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Culex lactator: experts warn about new mosquito breed in Florida ahead of rainy season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

Some pests are apparently making the Sunshine State their new home, and experts warn residents need to be careful and take steps to avoid exposure.Dr. Lawrence Reeves, a researcher at the University of Florida, said he and his team have discovered a new breed of mosquito.“It took us maybe a year or so to pin down what exactly this mosquito was,” he said. “This is a mosquito that looks similar to mosquitoes that already occur in the state, so like, on first pass, we didn’t think too much of it. We went back to look for some other mosquitoes out of that specimen samples and noticed these guys, noticed that the looked a little bit off from what we normally expect.”The population of this new type of mosquito, Culex lactator, is exploding. It has been detected in Miami-Dade County, as well as Lee and Collier counties. Reeves said these new mosquitoes could carry a wide array of diseases.“Dengue, chikungunya and zika, those are viruses that are all vect...

Dieselgate: Three-quarters of European diesel cars ‘likely’ to have emissions-cheating devices, study finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

Seventy-seven percent of European diesel-powered cars produce levels of emissions that indicate the presence of an emissions-cheating device, a report by the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found.Using data from 1,400 official government tests under controlled settings, the study found that 77 percent of Euro 6 diesel cars (Euro 6 being the name of the current EU emissions rules) and 85 percent of the older Euro 5 vehicles have “suspicious” test results, showing excessive emissions.The amounts of nitrogen oxide emitted by these cars during testing, the report says, indicates “the likely use of a prohibited defeat device” — i.e. software allowing cars to momentarily turn on their pollution controls while being tested.“Extreme” emission levels were found in at least 40 percent of the tests, showing that the presence of a defeat device was “almost certain” in these cases, according to the NGO.The report esti...

Police: Boy shoots 2 administrators at Denver high school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A 17-year-old student shot and wounded two school administrators at a Denver high school Wednesday morning, after a handgun was found during a daily search of the boy that was being conducted because of behavioral issues, authorities said.Suspect Austin Lyle remained at large following the shooting at East High School and was wanted for attempted homicide. The gun he used was not immediately recovered, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said.Police issued an alert linking Lyle to a red 2005 Volvo X90 with Colorado plates and offered a reward up to $2,000 for information on the case.The shooting happened just before 10 a.m. in an area away from classrooms as the student was undergoing a search as part of a “safety plan” that required him to be patted down daily, officials said.One of the administrators was critically injured and was undergoing surgery Wednesday at an area hospital. The second victim was in stable condition, Thomas said. Both victim...

Mild again Thursday with some showers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

7Weather – It was another nice day for Southern New England- especially if you were farther inland! Two of our spots that have been cooler lately, were some of our mild areas today- Worcester and Fitchburg. An onshore wind coming off the 42° ocean water kept it cooler in Boston. The filtered sunshine we saw today will give way to more clouds overnight into tomorrow. The thickening cloud cover will keep temperatures mild in the low/mid 40s to start tomorrow morning. Grab the umbrella before you head out. A sprinkle is possible in the morning, with some isolated showers later in the day. Any amounts will stay light. There will be a lot of clouds around tomorrow. After the mild start, it won’t be hard to get temperatures to the upper 50s/near 60° with a breezy southwest wind. That wind direction coming off the chilly ocean water will keep the Cape cooler near 50° once again.Here’s what the timing of the showers looks like for tomorrow…Looking ahead, Friday is o...

Ex-Nets empathetic after Durant, Irving trades: ‘You try to put a team together. It may not work’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert were packaged together in the deal that brought James Harden to Brooklyn, ushering in a super team Nets era that came to an end at the Feb. 9 NBA Trade Deadline when the front office traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.Allen and LeVert were also a package deal in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 115-109 victory over the Nets on Tuesday, combining for 30 points and 16 rebounds to hand Brooklyn its fourth straight loss — with an encore matchup at Barclays Center on Thursday.LeVert and Allen both expressed gratitude to a Nets organization that laid the foundation for each to blossom into star players in Brooklyn before the 2021 deal that sent Allen to Cleveland and LeVert to the Indiana Pacers.The pair of ex-Nets also each felt empathy for a Sean Marks-led front office that went all-in on star power, only to come out on the other side with more drama than playoff series victories.“It was something. I didn’t expect it to end how it did,...

