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DOT issues largest-ever fine to American Airlines for tarmac delays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

(CNN) — American Airlines is facing the largest-ever fine for keeping passengers waiting on board airplanes during hours-long delays.The Department of Transportation is levying the $4.1 million fine, “the largest civil penalty that the Department has ever assessed” it said in a statement, for lengthy tarmac delays of 43 flights that impacted more than 5,800 passengers. The flights occurred between 2018 and 2021.In the longest of the delays, passengers sat aboard a plane in Texas in August 2020 for six hours and three minutes. The 105-passenger flight had landed after being diverted from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to severe weather, with the DOT alleging that “American lacked sufficient resources to appropriately handle several of these flights once they landed.”Federal rules set the maximum time that passengers can be held without the opportunity to get off prior to takeoff or after landing, at three hours for domestic flights and four hours for internation...

Sixty years after the March on Washington, attendees renew the call for King’s ‘dream’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

(CNN) — It’s been 60 years since the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, but Fatima Cortez Todd says she still remembers the sense of unity she felt standing on the National Mall that day.“We sat with each other; we sang with each other,” she said. “I felt taken care of. I felt a brother and sisterhood.”On August 28, 1963, Cortez Todd was among an estimated 250,000 people who rallied for jobs and freedom at the March on Washington.History has documented how throngs of people gathered near the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to hear what would become the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.But some who attended the march tell CNN they can recall more subtle moments that still resonate today. At a time when the country was bitterly divided along racial lines – with segregation still legal – Cortez Todd, now 77, said she clearly remembers the diversity of those gathered on the National Mall.“It was a melting pot like this country is...

Boston Mayor Wu files ordinance to ban tents at Mass and Cass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has filed an ordinance that would give police the authority to clear out homeless encampments, a measure aimed at cracking down on the crime occurring at Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue.Wu urged the City Council to “take swift and urgent action” to approve the ordinance, which will be introduced at the body’s Wednesday meeting.“The ordinance will establish a prohibition against unsanctioned use of tents, tarps, and similar temporary structures on public property and in the public way which have been shielding much of the dangerous activity in the area and undermining the ability of providers to safely and effectively deliver services,” Wu said in a Monday letter to the City Council.It stipulates that “Boston Police would have the authority to enforce on the condition that individuals are offered shelter and transportation to services, as well as storage for personal belongings,” the mayor said.If approved, the ordinance would give more teeth t...

Gunfire that injured two at Sox game late Friday likely originated inside ballpark: police leaders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

A shooting incident that wounded two people at a Chicago White Sox game over the weekend most likely involved a gun going off inside Guaranteed Rate Field, the interim Chicago Police superintendent said Monday.Two women suffered gunshot wounds as they sat in the left field bleachers of Guaranteed Rate Field during the Friday night game between the White Sox and Oakland A’s. Officials have so far said little about where the bullets came from, or if someone brought a gun into the stadium, but interim CPD superintendent Fred Waller on Monday said investigators have nearly ruled out the possibility that the shots came from outside the ballpark.“We’re dispelling a lot of things,” Waller said during a brief press availability after a CPD graduation and promotion ceremony at Navy Pier. “It’s coming from outside is something we’ve almost completely dispelled. We’re still looking at every avenue. It’s still under investigation. Something ...

Husband named killer in ‘Lady of the Dunes’ cold case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

Cape Cod on Monday concluded a woman whose mutilated body was discovered in the sand dunes in Provincetown nearly 50 years ago was killed by her husband.The announcement by the Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois Monday brings to a close one of the state’s most famous cold cases. It was only in October that officials announced they had identified the woman, known as the “Lady of the Dunes,” as Ruth Marie Terry of Tennessee.She was 37 when she was killed in 1974 by what authorities concluded was blunt force trauma to the skull.Since then, the focus has turned to Terry’s late husband, Guy Rockwell Muldavin, who had married her a few months before she disappeared. He was also a prime suspect in the death of another one of his wives and a stepdaughter in Seattle in the 1960s. Muldavin died in 2002.After they married, state police learned that the couple had traveled to Tennessee to visit her family.“When Mr. Muldavin returned from that trip, ...

