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New York City area gets one of its wettest days in decades, as rain swamps subways and streets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rain walloped the New York metropolitan area with a startling punch Friday, knocking out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranding drivers on highways, flooding basements and shuttering a terminal at LaGuardia Airport in one of the city’s wettest days in decades.As much as 6.7 inches (17 cm) of rain had fallen in parts of Brooklyn by midday, with at least one spot seeing 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) in a single hour, according to weather and city officials. The 6 inches (15 cm) of rain at John F. Kennedy Airport surpassed a record set during Hurricane Donna in September 1960, the National Weather Service said. And more downpours were expected. The deluge came two years after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped record-breaking rain on the Northeast and killed at least 13 people in New York City, mostly in flooded basement apartments. Although no deaths or severe injuries have been reported so far from Friday’s storm, it stirred frightening memories ...

NATO beefs up its Kosovo force as the US worries about a buildup of Serb troops in the area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — NATO announced Friday that it is beefing up its troop presence in Kosovo after four people were killed in a weekend shootout and as the U.S. expressed concern about a buildup of Serbian forces along the border of its former territory.Kosovo’s prime minister welcomed NATO’s decision, saying that Sunday’s attack, involving around 30 gunmen, is a new sign that Serbia wants to destabilize its former southern province with the help of ally Russia.“These people want to turn back time,” Prime Minister Albin Kurti told The Associated Press. “They are in search of a time machine. They want to turn the clock back by 30 years. But that is not going to happen.”NATO launched a bombing campaign on Serb positions to halt a crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and end their 1998-99 war. The war left around 10,000 people dead, mostly Kosovo Albanians.Earlier on Friday, Kosovo police raided several locations in a Serb-dominated area ...

Airlines claim passenger safety at risk under new passenger rights rules

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

MONTREAL — Aviation companies are making the pitch to Ottawa that stricter rules designed to boost customer compensation and improve service could put passenger safety at risk — an argument consumer advocates reject as “ridiculous.”The push, made in regulatory submissions and meetings on Parliament Hill, comes on the heels of sweeping reforms to the passenger rights charter announced in April and currently being hashed out by Canada’s transport regulator before going into effect next year.The changes appear to scrap a loophole through which airlines have denied customers compensation for flight delays or cancellations when they were required for safety purposes. The sector wants that exemption restored, and says it doesn’t want pilots to feel pressured to choose between flying defective planes and costing their employer money.“We want our pilots to be entirely free from any financial consideration when they take a safety-related decision,” WestJet...

Stock market today: Wall Street wraps its miserable September with another weak finish

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed out its worst month and quarter of the year with more losses on Friday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% after a gain from the morning withered, and the majority of stocks within the index sank. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 158 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite edged higher by 0.1%.Solid gains for stocks early on faded as pressure built from within the bond market. After easing earlier in the day on encouraging signals about inflation, Treasury yields got back to rising as the day progressed.The yield on the 10-year Treasury yield returned to 4.58%, where it was late Thursday, after dipping to 4.52%. It’s again near its highest level since 2007. Treasurys are seen as some of the safest investments possible, and when they pay higher yields, investors are less likely to pay high prices for stocks and other riskier investments. That’s a big reason why the S&P 500 dropped 4.9% in September to drag what had been a big gain for the...

Baton Rouge officers charged for allegedly covering up excessive force during a strip search

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The scandal-plagued Baton Rouge Police Department has arrested three of its own officers, including a deputy chief, and charged them with trying to cover up excessive force during a strip search inside a department bathroom, the police chief announced Friday.The department is under intensifying scrutiny as the FBI opened a civil rights investigation last week into allegations that officers assaulted detainees in an obscure warehouse known as the “ Brave Cave.” The officers who were arrested Thursday were part of the same since-disbanded street crimes unit that ran the warehouse. “Lets be crystal clear, there is no room for misconduct or unethical behavior in our department,” Chief Murphy Paul said at a news conference Friday. “No one is above the law.”The findings announced Friday stemmed from one of several administrative and criminal inquiries surrounding the street crimes unit. In one case under FBI scrutiny, a man says he was taken to the warehouse and be...

IRS contractor charged with leaking tax return information of wealthy people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service was charged Friday with leaking tax information to news outlets about a government official and thousands of the country’s wealthiest people. Charles Edward Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., is accused of stealing the tax return information and giving it to two different news outlets between 2018 and 2020, the Justice Department said in a statement. Littlejohn declined to comment. The Associated Press also reached out to his attorney. Both organizations, which are not named in charging documents, published numerous articles describing the tax information, charging documents state. Some of the information dated back more than 15 years. Littlejohn is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. The IRS declined to comment specifically on the case, but Commissioner Danny Werfel said “any disclosure of taxpayer info...

Maryland governor’s office releases more details on new 30-year agreement with Orioles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office released a few details Friday about the agreement with the Baltimore Orioles keeping the team in the city for at least 30 more years.The Orioles made a surprise announcement about the deal on the scoreboard at Camden Yards during Thursday night’s game against Boston, not long before the team won and clinched the AL East title. A day later, Moore’s office said the governor, the team and the Maryland Stadium Authority have finalized a memorandum of understanding “that will keep the Orioles in Baltimore for at least 30 years, modernize facility operations at the best price for Maryland taxpayers, and boost private sector development to revitalize downtown Baltimore.”“I could not be more thrilled to spend decades watching the Orioles win titles in Baltimore,” Moore said. “This deal is not only a good use of state resources, but will also drive economic growth in downtown and across the city.”The team’s...

New Mexico man charged with attempted murder in shooting at protest over Spanish conquistador statue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico man was charged Friday with attempted murder in a shooting that wounded one person at a protest over plans to install a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside government offices in the city of Española.Defendant Ryan David Martinez, from Sandia Park, was read the felony charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon at his first appearance in municipal court. No plea was entered.A temporary public defender assigned to Martinez could not be reached immediately by phone and didn’t respond to voice messages. An apparent relative of the defendant answered the phone but declined to comment or confirm her family relation.Martinez was arrested Thursday after chaos erupted and a shot was fired during protests in Española about plans to install a bronze likeness of conquistador Juan de Oñate, who is both revered and reviled for his role in establishing early settlements along the Upper Rio Grande starting in 1598.Installation of the st...

Highest-paying jobs in Chicago that don't require a college degree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

College isn't for everyone—despite what today's youth may hear from the adults in their lives.From the moment they arrive freshman year, today's high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches.While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students' future careers, it's not necessary for all fields—something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.The median wage for high school diploma recipients is about $809 a week—higher than those without a diploma ($626), but well below the median for bachelor's degree holders ($1,334). But many jobs without college degree requirements still pay decent wages. Some even pay better than jobs reserved for degree earners.Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Chicago that don't require higher ...

Fully nude dating show on Max quickly becomes top series on platform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:31 GMT

(NewsNation) – A British dating show that features full-frontal nudity is now Max's most popular series.Uncensored episodes of “Naked Attraction,” a show which originally debuted on Britain's Channel 4 in 2016, dropped on the streaming service last week. In the series, a clothed competitor is tasked with choosing one of six other contestants to date, judging almost solely on the appearance of their naked bodies.In the final round, the tables are turned when the competitor is required to get naked themselves to face the final two contestants.As of Wednesday, "Naked Attraction" has been ranked No. 1 on Max's list of the "Top 10 series" on the platform, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But the outlet also said Max populates its Top 10 list with only recent additions to the streaming service, and excludes older HBO titles.The show's Nielsen ratings have yet to officially confirm just how many sets of eyeballs "Naked Attraction" has attracted. Those numbers are due next week, accordi...