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Southwest passengers face delays after nationwide grounding

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines planes were grounded nationwide for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, causing more than 1,700 flight delays Tuesday just four months after the carrier suffered a meltdown over the Christmas travel rush.The hold on departures was lifted by late morning, shortly after it was announced, according to Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration, but not before traffic at airports from Denver to New York City backed up.“Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” the Dallas airline said in a prepared statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost.”The airline urged customers to check on their flight status “and explore self-service options” for travel as the airline worked on restoring its operati...

Malnourished dog found abandoned in North County Park

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — The San Diego Humane Society's law enforcement team is seeking public information regarding a dog who was abandoned at a North County Park.On March 28, a seven-year-old small Yorkie mix was found abandoned in a crate at Mayflower Dog Park in Escondido, SDHS said in a news release.The dog was found in near-death condition, with thick, crusty skin, missing hair and suffering from malnourishment.After being found, the dog was transported to the humane society's Escondido Campus for treatment. The veterinarian team, who named the dog Champ, worked to relive the dog's pain and suffering, SDHS said.After a week of care, the medical team was unable to save Champ and made the decision to humanely euthanize him. Dog matching description of canine abandoned at shelter found, dies “We’re less than half a mile from the park where this dog, who was already suffering, was placed to endure an extremely cold night without shelter,” Lt. Regina Price with SDHS's Humane Law Enfor...

Damar Hamlin cleared to play, 4 months after cardiac arrest

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is cleared to resume playing and is attending the team’s voluntary workout program, the latest and biggest steps in his remarkable recovery some four months after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati.“He’s fully cleared. He’s here and he is of the mindset. He’s in a great headspace to come back and make his return,” general manager Brandon Beane said Tuesday.Beane said the clearance came after Hamlin met with a third and final specialist on Friday, with all three being in agreement that Hamlin can resume playing without any fear of setbacks or complications. While the Bills had their head athletic trainer sit in on Hamlin’s meetings with specialists, Beane said the team is following the lead of the specialists.“He’s such a great kid and has such a great family, and it’s exciting to go from a guy who was fighting for his life to now,” Beane said. “His story hasn’t b...

Old NASA satellite falling to Earth, risk of danger ‘low’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

An old NASA satellite is expected to fall to Earth this week, but experts tracking the spacecraft say chances are low it will pose any danger. The defunct science satellite known as Rhessi will plummet through the atmosphere Wednesday night, according to NASA and the Defense Department.NASA said Tuesday that the reentry location is not being disclosed, given lingering uncertainty over when and where it might go down. Most of the 660-pound (300-kilogram) satellite should burn up upon return, but some parts are expected to survive. The space agency said in a statement the risk of anyone on Earth being harmed by plunging satellite pieces is “low” — about 1-in-2,467.Rhessi — short for the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager — rocketed into orbit in 2002 to study the sun. Before being shut down in 2018 because of communication problems, the satellite observed solar flares as well as coronal mass ejections from the sun. It captured images in high-energy X-rays and g...

Daylong truce reportedly reached in Sudan goes into effect

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A 24-hour cease-fire reportedly reached between Sudan’s rival generals went into effect on Tuesday, but heavy fighting raged up until the time it was supposed to begin, and it was unclear whether it would hold.The truce, reported by several Arab media outlets, was to begin Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time.Residents said they still heard gunfire and explosions in different parts of the capital Khartoum, particularly around the military’s headquarters and the Republican Palace, the seat of power. They said few people had ventured out, though there were crowds outside some bakeries.“The fighting remains underway,” Atiya Abdulla Atiya of the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate told The Associated Press. “We are hearing constant gunfire.”Forces loyal to Sudan’s two top generals continued fighting each other in the streets of Khartoum throughout the day, underscoring the fragility of efforts to bring even a pause in the intensifying violence that has threatened to spir...

