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Kristof: Hungry mosquitoes, irritable bears and the glories of wilderness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

One of the paradoxes of urban America is that millions of people speak reverently about wilderness but are much less eager to venture into it and risk real bites from actual mosquitoes.I’ve been musing about this while backpacking with family on the Pacific Northwest Trail, sometimes known as “America’s wildest trail,” on the Canada-U.S. border in Washington state. It’s stunning, mountainous country, right at timberline in the Pasayten Wilderness — yet we have it pretty much to ourselves (along with the bears, lynxes and mountain goats).Perhaps I’m running away from home, for this is a dispiriting time in America: A former president has not only been indicted four times but may actually also be reelected, our life expectancy is among the worst in the rich world, and large majorities of adults polled say our country is on the wrong track.Yet there’s something still spectacularly right about the United States: our wild spaces. Some 40% of America is public land — a credit ...

2 women dead, teen injured after shooting in Northwest DC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

Two women are dead and a teenage girl is in critical condition after a shooting in Northwest on Friday night, D.C. police say.Just before midnight, D.C. police responded to sounds of gunshots in the 1300 block of 7th Street, near Mount Vernon Square, according to a social media post from the department.Two women and a teenage girl were found in a parking lot, all with gunshot wounds.The women both died at the hospital and the teen is in critical but stable condition, police said.There is no word on a suspect.Here’s a map of the area where police said the shooting happened. This is a developing story. Stick with WTOP for the latest.Source

Former Prince William Co. middle school teacher faces 6 felony counts related to sexting minors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

A middle school math teacher has been charged with six felony counts following an investigation into inappropriate communication he had with two underage former students of his, Prince William County police said.Jonathan Burns, 36, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested on Aug. 25 and charged with six counts of using a communication system to facilitate certain offenses involving children.Police said that in July, Burns communicated by text with two of his former students from Potomac Middle School in Dumfries, sending the underage victims inappropriate and sexually explicit messages and soliciting sexual acts.Burns also exposed himself in a video chat with one of the victims, police said.At the time of the explicit conversations, neither victim was a student of Burns’, who had resigned as an employee of Prince William County Public Schools in June. At the time of Burns’ arrest, he had gained new employment as a math teacher with Stafford County Public Schools at AG Wrigh...

South Sudan clinches berth in Paris Olympics as best African team at World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — It was a chant that Luol Deng waited years to lead. He stood along the side of the South Sudan locker room after their run in the World Cup was over, cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled the same thing, over and over.“Where we goin’?” he shouted.“Paris,” the players all responded.Deng’s vision when he founded the national team about a decade ago was to use basketball as a beacon of hope for his homeland. And his vision never seemed more real than on Saturday.A struggling country just 12 years removed from gaining its independence — making it the youngest nation in the world — is headed to the Paris Olympics as the automatic qualifier from Africa. Carlik Jones finished with 26 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds, and South Sudan rolled past Angola 101-78 on Saturday in the final game of the World Cup for both teams.The win, combined with Egypt’s 88-86 loss to New Zealand in a game that went final about a half hour later, clinched the O...

Gas cooktop recalled for faulty knobs and dangerous possibility of leak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

Gas cooktops with faulty knobs have been recalled due to the dangerous possibility of a leak.The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the Electrolux group is voluntarily recalling about 77,000 gas cooktops.Consumers should stop using the gas cooktops and go to cpsc.gov/recalls for serial numbers and special information on getting replacement knobs.

Seven shot, at least one dead after shooting in Lynn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

Police are investigating after a shooting in Lynn left seven people injured and at least one person dead early Saturday morning, officials said.The shooting took place around 2:20 a.m. near 189 Essex Street, and Lynn police said at least three victims were seriously injured. At least one victim is confirmed to have died.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Biden heads to Florida to tour Idalia damage as presidential politics swirl

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden is set to travel to storm-ravaged Florida on Saturday, where he will meet with Floridians impacted by Hurricane Idalia, tour damage and thank emergency responders.But in a stark departure from his previous visits to the Sunshine State in the wake of major disasters, Biden apparently won’t be joined by the state’s firebrand governor and GOP presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis. The moment represents one of the first times the two men have showed signs of their political rivalry while responding to a disaster. Biden and DeSantis have previously met under challenging circumstances – the two convened in response to the 2021 Surfside building collapse and again in 2022 following Hurricane Ian’s damage in southwestern Florida.On the visit, the president and first lady Dr. Jill Biden will receive an aerial tour of impacted areas, participate in a response and recovery briefing with federal personnel, local officials, and first responders, then tour an ...

Biden will get a firsthand look at hurricane’s toll in Florida. Gov. DeSantis has no plans to meet

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is heading to Florida on Saturday for a firsthand look at Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, but he won’t be seeing the state’s Republican governor and 2024 presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis, who suggested such a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts.“We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.” Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning along Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread flooding and damage before moving north to drench Georgia and the Carolinas. But Biden’s visit to see its effects threatened to be engulfed by political clashes since DeSantis’ statement came hours after the president himself earlie...

Nobel Foundation withdraws invitation to Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend ceremonies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel Foundation on Saturday withdrew its invitation for representatives of Russia, Belarus and Iran to attend this year’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies after the decision announced a day earlier “provoked strong reactions.”Several Swedish lawmakers said Friday they would boycott this year’s Nobel Prize award ceremonies in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, after the private foundation that administers the prestigious awards changed its position from a year earlier and invited representatives of the three countries to attend, saying it “promotes opportunities to convey the important messages of the Nobel Prize to everyone.”Some of the lawmakers cited Russia’s war on Ukraine and the crackdown on human rights in Iran as reasons for their boycott. Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Friday called on the Swedish Nobel Foundation and the Norwegian Nobel Committee not to invite representatives of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s “ille...

One taken to hospital following collision involving TTC bus in Danforth area

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:21 GMT

One person was taken to hospital following a collision in the Danforth and Westlake Avenues area on Saturday morning.Police responded to reports of a collision at approximately 5:00 a.m. and arrived on scene to a truck and TTC bus involved.The truck driver, a man in his 30’s, was taken to the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries and the TTC driver had minor injuries and was not transported. Danforth Avenue is closed in both directions.