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Biden’s dog Commander no longer at White House after biting incidents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, is “not presently on the White House campus” following a series of biting incidents involving White House staff and U.S. Secret Service officers, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden said late Wednesday.Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said President Biden and his wife care deeply about the safety of White House staff and those who protect them every day.“They remain grateful for the patience and support of the U.S. Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions,” she said in an emailed statement, adding, “Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.”Alexander did not say where the 2-year-old German shepherd was sent.The statement came hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked at her briefing Wednesday about another allegation that Commander had bitten a White House staffer.Jean-Pierre referred quest...

3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say. Suspect dead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said.Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in stable condition. Stanford said officers were dispatched to the residence shortly after 7 p.m. A 12-year-old boy said his father had shot his uncle following a dispute about a video game, FOX 29 reported. The boy and the uncle called police.Stanford said when police arrived the father opened fire. The man was killed when officers returned fire, he said.The uncle was hospitalized in critical condition.Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson said on on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was “deeply saddened and very angry to learn of the shooting of three Philadelphia Police Officers in Northeast Philadelphia.” The Associated Press

Trump campaign says he raised more than $45 million in 3rd quarter, far surpassing DeSantis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

Donald Trump’s campaign said Wednesday it raised more than $45.5 million in the third quarter of the year — a haul that far surpasses Ron DeSantis, the man once seen as his fiercest rival.The Trump campaign says it ended September with over $37.5 million cash on hand, bolstered by fundraising off his legal challenges.DeSantis’ team said Wednesday they intend to report raising $15 million during the third quarter of 2023 — less than his $20 million second quarter fundraising total.In releasing fundraising numbers hours after the DeSantis news, the Trump campaign sought to show dominance over the Florida governor, who has struggled to live up to the lofty aspirations of Republicans who saw him as a viable alternative to Trump. Trump’s fundraising momentum shows his campaign to return to the White House has not been derailed since he was indicted four times by prosecutors in New York, Washington, D.C., Georgia and Florida. Indeed, Trump’s campaign said it made $3 million by...

Temptations, Four Tops on hand as CEO shares what’s going on with Motown Museum’s expansion plans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Full construction on the final phase of the Motown Museum’s expansion will get underway in the spring of 2024, the museum’s CEO announced Wednesday night.Robin Terry also said that fundraising for the expansion has reached $59 million, “nearing our goal of $65 million.”“Although we are not done, we will get it done,” Terry, who also serves as the museum’s chair, said during a private donor event that honored Motown legends the Four Tops and The Temptations.Otis Williams, a 60-plus-year member of The Temptations, was honored at the event. Earlier in the day, he fielded questions from a group of aspiring performers at the museum.The historic section of the city where Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. built his music empire six decades ago has undergone a facelift in recent years with the addition of an educational programming and creative hub as well as an outdoor plaza that serves as a gathering space. The museum continues to be housed in the famed “Hitsville, U.S...

King Charles III’s image to appear on Australian coins this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An image of King Charles III will soon appear on Australian coins, more than a year after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, officials said Thursday.The gold Australian dollar coin will be the first with an image of the new British monarch, who is also Australia’s head of state, Royal Australian Mint chief executive Leigh Gordon said.About 10 million of the dollar coins will be circulating by Christmas, he said.Assistant Minister for Treasury Andrew Leigh said the government had not wanted to rush the coin transition following the queen’s death in September last year.“Certainly, we’re keen to get as many of the new coins with the king’s face on them out there as quickly as possible,” Leigh said.The remaining denominations -– 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins plus a $2 coin -– will be rolled out with the king’s left profile and without a crown during 2024 based on demand from banks.The latest queen’s image wore a crown. In maintaining tradition, the righ...

Long-necked marine reptile from 80 million years ago to become B.C.’s fossil emblem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

VICTORIA — A large, fierce-looking marine reptile with a mouthful of pointy teeth that made its home about 80 million years ago in Vancouver Island waters could soon become British Columbia’s official fossil emblem.Tourism Minister Lana Popham introduced legislation Wednesday that, if passed, will see the 12-metre Puntledge River elasmosaur added to B.C.’s list of provincial symbols after a five-year recognition effort by local paleontology enthusiasts.The first elasmosaur fossils in B.C. were found in 1988 along the Puntledge River in the Comox Valley, and are now on display at the Courtenay and District Museum and Palaeontology Centre.In 2018, the elasmosaur won a provincewide contest seeking additions to B.C.’s list of official symbols.“B.C. has a rich and diverse variety of fossils and fossil deposits, resulting from the complex geological processes that formed our province,” Popham said. “Adding a fossil emblem to our official provincial symb...

Honolulu airport flights briefly paused because of a medical situation in air traffic control room

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Flights at Honolulu’s main airport were briefly paused on Wednesday while medical personnel attended to an employee in the air traffic control room, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Normal operations have since resumed at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the agency said in a statement. Flights were grounded from 12:25 p.m. to 1:09 p.m. said Shelly Kunishige, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, which operates the airport. The Associated Press

Man steals car with toddler in back seat, robs bank, hits tree and dies from injuries, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — A man suspected of stealing a car in Connecticut with a 17-month-old child in the back seat and then robbing a bank died after the vehicle struck a tree, police said Wednesday.The toddler was awake and responsive after the crash in Windsor, just north of Hartford, authorities said.Police in Windsor said they received a report shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday that someone stole a vehicle from outside a school with a child in the back seat. A short while later, police received separate reports of a bank robbery and a vehicle striking a tree, according to the Hartford Courant.Police responded to all three locations.“As officers gathered information at each location, it became apparent that all three incidents are related,” Lt. Nicholas Dally said in a statement reported by the newspaper.Police said they believe the suspect stole the car in front of the school before robbing the bank and that he then fled and crashed the stolen vehicle with the toddler still inside.T...

Cook County Sheriff unveils new tool to combat catalytic converter thefts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart unveiled a new tool Wednesday he said will help deter the ongoing and costly theft of catalytic converters across Cook County.The new tool etches a vehicle's VIN number onto the catalytic converter, making it easier for law enforcement to trace recovered stolen catalytic converters back to the original owner, while also increasing the potential for criminal charges.In May, the Cook County Sheriff's Police recovered more than 600 stolen catalytic converters from a residence in unincorporated Worth Township. According to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, more than 64,000 catalytic converters were stolen last year, making Illinois the fourth highest state for such thefts in the country. Why are Teslas, EVs stolen less often than gasoline vehicles? Moving forward, the Cook County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) will provide spray painting and the etching program free of charge to pre-registered motorists at community events happ...

Two people killed after plane crashes into Oregon home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:37:57 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Authorities have identified the two passengers found dead in a small plane that crashed through the roof of an Oregon home Tuesday night.A number of people began calling 911 around 7 p.m. after they saw the small plan “spiraling toward the ground and crashing,” Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said. When firefighters arrived at the home in Newberg, they found the plane had crashed through the roof. Authorities also found three people inside the plane. The two passengers who died at the scene were Barrett Bevacqua, 20, and Michele Cavallotti, 22, of Hillsboro, according to the Newberg-Dundee Police Department. Officials say Bevacqua was a student pilot, and Cavallotti was an instructor with the Hillsboro Aero Academy. That blaring noise you heard? It was a test of the federal government’s emergency alert system A third passenger, 20-year-old Emily Hurd, was airlifted to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. She's reportedly a pilot in training as well. ...