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Whole families drowned in Libya’s flood. Many didn’t realize the danger until they heard dams burst

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

DERNA, Libya (AP) — The wall of water several stories high smashed into apartment buildings, drowning entire families in minutes. One man lost at least 13 members of his extended family. Fadellalah has yet to hear about the fate of another 20, several days after two dams burst above the Libyan coastal city of Derna, unleashing epic floods that wiped out neighborhoods and washed some of the dead into sea.Thousands of others like Fadellalah are frantically trying to find out who survived the rain-swollen rampage.As a powerful storm bore down on his hometown, the information technology worker in Libya’s capital of Tripoli called his family Sunday to urge them to move to higher ground. “No one expected this,” said Fadelallah, who asked that his surname not be used because he fears reprisal from government officials and armed groups who could view his story as criticism of their efforts.“Some of them didn’t have cars. They didn’t have a way to get out,” he said of his family.Torrential r...

11-year-old boy missing from Gary believed to be in 'extreme danger:' Police

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

GARY, Ind. -- An 11-year-old boy was reported missing from Gary Wednesday night and police said he is believed to be in 'extreme danger.' Damarion Dylan Martin is described as being 4 foot tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He weighs 65 pounds and was last seen wearing a blue Gary Lighthouse Charter School hoodie with navy blue pants and black New Balance shoes. Family wants answers after 19-year-old daughter found dead on Englewood porch He was last seen Wednesday evening around 6 p.m. Police said he may be in extreme danger and might need medical assistance. If any information is recovered on his whereabouts, contact 911 immediately.

Heavy surf pounds Bermuda as Hurricane Lee continues to churn

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (WFLA) — The outer bands of Hurricane Lee began to lash Bermuda late Thursday as big surf pounded the island, with the Category 2 storm expected to make landfall on the coast of New England or Atlantic Canada over the weekend.The storm was located about 295miles south-southwest of Bermuda. It had winds of up to 100 miles per hour and was moving north-northwest at 9 mph. National Hurricane Center tracking Lee, Margot and a disturbance with a 90% chance of formation Lee was expected to pass just west of Bermuda, prompting forecasters to issue a tropical storm warning for the island.”I cannot stress enough that we must all take this storm seriously,” David Burch, acting national security minister, said in a press conference.In this satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration via NASA, Hurricane Lee continues its slow west-northwest trajectory across the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (NOAA/NASA via AP)Bermuda...

Several rounds of heavy rain are heading our way

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Rounds of storms and downpours are likely Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but specific timing on these rounds would be hard to nail down. After heavy rain and storms pushed through our area Thursday morning (bringing some spots over 2" of rain), we expect a midday break of dry weather followed by another round of heavy rain moving in by the afternoon.Additional rainfall amounts will generally range between 0.5"-2", with isolated pockets of more. Although we do not expect widespread flooding issues, nuisance flooding will be possible under any well-developed storm or shower.Afternoon highs will range between the mid-80s and low 90s each day, largely dependent on when rain moves in and out. Most days will trend at or below seasonal average for this time of year.Forecast high temperatures the next 7 days NEW BLOG: Peak Atlantic hurricane season is here, what’s next? STORY: Central Texas drought ‘top one or two driest’ Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRS...

BLOG: Morning storm brings power outages

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An early morning thunderstorm Thursday has knocked out power to thousands of customers in Travis and Williamson counties. 5:13 a.m. update from Oncor: 3,977 Oncor customers in Travis County were affected by the outage and 1,928 Oncor customers in Williamson County were without power. According to Oncor's website at 5 a.m., 2,612 customers are affected by 27 outages in Williamson County and 6,425 customers are affected by 42 outages in Travis County. Oncor gave no estimated restoration time in Williamson but estimated power in Travis should be restored by 8:30 a.m.

