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Plane fighting Greek island wildfire crashes killing both pilots, as Italian blaze claims 2 lives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures.Summer wildfires blamed on climate change have also struck other Mediterranean countries, leaving at least 34 people dead in Algeria and two people dead in southern Italy Tuesday.A state ERT TV video showed the bright yellow CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and Greece’s armed forces declared three days of mourning.“They offered their lives to save lives,” ...

Jury delivers verdict over Brussels extremist attacks that killed 32

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — A jury on Tuesday found six people guilty of terrorist murder for extremist attacks in 2016 that killed 32 people, Belgium’s worst peacetime violence, according to Belgian media.Among those convicted was Salah Abdeslam, who is already serving a life sentence in France for his role in the 2015 attacks on Paris. Both the Brussels and Paris attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group.The verdict was reported by public broadcaster RTBF, newspaper Le Soir and news websites HLN and Nieuwsblad.The 12-person jury is reading out the verdict after nearly three weeks of deliberation. Terrorist murder was among various charges suspects were facing. Sentencing will be decided in a separate process, not before September. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The following is AP’s previous story. A jury is expected to issue a verdict Tuesday over Belgium’s deadliest peacetime attack, suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and a busy subway station in 2016 that killed 32 peopl...

Education Department opens investigation into Harvard’s legacy admissions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Harvard University’s policies on legacy admissions, which give an edge to applicants with family ties to alumni. Top colleges’ preferential treatment of children of alumni has been facing new scrutiny since the Supreme Court last month struck down the use of affirmative action as a tool to diversify college campuses. The department notified Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, on Monday that it was investigating the group’s claim that alleges the university “discriminates on the basis of race by using donor and legacy preferences in its undergraduate admissions process.”An Education Department spokesperson confirmed its Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation at Harvard and declined further comment.The complaint was filed July 3 on behalf of Black and Latino community groups in New England. The group argued that students with legacy ties are up to seven tim...

School on South Dakota reservation that was founded in 1888 renamed in Lakota language

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

PINE RIDGE RESERVATION, S.D. (AP) — A parochial school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has been around for 135 years is being renamed in the Lakota language.Red Cloud Indian School will be renamed Maȟpíya Lúta –- a translation of Chief Red Cloud’s name, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday. The school was founded by Jesuits in 1888. It now has about 600 students.Jennifer Irving, vice president of communications and marketing, said the idea for the name change came from the school’s athletes, who wanted the Lakota language name on their team jerseys.“It inspired the rest of us to catch up with our young leadership here,” Irving said. “That’s really where that change happened.”Irving said the name change is about more than rebranding and “really about honoring Chief Red Cloud and really committing further to Lakota language revitalization.”The process of changing the name has begun and will continue through the 2023-24 school year.The Associated ...

Massachusetts rejects request to discharge radioactive water from closed nuclear plant into bay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts environmental regulators have denied a request by the company dismantling a shuttered nuclear power plant to release more than 1 million gallons (3.8 million liters) of radioactive wastewater into Cape Cod Bay.The state Department of Environmental Protection’s draft decision issued Monday said it denied Holtec’s request for a permit modification because the discharge from Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth would violate a state law that designates the bay as an ocean sanctuary.The draft will not be finalized until after a public comment period that ends Aug. 25.Environmentalists and politicians praised the decision.Release of the treated wastewater would pose a threat to the bay’s environment, human health, the fishing and shellfishing industries, and the economy of the region, Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, said in a statement.“Holtec sought to profit at the expense of the people, the envir...

Four ministers won’t seek re-election, cabinet shuffle expected as soon as Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

OTTAWA — With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected to shuffle his cabinet as early as Wednesday,a string of Liberal ministers have confirmed they will not run in the next federal election. Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett all announced this week that they will not seek re-election. Trudeau has been holding private meetings in the capital this week, while several other ministers have cancelled public appearances — both signs of an impending shake-up.A government source with knowledge of the matter said the cabinet shuffle would happen as soon as Wednesday. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.The last time Trudeau shuffled his cabinet in a significant way was in 2021. Experts say the expected adjustments this week will show who Trudeau wants with him on the battleground.“This is th...

UPS driver shot while delivering packages in West Humboldt Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

CHICAGO — A UPS driver was shot Tuesday morning while delivering packages in Chicago's West Humboldt Park neighborhood.According to police the UPS workers was in the 700 block of North Trumbull Avenue around 11 a.m. when shots were fired.Officials from the Chicago Fire Department said the driver suffered multiple graze wounds and was taken to the hospital in good condition.Police have not released any details about the shooting.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesPolice are investigating.No one is in custody.

Illinois football makes a major coaching hire before 2023 season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

CHAMPAIGN — Before the start of his third season at the school, Bret Bielema made a splash with his latest addition to his coaching staff. Here’s @IlliniFootball’s release on the hiring of former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach @jimleonhard as a senior football analyst under head coach @BretBielema..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/LVR08i6rkO— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) July 25, 2023On Tuesday morning, Illinois announced that they've hired former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as a senior football analyst just before Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.He had been a candidate for a defensive coordinator job for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles after his seven-year run of coaching at his alma mater in Madison. It's a major staff hire for Bielema as he continues to improve the Illini football program, which won eight games for the first time in 15 years during the 2022 season. He served as Leonard's defensive coordinator with the Badgers in his final s...

Comedian Jim Gaffigan tells his 'favorite morning show' what really happened to Larry Potash's arm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

CHICAGO — He's got a lot going on at the moment from a new show to an upcoming tour with a comedic legend. But before the actor's strike, Chesterton-native Jim Gaffigan had some time to talk with Dean Richards about a few projects that are coming up for him in 2023.On Tuesday, his new comedy special "Dark Pale," will premiere on Amazon Prime and will be his 10th such program in his career. On November 9 &10, he'll team up with Jerry Seinfeld for a pair of performances at the United Center as part of a tour that will also stop in Inglewood, San Francisco, and St. Louis.Dean spoke to Jim about these topics and more in this edition of "Dean's A-List Interview" that aired on the July 25 WGN Morning News. You can watch the full interview in the video above.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

A slight drop in heat, but not for long

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:01:55 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Monday was the 17th straight day with a high in the triple digits. There are at least seven more to come to end this month. July 31st will be the 24th 100º day which will tie for second place with the most consecutive days of triple digit heat. 2023 AUSTIN WEATHER DATA We expect highs today to be slightly cooler than Monday as we drop 1 degree to 104º this afternoon.Only two counties with heat alerts todayToday a Heat Advisory is in effect for Lampasas and San Saba Counties for a maximum heat index up to 107°.Upper-level high pressure is over western New Mexico today. It will continue to stay to the west of Central Texas from now through the weekend.The stubborn high remains to our westAn "inverted trough" does look to develop by late in the week but it may be too far away from our region to serve up any much-needed rain. Perhaps the most we can look for is some clouds but even that is iffy. Finally, and this really hurts, the update from the Climate Prediction Ce...