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Fire that killed 2 on a cargo ship in New Jersey is out after nearly a week, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Crews extinguished the intensely burning fire aboard a cargo ship docked in New Jersey after nearly a week and are now beginning their investigation into the blaze that killed two firefighters, officials said Tuesday. “We can officially declare the fire is out,” Coast Guard Capt. Zeita Merchant, the captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey, said during a news conference in Port Newark.It could be a while before officials know the cause of the blaze that started late Wednesday and left two Newark firefighters dead and five others injured. Authorities are now also beginning a salvage operation for the Grande Costa d’Avorio, which could take up to two months, Merchant said. Manifests showed there were no lithium ion battery vehicles onboard when the ship reached Newark, according to Bethann Rooney the port director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. However, it did have electric vehicles onboard when it reached Baltimore, where they were o...

State of emergency declared in Quebec town due to flood risk, more towns evacuating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

MONTREAL — A town near Quebec City has declared a state of local emergency due to rising water levels, as heavy rain over many parts of the province has communities on alert for flooding.The mayor of Ste-Brigitte-de-Laval announced the state of emergency today, after officials in the town ordered the evacuation of more than 200 homes late Monday due to flood risk.Environment Canada has issued rainfall or thunderstorm warnings for several parts of the province, and has warned of possible flooding in low-lying areas.The province’s flood map shows medium flooding at one monitoring station in the Quebec City area, and minor flooding at nine other stations, including several in the Estrie region, east of Montreal.The city of Sherbrooke, 150 kilometres east of Montreal, says it has ordered preventive evacuations for about 144 residences in sectors close to the river, and has warned that the number could rise. Cookshire-Eaton, just east of Sherbrooke, also announced it was evacuating...

Milwaukee council approves sales tax hike as part of plan to avoid bankruptcy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The sales tax in Milwaukee will go up 2 cents per dollar next year after the Common Council voted Tuesday to raise the rate as part of a bipartisan plan to avoid bankruptcy.City leaders who pushed for approval of the higher sales tax warned of looming deep cuts to core services, including police and fire protection. Opponents objected to strings attached to additional state funding, including curbing spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.“The wolf is at the door,” Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman argued in support of the sales tax. “You can’t chase the wolf away anymore, and we are dealing with some serious challenges that have to be addressed.”Milwaukee is struggling with an underfunded pension system and not enough money to maintain essential police, fire and emergency services. Milwaukee has increasingly become reliant on federal pandemic aid to fund its essential services, which city leaders have said cost $150 million more per year to maintain...

Fossilized skeletons of aerial and aquatic predators to be auctioned by Sotheby’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The fossilized skeletons of an aerial predator with a 20-foot (6-meter) wingspan and an aquatic reptile with a snake-like neck will be auctioned in New York this month, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday.The two creatures, both tens of millions of years old, will be sold July 26 in the latest sale of prehistoric fossils from the auction house that launched a new era of fossil auctions by selling a Tyrannosaurus rex named Sue in 1997.“More than 25 years since the groundbreaking sale of Sue the T. rex at Sotheby’s, we are very excited to now turn our attention to its predatory peers of the sky and the sea,” Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s head of science and popular culture, said.The mounted skeletons that will be auctioned this month are a pteranodon, a huge bird-like animal that lived about 85 million years ago, and a plesiosaur, an 11-foot (3.3-meter) marine reptile of the type that is thought to have inspired the legend of the Loch Ness monster.The pteranodo...

Dig resumes for children’s remains at former Native American boarding school in Nebraska

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

GENOA, Neb. (AP) — Archeologists resumed digging Tuesday at the remote site of a former Native American boarding school in central Nebraska, searching for the remains of children who died there decades ago. The search for a hidden cemetery near the former Genoa Indian Industrial School in Nebraska gained renewed interest after the discovery of hundreds of children’s remains at other Native American boarding school sites across the U.S. and Canada since 2021, said Dave Williams, the state’s archeologist whose team is digging at the site.The team hasn’t found human remains yet, Williams said, but the dig only began on Monday and is expected to last through the week.“Where is the cemetery and how many people are buried there? It’s the big question that’s hanging in the air,” said Alyce Tejral, a board member of the nearby Genoa U.S. Indian School Foundation Museum.The school was part of a national system of more than 400 Native American boarding schools that att...

