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A wildfire is raging out of control on the Greek island of Rhodes, forcing tourist evacuations

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A large blaze burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts.In previous days, the wildfire was confined to the island’s mountainous center, but aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread Saturday toward the coast on the island’s central-eastern side. Local media reported the fires had reached three hotels, whose clients had already been evacuated.Fire department spokesman Yannis Artopios said Saturday afternoon that the residents of four localities were sent SMS messages to evacuate — in two localities they were told to move to the northeast and, in two others, to the southwest.Artopios said that more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were operating on the ground, assisted by three planes and five helicopters. The force includes 31 firefighters from Slovakia, with five fire engines.The main front of the fire is a triangle, w...

Court strikes down limits on filming of police in Arizona

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that an Arizona law limiting how close people can get to recording law enforcement is unconstitutional, citing infringement against a clearly established right to film police doing their jobs.The ruling Friday from U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi permanently blocks enforcement of the law that he suspended last year. The Republican-backed law was signed by former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey in July 2022 but enthusiasm for the restrictions faded and legislators refused an opportunity to defend the law during an initial court suspension. Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh, who sponsored the measure, has said he was unable to find an outside group to defend the legislation.The law would have made it illegal to knowingly film police officers 8 feet (2.5 meters) or closer if the officer tells the person to stop. And on private property, an officer who decides that someone is interfering or that the area is unsafe could have ordered the person to ...

Austin Peay State freshman football player dies in single-car crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A freshman football player at Austin Peay State University died Friday night in a single-car crash near the school’s campus in Clarksville, Tennessee, officials said.Jeremiah Collins, 18, was driving too fast while exiting Briley Parkway West at Clarksville and his pickup truck rolled several times before coming to rest in a grassy area, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a news release.Police said there were no signs of impairment at the scene. Collins was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.University officials announced his death in a news release Saturday morning, saying the school community was mourning.“We are all devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jeremiah Collins,” head football coach Scotty Walden said in the release. “Jeremiah was an outstanding young man who brought an incredible attitude and energy every day. We grieve with the Collins family for their tragic loss and lift them up in prayer.”Collins gradu...

Thousands march on Jerusalem as former Israeli officials beg Netanyahu to halt legislation overhaul

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the main highway into Jerusalem on Saturday evening in a last-ditch show of force aimed at blocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul. More than 100 of Israel’s former security chiefs signed a letter pleading with the Israeli premier to halt the legislation.The arrival of the marchers turned the city’s main entrance into a sea of blue and white Israeli flags as they completed the last leg of a four-day, 70 kilometer (45-mile) trek from Tel Aviv to Israel’s parliament. The marchers joined forces with hundreds of other protesters and planned to camp outside the Knesset, or parliament, ahead of Monday’s expected vote.Netanyahu and his far-right allies claim the overhaul is needed to curb what they say are the excessive powers of unelected judges. But their critics say the plan will destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and put it on the path towa...

It's a big weekend for Cubs' broadcaster Pat Hughes in Cooperstown

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - One of the longest-tenured broadcasters in the history of the Chicago Cubs will have his Hall of Fame moment on Saturday.That's when Pat Hughes, the team's radio play-by-play broadcaster, will be presented with the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence as part of Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend in Cooperstown, New York at 2 p.m. central time.It's the biggest honor that can be bestowed upon a broadcaster in the game of baseball, and he joins an elite group of announcers in Cubs' history to receive the honor. Jack Brickhouse, Harry Caray, Bob Elson, and Milo Hamilton spent time in the broadcast booth - radio or television - for the team and were also Frick Award winners. Hughes gets the honor in big part for his time in Chicago, where he's broadcast games over the airwaves on WGN-AM 720 and WSCR-AM 670 The Score. This is his 27th season with the team, joining the Cubs after spending 12 years in the same radio play-by-play role with the Milwaukee...

Taste of Lincoln happening this weekend in Chicago

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

CHICAGO — The 39th annual Taste of Lincoln Avenue is happening this weekend.You can learn more about the event in the video above or online. Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

North Korea fires cruise missiles into sea, stays mum on US soldier who crossed into country

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward its western sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second launch event this week, apparently in protest of the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea.While adding to its barrage of missile launches in recent months, North Korea remained publicly silent for a fifth day on the fate of an American soldier who bolted into the North across the heavily armed Korean border this week.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were detected beginning around 4 a.m. but did not immediately report how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It said the United States and South Korean militaries were closely analyzing the launches.North Korea in recent years has been testing newly developed cruise missiles it describes as “strategic,” implying an intent to arm them with nuclear weapons. Experts say the main mission of those weapons would include striking naval assets and ...

As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

(The Conversation) - Extreme heat has been breaking records across Europe, Asia and North America, with millions of people sweltering in heat and humidity well above “normal” for days on end.Death Valley hit a temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) on July 16, 2023 – not quite the world’s hottest day on record, but close. Phoenix broke a record heat streak with 19 straight days with temperatures above 110 F (43.3 C), and had more in the forecast, accompanied by several nights that never got below 90 F (32.2 C). Globally, Earth likely had its hottest week on modern record in early July.Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter.One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?”The answer goes beyond the temperature you see on...

Americans lukewarm on Biden, Trump as 2024 nears, but one has slight edge: poll

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

(The Hill) – A recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll showed Americans aren't enthusiastic about a potential 2024 matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. When asked to choose between the two presidents in a hypothetical 2024 race, both politicians received support from less than 50% of registered U.S. voters surveyed, with Biden at 47% and Trump at 43%. People who said they were not sure or would not vote made up 6% and 4%, respectively, of the respondents. Despite his claims, Colorado says Joe Exotic isn’t on state’s presidential ballot The poll also asked all respondents if they “approved” of Biden’s “handling” of the presidency, with only 40% saying they “strongly” or “somewhat” did so. Only 38% said they had a “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinion of Trump.Both presidents also received low perceptions of fitness for the highest office in the U.S. Neither was deemed particularly "fit to serve another term as president," with 27% of respondents saying Bid...

Gov. Tim Walz gets a police perspective during Duluth ride-along

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:35:22 GMT

By Rick LubbersMinnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he didn’t see any action during his ride-along with Duluth police officer Jackie Groshens on Thursday afternoon. But he did learn her perspective on what she experiences during her more eventful shifts.“(She said) we’re seeing an uptick in opioid addictions, fentanyl,” Walz told the News Tribune later that afternoon during an editorial board meeting. “We’re seeing those things kind of escalate. And where you have the fentanyl and the drugs, you have guns.”Walz referenced gun violence — specifically the fatal shooting of Fargo, N.D., police officer Jake Wallin a week ago — when stressing that the ride-along he took wasn’t the same as the patrols many police officers make every day.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gets out of Duluth police officer Jackie Groshens’ vehicle after a ride-along on Thursday, July 20, 2023. (Jed Carlson / Forum News Service)“It’s tough work. Doing a ride-around in Duluth with the State Patrol right behind me is not what th...