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Pennsylvania chocolate plant blast kills 5, leaves 6 missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — An explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania on Friday killed five people and left six people missing, authorities said.The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency confirmed the increase in the number of fatalities Saturday morning after the blast just before 5 p.m. Friday at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in the borough of West Reading. Chief of Police Wayne Holben said the blast destroyed one building and damaged a neighboring building. “It’s pretty leveled,” Mayor Samantha Kaag said of the explosion site. “The building in the front, with the church and the apartments, the explosion was so big that it moved that building four feet forward.”The cause of the blast in the community about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia was under investigation, Holden told reporters.Eight people were taken to Reading Hospital Friday evening, Tower Health spokeswoman Jessica Bezler said. Two people were admitted in fair condition and five were being ...

Q-and-A: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa on democracy and disinformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

TORONTO — Maria Ressa’s coverage of how online disinformation campaigns helped support an authoritarian regime in the Philippines led to her winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, but she says more work needs to be done to hold social media companies accountable for a gradual decline of democracy around the world.Ressa, who was born in Manila and moved to the United States at age nine, has challenged corruption and tyranny in the Philippines and elsewhere as a reporter for CNN and the founder of Rappler, an investigative news organization that used the emerging power of social media in 2012 to crowdsource breaking news.On Monday, she will discussher book “How to Stand Up to a Dictator” at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Torontoas a part of a collaboration with the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.The book title refers to then-president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, whose government and its war on drugs Rappler began criticizing in 2016.Rappler reports als...

German bishop resigns, cites responsibility in abuse scandal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday accepted a resignation request from a German bishop who asked to step down because of his mistakes in handling sexual abuse cases. Franz-Josef Bode, who has been the bishop of Osnabrueck, Germany, since 1995, said in a personal statement that his decision to resign “has matured in me in recent months” and he hoped it would have a liberating effect on the diocese. Bode explained that an interim report released in September on abuse by clergy in the diocese had revealed his mistakes. He acknowledged his responsibility as a bishop and said, “Today, I can only ask all those affected again for forgiveness.”Abuse survivor groups have accused Bode of failing to respond appropriately to some cases of abuse, German news agency dpa reported.The head of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Baetzing, issued a statement that noted Bode’s resignation with “great regret and respect.”With his resignation, Bode “also takes responsibility for the t...

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth kicks off reelection campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) — Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Saturday officially accepted his party’s nomination as its main candidate to keep the job in the upcoming general election, promising to build a new political climate that does away with decades of conflict.The 69-year-old former general led a military coup in 2014, following months of violent street protests in Bangkok against the elected government. Thailand has suffered from political instability since the army in a 2006 takeover ousted the government of billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra.“We will create a new political climate,” Prayuth said in a speech before 1,000 supporters at a convention center on the outskirts of Bangkok, less than a week after he dissolved Parliament to set a May 14 election date. “We will have policies that address issues of the people and the country, and most importantly – and I only need to say one word, I don’t need to expand or anything – we will move b...

Vice President Harris’ trip aims to deepen US ties in Africa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will try to deepen and reframe U.S. relationships in Africa during a weeklong trip that is the latest and highest profile outreach by the Biden administration as it moves to counter China’s growing influence.Harris, who is traveling with her husband, Doug Emhoff, plans to visit Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, focusing on economic development, climate change, food security and a rising youth population. She is scheduled to arrive in Accra, Ghana’s capital, on Sunday.“For too long, the U.S. foreign policy establishment has treated Africa like some kind of extra credit project and not part of the core curriculum,” said Michelle Gavin, an Africa expect at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Botswana. “I see a big effort to change that thinking now. But it takes time.”In Africa, Harris will be closely watched as the first person of color and first woman to serve as America’s vice president. He...

