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Military names general as head of state in Niger

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

By Sam Mednick | Associated PressNIAMEY, Niger — Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation’s fight against jihadists and boost Russia’s influence in West Africa.Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge.Various factions of Niger’s military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France.Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries ha...

In Phoenix heat, ice-filled body bags are a life-saving technology

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

By Zahra Hirji, Bloomberg NewsAs temperatures hit 119 degrees in Phoenix last week, doctors at Valleywise Health Medical Center saw a patient whose internal temperature was at least 110 — the maximum registered by its thermometers.Needing to cool the patient down as quickly as possible, the emergency medical team turned to a technique they had designed and honed themselves: immersing the person in a body bag filled with ice. It worked. In less than half an hour, the patient’s temperature was down to about 102, low enough to move on to further treatment and observation. The next day, the medical team had to pull out a new body bag.All over the world, this July has been record-setting hot — the result of an intensifying El Niño in the Pacific Ocean layered on top of a worsening climate change. The impacts are especially severe in Phoenix, ground zero for extreme heat in the U.S. The city has experienced 25 consecutive days with temperatures of at least 110, a record. At night, tempera...

Some states protect Section 8 renters, but enforcement is elusive

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline.orgMarcella Roberson is ready to move. She and her 17-year-old son have been looking for a new apartment for four years because, she says, they’ve suffered domestic violence in their current living situation in Camden, New Jersey.She hopes her federal housing voucher can bring them a new home and a chance at safety. But landlords have rejected her applications for roughly seven apartments in the past two years.“I know they don’t want to rent to me. … They see my voucher and don’t care about the situation I’m in or what I can do,” Roberson, who works a few gig economy jobs, said in an interview with Stateline. “[Landlords] see my voucher as a red flag, as a sign that I’m unreliable.”Roberson’s experience reflects the journey of many recipients of federal housing choice vouchers, known as Section 8 vouchers, because some landlords have concerns about the source of residents’ income.Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed source of income...

Alameda County DA gives early release to Oakland man convicted of murder in 2003 crash during police chase

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

OAKLAND — Seventeen years after he was sentenced to 53 years in prison for killing a 62-year-old man while attempting to evade police, an Oakland resident has been released from prison through a motion by the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, court records show.In a petition to grant early release to 53-year-old Claudie Easley, prosecutors cited a state law intended to reduce sentencing disparities, and added that Easley has performed “exceptionally well” while incarcerated. Easley was convicted of second degree murder and evading in the Aug. 27, 2003 crash that killed Clinton Grandy.“(Easley) has engaged in a number of self-help and rehabilitative groups, and has had few rule violations (his last rule violation was in 2014 for possession of a cell phone),” Deputy District Attorney Dana Drusinsky wrote in a legal motion, later adding that he has a “realistic” plan to get back on his feet after his release from his prison.Drusi...

Detached house sells in Dublin for $1.7 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

3717 Rimini Lane – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 3700 block of Rimini Lane in Dublin has new owners. The 2,611-square-foot property, built in 2010, was sold on June 13, 2023. The $1,680,000 purchase price works out to $643 per square foot. The layout of this two-story house includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms. In addition, the home includes a two-car garage, ensuring ample room for parking and storage. The lot of the property covers an area of 3,930 square feet.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Houlton Court, Dublin, in June 2023, a 2,851-square-foot home was sold for $1,920,000, a price per square foot of $673. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.A 2,887-square-foot home on the 3500 block of Rimini Lane in Dublin sold in November 2022, for $1,635,000, a price per square foot of $566. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In August 2022, a 2,302-square-foot home on West Chesterfield Circle in Dublin sold for $1,649,000, a price per...

