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Katie Ledecky joins an elite club with another dominating performance at the US nationals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Katie Ledecky joined an elite club Tuesday night, earning her sixth trip to the world championships with a dominating victory in the 800-meter freestyle at the U.S. nationals.Ledecky was under her own world-record pace for much of the race before settling for the victory in 8 minutes, 7.07 seconds — her third-fastest time in the grueling event, which she has dominated over her career. She was clearly pleased with the performance, flashing a thumbs-up and a defiant shake of the head when she turned and spotted the time. Ledecky became only the sixth swimmer to make the world championships for the sixth time, joining Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Natalie Coughlin, Elizabeth Beisel and Nathan Adrian.No one else was even close to Ledecky. When she touched the wall, the closest swimmer was nearly a lap behind.Seventeen-year-old Jillian Cox claimed the second spot on the worlds team in a major surprise. She finished in 8:20.28 — more than 13 seconds behind Ledecky.___AP...

Conservationists and tribes urge US appeals court to block Biden-backed Nevada lithium mine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Lawyers for environmentalists and tribes urged a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday to overturn a judge’s decision to allow construction to begin on a huge lithium mine in Nevada earlier this year before the plans were in full compliance with federal law.A lawyer representing four conservation groups seeking to halt the project said a U.S. district judge in Reno illegally exceeded her authority when she refused to revoke the mine’s operation plan in March despite her conclusion that federal land managers had violated the law in approving parts of it.“This is the first time in public land history that we have a major project violating a number of provisions but is allowed to go forward,” Roger Flynn, the director of the Colorado-based Western Mining Action Project, told a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.“In the meantime, thousands of acres of public land are essentially being clear-cut,” he said Tuesday about the high-desert sagebrush th...

Camping ban gets unanimous approval in Douglas County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously passed a public camping ban.The ban will limit camping and ban temporary structures on public property in the area "without written approval.”Commissioners questioned how those words could affect enforcement.“Would anything in this ordinance inherently prohibit that an organization like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or some other youth camping organization from attempting to get and receive a camping permit?” Commissioner George Teal asked before voting Tuesday. Human case of plague found in Montezuma County “No, written permission of any kind permits any organization or party to use public property. It’s just the process of getting that approval,” Douglas County Attorney Jeff Garcia said. Anyone who ignores the measure could face a fine of up to $1,000 if shelter space is available.“It is important to note that a party cannot violate this ordinance if there is no other ...

Residents at Plantation Acres demand more safety protocols for horses due to increased traffic and congestion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

Horse lovers in Plantation Acres are concerned that increased traffic and congestion are making their equestrian community unsafe.Kevin Ozebek has tonight’s 7 Investigates.Ashlynn met Rosie when she was 8 years old.Ashlynn Howard, Rosie’s owner: “I fell in love with Rosie on that first ride, and I was like, ‘I have to have her. She’s perfect. She’s amazing.'”Whether it was jumping for fun or barrel racing, Ashlynn loved to take Rosie out riding.But to get to nearby Plantation Equestrian Center, they had to leave the barn where Rosie boarded and crossed busy Sunrise Boulevard.On May 4, Ashlynn was riding Rosie near the equestrian center south of Sunrise when the unthinkable happened.Ashlynn Howard: “I made the mistake by giving my friend the reins of my horse, and she mistakenly let go of my horse and my horse took off.”Rosie ran for the barn and into traffic at the intersection of 118th Street and Sunrise Boulevard.She was hit by...

Phil Stringer’s video goes viral after being the only passenger on American Airlines

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

A North Carolina man got a taste of the good life recently when he was the only passenger on an American Airlines flight.Phil Stringer had patience like no other as he booked a flight from Oklahoma to North Carolina but before the flight takeoff, storms rolled in and the flight was delayed for nearly 18 hours.All the other passengers found other flights but he waited and ended up having the plane to himself.Stringer started rolling, as he got personalized service from everyone at American Airlines.Phil said how a bad situation turned into a good one when he finally got home.“For the crew, they had to get called they were at their hotel like they were gonna go to bed. I felt so bad because I was like, Oh my gosh, they literally had to come here for me,” said Stringer. “My bag actually did get misplaced for about 45 minutes in Charlotte. I was like, Are you kidding me? We lost the one bag that we had on the plane. How did that even happen? You know, honestly, it was ...

