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A feline virus mutation in Cyprus caused far fewer cat deaths than claimed, veterinary leader says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The head of the Cyprus veterinarians association on Wednesday dismissed as greatly exaggerated the claims that a local mutation of a feline virus has killed as many as 300,000 cats on the small Mediterranean island.The director of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association, Nektaria Ioannou Arsenoglou, said the group’s survey of 35 veterinary clinics indicate an island-wide total of only about 8,000 deaths. Arsenoglou said numbers that have been presented by local animal activists and amplified by foreign media outlets “simply don’t add up.”Arsenoglou told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the local mutation of a feline coronavirus that causes Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is nearly always lethal if left untreated, but that medication can nurse cats back to health in approximately 85% of cases.Spread through contact with cat feces, neither the virus or its mutation can be passed on to humans.Specific medication that can treat both the so-called “wet” and...

Judge nixes Trump’s bid to move hush-money criminal case, keeping it in New York state court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump can’t make a federal case out of this one.U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein on Wednesday rejected the former president’s bid to move his hush-money criminal case from New York state court to federal court, ruling that Trump’s lawyers had failed to meet a high legal bar for changing jurisdiction.Hellerstein found that the allegations pertained to Trump’s personal life, not presidential duties that would have merited a move to federal court.“The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President — a cover-up of an embarrassing event,” Hellerstein wrote in a 25-page ruling. “Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts. It does not reflect in any way the color of the President’s official duties.”Hellerstein’s decision sets the stage for Trump to stand trial in state court in Manhattan as early as next spring, overlapping with the 2024 presidential primary s...

Surrey must stay with local police instead of RCMP: B.C. government

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has directed the City of Surrey to move forward with an independent police service despite its mayor and council’s determination to stay with the RCMP.The province said Wednesday that it made the decision to avoid a crisis in policing in Surrey that would have taken Mounties from other areas of the province.Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said in a statement that he has carefully considered the city’s report on moving back to the RCMP, but Surrey has not demonstrated that doing so would be safe or would not affect other communities.“People’s safety, in Surrey and across the province, is non-negotiable,” Farnworth said. The minister said he made the decision under the Police Act because the city failed to meet the requirements to stop an “exodus of Surrey Police Service officers” to staff the Surrey RCMP without pulling Mounties from other communities.The RCMP is experiencing critical vacancy problems in B.C. and across Ca...

Suburban man accused of distributing child pornography

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

CARY, Ill. — A suburban man is facing ten charges relating to a child pornography investigation.On Tuesday, Algonquin police arrested Donald Peters after executing a search warrant at his residence in Cary. Man dies from punching window of suburban bar after getting kicked out He was charged with the following offenses.Child pornography - reproduce or distribute videoChild pornography - solicits another to provideIntimidation - physical harmIntimidation - expose to hatred, contempt or ridiculeChild pornography - possess visual reproductionCyberstalking - suffer emotional distressCyberstalking - cause fear for safetyElectronic harassment - obscene messageElectronic harassment - make threatDisorderly conduct - breach of peacePeters faced a $250,000 bond and posted ten percent to be released.No other details have been provided at this time.

Powerball: 5 wildly rare occurrences that are more common than winning the jackpot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

(KGET) – It should come as no surprise that the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are quite slim at roughly 1 in 292.2 million. But don't fret, because you still have better chances of achieving similarly exceptional accomplishments, like hitting a hole-in-one, meeting the president, or … being struck by lightning?Shocking, we know. Can you increase your odds of winning the Powerball jackpot? As the experts explain, there are several wildly unlikely occurrences that are still more common than picking the winning Powerball numbers. And most — aside from being zapped by a lightning bolt — seem downright delightful. Getting struck by lightningLet's get this one out of the way: According to the National Weather Service, you have a 1 in 15,300 chance of being struck by lightning, meaning you have a better chance at the lightning lotto than Powerball. In fact, the NWS reports that the U.S. averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities per year from 1989 to 2018.The odds of being struck ...

