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Registration opens for annual Florida Python Challenge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Registration opened Wednesday for the 2023 Florida Python Challenge, giving participants a chance to win a share of more than $30,000 in prizes while removing invasive Burmese pythons from the wild.The 10-day competition runs Aug. 4–13 and is open to both professional and novice snake hunters. A grand prize of $10,000 goes to the participant who removes the most pythons, plus smaller prizes for additional categories.“There is nowhere in the world like America’s Everglades, and we need to continue to protect and restore this national treasure,” South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron said in a statement. “Removing invasive pythons from across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem is absolutely critical, and we must do everything we can to combat this invasive species.”Participants in last year’s competition removed 231 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades, an increase from the 2021 number and more than double...

As Oregon Senate GOP boycott hits ‘crucial point,’ governor begins talks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has begun meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders in the statehouse to try to end a three-week-old boycott by GOP senators. Her office said Wednesday this year’s troubled legislative session has reached “a crucial point.”No progress was announced, however, with only one month remaining in the session that began Jan. 17. Because of the walkout, over 100 bills that have emerged from committees remain in limbo. Both the Senate and House must also approve state budgets for the next two years before the session closes by a June 25 deadline. Republican Senate Minority Leader Sen. Tim Knopp said on Tuesday the boycotters are not returning until the session’s last day, when they intend to pass “bipartisan” budgets and bills.The walkout, which began on May 3 ostensibly because bill summaries weren’t written at an eighth grade level as required by a long-forgotten law, has focused on a sweeping measure on abortion rights and gender-...

Teen charged in shooting death of schoolmate outside Pittsburgh school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A 15-year-old student was charged with homicide in the fatal shooting of his 15-year-old schoolmate just outside a school in Pittsburgh shortly before classes were due to start Wednesday morning, police said. Officers found Derrick Harris just before 7:30 a.m. with gunshot wounds by the front steps of Oliver Citywide Academy, police said. A gunshot detection system indicated 11 rounds had been fired. Major Crimes Commander Richard Ford said Harris was critically injured and rushed to a hospital, where he died.The other 15-year-old student, who was seen by an officer running from the school with a gun, was arrested and a weapon recovered, Ford said. The student was identified as Jaymier Perry in a court docket and Jamier Perry in a police statement. He was charged with criminal homicide, possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a firearm without a license. Perry was taken to the county jail, according to police. Court records didn’t list a defense attorney.Ol...

Once a whaling port, New Bedford wants to light the world again, with wind

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — New Bedford was once the city that lit the world, exporting vast quantities of whale oil for lamps in the early 1800s. Workers packed the docks, unloading casks of oil that had been extracted at sea from whale carcasses and brought in by a fleet of hundreds of whaling ships. Nearly two centuries later New Bedford aspires to light the world again, in a different relationship with the sea, as the offshore wind industry arrives here. On Wednesday, the vessel UHL Felicity bringing wind turbine tower sections from Portugal reached the Port of New Bedford. Once assembled out on the water this summer by developer Vineyard Wind, the turbines will stand more than 850 feet high. “There’s this sort of poetic coming-about for New Bedford as a center of energy,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said.It’s also a milestone for the industry. The United States does not yet have a single commercial-scale offshore wind farm. But it will soon. THE BUILDOUTVineyard Wind is building a 62-turb...

$3.1M settlement reached in fatal police shooting of Black man in Tacoma, Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Officials in the city of Tacoma, Washington, will pay $3.1 million to the family of a Black man who was fatally shot by police during a traffic stop in 2019. The City Council announced Tuesday’s settlement with the relatives of 24-year-old Bennie Branch in a news release. “This family’s loss has been felt deeply across our entire community – specifically amongst Tacoma’s African American community,” the statement said, adding that the settlement was “not an admission of legal liability,” but rather a way for both sides to avoid an expensive trial. Branch was in a car with other people on Sept. 8, 2019, when a patrol officer spotted the vehicle idling and pointed in the wrong direction. The officer approached the driver after recognizing the vehicle as one associated with previous gun-related crimes, police said.Branch left the car and got into his mom’s, which was nearby, police said. The officer notified dispatch about Branch’s actions and told them Branc...

