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After ceasefire agreement, Israeli official says talks continuing, hostage release won’t take place before Friday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza — a diplomatic breakthrough that will free dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory.The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 deadly rampage into Israel. Now in its seventh week, the war has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires. Israel’s goals are to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza.“I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals,” Netanyahu said, adding h...

Ocean Beach Pier to remain closed until early 2024

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Ocean Beach Pier, which has been closed since Oct. 20 from recent high surf damage, will remain off-limits through the early part of 2024 due to potential structural impairment from the upcoming storm season, local officials said.Ongoing damage has plagued the pier since 2019 when it was closed for five months, costing an estimated $430,000 to repair the railings and utilities, José Ysea with the City of San Diego said in a press release Wednesday. In 2021, the pier was closed from January to July to once again repair damaged railings that costed nearly $1 million.This year, the pier's railings and buildings suffered $230,000 in damage, prompting the pier to shut down from January to early July."Over the past five years, the City has spent approximately $1.7 million to repair the pier, not including the cost of staff time and additional resources, and it has been closed to the public approximately 30% of the time due to damage," Ysea said. Fire erupts at San Diego...

Incumbent Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall wins bid for second term

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Incumbent Erin Mendenhall has won her reelection bid for mayor of Utah’s capital in a ranked-choice contest that included a challenge by Salt Lake City’s former Mayor Rocky Anderson.Ballot returns released Wednesday, which included all scannable ballots in the Salt Lake County clerk’s possession, showed Mendenhall with 58% of the vote to Anderson’s 34%, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.“As seemed pretty clear last night, these more final results clearly indicate that Mayor Mendenhall has won reelection,” Anderson said. “I wish her the very best and I hope she and her team succeeds.”Mendenhall’s campaign said Anderson called the mayor Wednesday afternoon to concede. Though the position of mayor is officially nonpartisan, the city is largely Democratic in a mostly Republican state.At her election night party Tuesday, Mendenhall told her supporters she would “regroup for a second term” with new energy and urgency.“This election ends with voters saying lo...

REVIEW: Napoleon is old fashioned, expensive movie magic

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

In the 1970s, Stanley Kubrick wanted to make a gigantic film about one of the biggest figures of French history. His film about Napoleon would’ve starred Jack Nicholson as the Emperor and Audrey Hepburn as his wife Joséphine, but the cost grew too large and the film was cancelled. While elements of the film were reused for Kubrick’s 1975 masterpiece Barry Lyndon, and Steven Spielberg is still attempting to make a miniseries about him, Napoleon hasn’t received the biopic treatment in a major motion picture in several decades. While Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure does show the often forgotten water park-loving side of him, we haven’t seen a proper take on the Emperor of France since the Golden Age of Hollywood.Vanessa Kirby and Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon, courtesy of Apple Studios.Luckily Ridley Scott (the director of Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator) is here with another banger featuring incredible battle scenes using realistic effects. At 2 hou...

More than 43,000 people went to the polls for a Louisiana election. A candidate won by 1 vote

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In the northwest corner of Louisiana, a candidate for parish sheriff demanded a recount Wednesday after losing by a single vote in an election where more than 43,000 people cast ballots. The tight race shines a spotlight on Louisiana’s recount process and its outdated voting machines, which do not produce an auditable paper trail that experts say is critical to ensuring election results are accurate. States’ recount abilities have proven to be exceedingly important, especially following the 2020 presidential election when multiple battleground states conducted recounts and reviews to confirm President Joe Biden’s victory.“This extraordinarily narrow margin … absolutely requires a hand recount to protect the integrity of our democratic process, and to ensure we respect the will of the people,” John Nickelson, the Republican candidate who trailed by one vote in last week’s election for Caddo Parish Sheriff, posted on social media Wednesday. Henry Whitehor...

