1 dead, several unaccounted for after Pennsylvania house explosion destroys 3 homes, officials say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

1 dead, several unaccounted for after Pennsylvania house explosion destroys 3 homes, officials say (CNN) — At least one person has died and several others are unaccounted for after an explosion destroyed three houses and damaged at least a dozen more on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Saturday morning, authorities said.First responders who rushed to Plum, a borough in Allegheny County, arrived to find people trapped under debris and took three people to a hospital, one of them in critical condition, Allegheny County officials said.Another person, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Steve Imbarlina, assistant chief for Allegheny County Emergency Services.It appears the incident started when one house exploded, engulfing two neighboring homes in flames as well, according to the county. Multiple other homes were damaged with windows blown out.Crews from 18 different fire departments converged on the scene to put out the flames and sift through the rubble as “several” people remained unaccounted for Saturday afternoon.It’s unclear what ...

Woman found in cornfield days after crashing car into tree

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Woman found in cornfield days after crashing car into tree LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Michigan (WWJ) — A woman was found in a Livingston County cornfield with serious injuries Tuesday night, days after crashing her car into a tree and disappearing, authorities said.At about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 7, deputies were dispatched to the 7300 block of Mack Road, and when they arrived, family members told them that a 45-year-old Deerfield Township woman’s 2022 Ford Bronco had hit a tree on the property, but they could not find the woman.In addition, the family told deputies that the last time they talked to the woman was on Saturday, Aug. 5. Deputies suspected the accident happened 24 hours before they had been called.At the crash scene, authorities saw indications that the woman was injured in the accident.“Deputies from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, Livingston County EMS, The Hamburg Township Police Department, the Hartland and Green Oak Fire Departments conducted an extensive search of approximately 200 acres utilizi...

Man wanted in domestic shooting killed in shootout with deputies near Tampa

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Man wanted in domestic shooting killed in shootout with deputies near Tampa There was a barrage of bullets in Hillsborough County as a suspect in a domestic shooting was killed after opening fire at authorities.Body camera footage showed the moment three deputies and a Florida Highway Patrol trooper returned fire at a crash site near Tampa, Saturday morning.Deputies were seen ducking for cover as the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Eric Blaszczyk, shot back.Investigators said Blaszczyk had shot his wife in Pasco County, early Saturday morning.Following the shootout, the suspect was apprehended and later succumbed to his injuries.An investigation is ongoing.

Trying to change estate plan to cover more children

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Trying to change estate plan to cover more children Q. I am divorced and have two children with my first wife.  At the time of the divorce, we negotiated and agreed that I would create an estate plan leaving all of my assets to my two children.  At the time, my children were two and four.  Now they are 17 and 15.  We made this agreement because I had cancer years ago and life insurance was cost prohibitive.  I am remarried and have two more children who are five and seven.I recently tried to get life insurance again because I want to be able to have a safety net for my wife and younger children if something happens to me.  It is still cost prohibitive.Is there any way I can change our agreement?  My first wife was not at all open to this conversation.  I raised this with my ex for the first time when my seven-year-old was born.  Since then, she has demanded to see a copy of my estate plan each year to verify that there are no changes.  Do I have any options?A. You always have options.  Your best option here is to file a complaint for...

Zito: Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance still keeps ’em guessing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Zito: Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance still keeps ’em guessing CINCINNATI — When J.D. Vance walked into the surgical technology class at Great Oaks Career Campuses, the vocational-technical students were steeling themselves for final exams. Yet it turned out to be perfect timing. Vance was only planning to observe the class, but when he noticed that one of the students was anxious about having her blood drawn by her classmate, the Republican senator of Ohio casually removed his suit jacket and offered to take her place. When no objection from the teacher or students materialized, he sat down, rolled up his sleeves and smiled.To the clearly nervous student about to stick a needle in his arm, Vance said quietly, “Don’t be nervous. If you have to do it again, it’s fine with me. I am here for you until you get it right.”The student got it done on the first jab.The instructor looked at Vance with a broad smile. “Well, that wasn’t something I expected I’d see from you today.”Confounding expectations is ...