New COVID variant on the horizon shows virus’ rapid evolution, as new booster nears

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

Paul Sisson | San Diego Union-TribuneThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects a refreshed booster vaccine to be available next month, but it remains to be seen whether the new shot will be able to snipe a highly mutated coronavirus variant that is just starting to appear.Nicknamed “Pirola” by scientists on social media, this new bug’s technical name is BA.2.86, which makes it a descendant of the Omicron virus that first appeared in late 2021, causing the largest surge in cases of the COVID-19 pandemic.But the latest variant is said to have more than 35 additional mutations than XBB 1.5, the variant that will be included in this year’s booster, according to a risk assessment from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Experts are recommending that people wait for the newest booster when it becomes available — even though, as with each new yearly dose, it remains uncertain how well the immunity it induces will match up with the latest coronavirus strain...

Why now might be a good time to consider longer-term CDs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

Matthew Goldberg | Bankrate.com (TNS)As the Federal Reserve continues to slow down on raising rates, you can still get the highest yielding five-year CD yields in more than a decade right now. But your window on this opportunity could soon be closing.Long-term CD rates may be peaking nowThe Fed’s rate decisions indirectly affect CD yields. Since March 2022, the central bank has raised the federal funds rate 11 times — with several of the hikes being more aggressive at 50 and 75 basis points higher.But with inflation finally cooling, future rate increases remain uncertain as the Fed weighs its options.The recent slowdown in rate increases is the main reason why CD APYs between the two- and five-year terms are peaking around now, says Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate chief financial analyst.“And if the Fed is seen as being close to the end of their rate-hiking cycle, there’s no ongoing fuel to push those longer-term yields higher,” McBride says.The top-yielding 5-year CD rate right now is ...

Bill Belichick explains Patriots’ trades for OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr., Vederian Lowe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

In light of all the injuries and uncertainty around their offensive line, the Patriots swung trades for ex-Browns offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and former Vikings offensive tackle Vederian Lowe on Sunday.Wheatley, 26, has played both offensive tackle spots, while Lowe has spent most of the last year-plus at left tackle. Both players are career backups who stand at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds. Wheatley, a converted college tight end, has accrued zero game experience since entering the league in 2021. Lowe, a 2022 sixth-round pick, appeared in four games last year as a rookie.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Sources: Patriots release QB Trace McSorley, P Corliss Waitman New England Patriots | Will Patriots O-line starters be ready for Week 1? Bill Belichick answers New England Patriots | Patriots 53-man roster projection: Toughest cuts at QB, tight end, linebacker New England Patriots | Patriots acquire another tackle...

Florida governor declares widespread state of emergency ahead of Idalia’s expected landfall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit within days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges.As the state prepared, Idalia thrashed Cuba with heavy rain, especially in the westernmost part of the island, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Rio is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ian almost a year ago. Authorities in the province issued a state of alert, and residents were evacuated to friends’ and relatives’ homes as authorities monitored the Cuyaguateje river for possible flooding. As much as 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in Cuba on Sunday, meteorological stations reported.Idalia is expected to start affecting Florida with hurricane-force winds as soon as late Tuesday and arrive on the coast by Wednesday. It is the first storm to hit Florida this hurr...

University of North Carolina warns of armed person on campus and urges people to stay inside

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:02:42 GMT

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sent out an alert Monday warning of an “armed, dangerous person on or near campus” and urging people to go inside and avoid windows.The first alert was sent out just after 1 p.m. At 1:50 p.m., officials posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the shelter-in-place order remained in effect and that it was “an ongoing situation.” About 40 minutes later, the school added a post saying: “Remain sheltered in place. This is an ongoing situation. Suspect at large.”Officials said as soon as they had verified information, they would share it.Video footage showed a heavy police presence on the campus of the state’s flagship university, where the fall semester started last week.Campus officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information.Nearby Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools posted on social media that all doors would be locked at its schools and offices until authorities say itR...