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Mount Etna volcano erupts, raining ash on Catania, forcing shutdown of local airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

ROME (AP) — Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, was erupting on Sunday, spewing ash on Catania, eastern Sicily’s largest city, and forcing a shutdown of that city’s airport.Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, or INGV, which closely monitors Etna with instrumentation on the slopes, noted that cloud cover on a rainy day was impeding views of the eruption, which often serves up a spectacular display of flaming lava during the volcano’s not infrequent eruptions.The institute said that ash had fallen on Catania and at least one town on Mount Etna’s inhabited slopes. No injures were reported. Italy state television, reporting from Catania, said the city’s airport would be closed at least until Sunday evening. INGV indicated that monitoring had recorded evidence of a stepping up in tremor activity in recent days.People in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla reported hearing loud booms emanating from the volcano on Sunday, the Italian news agency ANSA said.In ear...

SpaceX launching Saudi astronauts on private flight to space station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX’s next private flight to the International Space Station awaited takeoff Sunday, weather and rocket permitting.The passengers include Saudi Arabia’s first astronauts in decades, as well as a Tennessee businessman who started his own sports car racing team. They’ll be led by a retired NASA astronaut who now works for the company that arranged the 10-day trip. It’s the second charter flight organized by Houston-based Axiom Space. The company would not say how much the latest tickets cost; it previously cited per-seat prices of $55 million.With its Falcon rocket already on the pad, SpaceX targeted a liftoff late Sunday afternoon from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It’s the same spot where Saudi Arabia’s first astronaut, a prince, soared in 1985.Representing the Saudi Arabian government this time are Rayyanah Barnawi, a stem cell researcher set to become the kingdom’s first woman in space, and Royal Saudi Air Force fighter pilot A...

Former Marine charged with killing NYC man argues it 'had nothing to do with race'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

(The Hill) – The former Marine charged in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York subway earlier this month argued it “had nothing to do with race” in a recent interview.Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old white man, placed Neely, a 30-year-old Black man, in a chokehold for nearly 15 minutes, while he was reportedly experiencing a mental health episode. Neely was later pronounced dead at the hospital.Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter nearly two weeks after Neely’s death, which a medical examiner determined was caused by compression of the neck. He was freed pending trial hours after turning himself in at a police station and appearing in court to answer criminal charges.“I judge a person based on their character,” Penny told the New York Post in an interview. “I’m not a white supremacist.”“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life,” he added. “It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.”However, when asked if...

NAACP issues travel warning in Florida: the state 'has become hostile to Black Americans'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

(The Hill) – The NAACP issued a formal travel advisory for Florida on Saturday, saying the state has become “hostile to Black Americans” under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R) leadership.“On a seeming quest to silence African-American voices, the Governor and the State of Florida have shown that African Americans are not welcome in the State of Florida,” the travel advisory reads.“Due to this sustained, blatant, relentless and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights, the NAACP hereby issues a travel advisory to African Americans, and other people of color regarding the hostility towards African Americans in Florida,” the group added. What El Niño means for the 2023 hurricane season The advisory points to several of DeSantis’s controversial policies, including legislation he signed on Monday to prohibit colleges from spending public funds on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Florida governor also previously signed the Stop WOKE Act, restricting how workplaces a...

What El Niño means for the 2023 hurricane season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – National forecasters recently upped the chances that a "potentially significant" El Niño will form soon. Also scheduled to start soon, on June 1, is hurricane season. The strength and location of storms we see could be influenced by the return of El Niño for the first time in years. While El Niño can strengthen hurricane season in the central and eastern Pacific, it tends to contribute to weaker hurricanes forming in the Atlantic basin. During La Niña years, the opposite is true. Hurricane season in the Atlantic and central Pacific runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 every year. The eastern Pacific's season starts a bit earlier, on May 15. The strongest storms are usually observed between mid-August and mid-October. 2023 hurricane season predictions released El Niño is likely to take over between now and July, the Climate Prediction Center said last week. The effects of El Niño tend to strengthen as the year goes on, and typically peak in winter. La Niña has been present for m...