Gaming out Russia’s future

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

All eyes are on Moscow — but no one knows what they’re looking at. Are there more uprisings in the works? Will Vladimir Putin escalate his brutality in Ukraine to compensate? Are his nukes secure? Will everything somehow return to a tense, war-time status quo? These types of questions have gripped conversations after a failed mutiny saw the Wagner Group’s mercenaries march within hours of Moscow before turning back. While Putin and Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin continue to spin dueling narratives about the rebellion, one thing appears certain: the Russian leader’s veneer of invincibility has shattered. That does not mean the end of the Putin regime is imminent. But a host of hard-to-imagine and even bizarre scenarios are now being teased out as everyone speculates over what comes next.There are “more unknowns than knowns,” said a senior Central European diplomat, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. POLITICO lays out ...

We have reached the point of maximum Russian danger

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, is president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and host of the weekly podcast “World Review with Ivo Daalder.”History unfolds in bursts — there are long periods where little changes, then suddenly the world is turned upside down. The 24-hour armed rebellion that saw a mercenary army traverse 800 kilometers toward Moscow, uncontested, has changed everything.Russian President Vladimir Putin now faces the gravest crisis of his quarter-century presidency. His weakness has been exposed: None of Russia’s security forces stood in the way of the Wagner Group’s march to Moscow, and those who did were swiftly dealt with. The people of Rostov-on-Don — the logistical hub of Russia’s army in the south, which Wagner occupied without any resistance — greeted the mercenaries with waves and open arms. And it required an outsider, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, to convince Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin to stand down.Power is as much abou...

Under-fire Scottish leader Humza Yousaf takes plea for closer EU ties to Brussels

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

BRUSSELS — He emerged as the leader of the Scottish National Party following Nicola Sturgeon’s messy exit from the political scene earlier this year — and just as a funding scandal engulfed his party.But, despite the firestorm at home, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf is in Brussels with a clear message: Don’t close the door to Scottish membership of the European Union.In an interview with POLITICO, Yousaf said that Scotland is ready and waiting to join the EU if it becomes independent — a priority he believes has become all the more relevant since Brexit.“Sixty-two percent of Scotland voted to stay within the European Union in 2016. But unfortunately we have been taken out of the EU,” Yousaf said. Scotland rejoining the EU would by no means be an easy road. After a failed referendum attempt in 2014, there is the fact Scotland is still a part of the United Kingdom, with no clear route to a second vote.Were it under his control, Yousaf said, “We would have had [a sec...

Bulgaria must rid its spy services of Russia-backed agents, says head of leading party

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

SOFIA — Bulgaria must prioritize an overhaul of its security services and flush out Moscow-backed agents if it hopes to succeed in its ambitious plans of rooting out organized crime and corruption, according to Kiril Petkov, whose reformist alliance is currently the main force in a new government. The 43-year-old leader of the We Continue the Change party — which has formed an anti-corruption alliance with the Democratic Bulgaria party — told POLITICO at his party’s headquarters in Sofia that the intelligence services desperately needed reform. In the chaotic, often violent, years following the fall of Communism, agents from Bulgaria’s state security apparatus came to play an outsize role in the creation of a powerful mafia — engaged in extortion, narcotics and arms dealing — that still has a pervasive hold on national politics and the judiciary. Many of the state security apparatchiks-cum-mobsters who came to prominence had close ties to Moscow. “I think there are embed...

De La Cruz and Segura homer, Marlins pound out 19 hits in 10-1 rout of Red Sox

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:25 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run home run, Jean Segura added a solo homer and the Florida Marlins beat the Boston Red Sox 10-1 on Tuesday night.The Marlins, winners of four of their last five, finished with 19 hits.Jazz Chisholm contributed three RBIs in his return from a 38-game absence with a right turf toe injury. Garrett Cooper added two RBIs, Jorge Soler had an RBI double, and Joey Wendle finished with four hits.Luis Arraez, who entered the day with a .399 average, struck out for the first time since June 14. But he had a single and RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.Reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara (3-6) came in having allowed five-plus runs in six starts this season. He was strong over seven innings, giving up one run and six hits while striking out five. It was his seventh time this season pitching into at least the seventh inning.Alex Verdugo provided the lone RBI for the Red Sox, losers of three straight and five out o...