Left your taxes till the last minute? Here are some tips

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’ve waited till the last minute to file your taxes, don’t panic. The tax deadline is Tuesday, but you still have time to get it done.If you are worried that you might not be able to finish in time, you can file for an extension, though that’s not ideal (more on that below.)Whether you do your taxes yourself, go to a tax clinic or hire a professional, navigating the tax system can be complicated and stressful. Courtney Alev, a consumer financial advocate for Credit Karma, recommends you go easy on yourself.“Take a breath. Take some time, set out an hour, or go through it over the weekend. You’ll hopefully see that it’s a lot simpler than you think,” Alev said.If you find the process too confusing, there are plenty of free resources to help you get through it. Here’s what you need to know:WHEN IS THE DEADLINE TO FILE TAXES?Taxpayers have until Tuesday to submit their returns from 2022. If you’re filing by mail rather than online, the retur...

Ralph Yarl’s mom: ‘Buckets of tear,’ but he’s coping well

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The mother of Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager shot when he mistakenly went to the wrong Kansas City, Missouri, home to pick up his younger brothers, said her son is crying “buckets of tears” as he comes to grips with what happened to him.“Ralph is doing considerably well,” Cleo Nagbe told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King on Tuesday. “Physically, mornings are hard, but his spirits are in a good place. I borrow from his spirits. He is in very good hands.”Nagbe said the trauma remains evident. She said her 16-year-old son is “able to communicate mostly when he feels like it, but mostly he just sits there and stares and the buckets of tears just rolls down his eyes.”“You can see that he is just replaying the situation over and over again, and that just doesn’t stop my tears either.” Kansas City police said the shooter, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, has still not been arrested. There was no answer at Lester’s home phone and he does not yet hav...

Funding killed for Wisconsin’s largest conservation project

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee voted Tuesday to kill funding for the largest land conservation project in Wisconsin history, a move that came following concerns about the $15 million purchase of 56,000 acres of forest land that would have been open to both logging and recreational use.Republican lawmakers objected in November to using $4 million from the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to help finance the purchase of the property east of Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin known as the Pelican River Forest. The rest of the funding for the conservation easement would come from a federal grant.Efforts to address lawmakers’ concerns since objections were raised were unsuccessful, Sen. Mary Felzkowski, one of the Republicans who objected to the project, said Tuesday. She was among the 12 Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee who voted to kill the project, while all four Democrats voted to fund it...

Judge rules University of Michigan grad strike unfair

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a graduate student instructor strike at the University of Michigan amounts to an unfair labor practice. David Peltz, an administrative law judge for the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, issued the decision Friday, the Detroit News reported Monday. Peltz ruled that the graduate students’ union breached its duty to bargain in good faith by violating the no-strike provision in its current contract and recommended all union representatives end the strike. Their current contract ends May 1. His decision is a recommendation to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which is expected to issue a final ruling. The union plans to appeal Peltz’s ruling to the commission, said Amir Fleischmann, a political science doctoral candidate and a union officer. More than 2,000 graduate students who teach at the school walked out March 29, seeking better pay and other benefits. The university filed unfair labor practice cha...

Canadian Screen Awards viewership numbers down from last year and pre-pandemic times

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:48:26 GMT

TORONTO — Preliminary ratings suggest fewer people watched the pre-taped Canadian Screen Awards on CBC than last year, with numbers plunging by more than half of those in pre-pandemic times.The public broadcaster shared overnight data from Numeris that reports an average audience of 136,000 for Sunday’s hour-long telecast compared to 2022’s show, which averaged 146,000 viewers.The overnight numbers refer to viewers over the age of 2, but among the coveted advertising age group of 25-to-54 year-olds, the show averaged 31,000 viewers compared to 14,000 the year before.The public broadcaster would not release live viewership numbers for its streaming service CBC Gem.This year’s Screen Awards show offered comedy bits and highlights of seven non-televised galas where practically all of the awards were handed out in the days prior.The awards show that aired April 10, 2022 was also a pre-recorded one-hour special but it included live announcements of the marquee categories and accept...