Uvalde 'moving forward': Horror to hope, one year later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

UVALDE, Texas (Nexstar) — As Lalo Diaz paces around the 21 crosses lining Uvalde's town square, he sees the memories of his friends and their children.Playing softball with Xavier's dad. Watching Eliahna's dad DJ all around town. Hosting Lexi Rubio's brother for daily basketball games with his own son. Walking to class in high school alongside Irma Reyes."She was the first person that I identified," he said. "Because I knew her."Diaz is, first, a neighbor. But on May 24, 2022, he was the county coroner. It's a routine responsibility for a Justice of the Peace in a county of just under 25,000. But in the hours after his friends were massacred at Robb Elementary School, he was the first to identify their bodies as they lay inside their fourth-grade classroom."It was a horrific scene," he said. "The pictures that you see of Robb School when you're looking at the hallway, you're seeing those clean floors, green walls. To me, I just see red."Moving Forward Diaz is now transforming those ...

Tree fell on your car? Who's responsible for fixes after severe weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

Clay Snodgrass showed KXAN investigators damage to his car after an ice storm. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)AUSTIN (KXAN) — Clay Snodgrass looked for a parking space across his south Austin apartment complex. He recalled ice had started building on trees and he worried about his car. "I started to try to look for a parking spot that didn't have a tree over it. I didn't find one. And came back to my original spot where I park all the time," he said. Several hours later on that February day, Snodgrass said the ice storm toppled the tree on his car."There were two stumps stuck in the top... and on the trunk," he described. "There's just lots of dents and damages and dings to it."He said there were many tree branches that had crashed under the weight of the ice across the complex. READ: Your photos help show the scope of the historic 2023 Central Texas ice storm "I thought 'Oh my gosh, I'm gonna have to call the apartment complex and find out who their insurance is' — so that wa...

Emergency water and boil advisory lifted in Colonie

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the Colonie Town Supervisor, Peter G. Crummey, the emergency water and boil advisory has been lifted. The advisory was issued Thursday evening. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Water quality tests required by the Albany County Department of Health found that water quality has not been compromised. Anyone with questions may call John W. Frazer, Jr., P.E., the Superintendent of the Latham Water District at (518) 783-2750.

Loudonville's Helm shines for Duke as NCAA Tournament makes stop in Capital Region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The biggest stage in college lacrosse made its' way into the Capital Region Saturday afternoon. The University at Albany hosted a pair of quarterfinal matchups in the Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! One of the four teams included in the mix was Duke University, the top-seeded team in the tournament. The Blue Devils have been anchored in the net this season by graduate transfer goalkeeper William Helm, who is a Loudonville native. Helm spent the last four years at Division III St. Lawrence University, and shined on the biggest stage of his playing career Saturday, tallying 14 saves and notching a .636 save percentage in Duke's 15-8 win over the University of Michigan. One year ago, Helm's Saints lost in the third round of the Division III NCAA Tournament, and now he'll be competing with the Blue Devils next Saturday for a spot in the Division I National C...

Los Gatos names Katy Nomura as assistant town manager

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:17:55 GMT

Los Gatos hired a new assistant town manager after a three-month search.Katy Nomura’s first day is June 5, and she brings more than 10 years of experience with her to the role. She is replacing Arn Andrews, who resigned earlier this year for a position as assistant city manager in Mountain View.Nomura most recently worked as a deputy city manager in Long Beach, where she focused on special projects related to homeless emergency efforts, sidewalk vending and food truck regulations.“The town attracted many qualified candidates, and Ms. Nomura clearly demonstrated a track record of completing complex policy items for council consideration, working with other agencies on challenging issues and understanding the high customer service expectations for Los Gatos,” town manager Laurel Prevetti said in a statement. “Her technical and soft skills will serve the town well.”Nomura is no stranger to the Bay Area. She worked for the city of Cupertino for 10 years, rising to the role of deputy cit...