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Snowfall, heavy rain in Afghanistan kill at least 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — Snowfall and heavy rain killed at least three people in Afghanistan, including a child, a government spokesman said Saturday.The severe weather hit nine provinces in different parts of the country on Friday and Saturday: Balkh, Zabul, Faryab, Uruzgan, Nimroz, Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, and Laghman. The snow and rain injured seven people, partially or completely destroyed more than 750 homes, and ruined farmland, according to Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesman from the Ministry of Disaster Management.He said government departments are providing families with basic necessities, such as food, tents and blankets. Teams will visit the affected areas to survey the damage.Rahimi also said there was no change in the death toll from last Tuesday’s 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck much of Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.The late-night quake killed 10 and injured 60 in Afghanistan. It damaged 800 houses across the country.A powerful earthquake rocked a rugge...

North Carolina treasurer running for governor in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell announced on Saturday he will run for governor in 2024, a bid that will likely require him besting Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to earn the Republican nomination.While Republicans have controlled the Legislature since 2011 and won a majority on the state Supreme Court last November, they have struggled to enter the Executive Mansion. The GOP has won just one gubernatorial general election since 1992, and winner Pat McCrory served for just four years. Folwell, a former legislator, school board member and state unemployment office chief who was first elected treasurer in 2016, said he would bring competence to operating government in a fiscally sound manner and look out for working people if elected. “The root word of ‘governor’ is to govern, and what that means is to be the CEO of the biggest business in the state,” Folwell told The Associated Press in an interview. “And based on my track record of saving lives, minds and mon...

Biden’s moves on Alaska drilling, TikTok test young voters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Recent moves by President Joe Biden to pressure TikTok over its Chinese ownership and approve oil drilling in an untapped area of Alaska are testing the loyalty of young voters, a group that’s largely been in his corner.Youth turnout surged in the three elections since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, helping Biden eke out victories in swing states in 2020, pick up a Democratic Senate seat in the 2022 election and stem potential losses in the House.But the 80-year-old president has never been the favorite candidate of young liberals itching for a new generation of American leadership. As Biden gears up for an expected reelection campaign, a potential TikTok ban and the Alaska drilling could weigh him down. Meanwhile, his plan to wipe out billions of dollars in student loan debt is in jeopardy at the Supreme Court. The effort, announced shortly before last year’s midterms, was an attempt by Biden to keep a promise he made after defeating progressive Sen...

SIU clears York police officers in early morning shootout that left 1 dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

Two undercover police officers will not face charges following an early morning shootout with suspects wanted in a string of home invasions in Markham last fall.The incident began just after 7 a.m. on November 25, 2022, outside a residence on Eyer Drive, near Rodick and Macrill roads.York region police were investigating a series of armed robberies in Markham and plainclothes officers were tracking multiple suspects in a white vehicle on the morning of the shooting. In its report, the province’s Special Investigations Unit says two men in a BMW X6 approached a black Ford F150 pickup truck which was parked in the driveway of a home on Eyer Drive. Two undercover police officers were inside the truck. One of the suspects, who was armed with a knife, began pounding on the driver’s side window and demanded why they were being followed. The second suspect then emerged from the SUV with a shotgun and began firing at the driver’s side window. The two officers inside the tr...

Suburban city makes top US cities to live in in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – As people continue to shift back to pre-pandemic social and recreational activities — even if they are still working remotely — a new study has broken down the best U.S. cities in which to work, learn, hang out and generally enjoy oneself in 2023.Niche, a data analysis company, used Census data, surveys and other info sources to break down the best cities in the U.S., taking into account the cost of living, safety, school quality, nightlife, walkability, outdoor activities and more.See the top five for 2023 below:Weeks Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (File: Getty)Topping the list is Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to roughly 117,000. The city, which is also home to Harvard, "offers residents an urban feel" with numerous bars, restaurants, coffee shops and parks. The public schools are also excellent, according to Niche.Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, USA city skyline on the Potomac River. (File: Getty)In second place is Arlington, Virginia, which jumped up from fourth i...

