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Hundreds of thousands remain without power after dedly ice storm in Quebec

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

MONTREAL — Hydro-Québec says it’s restored power to more than half a million customers since Wednesday’s ice storm, but more than 600,000 remain in the dark.Director of Energy System Control Maxime Nadeau says 1,400 crew members are working through the long weekend to restore power, but some outages may continue through to Monday. Wednesday’s freezing rain sent ice-covered tree branches crashing onto power lines, streets and cars across swaths of southern Quebec, especially around Montreal and the Montérégie region to its south.Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon called the situation a crisis, and provincial police say a man in his 60s died on Thursday morning when he was crushed by a tree branch while attempting to cut down branches on his property in Les Coteaux, southwest of Montreal. Environment Canada says between 20 mm and 25 mm of ice accumulated on trees and buildings on Wednesday in the Montreal area.Meanwhile, Hydro One says roughly 65,000 customers in east...

California lawmaker wants Peeps to change its ingredients

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — This Easter, Americans will devour more than 1 billion Peeps — those radiant marshmallow chicks whose appearance on store shelves each year is as much a herald of spring as azaleas at the Masters.What makes the treats so vibrant is erythrosine, a chemical that shows up on ingredient labels as Red No. 3. It’s one of several chemicals, along with titanium dioxide, used to color some of the most popular candy in the country — including Skittles and Hot Tamales.Both chemicals have been linked to cancer. More than 30 years ago, U.S. regulators banned Red No. 3 from makeup. The U.S. still has not banned the chemical from food, to the dismay of some consumer safety groups.Now, a state lawmaker wants to ban erythrosine and titanium dioxide in California, plus three other chemicals used in everyday favorites like tortillas and some store brand sodas.The bill has prompted headlines around the world declaring California wants to ban Skittles and other candy. Ass...

FAA says leaky faucets are a safety problem on Boeing 787s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

Regulators are worried that faucet leaks in Boeing 787 jets could pose a safety hazard by water seeping into the planes’ electronics during flights.The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Friday to order repetitive inspections and, if leaks are found, replacing faucet parts. The move comes after reports of water from lavatories getting under the cabin floor and into electronic equipment bays.The FAA said the leaks could damage critical equipment and lead to a “loss of continued safe flight and landing.”The agency said one airline found wet carpet in the cockpit of a plane and, when it inspected its entire fleet of 787s, found “multiple” planes with leaking faucets. The FAA did not identify the airline.Boeing advised airlines in November about the issue, which has been traced to an O-ring seal and described as a slow leak — about 8 ounces of water per hour. However, Boeing said the issue was limited to certain 787s while the FAA order would cover all of them.The FAA descri...

Save the date: One year until total solar eclipse sweeps US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Dust off your eclipse glasses: It’s only a year until a total solar eclipse sweeps across North America.On April 8, 2024, the moon will cast its shadow across a stretch of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, plunging millions of people into midday darkness.It’s been less than six years since a total solar eclipse cut across the U.S., from coast to coast. That was on Aug. 21, 2017.If you miss next year’s spectacle, you’ll have to wait 20 years until the next one hits the U.S. But that total eclipse will only be visible in Montana and the Dakotas. Here’s what to know to get ready for the 2024 show:WHERE CAN I SEE IT?Next year’s eclipse will slice a diagonal line across North America on April 8, which falls on a Monday.It will start in the Pacific and first reach land over Mexico around 11:07 a.m. local time, NASA predicts. Then, it’ll cross over into Texas and move across parts of the Midwest and Northeast in the afternoon.All in all, it will hit parts...

