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United CEO apologizes after taking private jet while thousands of passengers stranded

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

(AP) -- United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby apologized Friday for hopping on a private plane to get out of the New York area earlier this week while thousands of United passengers were stranded because the airline canceled so many flights.“Taking a private jet was the wrong decision because it was insensitive to our customers who were waiting to get home," Kirby said in a statement issued by the airline. “I sincerely apologize to our customers and our team members who have been working around-the-clock for several days — often through severe weather — to take care of our customers.” Unions blame United for airline’s ongoing travel issues Kirby concluded by promising "to better demonstrate my respect for the dedication of our team members and the loyalty of our customers.”Kirby caught the private flight from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Denver on Wednesday, when United canceled 750 flights — one-fourth of its schedule for the day. That figure does not include flights on United Express.Uni...

What to do if you see seemingly illegal fireworks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- It's illegal to use fireworks that explode or leave the ground in Colorado without the proper certifications. The only permissible fireworks in the state, according to Colorado law, may not contain more than 50 milligrams of explosive composition and includes fountains, ground spinners, illuminating torches, dipped sticks and sparklers, trick noisemakers and tube devices. Where to watch Colorado’s 4th of July fireworks, drone shows this year Despite fireworks being outlawed, you still might see them, especially around the Fourth of July. If you see anything that explodes or launches into the air, police say you should report it, but not by calling 911."We get it. You hear the fireworks going off and know that Aurora doesn't allow anything that explodes or leaves the ground. It's annoying," the Aurora Police Department said in a tweet. "But calling 911 isn't the best way to let us know."How to report illegal firework usage and salesSince fireworks are illegal throu...

New immigration, permitless gun carry laws go into effect across Florida amid protests, concerns

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

Out of more than 200 new laws that have gone into effect in Florida this weekend, two are drawing the most attention — and generating the most controversy: permitless carry and a new immigration law.When it comes to immigration employers of 25 or more people are now required to go through a federal e-verify system to ensure employees are in the country legally. If a business does not use the system, they’ll be penalized.In addition, if an employer knowingly employs an undocumented worker, the penalty is now a second-degree felony.On Saturday morning, an event was held in Northwest Miami-Dade to help immigrants understand the new law.“How it is that through our office we can assist them, in case they have any type of difficulties,” said Vanessa Calva Ruiz, Director General of Consular Protection and Strategic Planning at the Foreign Ministry.7News cameras on Saturday afternoon captured a rally in Miami in protest of the new immigration law....

Crews put out fire at Northwest Miami-Dade apartment building; no reported injuries

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

Firefighters raced to put out flames at an apartment building in Northwest Miami-Dade.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the blaze along Northwest 26th Avenue, near 68th Street, at around 10:30 a.m., Saturday.Fire and smoke spread through the building as crews battled the flames.Some of the windows were boarded up, forcing firefighters to remove them.No injuries were reported.

Storms, smoke and heat threaten Fourth of July travel and holiday weekend plans

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

(CNN) — Mother Nature will threaten Fourth of July travel and holiday plans as severe storms, record heat and wildfire smoke converge on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.AAA projects more than 50 million people will take to the roads or skies over the next few days, and millions of them will have to contend with potential disruptions from storms.More than 100 million people face the risk of damaging winds, tornadoes or hail in the next 48 hours. This, after tens of thousands of flight delays and thousands of flight cancellations have created travel chaos for more than a week.Atlanta, St Louis, Nashville, and Cincinnati face the biggest threat for air travel disruptions Saturday. For Sunday, storms in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic could cause interruptions to major airports in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.A level 3 of 5 enhanced risk for severe storms is in place for portions of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, including St. Louis and Louisvi...

