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Okanagan fire fight turns corner, say fire chiefs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

KELOWNA, B.C. — Fire chiefs say the battle against devastating wildfires that have been rampaging around Lake Okanagan, B.C., have turned a corner.Jason Brolund says “things are finally looking better,” with an army of 500 firefighters engaged in a battle that is now in a new phase.Update: We’ve received and approved British Columbia’s request for federal assistance. We’re deploying @CanadianForces assets and providing resources to help with evacuations, staging, and other logistical tasks. We’ll continue to be here with whatever support is needed.— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 20, 2023More coming.The Canadian Press

California store owner fatally shot in dispute over Pride flag; officers kill gunman

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

CEDAR GLEN, Calif. (AP) — A California business owner was shot and killed after a dispute over a LGBTQ Pride flag displayed outside her store, according to authorities.San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting Friday night.Sheriff’s officials said that during the initial altercation at Carleton’s clothing store, the suspect “made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton.” He then fled the scene.Deputies were able to locate the armed suspect and he was fatally shot after a confrontation with the officers. The man had not been identified as of Sunday.Carleton, who preferred to be called “Lauri,” is survived by her husband and nine children in a blended family. She owned and operated the Mag.Pi clothing store in Cedar Glen. The unincorporated community in the San Bernadino Mountains is roughly 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of downtown Los Ang...

Wildfire on Spain’s popular tourist island of Tenerife was started deliberately, official says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) — Canary Islands regional President Fernando Clavijo said Sunday that police have confirmed that a wildfire raging on the Spanish tourist island of Tenerife was started deliberately.Clavijo said police had opened three lines of investigation but did not say if there had been any arrests.Improved weather conditions helped firefighters make advances overnight in their battle to tame the blaze that has raged out of control for the past five days, authorities said Sunday.“The night was very difficult but thanks to the work of the firefighters, the results have been very positive,” Tenerife governor Rosa Dávila said at a news conference.The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.Although the blaze in the northeast of the island is not near the main tourist...

College football season arrives as gambling scandals and bet monitoring take on a primary role

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — North Carolina junior tight end John Copenhaver gets a group text message from his university pointing out the latest betting scandal or reminding him of the importance of not violating rules against betting on sports.“It’s being put in our heads every single day,” he said.Schools feel they have no choice. The spread of legalized sports gambling — and some early scandals — have captured the full attention of athletic departments and conference offices. All major conferences are paying independent betting monitors to make sure their athletes abide by the rules — and to catch those who are not.All of this means the personal information surrendered by athletes — birthdays, addresses, Social Security numbers, cellphone numbers — is used in a way unlike the same information shared by their fellow students. Some combination of those details can tip off a betting monitor that something doesn’t look right.“They’re just onboarding and they’re going through ...

Denmark and Netherlands pledge to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Denmark announced Sunday they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for his country’s forces, embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia.The promise of new fighter jets came the day after an unusually brazen Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian theater that killed seven people and wounded almost 150 others in the northern city of Chernihiv. Zelenskyy vowed stern retaliation for the attack, whose victims included a slain 6-year-old girl dead and 15 wounded children.After months of entreaties from Zelenskyy for F-16s to bolster the Ukrainian air force, the U.S. recently gave approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to provide Ukraine the American-made jets. Zelenskyy travelled to both countries Sunday to finalize the delivery deals.’’F-16s will certainly give new energy, confidence, and motivation to fighters and civili...

Shooting in Chicago Heights leaves 18-year-old dead

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. — An 18-year-old man is dead after an early-morning shooting in Chicago Heights on Sunday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.According to the Medical Examiner, the shooting happened near 16th Place and Center Avenue, just after 2:10 a.m. on Sunday morning. String of 7-11 robberies within 30 minutes on North Side The Medical Examiner identified the man as Jaden Miller-Stone. Stone was taken to the hospital following the shooting where he was pronounced dead just after at 3:50 a.m.Chicago Heights police say officers are investigating a shooting that occurred in the area around 3 a.m. but have not provided details on what led up to the shooting, or if any arrests have been made. Woman pushed out of building window in Uptown Currently it is unclear if anyone else was injured in the shooting.This is a developing story, stay with WGN News for the latest updates.

Apprenticeship program offers higher education opportunities while working

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

CHICAGO — The Aon apprenticeship program is providing opportunities to pursue higher education. The program offers people a path to get two-year associate degrees while they work.Chant’e Boyd, a soon-to-be graduate of the program, spent 18 years working in restaurants and retail until she learned about the program through a friend.“I felt stuck in my position, and I didn’t see a way out, even though I always wanted to try to figure out a way,” the Aon apprentice said. Weekend Break: Glenbrook paddle club Boyd says a friend passed along information about the program, intending it for her daughter, but Boyd decided to apply instead.“They offer to pay for your college, they offer to pay while you work, and they offer to pay while you attend school, and I felt that was something too good to be true,” Boyd said.The Aon apprenticeship program launched in 2017 and about 100 people are selected each year to participate. Apprentices receive a salary, benefits, mentorship and support as the...

Austin yard displays greet children heading back to school

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's back-to-school season throughout Central Texas, and Austinites might see some colorful new displays welcoming students back to school.Kimmie Klein originally opened Austin Yard Cards in 2014 as a way to put a more unique flair on birthdays, graduations and other celebratory occasions. Last year, Liz Merkel took over the business for Klein, a friend of hers from their neighborhood.Despite the business being nearly a decade old, Merkel remembered the surge in interest at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. She said it served as a great opportunity to share love for friends, family or other community members when in-person gatherings were more limited."For a little short while, it was kind of the best we could do to make sure everyone still felt loved and celebrated," she said. "It was nice to be able to have that during that time."While there was a downturn in sales and interest in late 2021, Merkel said the appetite for yard displays has grown since an initial...

Murder charge dismissed, man gets 5 years for unlawful possession of a firearm

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A man was convicted and sentenced Aug. 1 in connection with a May 2022 offense, according to Travis County court documents.Records showed 51-year-old Michael Lance Arendt was sentenced to serve five years in state prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.Arendt was originally charged with murder, but the charge was dismissed during a plea agreement, according to documents.According to past KXAN coverage, Arendt was arrested in Laredo as a suspect in the May 16, 2022, death of 42-year-old Anthony Israel Yancey.Toward his sentence, documents showed Arendt has received a jail credit of 431 days.

Business People: Optum Health names Amar A. Desai CEO

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:14:58 GMT

OF NOTEAmar A. DesaiOptum Health, an Eden Prairie-based health care management division of medical insurer UnitedHealth Group, announced that Dr. Amar A. Desai was named chief executive officer. Desai previously served as president of Health Care Delivery at CVS Health. Desai succeeds Dr. Wyatt Decker, who was named executive vice president for UnitedHealth Group and chief physician, Innovation and Value-Based Care. ..ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONSRise and Shine and Partners, a Minneapolis ad agency, announced the advancement or directors Amber Benson and Ishan Dumra to its leadership team. Dumra is director of strategy, insights and culture; Benson is director of media and communications strategy.ATTRACTIONSStearns History Museum, St. Cloud, announced that Executive Director Carie Essig is leaving to pursue an opportunity at Stride Academy, a St. Cloud charter school. Development Director Amy Degerstrom will serve as interim executive director.BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTJacqueline Rambin, a...