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US citizens urged to leave Belarus immediately

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (The Hill) — The Biden administration is urging U.S. citizens in Belarus to depart the country immediately and warned against travel there in a statement published Monday.The updated travel warning comes after bordering countries Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have stepped up security along the border over concerns about Russian Wagner mercenary forces exiled in the country.  The State Department, in its warning, encouraged Americans still in Belarus to depart the country immediately and categorized the country as a Level 4 risk, the highest security warning. Belarus’s longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko, known as Europe’s last dictator, has been a key facilitator of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and is under a catalog of U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses and political repression against Belarusian people who challenged his claim to election victory in 2020.The U.S. mission in Belarus is scaled down and only handles emergenc...

Watch: Train crashes into 18-wheeler in Louisiana

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

IBERIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) — A train collided with an 18-wheeler Monday night in southern Louisiana, causing multiple cars to derail.The derailment happened around 5 p.m. CT in Iberia Parish, the sheriff's office confirmed. Video shared with Nexstar's KLFY, seen below, shows the trail barreling toward the semi, its trailer blocking the railroad at a crossing. The signal's arm appears to have come down on the 18-wheeler, and the train horn can be heard. Highway 182 was closed from the St. Martin Parish line to Darby Lane due to the derailment. Additional video from the scene shows at least half a dozen rail cars off the tracks.Authorities said the driver of the truck, which was stuck on the tracks, and the train's conductor were OK, but the conductor was taken to an area hospital. Three tankers carrying acrylic acid derailed and no leaks have been found the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office said. Seven cars with polymer plastic did tip over and spill but a...

ERCOT issues Weather Watch for Texas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video provides tips on what to do if you're experiencing heat-related illness.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a weather watch from Wednesday, Aug. 23 through Sunday, Aug. 27 "due to forecasted high temperatures, higher electrical demand and potential for lower reserves," according to a press release.ERCOT said there is currently enough capacity to meet forecasted demand and no action is currently necessary, the release said. Understanding ERCOT’s emergency alert levels On Sunday, ERCOT set a new all-time weekend peak demand record of 85,116 MW. The current all-time peak demand record of 85,435 MW was set on Aug. 10, the release said.In 2022, the August peak demand was 78,465 MW, ERCOT said.The 6-day Supply and Demand dashboard, which will update in real-time, shows there's a possibility of new all-time peak demand records this week, the release said.ERCOT’s new notification systemFor anyone who wants to si...

Troy police K9s receive new bullet, stab proof vests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department received new equipment for their K9 officers. The bullet and stab proof vests were donated to the department by the non-profit Brady's K9 Fund. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The non-profit was started by a middle schooler in Ohio named Brady Snakovsky, who wanted to ensure K9 officers could be protected while out in the field.Troy police said the vests will be worn by their K9 officers Norbi and Cezar.

Illinois woman arrested on charges of emailing threats to shoot Trump and his son

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal agents arrested a Chicago-area woman Monday on a complaint accusing her of sending emails threatening to shoot former President Donald Trump and his son Barron, according to federal prosecutors and a criminal complaint.Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was arrested Monday morning on a charge of transmitting threats to kill or injure, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago. The case was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in southern Florida.“I will state that I will shoot Donald Trump Sr. AND Barron Trump straight in the face at any opportunity I get!,” Fiorenza said in a May 21 email to the head of an educational institution in the Palm Beach, Florida, area, according to an affidavit accompanying the complaint.Donald Trump's primary residence is in Palm Beach. Massive tire fire at salvage yard in Madison, Illinois Fiorenza allegedly wrote a similar email on June 5, saying she would “slam a bullet” into Barron Trump “with his father IN SELF D...

