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‘Outraged’ letter carriers demand action to stop robberies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Postal carriers have more worries than snow, rain or the gloom of night keeping them from their appointed rounds. They’re increasingly being robbed, often at gunpoint, from Maine to California. Robberies of postal carriers have exploded, surging 78% to nearly 500 in 2022, according to data provided by U.S. Postal Inspection Service to The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. Letter carriers are demanding action from the U.S. Postal Service.“The National Association of Letter Carriers is outraged and angered by the assaults, armed robberies and even murders that America’s letter carriers increasingly face as they deliver the mail. These attacks are completely unacceptable,” said Paul Barner, the union’s executive vice president.The Postal Service said it’s adapting and implementing new measures to address the robberies, which are taking a toll on letter carriers tasked with delivering about 162.1 million pieces of first-class mail each d...

Tragedia de migrantes en Texas: conductor enfrenta cargos por atropellamiento mortal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — El conductor que se estrelló contra una multitud de personas en una parada de autobús en Brownsville, Texas, matando a ocho, fue acusado de homicidio involuntario, dijo la policía el lunes.Las autoridades creen que el conductor George Álvarez, de 34 años y de Brownsville, perdió el control después de pasarse en un semáforo en rojo el domingo por la mañana y embistió a una multitud de venezolanos afuera de un centro para migrantes. Las autoridades aún estaban investigando si el accidente fue intencional.El jefe de policía Félix Sauceda dijo que Álvarez fue acusado de ocho cargos de homicidio involuntario y 10 cargos de asalto agravado con un arma mortal. Álvarez recibió fianza por un total de $3.6 millones. Texas: conductor embiste a multitud en parada de autobús cerca de la frontera; hay 8 muertos Las autoridades están esperando los informes de toxicología para determinar si Álvarez estaba intoxicado, dijo Sauceda.¿QUÉ SE SABE DEL INCI...

South Miami PD needs help searching for missing 20-year-old man

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

The South Miami Police Department issued a missing person’s flyer in hopes of finding 20-year-old Nick Alexander Diaz Ruiz.According to the notice, he was last seen leaving a South Miami residence in a vehicle heading north on Southwest 63rd Court towards Southwest 56th Street, Sunday. Diaz Ruiz never arrived at his home located in Hialeah.Officials said he stands at 5 feet, 6 inches, and weighs about 140 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black shirt and green shorts.He also has a happy face tattoo on his right bicep and a tattoo of the four elements on his left forearm.Anyone with information on this man’s whereabouts is urged to contact Detective V. Jackson at 305-663-6302 or by email at [email protected].

Northwestern guard Boo Buie — who declared for the NBA draft in April — announces his return for the 2023-24 season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

Northwestern guard Boo Buie announced he would be returning to the Wildcats for the 2023-2024 season on social media Monday.In a video captioned “Not finished …”, Buie says: “Northwestern. The past four years have been nothing short of amazing. Through the ups and downs, the memories we have made together are priceless. Playing at the next level has always been something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, and I am truly blessed to be in the position I am today. I will forever be grateful for the support you all have given me during my time in Evanston. This place is truly special. But I’m not done yet. Wildcat Nation, I’m back.”Buie, who declared for the NBA draft in April while maintaining his eligibility, started 94 games in four seasons with Northwestern.Last season, he averaged 17.3 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 40.6% from the field. He also helped lead the program to its second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. The Wildcats rea...

Kia and Hyundai thefts could affect your insurance rate soon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

How familiar are you with the Kia Challenge?Even if you answered “Not at all,” you may have still heard about the TikTok trend of people hot-wiring and stealing Kias and Hyundais for fun.This was an alarming turn of events for the owners of around 8.3 million at-risk cars, a number estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While both Kia and Hyundai have announced software updates to address the issue, many of those vehicles are still unprotected, according to the NHTSA — including the cars owned by both writers of this article.For full transparency: Ryan drives a Hyundai, Drew drives a Kia and neither vehicle is currently eligible for the software updates. So this article is more than just another assignment — it’s also the advice we’re following to protect our cars.What is the Kia Challenge?The Kia Challenge started in Milwaukee with a group called the Kia Boyz. They gained local notoriety in 2021, but found a national audience in July 2022 when a TikTok vid...

