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EU leaders recommit to support Ukraine as they and NATO see divisions emerging in Russia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took center stage at a European Union summit, underscoring the importance the 27 EU leaders attach to protecting their eastern flank from Russian aggression and beefing up Ukraine’s defense capabilities.In a statement issued early Friday after the meeting ended, the leaders reaffirmed their willingness “to provide sustainable military support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”Zelenskyy addressed the gathering by video link and Stoltenberg attended an early lunch for leaders. But the biggest seat at the table was reserved for something that’s not officially on the agenda: the fallout from the stunning weekend mutiny in Russia and the impact it has on the rule of President Vladimir Putin.“The mutiny we saw at the weekend demonstrates that there are cracks and divisions within the Russian system. At the same time, it is important to underline that these are internal Russian matters,” said Stoltenber...

Arizona city holds 10-year remembrance for 19 firefighters who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

It was one of the deadliest wildland fires ever in the U.S., killing 19 members of an elite central Arizona firefighting crew in 2013 after flames trapped them in a brush-choked canyon.The city of Prescott and the neighboring town of Yarnell are expected to honor the fallen Granite Mountain Hotshots on Friday with public events. Lew Theokas, who lost his grandson, 27-year-old Garret Zuppiger, said it’s still tough for him to talk about the Yarnell Hill Fire a decade later.“He was my only grandson and only grandchild,” said Theokas, who was with his wife in Oklahoma the day he lost his grandson. “We were on an RV trip and were going to be back in town in two days. I talked to Garret that morning.”When the fire started, dry lightning had struck a patch of vegetation in steep, mountainous terrain and ignited the fire high on a ridge west of Yarnell, which hadn’t experienced a wildfire in more than 45 years.Two days later, the Hotshots were battling the wildfire in a box can...

Heat waves like the one that’s killed 14 in the southern US are becoming more frequent and enduring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Heat waves like the one that engulfed parts of parts of the South and Midwest and killed more than a dozen people are becoming more common, and experts say the extreme weather events, which claim more lives than hurricanes and tornados, will likely increase in the future.A heat dome that pressured the Texas power grid and killed 13 people there and another in Louisiana pushed eastward Thursday and was expected to be centered over the mid-South by the weekend. Heat index levels of up to 112 degrees (44 Celsius) were forecast in parts of Florida over the next few days. Eleven of the heat-related deaths in Texas occurred in Webb County, which includes Laredo. The dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old, and many had other health conditions, according to the county medical examiner. The other two fatalities were Florida residents who died while hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park. Scientists and medical experts say such deaths caused by extreme heat will o...

They envision the world’s tallest flagpole in this Maine town. Instead of uniting, it is dividing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — Lobster boat engines rumble to life, lumberjacks trudge into the woods and farmers tend wild blueberries just like they have for generations here at the nation’s northeastern tip, where the vast wilderness and ocean meet in one of the last places on the East Coast unspoiled by development.It’s a striking backdrop to a family’s bold vision for the region: a flagpole jutting upward from the woodlands toward spacious skies — reaching higher than the Empire State Building and topped with an American flag bigger than a football field.To promoters, the $1 billion project would unite people of all political stripes in an era of national polarization. “We want to bring Americans together, remind them of the centuries of sacrifice made to protect our freedom, and unite a divided America,” said Morrill Worcester, whose family is behind the proposal.So far, the proposed Flagpole of Freedom Park has done precisely the opposite. In Columbia Falls, p...

Jersey Shore towns say state’s marijuana law handcuffs police and emboldens rowdy teens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) — It’s summer on the Jersey Shore. For many young people, that means one thing: Party time! But officials and residents of several beachside towns say New Jersey’s criminal justice reforms in recent years — such as decriminalizing marijuana use — are having an unintended effect, emboldening large groups of teenagers to run amok on beaches and boardwalks, knowing there’s little chance they’ll get in trouble for it.Now, some lawmakers are trying to walk back parts of those laws, which also involve alcohol use and possession. The laws were designed to keep more juveniles out of the court system, and imposed a number of restrictions on police officers’ interactions with them.“You don’t want to see a kid with a record that will last the rest of his life, but you can’t let them believe they can do anything they want,” said Mayor Anthony Vaz of Seaside Heights. “That’s unacceptable.”During Memorial Day weekend, police and media outlets reported...