Fishbone joins George Clinton & P-Funk for MGM show

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Fishbone joins George Clinton & P-Funk for MGM show Fishbone and George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic would seem a match made in funk heaven– especially since the members of Fishbone grew up as devotees of all things P-Funk.“There was a time when there was nothing else I listened to,” says keyboardist Christopher Dowd. “Playing with these guys every night, it just reminds me of being 14-year-old-Chris who would freak out at the very thought of hanging out with George Clinton. I don’t mean to diss any new music but the process for creating art is so different now; all people want is faster tempos and more volume. There’s a certain attention to detail that I feel is missing, and to me George Clinton is the last beacon.” Fishbone appear as special guests at the Clinton/P-Funk show at the MGM Music Hall on Thursday.In fact the members of Fishbone all managed to get into a landmark P-Funk show at the Beverly Theater in Hollywood in 1983. That show became a live album and solidified the young band’s musical direction. “That bec...

‘Strange Planet’ a cheerful look at humanity through an alien lens

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

‘Strange Planet’ a cheerful look at  humanity through an alien lens “Strange Planet,” the popular web comic by Nathan W. Pyle, has been expanded, by Pyle and Dan Harmon, into a television series streaming on Apple TV+. Bright, sweet and cheerful, if unusually concerned with mortality, it is, as satire, highly affectionate — keen to human frailty but understanding, hopeful, more engaged with our possibilities than our limitations.The series centers on a race of vaguely lightbulb-shaped, barely distinguishable blue beings who, for all intents and purposes, are human beings on a planet that, for all intents and purposes, is Earth, its two moons notwithstanding. The comic is a witty commentary on a variety of human desires, habits, behaviors, strategies and pursuits, observing daily life through the filter of an “alien” language, in which the heart is a “blood pump,” parents are “lifegivers,” years are “rotations,” alcohol is “mild poison,” coffee is “jitter liquid” and a high school dance is an “adolescent limbshake.” (“Throw your hands in the air like...

Heart problems in beloved senior dog

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

Heart problems in beloved senior dog Dear Dr. John,Our family is heartbroken after we had to put our elderly mother’s 13-year-old Terrier to sleep. We are thinking about getting her a new dog and would welcome any thoughts about what might be good for a woman who is 90. We have some questions about what happened to our old family dog. He was in reasonable health except for having developed a heart murmur about two years ago. It had progressed but was being managed by a cardiologist. Just before things turned badly, the dog had not been eating for two days and was more tired than usual. We called our vet and sent him a video. He noticed the dog was panting and had labored breathing and referred us into an emergency facility. There, we were told that the dog had a heart rate of 20, and it was determined that not much could be done short of surgery to place a pacemaker. We opted not to put the dog through the difficulty given the risks, life expectancy, and cost. What causes a dog’s heart to slow down so much? H.S.Dear H....

How to pursue a career as an EMS pro

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

How to pursue a career as an EMS pro Emergency medical personnel are often first on the scene when someone experiences an accident or a medical emergency. EMS workers are generally trained and certified as certified first responders, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. However, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians recognizes five different levels of emergency medical service worker. Though similar, the requirements governing each type of EMS worker vary.All EMS workers provide life-saving services and help transport individuals to hospitals for additional treatment and care. Here is a deep look into the different EMS personnel and the training one might expect.Certified first responderA certified first responder is an integral member of an EMS team. These individuals provide basic medical care at the scene of emergencies, including basic first aid, stabilization of injuries, treating shock, and other tasks. First responders must be certified by the National Registry of Emergency Technicians,...

TV Q&A: Did Chevy Chase turn down ‘American Gigolo’ role?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:33:12 GMT

TV Q&A: Did Chevy Chase turn down ‘American Gigolo’ role? You have questions. I have some answers.Q: I was doing a puzzle where a clue was an actor turned down the lead in the movie “American Gigolo” because of its content — and the answer was Chevy Chase. Is that really true?A: Vulture.com in 2011 indeed said Chase turned down the role because “he was uncomfortable with the sexual content of the film.” In an interview with HuffPost the following year, Chase said he turned down a lot of movies: “I turned down ‘Forrest Gump,’ I turned down ‘American Gigolo.’ There are many films — like ‘Ghostbusters’ — that I turned down … the first one I did was ‘Foul Play’ with Goldie Hawn, but I turned down ‘Animal House.’ I turned that down.” He regretted the rejections because the movies “made huge amounts of money and I would be very wealthy, but I don’t regret working with Goldie.”By the way, Chase was in one film before “Foul Play”: the sketch comedy “The Groove Tube.” And “American Gigolo” inspired a TV series which ran on Showtim...