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Canadian wildfire smoke gives Minnesota city the worst air in the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — St. Paul had the worst air quality in the United States on Wednesday as smoke from massive Canadian wildfires drifted across Minnesota a week after similar smoke blanketed the northeastern U.S. The smoke was “near the worst” on record for the Twin Cities, the Star-Tribune reported, citing Nick Witcraft, an air-quality meteorologist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.Air quality hit “red” on the U.S. government’s color-coded index, meaning it was unhealthy for everyone. The air was particularly dangerous for children, older people and those with asthma and conditions like diabetes and heart disease.Karen Berg-Moberg decided to go on a bike ride at Como Lake in St. Paul with a friend despite the air. She was ready to cut their trip short if needed but didn’t think the smoke would slow them down. “I can smell it. It’s kind of nasty,” she said. “We debated it, but thought, ‘What the heck?’ ”St. Paul had an air quality index, or AQI, reading of 256...

Story to fawn over: Stafford County deputies help reunite baby deer with mother

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

Stafford County Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted a white fawn crossing a road. (Courtesy Stafford County Sheriff’s Office)Why did the “goat” cross the road?The answer isn’t one that Stafford County, Virginia, sheriff’s deputies were expecting to find out Wednesday morning.It all started at the crack of “fawn” before 8 a.m., when Stafford County dispatch got a call about a goat loose along Celebrate Virginia Parkway.When deputies arrived, things were not as they seemed.“It’s a complete case of misidentification. It’s actually a fawn that we all decided to name Shawn,” said Stafford County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ryan Wilbur.Deputies O.J. Martins and D.R. Ludoplh noticed the baby deer appeared to be alone and afraid. Wilbur said it was then that they shifted into gear and quickly helped Shawn the Fawn hoof it out of the road.“Luckily, as they were attempting to get it to cross the road, another dee...

How to get a good spot to watch the Nuggets victory parade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Preparations are underway just hours before the Denver Nuggets 2023 Champions Celebration parade and rally. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Union Station and then travels down 17th Street for 14 blocks before turning on Broadway to end at Civic Center Park. Firefighters roll dice for chance to drive Nuggets in victory parade Video screens will be positioned at the park and on Bannock Street. A pre-parade rally will begin at 9 a.m. at Civic Center Park. The post-parade rally begins after the parade around noon as the last players make their way from the float to the stage. The event continues through 1 p.m. The Downtown Denver Partnership said 17th Street will close at 7 a.m., so fans should arrive early to find a good spot to view the procession. FOX31 will carry the parade and rally live on air and on streaming at KDVR.com. News coverage will start at 4:30 a.m. as usual, with parade and rally coverage expected to kick into gear around 9 a.m.Where to go to watch t...

Paramedics ready to support fans during Nuggets parade and rally

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — With hundreds of thousands of fans expected to pack the Denver Nuggets parade and rally, teams are working on ways to make sure people stay safe in the crowds.Denver Health's Paramedic Division expects over 200,000 people to pack the 2023 Champions Celebration. Paramedics are spreading out around the crowds and shouldn't be too far. How to watch Nuggets parade: Time, TV channel, free live stream They’ll have eight bike medics and a number of paramedics along the parade route and Civic Center Park. They’ve got ambulances on standby, a special event trailer and Gator ATVs.FOX31 asked operations Capt. Jake McCaig about the most prevalent emergency situations in large celebrations.“We always see a lot of overheating and sometimes overconsumption as well,” McCaig said. “Those are obviously things that we deal with pretty frequently anyway, and we get pretty good at those. So once we get into situations like this with large crowds, it can be a little bit more ...

Rishi Sunak urged to fill UK anti-corruption post left vacant for a year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak has been urged to speed up the appointment of a new anti-corruption adviser after a year-long vacancy in the key government scrutiny role.In a letter to the British prime minister shared with POLITICO, two former U.K. anti-corruption champions — whose role saw them hold ministerial feet to the fire on anti-graft plans — said domestic and international efforts to tackle corruption were being undermined by the continued empty post.Conservative MP John Penrose, who quit the role last year with a blast at then-prime minister Boris Johnson’s ethics record, and Labour MP Hilary Benn both said the appointment was “vital” to keeping the anti-corruption agenda on track.“We urge you to seize this moment and appoint a Champion at the earliest opportunity, so that Britain can continue being a leading example in the global fight against corruption,” the pair said in a joint letter.In their letter, Benn and Penrose point to a flurry of official r...

