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Methane big part of ‘alarming’ rise in planet-warming gases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

Methane in the atmosphere had its fourth-highest annual increase in 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported, part of an overall rise in planet-warming greenhouse gases that the agency called “alarming.”Though carbon dioxide typically gets more attention for its role in climate change, scientists are particularly concerned about methane because it traps much more heat — about 87 times more than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. Methane, a gas emitted from sources including landfills, oil and natural gas systems and livestock, has increased particularly quickly since 2020. Scientists say it shows no sign of slowing despite urgent calls from scientists and policymakers who say time is running out to meet warming limits in the Paris Agreement and avoid the most destructive impacts of climate change.“The observations collected by NOAA scientists in 2022 show that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at an alarming pace and will persist in the atmosphe...

Police: Woman abducted in NY killed in shootout after police chase in Va.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

A woman who police say was abducted from her home in New York was killed in a shootout following a police chase in Prince William County, Virginia, Wednesday night.The man suspected of abducting 34-year-old Tatiana David — identified as Michael C. Davis of Richmond — was also shot and suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.More Virginia NewsMore Local NewsAuthorities said David and Davis had been in a previous relationship and had a four-year-old child together.A news release from New York State Police said Virginia state troopers spotted the white Jeep Cherokee that Davis was driving crossing into Virginia at about 9:25 p.m. Wednesday.When Virginia troopers tried to pull the Jeep over on Interstate 95 near the Backlick Road exit in Springfield about 9:40 p.m., they said the driver sped away, crashing into a guardrail in Dumfries and continuing south toward Exit 148 in Stafford.The Jeep then crashed into a wooded area at about 10:05 p.m., police said, at which point Davis e...

Magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded in central Oklahoma

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

CARNEY, Okla. (AP) — A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was among a series of six tremors that struck central Oklahoma on Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No injuries or serious damage were reported following the quakes that also included a magnitude 3.3 temblor and began early Thursday near the town of Carney, about 40 mile (64 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City.The other quakes ranged from 1.6 to 2.3 in magnitude, according to the U.S.G.S.“I know the earthquake was definitely felt here because I received a lot of phone calls early this morning,” said spokesperson Dawn Jones with the city of Stillwater, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of quake’s epicenter.No damage or injuries were reported in the city, Jones said, or on the campus of Oklahoma State University, according to OSU spokesperson Shannon Rigsby.Thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes have been recorded in Oklahoma during the past decade and have been linked to oil and gas produ...

Native activist LaDuke resigns from environmental group

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Native American activist Winona LaDuke has resigned as executive director of the Indigenous-led environmental group Honor the Earth after the organization lost a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former employee.LaDuke announced her resignation Wednesday in a Facebook post, saying she failed Margaret Campbell by not responding sufficiently to her allegations of sexual harassment by a coworker in 2014 and 2015. A Minnesota jury awarded Campbell $750,000 last week in the suit against Honor the Earth. “I take personal responsibility for the mistakes made,” LaDuke wrote. “I was the executive director, and it was my job to create a good foundation to heal and move forward.”LaDuke, 63, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, is best known for leading opposition to Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline across northern Minnesota in 2021 and participated in protests against the Dakota Access pipeline near North Dakota’s Standing Rock Re...

Live Updates| Tiger Woods struggling early at the Masters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Latest from the first round of the Masters (all times local):11:40 a.m.Tiger Woods is off to a rough start at the Masters.The 47-year-old five-time champion is 2 over after five holes following bogeys at the par 4 third and fifth holes. Woods has fallen five shots behind leader Cameron Young, who leads the field at 3 under.Woods is competing in his 25th Masters.___10:40 a.am.Tiger Woods opened his 25th Masters with a par on the first hole at Augusta National while playing in front of a huge crowd, many stacked rows deep standing on tippy toes hoping to catch a glimpse of the generational star.Even before Woods took to the course, fans flocked to see him on the practice tee.The five-time champion is now 47 and admitted earlier this week he’s not sure how many more Masters tournaments he has in him.Woods, who walks with noticeable limp at times, is still recovering from a car crash in suburban Los Angeles where he crushed bones so badly in his legs that doctors...

Man found in crawl space grave killed over catalytic converter altercation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — After the body of a 36-year-old man was found in a “clandestine grave” in the crawl space of an Aurora condo Wednesday, police have released an affidavit explaining the man was allegedly killed by his "best friend" after he assumed he was a police informant. On Tuesday, Casie Bock, 29, was arrested after a Crime Stoppers tip was submitted about a man who had been murdered six to eight months ago and buried in her crawl space. King Soopers security guard fired after he was punched by shoplifter FOX31 obtained the arrest affidavit from the Aurora Police Department outlining the circumstances surrounding the homicide investigation. Police identified the victim as Karl Beaman Jr. Victim's relative had concerns about his whereaboutsOn April 1, an officer with APD received a call from a woman in Phoenix who identified herself as a relative of Beaman. They told the officer they were worried about him and had not talked to him since May, which was unusual.The relati...

‘It’s an especially bad time’: Tech layoffs are hitting ethics and safety teams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

(CNN) — In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, as online platforms began facing greater scrutiny for their impacts on users, elections and society, many tech firms started investing in safeguards.Big Tech companies brought on employees focused on election safety, misinformation and online extremism. Some also formed ethical AI teams and invested in oversight groups. These teams helped guide new safety features and policies. But over the past few months, large tech companies have slashed tens of thousands of jobs, and some of those same teams are seeing staff reductions.Twitter eliminated teams focused on security, public policy and human rights issues when Elon Musk took over last year. More recently, Twitch, a livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, laid off some employees focused on responsible AI and other trust and safety work, according to former employees and public social media posts. Microsoft cut a key team focused on ethical AI product development. And Facebo...

Over $69 million in illegal narcotics offloaded by Coast Guard at Port Everglades

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded a big bust at Port Everglades.The crew of USS Farragut (DDG 99) offloaded approximately 2,314 kilograms of cocaine and 1,986 pounds of marijuana worth a combined $69 million, Tuesday. Courtesy USCGCourtesy USCGThe drugs were seized from four go-fast smuggling vessel interdictions by the Farragut crew with an embarked Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 406 and Navy Combat Element (CEL), the Coast Guard said in a news release. “We were proud to work with the U.S. Coast Guard on the frontline of the threat that transnational drug trafficking presents to national security,” said Cmdr. Nicholas Gurley, commanding officer of USS Farragut. “Our experienced crew, HSM-60 CEL One and the members of our LEDET were essential to the success of this operation.”

3 men convicted in murder of South Florida rapper XXXTentacion face sentencing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

It is sentencing day for three men who were convicted in the murder of South Florida rapper XXXTentacion. Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were convicted of first-degree murder back in March. They are expected to be sentenced, Thursday afternoon. XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, was murdered in 2018 at Riva Motorsports in Deerfield when the three men robbed and stole $53,000 from him. Onfroy was 23 years old.During their trial, prosecutors showed jurors photos and video of the three posing with wads of cash. The jury deliberated for more than a week before they handed out the guilty verdicts. The three will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

‘Something is going to go boom’: IMF chief warns of a more fragile global economy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:47 GMT

The head of the International Monetary Fund warned of increasing vulnerabilities to the global economy as the world’s largest central banks continue to tamp down on stubbornly high inflation.“There is simply no way that interest rates would go up so much after being low for so long and there would be no vulnerabilities. Something is going to go boom,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told POLITICO’s Ryan Heath at an event hosted by the Meridian International Center ahead of the annual IMF-World Bank spring meetings next week in Washington.Georgieva cautioned that a more fragile global economy will bring slower growth and greater financial fragility. The IMF, which provides financial lifelines to countries in distress and monitors the health of the global economy, projects global growth to remain around 3 percent over the next five years, the lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990.But she said she did not think the world economy was headed toward a replay o...