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Tropical Storm Bret spins toward eastern Caribbean as islands brace for heavy winds, flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Bret chugged toward the eastern Caribbean on Tuesday as forecasters warned it could strengthen into a hurricane before approaching a region rushing to prepare itself for an unusually early storm.Bret had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was moving across the Atlantic Ocean at 17 mph (28 kph). It is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in coming days but then weaken ahead of its approach to the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.The storm is expected to pummel some eastern Caribbean islands on Thursday and Friday at near hurricane strength.“Both the atmospheric and oceanic environment look conducive for strengthening during the next couple of days with low shear and abnormally warm ocean waters,” the center said.Forecasters warned of strong winds, dangerous storm surge and waves, and flooding from heavy rainfall. They urged people in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands t...

Estonia to allow same-sex marriage starting in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia’s lawmakers approved legislation Tuesday allowing same-sex marriage as of next year, making Estonia the first of the three Baltic countries to do so.The 101-seat Riigikogu legislature passed in a 55-34 vote amendments to Estonia’s Family Law Act and related legislation that will enable the introduction of marriage equality in the small country of 1.3 million as of Jan. 1, 2024.Like former Eastern bloc countries, the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been slower to embrace LGBTQ+ rights than most countries in Western Europe. The Baltic countries regained independence from the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War.Parliament’s measure was tied to a confidence vote on Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’ center-right government, which has been under pressure from conservative opposition parties and civil society groups to maintain what they say are traditional family values by rejecting same-sex marriage.“Everyone should have the right ...

US and China hold top-level talks, but their rivalry remains unchecked

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China may be back to talking at a high level, but their battle for global power and influence remains unchecked and mutual suspicion still runs deep.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set low goals for his visit to Beijing this week, and he met them. About the most the rivals can hope for these days is to stop things getting much worse.Blinken pointed to difficult days ahead, while China’s foreign ministry warned the relationship was in a downward spiral.“It was clear coming in that the relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognized the need to work to stabilize it,” Blinken said of the reason for his trip. “And specifically, we believe that it’s important to establish better lines of communication, open channels of communication, both to address misperceptions, miscalculations and to ensure that that competition doesn’t veer into conflict.”The two-day visit to the Chinese capital helped restore top-level ties, but Chin...

Cross bequeathed by Pope Benedict XVI is stolen from church in his home region in Germany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — A cross bequeathed by the late Pope Benedict XVI to a parish in his German home region of Bavaria has been stolen from the church where it was exhibited, police said Tuesday.A display case on the wall of the town church in Traunstein was broken open by unknown perpetrators and the cross was taken sometime between 11:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, Bavaria’s state criminal police office said in a statement. The cross was described as a pectoral cross — one worn on the chest. Police said that cash also was stolen from the till of a magazine stand in the church.“For the Catholic church, the value of the religious object is not quantifiable,” the police statement said. It called for people who may have seen suspicious individuals around the church on Monday or can give any other information to come forward.Benedict died on Dec. 31, nearly a decade after becoming the first pope in six centuries to resign.The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was born in the small Bavaria...

Millennial Money: Should you financially support adult kids?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

Some parents will tell you firsthand there’s no expiration date on this raising kids gig. For some, that means they extend financial help to their kids into adulthood. When I was 21 and got into a master’s program at a college of my dreams, my mom swooped in to help me pay for my degree. Many parents have been kind enough to do this and more.When I say “many,” I’m backed up by a 2023 survey from Savings.com that found 45% of parents with a child 18 or older spend an average of over $1,400 per month supporting their kids financially, excluding adult kids with disabilities.But is this financial support always a good idea? A certified financial planner and a therapist who both have experience in this department share their thoughts.WHY PARENTS SUPPORT ADULT KIDSThere are many reasons a parent may choose to support their adult kids. Disabilities and wanting to help them achieve major life milestones are a couple. Shelmeshia Hill-Brown, the CEO of Wholistic Resolutions LLC in Chesapeake,...

