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Oregon’s top court asked to decide if GOP senators who boycotted Legislature can be reelected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals on Monday asked the state’s highest court to decide whether Republican state senators who carried out a record-setting GOP walkout this year can run for reelection.The senators are challenging a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2022 that bars them from being reelected after having 10 or more unexcused absences. Oregon voters last year overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure that created the amendment following GOP walkouts in the Legislature in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Statehouses around the nation have become ideological battlegrounds in recent years, including in Montana, Tennessee and Oregon, where the lawmakers’ walkout this year was the longest in state history and the second-longest in the United States. Several Oregon state senators with at least 10 absences have already filed candidacy papers with election authorities, even though Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced on Aug. 8 that they a...

B.C. cities condemn posters found touting ‘whites only’ kids’ playtime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

COQUITLAM, B.C. — Two Metro Vancouver cities have issued statements about posters popping up that advertise playtime for only white children and their parents, saying they have no place in their communities. The City of Coquitlam says in a statement that it is aware of notices posted around the community that were exclusionary based on people’s race. The city says RCMP are looking into the “racist” notices. Photos of the notices began circulating on social media on Sunday, showing posters advertising for “Whites Only Moms and Tots,” touting a space for European children to escape “forced diversity.” Photos of the notices show a QR code, an email address and a web address for the encrypted Telegram messaging app, but the account doesn’t appear to exist and there was no immediate response to an email. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West says bylaw officers searched for the signs on bus stops and elsewhere when they became aware, but they foun...

King Charles III and Queen Camilla to welcome South Korea’s president for a state visit in November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla will welcome the president of South Korea for a state visit to the U.K. in November, the second such visit of the monarch’s reign.The king and queen will host Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, at Buckingham Palace on an as yet unspecified date in November, the palace said Tuesday.Yoon, a conservative former prosecutor, has sought to strengthen South Korea’s military alliance with the United States, drawing an angry response from North Korea.But Yoon, 62, has also showed the lighter side of his character. During a state dinner at the White House in April, h e belted out the opening verse of one of his favorite songs, the 1970s folk-rock classic “American Pie,″ at the request of President Joe Biden.A state banquet at Buckingham Palace is unlikely to feature a moment of impromptu song. Such events are traditionally more composed affairs featuring tiaras, toasts and dinner for around 150 guests, with a string orchestra usually pro...

At least 6 people are dead and 12 missing after flash flood in Guatemala sweeps homes into river

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Heavy rains caused a flash flood in Guatemala’s capital early Monday sweeping several humble homes into a river and leaving at least six people dead and 12 missing, including 10 minors.Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator said in a statement Monday that the death toll had risen to six, including a young girl, along with 12 people missing. The 5-year-old girl was recovered by firefighters partially buried in debris and mud some 3 miles (5 kilometers) down the Naranjo river.Guatemala City officials explained in a news conference later Monday that garbage and other debris had effectively dammed the Naranjo river upstream causing water to pool in the overnight downpour. When the dam broke it unleashed a torrent that swept away precarious homes closest to the water’s edge.Officials said residents of the neighborhood had been warned repeatedly to move from the area because of the flood risk.Rushing water away six homes and the families who lived ...

Most evacuation orders, alerts lifted in B.C.’s Okanagan wildfires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Evacuation orders and alerts have been lifted for all but one property in West Kelowna, B.C., about five weeks after thousands were chased out by a fast-moving wildfire.Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says BC Wildfire Service crews are now patrolling the fire’s edge, working to extinguish any remaining hot spots, but warn nearby communities can expect to see smoke within the perimeter in the coming weeks.The 139-square-kilometre McDougall Creek fire swept down on West Kelowna on the evening of Aug. 17, engulfing residential streets that were evacuated with little time to spare.A provincewide state of emergency was declared the next day, as the same winds that fuelled the McDougall Creek blaze fanned fires in the Shuswap region.About half of the 400 structures or homes destroyed in B.C.’s record-breaking fire season have been lost in the Kelowna area.The operations centre also announced it is rescinding evacuation alerts and downgrading evacuati...

