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2023 on track to be hottest year on record, data indicate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

(The Hill) -- This year is on track to be the hottest on record, following a summer of record-breaking temperatures and a particularly warm September, according to the European climate agency. Last month saw "unprecedented" temperatures, pushing 2023 on its way to becoming the warmest year by an estimated 1.4 degrees Celsius, or 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial average temperatures, according to Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. The data come as a warning sign, with Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto calling it a "death sentence." “This is not a fancy weather statistic,” Otto said in an email to The Associated Press. “It’s a death sentence for people and ecosystems. It destroys assets, infrastructure, harvest.”Copernicus confirmed that last month was the warmest September on record, with an average temperature of 16.38 degrees Celsius, 61.48 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the old record set...

Will Adnan Syed be sent back to prison? Maryland Supreme Court weighs victims' rights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland Supreme Court on Thursday scrutinized a hearing last year that vacated Adnan Syed's murder conviction and released him after 23 years behind bars, as the victim's family says they weren't given adequate opportunity to take part in the proceeding.Chronicled in the hit podcast "Serial," the case has been fraught with legal twists and divided court rulings for decades. The oral arguments that took place in Annapolis before Maryland's highest court were no exception.Among the issues discussed were whether Syed's 2000 murder conviction should remain reinstated after a recent appellate court decision, and the extent to which Maryland crime victims have a right to participate in hearings on whether to vacate a conviction. Ultimately, Syed's freedom hangs in the balance. Adnan Syed murder conviction reinstated The panel of seven justices will release their ruling in the coming weeks or months.Outside the courthouse after the hearing, Syed said he was loo...

House Speaker turmoil imperils future Ukraine funding 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

The ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker is throwing the future of U.S. aid for Ukraine in the air.The assistance had already faced a tough path to passage, as more Republicans have come out in opposition to additional aid. But as the race to replace McCarthy heats up, the road ahead has only become rockier. “It was clearly a challenge before, but we were going to get it done,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Wednesday. “It really depends on exactly what emerges from this next round for Speaker.”While no clear front-runner has emerged in the Speakership race yet, buzz has been building around candidates to fill the empty chair — and their position on further aid to Ukraine.Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who heads the biggest conservative caucus in the House and is a possible contender, wouldn’t commit to bringing aid for Ukraine to the floor if elected Speaker, in remarks to reporters Wednesday.“I think that the...

Austin Energy to use 360-cameras, artificial intelligence for wildfire detection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council approved a contract between an artificial intelligence company and Austin Energy Thursday to better protect the community against wildfire. Pano AI, a company out of San Francisco, will use both cameras and artificial intelligence to detect fires earlier, notify emergency crews so they can get there sooner, and protect crews from possible downed power lines. The company uses 360-cameras, which will be put at high points such as cell towers throughout Austin Energy's coverage area, which includes Travis County and parts of surrounding counties, to detect smoke and alert authorities. Austin Energy says it worked with the Austin Fire Department to get the program to Austin and that it will help alert fire crews earlier, especially in more rural parts of Travis County. "We can also monitor and see where it [a fire] is in relation to our infrastructure, and so if we do have something going towards our infrastructure we might be able to shut off the po...

Sheriff: Hays County 15-year-old dies from suspected fentanyl poisoning

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff’s Office said a 15-year-old died from a suspected fentanyl poisoning Monday. Hays County Deputy Anthony Hipolito said the sheriff's office got a call about a juvenile possibly deceased. When they arrived with EMS, they found the teen dead.Deputy Hipolito said it is a suspected fentanyl poisoning, but they are still waiting to get the toxicology report back. "If it does turn out to be a fentanyl poisoning that resulted in death, that investigation will be worked backward, essentially to try to figure out where this juvenile got the suspected fentanyl from," said Hipolito.It's a tragedy the community is seeing time and time again. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sheriff: Hays CISD student dies from fentanyl overdose days into 2023 The loss of six studentsIn May, Hays CISD said in an email to parents that six students have died due to suspected fentanyl overdoses since summer 2022.Last school year, the district launched its fighting fe...

