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California regulators approve more gas storage capacity at the site of the worst US methane leak

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California regulators on Thursday approved a controversial proposal to greatly increase storage capacity at the site of the nation’s largest known methane leak, which sickened thousands of families and forced them from their Los Angeles homes in 2015.Despite opposition from lawmakers and nearby residents, the California Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 to permit underground storage of up to 68.6 billion cubic feet of gas at the vast Aliso Canyon field on the northern edge of Los Angeles County as a way to guard against fuel price spikes.That’s more than a 50% increase over the current cap at the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Facility, which is slated to be closed in 2027. It’s also near the maximum capacity of 86 billion cubic feet but within safety standards set by another state agency.“This vote is a slap in the face to the community members who have been living with the ongoing consequences of the worst gas blowout in American history,” Andrea...

New Zealand authorities investigating deaths that may be linked to Kenneth Law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, support is available 24/7 by calling Talk Suicide Canada (1-833-456-4566)Authorities in New Zealand say they are investigating deaths that may be linked to an Ontario man accused of sending a lethal substance to those at risk of self-harm.The New Zealand Coroners Court says it has received reports of deaths suspected to be linked to the activities of Kenneth Law, who currently faces 14 counts of counselling and aiding suicide in connection with deaths across Ontario.The Coroners Court says it will follow its usual process in investigating the New Zealand deaths and provide no further information at this time.Police have alleged that Law, a 57-year-old from Mississauga, operated several websites that were used to sell sodium nitrite and other items that can be used for self-harm.Investigators have said Law allegedly sent at least 1,200 packages to people in more than 40 countries, includi...

‘Human beings have always used substances’: Overdose Awareness Day aims to end overdose

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

International Overdose Awareness Day is marked on August 31 around the world, with an aim to end overdose, remember those lost and acknowledge the grief of family and friends.The campaign also promotes the de-stigmatization of drug use, which advocates say is at the heart of harm reduction philosophies.“Human beings have always used substances either to relax, to enlighten themselves, to party, to toast around dinner. It’s the stigmatization that prevents people from talking about their substance use, seeking help where they need it,” says Colin Johnson, co-chair of Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA).He says drug use is far more common than most people realize and a way of life for many.“The majority of people who use drugs don’t have issues with the authorities, they’re not impacted by the paramedics or the medical system,” he says. “People who use drugs are just like everybody else. You don’t know who they are in many cases...

Austin police say 2 dead, 1 injured in shooting at business

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Authorities in Texas said two people are dead and another person suffered life-threatening injuries after a shooting Thursday near a large shopping area in Austin.The Austin Police Department said the shooting occurred at a business and that there appeared to be no threat to the public. No one had been detained, police said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Authorities did not immediately release further details. The shooting happened near a shopping area known as The Arboretum, where multiple police vehicles were at the scene on the city’s north side.Two adults were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Another person was transported to a hospital with critical injuries, and two others were being evaluated for minor injuries, authorities said.The Associated Press

‘Walking Dead’ spinoffs, ‘Interview With the Vampire’ can resume with actors’ union approval

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A pair spinoffs of “The Walking Dead” and the next season of “Interview With the Vampire” can resume production despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes after reaching an agreement with the actors’ union. The three AMC series are the highest-profile television productions yet to get what’s known as an interim agreement from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.The approval was granted Wednesday because the cable channel AMC and production company Stalwart Films are not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the coalition of studios the actors are striking against — though they are what’s known as “authorized companies” that abide by the contracts reached by the AMPTP. “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” and “Interview With the Vampire” will now resume shooting their second seasons. And the deal will allow actors to do post-production work on the first season of “The Walking Dead: Those Wh...

Canada broadens pushback on ‘unfair, unjust’ U.S. softwood lumber duties

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is broadening its pushback against the latest U.S. decision to keep imposing duties on Canadian softwood lumber. Trade Minister Mary Ng says Canada is launching challenges under the North American free-trade deal as well as before the U.S. Court of International Trade.Nine days ago, Ottawa sought a judicial review of last month’s Treasury Department assessment of the levies, which provided modest relief but maintained the combined duty rate at 7.99 per cent.Ng says Canada remains open to negotiating a resolution to the decades-old dispute, which she calls “unfair, unjust and illegal,” while arguing it increases housing costs.She is again urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to sit down and negotiate a resolution to the decades-old dispute. Such a deal would be challenging since the U.S. takes issue with a long-standing regulatory system in Canada that it says puts American producers at a disadvanta...