The astronomical alignment you can see in the night sky this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) – Venus has been very bright in the western sky, the brightest of every star or planet during the first part of the night. And over the upcoming weekend, it will be part of an astronomical alignment with the moon and another planet.The two-night event will begin Saturday, March 25, with the crescent moon appearing above Venus and topped off by Mars high in the western sky.On the evening of Sunday, March 26, the moon will "split" the two planets. Planet Palooza! When 5 planets will be visible in the night sky The famous constellation Orion will also appear in the western sky just to the left of Mars, the moon, and Venus. You should be able to see it with a telescope.Orion, however, can be seen in the night sky for around half of the year. Its shape is easy to pick out because of its many bright stars and its signature belt: three stars close together in a nearly straight line.

Beware of ads promoting Employee Retention Credit offers, IRS warns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – There is a widely-circulating tax scam for 2023 that involves Employee Retention Credits (ERC), the Internal Revenue Service warns, and you may have recently noticed the advertisements on TV or radio.The refundable tax credit was created to help businesses that kept paying employees despite being shuttered by the COVID pandemic, or who suffered serious declines in business income.While the credit itself is completely legitimate, the promises being made by some shady promoters are not, according to the IRS. As March Madness looms, so do sports betting taxes "While many eligible employers claimed and have already received the ERC, some third parties continue to widely advertise their services targeting taxpayers who may not be eligible for the ERC," the IRS says. "Unfortunately, these advertisements, along with the increased prevalence of websites touting how easy it is to qualify for the ERC, lend an air of legitimacy to abusive claims for refund."One key fact many of ...

WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss reveals skin cancer diagnosis: 'Don't worry'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

(WKBN) – A former WWE women's champion has revealed on social media that she was recently treated for a form of skin cancer. Alexa Bliss, whose real name is Lexi Cabrera, had first revealed the diagnosis in an Instagram story earlier this week."Dear younger me, you should have stayed out of tanning beds," she wrote in a message posted alongside a photo of her bandaged face, according to screengrabs of the now-expired post shared to Twitter and published by TMZ.She also added that she was "all clear now," and thanked a dermatology group for "taking great care of me!"The following day on Twitter, Bliss confirmed that she had undergone surgery for basal cell carcinoma.“There was a spot on my face yes — that had gotten worse,” she wrote. “So went to get biopsy. Was basal cell carcinoma. During my procedure doc also found other squamous cells. Was a quick and easy procedure. Glad I always get my skin checked.” Wrestling’s Bella Twins are changing their name, leaving WWE According to th...

Explosion at Pennsylvania chocolate plant kills 5, leaves 6 missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed five people and left six people missing, authorities said.The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency confirmed the increase in the number of fatalities Saturday morning after the blast just before 5 p.m. Friday at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in the borough of West Reading. 2 Illinois teens die in Colorado sledding accident Chief of Police Wayne Holben said the blast destroyed one building and damaged a neighboring building.“It’s pretty leveled,” Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the explosion site. “The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward."The cause of the blast in the community about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia was under investigation, Holden told reporters. Authorities are investigating the possibility that a gas leak may have been responsible, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvan...

Tornadoes ravage Mississippi, Alabama overnight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During our morning newscast Friday, we told you about the severe weather threat facing western Mississippi (along with northeast Louisiana and east/southeast Arkansas). That part of the Magnolia State was given a moderate risk of severe weather with a good probability of not only hail and strong winds but also tornadoes. A moderate risk is a Category 4 out of 5.That moderate risk was verified as 24 tornadoes were reported Friday night in Mississippi and Alabama. Mississippi had 14 of those tornadoes, and Alabama had ten. The worst of these affected the communities of Rolling Fork and Silver City, both northwest of Jackson. Reports Saturday morning indicate 23 people have died, four are reported missing and dozens are injured in Mississippi. Twelve of those who perished were in Rolling Fork, according to the town's mayor. Search and rescue teams are working with state and local agencies to find those who are trapped in the rubble. The 23 fatalities, with more expected...