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When thunder roars go indoors: Activities that can be deadly in thunderstorms

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado ranks 5th on the list of states that see the most lightning deaths per year, so it is important to stay weather-aware.While lightning is not an element considered for if a thunderstorm is severe, it can be dangerous, and in some cases deadly. Data collected from NOAA between 2006-2018 revealed that most lightning deaths in the United States happen while people are outside doing leisure activities or playing sports. At the top of the list for the most lightning deaths was fishing, followed by people being on the beach, camping, farming and boating. The study also revealed that 80 percent of victims killed by lightning were male. Annually, Colorado usually lands in the top 10 for most lightning deaths. Data collected from 1959-2019 puts Colorado as the fourth deadliest state for lightning fatalities. Other states with high lightning fatalities include Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. The best thing to do during a thunderstorm is to stay inside. I...

19-year-old fatally shot in South Miami-Dade neighborhood

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

Police are searching for the people responsible for a shooting in a South Miami-Dade neighborhood that left a young man dead.Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the incident in the area of Southwest 260th Terrace and 130th Avenue in the Princeton neighborhood, Saturday night.According to investigators, an argument in front of a house where a gathering was taking place escalated into a fight, at around 10 p.m.Detectives said firearms were pulled out and discharged, striking 19-year-old Derrick Houston Jr. several times.“They shot and killed the love of my life,” said a woman who asked not to be identified or her face on camera.Neighbors said there was a party going on in the backyard of the house in front of where the shots rang out.“Out of nowhere, just multiple shots, ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,'” said a witness. “I said, Oh, my God. I know that’s not fireworks.'”The subjects fled in an unknown direc...

Air travel heats up: Are Americans in for another chaotic summer?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

(CNN) — Last Memorial Day weekend was the inaugural mess in a summer of air travel chaos. With significantly more Americans expected to make their way through airports this holiday weekend, the strained system is facing its first big seasonal crush. Are travelers in for another hellacious summer?The number of travelers screened at security checkpoints hit a post-pandemic record on Thursday and more record-setting volume was expected over the weekend.Some experts anticipate a smoother season for air travelers.“I’m cautiously optimistic that we won’t see a repeat of the flight disruption fiasco that kicked off summer 2022,” said Scott Keyes, founder of travel site Going, formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights.Keyes puts his optimism down to “preventive measures” airlines are taking: Publishing more realistic schedules, building in buffers to limit cascading disruptions, trimming flights out New York’s three busy airports and flying larger planes to still meet high demand.The number ...

Russia launches ‘massive’ drone attack on Ukraine

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s capital was subjected to the largest drone attack since the start of Russia’s war, local officials said, as Kyiv prepared to mark the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. At least one person was killed, but officials said scores of drones were shot down, demonstrating Ukraine’s air defense capability.Russia launched the “most massive attack” on the city overnight Saturday with Iranian-made Shahed drones, said Serhii Popko, a senior Kyiv military official. The attack lasted more than five hours, with air defense reportedly shooting down more than 40 drones.A 41-year-old man was killed and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized when debris fell on a seven-story nonresidential building and started a fire, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.Debris from a drone damaged the building of the Ukrainian Society of the Blind. On Sunday morning, organization member Volodymyr Golubenko came to pick up his things. He was helped by his son Myko...

Biden and GOP rush to complete debt ceiling deal, shore up support to prevent default

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK, FARNOUSH AMIRI and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — With days to spare before a potential first-ever government default, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday were completing a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling while trying to ensure enough Republican and Democratic votes to pass the measure in the coming week.The Democratic president and Republican speaker were to speak later Sunday as negotiators rushed to draft the bill text so lawmakers can review compromises that neither the hard-right or left flank is likely to support. Instead, the leaders are working to gather backing from the political middle as Congress hurries toward votes before a June 5 deadline to avert a damaging federal default.“I think we’re in good shape,” Biden said at midday.The compromise announced late Saturday includes spending cuts but risks angering some lawmakers as they take a closer look...

Turkey’s Erdogan wins another term as president

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade as the country reels from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that leveled entire cities.With more than 99% of ballot boxes opened, unofficial results from competing news agencies showed Erdogan with 52% of the vote, compared with 48% for his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The head of Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the victory, saying that even after accounting for outstanding votes, the result was another term for Erdogan.In his first comments since the polls closed, Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency for five more years.“We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.He ridiculed his challenger for his loss, saying “bye bye bye, Kemal,” as supporters booed.“The only winn...

4 arrested at DUI checkpoint in Chula Vista

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Four people were arrested at a driving under the influence (DUI)/Driver’s License Checkpoint in Chula Vista Saturday, authorities said.The Chula Vista Police Department said officers conducted the checkpoint in the 00 block of North 4th Avenue from 6 p.m. to midnight. 15 arrested at Pacific Beach DUI checkpoint During that time, four drivers were arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A total of 7 drivers conducted field sobriety tests, police said.The identities of those arrested have not been released.The department said 2,226 vehicles traveled through the checkpoint on Saturday and 1,217 of them were screened by officers. A total of 28 citations were issued and four vehicles were impounded, the department confirmed.According to authorities, the DUI checkpoint location was selected based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes in the area.The department said the primary purpose of DUI ch...

Josef Newgarden wins his first Indy 500, gives Roger Penske his 19th victory

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden ended 11 years of frustration and finally won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday to extend team owner Roger Penske’s record to 19 victories — but first since buying Indianapolis Motor Speedway — using an audacious pass of defending race winner Marcus Ericsson during a frantic 2.5-mile sprint to the finish.After the race was red-flagged for the third time in the final 16 laps, Newgarden was moved from fourth to second by race control following a review of the running order at the time the yellow flag waved.The two-time IndyCar champion, who had been 0 for 11 in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” took advantage of his improved position by slingshotting around Ericsson on the restart and holding him off through the last two turns.Newgarden brought his Chevrolet-powered car to a stop on the front stretch, jumped out and found a hole in the fence, diving into part of a crowd estimated at more than 300,000 to celebrate. Then, Newgarden climbed the fe...

Halifax-area neighbourhood evacuated as Nova Scotia wildfire burns out of control

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

Thick plumes of heavy smoke filled the Halifax sky on Sunday as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spread, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents.The province issued two emergency alerts, the first ordering residents of the Westwood Hills subdivision in Tantallon to immediately evacuate the area due to “multiple structure and forest fires.”The second alert, shared shortly after 6 p.m. local time, said the fire had spread, and the evacuation order had been expanded to include the Yankeetown, or Highland Park, subdivision of Hammonds Plains.RCMP said the out-of-control fire was moving rapidly through the area, about 30 minutes northwest of downtown.An official with the provincial Department of Natural Resources said local firefighters and two helicopters are on the scene, but it remained unclear the size of the fire.The emergency alert directed residents to a comfort centre at the Black Point and Area Community Centre.The...

Some of the memorable comments made during Alberta election campaign

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:48:37 GMT

Candidates for both the United Conservative Party and New Democrats have been campaigning over the last four weeks for their party to form the next Alberta government. Election day is Monday.Here are some memorable quotes from the campaign:“(The NDP) devastated the Alberta economy. They created policies that drove investment out, drove jobs out, and we had to reverse all of that,” UCP Leader Danielle Smith said on May 1, the day the writ was dropped. “The choice in this election couldn’t be clearer. It’s a choice between a UCP government that will cut your taxes and make life more affordable or an NDP government that will make you pay more across the board.”—“Over the past four years, our health care has been thrown into chaos by the UCP,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said during the first week of the campaign. “They’ll tell you they fixed it, but Albertans aren’t feeling it and they’re not buying it … o...