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Alberta declares state of emergency due to fires, more than 24,000 out of homes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

CALGARY — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the province has declared a state of emergency due to the threat of wildfires.Smith says the safety of Albertans is a priority.She says the state of emergency gives the government greater power to access emergency funds and mobilize additional support.Several communities and rural areas have been evacuated in recent days and the number of evacuees has grown to more than 24,000.Officials say there are currently 392 wildfires burning in the province and 36 are considered out of control.Some buildings have been destroyed, including 20 homes, a police station and a store in Fox Lake in northern Alberta.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Metal ductwork collapses, injures 6 at Colorado resort pool

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Six people were hurt — two critically — when part of a heating and ventilation system collapsed at a resort pool in Colorado on Saturday, fire officials said.There were 50 to 100 guests in the pool when the collapse occurred about 9:50 a.m. at the Gaylord Rockies resort near Denver International Airport, Aurora Fire Rescue said. Large metal ductwork and mechanical parts that were mounted on the ceiling crashed down upon the pool deck and into the water, covering nearly the entire area of the pool, agency spokeswoman Sherri-Jo Stowell said.The victims suffered injuries that ranged from penetrating wounds and cuts to “injuries consistent with being crushed,” she said. She declined to release ages of the victims, citing department policy.Fire Chief Alec Oughton said crews were already at the resort, running up and down its stairs for physical training, when the collapse happened.An operator who answered the phone at the resort hung up on a reporter who called seeki...

Parts of Grand Forks, B.C. under evacuation order as floodwaters rise across Interior

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

GRAND FORKS, B.C. — The threat of flooding throughout British Columbia’s Interior continued to spread Saturday as a combination of warm weather and rain drove higher flow in rivers and streams, putting several communities and their residents in harm’s way.According to the province’s River Forecast Centre, about half of B.C. is under flood watches, warnings or advisories. Three regions — Boundary, Cache Creek and Whiteman Creek in the Okanagans — are under active flood warnings.The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary was the busiest region in terms of flood activity Saturday, with the City of Grand Forks declaring a state of local emergency and issuing mandatory evacuation orders for 40 properties in and around the community.Grand Forks, located about 530 kilometres east of Vancouver, has also added 10 properties on the city’s waterfront to its evacuation alert list, as the Granby and Kettle rivers are seeing “fast-moving waters represent a significant hazard....

Working on Womanhood: How a non-profit is giving young women tools to boost their mental health and academic success

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

CHICAGO — All across Chicago, a counseling and social-emotional services program known as Working on Womanhood (WOW), has set out with the goal of boosting young women's confidence alongside their academic success in the City's most high risk and under-served communities.Mena Ruiz connected with the program when she was at Solorio Academy High School on the City's Southwest Side."I was recommended to join Working on Womanhood my sophomore year of high school," said Ruiz, who is now a youth counsel facilitator with WOW. "It really changed my life coming from the neighborhood I’m in, my family background. I really needed the support that the group offered and it shows you you’re not alone." Lawmakers and activists call for ethics reform to SCOTUS According to their website, WOW uses a trauma-informed counseling method known as cognitive behavioral therapy to help give girls the tools they need to manage stress, while also boosting their confidence. "It’s all of us together being abl...

Evanston hosts first farmer's market of the spring

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — Even as the clouds threatened to rain, the first farmer's market of spring in Evanston sprung up at University and Oak."It's one of the best around," Jason Gast, of Gast Farms, said. Northwestern Softball clinches back-to-back Big Ten titles with win over Nebraska Gast said he's been part of the farmer's market since the 1980s and continues to be one of his favorite, even this early in the season."We plant all winter long in the greenhouse and once you start getting into the groove, you think alright it's fun," Gast said. From tulips to truffles, there's a little bit of everything for everyone. "You can see that people care about their product," Chef Stefan Markov with The Naked Truffle, said. "They really care about what they do and you don't get that at Whole Foods."Tahj Burnett is a senior at Northwestern University."It's exciting to come around and see all the plants and stuff," Burnett said. "It's huge. I didn't realize they had it until this year and it's my...

