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Long-necked marine reptile from 80 million years ago to become B.C.’s fossil emblem

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

VICTORIA — A large, fierce-looking marine reptile with a mouthful of pointy teeth that made its home about 80 million years ago in Vancouver Island waters could soon become British Columbia’s official fossil emblem.Tourism Minister Lana Popham introduced legislation Wednesday that, if passed, will see the 12-metre Puntledge River elasmosaur added to B.C.’s list of provincial symbols after a five-year recognition effort by local paleontology enthusiasts.The first elasmosaur fossils in B.C. were found in 1988 along the Puntledge River in the Comox Valley, and are now on display at the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre.In 2018, the elasmosaur won a provincewide contest seeking additions to B.C.’s list of official symbols.“B.C. has a rich and diverse variety of fossils and fossil deposits, resulting from the complex geological processes that formed our province,” Popham said. “Adding a fossil emblem to our official provincial symb...

Honolulu airport flights briefly paused because of a medical situation in air traffic control room

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Flights at Honolulu’s main airport were briefly paused on Wednesday while medical personnel attended to an employee in the air traffic control room, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Normal operations have since resumed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the agency said in a statement. Flights were grounded from 12:25 p.m. to 1:09 p.m. said Shelly Kunishige, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, which operates the airport. The Associated Press

Man steals car with toddler in back seat, robs bank, hits tree and dies from injuries, police say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — A man suspected of stealing a car in Connecticut with a 17-month-old child in the back seat and then robbing a bank died after the vehicle struck a tree, police said Wednesday.The toddler was awake and responsive after the crash in Windsor, just north of Hartford, authorities said.Police in Windsor said they received a report shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday that someone stole a vehicle from outside a school with a child in the back seat. A short while later, police received separate reports of a bank robbery and a vehicle striking a tree, according to the Hartford Courant.Police responded to all three locations.“As officers gathered information at each location, it became apparent that all three incidents are related,” Lt. Nicholas Dally said in a statement reported by the newspaper.Police said they believe the suspect stole the car in front of the school before robbing the bank and that he then fled and crashed the stolen vehicle with the toddler still inside.T...

Cook County Sheriff unveils new tool to combat catalytic converter thefts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart unveiled a new tool Wednesday he said will help deter the ongoing and costly theft of catalytic converters across Cook County.The new tool etches a vehicle's VIN number onto the catalytic converter, making it easier for law enforcement to trace recovered stolen catalytic converters back to the original owner, while also increasing the potential for criminal charges.In May, the Cook County Sheriff's Police recovered more than 600 stolen catalytic converters from a residence in unincorporated Worth Township. According to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, more than 64,000 catalytic converters were stolen last year, making Illinois the fourth highest state for such thefts in the country. Why are Teslas, EVs stolen less often than gasoline vehicles? Moving forward, the Cook County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) will provide spray painting and the etching program free of charge to pre-registered motorists at community events happ...

Two people killed after plane crashes into Oregon home

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Authorities have identified the two passengers found dead in a small plane that crashed through the roof of an Oregon home Tuesday night.A number of people began calling 911 around 7 p.m. after they saw the small plan “spiraling toward the ground and crashing,” Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said. When firefighters arrived at the home in Newberg, they found the plane had crashed through the roof. Authorities also found three people inside the plane. The two passengers who died at the scene were Barrett Bevacqua, 20, and Michele Cavallotti, 22, of Hillsboro, according to the Newberg-Dundee Police Department. Officials say Bevacqua was a student pilot, and Cavallotti was an instructor with the Hillsboro Aero Academy. That blaring noise you heard? It was a test of the federal government’s emergency alert system A third passenger, 20-year-old Emily Hurd, was airlifted to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. She's reportedly a pilot in training as well. ...

Officials responding to structure fire in Marble Falls

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) -- A structure fire in Marble Falls was last reported as 60% contained, the Marble Falls Police Department said on social media Wednesday.Police made the social media post around 6 p.m. saying U.S. 281 was shut down, impacting traffic between 1st through 3rd Streets.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

'A hauntingly real tragedy': Why Austin Ghost tours says national franchises are putting business at risk

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)— As the spookiness descends upon Austin, small local business,  Austin Ghost tours said it is struggling. With Halloween on the horizon, this is a time when it should be booming. The owner of Austin Ghost Tours, Jeanine Plumer, said she and others in her line of work are living a real life scary story. "What has happened is the concept of the local ghost tour has become a national franchise," Plumer said...they spend a ton of money advertising, but the thing that they're doing is using our name...nobody cares."This spooky tale is nearly identical in at least three other cities: Forth Worth and Galveston, as well as Washington, D.C. "With these national chains...I'll get phone calls from people confusing my company with theirs," Gin Keel, owner of Spooky Galveston and Ghost Tours of Galveston said. David Besgrove, Cow Town Winery in the Fort Worth Stockyards. He said they do ghost tours in the stockyards there weekly and has also noticed an increasing problem with ...

Twins bullpen looks dominant. That means this team could be dangerous.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

Jhoan Duran uncorked a 101 mph fastball on Wednesday night at Target Field. It whistled into the glove of Ryan Jeffers behind the plate, and the celebration was on. The drought of more than 20 years without winning a playoff series was officially over as the Twins put the finishing touches on a 2-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Target Field.The fact that it came to an end with a big strikeout from Duran was only right considering how dominant the Twins’ bullpen was over throughout the American League Wild Card Series.As special as rookie sensation Royce Lewis and ace Pablo Lopez were in Game 1, and star shortstop Carlos Correa and ace Sonny Gray were in Game 2, everything might have played out differently for the Twins if it weren’t for their bullpen. The collection of relievers for the Twins literally did not give up a run in 7 1/3 innings of work.“They just came in and closed the curtain on the series,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. &#...

John Shipley: Don’t sleep on Carlos Correa

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

As Game 2 of the Wild Card Series between Minnesota and Toronto wound down on Wednesday, a reporter who shall remain nameless mentioned to a Twins employee that the last time the Twins won a playoff series, he was painting the bedroom for his first-born toddler.That child is now 23 years old.“Let’s talk about that after the game,” the employee said somewhat, uh, tersely.Yes, there were some tight muscles in the press box and elsewhere in Target Field this week as longtime Twins watchers waited for the other shoe to drop. Eighteen consecutive playoff losses, some from pretty darn good teams, will do that to you. On the diamond, though, it was loose.The Twins themselves played as if they expected to win and dispatched the Blue Jays in two games, punching their American League Division Series ticket with a crisp, 2-0 victory in front of 38,518 ecstatic fans.It started a little rough when third baseman Jorge Polanco shorted a throw to first base for an error on the series’ first play. B...

Ellison’s office to host meeting on proposed twin mergers of Duluth/Wisconsin health systems

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:42 GMT

The Minnesota attorney general’s office will host a hearing on the proposed separate mergers of two Duluth-based health care systems with Wisconsin-based systems.The public can weigh in on the proposed mergers between Essentia Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System and between St. Luke’s and Aspirus Health at an Oct. 25 meeting from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Duluth Kirby Center’s Rafters Room.The public can also comment on the mergers online or by calling 651-296-3353 (metro area) or 800-657-3787 (greater Minnesota).The office, led by Attorney General Keith Ellison, was given additional authority under the state’s new health care entity transaction law to consider whether a health care transaction is in the public interest. If he determines that it is not, he can seek court intervention.“Every Minnesotan deserves high-quality health care that they can afford, access and depend on, and every Minnesotan deserves the opportunity to provide input on health care t...