October 13, 2024 5:20 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton is still being tallied as a swath of Florida comes to terms with damage from the unusual dual strike of storms in just two weeks. Some longtime Floridians have grown accustomed to the annual cycle of storms that can shatter and upend lives in a state known mostly for its balmy weather, sunshine and beaches. Some say it’s the price of living in paradise. President Joe Biden arrived Sunday to tour the hurricane damage. Crews continued to reconnect electricity in storm-stricken communities. And lines for gasoline seemed considerably shorter as more stations opened.
October 13, 2024 5:15 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is holding large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan, deploying an aircraft carrier along with warplanes, underscoring the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait. China’s Defense Ministry says the drills are a response to the Taiwanese president’s refusal to accept Beijing’s demand that self-governed Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People’s Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party. The drills began Monday after Taiwan last week celebrated its National Day. President Lai Ching-te said in a speech marking the holiday that China has no right to represent Taiwan and declared his commitment to “resist annexation or encroachment.”
October 12, 2024 10:24 am
(AP) – Florida residents who fled hundreds of miles to escape Hurricane Milton made slow trips home on crowded highways, weary from their long journeys and the cleanup work awaiting them but also grateful to be coming back alive. Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a powerful, Category 3 hurricane but officials say the toll could have been worse if not for the widespread evacuations. The still-fresh devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene just two weeks earlier probably helped compel many people to flee. Milton killed at least 10 people when it tore across central Florida, flooding barrier islands, ripping the roof off the Tampa Bay Rays ‘ baseball stadium and spawning deadly tornadoes.
October 12, 2024 9:22 am
The Charleroi Area Public Library will be getting a technical boost. The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) has been awarded nearly $594,000 in grant funding to bolster internet access within the community. The funding will be used for the library’s “Renovate, Elevate and Adapt for Tomorrow” (REACT) project. The project is designed to enhance the library’s infrastructure and services, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of the community. The grant, funded through the federally backed Multi-Purpose Community Facilities Program, is part of a $45 million competitively awarded initiative to support projects that bolster high-speed broadband access for essential services, including work, education, and health monitoring, using community anchor institutions. Improving internet access in schools, libraries, recreation centers and non-profit organizations, this investment ensures that these facilities remain critical hubs for public benefit.
October 12, 2024 8:51 am
(AP) The Israeli military has renewed its orders for Palestinian in the northern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and shelters as troops press on a weeklong offensive against militants. The military spokesman told people to leave parts of Gaza City and other areas in and around Jabaliya, the urban refugee camp where Israeli forces carried out several major operations over the course of the war and then returned as militants regroup. In Lebanon, authorities said Friday that 60 people were killed and 168 wounded in the past 24 hours as Israel escalates its campaign against Hezbollah.
October 12, 2024 8:47 am
(AP) A Texas sheriff says two workers at a Houston-area oil refinery were killed after hydrogen sulfide leaked at the plant. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says nearly three dozen other people were either transported to hospitals or treated at the scene. Thursday’s leak set off urgent warnings for residents in the Houston suburb of Deer Park to stay indoors before authorities later determined that the public was not in danger. The plant is operated by Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company. Gonzalez says that the gas release happened during work on a flange at the facility,
October 12, 2024 7:52 am
(AP) Investigators were trying to figure out Friday what led to an elevator accident at a former Colorado gold mine that killed a tour guide. The Teller County sheriff says the elevator door was broken. Four people were injured and 12 people from a second group were trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet (305 meters) beneath the surface. The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek in the mountains near Colorado Springs. It had a mechanical problem about halfway down.
October 12, 2024 7:21 am
(AP) A military investigation has concluded that two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after a fall into deep, turbulent waters. The review obtained by The Associated Press said the drownings in January could have been prevented. Both men sank quickly in the high seas off the coast of Somalia because of the heavy equipment they were carrying. They didn’t know or disregarded concerns that their flotation devices could not compensate for the additional weight. Both were lost at sea.
October 12, 2024 5:47 am
(AP) The recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is a fast-dwindling group of atomic bomb survivors. They’re increasingly worried about their old age and the limited time to convey the firsthand horror they witnessed 79 years ago. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo for its activism against nuclear weapons. The Japanese organization of survivors, or hibakusha, see the prize and the international attention as their last chance to get their message out to younger generations. The Nobel committee noted that there is hope, and a youth movement is starting.
October 12, 2024 5:38 am
(AP) Vice President Kamala Harris’ doctor says she is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” to serve as president. Dr. Joshua Simmons is the physician to the vice president. He wrote in a two-page letter released Saturday that the 59-year-old vice president maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was “unremarkable.” Harris’ advisers hope to use the moment to draw a contrast with Republican Donald Trump and raise questions about his fitness to serve. The 78-year-old former president has released only limited information about his health over the years.
