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India train crash death toll rises above 230 with 900 injured as rescuers comb through debris

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA and KRUTIKA PATHI (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people after two passenger trains derailed Friday night in India, killing more than 230 people and leaving hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors.About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state’s top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was ...

Dear Abby: Zoned-out BF happy with the status quo

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been dating a man for more than two years, and I thought we had a future together. I’m 57, divorced, no kids. He’s 58, divorced and has two grown children. At first, he said he was living with his parents so he could take care of his dad, who had been very ill. But it has been more than three years now!I put bids on four different houses in his parents’ neighborhood, but lost all of them. It seems the universe is not in favor of my owning a home and being closer to his family. Maybe all of this is for the best. He smokes marijuana daily, and I’m sure this is part (if not all) of the problem. His motivation for doing anything is very low.I’m often frustrated with his unreliability, lateness and lack of communication. I do enjoy being with him, and we get along great when we are together. But nothing is CHANGING. I want a future (and a home) with someone at this point in my life. Should I keep waiting and hoping, or move on and end it wi...

Lake Hodges reopens to public for recreation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

LAKE HODGES, Calif. -- Lake Hodges reopened to the public Wednesday for fishing and boating, the City of San Diego said.Visitors can go kayaking, canoeing, shore fishing, rental boat fishing and flat tubing, officials said. However, boat launching, stand up paddleboarding, windsurfing, winging and all water contact activities are not permitted. Lake Hodges will be open from sunrise to sunset on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays through October. It is closed during the months of November, December and January.The announcement comes after the closing of the reservoir since May 2022 due to deteriorating concrete on the upstream face of its dam, according to the San Diego-Union Tribune. The newly found cracks prompted officials to reduce the condition of the dam from "poor" to "unsatisfactory," the paper reported. California campsite reservation bill passes State Assembly “It is envisioned a new dam could be built by 2034 following the required environmental review, design and permit...

New aircraft exhibit featured at USS Midway Museum

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The USS Midway Museum on Thursday announced a new addition to its historical collection of aircraft. A newly restored Navy C-2A Greyhound "Carrier Onboard Delivery," first launched into the U.S. Navy in 1965, is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft that was used to fly passengers, cargo and mail to and from aircraft carriers at sea, according to museum officials. The aircraft was flown by Fleet Logistic Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30) based in San Diego at Naval Air Station North Island."Known as the COD (carrier onboard delivery), the C-2 was the Navy’s primary at-sea cargo delivery aircraft for more than 60 years. The Greyhound, flown by a crew of 4 (two pilots and 2 cargo specialists) had a range of more than 1,000 miles and could carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo," the museum said. San Diego 6th best place in US to raise a family: study Donated to the USS Midway Museum in August 2022, the Greyhound took nine months and more than 500 hours from the museum's restora...

UN agency for Palestinian refugees raises just $107 million of $300 million needed to help millions

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Despite a dire warning from the U.N. chief that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees “is on the verge of financial collapse,” donors at a pledging conference on Friday provided just $107 million in new funds — significantly less than the $300 million it needs to keep helping millions of people.Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the agency known as UNRWA, said he was grateful for the new pledges but they are below the funds needed to keep over 700 schools and 140 clinics open from September through December.“We will continue to work tirelessly with our partners, including host countries — the refugees’ top supporters — to raise the funds needed,” he said in a statement.At the beginning of the year, UNRWA appealed for $1.6 billion for its programs, operations and emergency response across Syria, Lebanon, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and Jordan. That includes nearly $850 million for its core budget, which includes ...

Hoskin seeks second term as leader of powerful Cherokee Nation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) — Citizens of the Cherokee Nation — the largest Native American tribe in the U.S. — are set to decide whether Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. should lead the tribe for another four years as it enters a golden era after courts recognized its sprawling reservation and an operating budget of more than $3 billion. Hoskin, a 48-year-old attorney whose name is now intertwined with the fight for tribal sovereignty, is among four candidates seeking the tribe’s top position, similar to that of a state’s governor. The nonpartisan election for chief, deputy chief and eight positions on the tribe’s 17-member council are scheduled to be held Saturday, with many Cherokee citizens from across the country expected to submit absentee ballots.Challengers include David Cornsilk, a retired genealogist and educator; Wes Nofire, an ex-boxer and supporter of former President Donald Trump who serves on the tribal council; and Cara Cowen Watts, an engineer and former Chero...

Biden expected to sign budget deal to raise debt ceiling

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, just two days before the U.S. Treasury warned that the country would struggle to pay its bills.The bipartisan measure, which was approved this week by the House and Senate, eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default. “Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher,” Biden said from the Oval Office on Friday evening. “Nothing would have been more catastrophic,” he said, than defaulting on the country’s debt. The agreement was hashed out by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, giving Republicans some of their demanded federal spending cuts but holding the line on major Democratic priorities. It raises the debt limit until 2025 — after the 2024 presidential election — and gives legislators budget targets for the next two years in hopes of assuring fiscal stability as the political season heats up.“No one got...

Tragedy that left 5 dead or missing puts spotlight on safety in Alaska charter fishing industry

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Morgan Robidou posed next to the bright aluminum hull of his prized new vessel, a 30-foot (9-meter) fishing boat that he could use to take friends, family or tourists out after salmon or halibut in the bountiful waters of southeast Alaska.“Official boat owner,” he wrote when he posted the photo on social media last October, to congratulatory responses from friends.Seven months later, the boat he named Awakin — “like a boat waking someone” — was found partially submerged off an island west of Sitka in a tragedy that left Robidou and four customers dead or lost at sea and put a spotlight on the safety of the region’s vibrant charter fishing industry.“I can’t remember when we had any kind of fatality in our industry, so this is shocking for us,” said Richard Yamada, who sits on various industry boards, including the Alaska Charter Association and the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization. “We’re really curious to see what happened.”Robidou, 32, was working wi...

Buzzworthy: Honeybee health blooming at federal facilities across the country

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — While judges, lawyers and support staff at the federal courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire, keep the American justice system buzzing, thousands of humble honeybees on the building’s roof are playing their part in a more important task — feeding the world.The Warren B. Rudman courthouse is one of several federal facilities around the country participating in the General Services Administration’s Pollinator Initiative, a government program aimed at assessing and promoting the health of bees and other pollinators, which are critical to life on Earth.“Anybody who eats food, needs bees,” said Noah Wilson-Rich, co-founder, CEO and chief scientific officer of the Boston-based Best Bees company, which contracts with the government to take care of the honeybee hives at the New Hampshire courthouse and at some other federal buildings.Bees help pollinate the fruits and vegetables that sustain humans, he said. They pollinate hay and alfalfa, which feed cattle that pr...

NFL player and others gift teen's family a new car after he walks 6 miles to graduation

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:21:01 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - It was a six-mile walk that got Xavier Jones to his middle school graduation. His journey had gained the attention of a university, but that wasn’t the only way his hard work and dedication were noticed. At Cahokia High School in Illinois, Terron Armstead joined others to gift Jones and his family a car and a bike.“Just to see his family, to get a chance to get transportation, for him to be rewarded for something he did himself,” Armstead said.For the last 10 years, Armstead has been investing in the place he used to call home. He heard about the news of Jones’ journey and wanted to take action quickly; he wasn’t the only one. The Terron Armstead Foundation joined forces with Bommarito Automotive and others."It all happened pretty fast," said Emile Williams with Bommarito Automotive.Thousands of steps took Jones from West Florissant in north St. Louis all the way to Midtown. Impressed with his dedication, it landed him a full-ride scholarship to Harris-Stowe ...