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Most evacuation orders, alerts lifted in B.C.’s Okanagan wildfires

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Evacuation orders and alerts have been lifted for all but one property in West Kelowna, B.C., about five weeks after thousands were chased out by a fast-moving wildfire.Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says BC Wildfire Service crews are now patrolling the fire’s edge, working to extinguish any remaining hot spots, but warn nearby communities can expect to see smoke within the perimeter in the coming weeks.The 139-square-kilometre McDougall Creek fire swept down on West Kelowna on the evening of Aug. 17, engulfing residential streets that were evacuated with little time to spare.A provincewide state of emergency was declared the next day, as the same winds that fuelled the McDougall Creek blaze fanned fires in the Shuswap region.About half of the 400 structures or homes destroyed in B.C.’s record-breaking fire season have been lost in the Kelowna area.The operations centre also announced it is rescinding evacuation alerts and downgrading evacuati...

Photos: Hail destroys cars in north central Austin

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As hail hit towns across Central Texas Sunday night, several people living in a townhome complex off Koenig Lane got their windows smashed during the storm."It sounded like someone was banging on our windows and doors trying to get in," said Joshua Brisbin. His car is fine, but "seeing my neighbors' property being destroyed by this, it's deeply troubling."Below are photos of the aftermath he described.Hail smashed through several cars in north central Austin.Shattered glass from hail-damaged car window in north central Austin.Car owner covers hail-damaged windows with tarp.Hail damages cars at north central Austin townhome complex.A few blocks away, Anthony Gentles was watching Sunday Night Football when the storm approached."I saw the news ticker at the bottom of the screen, and it was saying a storm was coming," he said. Anthony Gentles said his roommate called him when the storm started, suggesting they both take their cars to a nearby parking garage to wait out ...

Boil water notice issued for Bell-Milam-Falls WSC customers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

MILAM COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A boil water notice was issued on Monday for Bell-Milam-Falls Water Supply Corporation customers, due to a power outage caused by Sunday storms, according to a news release from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).The boil water notice affects Bell-Milam-Falls WSC customers in the areas below:BarlettRogersRogers to BuckholtsRogers to Wilson PHOTOS: Large, damaging hail pummels parts of Central Texas When the notice is no longer in effect, water system officials will notify customers that their water is safe for consumption.If a customer would like to reach TCEQ, they can call (512) 239-4691.

KC school community mourns after teen is killed by stepfather, two teens shot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A violent weekend north of the river left two teens injured from a shooting on Friday night and another allegedly shot and killed by his stepfather early Sunday morning."Families are suffering right now, they're grieving, they're hurt and there is no explanation. There's just no explanation," Janeth Smith, a parent of a student at Staley, said.   Chiefs players react to Taylor Swift’s appearance at Arrowhead All three victims are students at Staley High School in north Kansas City.  That man who police say killed his stepson was also an elementary school teacher. He made his first appearance in a Clay County courtroom on Monday afternoon.  18-year-old Joseph Bonaccorso was killed and now his stepfather, Steven Woods, has been charged with several felonies, including one count of murder and two counts of armed criminal action.The probable cause statement was detailed and sad, as it describes the moments that his mom tried to shield him. In the end, it was to...

Colorado logs coldest temps in the United States on Saturday, Sunday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

Colorado was the coldest place in the contiguous United States on Saturday and Sunday, according to data collected by the National Weather Service.A weather station on Berthoud Pass logged a low of 19 degrees on Saturday and a station on Trail Ridge Road, 4 miles northwest of Grand Lake, logged a low of 17 degrees on Sunday.Berthoud Pass was the coldest spot in the CONUS today with a low of 19F. #COwx https://t.co/SKwyaNT9Yc— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 24, 2023Those are typical temperatures for high mountain valleys, said Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Boulder office. The area is experiencing an inversion, which is when warm air traps cold air below it.“Colder air is denser and heavier and tends to sink to the valley floor, and these are typical cold spots in our forecast area,” Rodriguez said.The low temperatures recorded Saturday and Sunday didn’t break any records for the area, Rodriguez said. Neither weather station had ...

