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Arizona’s Oak Flat is sacred land to some Native Americans, but it’s endangered by a plan for a mine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

OAK FLAT, Ariz. (AP) — Azee Romero climbed barefoot on the wrinkled trunk of the massive Emory oak tree at the center of the Oak Flat Campground.The 5-year-old in his black dinosaur t-shirt with hair tied under a backwards baseball cap scaled higher and higher until he found the perfect seat. There, cradled by the sturdy trunk, the boy flashed a gap-toothed smile and rested comfortably as if he’d just climbed onto the lap of a grandparent.In fact, that centuries-old oak tree and the ground below it – the sacred, ancestral flats that stretch for miles east of Phoenix — are like kin to Azee’s family. “My little guy, his umbilical cord is buried here,” said Azee’s mother, Lian Bighorse. She said the connection to Oak Flat is physical as well as spiritual. The family is Chiricahua Apache and Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Bildagoteel, is a consecrated place used for prayer and ritual by them and many other Native Americans in the region. Elders say the land was blessed by Usen, their Creat...

Airline delays and cancellations are bad. Ahead of the holiday weekend, they’re getting worse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

Travelers are getting hit with delays at U.S. airports again early Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers.As of early morning, nearly 1,300 flights have been delayed in the U.S., according to FlightAware. Cancellations neared 700 flights. Cancellations and delays were most severe along the East Coast early and were growing worse rapidly. Disruptions are expected to spread West. The delays are being compounded by thunderstorms that raked the Northeast on Tuesday. At various times, the Federal Aviation Administration held up flights bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York and Reagan Washington National and Baltimore-Washington airports near the nation’s capital.About 6,500 flights were delayed and about 1,900 canceled on the East Coast Tuesday. United Airlines, with a major hub in Newark, New Jersey, canceled about 500 flights or ...

Pakistani security forces say they killed an Islamic State commander in a raid on a militant hideout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces Wednesday killed an Islamic State group commander and two other militants during a raid on a militant hideout near the border with Afghanistan, the military said.The raid was conducted in Bajur, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, the military said.It said IS commander Shafi Ullah was one of three insurgents killed. He was wanted by the Pakistani government, which alleges he was involved in attacks on security forces and had killed innocent civilians.Security forces also seized weapons and ammunition from the hideout and were carrying out a clearance operation of the area, the military said. Pakistan’s military has carried out massive operations in recent years in the tribal belt along the Afghan border, which served as a safe haven for local and foreign militants for decades. However, militants still carry out attacks in the region. The Associated Press

Dental care to cost $3B less than budgeted unless provinces drop coverage PBO says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

OTTAWA — The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the promised federal dental insurance plan will cost nearly $3 billion less than the government budgeted, assuming provincial governments don’t drop their coverage. The Liberals promised a stand-alone dental insurance plan for low- and middle- income Canadians who don’t have private insurance as part of its supply and confidence deal with the NDP last year.The program is expected to launch before the end of 2023, starting with qualifying people under the age of 18, people with disabilities and seniors. The Liberals initially set aside $5.3 billion over five years to launch the program, but increased that amount to $13 billion in the last federal budget.The Parliamentary Budget Officer’s latest costing note suggests the cost will be closer to $10.1 billion thanks in part to existing dental coverage, copayments and cost-recovery efforts.However the note warns that if provinces drop their coverage and refer people to...

USA Today resumes its bestseller list for books after monthslong hiatus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — USA Today’s weekly list of bestselling books, a publishing fixture that had been on hiatus since December, returned Wednesday. “We couldn’t be more thrilled because this content is important to our vast audience and uniquely supports the communities we serve,” Kristin Roberts, Gannett Media’s chief content officer, said in a statement.Gannett had not run the list since Mary Cadden, the longtime compiler, was among hundreds laid off late last year. According to Erik Bursch, senior vice president for product and engineering, the logging of sales figures — entered manually by Cadden — has been automated. The list otherwise will be managed by the paper’s books editor, Barbara VanDenburgh.The publishing industry has long valued the USA Today rankings as a comprehensive, data-focused way of measuring the consumer market. The list, which began in 1993 and includes the top 150 books, is “based exclusively on sales analysis from U.S. booksellers including bo...

