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Pilot accused of destroying parking barrier at Denver airport with an ax says he hit breaking point

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A United Airlines pilot has been charged with criminal mischief for allegedly using an ax to destroy a barrier gate at an employee parking lot at Denver’s airport, telling authorities he was trying to help several drivers exit and “he just hit his breaking point.”Kenneth Henderson Jones, 63, is accused of repeatedly striking the metal parking arm with a long-handled ax Aug. 2, knocking it off of its base and then fleeing on foot when a lot attendant confronted him. The employee told investigators he was able to grab the weapon from Jones during a scuffle near a security fence. The pilot then ran into a nearby field, where he was taken into custody by Denver police.According to a report by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Jones told a deputy that about six vehicles were behind each of the parking lot’s three exit gates, so he retrieved the ax from his parked car to help the drivers leave.“Kenneth started by saying he just hit his breaking point...

Snags persist, but overall improvement for Kentucky district restarting classes after busing fiasco

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Despite some snags, Kentucky’s largest school district finished its bus drop-offs much earlier on Friday than it did a week earlier when a busing debacle on the first day of school delayed some students by hours. Friday marked the first day back for elementary and middle school students after Jefferson County Public Schools canceled class for a week due to the busing problems. While some parents still reported delays on Friday, the district said in a news release that it dropped its last student off by 7:43 p.m., much earlier than the final drop-offs on Aug. 9 when some students got home after 9 p.m. On Friday all but 17 students had been dropped off by 7:15. That was on par with the busing performance on the first day of school in 2022, district officials said.“Our bus drivers and staff did a phenomenal job getting tens of thousands of students safely to and from school today,” Marty Pollio, the district superintendent, said in a statement. “The short-...

Chemical treatment to be deployed against invasive fish in Colorado River

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

PAGE, Ariz. (AP) — The National Park Service will renew efforts to rid an area of the Colorado River in northern Arizona of invasive fish by killing them with a chemical treatment, the agency said Friday. A substance lethal to fish but approved by federal environmental regulators called rotenone will be disseminated starting Aug. 26. It’s the latest tactic in an ongoing struggle to keep non-native smallmouth bass and green sunfish at bay below the Glen Canyon Dam and to protect a threatened native fish, the humpback chub.The treatment will require a weekend closure of the Colorado River slough, a cobble bar area surrounding the backwater where the smallmouth bass were found and a short stretch up and downstream. Chemical substances were also utilized last year.The effort will “be carefully planned and conducted to minimize exposure” to humans as well as “desirable fish species,” according to the National Park Service. An “impermeable fabric barrier” will be erected at th...

State of emergency declared in B.C. over wildfire crisis

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

British Columbia Premier David Eby has declared a provincewide state of emergency in response to “unprecedented” wildfires that have forced the evacuation of at least 10,000 more people late Friday.Eby says the situation has “evolved and deteriorated” quite rapidly.Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says the number of people under evacuation order in B.C. went from 4,500 to 15,000 in the matter of an hour.A further 20,000 people are under evacuation alert.RELATED: ‘Ghost town’: thousands flee Yellowknife as wildfires loomMa says a state of emergency allows the province to compel co-operation in the fire fight from “unwilling partners,” although co-operation has so far been excellent.The state of emergency comes as homes continue to burn in West Kelowna, where the city’s fire chief says a “significant” number of properties were destroyed. More to come

Kansas and Illinois to turn private scrimmage into televised fundraiser for Maui wildfire victims

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas and Illinois will play a televised basketball exhibition Oct. 29 with the proceeds benefitting the Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, Kansas announced Friday.Wildfires have scorched the island in recent days, killing at least 111, with hundreds more unaccounted for. Website set up to donate directly to Maui educators “For decades, the Maui Invitation and the city of Lahaina have been very important to college basketball,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go to that entire community as they recover from such a tragic event.”Self said he and Illinois coach Brad Underwood devised the plan while discussing how they could help those affected by the fires.The game at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, will be televised by Big Ten Network.