Police shoot man armed with knife in Highland Park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department released officers' body-worn camera footage of a police shooting of a man armed with a knife last month in Highland Park on Monday.  The incident occurred on Aug. 26 just before 12:30 p.m. as officers responded to calls of a possible assault with a deadly weapon “suspect there now” in the 800 block of Nolden Street, according to a LAPD news release.  The suspect, later identified as 53-year-old Angel Garrido, called 911 himself and told emergency operators that he was “armed with a gun and going to hurt someone in the apartment.” He also told operators that he was “going to hurt whoever showed up to the location,” the release noted.  The body-worn footage shows officers arriving at the scene and making their way up a narrow stairway to the second floor with guns drawn. Police were also announcing their presence in both English and Spanish.  “Garrido appeared in the hallway and walked toward the officers while hol...

Macron says France will end military presence in Niger

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

By Angela Charlton and Dalatou Mamane | Associated PressPARIS — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed the democratically elected president.Niger’s junta said in response that the announcement signals a “new step towards the sovereignty” of the country.“Imperialist and neo-colonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory. The new era of cooperation, based on mutual respect and sovereignty is already underway,” it said in a statement.The announcement was a significant, if expected, blow to France’s policy in Africa, with French troops having had to pull out of neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years after coups there. France had stationed thousands of troops in the Sahel region at the request of African leaders to fight Islamic extremist groups.France has maintained some 1,500 troops in ...

Looking to 2024, SF Giants have a (real, five-man) rotation taking shape

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Five different guys, taking the ball every fifth day, going as deep into a game as they can. It’s the platonic ideal for most baseball teams, and the San Francisco Giants are no exception, despite what you have witnessed this season.They have the major-league leader in innings pitched, Logan Webb, but their starters have thrown the fewest innings in the majors. A rookie reliever has started the fourth-most games on staff, more than either of the free agents they brought in to start games.It doesn’t have to be this way.“Every team wants to be able to run four starters out there every time through,” said Giants manager Gabe Kapler, the skipper who has made more treks to the pitcher’s mound prior to the third inning than any other this season. “Give them the ball and see if they can get into the sixth or the seventh inning and then give it to your guys who are short sprinters. I don’t think that ambition will ever go away for us.̶...

Bay Area daycare employee sentenced to 25 years for molesting 4-to-6-year-olds and filming it

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — A former Bay Area daycare worker has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting young children, secretly filming their private parts and distributing the footage to other pedophiles online, federal prosecutors announced Monday.Jace Wong, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Donato. Wong pleaded guilty earlier this year to multiple federal offenses, including production, distribution and possession of child pornography.Federal prosecutors say the range of videos taken and distributed by Wong included “hands-on” molestation, as well as secret recordings of kids using the restroom. Many of the victims were between the ages of 4 and 6 and attended two daycare centers where Wong worked — Mission Neighborhood Centers in San Francisco and Cape Inc. in Livermore, prosecutors said.After taking the videos, Wong distributed them on chat group messenger apps like Kik, authorities said.In a lengthy sentencing memo, Wong’s attorney q...

Blast rocks Nagorno-Karabakh as 1,000s flee to Armenia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:16:09 GMT

By Avet Demourian | Associated PressYEREVAN, Armenia — A powerful blast rocked the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region Monday evening as ethnic Armenians streamed out of the breakaway territory after the Azerbaijani military reclaimed full control of it in a lighting offensive last week.The explosion at fuel storage facility near the regional capital of Stepanakert wounded more than 200 people, Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said on X, formerly known as Twitter. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which happened as residents were lining up to get fuel for their cars in order to leave the region.The majority of the victims were in “severe or extremely severe” condition, Stepanyan said, adding that the victims would need to be airlifted out of the region for medical treatment to save their lives. It was not immediately clear if there were any deaths.The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forci...