Lynx’s Napheesa Collier plays Storm-stopper for second time this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Reserves for the WNBA All-Star Game are to be announced Saturday.Napheesa Collier is all but assured of playing July 15 with the league’s best players.Collier scored on a fadeaway jumper with 1.8 seconds left in overtime and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Storm 99-97 late Thursday in Seattle.Collier took the inbounds pass from Kayla McBride, drove to the right wing, spun back and sank the game-winner.Playing every second of the game, Collier finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, a career-high six blocks and five assists for Minnesota. She scored 33 with 10 rebounds in the Lynx’s 104-93 win over the Storm on Tuesday at Target Center.Minnesota (6-9), which snapped an eight-game losing streak in Seattle, has won three of four and five of seven.Down by two, Diamond Miller scored on a drive with 11.2 seconds remaining in the extra session to pull the Lynx even. Miller finished with a career-high 19 points and four rebounds.Watched tightly by McBride, Jewell Loyd, who scored a caree...

Boundary Waters wildfire declared 100% controlled; visitor restrictions lifted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Superior National Forest officials say the Spice Lake wildfire is 100% controlled, allowing them to reopen all areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that had been closed due to the fire.All of the entry points and all of the lakes and portages will open at 12:01 a.m. Friday for campers to use as their permits allow.While the fire is no longer a threat to spread, officials urged people to keep out of the burned area — about 10 miles west of the upper end of the Gunflint Trail — due to the fact that still-standing trees may fall at any time.Several days of rain and cooler temperatures have all but snuffed the danger of more wildfires in the region, at least for the short term, but a campfire ban remains in effect for the entire BWCAW.Across all of St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties, campfires are allowed only in developed areas with fire rings.Forest officials note that fireworks are illegal in the national forest. They are also illegal in state parks, and the state has im...

Oakdale: Anonymous tip leads to arrest, charges against alleged sex trafficker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

A St. Paul man has been charged with multiple felonies after an anonymous tip alerted police to a woman being sexually trafficked in Oakdale, Washington County officials said Thursday.Ray Jay Dean Thompson, 45, has been charged with promoting prostitution and receiving profits from prostitution.Thompson was arrested early Monday morning while providing transportation to women who later admitted to engaging in commercial sex activities with a man at a house in the 400 block of Hickory Lane North, officials said.An anonymous tipster sent an Oakdale police officer a text message expressing concern about a woman who was possibly being sexually trafficked, according to the criminal complaint filed in Washington County District Court. The tipster provided the location of the woman, what time she would be there, and that the sex buyer was going to pay $300 for services.Officers with the Oakdale Police Department alerted a detective embedded with the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force ...

L.A. County teen girl missing for weeks as search continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Authorities are continuing to search for a teenager who disappeared in Lynwood in early June.The missing girl, Maria Fernanda Deniz, 17, was last seen on June 8 on the 12200 block of Long Beach Boulevard around 7 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Deniz is described as a Hispanic female standing 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds with brown eyes, long black hair, and a pierced nose. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie, gray pants, and black and red Nike shoes.Authorities believe she may be headed to the Cypress Park area of Northeast L.A. The girl’s family has not heard from her since and is concerned for her well-being. They're hoping the public may have information that could lead to her discovery.Maria Fernanda Deniz, 17, in an undated photo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.No further details were released surrounding her disappearance.Anyone who may have seen Deniz or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call the LASD’...

3 suspects arrested after shooting outside tattoo shop in Yucaipa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:14 GMT

Three people have been arrested in connection to a shooting outside a tattoo shop in Yucaipa earlier this month, authorities announced Thursday.  The incident unfolded on June 14 at around 11:35 p.m. near the intersection of Yucaipa Boulevard and 5th Street, according to a news release from the San Bernardino Sherrif’s Department. Deputies responded to the scene on reports of people arguing and gunshots heard.  An investigation revealed that an argument had started inside Artistic Element Tattoo shop and escalated into a physical altercation. That’s when authorities say one of suspects shot a female victim before fleeing the scene.  The unidentified female victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her head.  Later, investigators were able to identify 40-year-old Redlands resident Othon Hernandez, 42-year-old Beaumont resident Roman Abrego and 34-year-old Kaitlin Abrego, also from Beaumont, as suspects in the shooting.   Brazen, broad daylight bur...