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Rescue of 41 workers trapped in collapsed tunnel in India reaches final stretch of digging

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

NEW DELHI (AP) — The rescue of 41 construction workers trapped nearly two weeks in a collapsed tunnel in northern India has reached the final stretch of digging. The drill that’s digging into the dirt and debris had made it through 44 meters (144 feet) out of approximately the 57 needed, Harpal Singh, a manager of another tunnel project who is helping with the rescue, told the Press Trust of India news agency late on Wednesday night. Once they finish excavating the additional 13 meters (43 feet), the rescuers can insert and weld together pipes through which the workers can crawl to their freedom. Singh said he hoped that the trapped workers would be rescued Thursday morning.Rescuers resumed drilling horizontally through the entrance of the tunnel Wednesday after problems with the machine forced them to stop digging last week and consider alternate rescue plans. The mountainous terrain in Uttarakhand state has proved a challenge to the drilling machine, which broke down as rescuers a...

Small Kentucky town urged to evacuate after train derails, spilling chemicals

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (AP) — A train derailed and spilled chemicals in a remote part of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to encourage residents of a small town to evacuate. Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that local officials in Rockcastle County were encouraging residents of Livingston, with a population of about 200, to evacuate. News outlets reported that a shelter was opened at a local middle school. At least 15 cars derailed in Rockcastle County, including two that spilled sulfur, railroad operator CSX told WKYT-TV. One crew member was treated at the scene for minor injuries.Beshear also declared a state of emergency in the county so more resources could be applied to the response. “By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe,” Beshear said. He urged people to avoid the area to allow state and local officials to respond. It was not immediately clear how extensive the spill was or what...

Yukon finance minister tables public accounts for last fiscal year

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says it posted a $105-million surplus in the 2022-23 fiscal year, $65 million more than it predicted.Yukon Finance Minister Sandy Silver tabled the territory’s public accounts in the legislative assembly Wednesday, reporting a multimillion-dollar surplus far above budget forecasts for the time period. The government says it had $1.86 billion in revenues and $1.76 billion in expenses, recovering nearly $4 million in expenses from prior years. The territory holds $259 million in debt as of March 31 this year, $51 million less than forecast in its past estimate. The Yukon government says it was late tabling the public accounts due to new procedures that increased the workload to prepare, and the last time it missed a legislated deadline was the 2008-09 fiscal year. The territory says revenues were higher than expected due to more than $50 million in grants from the federal government, and it also collected over $25 million more in taxes than expe...

Postal Police Union: Mail theft up, arrest numbers down

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Frank Albergo, president of the Postal Police Officers union, referred to the current state of mail theft as an "epidemic" as we head into the holidays."That means people are going to be stealing more money, more checks, more gift cards," he said. Postal police, who used to combat mail theft, have had limited power for years According to the latest report from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, there have been 109 robbery arrests related to postal crime and 530 mail theft arrests.The agency also said in a statement that it delivers millions of checks, credit cards and merchandise safely each year and that "we are currently entering the holiday shopping season, which means additional packages will be delivered in the next weeks. Those eagerly awaited packages are, unfortunately, also attractive to thieves."Albergo shared with KXAN that mail theft arrests fell by 49% from 2018 to 2022 and mail theft convictions dropped 43%.Mail theft impacting Central TexansRob Pa...

Fatal crash reported on U.S. Hwy. 281 in Blanco County

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

BLANCO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Burnet County Sheriff's Office is assisting with traffic control following a fatal crash on U.S. Hwy. 281 in Blanco County, just south of Burnet County.Officials said in a Facebook post just after 8 p.m. Wednesday traffic is extremely delayed in the area. As of 8 p.m., there was no ETA on when the roads would be cleared.Both the Blanco County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the crash. Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible.

Dru Sjodin’s mom reflects on 20 years without her child — and about her life as an advocate

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

Linda Walker, sitting in her home in rural Pequot Lakes, Minn., on Nov. 15, 2023, holds one of the last pottery pieces her daughter, Dru Sjodin, made in 2003 at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Dru loved elephants, and Walker pointed out the tiny bird atop the top hat on the piece she keeps on a shelf in a room in her home. (Nancy Vogt / Forum News Service)In Loving Memory of DruAs you wereYou will always beTreasured foreverIn our memoryThose words are inscribed on a marble plaque on the ground outside Linda Walker’s longtime home in rural Pequot Lakes, Minn., in memory of her daughter.Walker vividly recalls Nov. 22, 2003 — the day her 22-year-old daughter, Dru Sjodin, went missing.Dru Sjodin, slain University of North Dakota student. (Courtesy photo)“I was here at home. I got a call from who at that time was Dru’s boyfriend, Chris (Lang), saying that something was wrong,” Walker said while sitting in her kitchen.“It was the first Thanksgiving that my entire fami...

NYS Supreme Court upholds 2017 murder conviction

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of Edward Mero. He was found guilty in 2017 of killing his former roommate, Megan Cunningham, and Shelby Countermine, of Schenectady. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! He was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. The defense argued unsuccessfully that the two cases should not have been tried together. The victims' deaths happened about two years apart.An Albany County Supreme Court judge also upheld Mero's conviction in 2020.

Hochul: Vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls not act of terrorism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) – All four international border crossings between the United States and Canada in Western New York were closed for approximately five hours Wednesday due to a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge that killed two passengers.Sources told News 4 and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul later confirmed that the incident is not believed to be an act of terrorism, countering what some national outlets reported earlier Wednesday. See the video: Car goes airborne at Rainbow Bridge before explosion Thick smoke could be seen at the border following the explosion. Hochul said the car was moving at a very high rate of speed through downtown Niagara Falls, New York just before 11:30 a.m. when it hit a median on Niagara Street and went airborne. The vehicle flew through the air and crashed into a Customs and Border Patrol booth before exploding. "I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press conference Wednesday eveni...

Nuggets lose late to Orlando Magic despite Nikola Jokic’s triple-double, continuing shaky road trip

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. — Life on the road continues to be hard on the Nuggets, even around the holidays.Paolo Banchero made a lucky-bounce 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining for a 118-115 lead, and Denver never caught up in a 124-119 loss to the scrappy Magic on Wednesday night at Amway Center.Nikola Jokic notched a 30-point, 13-rebound, 12-assist night that was a triple-double with more than six minutes left. He also had three steals and just one turnover.The Magic went on an 8-0 run midway through the fourth to take a 112-108 lead with 3:36 remaining. The Nuggets answered with an excellent after-timeout play to get Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a three. Aaron Gordon scored a driving bucket on the next possession to give Denver the lead back and prompt an Orlando timeout.The Nuggets got a stop trailing 118-115 and called their penultimate timeout with 27.3 left, still trailing by the same score. They designed a post-up for Jokic instead of trying to immediately tie it, and he ...

2.5 magnitude quake hits 7 miles northwest of Malibu

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:04:53 GMT

An earthquake measuring 2.5 in magnitude struck just seven miles northwest of Malibu Wednesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.  The temblor hit at 6:04 p.m. at a depth of a little more than six-and-half miles.  (United States Geological Survey)While there were no immediate reports of damage, some residents in Westlake Village and Newbury Park took to X, formerly Twitter, to say that they felt the jolt.   KTLA Interactive Earthquake Map Hundreds of earthquakes are recorded in California each year. Most are extremely minor, however, dozens measure over 3.0 magnitude. According to the California Department of Conservation, the strongest quake ever recorded in the Golden State measured 7.9 magnitude and struck Fort Tejon on Jan. 9, 1857.