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US wildlife managers agree to review the plight of a Western bird linked to piñon forests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. wildlife managers announced Wednesday that they will investigate whether a bird that is inextricably linked to the piñon and juniper forests that span the Western United States warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act.The pinyon jay’s numbers have declined over the last half-century as persistent drought, more severe wildfires and other effects of climate change have intensified, leaving the birds with less food and fewer nesting options as more trees die or are removed.Environmentalists also are concerned that without the pinyon jay — a social bird that essentially plants the next generation of trees by stashing away the seeds — it’s possible the piñon forests of New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and other Western states could face another reproductive hurdle.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to review the jay’s status comes in response to a petition filed more than a year ago that included research showing the speciesR...

Steven Guilbeault to become first cabinet minister to visit China since 2018

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will travel to China on a diplomatic mission later this month, even as politicians in Ottawa continue to negotiate a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference.Guilbeault will be in Beijing from Aug. 26 to 31 in what will be the first official visit of a Canadian cabinet minister to China since 2018.A spokesperson for Guilbeault says the world is faced with the “triple crisis” of climate change, pollution and biodiversity, which can only be handled through urgent international co-operation.His office said the minister will attend a meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development while in Beijing.Guilbeault’s office noted that he and his Chinese counterpart, Huang Runqiu, strengthened their ties when their countries co-hosted the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in December.Despite that example of co-operation, relations between the two countr...

North Carolina House completes 1st half of veto override on gender-affirming care ban for minors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A GOP supermajority in the North Carolina House voted Wednesday to override the Democratic governor’s veto of legislation to ban gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors, putting those youth just a vote away from losing access to that care.The vote followed by mere minutes an earlier vote by the chamber overriding Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of another bill banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams from middle and high school through college.House lawmakers voted 73-46 to surmount Cooper’s veto of the bill that would bar medical professionals — with limited exceptions — from providing hormone therapy, puberty-blocking drugs and surgical gender-transition procedures to anyone under 18. Minors who began treatment before Aug. 1 could continue receiving that care under parental consent if their doctors deem it medically necessary.Democratic state Rep. John Autry of Mecklenburg County, who has a transgender grandchild, choked up w...

Wildfires edge closer to Yellowknife as N.W.T. continues to battle blazes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

Wildfires menacing the capital of the Northwest Territories crept closer Wednesday while evacuees continued to arrive in Alberta, recounting stories of roads on fire and homes melted to their metal frames.The N.W.T government, in its latest fire update, said a blaze had advanced slightly overnight and was within 16 kilometres of Yellowknife, home to 20,000 people.Residents in three western Yellowknife neighbourhoods were put on evacuation notice. Across the city, residents continued to deal with heavy smoke and falling ash while crews tried to contain the blaze from entering the community.“A network of fuel breaks, sprinklers and other protective measures are being put in place by the city of Yellowknife and our team,” stated the N.W.T. government in a fire update posted online Wednesday.The city was organizing shelters in another part of the community for evacuees from the west end.N.W.T. fire information officer Mike Westwick said the fire could reach the outskirts of Yellowknife ...

Kids overdosing is a public health emergency, Canadian pediatricians say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

An alarming number of kids and teens have been treated for drug overdoses across Canada, according to a new survey released on Wednesday.  The report by the 2022 Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program compiled survey responses from more than 1,000 pediatricians across Canada about providing care related to “severe/life-threatening opioid, stimulant or sedative use” among 12-to 18-year-olds.  The survey responses suggested that stimulants were the most commonly reported cause of severe or life-threatening overdoses, followed by sedatives and opioids. Drug overdoses among children and teens are a public health emergency in Canada, the report said.“I think it is, from my perspective, of the highest urgency,” said Dr. Matthew Carwana, one of the  principal investigators and a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. To illustrate the depth of the crisis, the report pointed to data from the BC Centre for Disease Control s...

