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Teen lifeguard struck by lightning in North Carolina shares story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

Brynnlee Steger was working her regular lifeguard shift at the pool when a storm was on the horizon in Landis, North Carolina. The 15-year-old and her boss had to take down the umbrellas before the wind carried them away, but as Brynnlee was completing her duties, a strike of lightning changed her life. “I was standing here, and I had bent down to unscrew the bolts underneath the table,” said Brynlee as she explained what she was doing before the lightning struck. “By the time I turned around, I felt it. It hit me, and I felt like my arm had literally got cut off.” On Monday, Sonya, Brynlee’s mother, and lifeguard manager Mackenzie Chabala, helped to quickly take down umbrellas in the middle of a severe storm. Chabala said she regrets sending her staff member to work in the middle of the storm.“We were just doing our best, and what we thought was the best thing for the pool,” said Chabala. “We were just grabbing those umbrellas, we did...

Zoo Miami welcomes cheetah cub ‘Winston’ as newest ambassador for endangered species

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

Zoo Miami announced the newest addition to its family, a cheetah cub named Winston Eugene Portland III, known as Winston, as he prepares to take on the role of ambassador for his species. Born on May 9th at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, Winston’s journey has now brought him to the heart of Miami. His full name pays tribute to the cities that played a pivotal role in his journey from Oregon to Miami.As per the recommendation of the Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP), Winston and his littermates have been chosen to become ambassadors at various zoos across the nation. Upon his arrival at Zoo Miami, Winston underwent a meticulous series of tests and examinations while in a quarantine area. This comprehensive health assessment, overseen by a team of Animal Science and Animal Health specialists, ensured Winston’s well-being and normal development. During this period, Winston was introduced to his new surroundings at a gradual pace, preparing him for his forthcoming rol...

French court suspends ban on climate movement accused of ‘ecoterrorism’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

A top French administrative court on Friday suspended the government’s decision to disband a climate activist movement following clashes with police during protests earlier this year.France’s Council of State court ruled that the disbanding order would restrict the activists’ freedom of assembly and said the interior ministry did not provide enough evidence to back up its claim that the group is inciting violence.“Neither the documents in the file, nor the discussions at the hearing, make it possible to consider that the grouping in any way endorses violent acts against individuals,” the court said in a statement.Protests organized in March by the leaderless group Les Soulèvements de la Terre (“Earth’s uprisings”) against the construction of large water reservoirs led to violent clashes with police that left hundreds injured and two people in a coma.French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin ordered the group to be disbanded following the inci...

Judge warns of limits to what Trump can say about election case, agrees to limited protective order

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against Donald Trump agreed with the defense on a looser version of a protective order for evidence in the case, but she largely sided with the prosecution on what sensitive materials should be protected as she vowed to keep politics out of her rulings.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington on Friday repeatedly said that Trump was subject to the court’s rules as a defendant before trial even though he is also running for president at the same time. She warned that she would not let political considerations affect her rulings.“Your client’s defense is supposed to happen in this courtroom, not on the internet,” Chutkan said.Chutkan rejected prosecutors’ broader protective order proposal that sought to prevent the public airing of all evidence they hand over to Trump’s defense as they prepare for trial. She instead seemed poised to impose a more limited protective order that would bar th...

Town of Bourne issues boil water order

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

The Town of Bourne has issued a boil water order after e. coli was detected this week, according to officials.In an alert Friday morning, the town’s Emergency Management Department said the order affected residents who get their water from the Bourne Water District, which encompasses the Cape side of Bourne, “from the Sandwich town line to the Falmouth town line,” according to the police department.Speaking with 7NEWS, the water district’s treasurer, Paul Moriarty, said e. coli had been detected in the water, and that officials hoped to resolve the issue within the next 2-3 days.In the meantime, he said the water remains safe for all purposes other than drinking and ingesting.Anyone with questions is asked to contact the water district at 508-563-2294 or 508-209-4863.

Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ investigation comes just weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti late last year.“We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights,” spokesperson John Howser said in a statement late Thursday. “We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.”VUMC has come under fire for waiting months before telling patients in June that their medical information was shared late last year, acting only after the existence of the requests emerged as evidence in another court case. The news sparked alarm for many families living in the ruby red state where GOP lawmakers have sought to ban gender-affirming care f...

All of the oil from a deteriorating tanker moored off Yemen has been transferred, UN says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The transfer of more than a million barrels of oil from an aging tanker moored off the coast of war-torn Yemen has been completed, avoiding an environmental disaster, the United Nations said Friday. In a statement, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said that the operation had prevented “monumental environmental and humanitarian catastrophe.” An international team began siphoning the oil from the dilapidated vessel known as SOF Safer on July 25. All of the oil is now aboard a replacement tanker called Nautica.For years, international organizations and rights groups have warned of a potential spill or even an explosion from the tanker, which has not been maintained for years and has seawater in its engine compartment and damaged pipes.It is moored 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from Yemen’s western Red Sea ports of Hodeida and Ras Issa, a strategic area controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are at war with the internationally recognized...

Ransomware fallout, softer demand weigh on Indigo’s first-quarter results

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

TORONTO — The aftereffects of a ransomware attack and challenging macroeconomic conditions weighed on Indigo Books & Music Inc.’s first-quarter results, said CEO Peter Ruis. Indigo’s search engine optimization was heavily affected by the attack, which happened in February, affecting the company’s online traffic from internet searches, he said on a call with analysts Friday.“While we have made substantial progress to achieve almost full operational function by the end of the quarter, the ransomware attack did have a material impact on quarterly sales,” he said. The company’s ability to replenish inventory was also challenged, which impacted its retail and online assortment, while consumers were more sensitive to prices, he said. The remarks by Ruis came the day after Indigo reported a loss of $28.5 million in its first quarter, compared with a loss of $25.4 million in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the Toronto-based retailer’s qua...

New tax-free first home savings account for Canadians, to help reach home ownership faster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

MONTREAL – As house prices continue to climb, saving for a down payment is out of reach for many Canadians, particularly young people – says the federal government.“The new tax-free First Home Savings Account is available and helping put home ownership back within reach of Canadians across the country,” says Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a statement.It’s a registered savings account that helps Canadians become first-time home buyers by contributing up to $8,000 per year (up to a lifetime limit of $40,000) for their first down payment within 15 years.“To help Canadians reach their savings goals, First Home Savings Account contributions are tax deductible on annual income tax returns, like a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Like a Tax‑Free Savings Account, withdrawals to purchase a first home, including any investment income on contributions, are non-taxable. Tax-free in; tax-free out.”Financial i...

S&P/TSX composite index inches up as week-long rise levels off, U.S. markets mixed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:14:55 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock market index crawled upward Friday morning, buoyed by energy and telecom stocks and restrained by tech and metals, while U.S. markets were mixed.The S&P/TSX composite index rose 24.32 points to 20,367.20, capping a week of gains that kicked off on Aug. 4.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average increased 36.55 points to 35,212.70. The S&P 500 index dipped 13.42 points to 4,455.41, while the Nasdaq composite decreased 113.71 points to 13,624.28.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.46 cents US compared with 74.58 cents US on Thursday.The September crude oil contract was up 60 cents at US$83.42 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.71 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was down a dollar at US$1,947.90 an ounce and the September copper contract was down four cents at US$3.73 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)Th...