Nevada judge rejects attempt to get abortion protections on 2024 ballot

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A judge has struck down an effort to enshrine reproductive rights, including abortion, in Nevada’s constitution, as abortion rights advocates in the western swing state attempt to follow other states in putting the question before voters in 2024.Judge James T. Russell in Carson City District Court concluded on Tuesday that the proposed ballot initiative is too broad, contains a “misleading description of effect” and has an unfunded mandate.The petition, if passed by voters, would have amended the state constitution to include the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, vasectomy, tubal ligation, abortion and abortion care.“This is probably the clearest case I have seen that I think there is a violation of the single-subject rule,” Russell said on Tuesday, according to KOLO-TV Reno, which first reported the ruling. “I’ve seen a lot of them over the years and in respect to this particular matte...

Fiji’s leader says he hopes to work with China in upgrading his country’s shipyards and ports

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fiji’s leader says that after meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping, he hopes to collaborate with China on upgrading his nation’s shipyards and ports. Sitiveni Rabuka made the remarks to lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday. Rabuka is generally viewed as leaning less toward China than his predecessor Frank Bainimarama, and in a visit to Australia last month, Rabuka emphasized he was “more comfortable dealing with traditional friends” such as Australia.But in his Wednesday remarks, Rabuka highlighted the economic ties his small South Pacific island nation has forged with China over 50 years of diplomatic relations. Rabuka said that in his meeting with Xi last week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco, he discussed how China’s assistance was pivotal to Fiji’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery.Rabuka said China’s Belt and Road Initiative aligned with Fiji’s development ...

More than 32,000 hybrid Jeep Wrangler SUVs recalled because of potential fire risk

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Automaker Stellantis on Wednesday announced a recall of more than 32,000 of its hybrid Jeep Wrangler SUVs because they pose a potential fire risk.As part of what the company described as a routine review of customer information, Stellantis determined that eight of the hybrid Wranglers had caught fire while they were turned off and parked. Six of the vehicles were being charged when the fires started. The company said it doesn't believe anyone was hurt in the fires. Several more children sickened by fruit pouches tainted with lead, FDA says The recall covers 2021-2024 models of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe SUVs. All other Wrangler models have been deemed safe by Stellantis, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.The SUVs affected by the recall can still be driven until they are fixed, but Stellantis is recommending they be parked away from buildings and not be charged until they can be repaired. The fixes involve either resetting or upda...

Couple graduates together after welcoming their ‘miracle baby’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

PINEVILLE, La. (KLFY) -- A Louisiana couple celebrated another milestone just two months following the birth of their "miracle baby." Shunte and Korey Harrison, of Pineville, walked across the commencement stage on Saturday and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University. Korey earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration, and Shunte earned her Associate of Science in criminal justice.The couple prevailed through some hard times while earning their degrees -- including natural disasters, illnesses and deaths in the family. Woman finds, adopts terrified girl hiding in nursing facility. Then came a second surprise They also struggled with infertility issues and went through an IVF treatment. It was all worth it when the couple got to celebrate the birth of their first child, Kyler. Shunte became a new mom on her conferral date, September 1. "It was two blessings in one," she said in an interview with the university. The couple dedic...

Dru Sjodin’s mom reflects on the past 20 years without her child — and about her life as an advocate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:19:46 GMT

Linda Walker, sitting in her home in rural Pequot Lakes, Minn., on Nov. 15, 2023, holds one of the last pottery pieces her daughter, Dru Sjodin, made in 2003 at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Dru loved elephants, and Walker pointed out the tiny bird atop the top hat on the piece she keeps on a shelf in a room in her home. (Nancy Vogt / Forum News Service)In Loving Memory of DruAs you wereYou will always beTreasured foreverIn our memoryThose words are inscribed on a marble plaque on the ground outside Linda Walker’s longtime home in rural Pequot Lakes, Minn., in memory of her daughter.Walker vividly recalls Nov. 22, 2003 — the day her 22-year-old daughter, Dru Sjodin, went missing.Dru Sjodin, slain University of North Dakota student. (Courtesy photo)“I was here at home. I got a call from who at that time was Dru’s boyfriend, Chris (Lang), saying that something was wrong,” Walker said while sitting in her kitchen.“It was the first Thanksgiving that my entire fami...