WEEI’s Chris Curtis under fire for ethnic slur, calls ESPN’s Mina Kimes a ‘nip’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

A Boston sports talk radio station with an infamous history of racist comments added another chapter to its long list on Wednesday, as WEEI’s Chris Curtis used an ethnic slur against Japanese people on air.Curtis called ESPN’s Mina Kimes a “nip” during The Greg Hill Show, as the hosts discussed their favorite alcohol nips. The Boston City Council is looking at banning nips in the Hub.“It begs the question: Top 5 nips,” host Courtney Cox said during the show’s segment.“Oh yes, that’s a great one,” host Greg Hill responded.“Because Dr. McGillicuddy’s I think is number one or two,” Cox said.Then Curtis chimed in: “Uh, I’d probably go Mina Kimes,” flashing a grin in the simulcast video.Both Cox and Hill continued to talk about how Fireball should be on the list.Curtis on Wednesday was getting blasted for his remark on social media.ESPN’s Sarah Spain ripped Curtis.“FYI – Nip ...

A look back in time: San Diego stands still under quarantine in March 2020

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Approximately three years ago, a mysterious illness swept the globe, prompting first-of-kind lockdowns that made once bustling cities like San Diego stand still.A virus, which came to be known as COVID-19, caused widespread illness that prodded the World Health Organization to declare a global pandemic. San Diego among best places to visit in Spring & this is why In March of 2020, schools were forced to close their doors, employees began working from home and social distancing abruptly became the new norm. The sandy beaches along San Diego's Pacific coast became empty, the roller coasters at SeaWorld went silent and the region's ever-busy roadways were nearly deserted as residents waited out the outbreak of the unknown.Now, three years later, San Diegans can look back to March 2020 as a time of remembrance. Join FOX 5 Videographer Aaron Eudaley on an aerial tour of San Diego during quarantine in the video below. Is this San Diego’s rainiest ‘water year’ on recor...

Court orders Trump lawyer to provide docs in Mar-a-Lago case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday directed a lawyer for Donald Trump to turn over to prosecutors documents in the investigation into the former president’s retention of classified documents at his Florida estate.The order was reflected in a brief online notice by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The case is sealed, and none of the parties in the dispute are mentioned by name.But the details appear to correspond with a closed-door fight before a lower court judge over whether M. Evan Corcoran could be forced to provide documents or give grand jury testimony in the Justice Department special counsel probe into whether Trump mishandled top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago.Last week, Beryl Howell, the outgoing chief judge of the U.S. District Court, directed Corcoran to answer additional questions before the grand jury. He had appeared weeks earlier before the federal grand jury investigating the Mar-a-Lago...

Cooperating ex-guard gets 6 years in Illinois inmate’s death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A contrite Willie Hedden, the last of three ex-correctional officers convicted in the beating death of an Illinois prison inmate, was sentenced Wednesday to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to civil rights violations and obstruction and testifying against his codefendants. U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough gave Hedden, 44, a sentence nearly one-quarter the length of the 20 years she handed 31-year-old Alex Banta and Todd Sheffler, 54, for a violent attack on Larry Earvin, an inmate at Western Illinois Correctional Center, in 2018. Hedden, an 18-year Department of Corrections veteran, admitted punching, stomping and kicking the 65-year-old Earvin, who was handcuffed behind his back, in the entryway to a segregation unit where there are no surveillance cameras. Speaking to the court before sentencing, Hedden turned to Earvin’s son, Larry Pippion, 51, and apologized.“What I brought upon them is a horrible tragedy that did not need to hap...

Canada extends emergency visa applications for Ukrainians fleeing war until July

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:49:26 GMT

OTTAWA — Ukrainians seeking refuge in Canada from war will have another few months to apply for temporary safe haven, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Wednesday. The deadline to apply for a three-year emergency visa was originally March 31, but people will now be able to apply until July 15. After that date, Ukrainians will still be able to apply for traditional work, study and visitor permits to come to Canada, but they will be charged the usual fees associated with those applications.“I would encourage people who are thinking of coming to Canada to apply to come, and if you need Canada’s protection, to come,” Fraser said at a press conference at Café Ukraine in Ottawa, a volunteer-based drop-in centre for displaced Ukrainians. Ukrainians who have received an emergency visa will have until March 31 next year to make the journey to Canada, where the federal government will offer them a one-time income support payment and two weeks of hotel accommodations....