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Bringing Lolita home: How to release a long-captive orca?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — An ambitious plan announced last week to return Lolita, a killer whale held captive for more than a half-century, to her home waters in Washington’s Puget Sound thrilled those who have long advocated for her to be freed from her tank at the Miami Seaquarium.But it also called to mind the release of Keiko — the star of the movie “Free Willy” — more than two decades ago. Keiko’s return to his native Iceland vastly improved upon his life in a Mexico City tank, but he failed to adapt to the wild and died five years later. He is the only orca released after long-term captivity.Advocates say their experience with Keiko will inform how they plan for Lolita’s return. But they also stress the differences between their cases.While they hope to bring Lolita — also known as Tokitae, or Toki — to a whale sanctuary among the Pacific Northwest’s many islands, she might never again swim freely with her endangered family, including the nearly century-old whale believ...

Donald Trump to surrender to history-making criminal charges

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the exact charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation’s 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the former president’s belief that the New York grand jury indictment — and three additional pending investigations — are politically motivated and intende...

Trump is heading to court. Here’s what to expect

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush-money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, has called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump’s lawyers have said the former president “did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”What to expect: WHAT’S THE PLAN? Trump flew into New York from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and is expected to leave Trump Tower on Tuesday and make the nearly four-mile drive to the Manhattan criminal courthouse, where he is scheduled to face a judge for his arraignment at 2:15 p.m. EDT.WILL THERE BE A “PERP WALK”? No. So-called perp walks happen when a criminal suspect is taken in handcuffs out of a police precinct and then driven to the court...

Australia bans TikTok from federal government devices

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has become the last of the “Five Eyes” security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal government’s devices. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies’ advice, that ban would come into effect “as soon as practicable.” The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners — the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand — have taken similar steps. TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store U.S. user data in Texas, which it says will put it out China’s reach. The company also disputes accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bl...

Group steers Swiss billionaire’s money to liberal causes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Berger Action Fund is a nondescript name for a group with a rather specific purpose: steering the wealth of Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, into the world of American politics and policy. As a foreign national, Wyss is prohibited from donating to candidates or political committees. But his influence is still broadly felt through millions of dollars routed through a network of nonprofit groups that invest heavily in the Democratic ecosystem. Such groups don’t have to disclose the source of their funding — or many details about how they spend it. Newly available tax documents show that his giving through the Berger Action Fund, which describes itself as advocating for “solutions to some of our world’s biggest problems,” swelled in 2021 to $72 million, cementing Wyss’ status as a Democratic-aligned megadonor. Representatives for Wyss insist they comply with laws governing the giving of foreign nationals and have put in place strict poli...

Officials provide update on Woodridge tornado recovery efforts nearly 2 years later

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

WOODRIDGE, Ill. — As disaster recovery efforts are underway after the latest tornado outbreak, the Village of Woodridge is still working to recover from one that hit the community nearly two summers ago.At the Woodridge Country Club Condo Association, 24 homeowners and their families are still displaced as recovery efforts remain ongoing.“21 months ago, this area was hit by an EF-3 tornado, and the recovery is still not complete. Last weekend our district was hit again from Aurora to Belvidere, with severe storm damage,” said Congressman Bill Foster. Chicago-area native being hailed a hero after Nashville school shooting On Monday, Foster joined other lawmakers, Village of Woodridge representatives, Woodridge Neighbors Helping Neighbors Disaster Recovery board members, and representatives with the homeowners’ association for Woodridge Country Club 5 to share an outlook for the future of disaster recovery efforts.“This is a very emotional time for all of us, so I do thank you for b...

John Shipley: Wild have found their identity, now they need to win the Central

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

When this space last visited Xcel Energy Center, the home team was trounced by the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-1, and holding onto the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.It wasn’t difficult to see why.After relying on a potent offense to earn a franchise-best 113 points last season, a mark that included 25 come-from-behind wins, the Wild were playing like a team with an offense capable of rallying for 25 victories.They still aren’t that team, and won’t be for however long this season lasts, but that’s OK because they’re not trying to play like that team anymore. Since that loss to the Knights back on Feb. 9, the Wild have tightened things up considerably and gone 17-3-6 in their past 26 games.There was a lot made of the fact that in early February, the Wild ranked 28th among the NHL’s 32 teams in even-strength goals. Well, guess what? They still do, yet even after a disappointing, 4-3 shootout loss to the Knights on Monday, the Wild are in position to win their first divis...

Biden approves another disaster declaration for California, unlocking more federal aid

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

President Joe Biden has approved another disaster declaration in California, unlocking federal funding for those affected by the severe winter storms, flooding and landslides that have rocked the state since mid-February.Since February 21, states of emergency have been declared in 47 counties — more than 80% of the state.“Many have lost so much, and must be supported to recover from this extreme hardship,” tweeted Luis Alejo, the Chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. “We are relieved that help is on its way!”With this declaration, those affected by the storms in Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare, and Tuolumne counties will now be eligible for additional services, including housing assistance, food aid, counseling, medical support, and legal services. It also will bolster support for state, tribal and local governments dealing with emergency response and recovery costs, and provide low-cost loans as communities rebuild from the repeated disasters.B...

Gas prices could soar after OPEC cuts production

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

(KRON) – Gas prices could soon be soaring. A group of oil-producing countries announced Monday that they would be cutting production of oil by about 1.2 million barrels per day starting in May. Analysts say that could drive up the price by about ¢30 per gallon.  At the Arco gas station in Mill Valley, prices popped up ¢4 a gallon Monday in response to The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cutting production in May. A long line stretched back to the freeway as drivers rushed to fill up before prices go up even more. East Bay police department offering $75K hiring bonus “It is so difficult. Hard on commuters. You are losing all the time. I am a student and it is very hard,” said Kira Barnes, who was driving on Monday.Fuel prices in the past few months have steadily come down, especially compared to where they were in the fall. Now drivers fear we are in for a repeat of last summer, when average gas prices in the Bay Area were between $6 and $7 dollars per gall...

US military says senior IS commander killed in Syria

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:14:47 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a U.S. military statement as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The military statement added that his death “will temporarily disrupt the organization’s ability to plot external attacks.”The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that one person was killed in a drone strike near the rebel-held village of Kefteen.The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds. The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria....