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Homes destroyed, 4 reported dead from Papua New Guinea quake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An earthquake in a remote region of Papua New Guinea killed four people and destroyed more than 300 homes, local media reported, as disaster relief officials worked to further assess damage Tuesday.The magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck in a remote region early Monday, causing deep fissures in the land near the epicenter at Chambri Lake in the northern part of the Pacific nation.The region is marked by swamps and people tend to live subsistence lives hunting and fishing, Mathew Moihoi, the acting assistant director of the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory, told The Associated Press. Because of the region’s remoteness and patchy communications, it could take several days to figure out the extent of the damage, he said.Citing local officials, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier newspaper reported four people had died and at least 17 more people were injured after the quake caused damage in 23 villages around the epicenter Moihoi said he’d heard repor...

'The next second, I was buried alive:' Survivors of Apollo Theater collapse return to Belvidere

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

BELVIDERE, Ill. — Violet Munoz was one of the 260 people attending a heavy metal concert at the Apollo Theater last Friday night when an EF-1 tornado tore through."You could hear screaming," Munoz said. "I didn't know if the world was ending, or it was a tornado."Damage from the storm caused so much damage, the roof of the theater came crashing down, killing at least one person, while also injuring more than 40 others.Munoz was hospitalized and returned to the theater Monday to collect her jacket that was left behind in the chaos."I was pulled from the rubble by my boyfriend Eric Biel," Munoz said. "He's a hero and everyone in there, they rallied together." Gov. JB Pritzker visits Apollo Theater after deadly tornado hits Belvidere Genie Beers was inside the building with her sons when the tornado hit."It was just screaming and panic and my first thought was where's my mom?" Beers' son said.Beers said she was standing front row when the roof began to collapse."I drove by yesterday ...

Lori Vallow: Jury selection begins in Idaho slain kids' trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

(NewsNation) — Until November 2019, the names of Lori Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell weren't widely known. That all changed two days before Thanksgiving, when Lori Vallow's two children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and soon-to-be 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, went missing in Idaho. Tylee and JJ's remains were later found on Chad Daybell's property. Now, Lori Vallow is on trial. Jury selection started Monday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. The unhinged family dynamic started two years earlier when Lori Vallow, a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — and once described as a patient, wonderful mother — started reading and studying books by author Chad Daybell.These books were about preparing for the end of the world. Cult experts say Daybell, who followed a group called "Preparing a People," took the organization's teachings to another extreme. He would talk about "zombies" and souls leaving bodies. "What Chad Daybell taught his followers was that there...

Bill passes Texas Senate that would crack down on catalytic converter thieves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Senate passed a bill on Monday that would issue harsher penalties for people involved in catalytic converter thefts."This has become a very violent crime, a very sophisticated crime," said Texas Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, one of the bill's authors. The legislation puts stricter punishments in place for individuals even found in possession of catalytic converters. PREVIOUS: Texas lawmakers hope their effort could stop catalytic converter thefts "There's no good reason you should be in possession of a catalytic converter, and the presumption should be that it was stolen because this is not a victimless crime," said Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston. People who are in possession of the car parts for legitimate business reasons would be exempt. The legislation also aims to specifically stop crime rings that target the car parts by making it a first-degree felony for anyone involved with possessing more than $300,000 worth of converters. If suspects are ...

John Shipley: Wild proving there’s nothing wrong with being grinders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

When this space last visited Xcel Energy Center, the home team was trounced by the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-1, and holding onto the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.It wasn’t difficult to see why.After relying on a potent offense to earn a franchise-best 113 points, a mark that included 25 come-from-behind wins, the Wild were playing like a team with an offense capable of rallying for 25 victories.The Wild still aren’t that team, yet since that Feb. 9 loss, the Wild were on a 17-3-5 tear when they played host to Vegas on Monday night. In fact, they’re actually scoring less during this hot streak — averaging 2.96 goals over their past 25 games against 3.03 a game in the first 51.That’s because they’re giving up 2.2 goals a game in those 25 games. There was a lot made of the fact that after in early February, the Wild ranked 28th among the NHL’s 32 teams in even-strength goals. Well, guess what? They still do, yet they started Monday night’s game first in the Central Di...

Wild fall to Golden Knights in a shootout despite solid effort

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

The rematch was 48 hours in the making after the Wild dropped what they felt was a winnable game to the Vegas Golden Knights over the weekend.In the end, though, the Wild suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Golden Knights, which, in turn, is going to make winning the Western Conference incredibly tough.With the result, the Wild (44-23-10, 98 points) are now five points back of the Golden Knights (48-22-7, 103 points) with a week and a half to go.It was a slow start for the Wild as they lacked energy in the first period, culminating with Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar making it 1-0.Not long after that, Matt Boldy absorbed a reckless hit from Golden Knights winger Brett Howden along the boards, and Joel Eriksson Ek immediately rushed to his defense.Though the Wild ended up on the penalty kill, the sequence seemed to pull them into the fight.That poured over into the second period and Brandon Duhaime promptly tied the game at 1-1 with a nice individual effort. The pressure contin...

Crews prepare for next round of potential severe weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO. - Emergency management operations are making preparations Monday ahead of another round of potentially severe weather on Tuesday.“We get resources ready to deploy out in case we need them in the field," said Capt. Chris Hunt, director of St. Charles Regional Emergency Management. "We have personnel on call to deploy rapidly out to the community. There are several ways that we alert the public. The National Weather Service alerts the public through their app and also the warning sirens that we have deployed around the county.”He said to make sure your cell phone is fully charged, and the volume is turned up. Top story: Timeline of severe weather near St. Louis Tuesday “At nighttime, those sirens are not designed to be heard inside. Most of us can hear them inside, but that’s not what they’re designed for," Hunt said. "We ask that the public make sure that the settings on their cell phones allow them to get notifications during severe weather."A spokesperson ...

Critically wounded Hermann officer headed to Colorado for intensive medical care and therapy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It was unclear whether he would survive. But now, a Hermann police officer is entering a promising new chapter with his recovery.Adam Sullentrup, 31, is headed to a state-of-the-art medical facility where he will receive specialized medical care and therapy. Sullentrup will spend the next several weeks at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.“It was a like a weight being lifted off my shoulders knowing that he gets to go there. And get the best care possible,” said Michelle Sullentrup, Adam's wife. Top story: Timeline of severe weather near St. Louis Tuesday Adam and his partner, Det. Sgt. Mason Griffith, were shot while trying to arrest a suspect at a convenience store on March 12.Griffith, a father and husband, succumbed to his injuries. Adam was in an extremely critical condition. He was shot in the head, and a small section of his brain had to be removed to reduce swelling. He remained in the neuro-ICU at Mercy Hospital. Earlier on, there was no movement, response...

Carson Briere, son of former Avs’ Danny Briere, dismissed from Mercyhurst hockey team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

ERIE, Pa. — The son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager and former Avalanche forward Danny Briere has been dismissed from the Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team after a video showed him and another athlete at the school pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase.Mercyhurst posted Monday night on Twitter that Carson Briere “has been removed” from the team. The school said it cannot comment further on the situation.Police in Erie filed charges of criminal mischief, criminal conspiracy to commit mischief and disorderly conduct against Carson Briere last month. Patrick Carrozzi, listed as a senior member of the school’s lacrosse team, faces the same three charges, according to documents filed with District Judge Sue Mack.The two are scheduled to appear in court on May 22.Briere and Carrozzi are seen on a surveillance video at the top of a staircase of a local bar, where they push the wheelchair down the steps on March 11.Related ArticlesColorado Avalanche | ...

Keeler: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese trash talk isn’t good for women’s sports in Colorado, elsewhere. It’s great for it. “You need a villain.”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:57 GMT

A basketball game with 10 Tim Duncans would be friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, and reverent. Also, boring as holy heck.Give me personalities. Give me a Patrick Beverley. Give me a Xavier McDaniel, a Charles Barkley or a John Starks. Give me a Bill Laimbeer. Give me somebody to boo.So you be you, Angel Reese. You, too, Caitlin Clark. Talk as much trash as you like. Wherever you like. Whenever you like.“If I scored a 3-pointer, I’m not raising three fingers in the air as I’m running back,” Jane Wahl, the trailblazing first women’s basketball coach in CU history, told me Monday from her home in Nebraska. “But I’m not that level of athlete, either.”LSU and Iowa played for the NCAA women’s basketball title Sunday, and folks were still talking about it Monday. Why? Because the Hawkeyes’ Clark is this insane hybrid of Steph Curry, Pete Maravich and Nikola Jokic. She’s fun. She’s fast. She shoots from the half-court logo without batting an eyelid.She’s also copped actor/wrest...