What makes penne alla vodka so delicious? It’s all in the sauce.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

By Eric Kim, The New York TimesIn the 1980s, long before he became a New York chef, a young Iacopo Falai lived across the hall from a hip uncle who sometimes made penne alla vodka for dinner. The combination of tomato, cream and chile wasn’t traditional by any means, especially in Florence, Italy, where he lived, but his uncle was a travel-loving caterer who introduced Falai to a world of foods.He had a particular point, Falai said: It doesn’t matter where a dish is made, as long as it’s delicious.Some might assume that penne alla vodka is an ancient Roman pasta, but it gained popularity only in the 1970s and ’80s. The documentary “Disco Sauce: The Unbelievable True Story of Penne Alla Vodka” explores the dish’s many origin stories, from Italy to the United States, but none are definitive.One of the first written accounts of vodka in creamy tomato pasta comes from the 1974 cookbook and memoir “L’Abbuffone” (later translated to English as “The Injester”). In it, Italian actor Ugo Tog...

Ojai rattled by 3.5 magnitude aftershock day after larger tremor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

One day after much of Ventura County was jolted by a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, the aftershocks of the tremor keep on coming. Monday, around 4:50 p.m., Ojai was struck by another sizeable earthquake, this one registering at 3.5 magnitude, according to the preliminary report from the United States Geological Survey.Monday's quake was located about 3.7 miles southeast of Ojai, at a depth of about 9.5 miles.The latest aftershock comes a little more than 24 hours after Sunday's quake, which shook the same area, which was receiving heavy rain from Tropical Storm Hilary.That earthquake was felt as far as the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, and prompted a citywide response from the Los Angeles Fire Department. In the hours that followed, more than two-dozen aftershocks were felt, with one reaching a magnitude level around 4.0.Aftershocks are a regular occurrence following large scale tremors like Sunday's. They typically happen within a close window of the initial jolt, but can c...

Deputies shoot man after double stabbing in Orange County

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

Sheriff’s deputies in Orange County shot man after he allegedly stabbed one woman to death and seriously wounded another on Sunday, authorities announced.  Authorities with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 21000 block of Osterman Road in Lake Forest at around 12:18 p.m. on reports that a woman had been stabbed was outside of her apartment.  At the scene, deputies located the stabbing suspect, only described as a man in his 20’s, inside of an apartment. Details are limited and it is unclear what led up to the exchange of gunfire, but authorities said deputies shot the man at around 12:32 p.m. and took him into custody.  “Deputies then located an additional female victim inside of the apartment suffering from several stab wounds,” according to a OCSD news release. “She was later pronounced dead at the scene.” Authorities provided life-saving measures on the female stabbing victim found outside of the apartment, as well as the suspect until paramed...

Santa Monica Pier to honor Kobe Bryant on Aug. 24

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

Santa Monica Pier will honor Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with a light-up display on the pier’s Ferris wheel on Aug. 24, also known as Kobe Bryant Day.The Ferris wheel will be lit up with two light displays that will read: “LA + ❤️ + 24” and “LA + ❤️ + 8" along with displays of purple and gold patterns, a news release said.Santa Monica Pier will honor Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with a light-up display on the pier’s Ferris wheel on Aug. 24, also known as Kobe Bryant Day. (Santa Monica Pier)Guests can see the light display from 7:30 p.m. until midnight on Thursday.Bryant, who played in the NBA for two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers,  won five NBA championships and is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players ever. Verdict reached in Kobe Bryant crash photos lawsuit In 2020, Kobe, his daughter Gianna and seven others were on their way to a basketball game at his Mamba Academy in Thousands Oaks via helicopter before it crashed into a hills...

Man charged in series of robberies targeting L.A. street vendors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:47:22 GMT

A 26-year-old man has been charged in connection with robberies that targeted Los Angeles street vendors, officials announced Monday.Stayshawn Stephens, of Los Angeles, faces 12 counts of second-degree robbery with aggravating factors of violent conduct, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.On Aug. 16, three suspects dressed in black allegedly brandished guns — and in one incident a knife — while demanding cash from vendors in Echo Park, downtown L.A. and East Hollywood.The locations where food vendors were attacked:5900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard6200 block of Hollywood Boulevard300 block of South Bixel Avenue600 block of South Union Avenue1500 block of N. Alvarado Boulevard900 block of S. BroadwayThe suspects allegedly searched the pockets of the victims, stole tip jars and drove off in a white Honda Civic.Stephens was identified as one of the robbers and was arrested last week.He pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday and is being held on $1.3 mill...