Brandon Nimmo’s walk-off RBI double gives Mets win over Yankees to salvage Subway Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

It was a matchup of two of the game’s premier aces and two former World Series-winning teammates.Right-handers Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander dueled one another in the second game of the Subway Series on Wednesday night at Citi Field, but in the end neither pitcher factored into the decision. Neither pitcher factored into the fireworks of a wild rivalry matchup that featured bad defense, failed comebacks, a shift violation and a straight steal of home by Isiah Kiner-Falefa.The Mets walked it off in the 10th inning with an RBI double from Brandon Nimmo. The Yankees went to the bullpen to get left-hander Nick Ramirez to counter the left-handed Nimmo, but he sent a double to the right field wall to give the Mets a 4-3 win in front of a sellout crowd of 44,121, the fifth-largest regular-season crowd in Citi Field history.The loss was charged to right-hander Albert Abreu (2-2), who started the inning. Right-hander Dominic Leone (1-2) picked up his first win for the Mets.Verlander...

Wednesday’s high school roundup/scores: Football stars make college commitments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

A pair of Boston Herald football All-Scholastics announced their college intentions.Brockton High School junior Cameron Monteiro gave a verbal commitment to play his college football at Pittsburgh. A standout on both sides of the ball, Monteiro has played at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back for the Boxers.During the 2022 season, Monteiro racked up 20-of-32 passing attempts for 337 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 103 carries for 1,064 yards and 15 touchdowns, and seven receptions for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Monteiro received 15 Division I offers to play wide receiver for some of the nation’s top programs.Meanwhile, Xaverian’s Charlie Comella will play football and baseball at Boston College. A 6-foot, 175-pound junior wide receiver and cornerback, Comella had 22 receptions for 609 yards, seven touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. On defense, he registered 36 tackles, three interceptions, and blocked an extra point.Former Marblehead quarterback...

Stock market today: Asia shares rise as Fed holds rates steady while hinting of hikes ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. Data from China showed consumer and factory activity weakened in May and record-breaking unemployment among young people in cities rose as an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls slowed. Consumers, uneasy about possible job losses, have returned to shops and restaurants less quickly than expected.In Japan, machinery orders for April, released Thursday, showed the first growth in three months. Trade figures for May showed a deficit for 22 months in a row, as import costs rose with the rising energy and other prices. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.3% to 33,589.50. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 7,180.90. South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.4% to 2,607.60. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.7% to 19,543.59, while the Shanghai Composite edged up nearly 0.2% to 3,235.07. In standing pat on rates, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the ...

Deep, 6.2 magnitude earthquake shakes part of Philippines southwest of the capital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A deep earthquake has shaken part of the Philippines, southwest of the capital.The 6.2 magnitude earthquake Thursday morning was near Hukay and about 120 kilometers (75 miles) below the surface, the U.S. Geological Survey said.Deep quakes are often widely felt but with less potential to cause major damage. Hukay is about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Manila.No other information was immediately available.___This version has corrected the quake’s strength in the headline to 6.2, not 6.6.The Associated Press

China’s factory, consumer activity weakens in May, youth unemployment rises

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:59:00 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s consumer and factory activity weakened in May and record-breaking unemployment among young people in cities rose as an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls slowed.Surveys found 20.8% of potential workers in cities aged 16-24 were unemployed, up from April’s previous record of 20.4%, the government reported Thursday.China’s economic activity rebounded after the ruling Communist Party in December lifted controls that cut off access to major cities for weeks at a time and blocked most international travel. But consumers, uneasy about possible job losses, returned to shops and restaurants less quickly than expected.“The domestic structural adjustment has mounting pressure and the foundation for the economic recovery is not yet solid,” the National Bureau of Statistics said in a report.Retail sales rose 12.7% over a year earlier, but that was down from April’s 18.4%, which was barely half of the rate expected by forecasters. Growth in factory o...