October 9, 2024 4:53 am
The U.S. Department of Justice is considering asking a federal judge to force Google to sell parts of its business in order to eliminate its online search monopoly. In a late court filing on Tuesday, federal prosecutors also said the judge could ask the court to open the underlying data Google uses to power its ubiquitous search engine and artificial intelligence products to competitors. A federal judge ruled in August that Google’s search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation. Google plans to appeal but must wait until the remedies are decided.
October 9, 2024 4:50 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The National Hurricane Center says tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Milton are just off the western coast of Florida. Officials in a Tampa Bay-area county said Wednesday that that they’re taking buses off the roads and that it’s people’s “last chance if you need to get to a shelter.” The powerful storm’s center remains over 100 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane center stresses it is not certain exactly where Milton’s center will come ashore Wednesday night. But it says the entire Tampa Bay region and points south are at grave risk. (Photo: AP)
October 9, 2024 4:48 am
President Joe Biden is warning airlines and other companies not to overcharge people who are trying to get out of the path of Hurricane Milton. Biden said Tuesday he’s calling on the airlines to help people evacuate. The storm is bearing down on the west coast of Florida, causing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights in Tampa and other cities in the state. Travelers at airports and people posting online are collecting evidence of airfares rising sharply as the storm approaches. The airlines said they are capping fares and trying to accommodate people affected by the storm. United Airlines says economy-class seats on some flights from the Florida cities in the hurricane’s path are averaging less than $500.
October 9, 2024 4:47 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Early in-person voting is beginning in Arizona, making it the first of this year’s presidential battleground states where all residents can cast a ballot at a traditional polling place ahead of Election Day. The start of in-person voting on Wednesday in the closely contested state also is drawing the presidential tickets, with both campaigns scheduling visits there this week. Each of Arizona’s 15 counties is required to open at least one site for in-person voting, which runs until the Friday before the Nov. 5 general election. In-person voting begins next week in four more presidential swing states — Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada.
October 9, 2024 4:44 am
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A gun was found at Pittsburgh International Airport on Sunday. TSA officers found the teal handgun, which was not loaded, in a Ligonier woman’s purse. A release from TSA says the woman said she was moving and forgot she put the gun in her purse. “Forgetting where you placed your gun is no excuse,” Donald Weston, TSA’s Acting Federal Security Director for the airport, said. “Responsible owners of a firearm always know where their gun is. If you must travel with your firearm, the proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft.” This is the 34th gun found at the airport in 2024. TSA reminds travelers that bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint will result in a federal civil penalty. This applies to travelers with and without concealed carry permits.
October 9, 2024 2:40 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors acted on strengthening their version of the International Property Maintenance Code. Staff and Code Enforcement officers combed through the ordinance and adopted measures that will give code enforcement more power to investigate issues and properly write and enforce citations for violations. The adoption of the ordinance was unanimous. As of the last couple of years, properties, both commercial and residential have been allowed to decay due to lack of ability to address certain safety issues. The measures passed will now allow broader investigation of safety concerns and give enforcement officers the power to cite those property owners.
October 9, 2024 2:24 am
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) — President Joe Biden is making a rare jump into the 2024 battleground political fray since ending his reelection bid. He’ll campaign on Tuesday in Pennsylvania for a close ally and visit Wisconsin to spotlight a signature legislative achievement. But as Biden makes a quick swing through the key states, two Democratic senators locked in competitive reelection battles are taking markedly different approaches to the outgoing president. Biden was fully embraced by Sen. Bob Casey when he participated in an evening campaign fundraiser in Philadelphia with Pennsylvania’s senior senator. But in Milwaukee, where Biden spotlighted his administration’s efforts to replace the nation’s toxic lead pipes, incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin was conspicuously absent.
October 8, 2024 5:45 pm
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando’s tourism machine began grinding to a halt Tuesday with at least three major theme parks and the main airport announcing closures ahead of Hurricane Milton ’s expected hit as a major storm in Florida. Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Sea World will close their theme parks and respective entertainment facilities on Wednesday, with the latter two also closed on Thursday and Disney likely to remain closed. Universal also canceled Halloween Horror Nights scheduled for both days. The theme parks join Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked. (Photo: AP)
October 8, 2024 5:22 pm
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Two pioneers of artificial intelligence have won the Nobel Prize in physics. John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton were awarded the prize Tuesday for discoveries and inventions that formed the building blocks of machine learning. Hinton said he was flabbergasted at being honored. He said AI is revolutionizing the way we work and live but also creates new threats to humanity. Hopfield, who signed early petitions by researchers calling for strong control of the technology, compared the risks and benefits to work on viruses and nuclear energy, capable of helping and harming society. Both laureates urged vigilance in how the new technology is used.
October 8, 2024 5:19 pm
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida communities near Tampa Bay were devastated when Hurricane Helene made landfall two weeks ago about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north. Now Milton is forecast to make a direct hit on the low-lying region that has a population of more than 3.3 million people. That means as bad as Helene was, Milton could be much deadlier and destructive. Storm surge causes more deaths than high winds and can remain powerful even if winds weaken, potentially leveling homes and businesses like a battering ram. Officials say the only way people living near the coast can assure their safety is to move to higher ground. To that end, thousands of people are streaming out of the Tampa Bay region ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit. Crews are working furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from Florida’s last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one. The preparations marked the last chance for millions of people in the Tampa metro area to prepare for killer storm surges, ferocious winds and possible tornadoes in a place that has narrowly avoided a head-on blow from a major storm for generations.
