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Alabama rushes to adopt new congressional map amid disagreement on what district should look like

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal judges that ordered Alabama to draw new congressional lines said the state should have a second district where Black voters are the majority “or something quite close to it” and have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.What exactly that map should look like is in dispute as lawmakers rush to draw new lines.Alabama lawmakers convene in special session Monday tasked by the court with adopting a new map by the end of the week. The directive comes after a surprise U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s existing congressional map — with a single Black district — likely violated the Voting Rights Act. The group of voters who sued the state and won before the Supreme Court have proposed the creation of a second district where Black residents are 50.5% of the population. But Alabama Republicans, who hold a lopsided majority in the Alabama Legislature and will control the redistricting p...

Smoke from Canadian wildfires creates unhealthy conditions from Montana to Ohio

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency posted air quality alerts for several states stretching from Montana to Ohio on Sunday because of smoke blowing in from Canadian wildfires.“Air Quality alerts are in place for much of the Great Lakes, Midwest, and northern High Plains,” the National Weather Service said. “This is due to the lingering thick concentration of Canadian wildfire smoke over these regions. While the concentration of smoke in the atmosphere should begin to wain by Monday, there is still enough smoke to support unhealthy air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups in parts of these regions into the start of the upcoming week.”The U.S. EPA’s AirNow air quality page rated the air in Chicago as “unhealthy” as of 9 a.m. CDT Sunday. And in Michigan, state environmental officials said the air “is unhealthy for sensitive groups.”The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services advised people in the state to check the Air Quality Index regularl...

Should you push over these stacks of rocks? Here's what NPS says you should do

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Have you ever passed a tower of rocks perfectly balanced on one another while hiking and felt the urge to knock it over? Depending on where you are, that might not be the best idea. Officials at Yosemite National Park recently encouraged visitors to dismantle these man-made rock stacks, known as cairns, should they come across them within the park. According to park rangers, "leave no trace" ethics states that when recreating in wilderness spaces, the goal is to leave no signs of human impact on the land so as to respect the other creatures living in it.And while the effort and aesthetics of these rock cairns may seem too precious to ruin, oversized cairns are a mark of human impact and are distracting in a wilderness setting. It was a popular national monument, until it was robbed to extinction Officials also say building them disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that live on the underside of these rocks.Not every cairn should be de...

Pregnancies can be affected by the oppressive heat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Our weather department's commitment during severe weather events is to keep you both informed and safe. This current heatwave would be classified as a severe weather situation given the oppressive heat that has affected all of us.Previous writings have focused on how heat affects humans as well as its impact on cats and dogs. Today we take its effect on humans a step further. How is the heat affecting those who are pregnant?Extreme heat can create problems for pregnant women (Courtesy: Getty Images)The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that pregnant women stand to suffer the effects of heat exhaustion and/or heat stress sooner than non-pregnant women. It's not that difficult to understand why. The pregnancy forces their bodies to work harder to cool down, not only for the pregnant woman but also for the baby.Negative effects from oppressive heat during a pregnancyThe CDC goes a step further in its analysis by offering that pregnant women dehydrat...

South St. Paul man dead in Eagan crash after driving wrong way on I-35E

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

A 28-year-old South St. Paul man, who authorities say was under the influence, died Saturday night after driving the wrong way on I-35E and hitting another vehicle.Nraughli Vang began driving north in the southbound lane upon entering the freeway near Cliff Road shortly after midnight, according to the State Patrol. Almost immediately, his 2000 Toyota Celica crashed head-on with a GMC Yukon SUV that was hauling a boat.Vang was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital.Three people in the SUV were taken to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries. These included the driver, Nancy Ann Heideman, 60, along with Randy Jay Heideman, 57, and Desirae Ann Heideman, 25, all of Albert Lea.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Pedestrian struck and killed by a vehicle early Sunday in Forest Lake Crime & Public Safety | Fargo police officer dies, two others in critical condition following street shootout Crime & Public Safety | Woodbury m...

Pedestrian struck and killed by a vehicle early Sunday in Forest Lake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and killed in Forest Lake early Sunday morning, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.Officers were called to 95 Broadway Ave. W. at about 1:22 p.m. on a report of a person getting hit by a vehicle.EMS workers declared the victim dead at the scene after live-saving measures failed, according to a press release.The driver has been found and is being held in the Washington County Jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Fargo police officer dies, two others in critical condition following street shootout Crime & Public Safety | Woodbury man charged with multiple counts of tax fraud in connection to Cottage Grove businesses Crime & Public Safety | Long Island architect charged in 3 of the Gilgo Beach serial killings Crime & Public Safety | Woman gets 15 years in prison for drunken driving crash on I-94 in Hudson that...

Other voices: Trump’s day in court must come before the 2024 election

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

Let’s ask a simple question: should any credible presidential candidate be allowed to commit crimes unperturbed, no matter their severity or how flagrantly, openly and unapologetically they’re committed? Should a presidential candidate be able to, in effect, shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and have that dealt with only after the election?In court filings attorneys for Donald Trump and his valet Walt Nauta suggested yes, calling for their trial in the classified documents case to begin after the 2024 election. The correct answer, obviously, is no, an answer everyone seems to agree with so long as it applies to a candidate they oppose.Trump’s most strident defenders, who screech that the former president — who in full public view attempted to overturn a democratic election and faces significant evidence that he willfully and illegally retained incredibly sensitive classified documents — is being targeted for his political activity have seemed all too happy ...

Bay Area Heat Wave: Another scorcher expected, even as signs of cooldown become apparent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

Evidence of a cooldown from the hottest part of the Bay Area’s weekend heat wave were apparent early Sunday, according to the National Weather Service, even if it may not have felt that way. The Bay Area did not receive its usual overnight blast of cool air, some inland areas still were braced to hit at least 100 degrees, and an excessive heat warning remained in place.Yet those upper-level wispy clouds were ever-present, a sign that relief is en route after what will have been an intense 72-hour blast.“We already are seeing a pattern shift,” NWS meteorologist Matt Mehle said Sunday morning. “That high pressure that brought the heat is gonna start to be nudged a bit east. It’s going to be replaced by an area of low pressure that’s coming down from the Pacific Northwest. We’re gonna get the tail end of that, and that’s gonna bring us back down.”On Sunday, temperatures were expected to run 3-5 degrees less than they did Saturday in...

Second annual Lion Dance Festival returns to San Francisco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

(KRON) -- The second annual Chinatown Lion Dance Festival returns this month to San Francisco. KRON4's Stephanie Lin spoke with Mike Mak, founder of the event, and Calvin Zhen, White Crane Lion Dancing instructor, along with the winners of this year's National Lion Dance Competition.The festival runs from July 22 to July 23 at Portsmouth Square from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Hundreds go 'missing' in California's national parks: Here's what usually happens to them

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - California’s national parks are majestic, to say the least. From the towering sequoias in the aptly named Sequoia National Park to the dry expanses of Death Valley, and all parks in between, it’s hard not to be taken aback by the thousands of acres of federally protected land in California. It’s also hard not to wonder what secrets the national parks may hold, like the people who entered the spaces only to never return. Amidst the popularity of true crime documentaries and podcasts is a corner entirely dedicated to the engrossing stories of the national parks. That includes cases of man versus nature, the mysteries of parks long forgotten, and even true crimes that have happened in these awe-inspiring natural areas. Some of the most intriguing stories are about visitors that have disappeared.  Missing hiker found dead in Yosemite National Park Thousands of people are reported missing in national parks across the country, including hundreds of cases in Ca...