Odds for the 16 LIV Golfers playing in the British Open at Royal Liverpool

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

(LIV Golf) - Last month in finishing fourth at the U.S. Open, Cameron Smith was happy with the way his driver performed. “Feels better than what it did last year,” he said.Two weeks ago in winning LIV Golf London, Smith wasn’t as completely satisfied, especially on the weekend as he tried to protect the lead. “I have to do some work on that,” he said. “… If there's one thing, I think it would just be tidy up that driver.”So, the question becomes upon entering this week’s Open Championship: Did Smith solve enough of whatever issues he was having with the driver to successfully defend his title? And if not, will it even matter given his prowess with the putter and his short-game ability?Despite the victory at Centurion Club, the Ripper GC captain acknowledged he’s yet to have a complete tournament, one in which he’s fired on all cylinders. But he’s definitely trending. Perhaps this week will be the culmination of the work he’s done lately to fine-tune the few parts of his game that st...

Austin to vote on standard pay rate for all city-led music performances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin could approve Thursday a new, uniform pay rate scale for musicians hired to perform at City-led music events.Currently, there isn't a universal, standardized pay rate across all City departments, and some pay discrepancies exist across departments.For example, the city's Economic Development Department approved a pay rate of $200 per musician for a City Hall performance during council meetings, while the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport currently pays musicians $150 for two 50-minute sets.In recent years, continued calls have advocated for increased wages for Austin musicians, particularly as the city's cost of living has skyrocketed. As a result, Austin City Council will weigh in on the following proposed standard pay rate for all city-led performances across departments:$200 per musician for groups of up to six people$150 per musician for groups between seven and 10 people$1,500 total for groups of musicians of 10 or moreIf approved, the i...

How to better ease the effects of climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Zolton Nagy is an assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas Austin. He authored an article on how homeowners, businesses and government entities can and should do a better job when it comes to combating the effects of climate change. Nagy said single-family homes represent about 70% of residential buildings and nearly 20% of U.S. energy consumption in Texas and the United States. Homeowners can help the effort by making energy-saving adjustments during peak hours including delaying the use of energy-heavy appliances until off-peak hours. They should adjust the thermostat during times of peak demand.He wrote about how businesses need to come up with innovative technologies that increase demand flexibility and response. They can invest in the creation of smart devices that will allow homes to better sync with what ERCOT is doing.His article also addressed the government's need to enhance its role by coming up with policies that allow for a ne...

Pregnant woman dies after truck hits alligator north of Corpus Christi, authorities say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

REFUGIO COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A woman and her unborn child are dead following a rollover crash after hitting an alligator on a Texas highway, authorities announced.Deputies with the Refugio County Sheriff's Office responded to a rollover on State Highway 35 near FM 774 early Sunday morning.Truck hits an alligator in the middle of State Highway 35 (Refugio County Sheriff's Office)According to Refugio County officials, the truck rolled over after hitting an alligator in the middle of the road. Two adults and three children involved in the rollover were transported to nearby hospitals.According to published reports, a woman, identified as Gabrielle Breaux of Louisiana, died at DeTar Hospital in Victoria.Texas Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Sgt. Harold Mallory confirmed Breaux was pregnant, the report said.Refugio County Office of Emergency Management, Tivoli Volunteer Fire Department, Refugio Volunteer Fire Department and Calhoun County EMS all assiste...

Online chat with local, undercover detective leads to east Texas teacher's child porn arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:48:26 GMT

HOUSTON (KIAH) — An educator in Smith County thought he was having an online conversation with a child.Turns out it was a Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable's Office detective posing as a minor, and the conversation they had and a two-month-long investigation led to the teacher's arrest.The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force anticipates Fabrizio Olague will face numerous charges of child pornography. Registered sex offender accused of finding 10-year-old victim on Snapchat, arrested in Hays County The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Olague while he was at a teachers' conference in Plano on Monday.His apprehension came after a search warrant was executed at his home through the collaborative efforts of the Montgomery County Precinct 1 and 2 Constables' Offices, the Montgomery County DA's Office and Texas DPS.Olague is accused of transmitting explicit materials involving minors.He's an elementary school teacher f...