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West Kelowna evacuations triple, as City of Kelowna declares wildfire emergency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — A state of emergency has been declared in the City of Kelowna, B.C., and thousands more West Kelowna residents have been ordered to leave their homes in the face of a fast-burning wildfire.The “very active and unpredictable” McDougall Creek wildfire has now destroyed structures and put more than 2,400 West Kelowna properties under evacuation order, up from about 800 Thursday afternoon, after a frightening night that saw hills surrounding the Okanagan community ablaze.Spot fires sparked on the east side of Lake Okanagan prompted the declaration of a state of emergency for the City of Kelowna around midnight.A local state of emergency was already in place in West Kelowna because of the fire that’s threatening suburbs, schools and businesses in the city. Fire crews are bracing for what the operations director with the BC Wildfire Service predicts will be the most challenging days of the provincial wildfire season.A further 4,800 West Kelowna prope...

Russia arrests the leader of a prominent election watchdog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow judge has formally arrested and detained one of the leaders of a prominent independent election monitoring group on suspicion of being involved with an “undesirable” organization, his lawyer said Friday.The case against Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia’s leading election watchdog Golos, is the latest in the monthslong crackdown on Kremlin critics and rights activists that the government ratcheted up after sending troops into Ukraine.Melkonyants’ was charged and detained Thursday in Moscow and appeared in the city’s Basmanny District Court on Friday where a judge arrested him, his lawyer told The Associated Press. Russian media report he has been detained until Oct. 17. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted.Golos has not been labeled “undesirable” — a label that under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense. But it was once a member of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations, a group...

Vina Morales replaces Lea Salonga in Broadway’s ‘Here Lies Love’ to spotlight Filipino stars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

As Tony Award winner Lea Salonga prepares to depart the first ever all-Filipino Broadway cast this week, her role will become a revolving door to showcase other well-known talent from the Philippines.Actor and singer Vina Morales, also beloved in the Philippines, will take over as Aurora Aquino in “Here Lies Love” for a month-long engagement starting Sept. 22, the production exclusively told The Associated Press on Friday. Producers say they are committed to highlighting the country’s “abundance of talent,” allowing guest performers a Broadway debut.“To be able to perform on Broadway is a dream come true for any artist,” Morales said in a statement. “I am grateful to ‘Coach Lea’ Salonga for guiding me along the way.”Salonga, who has been with the show since previews in June, called her friend Morales “a wonderful addition to our cast.” Her final show will be the matinee Saturday. Another cast member will fill in until Morales’ arrival.“Here Lies Love” chronicles th...

Video shows drivers breaking no vehicle access rules at High Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

It’s been almost two weeks since the City of Toronto implemented phase one of the High Park Movement Strategy, but pictures and videos posted to social media appear to show a lot of drivers breaking the rules.City council approved the strategy in May, resulting in a new main vehicle entrance, reduced parking, and new bike lanes installed inside the park.Among the changes in effect since August 5 include the West Road and parts of Colborne Lodge Drive, south of Grenadier Café, being car-free at all times, and the primary vehicle entrance at Parkside Drive and High Park Boulevard being open Monday to Friday but closed on weekends and holidays.Visitor vehicles are not permitted to enter through Bloor Street West.One “X” user, formerly known as Twitter, posted a video showing a line of cars parked in bike lanes and said he witnessed drivers moving fences to get into areas where they’re not allowed.“High Park is better with less cars, but some people move th...

Neighbors Ukraine and Romania sign accord to boost Kyiv’s grain exports through Romanian territory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Ukraine and neighboring Romania signed an agreement Friday to work together to boost Kyiv’s export of grain through Romania after Moscow broke off a key wartime shipping agreement that allowed safe passage through the Black Sea.The accord was signed during a trip by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Romanian capital, Bucharest, for talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu. The two leaders discussed ways to ramp up the war-torn nation’s key grain exports, and improve infrastructure for transportation across river, rail, road, sea, including at border crossings. Ukraine’s economy is heavily dependent on farming, and its grain is crucial for world supplies of wheat, barley, and sunflower oil.Ciolacu told a news conference after the meeting that he hopes Romania can transport more than 60% of Ukraine’s grain exports. He also noted the “ambitious” target to double the transport of Ukrainian grain through Romania that was set last week...