Sixth person dies from injuries suffered in Pennsylvania house explosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

PLUM, Pa. (AP) — The co-owner of a home that exploded in western Pennsylvania last weekend has died from injuries he suffered in the blast, which also killed his wife and four other people.Paul Oravitz, 56, who had severe burns over most of his body, died Wednesday in a Pittsburgh hospital, four days after the explosion in Plum. The town is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.The cause of the blast — which destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others — remains under investigation, but officials have said Oravitz and his wife, Heather, were having issues with their hot water tank. The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is leading the investigation, along with local law enforcement.The explosion occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Heather Oravitz, 51, who was Plum’s community development director, was killed in the blast along with Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, and three others who lived in the neighborhood: Kevin Sebunia, ...

NDP and Green leaders cleared to review secret evidence on foreign meddling attempts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal leaders for the New Democrats and Green Party have both received the security clearance they need in order to be briefed on specific allegations of foreign interference attempts in Canadian elections.Former special rapporteur David Johnston released an initial report on alleged meddling in May, along with a confidential annex of evidence that he said opposition party leaders who obtained relevant clearance could review.The report found the federal Liberals did not knowingly or negligently fail to act on foreign interference attempts, but serious reforms to the government’s handling of intelligence were needed.Green Leader Elizabeth May said in a press release that she was reviewing the documents in Ottawa and would provide an update to media on Friday. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s office said he has also received clearance and arrangements are currently being made for him to view the documents. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader...

Florida art museum sues former director over forged Basquiat paintings scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida art museum which was raided last year by the FBI over an exhibit of what turned out to be forged Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings has sued its former executive director and others, claiming they were part of a scheme to profit from the eventual sale of the fake artwork.The Orlando Museum of Art filed the lawsuit Monday in state court against former CEO Aaron De Groft and others whom the museum says were involved in the scheme, seeking undisclosed damages for fraud, breach of contract and conspiracy.The 99-year-old museum, also referred to as OMA, was left with a tattered reputation that resulted in its being put on probation by the American Alliance of Museums, the lawsuit said.“OMA spent hundreds of thousands of dollars — and unwittingly staked its reputation — on exhibiting the now admittedly fake paintings,” the lawsuit said. “Consequently, cleaning up the aftermath created by the defendants has cost OMA even more.”Basquiat, who lived an...

A marijuana legalization question will be on Ohio’s fall ballot after lawmakers failed to act on it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A proposal to legalize recreational adult use of marijuana in Ohio was cleared Wednesday to appear on statewide ballots this fall after the Republican-led state Legislature failed to act on it.The measure would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home. A 10% tax would be imposed on purchases, to be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment programs, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs.Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose determined that the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol had submitted 127,772 valid signatures, more than the 124,046 needed to put the question before voters on Nov. 7.In July, organizers had originally submitted fewer signatures than required, but were given 10 days to try again. During that grace period, they collected an additional 4,405 valid signatures. If the issue passes, Ohio would become the 24th state to legalize cannab...

The money raised by the ALS ice bucket challenge will give you chills 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT

CHICAGO — Maybe you thought it was silly — and certainly cold! But the amount of dollars that poured in from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge will give you chills! And now we have a clear understanding of the critical impact all that funding has had for scientists — including some in Chicago.It was wildly popular on social media. The challenge, launched in 2014, took off on the web as celebrities and regular citizens stepped up — and under — an icy bucket of water.And it all paid off.Samantha Courter is with the ALS Association Greater Chicago Chapter.“Seventeen million people participated in the ice bucket challenge. It generated $117 million for the ALS Association nationally. And worldwide it’s predicted to be $220 million,” she said.The money helped scientists identify 12 genes that play a critical role in ALS.Jake Mann, PhD is an ALS researcher with Northwestern Medicine.“It helped in a huge way,” he said.One of those genes, called NEK-1, is the focus of Dr Evangelos Kiskinis’ lab ...