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Maui residents wonder if their burned town can be made safe. The answer? No one knows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

When Daniel Skousen scrubs at the ash and soot covering his Maui home, he worries about the smell.What chemicals created the burning-trash-barrel scent that has lingered since a deadly wildfire tore through Lahaina in August? Should he believe government agencies’ assessment of when the air, land and water will be safe enough for his family to return?Or will political and economic pressures to rebuild and restore Maui’s robust tourism industry — where visitors normally spend $14 million per day — lead officials to look at any testing results through rose-colored glasses?“It appears very important to them to get that tourism tax revenue back,” said Skousen. “It makes you wonder if the testing will be biased.”The fire blew out Skousen’s windows and filled his home with ash, but the building is still standing, and he hopes someday to move back in. The home next door burned to the ground.Skousen wants a second opinion on any government environmental assessments, preferably from an...

Ohio voters just passed abortion protections. Whether they take effect is now up to the courts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s new constitutional projections for abortion access and other reproductive rights are supposed to take effect Dec. 7, a month after voters resoundingly passed them. That prospect seems increasingly uncertain.Existing abortion-related lawsuits are moving again through the courts now that voters have decided the issue, raising questions about how and when the amendment will be implemented.The amendment declared an individual’s right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” and passed with a strong 57% majority. It was the seventh straight victory in statewide votes for supporters of abortion access nationally since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned constitutional protections.But the amendment did not repeal any existing Ohio laws, providing an opening for Republican elected officials and anti-abortion groups to renew their efforts to halt, delay or significantly water it down. “A lot of that hard work of figuring out what state laws are inco...

4-day truce begins in Israel-Hamas war, sets stage for release of dozens of Gaza-held hostages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.The halt in fighting promised some relief for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.The cease-fire kicked off at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During this period, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took on Oct. 7. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.The truce-for-hostages deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiation...

Retailers offer big deals for Black Friday but will shoppers spend?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Expect big discounts and other enticements to lure shoppers to stores for Black Friday. But retailers worry those may not be enough.Consumers are coming under pressure as their savings dwindle and their credit card debt grows. And although they have gotten some relief from easing inflation, many goods and services like meat and rent are still far higher than they were just three years ago.Barbara Lindquist, 85, from Hawthorne Woods, Illinois, said she and her husband plan to spend about $1,000 for holiday gifts for her three adult children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. That’s about the same as last year.But Lindquist, who continues to work as a pre-school teacher at a local church, said she’ll be more focused on deals given still high prices on meat and other staples. And she plans to buy more gift cards, which she believes will help her stick to her budget.“I go for value,” said Lindquist, who just picked up discounted sheets and towels at Kohl’s ...

The Afghan Embassy says it is permanently closing in New Delhi over challenges from India

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi is permanently closed, it announced Friday, due to challenges from the Indian government and a lack of diplomatic support. In a press release, it said the decision was already effective from Thursday and follows the embassy’s earlier move to cease operations starting Oct. 1 due to the absence of a recognized government in Kabul. At the time, it had said it would continue to provide emergency consular services to Afghan nationals. The embassy said the earlier decision was made “in the hope that the Indian government’s stance would evolve favorably for the normal continuation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi.” But in the eight weeks since, the embassy faced a difficult choice due to “constant pressure from both the Taliban and the Indian government to relinquish control.”There was no immediate comment by India’s External Affairs Ministry. India has not recognized the Taliban gove...

Missouri governor granting pardons at pace not seen since WWII era

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

Distraught by a romantic breakup, 16-year-old Kenny Batson vented his hurt by stomping out the windshields of cars on a for-sale lot. He landed in juvenile detention, but that was only the beginning of his trouble. Over the ensuing years, Batson stole cigarettes, booze and cars for drunken joyrides while bouncing in and out of prison and substance abuse treatment programs. At age 20, he beat a man nearly to death, stopping only when friends pulled him away. Now 50, Batson is a Christian pastor, a reformed man who has been pardoned for his crimes. The governor who pardoned him knows a bit about transformations. For a dozen years as a rural sheriff, Mike Parson was the face of justice, the man ultimately responsible for catching and locking up local lawbreakers. Now governor, Parson also has become the face of mercy by pardoning more than 600 people in the past three years, more than any Missouri governor since the 1940s.“I still believe in law and order. I believe criminals need to b...

Sea turtle nests break records on US beaches, but global warming threatens their survival

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Just as they have for millions of years, sea turtles by the thousands made their labored crawl from the ocean to U.S. beaches to lay their eggs over the past several months. This year, record nesting was found in Florida and elsewhere despite growing concern about threats from climate change.In Florida, preliminary state statistics show more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests, breaking a record set in 2016. Same for green turtles, where the estimate of at least 76,500 nests is well above the previous mark set in 2017.High sea turtle nest numbers also have been reported in South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, although not all set records like Florida, where Justin Perrault, vice president of research at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, said the number of nests is remarkable this year.“We had more nests than we had ever seen before on our local beaches,” said Perrault, whose organization monitors Palm Beach County and broke ...

Fatal crash reported near Airport Blvd. and E. 45th St.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One person has died following a collision Thursday evening between a vehicle and a pedestrian near Airport Blvd. and E. 45th St according to Austin Travis County EMS. ATCEMS said in a post shortly before 10 p.m. that medics who responded along with the Austin Fire Department and Austin Police Department were performing CPR before an adult patient was pronounced deceased. Officials are asking the public to avoid the area and say extended closures are expected as law enforcement investigates.

No. 12 Mississippi shuts down rival Mississippi State 17-7 to win Battle for the Golden Egg

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Quinshon Judkins rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and No. 12 Mississippi clamped down on defense to beat rival Mississippi State 17-7 on Thursday night in their annual Battle for the Golden Egg.Jaxson Dart threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn early in the fourth quarter to give the Rebels (10-2, 6-2 SEC, No. 12 CFP) a 10-point lead. Judkins scored on a 2-yard run in the third to put Ole Miss ahead 10-7.Will Rogers passed for 207 yards and scored on a 1-yard plunge that gave the Bulldogs (5-7, 1-7) a 7-3 advantage with 8:33 left in the third.But a targeting penalty on MSU linebacker DeShawn Page kept the ensuing drive alive, and the Rebels went 75 yards in 10 plays to regain the lead when Judkins punched it in.The road team has won six of the past eight Golden Egg matchups.Ole Miss was shut out in the first quarter for the first time this season and was held to just a field goal in the first half. But the Rebels went into the locker room wit...

Pro Picks: Desperate Bills will upset the Eagles 24-23

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:21 GMT

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.___The Philadelphia Eagles are flying high after a comeback win in their Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City and have an NFC championship rematch coming up against San Francisco.Sunday’s game against Buffalo sets up for a classic letdown.The Eagles have the best record in the NFL and are the first team since the 2005-06 Colts to start 9-1 two years in a row.The Bills have been a major disappointment this season at 6-5.The Eagles are clearly the better team, but it’ll be difficult to match the emotion and intensity after facing the Chiefs, especially in a short, holiday week coming off a Monday night road win with a more important game against the 49ers looming ahead.The Eagles are 3-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Pro Picks likes the more desperate team.UPSET SPECIAL: BILLS, 24-23PITTSBURGH at CINCINNATILine: Steelers mi...