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Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away. That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close — about once a decade. Scientists estimate its size somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet (40 meters and 90 meters).Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 320,000 miles (515,000 kilometers) of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, buzz the Indian Ocean at about 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).“There is no chance of this ‘city killer’ striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations,” the European Space Agenc...

Alberta auditor general seeks reforms to how province manages oilpatch liabilities

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

EDMONTON — Alberta’s system for managing environmental risks from old oilpatch facilities still hasn’t spelled out how it will collect security to ensure cleanups and doesn’t do enough to check that the work gets done, the province’s auditor general said Thursday.“We conclude that (the Alberta Energy Regulator) had liability management processes in place during the audit period, but not all those processes were well designed and effectively mitigating risks associated with closure of oil and gas infrastructure,” said Doug Wylie’s report.Wylie acknowledged the regulator is reforming how it evaluates and ensures the cleanup of old energy sites.However, he said that program has yet to deal with two major issues — the so-called “legacy sites” that have been abandoned and inadequate security collected to ensure the number of such sites doesn’t increase. Wylie said current programs that mandate spending on well closures may...

Norfolk Southern won’t push for one-person train crews

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

Railroad Norfolk Southern is backing away from its push to reduce its train crews down to one person, the company said Thursday in a joint announcement with the nation’s largest rail union. The two sides said they will instead focus on quality of life issues for employees, such as scheduling and days off, during their ongoing contract talks. Railroad safety, including staffing levels, has come under scrutiny since a fiery freight train derailment involving cars carrying toxic chemicals in early February led to evacuations in East Palestine, Ohio. No one was immediately injured in the Feb. 3 derailment, but state and local officials decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars, prompting the evacuation of half of the roughly 5,000 residents. Billowing smoke above the village and reports from residents that they still suffer from illnesses, turned high-level attention to railroad safety and how dangerous materials are transported.Bipartisan legislation introd...

Ontario expects $1.3B deficit, to post surplus in a year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

TORONTO — Ontario plans to start posting budget surpluses in a year, leaning heavily on booming revenues to outweigh increased spending on health care – which includes boosts to hospitals, home care and the medical workforce. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said his nearly $205-billion plan released Thursday shows that the province can spend responsibly.“We are showing it is possible to balance a budget while investing more in housing, more in highways, more in transit, more in the skilled trades, more in new manufacturing, more in health care, more in education, more in the north,” he said in the legislature.In the fiscal year starting next month, Ontario expects to run a $1.3-billion deficit, before eking out a small surplus of $200 million in 2024-25, followed by a $4.4-billion surplus the following fiscal year. Finance officials say that progression is partly due to increasing revenues – Ontario expects to end this year with about $200 billion in revenue, more th...

Other states are copying Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” efforts

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Florida’s move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as Republican lawmakers in other states are pursuing their own versions of what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law.The prohibition signed last year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a presidential run soon, is being copied by GOP lawmakers pushing for similar limits on what can be taught in public schools. DeSantis and other supporters of the prohibitions portray them as ways to protect children from being taught about inappropriate material. But critics say they are marginalizing LGBTQ people and creating a chilling effect on what teachers and students can discuss.FLORIDA’S EXPANSIONThe Florida state Board of Education is set to vote next month on an effort by DeSantis’ administration to ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by...

U.S. President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

Air Force 1, carrying U.S. President Joe Biden, touched down in Ottawa Thursday, kicking off a 27-hour visit in the national capital.Biden arrived just after 6:30 p.m. EDT along with his wife, Jill.The president and first lady were greeted by several dignitaries, including Governor General Mary Simon.This marks Biden’s first in-person visit to the country since he took office in 2021. It isn’t often that a president stays overnight in Canada while on a state visit.Related articles: Pierre Poilievre to get face time with U.S. President Joe Biden in OttawaNorad, Haiti, critical minerals expected to top Trudeau-Biden talking pointsCanada is normally one of the first foreign trips for a new president. However, the 80-yera-old’s visit has been delayed, in part due to COVID-19.The president is set to discuss a number of issues with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They include the war in Ukraine, climate change, trade, mass migration, and an increasingly assertive China.Bi...

Maryland police: Driver veered into a work zone, killing 6

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — New details are emerging about a midweek crash along the Baltimore beltway that left six construction workers dead after a driver lost control of her car and it careened into a work zone, according to Maryland State Police.Lisa Adrienna Lea, 54, was alone in an Acura sedan driving north on Interstate 695 when she went to change lanes and struck the front passenger side of a Volkswagen early Wednesday afternoon, state police said. The impact caused her to lose control, and her car entered the work zone through an opening in temporary concrete barriers separating the construction area from interstate traffic. The crew was actively working on the highway’s left shoulder.After the crash, Lea was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma Center for injuries she received. She remained hospitalized Thursday afternoon, police said.The stretch of highway was closed for hours Wednesday in both directions, snarling traffic along the west side of the bel...

Kentucky governor signs student discipline bill into law

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill aimed at defusing classroom disruptions was signed into law Thursday by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said it would allow school administrators to intervene before situations escalate.The Democratic governor told reporters that the bill seeks to ensure that students posing “a significant and serious potential for harm to a school aren’t immediately back in that school.”“In the end, I think it’s one bill that really comes down to school safety, at a time when we’ve seen some really scary incidents across the country,” Beshear said. “This is one that I believe, if carried out appropriately, can hopefully intervene before some of those things happen.”The bill focuses on how school administrators can respond to classroom disruptions.Under the bill, a student removed from the same classroom three times within 30 days may be suspended from school for being “chronically disruptive.” Principals could require a review of classroom issues with ...

CPD officer Danny Golden files lawsuit against now-closed Beverly bar

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police officer Danny Golden was shot last summer after the shorthanded staff of a Beverly bar — operating illegally — “implored” him to break up a fight, a newly filed lawsuit alleges.Sean’s Rhino Bar and Grill — which closed last year and remains for sale — violated its liquor license, ignored capacity restrictions and did not have security guards working on the night that Golden was shot last July, according to the lawsuit filed last month by Golden and his brother, who was also wounded in the shooting. Beverly bar violated liquor license on night off-duty CPD officer was shot The bar’s parent company, The Johns Den, Inc., and the three men charged in the shooting were all named as defendants in the lawsuit. The charges against the men are still pending, and it’s likely that any civil action against them will be put on hold while their criminal cases progress.“The Johns Den, Inc., by and through their employees and/or agents, because of their failure to have ap...

VIDEO: Porch pirate steals packages from Pilsen residence

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:20:08 GMT

CHICAGO -- A Pilsen resident is warning neighbors of a thief she caught on camera Wednesday morning and is suspected of stealing packages in the neighborhood.“I know it happens all the time but I want people to know about it so they can keep an eye out," the Pilsen resident said.The brazen grab-and-go happened on Wednesday along 17th and Halsted Street."My husband was looking through all the videos that we recorded throughout our building and found that the guy stole some packages off of our front stoop." Judge to issue ruling for Little Village Discount Mall vendors Similar activity was also captured on video by people living behind her on 17th Street the very same day.“My neighbors scared somebody off the back patio, on the steps of our back patio, when she let her dog out and the guy took off and went running.”The Pilsen resident and her neighbors believe it's one alleged thief behind this crime and they're banding together to find out who the person is.“We’ve had about 4-5 cam...