Letters: It’s sad we need SROs at all

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

Violent, disrespectful behaviorIt is sad when our School Resource Officers feel threatened for doing what is necessary to keep our children safe in school. It is sad our elected leaders failed to listen to the law enforcement community when the bill was being debated. It is sad student behavior has become more violent and disrespectful over the years.This violent, disrespectful behavior is likely the direct result of the lack of morals and values being taught and enforced at home. Elected leaders and school leadership have allowed this behavior by blaming those trying to protect the innocent and not holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.It is sad SROs are needed at all.Steve Holupchinski, North St. Paul Capture CO2 from sludge burnersIncreasingly severe wildfires, droughts, and floods show the need to rapidly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gas we put into the atmosphere. One approach is “carbon sequestration,” capturing CO2 from point sour...

Other voices: Age is not the biggest problem for America’s senior politicians. It’s partisanship.

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

Despite all the quiet chatter about America’s aging political leadership, a slow but growing burn as we move into a new political season, it is our view that age is a crude and mostly worthless determination of fitness for office. Older people typically come with vast amounts of experience, a better sense of their own selves and a more measured view on life.Competence is what matters.The reality, of course, is that people age differently: There are 100-year-olds more capable than 80-year-olds, and 90-year-olds with minds more usually associated with those who are decades younger. And, it must be said, there are those for whom aging proceeds so rapidly, they would be incapable of handling a demanding job such as president of the United States when many of their peers would have no such difficulty.America, of course, cannot have this necessary conversation because it is so riven by partisanship.Over the last few weeks, the age issue has repeatedly come up in relation to Presiden...

Lift your spirits with these five great St. Paul happy hours

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

Restaurants are still not fully recovered from the pandemic, but a sure sign that they’re on their way is that happy hour is back, baby.Plenty of places have specials on drinks, but we are more interested in those with food specials as well. There’s almost nothing more fun than knocking off a little early and getting together with friends over a drink and a nosh.Here are five places we checked out recently that definitely left us happier than when we arrived.What’s your favorite spot for happy hour? This is research I’m glad to continue.Red RabbitPizza rolls at Red Rabbit on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)Red Rabbit has always had an amazing happy hour.It’s easy to make a meal out of the food offerings, and the drinks are inexpensive and good. Just $6 will get you a beer or glass of wine, and for $7, you can get a basic cocktail from their happy hour list — the paloma and vodka martinis were hits with my friends.As for food, I’m a huge fan of thei...

Melinda Henneberger: You can support our democracy, or you can support the party of Donald J. Trump

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

Maybe evangelicals forgot to tell their favorite libertine that it’s only in heaven that “the last shall be first, and the first last.” But at some point, the party of Donald J. Trump stopped believing that it’s up to voters to decide who gets to govern.I say this as folks who only call themselves conservative — coups d’état are never that — strategize about how to impeach Joe Biden for fun and profit. They have no high or low crimes or misdemeanors to cite. But they do have a reason, which as the light of their world wrote on Truth Social is “THEY DID IT TO US!”In Wisconsin, the former Grand Old Party is, according to The New York Times “coalescing around the prospect of impeaching a newly seated liberal justice on the state’s Supreme Court, whose victory in a costly, high-stakes election this spring swung the court in Democrats’ favor.”Justice Janet Protasiewicz has not yet heard a single case, but the p...

Obituary: Former Stillwater Township Board Chairman David Johnson served nearly 40 years

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:32:24 GMT

David Johnson went to his first Stillwater Township board meeting in the fall of 1980 to complain about the state of the township’s roads.He ended up getting elected.Former Stillwater Township Board Chairman David Johnson died Aug. 31, 2023, of melanoma. He was 75. (Courtesy of the Johnson family)Johnson went on to serve on the township board for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2018 at the age of 70. He died Aug. 31 at his house in Stillwater Township, a month and a half after being diagnosed with a fast-growing and aggressive form of melanoma. He was 75.Johnson, the longtime board chairman, was “a true statesman and a gentleman,” said town board member Sheila-Marie Untiedt.“He has always brought experience and respect to his service, but also grace and kindness,” she said. “He often started a discussion with, ‘Let me give you a little background history on that’ and proceeded to explain three-plus decades of history, outcomes and, sometimes, intrigue.”Res...