Cruise driverless cars turning heads in Austin

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Driverless vehicles have caused complications along Austin’s streets this summer.These Cruise cars drive only at night with their bright lights, slowed speeds and nobody behind the wheel.Raina Hornaday lives in a quiet and quaint neighborhood in west Austin.Yet, in the middle of the night, her street becomes crowded with driverless cars. Driverless cars stop traffic on Austin streets, company responds "I see them all night long with their blinkers and hazards on, just all around my neighborhood,” Hornaday said.She said the robotic technology has been “disruptive” near her home, ever since the autonomous vehicles started driving through her neighborhood back in May."Last night I counted 25 cars within 20 minutes,” Hornaday said. “It's a lot of unnecessary commotion."Michael Staples is Cruise’s general manager for the Austin market.He said these robotaxis are limited to driving a certain speed, meaning only certain streets are accessible on their routes. How many c...

Man charged with Murder in connection to Cohoes shooting

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany County grand jury handed up an indictment charging anti-violence activist Dontie Mitchell with Murder, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and Reckless Endangerment.The 43-year old is accused of causing the death of Shieer Leggett August 11 on Main Street in Cohoes. Leggett suffered serious injuries in the shooting and died at Albany Medical Center. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Mitchell remains in the Albany County Correctional Facility. His next court date has not been scheduled, yet. Mitchell spent 24 years in prison for an armed robbery he committed when he was 17. He was released after former governor Andrew Cuomo granted him clemency in 2021.

Massachusetts farm fatigue due to freeze and flood

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

ADAMS, M.A. (NEWS10) -Farms in the Bay State have been at a disadvantage this year due to weather conditions. Farmers are looking for ways to make up for lost profits and nurture what is still growing. Specializing in exotic peppers, Steve Melito started Cole Mountain Farm as a hobby during the pandemic. With this being their first year as a business, Melito pulled the trigger on planting too soon.“They say don’t plant until Memorial Day for a reason. We planted some crops sooner because the weather had been nice. Turned out not to be that way," explained Melito. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, a deep freeze in February followed by a May frost are to blame for the stunted plants. For orchards in the area, fruit pickers may be out of luck come fall. “None of our fruit trees, which we also have, have any fruit. There are no buds or flowers," said Melito.The bureau has also reported...

Wildfires burning on Colorado’s Western Slope have scorched more than 10,000 acres combined

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

About a dozen wildfires are burning in Colorado, with most on the Western Slope, where more than 10,000 combined acres of land have been torched.Little Mesa fireThe Little Mesa fire, about 15 miles southwest of Delta in the Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area, has burned 3,677 acres, about 5.7 square miles, according to fire officials. The fire, sparked by lightning on July 31, is burning through pinyon, juniper, sagebrush and grass. More than 60 firefighters are working on the fire, which is 30% contained.Widespread afternoon showers and thunderstorms on the Western Slope Friday should help to calm the fire, said Deana Harms, a Bureau of Land Management spokesperson.That same weather, however, could raise the prospect of flash flooding in the area, according to the National Weather Service.No evacuations have been ordered because of the fire.Quartz Ridge fireThe Quartz Ridge fire, about 13 miles northeast of Pagosa Springs, has burned 1,475 acres and there is no containm...

LAHSA teams move homeless to safety amid Hurricane Hilary

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:24:40 GMT

In preparation for the major tropical storm, Hurricane Hilary, the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority in partnership with the City and County of L.A., activated its emergency response to notify and relocate homeless people to safer locations. On Thursday, LAHSA Homeless Engagement Teams and Homeless Outreach Services Teams began outreach and relocating homeless people in riverbed areas and in encampments within the flood control areas through the San Gabriel River Watershed, L.A. River, Sepulveda Basin and Hansen Dam. Hurricane Hilary takes aim at Southern California: Live updates LAHSA says with the help of its partners, 50 people from the Santa Fe Dam area have already been moved to safer locations. Teams are also working with the Red Cross and L.A. City and County to explore the availability of emergency storm shelter locations such as parks facilities, gymnasiums, hotels, and motels  to provide immediate safety for people experiencing homelessness.Hurricane Hilar...