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Victim killed by falling mast on Maine schooner carrying tourists was a doctor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

ROCKLAND, Maine (AP) — A woman killed when a mast snapped and toppled onto the deck of a historic sailing vessel that carries tourists off the Maine coast was a physician at the hospital where three other victims were taken for treatment, officials said Tuesday.Dr. Emily Mecklenburg, 40, of Rockland, was declared dead Monday after she was evacuated from the stricken vessel Grace Bailey by the Coast Guard, Nicole Jacques, a spokesperson for owners of the schooner, said Tuesday. Three others who were injured were taken to PenBay Medical Center in Rockport where Mecklenburg worked, officials said.The Coast Guard is investigating why the schooner’s main mast snapped in conditions that were not windy. The schooner was about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Rockland harbor, the Coast Guard said.There’s no timeline for the investigation, which could take weeks or months.“We want to make sure the investigation is being done thoroughly and that the necessary boxes are being checke...

El huracán Lidia se fortalece a categoría 2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

(CNN Español) — El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) de México informó que el huracán Lidia subió en la mañana de este martes a categoría 2 en la escala Saffir-Simpson.El SMN agregó que los estados que se verán impactados por lluvias torrenciales serán Nayarit, Guerrero, Jalisco, Colima y Michoacán, ubicados en el occidente del país.¿Qué ciudades están amenazadas por el huracán Lidia y cuándo llegaría a México?¿Dónde y cuándo va a tocar tierra la tormenta tropical Lidia?También se prevén lluvias “puntuales intensas en Sinaloa y Durango, así como lluvias puntuales muy fuertes en Baja California Sur, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes y Guanajuato”, indica el más reciente aviso sobre el huracán Lidia del SMN.Los vientos máximos sostenidos llegan a los 155 kilómetros por hora, con rachas de hasta 195 km/h, según el último aviso del SMN.Según las autoridades, de seguir su trayectoria, el huracán tocaría tierra durante la tarde o noche de este martes entre Nayarit y Jalisco....

Braves hold off again on announcing starting pitcher for Game 3 of NLDS vs Phillies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

As the Atlanta Braves boarded the plane for Philadelphia on Tuesday, they remained mum on their starting pitcher for Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Phillies.Unless the team goes with an opener out of the bullpen on Wednesday — which manager Brian Snitker said is an option — it appears either 12-game winner Bryce Elder or 20-year-old rookie AJ Smith-Shawver will get the nod against Aaron Nola.Elder, a first-time All-Star and mainstay of the injury-plagued rotation nearly the entire season, would seem the most logical choice.But he appeared to tire down the stretch after throwing a career-high 174 2/3 innings, opening the door for Smith-Shawver — who has just six MLB appearances with five starts — to take the mound with the best-of-five series tied at one game apiece.“We’ve got some options,” Snitker said. “Do we want to do an opener? Who would follow if we decide to do that? Or do we want to just go the traditional route? There’s just a lot of different scen...

Biden is trying again on student loan forgiveness. Here’s where the process stands

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is making another attempt at student loan cancellation after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that his administration couldn’t forgive $400 billion in student loan debt using a 2003 law called the HEROES Act.The first of three hearings took place Tuesday, when more than a dozen people chosen by the Biden administration met to begin a process known as “negotiated rule-making” to try to bring cancellation to more borrowers under the authority of the Higher Education Act. We don’t know yet who would be eligible for forgiveness or how much relief they would get. The legal process now underway, which includes negotiators from outside the government meeting virtually for three two-day sessions, will last until mid-December.Meanwhile, federal student loan borrowers began making payments again this month after a three-year-plus pause due to the pandemic. Here’s what you need to know:WHAT IS NEGOTIATED RULE-MAKING? The Education Depart...

How much would you pay for a Deion Sanders trading card?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The "Prime Effect" hit trading card sales on Sunday after a Deion Sanders trading card sold for a price comparable to an entry-level Rolex watch. The 1997 Metal Universe Red Precious Metal Gems trading card features Sanders back when he was a cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys, where he earned his second Super Bowl ring and a Pro Bowl selection in each season with the team. Why is Deion Sanders called ‘Coach Prime?’ The card was sold on Oct. 8 at PWCC’s weekly auction, making it Sanders' highest-selling card of all time, according to PWCC.Front of Sanders’ 1997 Metal Universe Red Precious Metal Gems trading card. (Photo courtesy of PWCC Marketplace)Back of Sanders’ 1997 Metal Universe Red Precious Metal Gems trading card. (Photo courtesy of PWCC Marketplace)After his professional football career, he transformed into "Coach Prime" and led Jackson State University to victory before becoming the head coach for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Coach Prime became ...

Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip to punish Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighborhood by neighborhood on Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants.Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.The war, which has claimed at least 1,900 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation has fired Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza — raising the risk of an expanded regional conflict.Hamas militants stormed into Israel ...

Florida’s Republican attorney general will oppose abortion rights amendment if it makes ballot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s Republican attorney general will oppose a proposed amendment protecting the right to an abortion if it makes next year’s ballot, she told the state Supreme Court when she advised justices Monday that a petition has reached enough signatures to trigger a language review.A group called Floridians Protecting Freedom has gathered just more than 400,000 of the nearly 900,000 voter signatures it needs to make the ballot, which requires the Supreme Court to make sure the ballot language isn’t misleading and applies to a single subject.Attorney General Ashley Moody notified the court of its responsibility and said she will eventually argue the language isn’t valid, though she didn’t explain why.Republicans have dominated state politics and controlled the governor’s office and both branches of the Legislature since 1999. In that time, the state has consistently chipped away at abortion rights, including creating a waiting...

Israel is acting against international law, says Borrell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

BRUSSELS — The EU’s top diplomat said Israel’s actions in Gaza already may have breached international law, as he underlined the need for the EU to continue funding the Palestinian Authority in the wake of a Hamas attack on Israel Saturday. “The right for self defense has to be done within international law,” the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, said Tuesday following a specially convened virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers. “Some of the actions [by Israel] — and the United Nations has already said it — cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people is against international law so yes, there are some actions that are not in accordance with international law,” he said. His comments put the EU at odds with messaging coming from Washington where the Biden Administration has, so far, refrained from criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. Israel has put Gaza under “complete siege” in retaliation for Hamas...

Europe struggles to present consistent messaging on Palestinian aid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is set to be in the hot seat at Wednesday’s meeting of European commissioners over the communications mess over Palestinian aid. The EU undermined its own credibility toward its partners in the Middle East on Monday when Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi announced a cut to all Palestinian aid, only for the Commission to later confirm that was not the case. Instead, Brussels will continue payments while also launching a review of the EU’s assistance for the Palestinian Authority. European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer on Tuesday tried to place blame on the Hungarian commissioner, saying Várhelyi’s announcement was not preceded by any consultation with any member of the College.” However, Mamer said the previous day in a message to reporters he could “confirm the substance” of Várhelyi’s tweets.Várhelyi’s communication immediately created an intra-European backlash, both in the meeting of heads of Cabinets of the College of Comm...

Biden condemns Hamas for ‘sheer evil’ in attack on Israel and vows US resolve in backing Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the militant group Hamas for “sheer evil” for its shocking multipronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that has killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 14 American citizens.Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. Biden spoke out of the actions he and other allies have taken to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed his horror about “sickening” reports of torture inflicted by militants on innocent civilians.“Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear,” Biden said. He added, “Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow as we always have.”Biden, in his public remarks and statements since Hamas launched its attacks, ha...