Canadians can rent cars through Uber starting Tuesday. Here’s how it works

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

Uber Rent is coming to Canada.Uber, the well-known ride-hailing company, says that starting Tuesday, Canadians can rent a car from companies including Avis, Hertz or Budget directly through the Uber mobile app.A spokesperson said the new function will provide a seamless way to rent a car when people need a vehicle to “head out of town, run an errand, or take a weekend getaway.”The company already offers the Uber Rent service in the U.S. and the U.K. The costs of renting a car through Uber are unclear, with a spokesperson saying it will vary.The current price of Uber Rent in the U.S. depends on the time a user will be renting, car size (such as SUV), and market seasonality.“By using the Uber app, you can view and compare current prices from several popular rental companies in one place to conveniently choose the option that fits your needs,” Uber’s website states.How Uber Rent worksCanadians can access this function through their Uber app by selecting th...

Florida may study use of radioactive waste in building roads

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida may study whether a radioactive waste byproduct of fertilizer production can be used to help build roads under a bill passed by the Legislature.The proposal, which awaits a signature from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, would task the state with conducting a study about the use of phosphogypsum in road construction aggregate materials. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that phosphogypsum be placed in ”stacks” that resemble enormous ponds. Florida has 24 such stacks, totaling about 1 billion tons of phosphogypsum, with 30 million new tons generated every year through the phosphate fertilizer mining industry.The EPA in 2020 approved the use of phosphogypsum in government road construction projects but reversed its decision after Democratic President Joe Biden took office. Environmental groups have warned about phosphogypsum spilling into waterways and elsewhere during storms. A leak in March 2021 at a stack called Piney Point resulted in ...

Wildfires continue in Alberta as premier, prime minister are set to talk

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

EDMONTON — Wildfires raging in Alberta continue to overwhelm some communities and have forced thousands of people from their homes.More than 40 structures, mostly homes, have been lost on the Little Red River Cree Nation, which includes three communities in northern Alberta.Darryel Sowan, the emergency management communications co-ordinator, says some 3,700 people left the area quickly after the evacuation order was put in place.There is no road into the community, so people had to use boats, while higher-risk people were flown out.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to speak by phone with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today to discuss the wildfiresSo far this year, wildfires have burned about 380,000 hectares across the province. “Because it’s isolated, a lot of those people have never even been away from the reserve,” Sowan said Monday. “We want to get them back there and they want to go home. We are trying our best.”Chief Conroy Sewepagaham posted on soc...

U.K. seeks closer ties with Canada in science, military and technology

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Britain is seeking closer ties with Canada as it reshapes its foreign policy in the wake of its departure from the European Union.But British High Commissioner Susannah Goshko says her country is also pushing Ottawa to boost its defence spending.The United Kingdom updated its national security and foreign policy last month following uncertainty after its exit from the European Union and tumultuous politics under prime ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.The new plan is looking for expanded connections with Canada on everything from artificial intelligence to sanctions.Goshko says her country also wants to work to counterbalance rising authoritarianism in regions like the Indo-Pacific and as such is raising its military spending beyond the NATO target of two per cent of gross domestic product.Canada however has no plans to meet that threshold.This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.The Canadian Press

Forensic genealogy leads to arrest in 2007 Kansas rape case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:06:00 GMT

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas have arrested and charged a man in a 2007 sexual assault by matching a DNA sample to data submitted to genealogy websites.Ted Foy, 52, of Augusta, is jailed on $500,000 bond after he was charged last week with rape, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated criminal sodomy. His attorney, public defender Sonya Strickland, didn’t respond to an Associated Press email seeking comment Monday. The Wichita Eagle reports that it was the Wichita police department’s first arrest using investigative genetic genealogy. The process received widespread attention after it was used in 2018 to track down a California serial killer who was responsible for at least 13 killings and dozens of rapes in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, the method has led to the identification of dozens of suspects in cold cases, though some critics have voiced privacy concerns.“With these sorts of dragnets, you are using probable cause against one person to invade the privacy of ...