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Evacuations end after fiery Minnesota ethanol derailment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

By JOSH FUNK and TRISHA AHMED (Associated Press)PRINSBURG, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people had to evacuate their Minnesota hometown after a train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire early Thursday, but authorities are hopeful that the quick response and cold weather will help limit the impact of this latest crash.Still, those pushing to improve rail safety said Thursday’s derailment only adds urgency to the debate over reforms Congress and regulators are considering even as officials seemed to apply some of the lessons learned after last month’s fiery derailment near East Palestine, Ohio.Minnesota officials said the BNSF train derailed around 1 a.m. Thursday in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis. That prompted the evacuation of essentially all of the town’s 250 homes because they were within 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) of the derailment. The evacuation order was lifted around noon.The nation has been ...

Easton Police identify Clark Grant, indicted on federal fraud charges with wife Monica Cannon-Grant, as person who died in motorcycle crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

Clark Grant, who along with his wife Monica Cannon-Grant was federally indicted on a string of fraud charges, has died in a motorcycle accident in Easton. He was 39.Easton Police responded to a crash on Route 138, the nearest address being 479 Turnpike Street, at around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday and found a motorcyclist “suffering from traumatic injuries” lying in the roadway, according to a statement the department issued this afternoon.That motorcyclist was identified as Clark Grant, 39, of Taunton. He was treated by local firefighters and transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.A spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Grant is the same Clark Grant facing federal charges.“We are horrified and deeply saddened by the loss of this great man. He will forever be missed,” said Chris Malcolm, Monica Cannon-Grant’s attorney, in a statement for the family. “Monica heard fro...

Severe thunderstorm warning issued for San Diego

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

SAN DIEGO - A severe thunderstorm warning was issued Thursday morning for several cities in San Diego County.The National Weather Service in San Diego issued the warning for San Diego, National City and Coronado. The warning expires at 11 a.m.NWS said wind up to 60 mph and penny-sized hail was possible. Tornado warning briefly issued in North County: NWS Earlier Thursday, a tornado warning was briefly issued for parts of North County. That warning expired at 10:30 a.m.

Padres announce Opening Day roster

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Happy Opening Day!The San Diego Padres have finalized their roster for the first game of the 2023 season, the team announced Thursday.Ahead of the roster announcement, Padres General Manager A.J. Preller announced several roster moves. The club selected the contracts of outfielder David Dahl, infielder Rougned Odor and pitcher Domingo Tapia. Going to Padres opening day? Here’s what to know Catcher Brett Sullivan was optioned to Triple-A El Paso and pitcher Michel Baez was designated for assignment, according to team officials.Here is the 26-man roster for the Padres on Opening Day at Petco Park:Right handed pitchers: Nabil Crismatt, Yu Darvish, Luis García, Brent Honeywell, Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez, Domingo Tapia, Michael Wacha, Steven WilsonLeft-handed pitchers: Josh Hader, Tim Hill, Blake Snell, Ryan WeathersCatchers: Luis Campusano, Austin NolaInfielders: Xander Bogaerts, Matt Carpenter, Jake Cronenworth, Nelson Cruz, Ha-Seong Kim, Manny Machado, Rougned ...

College ends partnership with school over the David issue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

HILLSDALE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan college has ended its partnership with a Florida charter school whose principal was forced to resign after a parent complained sixth graders were exposed to pornography during a lesson on Renaissance art that included Michelangelo’s David sculpture.A Hillsdale College spokesperson said Tallahassee Classical School no longer is affiliated with the small, Christian classical liberal arts college in southern Michigan, MLive.com reported Thursday.“This drama around teaching Michelangelo’s ‘David’ sculpture, one of the most important works of art in existence, has become a distraction from, and a parody of, the actual aims of classical education,” spokesperson Emily Stack Davis wrote in a statement. “Of course, Hillsdale’s K-12 art curriculum includes Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and other works of art that depict the human form.”Tallahassee Classical School was licensed to use Hillsdale’s classical education curriculum, but its license was “revok...