US forest managers urge Silly String instead of fireworks, but some environmentalists say not so fast

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

Smokey Bear said it best: “Only you can prevent wildfires.”Following in the footsteps of their famous mascot, U.S. Forest Service managers in the drought-stricken Southwest are urging people to swap their fireworks this Fourth of July for glow sticks, noisemakers and cans of red, white and blue Silly String.Not so fast, say some environmentalists. While it’s worth encouraging folks not to use fireworks amid escalating wildfire danger, they say it’s kind of silly that federal land managers would suggest using aerosol cans of sticky party string out in nature.The advice began to pop up in recent weeks, with regional forest officials and the New Mexico State Forestry Division pumping out public service announcements offering alternatives aimed at curbing human-sparked blazes.They used a template that echoed similar advice from the National Fire Protection Association and even American Red Cross chapters in others states.“These are alternatives for children and young people ...

Carlsbad native sets pull-up world record

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One Carlsbad man has completed more than 200,000 pull ups and counting.“It’s been a journey,” says Jordan Veiga.Veiga set a world record in mixed grips pull-ups, two actually. He pumped out thousand per day for 180 days straight, setting the record for most pull-ups in one month and in six months.“No rest days at all, not one rest day for the entire year. Just super proud of myself, I’ve never worked this hard in my life,” says Veiga. Local youth hockey players set to compete in international tournament The 28-year-old's hard work not only transformed into a world record, it also transformed his body.“I was 15 pounds heavier, I was thin. My body adapted and I got a lot stronger,” says Veiga.The Carlsbad native also credits his friends for pushing him on his record-breaking pull-up day. “They pushed me to my limits. I set a new PR for myself. I did 780 pulls in a hour time frame. The most I’ve ever done is 650 pull ups,” says Veiga.HIs new PR earned him another world r...

Elon Musk imposes daily limits on reading tweets

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

Thousands of people logged complaints about problems accessing Twitter on Saturday after owner Elon Musk limited most users to viewing 600 tweets a day — restrictions he described as an attempt to prevent unauthorized scraping of potentially valuable data from the site.The crackdown began to have ripple effects early Saturday, causing more than 7,500 people at one point to report problems using the social media service, based on complaints registered on Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages. Although that’s a relatively small number of Twitter’s more than 200 million worldwide users, the trouble was widespread enough to cause the #TwitterDown hashtag to trend in some parts of the world.Rate limits increasing soon to 8000 for verified, 800 for unverified & 400 for new unverified https://t.co/fuRcJLifTn— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023The service disruptions cropped up a day after Twitter began requiring people to log on to the service in order to view tweets...

Mourners bury slain teen as Macron scraps trip, officials again deploy tens of thousands of police

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

NANTERRE, France (AP) — Hushed and visibly anguished, hundreds of mourners from France’s Islamic community formed a solemn procession from a mosque to a hillside cemetery on Saturday to bury a 17-year-old whose killing by police has triggered days of rioting and looting across the nation.Underscoring the gravity of the crisis, President Emmanuel Macron scrapped an official trip to Germany after a fourth straight night of unrest across France. Officials said they were again deploying 45,000 police to the streets nationwide in an effort to head off a fifth night of violence. Some 2,400 people have been arrested overall since the teen’s death on Tuesday. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted late Saturday that 200 riot police would be mobilized in the port city of Marseille, where TV showed footage of tear gas and officers in the streets as night fell. Police said 29 people were arrested there, and at least 37 were arrested in Paris near the Champs-Elysées, where police vans ...

Nearly 200 households in need of shelter after moving day in Quebec

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:45:50 GMT

Quebec’s housing agency says almost 200 households have been forced to find temporary shelter after being unable to find a new place to live on the province’s annual moving day.The Société d’habitation du Québec says it is aware of 178 households that have been forced to stay with friends or family — or who are being housed in hotels.Véronique Laflamme, a spokeswoman for a Quebec tenants group, says as of Friday it was aware of 680 tenant households that had asked for help after being unable to sign a new lease. She says that number likely underestimates the real situation as many households haven’t asked for help.Quebec Premier François Legault and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante encouraged residents to contact authorities if they were unable to find a place to live.The vast majority of residential leases in Quebec end on June 30, a vestige of a colonial-period law indented to protect tenant farmers from evictions during the winter. This report by The Canadian...