Space Disco Cowboy? Couples ditch traditional wedding dress codes in favor of out-there themes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “Space Disco Cowboy.” “Yacht Shabbat.” “Burning Man Formal”? More couples are tossing tradition when it comes to what wedding guests should wear, to some befuddlement among invitees.Maggie Long, 34, recently attended the nuptials of a close friend in a low-key Denver lounge. The suggested dress? “Dive Bar Semiformal.”“I love a theme,” said Long, who lives in New York. “It’s fun that people aren’t taking weddings so seriously, but I had no idea what that meant.” After exchanging thoughts for months with the officiant, who is also a friend, Long took her outfit idea — a strappy-back, low-cut ultra-mini purple dress with a high side slit — to the bride. The bride deemed it a bit too “Kardashian cosplay.” Long finally settled on a longer gold lamé dress by Norma Kamali, and a great time was had.“There were a lot of vintage jumpsuits. One of our friends went full 1960s with go-go boots and a bouffant. A lot of sequins were happening,” Long sa...

Man who tried to have his child-porn victim killed is headed to prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison after exchanging sexually explicit videos and images with a 13-year-old New York girl and later paying $20,000 in bitcoin to have her killed, eventually calling it off.John Michael Musbach, 34, of Haddonfield, received his 78-month prison term Tuesday during a court hearing in Camden, according to federal prosecutors. He will also have to serve three years of supervised release after prison.Musbach pleaded guilty in February to using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire plot.He began communicating online with the girl in 2015 and eventually began using those chats to request and receive sexually explicit videos and photographs of the girl, and send her similar videos and images of himself. The girl’s parents discovered the nature of the chats and notified law enforcement in New York state, where they lived.Musbach was arrested on child pornography charges...

'Very unhealthy' air still blankets Chicago area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago area is grappling with another day of unhealthy air quality as wildfire smoke from Canada lingers.An Air Quality Alert  remains the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana though Wednesday night. Counties include Cook, DuPage, Will, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, La Salle, Lake and McHenry in Illinois.People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep outdoor activities short. Others should choose less strenuous activities limit active time outdoors.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog As of 8 a.m. most of the area was still in the "very unhealthy" zone.⚠️8AM Wednesday: Air quality continues to be "very unhealthy" across Chicagoland though numbers are slowly coming down. By this afternoon, our numbers should move us down below 200 into the unhealthy category. #Chicago #smoke #WildfireSmoke 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/JgcsXeE1iM— Bill Snyder (@billyweather) Ju...

Manager allegedly exposed himself to woman at Downers Grove restaurant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — A restaurant manager was arrested after allegedly exposing himself to a female employee earlier this month in Downers Grove.Armando Romero-Mendoza, 42, of Plainfield, was charged Tuesday with public indecency.On June 5, Romero-Mendoza allegedly exposed his genitals to a woman working at a restaurant he was managing in the 5100 block of Main Street. Suburban man accused of striking 2 horses, fleeing scene He was released on bond pending a future court date.

Round Rock summer camp working to protect children from heatwave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:24 GMT

ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — With triple-digit temperatures in the forecast, summer camps in Central Texas are adjusting their outdoor activities this week.Over at the Best Kids Summer Camp in Round Rock, counselors are limiting the amount of time kids spend in the sun.Hannah Chapman is the camp’s co-founder. She says this is one of the hottest Junes she’s ever experienced in Central Texas.With this in mind, her camp recently put in place a new rule: a 15-minute limit on outdoor activities every afternoon. How often does Austin hit 100°? Here’s a breakdown by date, month, year and decade “This summer has definitely been very different from previous summers,” Chapman said. “We really had to quickly make changes to our schedule, to ensure that kids stay cool, safe and hydrated.”She says around 120 kids — ages 5 to 12 — visit her camp each week.One camper is third-grader Harrison Whalen. He said the heatwave could pose problems, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.“You could either pass ou...