MS-13 gang member pleads guilty in 2016 slaying of two teenage girls on New York street

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — A member of the violent MS-13 street gang pleaded guilty Thursday for his part in the murders of four people, including two teenage girls who were attacked with a machete and baseball bats as they walked through their suburban Long Island neighborhood seven years ago.Enrique Portillo, 26, was among several gang members accused of ambushing best friends Nisa Mickens, 15, and Kayla Cuevas, 16, in retaliation for a dispute among high school students in 2016.The murders in Brentwood, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of New York City, shook parents and local officials and cast a spotlight on the deepening problem of gang violence in the suburbs.As president, Donald Trump visited Brentwood and promised an all-out fight against MS-13, saying he would “dismantle, decimate and eradicate” the gang.Gang violence had been a problem in some Long Island communities for more than a decade, but local police and the FBI began pouring resources into a crackdown after the...

Trader Joe’s recall: Black bean tamales may contain undeclared milk

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

(KARK/NEXSTAR) – Trader Joe's is recalling some Texas Tamale Company Gourmet Black Bean Tamales products due to the potential presence of an undeclared milk allergen. The products were sold exclusively at Trader Joe's stores.The recall is for Gourmet Black Bean Tamales products with a “Best Before” date of 06/19/2025 and Lot code 17023 printed on the vacuum-sealed packaging. The products also contain UPC number 717725000580. 5 recalls in 4 weeks: All the things from Trader Joe’s you should toss Texas Tamale Company, which makes the products, said some milk-containing products were mistakenly packaged in Gourmet Black Bean Tamales bags. Texas Tamale Company says affected products will be filled with white cheese and hatch green chiles instead of black beans.The affected items were only sold in the following states:AlabamaArkansasColoradoKansasLouisianaNew MexicoOklahomaTennesseeTexasPeople with an allergy or heightened sensitivity to milk could be at risk of serious or life-threat...

Former Illini tennis stars turned pickleball pros travel to APP Chicago Open in style

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Pro pickleball returns to the northern suburbs this week for the APP Chicago Open in Highland Park.More than 850 of the sport’s top pros as well as amateurs will compete for gold medals and prize money –including the husband-and-wife duo of Ryler DeHeart and Megan Fudge. The pair started playing pickleball professionally about a year and a half ago, and when they roll up to tournaments, their whole life comes too. Bears bring back a QB, put a starter on IR “This is our home right here. We come back to our RV life,” Fudge said.Yes, the RV life. The two travel from tournament to tournament in their mobile home along with their two kids Lily and JR and two dogs."It was kind of Megan's idea to begin with, and I was against it for a while, but we had friends that had one, and we both realized we could live that life if we needed to,” DeHeart said. "For us to keep coming home, pack up and leave again every week it felt like it was Groundhog Day,” Fudge said. “...

Budget cuts force Midnight Circus to return to original venue in Welles Park

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:02:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Since 2007, the Midnight Circus has been entertaining Chicagoans. But the beloved show is back at its original venue in Welles Park due to a fight over funding.In a converted garage on the Northside, which now serves as the practice place for the dedicated professionals of what could be called the greatest show in the city, the Midnight Circus is about to take flight once again.Bella Diaz, a native of the Austin Galewood neighborhood, told WGN News she began gymnastics at the age of three and considers being a circus performer a chance to show other kids to dream big.FEATURED ON WGN: Coffee for a cause at new café in Arlington Heights"I feel so proud as someone from Chicago to go back to these communities and then see how I was as a little kid. To be like, 'Hey, you know you could grow up and do this.' It's not so completely outside the box and anything is completely possible," Diaz said. Diaz is one of about 20 performers whose opening night is a little over a week away. ...