Photos: Hail destroys cars in north central Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As hail hit towns across Central Texas Sunday night, several people living in a townhome complex off Koenig Lane got their windows smashed during the storm."It sounded like someone was banging on our windows and doors trying to get in," said Joshua Brisbin. His car is fine, but "seeing my neighbors' property being destroyed by this, it's deeply troubling."Below are photos of the aftermath he described.Hail smashed through several cars in north central Austin.Shattered glass from hail-damaged car window in north central Austin.Car owner covers hail-damaged windows with tarp.Hail damages cars at north central Austin townhome complex.A few blocks away, Anthony Gentles was watching Sunday Night Football when the storm approached."I saw the news ticker at the bottom of the screen, and it was saying a storm was coming," he said. Anthony Gentles said his roommate called him when the storm started, suggesting they both take their cars to a nearby parking garage to wait out ...

Boil water notice issued for Bell-Milam-Falls WSC customers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

MILAM COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A boil water notice was issued on Monday for Bell-Milam-Falls Water Supply Corporation customers, due to a power outage caused by Sunday storms, according to a news release from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).The boil water notice affects Bell-Milam-Falls WSC customers in the areas below:BarlettRogersRogers to BuckholtsRogers to Wilson PHOTOS: Large, damaging hail pummels parts of Central Texas When the notice is no longer in effect, water system officials will notify customers that their water is safe for consumption.If a customer would like to reach TCEQ, they can call (512) 239-4691.

KC school community mourns after teen is killed by stepfather, two teens shot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A violent weekend north of the river left two teens injured from a shooting on Friday night and another allegedly shot and killed by his stepfather early Sunday morning."Families are suffering right now, they're grieving, they're hurt and there is no explanation. There's just no explanation," Janeth Smith, a parent of a student at Staley, said.   Chiefs players react to Taylor Swift’s appearance at Arrowhead All three victims are students at Staley High School in north Kansas City.  That man who police say killed his stepson was also an elementary school teacher. He made his first appearance in a Clay County courtroom on Monday afternoon.  18-year-old Joseph Bonaccorso was killed and now his stepfather, Steven Woods, has been charged with several felonies, including one count of murder and two counts of armed criminal action.The probable cause statement was detailed and sad, as it describes the moments that his mom tried to shield him. In the end, it was to...

Colorado logs coldest temps in the United States on Saturday, Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

Colorado was the coldest place in the contiguous United States on Saturday and Sunday, according to data collected by the National Weather Service.A weather station on Berthoud Pass logged a low of 19 degrees on Saturday and a station on Trail Ridge Road, 4 miles northwest of Grand Lake, logged a low of 17 degrees on Sunday.Berthoud Pass was the coldest spot in the CONUS today with a low of 19F. #COwx https://t.co/SKwyaNT9Yc— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 24, 2023Those are typical temperatures for high mountain valleys, said Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Boulder office. The area is experiencing an inversion, which is when warm air traps cold air below it.“Colder air is denser and heavier and tends to sink to the valley floor, and these are typical cold spots in our forecast area,” Rodriguez said.The low temperatures recorded Saturday and Sunday didn’t break any records for the area, Rodriguez said. Neither weather station had ...

Police shoot man armed with knife in Highland Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:40:22 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department released officers' body-worn camera footage of a police shooting of a man armed with a knife last month in Highland Park on Monday.  The incident occurred on Aug. 26 just before 12:30 p.m. as officers responded to calls of a possible assault with a deadly weapon “suspect there now” in the 800 block of Nolden Street, according to a LAPD news release.  The suspect, later identified as 53-year-old Angel Garrido, called 911 himself and told emergency operators that he was “armed with a gun and going to hurt someone in the apartment.” He also told operators that he was “going to hurt whoever showed up to the location,” the release noted.  The body-worn footage shows officers arriving at the scene and making their way up a narrow stairway to the second floor with guns drawn. Police were also announcing their presence in both English and Spanish.  “Garrido appeared in the hallway and walked toward the officers while hol...