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Rescuers are braving snipers and racing time to ferry Ukrainians out of Russian-occupied flood zones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — At last, help came for Vitalii Shpalin. From a distance, he spotted the small Ukrainian rescue boat traversing floodwaters that had submerged the 60-year-old’s entire neighborhood after a catastrophic dam collapse in the country’s embattled south. He and others boarded with sighs of relief — interrupted suddenly by the crackle of bullets.Shpalin ducked, and a bullet scraped his back. He felt one pierce his arm, then his leg. The boat’s rescue worker cried into the radio for reinforcements. “Our boat is leaking,” Shpalin heard him say. An elderly man died before his eyes, his lips turning blue.Their vessel, taking civilians to safety in Kherson city across the river, had been shot by Russian soldiers positioned in a nearby house, according to Ukrianian officials and witnesses on the boat. “They (Russians) let the boats through, those coming to rescue people,” Shpalin said. “But when the boats were full of people, they started shooting.”Massive flooding f...

Man arrested for series of ATM heists across Southern California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

A Riverside man was arrested in connection to a series of brazen ATM thefts across Southern California.The suspect was identified as Paul Kolacki, 34, by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Kolacki is accused of stealing at least 29 ATMs across multiple cities and counties.On Jan. 15, around 10:40 p.m., deputies responded to a burglary call in the 300 Block of Wilkerson Avenue in Perris. The victim received a notification that his business was being burglarized and responded to the scene.The victim witnessed two suspects stealing an ATM using a tow strap connected to the tow hitch of their Ford Ranger pickup truck. The thieves loaded the ATM into the back of the truck before fleeing the scene.Investigators later discovered there were nine ATM burglaries that occurred throughout Murrieta, Menifee, Perris, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley, and Norco.An additional 20 ATM burglaries also occurred in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego. Thousands prote...

Hernández hits go-ahead HR, Mariners strike out 16 and beat White Sox 3-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, rookie Bryan Woo struck out nine and the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 Friday night for their third win in four games.Four Seattle pitchers combined to walk none and strike out 16, including Luis Robert four times and Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn three times each. The White Sox have struck out 32 times in their last two games, sliding to their sixth loss in eight games.Hernández broke a 2-2 tie against Tanner Banks (0-1), driving a fastball 432 feet to center. He also tied the score 1-1 with an RBI double in the fifth and is hitting .364 with three homers and 10 RBIs in June.“We’ve been taking a lot of good at-bats,” Hernández said. “The better results are not always going to be there, but you have to keep fighting. The guys have been doing that. We’re fighting until we get the opportunity to put some runs on the scoreboard.”Woo made his first home start after outings at Te...

Maryland environmental coalition petitions federal judge to halt Beltway expansion project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.A group of environmentalists and historic preservation groups challenging the expansion of Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway in U.S. District Court have asked a judge to decide the case in their favor.The coalition, which includes the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club, Friends of Moses Hall, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a motion for summary judgment in the case on Friday.The groups argue that the Federal Highway Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation failed to adequately assess and disclose the project’s impacts. The Northern Virginia Citizens Association, which filed a separate lawsuit challenging the project, joined portions of the brief.The challenge was originally filed in U.S. District Court in October.The lawsuit claims that expanding the hig...

Need help finding important emails in your inbox? Data Doctors has some tips

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Q: Why can’t I get an important email message containing a link that I need but other messages from the same company come through just fine?A: Few things in the tech world are as frustrating as waiting for an important email message that never comes.One of the common scenarios is when you’re attempting to reset a password and the reset message never shows up.There are a number of possibilities for this aggravating situation, some of which you can control and others you can’t.Spam filtersThe most likely cause for the unreceived message is a spam filter somewhere along the line, not just the one you control through your email interface.The first place you’d want to look is in your Spam or Junk folders; if it is there, you’ll want to tell your email program that it isn’t spam.Each program has a different approach, so you’ll need to search the support forums for the specific steps for your email program.For instance, Gmail has a ‘Not Spam’ button when you click on a message in the Spam ...

At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border, 8 in critical condition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — At least 25 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border, 8 in critical condition.Source

17 and 18-year-old charged with killing District Heights teenager during carjacking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Two teenagers have been charged with killing 18-year-old Kendall Batson of District Heights during a carjacking in an elementary school parking lot, according to Prince George’s County Police.Police say Lavelle Harris, 18-year-old, of Washington, D.C., was charged with first and second degree murder, armed carjacking and related charges. The other suspect, a 17-year-old boy from District Heights, is charged with conspiracy to commit first and second degree murder, armed carjacking and related charges, according to the police.Authorities say the teenagers attempted a carjacking in a parking lot at North Forestville Elementary School on Ritchie Road in Forestville, Maryland, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11.When officers arrived on the scene they found Batson suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after.Officials believe the teenagers charged with killing Batson did not know him before the shooting. Both teenage suspects are held without b...

Giants rally for 7-5 win over Dodgers after getting no-hit for 6 innings by LA rookie Emmet Sheehan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brandon Crawford singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 on Friday night after getting no-hit for six innings by Emmet Sheehan in his major-league debut.The Dodgers’ bullpen imploded once again, giving up five runs after Sheehan departed.But they rallied to tie it at 5 in the ninth on Freddie Freeman’s infield single to second off Camilo Doval. They had the potential winning run at third in the 10th but pinch-hitter Austin Barnes took a called third strike to end the inning.Designated runner Patrick Bailey began the 11th at second and took third on Mike Yastrzemski’s sacrifice fly to center off Alex Vesia (0-4). James Outman fired to third in an attempt to get Bailey, whose left foot came over the bag. But the tag didn’t stay on his right knee and he was called safe in a play that was reviewed.Crawford, who was hitless in his first four at-bats, singled to right, sco...

Gallen strikes out 7 as the Diamondbacks beat the Guardians 5-1 to end a 3-game slide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Forget those questions about Zac Gallen’s velocity. Arizona’s ace can still bring it.And he’s still the Diamondbacks’ best answer to a losing streak.Cranking out mid-90s fastballs early, Gallen (8-2) struck out seven in six effective innings and the Diamondbacks ended a three-game losing streak by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 on Friday night.“Raise the alarms,” Gallen joked. “I think we can put that to rest. I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand a little bit better, certainly feel a little bit of a semblance of how I wanted to feel.”The Diamondbacks bounced back from losing three of four to Philadelphia with a solid all-around game to kick off Cleveland’s first series at Chase Field since 2017.Gallen was sharp coming off a rare shaky start, giving up a solo homer to José Ramírez in the fourth inning and four singles. Arizona took advantage of five walks by last-minute Cleveland starter Touki Toussaint (0-1) to take an earl...

Doctors advise people over 60 to stay indoors as India’s northern state swelters in extreme heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least 34 people have died in the past two days as a large swath of the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh swelters under severe heat, officials said Saturday, prompting doctors to advise residents over 60 to stay indoors during the daytime.The dead were all over 60 years old and had preexisting health conditions that may have been exacerbated by the intense heat. The fatalities occurred in Ballia district, some 300 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.Twenty-three deaths were reported Thursday and another 11 died Friday, Ballia’s Chief Medical Officer Jayant Kumar said.“All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” Kumar told The Associated Press on Saturday. He said most of the deaths were because of heart attack, brain stroke and diarrhea.Diwakar Singh, another medical officer, said these people were admitted to Ballia’s main hospital in critical condit...