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Powder found in West Wing lobby confirmed as cocaine, Biden briefed on investigation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

The powder found over the weekend in the White House’s West Wing lobby has been confirmed as cocaine following two tests. President Biden thinks it is “incredibly important” for the Secret Service to determine how it got there, officials said Wednesday.U.S. Secret Service agents found the powder during a routine White House sweep on Sunday, in a small, clear plastic bag on the ground in a heavily trafficked area, according to three people, who were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House had confidence in the Secret Service. “The president thinks it’s incredibly important to get to the bottom of this,” she said.Biden was at Camp David with members of his family for the holiday weekend when the powder was discovered and the complex was briefly evacuated as a precaution. The fire department was called in to test the substance to determi...

San Diego man found dead from extreme heat in car in Death Valley

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- A San Diego man was found dead in his car in Death Valley National Park on Monday morning, according to a release. The release stated that on Monday, July 3, at around 10 a.m., a National Park Service maintenance worker saw a vehicle about 30 yards off of the North Highway. When they got to the vehicle, they found a man unresponsive. NPS park rangers, Inyo County Sheriff's Office, and Inyo County Coroner's Office responded and the man, a 65-year-old man from San Diego, California, was pronounced dead on the scene. SDSU grad missing in Yosemite National Park According to the release, tracks from the vehicle ran along the road shoulder before it veered off the road. The vehicle did not crash but had two flat tires when it stopped. The vehicle was still operational and was not stuck, but the air conditioning was not operational.The driver's window was down, showing that the air conditioning was not functioning while he was driving, the release said. The investigat...

US judge recommends settlement over management of the Rio Grande

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has recommended that the U.S. Supreme Court approve a settlement among three Western states over the management of one of North America’s longest rivers. U.S. Circuit Judge Michael Melloy, the special master overseeing the case, outlined his recommendation in a report filed Monday. He called the proposal fair, reasonable and consistent with a decadeslong water-sharing agreement that spells out how Colorado, New Mexico and Texas must share the Rio Grande.It was unclear when the Supreme Court will take up the recommendation. The court just wrapped up a busy term last week, issuing rulings on affirmative action, gay rights and President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debt.The states reached the proposed settlement last year. The federal government objected for several reasons, including that the proposal did not mandate specific water capture or use limitations within New Mexico.“The end result today...

CBC News retracts report alleging email interference by Alberta premier’s office

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

EDMONTON — CBC News is retracting a report alleging someone in Premier Danielle Smith’s office emailed Crown prosecutors to question and challenge the handling of cases involving COVID-19 protests in Alberta that blocked traffic at a U.S. border crossing for more than two weeks. CBC made the announcement Wednesday in an unsigned editor’s note atop an amended online version of the original Jan. 19 story.“Our sources have insisted that Crown prosecutors felt political pressure regarding the Coutts, (Alta.), cases, but they are not able to confirm that the emails they originally described were sent directly from the premier’s office to the Crown,” said the editor’s note.“As such, we have updated this story and related pieces, removing references to direct contact between the premier’s office and prosecutors — which the premier has vehemently denied.  “CBC News regrets reporting direct contact by email.”The story, along with public comments made by Smith around that time, sp...

Police: 16 dead, including 3 children, in toxic gas leak in South Africa

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 16 people, including three children, have died in a toxic gas leak in South Africa, police said Wednesday.Emergency services said that as many as 24 people were dead. It wasn’t immediately clear why there was a discrepancy in the death toll.The incident happened in an informal settlement in the city of Boksburg on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg, the South African Police Services said. Police said two people were taken to the hospital for treatment.Emergency services spokesman William Ntladi said the gas leak had stopped and teams were searching a 100-meter (100-yard) radius around the gas cyclinder to check for more casualties.___Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.Mogomotsi Magome And Gerald Imray, The Associated Press

Wisconsin probes how 8 roller-coaster riders became trapped upside down for hours

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

CRANDON, Wis. (AP) — State officials are investigating how eight people became trapped upside down on a roller coaster — some of them for more than three hours — at a festival in Wisconsin.The roller coaster’s cars got stuck near the top of a loop around 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Crandon International Offroad Raceway. Rescue workers arrived to find eight passengers hanging upside down from their safety harnesses. Firefighters used ladder trucks to reach them, securing each one before releasing their over-the-shoulder safety bars, the Crandon Fire Department said. It took nearly three and a half hours to get all the passengers down. One person was taken to a hospital. According to the fire department, a ride operator said something broke down mechanically on the coaster, which had been inspected by the state.The state Department of Safety and Professional Services is responsible for reviewing plans for amusement parks and inspecting rides in Wisconsin. Spokesperson John Beard sai...

Mandates aim to tackle discrimination in public service, unions say it’s not enough

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal government departments and agencies will now have to evaluate whether their hiring practices are discriminatory after changes to the Public Service Employment Act came into effect this week.Public Service Commission spokeswoman Élodie Roy said the changes will strengthen diversity and inclusion in the federal government workforce.The amendments were first introduced in the budget implementation process in 2021.They require the public service to evaluate how staffing methods, such as interviews and written exams, might discriminate against women, people with a disability, or those who identify as Black, Indigenous or LGBTQ.The Public Service Commission will also have more resources to investigate mistakes or misconduct that affect hiring processes.Previous amendments revised the job qualifications for members of equity-seeking groups and ensured permanent residents were given the same hiring preferences as Canadian citizens.But a group representing thousands of Black...

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, & Will County

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

5:40 p.m. -- The National Weather Service in Chicago has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will County until 6:15 p.m. Wednesday. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Skilling: Thunderstorms, possible hail Wednesday nightDownpours and storm-generated wind gusts with the potential for some hail are to accompany some t-storms into Wednesday evening. A few may become severe. But, a huge, well organized upper wind band which lead to a widespread outbreak of severe storms isn't in place. So the storms which blossom in this environment will be left to tap the energy stored in the humid air—what is known as "Latent heat energy".Make no mistake, storms which feed off latent heat energy absent powerful wind fields aloft are more than capable of generating their own powerful wind gusts and they can produce damage. They don't, however, tend to take on the widespread damaging character of the derecho which swept downstate Illinois last Friday...

Some Metra trains delayed due to mechanical issue

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

CHICAGO — Some Metra trains are at a standstill amid Wednesday's rush hour.A Metra spokesperson told WGN News that the delays are due to a mechanical issue involving another train near Western Avenue. As a result, some Union Pacific Northwest inbound and outbound trains may be operating for up to 30 minutes behind schedule. The Milwaukee North, Milwaukee West, and North Central lines were all at a standstill just after 4 p.m.SkyCam9 flew above the scene on the Metra tracks on the city's Near West Side at Artesian and Hubbard. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesTrains may be delayed up to 45 minutesThis is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Study: Smoking marijuana could lead to serious complications, including death

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:31 GMT

For Wednesday, July 5, WGN’s Ben Bradley and Jackie Bange have the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch Study: Cannabis use disorder can lead to surgery complications, deathSmoking too much marijuana could lead to major surgery complications down the road, including death, that’s according to a new study from the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas.  The study found people with pot dependencies are more likely to experience various issues following elective surgery. The potential complications include blood clots, strokes, kidney issues, and in some cases, even death. The increase was slight as people with cannabis use disorder were about 8% higher risk -- compared to 6.5% for others. But the study's authors say it shows it's important to pre-screen for cannabis use disorder. Bad tick season has likely peaked Experts say a dreadful tick season has probably hit its peak. Still, experts stress the importance of taking precau...