Former Belarus politician gets 17-year sentence in absentia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian opposition leader and former ally of President Alexander Lukashenko received a 17-year prison sentence in absentia Friday on charges that included forming an extremist group and discrediting Belarus. Valery Tsepkalo, 58, was also fined around $14,000 and barred from holding public office for five years following a closed-door trial that resulted in his conviction. Other charges included issuing calls to seize power, slander and insulting the country’s president. Tsepkalo fled to Russia in 2020 after the Central Election Commission barred him and eight other candidates from challenging Lukashenko in a presidential election that year. He later moved to Ukraine, Latvia and Greece.According to the Belarusian human rights center Viasna, Tsepkalo could not defend himself in court or get acquainted with the details of the case against him because he had no contact with the state lawyer. His wife went on to support the candidacy of Sviatlana Tsikha...

‘Yellowjackets’ goes deeper into the darkness in new season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Season one of “Yellowjackets” ended with the phrase “let the darkness set us free,” and season two dares to venture into the darkness with little to no remorse.The breakout Showtime series blends horror, adventure, comedy, drama and more in an eerily harmonious way as two primary timelines unfold: The first feature a girls’ soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness in the ’90s, while the second focuses on the surviving teens now navigating adulthood and dealing with the trauma of the wilderness.“The first season is really about them making peace with their new surroundings and season two is about the surroundings closing in on them. It’s about the isolation and all the terrible things that can come from that,” said co-showrunner and co-creator Ashley Lyle.As viewers venture back into the wilderness with the surviving teens, there seems to be a dark presence and looming energy over their time. This second season raises the question of how much the audie...

What’s next for Tennessee’s expelled lawmakers?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Republicans have expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state Legislature for their role in a protest calling for more gun control. Here’s a look at what could happen next: WHAT HAPPENED?Republicans voted Thursday to expel two Black lawmakers who last week approached the front of the House chamber with a bullhorn and participated in a chant after joining protesters calling for passage of gun-control measures.The protests followed the March 27 shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville. Six people were killed, including three 9-year-old children.GOP leaders argued that the move against Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson was necessary to draw a line against lawmakers using protest to disrupt House proceedings.Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, also participated in the House floor protest. She survived a move to expel her by one vote. WHAT’S NEXT?County commissions in each of the expelled lawmakers’...

Farmers in Romania, Bulgaria protest Ukrainian grain influx

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Farmers in Romania and Bulgaria staged protests Friday to express their anger over the European Union’s response to a glut of agricultural products from Ukraine that they say are flooding local markets and undercutting prices.About 100 farmers converged in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, while hundreds more protested across the country in long convoys of tractors. In neighboring Bulgaria, grain producers blocked some border crossings with farm vehicles.Some farmers outside the European Commission’s representative office in Bucharest brandished placards that read: “Do not punish our solidarity,” while others urged bloc officials to “take responsibility, take action, take care.”Last year, the EU waived customs duties and import quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products as a way of facilitating transport to third-country markets. Ukraine is one of the biggest producers in the world of grain and sunflower oil, but its exports were restricted by Russia...

5-year-old Calumet City boy dies after gun brought into home discharges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

CALUMET CITY, Ill. — A five-year-old boy died in Calumet City Thursday night after a gun was brought into the home by one of his siblings, police said.At around 9 p.m., authorities responded to the 200 block of Paxton on the report of a child shot.Officers at the scene located a 5-year-old boy, later identified as Kentrell Pouncey, suffering from a gunshot wound. Pouncey was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Following a preliminary investigation, police believe the gun was found somewhere outside of the home and brough in.At the time of the shooting, Pouncey was in the home with his three siblings, all under 15, and his mother.“This poor mother, she’s innocent in this but the message is still the same,” Calumet City spokesperson Sean Howard said.Authorities went on to describe how important gun safety is.“Tragic incident, a strong reminder of the importance of gun safety,” Howard said, “That parents need to have talks with their children.”Pouncey was foun...

At least 3 shot on Chicago's West Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:36 GMT

CHICAGO — At least three people were shot on the city's West Side Friday morning.The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue.According to the Chicago Fire Department, two men and one woman were transported to Stroger Hospital; two in critical condition and one in serious condition.The circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear at this time. No further information has been provided. 1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Park Forest home This is a developing story. Check back for details.