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Long popular in Asia, floating solar catches on in US

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

When Joe Seaman-Graves, the city planner for the working class town of Cohoes, New York, Googled the term “floating solar,” he didn’t even know it was a thing. What he did know is that his tiny town needed an affordable way to get electricity and had no extra land. But looking at a map, one feature stood out, he said. “We have this 14-acre water reservoir.” Seaman-Graves soon found the reservoir could hold enough solar panels to power all the municipal buildings and streetlights, saving the city more than $500,000 each year. He had stumbled upon a form of clean energy that is steeply ramping up. Floating solar panel systems are beginning to boom in the United States after rapid growth in Asia. They’re attractive not just for their clean power and lack of a land footprint, but because they also conserve water by preventing evaporation.A study published in the journal Nature Sustainability in March found that thousands of cities — more than 6,000 in 124 countries — c...

Groff, Lethem excerpts featured in free e-book compilation

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Fiction from such prize-winning authors as Jonathan Lethem, Lauren Groff, and Sigrid Nunez and a biography of the late Rep. John Lewis are among the upcoming works excerpted in a free e-book compilation published Wednesday. “Buzz Books 2023: Fall/Winter,” released by the industry newsletter Publishers Lunch, includes dozens of fiction and nonfiction books scheduled for later this year. Novels include Groff’s “The Vaster Wilds,” Lethem’s “Brooklyn Crime Novel,” Nunez’s “The Vulnerables” and Naomi Alderman’s “The Future.”The e-book release also features excerpts from Raymond Arsenault’s “John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community,” the young adult books “The Spirit Glass,” by Roshani Chokshi, and “The Spells We Cast,” by Jason June, and a novel by Cedric the Entertainer, “Flipping Boxcars.”The Associated Press

‘BlackBerry’ film taps into device that ruled pre-iPhone era

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

Almost everyone knows Steve Jobs’ uncanny vision, relentless drive and technological wizardry hatched the iPhone, a breakthrough that continues to reshape culture 16 years after the late Apple co-founder introduced the device to the world.But when Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007, another smartphone was the must-have gadget. It was the BlackBerry, a device so addictive that it became known as the “CrackBerry” among tech nerds and power brokers hunched over a tiny keyboard that was best operated with both thumbs clickety-clacking.Now the BlackBerry is “that phone people had before they bought an iPhone,” a relic so irrelevant that the Canadian company that made it is now valued at $3 billion — down from $85 billion at its 2008 peak when it still controlled nearly half of the smartphone market.But its legacy is worth remembering — and audiences will get a chance to learn more about its origins in the new film, “BlackBerry.” It’s the latest movie or TV ser...

Oprah teams with Arthur C. Brooks on book about happiness

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey’s latest book project is one she helped write. Winfrey has teamed with the author, educator and Atlantic columnist Arthur C. Brooks on “Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier,” to be published Sept. 12 by Portfolio Books.“I started reading Arthur Brooks’ column ‘How to Build a Life’ during the early days of the pandemic,” Winfrey said in a statement released Wednesday by Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. “I found myself happily anticipating each week’s lesson, which turned out to be a recipe for growing forward. When I discovered he taught happiness at Harvard, I wanted to extend that to the rest of us.”Brooks, who teaches a “Leadership and Happiness” class at Harvard, said in a statement that he had long admired Winfrey, who last year praised his bestseller “From Strength to Strength” and interviewed him for her “Super Soul” podcast.“As a social scientist, I look at the data and evidence on what leads to th...

