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US Virgin Islands declares state of emergency after lead and copper found in tap water in St. Croix

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands announced Wednesday that he declared a state of emergency after officials revealed last week that tap water in St. Croix contains lead and copper and warned people not to consume it.The declaration, signed Monday by Gov. Albert Bryan, frees up urgently needed resources, streamlines emergency response and allows the U.S. territory to seek federal help.The government also froze prices for bottled water and other products as local and federal authorities continue to test and monitor the water in St. Croix.The investigation began in late September following complaints of reddish-brown water on the island of more than 50,600 people.Officials have said that while the water should not be ingested or used for cooking, it is safe to use for showering and cleaning.The Associated Press

ACLU and families of trans teens ask Supreme Court to block Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys representing Tennessee transgender teens and their families asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a ban on gender-affirming care for minors that a lower court allowed to go into effect.Should the nation’s highest court agree to take the case, it would mark the first time the justices could weigh in on restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender people under 18.Since 2021, more than 20 states have enacted laws restricting or banning such treatments, even though they have been available in the United States for more than a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations.According to court documents filed Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking the Supreme Court to review a September decision handed down by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed bans in Kentucky and Tennessee to remain in effect. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has described the decision as a “bi...

What you need to know about heat pumps

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

TORONTO — The federal government has ramped up financial support to help transition homeowners away from oil furnaces — the most expensive way to heat a home — to heat pumps instead. The machines are growing in popularity, but many are unfamiliar with them, so here are some answers to common questions about heat pumps. What are heat pumps?Heat pumps are machines that move heat to where it is, or isn’t, wanted. In winter, they can suck heat from outside and pump it into the house (there is heat in the air, even when it’s cold). In the summer, they can pull heat from inside the house and push it outside. The machines use coolant to transfer the energy to where it’s wanted, similar to how a refrigerator works. They can pull heat from the air, the most common method, or from the ground or groundwater.Why is there a push to shift to these systems?Heat pumps are an important part of hitting climate goals because home and building heating creates about 10 per cent of Cana...

Cyprus plans to send humanitarian aid directly to Gaza by ship, where UN personnel would receive it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus offered more detail Wednesday on its initiative to create a sea corridor for the steady flow of humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza, saying that aid-laden ships would sail directly to the enclave, where United Nations personnel would receive it for eventual distribution.Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “saw the initiative in a positive light” during a long telephone conversation Tuesday evening with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.Cyprus is still sketching out with fellow European Union member countries and Arab states the logistical details of its plan to ferry aid from its main port of Limassol to Gaza once conditions on the ground permit it.Ships would be vetted at the point of departure at the Limassol port to ensure that nothing would be transported that could be weaponized by Hamas to use against Israel.Gaza’s humanitarian needs have escalated since the Israel-...

Cooking spray burn victim awarded $7.1 million in damages after can ‘exploded into a fireball’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A jury in Illinois has ordered Chicago-based Conagra Brands to pay $7.1 million to a Pennsylvania woman who was badly injured in 2017 when a can of commercial brand cooking spray ignited in a kitchen at her workplace and set her aflame.The verdict, issued Monday in favor of Tammy Reese of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, is the first of numerous other cases from burn victims across the country with similar stories citing accidents that occurred with Conagra-made cooking spray brands, including its popular grocery store brand Pam.Reese was working at a social club kitchen in May 2017 when “suddenly and without warning” a can of Swell cooking spray “exploded into a fireball, causing burns and injuries,” according to a lawsuit filed on her behalf. She suffered deep second-degree burns on her head, face, arms and hands, and scar tissue continues to constrict her movement six years later, according to one of her lawyers, Craig Smith.Chicago-based Conagra Brands must pay out $3....

Summer Science Program spent $2 million last year serving 204 students. Then, they got a $200M gift.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

It’s the kind of problem nonprofit leaders dream about: What do you do when you get an unexpectedly large donation?Summer Science Program, a nonprofit with an annual budget of about $2 million, sent about 200 high school juniors to six-week intensive research courses at universities this year. It has also puzzled over what do to with a surprise bequest of an estimated $200 million — about 100 times its annual budget. Summer Science Program learned last year that one of its alumni, Franklin Antonio, a co-founder of chipmaker Qualcomm, had granted the organization 20% of his estate, said CEO Frank Steslow. “The estate is still being assessed and appraised and there is not a final valuation, but it is well north of $960 million at this point,” Steslow said. The board was not previously aware that Antonio, who died in May, 2022, at the age of 69, had included the organization in his will. Board members were equally surprised when they learned of the potential amount of the gift, h...

Wind industry deals with blowback from Orsted scrapping 2 wind power projects in New Jersey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Wind energy developer Orsted is writing off $4 billion, due largely to the cancellation of two large offshore wind projects in New Jersey whose financial challenges mirror those facing the nascent industry.It added fresh uncertainty to an industry seen by supporters as a way to help end the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels, but derided by opponents as inherently unworkable without massive financial subsidies.The Danish company said Tuesday night it is scrapping its Ocean Wind I and II projects off the coast of southern New Jersey due to problems with supply chains, higher interest rates, and a failure to obtain the amount of tax credits the company wanted.“These are obviously some very tough decisions,” Mads Nipper, Orsted’s CEO, said on an earnings conference call Wednesday.He said the company, the world’s largest offshore wind developer, decided “to de-risk the most painful part of our portfolio, and that is the U.S.”That statement went...

Needle found in child’s Halloween chocolate bar in Mississauga, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

Peel Regional Police are investigating after a needle was found in a child’s Halloween candy in Mississauga.Police say the needle was found in a chocolate bar that investigators believe was handed out in the area south of Mississauga Road between Portway Avenue and Gatley Road.Police say it is currently the only reported incident of candy tampering they are dealing with.“Police are reminding parents and children to check through all Halloween candy before eating and to report any instances where they suspect the candy has been tampered with,” a police release states.

WATCH: Powell addresses latest Federal Reserve interest rate decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to address the media on today's interest rate decision at 2:30 p.m. ET. Those remarks will be livestreamed within this story.WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in nearly two years, the Federal Reserve is set Wednesday to keep its key short-term interest rate unchanged for a second straight policy meeting — the clearest sign to date that the Fed is edging closer to the end of its rate-hiking campaign.The Fed is standing pat, for now, in part because the economy has been moving mostly in the direction that Chair Jerome Powell has hoped for: Inflation has tumbled, even though hiring, consumer spending and economic growth have remained robust. A widely predicted recession hasn't materialized.But the deceleration of inflation has slowed, and solid economic growth could keep inflation elevated or even send it higher. As a result, Powell and other Fed officials aren't yet willing to take a final rate hike off the table. At a new confere...

Evanston man charged in deadly attack on Magnificent Mile

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:12 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man faces a murder charge after allegedly beating a 53-year-old man this past summer on the Magnificent Mile.According to police, 49-year-old Henry Graham, of Evanston is linked to the June 29 in the 600 block of N. Michigan Ave.The male victim later died from his injuries, police added. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Graham was due in court on Wednesday.No booking photo was made available by police.