Biden calls to revive bank regulations that Trump weakened

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Weeks after the failure of two banks, President Joe Biden called Thursday for independent regulatory agencies to impose tighter rules on the financial system, telling them that they can act under current law without additional steps taken by Congress.The recommended changes outlined by the White House try to put a clear blame on the Trump administration for weakening supervision of regional banks, issuing a fact sheet that said Biden’s predecessor “weakened many important common-sense requirements and supervision.”Rattling the financial markets and U.S. voters alike, the California-based Silicon Valley Bank and New York-based Signature Bank failed over the course of a weekend and required government intervention. Then another financial institution, First Republic Bank, received an emergency $30 billion infusion of funds from 11 large private banks.Biden wants to revive and expand rules for mid-size banks that face less scrutiny than the industry’s behemoths, with a...

Boston auction of signed Zelenskyy painting to help Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — An original painting of Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed by the Ukrainian president is being sold at auction, and proceeds from the sale will be used to benefit the nation’s people suffering during its war with Russia.Bidding on the 40-by-24-inch (101.5-by-61-centimeter) painting by American artist Oleg Jones starts at $50,000, and the goal is to sell it for at least $100,000, Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of auctioneer RR Auction in Boston, said Thursday.The painting features an image of Zelenskyy against the background of Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. Several raised stars in the upper left of the piece form a heart around the gold trident from the nation’s coat of arms.The acrylic paints are coated in resin sprinkled with glass dust, giving it a sparkling effect.It is signed, in English, “Zelenskyy, Glory to Ukraine.” It’s also signed by the artist.The auction, which concludes April 12, includes photos of the president signing i...

Kentucky House panel advances medical marijuana bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky House committee advanced a medical marijuana bill Thursday, putting lawmakers on the brink of legalizing access to medical cannabis for people suffering from a series of debilitating illnesses.The long-debated measure was sent to the full House, setting up a potentially historic vote on final passage in the waning hours of this year’s legislative session.If the bill clears the Republican-led legislature, it would go to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. The governor took executive action last year to relax the prohibition on medical cannabis, but has said it’s no substitute for outright legalization, which requires legislative approval.Under the measure, medical cannabis could be prescribed for a list of conditions, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, epilepsy, chronic nausea and post-traumatic stress disorder.“We need your help to make us be safer, so we don’t have to use all these pharmaceuticals and opioids,” said longtime m...

Lawyer: Mexican official ordered migrants not to be released

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The top immigration official in the Mexican state where a detention center fire killed at least 39 migrants allegedly was told when the fire started but ordered that the migrants not be released, according to a complaint filed by a lawyer representing people involved in the tragedy.The complaint filed Wednesday with federal investigators from the attorney general’s office said retired Navy Rear Adm. Salvador González Guerrero, the Chihuahua state delegate for the National Immigration Institute, “gave the order by way of a phone call that under no circumstances should the migrants ‘housed’ inside the place where the fire started be released.”The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the allegations nor to a request to speak with González.A video from a security camera inside the Ciudad Juarez facility showed guards walking away when the fire started late Monday inside the cell holding the migrants and not making any attempt to release th...

Vatican: Pope improving, could leave hospital in coming days

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:37 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has shown a “marked improvement” following intravenous antibiotics for a bronchitis infection and could be released from the hospital in the coming days, the Vatican and his doctors say.The 86-year-old pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, ate breakfast, read the newspapers, rested and worked from his hospital room at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, according to a statement Thursday from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.An additional update provided by doctors revealed Francis had been diagnosed with bronchitis after he was admitted to Gemelli on Wednesday. The infection “required the administration of antibiotic therapy on an infusion basis which produced the expected effects with a marked improvement in his state of health,” the statement said.“Based on the expected course, the Holy Father could be discharged in the coming days,” it concluded.Francis was hospitalized after having trouble breathing in recent days.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. A...