WestJet flight caught fire shortly after landing at Pearson airport

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

No injuries were reported after a WestJet flight caught fire shortly after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Tuesday night.A spokesperson for the airline says WestJet flight WS434 from Edmonton experienced a small engine fire in the tailpipe upon arrival.Crews were able to quickly put the fire out after the plane landed. Information from the Pearson website shows the flight landed at Terminal 3 at 8:50 p.m.Related:Pearson Airport turns to bolstered staffing, tech improvements to reduce travel chaosWestJet closes deal to buy Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines“The crew followed all standard safety procedures and were able to immediately extinguish the flames,” reads a statement from WestJet. “Emergency crews were called to the scene, however, were not required.”The airline says all guests and crew members were able to deplane the aircraft normally.An investigation into what caused the fire is underway. The aircraft has been been removed fr...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises after inflation data

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is mostly rising Wednesday after a report showed inflation is making strides toward easing, even if it remains too high. The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was edging down 20 points, or 0.1%, at 33,541, as of 9:45 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher. Bond prices also climbed after the highly anticipated report said inflation at the consumer level was 4.9% last month, down from 5% in March and the lowest level in two years. That was slightly better than economists expected, and other underlying measures of inflation also came in very close to forecasts. Because the inflation data came in roughly as expected, Wall Street sees the door remaining open for the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates alone at its next meeting in June. That would be the first time it hasn’t raised rates at a meeting in more than a year, and a pause would offer some breathing room for the economy and financ...

Canada will allow online passport renewal services this fall, new design unveiled

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

Canadians will be able to apply to renew their passports online beginning this fall, says Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, as the government unveiled a new design for the Canadian travel document.It maintains a deep blue cover with a new outline of a maple leaf and the coat of arms now in the bottom left corner instead of the centre.Inside images of the country’s history, including Terry Fox and Vimy Ridge, are replaced with images of Canada’s diversity, nature and wildlife.“The new passport has been redesigned from cover to cover with state-of-the-art security features and new artwork, maintaining its status as one of the most secure and universally accepted travel documents in the world for all Canadians,” the federal government mentioned in a press release.All-new Canadian passport design – Toute nouvelle conception de passeport canadien https://t.co/UjM8lpmUtL— IRCC (@CitImmCanada) May 10, 2023Through the summer and months ahead, many people ...

Man fatally shot during argument outside fast food restaurant on South Side

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

CHICAGO — A man was fatally shot during an argument outside a fast food restaurant on the city's South Side.The shooting happened around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 2100 block of East 71st Place. Police said a man was arguing with another man in front of a fast food restaurant, when the offender fired shots.The victim was transported to University of Chicago Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was pronounced dead. 36-year-old man shot, killed in Aurora No one is in custody. Area One detectives are investigating.

53 applicants for Chicago's next police superintendent

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

CHICAGO — The city's new Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) continues its search for Chicago's next police superintendent.The CCPSA provided an update to the public Wednesday about where they were in the process, including a bit about the applications received.In total, 53 applicants are seeking the city's top cop position. Commission president Anthony Driver, Jr. provided some demographics from the pool:Ten different states and two countries are respresentedSix applicants have experience as a chief of police in a "major city"Eight have police chief experience32 have some affiliation with the Chicago Police Department - no additional detail was provided on this data point Who Might be Chicago’s ‘next’ Top Cop? The scheduled update followed a series of public hearings which the commission used to gather community feedback on what qualities they would like to see in Chicago's next top cop. During Wednesday's update, the three commissioners provided the...

Woman buys first home, wins $1M a week later from scratch-off bought at gas station

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:47:21 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) - One week after closing on a house for the first time, Patricia Simmons, of Greensboro, North Carolina, bought a scratch-off ticket that won her $1 million, according to an NC Education Lottery news release. “I just stared at it,” Simmons said. “It was unreal to see that.”Simmons, an in-home aide, said that as a first-time homeowner, she initially had concerns about paying a mortgage every month. Now her win will help pay for her new house. Democrats have sinking feeling: Trump could beat Biden She bought her winning $30 Millionaire Maker ticket from Fairway One Stop on South Elm Eugene Street in Greensboro.“I’ve been in shock ever since,” she said. “I’m just numb.”Simmons said her husband didn’t believe her when she called to tell him the news.“He said, ‘Tricia, you’re playing,’” she said. “He wanted to see the ticket.” George Santos in custody on 13 federal charges When Simmons arrived at lottery headquarters Monday, she had a decision to make. She co...