State of Texas: Bracing for the end of Title 42

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Communities along the border are facing an increase in migrants, as they prepare for a potential surge when Title 42 restrictions expire next week.Title 42 allows Border Patrol agents to expel migrants seeking asylum. It's a public health policy with roots in preventing the spread of disease. Former President Donald Trump invoked the policy to deter migration during the COVID-19 pandemic.Since the policy has been in place, more than two million migrants have been expelled, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. With the policy ending, thousands of people who were turned away after traveling to seek asylum are expected to try again to reenter the country.At a news conference Wednesday in El Paso, local leaders officials commented they are anticipating around 12,000 to 15,000 migrants to cross the border before May 11.Mayor Oscar Leeser said the migrants that roam the streets of El Paso are only passing through to other parts of the United States...

Review: Woman-powered camaraderie elevates Ten Thousand Things’ “Emilia”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

Who was that woman?British literature scholars asked that question for years about “the dark lady of the sonnets,” the mysterious inspiration for some of William Shakespeare’s most descriptive and passionate poetry. The current consensus is that it was Emilia Bassano, the daughter of a musician in England’s royal court.But who was Emilia Bassano? Seeking a more complete answer to that question, the historically inclined London-based theater company, Shakespeare’s Globe, commissioned playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm to create a play about a woman who was not only the object of the Bard’s fascination but also a published poet, a mistress, a mother and a mentor.Malcolm’s play, “Emilia,” was such a hit at the Globe that it ended up in London’s West End and won a few Olivier Awards (the English equivalent of a Tony). Now its Twin Cities premiere is closing the season for Ten Thousand Things Theater, a company known for weaving theatrical magic with simple stagings.For many reasons, local ...

Photos: A colorful Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

A dancer with the West Side based Los Alegres Bailadores “The Merry Dancer” Mexican folk dance group smiles as she performs during the Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Dancers with the West Side based Los Alegres Bailadores “The Merry Dancer” Mexican folk dance group performs during the Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)A 1983 Cadillac Coupedeville with hydraulic lifts shows off at the Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Antonio Lopez with the Taco Taxi taco stand hands over a plate of tacos to a guest during the Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Ivan Rojas, 9, from St. Paul waves a Mexican flag during the Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Paul’s West Side ...

After two years of wrist injuries, Alex Kirilloff returns to Twins in ‘really good spot’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

CLEVELAND — The Twins haven’t had much of an opportunity to see the hitter that healthy Alex Kirilloff could be at the major league level.It was just weeks into his major league career when he injured his wrist on a slide, disrupting the course of his early career. It’s been more than two years since then, and Kirilloff has had two surgeries to address the problem in his wrist.When he returned this weekend to the major league team, he said he felt like his wrist was in a “really good spot,” similar to where it was before he got injured in the first place. If that’s the case, and the wrist is no longer affecting him at the plate, sapping him of his power, the Twins may finally see the player who was once one of their top prospects.“I’m very happy to see him here, and I’m pumped that he’s healthy. But the last thing I want to do is put any sort of massive expectation on him or make this anything more than what it is,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s in a good place, he’s work...

Ezequiel Tovar, Austin Gomber lead Rockies to 5-2 win over Mets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:50:41 GMT

The Rockies are rolling. That’s not a typo.Behind an excellent start by Austin Gomber and big swings from Ezequiel Tovar and Elias Diaz, the Rockies walked out of Citi Field on Saturday evening with a 5-2 victory over the Mets.It was Colorado’s fifth victory in its last six games, and now, with a 13-21 record, it might have permanently escaped the National League’s basement. That dark place is currently occupied by the hapless Cardinals, who lost their eighth consecutive game Saturday as their record slid to 10-24.Tovar, the 21-year-old rookie shortstop, continues to show what all of the fuss was about when he was a top prospect. He hit a two-run homer to left in the sixth to extend Colorado’s lead to 5-2. He also singled in the first and scorched an opposite-field double in the eighth and his average, once hovering below the Mendoza Line, has climbed to .236.“I’m feeling good and feeling more comfortable every day,” Tovar told AT&T Spor...