A woman interrupts a Quran-burning protest in Sweden by spraying activist with a fire extinguisher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish police detained a woman Friday who sprayed an anti-Islam activist with a fire extinguisher as he staged a Quran-burning protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Stockholm.Video of the scene showed the woman rushing up to Salwan Momika and spraying white powder toward him before she was intercepted by plainclothes police officers who led her away. Momika, who appeared stunned but unhurt, then resumed his demonstration, which had been authorized by police.Police spokeswoman Towe Hägg said the woman, who was not identified by police, was detained on suspicion of disturbing public order and violence against a police officer.Momika, a refugee from Iraq, has desecrated the Quran in a series of anti-Islam protests that have caused anger in many Muslim countries. Swedish police have allowed his demonstrations, citing freedom of speech while filing preliminary hate speech charges against him.Prosecutors are investigating whether his actions are permissible under Sweden...

Study: One-third of Americans have a tattoo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

Look at the person to your left. Look at the person to your right. Odds are one of you have at least one tattoo.A new Pew Research Center survey shows sporting some ink has become broadly accepted among Americans in recent decades. What's more, it's a trend which seems to span fairly evenly across a variety of demographics. NOAA releases fall weather predictions for Chicago, Illinois The survey found 32% of adults have a tattoo with 22% have more than one. This can be roughly compared to a 2010 survey which showed 23% of adults had a tattoo, however it can't be a direct comparison because of noted changes to the center's survey mode.As for who is most likely to have a tattoo, the survey broke down their results by: gender, race and ethnicity, age, education, income, religion, and sexual orientation. Those demographics were further broken down by likelihood to have one tattoo versus more than one tattoo. Though the combined percentages show a decent amount of variance, single tatto...

Northwestern provides update on Ryan Field renovation plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Despite the fact that controversy is surrounding the stadium's main tenant, Northwestern isn't going to pause its plans for Ryan Field.They will, however, make a few changes in hopes of earning more support from the Evanston community.In a letter to the Northwestern community late Thursday night, president Michael Schill announced that the school is moving forward with its $800 million renovation of its football stadium. While mindful of the current hazing allegations and lawsuits that surround the Wildcats' football program, the school believes it's best to move forward with the project with a few changes. Pat Fitzgerald will work with another football team this fall "The redevelopment of Ryan Field is a generational decision that is tied directly to our commitment as a founding member of the Big Ten, and our commitment to our student-athletes," said Schill in the letter. "The rapidly decaying condition of Ryan Field will require a major investment by the Univers...

The average income is up more than 30% in some cities: Where does yours rank?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Despite the rising inflation the U.S. has faced in recent years, the average annual income has grown by just 3%, Census Bureau data shows. But according to a new analysis by SmartAsset, the median household income grew nearly 10 times as much in some cities. The personal finance website reviewed Census Bureau data from the nation’s 124 largest cities to determine income changes between 2019 and 2021. Nearly one-third of the cities reported double-digit rates of income growth while the majority saw single-digit rates of growth, the lowest being 0.27%.  Inspectors find bed bugs at several Las Vegas Strip hotels Only two cities, located on opposite sides of the country, saw the median income grow by more than 30%: San Bernardino, California (31.35%) and Huntsville, Alabama (30.21%). While San Bernardino had a higher percentage growth, the median income in Huntsville is much higher: as of 2021, Huntsville’s median income is $70,757, nearly $5,000 higher than...

40 percent of US climate emissions attributed to richest households: study

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:27:51 GMT

(The Hill) - The wealthiest tenth of U.S. households are the source of 40 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published in the journal PLOS Climate. Researchers, led by Jared Starr of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, analyzed three decades of household income data from 1990 to 2019.They found that during this period, the bottom 90 percent of households’ share of emissions has fallen, while the top 10 percent’s share has increased. The wealthiest 1 percent of households were responsible for between 15 percent and 17 percent of emissions. Starr and colleagues analyzed emissions associated with businesses owned by the households they analyzed, but also factored in revenues relating to their investments. For the top 10 percent, investment income makes up a large share of those households’ emissions — between 38 percent and 42 percent in the case of the wealthiest 10 percent. “The investment piece makes up an increasing sh...