House bill would severely curtail public access to military records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

(The Hill) - House Republicans want to stop the Pentagon from releasing the service record summaries of members of the U.S. military to the public. Using the House Appropriations Committee’s annual defense spending bill, lawmakers have included a provision that would prohibit any funds from being used to release personal information about current and former service members without their consent. The passage, if adopted, would greatly hamper media outlets and some employers from verifying an individual’s military service. The issue has come up in past election cycles when candidates have been found to have misrepresented their military credentials.  NBC News was the first to report on the provision. Currently, the Defense Department typically releases the full name on an individual and where they’re from, as well as rank, past and present duty assignments, any awards and decorations they may have earned, whether they attended a professional mil...

Tropical Storm Bret expected to strengthen into first hurricane of the season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tropical Storm Bret is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane as it gradually moves west toward the Lesser Antilles on Thursday into Friday, bringing heavy rain and a dangerous risk of storm surge.The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Bret had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) at 11 p.m. Monday as it moved west across the Atlantic at 18 mph (30 kph). Forecasters expect it to strengthen over the next two days, reaching Category 1 hurricane strength of 74 mph (120 kph) by Wednesday night as it nears the Lesser Antilles. Because of wind shear, the storm is not expected to strengthen into a Category 2 storm. Tropical Storm Bret expected to strengthen into hurricane Bret is forecast to move across the Lesser Antilles as a hurricane on Thursday and Friday and unleash flooding, heavy rainfall and dangerous storm surge and waves, the center said. It is then expected to weaken slowly while still in the eastern Caribbean region, although the center warne...

Rapper Big Pokey dies after collapsing at Texas show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Milton Powell, a Houston rapper who performed under the name Big Pokey and is credited with elevating the city's hip-hop scene, died after collapsing during a show in Texas, a local official said Monday.Tom Gillam III, a justice of the peace in Jefferson County, where Powell was performing when he collapsed Sunday, said an autopsy to determine the cause of death was pending. He said Powell was 48.Powell was a member of Houston's rap collective Screwed Up Click, which was formed by the late DJ Screw. Powell was performing at a bar in Beaumont called Pour09, whose owner, Min Dai, told the Houston Chronicle that police were onsite and able to provide medical help “instantly” before emergency responders rushed the rapper to a hospital. Singer Bebe Rexha suffers black eye after hit by cellphone at NYC concert A statement on Powell's official Instagram page said he was "well loved by his family, friends, and his loyal fans."Tributes from other artists poured in across s...

How did these Austin neighborhoods get their names?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — You may have driven through, dined in or lived in Austin's Tarrytown, Wells Branch or Mueller neighborhoods. But how did these areas get their names?Here's a quick history on 12 Austin neighborhoods and their namesakes:Bouldin CreekThe area gets its name from James E. Bouldin Sr., who bought 1,000 acres of land for $5,000 in 1852, according to the neighborhood association. ClarksvilleThe Clarksville neighborhood land once belonged to Gov. Elisha Pease as part of his plantation. The land was given to emancipated slaves, including Charles Clark (later Charles Griffin after emancipation) who founded the neighborhood in 1871, according to the Texas State Historical Association. Clark bought two acres of land from a Confederate general and built a house on what is now 10th Street. The remaining land was divided and given to other freedmen. The neighborhood was outside Austin city limits at the time but was soon annexed into Austin. HancockThe central Austin...

In-depth history of Austin's accused 'serial killer' Raul Meza

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — "He doesn't appear to expect much of himself or his life, and seems a strong candidate at this point for a life of recidivism or... suicidal inclinations," psychologist David Poole wrote in court records about Raul Meza Jr., according to 1982 Austin American-Statesman archived newspapers. TIMELINE: What we know of Raul Meza’s criminal history Poole's assessment of Meza was conducted for the courts in 1976 when Meza was just 15 years old, the articles state. Meza was facing charges of aggravated robbery after shooting a convenience store manager during a robbery on New Year's Eve in 1975.Nearly 50 years after Poole's prediction, a city official and former investigator called Meza, 62, a "serial killer."“Here’s a serial killer that justice was not served. It was a travesty of justice,” said Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills, who was the primary investigator on the 1982 case in which Meza was convicted of murdering 8-year-old Kendra Page. RELATED...