Pease Park Conservancy welcomes new CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- New leadership is at the helm of the Pease Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization announced Thursday.Nicole Netherton joined the organization as its CEO. The nonprofit "restores, enhances, and maintains Pease Park in partnership with the City of Austin," as described in the announcement.Netherton's prior experience includes work in nonprofit management for environmental conservation organizations. Her most recent role was her five years of service as executive director for Travis Audubon, per the release.“I am excited to be a steward of a place that is so important to Austin’s past, present, and future, both for people and for nature," Netherton said in the release. "Caring for green space in our cities affects our health and wellbeing and we owe it to ourselves and to Mother Nature to protect these spaces. We have to balance the needs of the people who love the Park and the needs of the ecosystem so that both can thrive.”Most recently, the Pease Park Conserva...

MSP Customs seizes giraffe droppings from Iowa woman who wanted to make a necklace

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they seized giraffe droppings at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from an Iowa woman who explained she planned to use them to make a necklace.The woman flew into the airport from Kenya on Sept. 29 and offered up to customs officers that she had giraffe feces, which were then found in a small box.“The passenger declared giraffe feces and stated she had obtained the droppings in Kenya and planned to make a necklace,” the agency said in a Thursday statement.The woman also told customs agriculture agents that she had made a necklace out of moose feces at her home in Iowa.Importing animal feces to the U.S. is only allowed with a USDA Veterinary Services permit, which is meant to prevent diseases.“There is a real danger with bringing fecal matter into the U.S.,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of operation for CBP’s Chicago field office, said in the statement. “If this person had entered the U.S. and had not declared these it...

Future Gophers football Big Ten schedules filled with big challenges, new locales

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

The Gophers football schedule in 2023 has gotten a lot of notoriety for its high level of difficulty.Get used to it.Minnesota’s Big Ten opponents for the next five seasons were released Thursday and the U will have plenty of challenges on an annual basis in the new 18-team conference.The U has protected annual rivalries with Wisconsin and Iowa each season, in alternating sites, per usual, and Minnesota will sprinkle in irregular games against existing Big Ten foes as the East-West division format goes by the wayside.But there are plenty of newcomers peppering future slates. Dates and times of games have not been released.Here are highlights each year:2024The Gophers will play both incoming California schools, hosting Southern Cal in Minneapolis and travel west to play at UCLA.This is not what fans had imagined when they have prayed for decades that the Gophers would return to the Rose Bowl. Some funny guys and gals will make this destination a punchline.Also next fall, the U’s sched...

Vikings sign former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan to practice squad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

After becoming a household name in Minnesota with the Gophers, quarterback Tanner Morgan has signed with the Vikings as a member of their practice squad. This likely has to do with the fact that backup quarterback Nick Mullens is dealing with a back injury and Morgan lives in close proximity to TCO Performance Center.Nonetheless, this is the second time the 24-year-old Morgan has gotten a look in the NFL. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in the spring and was released after the preseason. He recently was spotted on the Gophers sideline, working as an offensive analyst under head coach P.J. Fleck.In his six-year collegiate career, Morgan started 47 of the 51 games played for the Gophers. He set school records for wins (33) and completion percentage (62.2 percent), while also throwing for 9,454 yards and 65 touchdowns. He threw a touchdown pass in 18 consecutive games from Dec. 26, 2018 to Nov. 13, 2020, setting a school record.To make room for Morgan ...

Glens Falls taps into a hydroelectric future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Where the Schroon River passes through the town of Warrensburg, a hydroelectricity plant has harnessed the power of rushing water since 1988. This week, further south in the same county, the city of Glens Falls has announced a new way it will be tapping into what's generated by its neighbor to the north. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, the city announced the launch of its new Community Hydro Project, running in cooperation with a pair of renewable energy organizations that have been working together further into the Adirondacks for the last two years. The program offers businesses and homes around the city the chance to prioritize cleaner energy, all without a hike in costs."The city of Glens Falls is what we call the 'anchor customer' - they're the biggest subscriber to the project," said Emmett Smith, co-owner of renewable electricity provider Northern Power & Light. "They're the ...