FAA: Memorial Day air travel to peak Thursday. Here's what you can do to prepare.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday is expected to be the busiest air travel day before Memorial Day.An estimated 51,194 flights are scheduled for Thursday and nearly 50,000 flights are scheduled for Friday. Circle K offering 40 cents off fuel for 3 hours only on Thursday The FAA is reminding travelers to check their flight status before they head to the airport.To help make security screenings smoother and hopefully quicker, the FAA has a checklist of several tips to help travelers. Memorial Day Travel & Safety Here are some important reminders if you are flying for Memorial Day.Liquids, gels and aerosols packed in a carry-n must follow the 3-1-1 rule. 3.4 ounces or less per container, all liquids must fit into 1-quart size plastic bag and 1 bag per passenger.Firearms are only allowed in checked bags, and must be unloaded and placed in a locked, hard-sided container. You must declare the firearm with your airline.Pack your large electronics on the top layer of...

Pritzker announces 2024 state budget deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and democrats in charge of the house and senate announced Wednesday that state lawmakers have reached a deal on the 2024 fiscal year budget.“From the beginning, I vowed to work with the General Assembly to bring fiscal sanity to Illinois while restoring a compassionate state government that invests in the things that build a stronger economy and future,” Pritzker said. Pritzker announces unit of over 30 ‘peacekeepers’ to provide crisis support in Chicago The President of the Illinois Senate Don Harmon (D) and the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel Welch (D) joined Gov. Pritzker during Wednesday's press conference to announce that the fiscal year 2024 budget had been approved by Democratic leadership.This will mark the fifth balanced budget since Gov. Pritzker took office in 2019.“From violence prevention, higher education and K-12 funding, and filling teacher vacancies, to more workforce development, and enhance...

Disneyland working on new 'Avatar' experience with James Cameron

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

(KTLA) - Walt Disney Imagineering is working with director James Cameron on a new "Avatar" experience planned for Disneyland Resort.Disneyland Resort president Ken Potrock provided an update on the concept during an OC Forum event on May 18, the Orange County Register reported.The event, held at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, allowed Disneyland officials to share their plans for Disneyland Forward with Orange County business and city leaders. Disneyland pitches theme park expansion plans to Anaheim neighbors Disneyland Forward is a plan detailing how the resort intends to update and renovate the Anaheim theme park if zoning changes are approved. The project will include new attractions, shops, and restaurants within its existing 490-acre footprint, the Los Angeles Times reported.News of the "Avatar" experience surprised Disney fans and company officials alike when CEO Bob Iger announced it during a company earnings call in February following the success of “Avatar: The Way of W...

Potential impeachment looms over AG Ken Paxton after investigative hearing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A team of lawyers working with the House ethics committee spent nearly three hours Wednesday morning laying out extensive details covering years of misconduct allegations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, pointing towards the possibility the state's top law enforcement official could face impeachment.The five attorneys working with the House Committee on General Investigating told the panel during their Wednesday meeting that they began looking into Paxton in March after a proposal to use state funds to pay $3.3 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former employees who accused Paxton of wrongdoing. They ultimately said the evidence they collected these past few months would support at least a dozen criminal charges against Paxton, which included abuse of official capacity, official oppression, securities fraud, making false statements and others. However, it's important to note only a prosecutor would be able to officially file any of thes...

Patient safety bill, sparked by KXAN, passes Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A major bipartisan bill aimed at protecting Texans from dangerous doctors and reforming the Texas Medical Board passed the Senate on Wednesday and is closing in on becoming law. The bill is in direct response to our "Still Practicing" series of investigations.It now heads back to the House for final review before going to the governor."HB 1998 will save lives in our state, protecting patients and healthcare professionals alike," said the executive director of the nonpartisan nonprofit Texas Watch, which advocates for patient safety, shortly after the vote. "It gives the Texas Medical Board the tools it needs to fulfill its mission of safeguarding the public. We commend legislators for putting safety first and hope the governor will sign this vital legislation into law as soon as possible."On the last day the Senate could consider all bills, the chamber overwhelming passed the measure in a vote of 30-1. The bill was filed by Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch, in r...