter says the woodlands he grew up in on his parents’ farm in central Nova...

Phillies deny emotional support alligator from entering ballpark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Phillies fan and his emotional support animal, an alligator named WallyGator, were denied entrance to watch Philadelphia host Pittsburgh. Social media posts showed the gator on a leash with a harness with his name on it outside the stadium Wednesday.WallyGator is a working emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney, of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The reptile has a big presence on Instagram and TikTok.Citizens Bank Park’s policy on support animals is posted on the Phillies’ official website. It states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.” Henney spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year and said WallyGator helps him battle depression and that “he likes to give hugs.” Henney said then that the gator had never bitten anyone.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbThe Associated Press

Spotted lanternfly has spread to Illinois, threatening to crops and trees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, an winged insect that’s spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and elsewhere.First detected in the U.S. nearly a decade ago, the hitchhiking pest and its eggs have been getting rides on vehicles and trains as they expand from southeast Pennsylvania across the country. Although the inch-long planthopper looks pretty with its distinctive black spots and bright red wing markings, the sap-sucking bug likes to mass and feed on plants. It then excretes a sticky, sugary waste called honeydew that attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants, posing a danger to crops and native trees. The gunk can also collect houses, decks and outdoor furniture.The Illinois Department of Agriculture said a sighting of one of the winged adult insects was reported on Sept. 16 at an undisclosed location. Department sta...

Police release images of suspects after attacks at Earlscourt Park cultural festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

Toronto police have released images of suspects being sought in connection to violent attacks that took place at a cultural festival at Earlscourt Park in August.Officers were called to the park at around 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, for reports of a heated protest at The Festival Eritrea Toronto — a scheduled two-day sports and cultural event.Police say some of the protesters became confrontational, damaging property and assaulting several people. At least nine people were reportedly injured. On Thursday, Toronto police released images of three unnamed suspects wanted in connection to the incident.Suspects sought in assault investigation at Earlscourt Park on Aug. 5, 2023. HANDOUT/Toronto Police ServiceThe City of Toronto ended up revoking the festival’s permit “in the interest of public safety,” cancelling the events planned for the second day on Sunday.“The City does not tolerate or condone violence of any kind and is committed to providing a s...

Cyberattacks hit military, Parliament websites as India hacker group targets Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

The federal government is coping with apparent cyberattacks this week, as a hacker group in India claims it has sowed chaos in Ottawa.The Canadian Armed Forces says that its website became unavailable to mobile users midday Wednesday but was fixed within a few hours.The military says the site is separate from other government sites, such as the one used by the Department of Defence, and the incident remains under investigation.Various pages on the House of Commons website are continuing to load slowly or incompletely due to an ongoing attack that officials say started Monday morning.The Commons administration says it’s facing a distributed denial-of-service attack, which is when bots swarm a website with multiple visits and cause it to stop loading properly.A hacking group named Indian Cyber Force has claimed responsibility for the incident involving the military and appears to have managed to infiltrate a handful of websites owned by small businesses in Canada.

University of Alberta returns endowment honouring Ukrainian who fought with Nazis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

EDMONTON — The University of Alberta is returning endowment funds from the family of a Ukrainian man whose military service was linked to the Nazis.Since 2019, the university’s Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies has had a $30,000 endowment carrying the name Yaroslav Hunka.Hunka was introduced in the House of Commons last week during a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.It was later revealed that Hunka had fought in a Ukrainian unit set up by Nazi Germany to fight the Soviet Union.The revelation forced the resignation of Anthony Rota as House Speaker and an apology on behalf of Parliament by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.The university has now closed the endowment and returned the money to the family. “The university recognizes and regrets the unintended harm caused,” said a statement from Verna Yiu, vice-president academic.“I want to express our commitment to address antisemitism in any of its manifestations, including the ways in which t...

One thing is not changing about the Bears defense for a bit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

LAKE FOREST — There are many who are hoping for some changes for the Bears' struggling defense as 2023 goes along, but one thing is staying the same.That concerns the duty that has been added to Matt Eberflus' responsibilities. On Wednesday, ahead of the Bears' game against the Broncos at Soldier Field on Sunday, the head coach announced that he'll continue to call plays for the defense for the foreseeable future. This was necessitated by the abrupt resignation of Alan Williams on September 20.Naturally, Eberflus was asked if he'll keep calling the plays for the rest of 2023 season."That's the plan, and we've talked about different things, but that's the plan right there, right now," said Eberflus in response to that question. Woe-and-3: The Bears’ miserable start to the 2023 season It's not an ideal situation, since the first-time head coach made the decision when he took over in the winter of 2022 not to be the defensive play-caller but to focus on running the team as a whole.Bu...

Thursday Forecast: Temps in low 70s with isolated showers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

CHICAGO — Patchy fog with mostly cloudy conditions and isolated sprinkles Thursday. Decreasing clouds, Winds: NNE 0-5 G10. High: 70. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Partly cloudy tonight with patchy fog. Winds: NNE 0-5 G15. Low: 57.Friday Forecast: Patchy fog, mostly sunny, ESE 0-5. High: 75/71.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Here are all the items on the leaked Starbucks winter menu

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:52 GMT

Move over PSL, Starbucks’ winter menu has been leakedPumpkin spice might get all the fanfare, but move over, fall — we're already counting the days until the actual best coffee menu drops: the Starbucks winter menu.And sure, the leaves may be only just beginning to turn, but this year's winter menu has already leaked. Starbucks fans will be happy to know that it features some old favorites as well as some new drinks that sound both festive and delicious.What's coming to the Starbucks winter menu this year?According to @markie_devo on Instagram, the leaked menu includes eight drinks, eight food items and four festive cold foams. Keep in mind that this isn't official yet, but considering past leaked menus have turned out to be accurate, it seems pretty likely that we'll see at least some of these drinks on Starbucks menus come wintertime.The winter drinks, which reportedly launch Nov. 2, are a new Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai (hot & iced), Peppermint Mocha, Su...