Ugly cars: Car designs not even a mother could love

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

(iSeeCars) -- The people behind the scenes in the automotive industry spend years designing the cars we drive. Despite their best efforts, not every car design is one that’s well-received. Maybe it’s underpowered or doesn’t handle well, or maybe it’s just how the car looks. We’ve all seen ugly cars and wondered how they ever rolled off the assembly line. You can find ugly cars from pretty much every automotive era, so it’s been an issue as long as cars have existed.A myriad of design flaws can make a car look bad, from oddly shaped bumpers to awkwardly-angled rear windows to confusing lines that don’t know whether they want a car to be a station wagon or a coupe. Most of the ugliest cars ever made are, thankfully, not for sale anymore, but you can still find many of these (ugly) used cars for sale today. And while everything from the BMW Isetta to the Fiat Multipla to the Nissan S-Cargo and entrants from automakers that aren’t available in the U.S. like the Mitsuoka Galue or the Ssa...

Amber Alert issued for child abduction south of Fort Worth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Amber Alert was issued Saturday by the Texas Department of Public Safety regarding a child abduction.The Everman Police Department said it was searching for Noel Rodriguez-Alverez, a Hispanic, 6-year-old boy with black hair and brown eyes.Law enforcement officials believe this child to be in grave or immediate danger.In connection to the abduction, police are looking for 37-year-old Cindy Cecilia Rodriguez-Singh, a 5’00” Hispanic woman weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eye. Police also said she has tattoos across her chest.DPS said the suspect was last seen in Everman, Texas, and was driving a gray 2012 Chevrolet Silverado bearing Texas license plate number PLS7091.amber_alertDownloadAnyone with information regarding this abduction should call the Everman Police Department at 817-293-2923.

Ira Winderman: Playoff drive running deep for the Heat (with some kid stuff involved)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

It has been an uneven run, players coming and going amid the struggle for a mid-tier playoff seed.But now, a playoff berth has been secured. Thoughts can turn to the postseason.No, not the Miami Heat, at least not yet.But for the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, it’s playoff time starting Tuesday, the first time the Heat’s affiliate has made the postseason since 2016, which also is the lone time the Heat’s affiliate won the G League title.Typically, such matters are, well, minor league.But this has not been a typical year, with significant cross pollination between the Heat and Skyforce, to the degree that five players have seen action for both the Heat and Skyforce this season.That has had former Heat forward Kasib Powell working a balancing act in his second season as Skyforce coach.“One of the goals and expectations we had was making the playoffs,” Powell said. “And in this league, only 12 [of 30] teams do. So we have ...

‘Hamilton’ is once again offering a lottery for $10 tickets in Minneapolis. Here’s how to enter.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

As the Broadway hit “Hamilton” arrives in the Twin Cities for the first time since 2018, so too do the musical’s lottery-based $10 tickets — though only 40 are available for each performance.The show, which retells America’s founding through hip-hop and R&B tunes, runs April 4 through May 6, 2023, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.Here’s how the lottery works: To score $10 tickets, you’ll first need the official Hamilton app in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, or at hamiltonmusical.com/app.For shows the week of April 4–9, the lottery opens at 10 a.m. this Friday, March 24, and closes at noon on Thursday, March 30. You’ll get a notification from the app between 1 and 4 p.m. on Thursday to let you know whether you’ve won the chance to buy tickets.Lottery winners are allowed to purchase up to two tickets, and have two hours to do so from the time they receive the notification. Tickets can be picked up in-person only, at the will call booth, starting two ho...

3/25/2023: A little wintry mix, then rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:10 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from meteorologist Matt Mackie: An approaching weather system will bring a bit of wintry mix, with a change to rain for many by late morning as temperatures warm to the upper 30's.In the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks, however, cooler temperatures mean that snow or sleet may hold on into the early afternoon. That will lead to slightly higher (but still low-end) totals.It will be blustery both as this system impacts us today and immediately in its wake tomorrow. Expect the strongest gusts in the Adirondacks and Greens, where a Wind Advisory is in effect through Sunday - a couple branches may come down.We clear out as the day goes on Sunday - a high of 50 looks nice on the surface, but with the wind its still a brisk feel out there. Monday looks great, with less wind and lots of sun.A few showery periods are possible Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday looks dry but seasonably cool. More clouds for Friday.