These cities coordinate to save water, a model for parched Western areas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

By Matt Vasilogambros, Stateline.orgTUCSON, Ariz. — There are no lush green lawns among the rows of single-family homes that line a quiet boulevard a mile west of the University of Arizona campus. Instead, small lizards scurry across gravel to the shade of cacti, shrubs and trees native to the Southwestern desert, as cicadas drone and backyard chickens cluck in the triple-digit heat now common here in July.In the middle of the road, the curbs of a roundabout have been cut to allow water from the summer monsoons to flow into the public landscaping in the roundabout’s center circle and soak the soil, replenish native plants and trickle underground.This city in the Sonoran Desert, which relies heavily on Colorado River water, will depend more and more on robust water reuse — including from stormwater — as climate change worsens.A person shields themselves from the sun with a rainbow umbrella during a heat wave in Tucson, Arizona, on July 15, 2023. (Photo by REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty ...

How to renew a California driver’s license if you’re over 70: a roundup of tips

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

With the end of the pandemic protocol, Californians 70 and older must again visit a DMV office to renew their driver’s licenses – and the process has been the topic of numerous letters to Mr. Roadshow.Following is information on renewals for age 70 and up, plus links to the relevant Roadshow columns and Department of Motor Vehicles resources.ApplicationThough the renewal notice will say you must make an in-person visit, the DMV encourages all applicants to start the process online. You can submit REAL ID documents, take the knowledge test and pay your fee online, leaving only the vision test, photo, thumbprint and signature for the office visit.At this DMV page select the option “Start renewal online and finish at a DMV office.” You’ll need to create a MyDMV account,  which requires an email address and a phone number where you can receive a verification text message or voice call.If your existing license has been verified for REAL ID, you don’t need to submit the documents for your...

These are the best cities in the U.S. for high-paying entry-level jobs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

By Mia Gindis | BloombergRecent graduates  need trek no further than the Rockies for a lucrative entry-level position.The class of 2023 is entering a job market in flux, with large companies curbing hiring and rescinding offers as economic growth lags. But a new study by professional resume builder Resume.io shows that the feat of finding a well-paying role straight out of school isn’t impossible — you just have to know where to look. To create its rankings, the company calculated the percentage of local entry-level job listings that offered a salary above and below the median hourly wages across all 50 US states and 223 major cities.Bozeman, Montana, tops the list of cities with highly paid entry-level jobs, with nearly nine in 10 advertised entry-level positions paying more than the state’s median wage. Home to a cluster of tech startups, Bozeman is a boomtown for entrepreneurs and nature enthusiasts alike, making it a prime spot for those looking to break into the technology or t...

Dozens of smuggled people found working in 'horrible' conditions at illegal pot plant in Merced

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

MERCED, Calif. (AP) — Dozens of people who apparently were smuggled into the United States were found working and living in “horrible” conditions at an illegal marijuana plant in California's Central Valley, authorities said Thursday.Deputies served a search warrant Wednesday afternoon at a site on unincorporated land near the city of Merced and discovered the operation. Images posted online by the Merced County Sheriff's Office showed trays, bags and boxes stuffed with what looked to be marijuana in a run-down interior space. Singapore-bound United flight transmits general emergency code, returns to SFO “We literally have thousands of pounds of finished marijuana from an illegal grow and illegal source,” Sheriff Vern Warnke said in a video.Deputies found 60 people working there including men and women who were offered various unspecified resources, plus one juvenile, who was seen by child welfare authorities and released to a parent, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement....

San Mateo County nonprofit seeking home for nearly decade-old pig

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

(BCN) -- A nonprofit organization in Burlingame in San Mateo County is seeking a new home for a 9-year-old male pig named Professor Truffles. According to the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) in an email Thursday, Professor Truffles was entrusted to them after its previous owners, who were changing residence, were unable to take the pig with them. "We are committed to finding him a new loving home with experienced pig owners where he will be kept as a pet, not a source of food," PHS/SPCA spokesperson Buffy Martin Tarbox said. Adidas releasing 2nd batch of unsold Yeezy sneakers after Ye split "His name is an homage to the famous truffle hunting pigs, but Professor Truffles is more interested in noshing on carrots and apples than in seeking out the pricey fungi," she said. According to the nonprofit, Professor Truffles weighs approximately 150 pounds and is overweight, requiring its new owner to help him trim down and maintain a healthy weight. "Professor ...