Frontier Airlines' unlimited flight passes on sale for $299

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Do you have some flexible travel time in 2023 and early 2024? Frontier Airlines' GoWild! Fall and Winter pass could be an option for you — and it's currently on limited sale for $299. Is more casual dress on flights tied to a rise in unruly passenger behavior? What is Frontier Airlines GoWild! Pass?GoWild! passes work like this:Passengers can book an unlimited number of flights on Frontier's domestic and international routesPass holders can confirm bookings the day before domestic flight departures and starting 10 days before international flight departuresThe Fall & Winter Pass (typically priced at $999 per year) is currently on sale at a $299 annual rate. The Fall & Winter Pass can be used for travel from Sept. 2, 2023 through Feb. 29, 2024A Summer Pass is also available for a limited-time $999 annual price and can be used for travel now through Sept. 30, 2023. As you'll notice, much of this pass' travel time has already passed, as its window opened back in A...

Randy Travis mourns lighting technician fatally shot by wife amid cheating allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Residents of a Nashville neighborhood are in shock after police say a woman shot and killed her husband on Sunday, alleging he had cheated on her.The man, who had worked as a lighting technician for major musical acts, was also mourned by country artist Randy Travis, among other friends and acquantances.Thomas Roberts, 68, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest Sunday at a home in East Nashville, according to a police affidavit. Upon arrival, officers found Roberts on the porch, and a handgun next to his wife Christine Roberts, police said.Roberts died at the scene. 17 people taken to hospital during Ed Sheeran concert in Pittsburgh “It sounded like it could have been a firework and that's what we thought it was, and then the police showed up with all the lights and everything and then I saw him on the front porch,” said one neighbor who did not want to be identified. On Monday, a picture and candle were placed on the sidewalk outside the couple’s hom...

McDonald's 'phasing out' 3 all-day items from menu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Goodbye, McCafé Bakery. We hardly knew ye.This week, McDonald’s confirmed that restaurants across the U.S. will be “phasing out” three items from the McCafé Bakery menu based on customer interest. Those three items — the Apple Fritter, the Blueberry Muffin and the Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Icing — were also the only remaining offerings on the U.S. McCafé Bakery menu.“We’re always listening to our fans and adjusting our menu based on what they crave. Starting this month, we’ll be phasing out our McCafé Bakery line-up, including the Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin and Cinnamon Roll,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s said in a statement shared with Nexstar. McDonald’s is giving out free fries for National French Fry Day The spokesperson did not say specifically when the items would be pulled from restaurants. All three are still listed among the current menu offerings on the official McDonald’s website.All three items from the McCafe Bakery lineup are being discontinue...

The numbers behind the top 10 most in-demand concerts of the summer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

Summer is the unofficial concert season, when major artists hit the road, taking advantage of the good weather, long daylight hours, and breaks from school. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, music fans seem more eager than ever to stand next to thousands of strangers and scream their favorite songs in front of the artist who wrote them.Summer 2023 is set to be one of the biggest for concerts yet, with demand causing Ticketmaster shutdowns and the emergence of premium seating leading to soaring ticket prices. Live Nation reported a 73% increase in ticket revenue in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year, and The Wall Street Journal dubbed 2023 "the year of the $1,000 concert ticket." Part of Clark Street downtown closed for outdoor dining through Halloween Though many artists are performing this summer, a select few drive the lion's share of ticket sales. Of course, many have read about the unprecedented demand to see Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, but they're not the only ones f...

McDonald’s 'phasing out' 3 all-day items from menu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:52 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Goodbye, McCafé Bakery. We hardly knew ye.This week, McDonald’s confirmed that restaurants across the U.S. will be “phasing out” three items from the McCafé Bakery menu based on customer interest. Those three items — the Apple Fritter, the Blueberry Muffin and the Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Icing — were also the only remaining offerings on the U.S. McCafé Bakery menu.“We’re always listening to our fans and adjusting our menu based on what they crave. Starting this month, we’ll be phasing out our McCafé Bakery line-up, including the Apple Fritter, Blueberry Muffin and Cinnamon Roll,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s said in a statement shared with Nexstar. McDonald’s is giving out free fries for National French Fry Day The spokesperson did not say specifically when the items would be pulled from restaurants. All three are still listed among the current menu offerings on the official McDonald’s website.All three items from the McCafe Bakery lineup are being discontinue...