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$600k worth of illegal fireworks seized by Stafford Co. Fire Marshal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

The multitude of fireworks seized by the Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office on Thursday (Courtesy Stafford County Fire and Rescue)The largest seizure of illegal fireworks in the history of Stafford County’s Fire Marshal’s Office in Virginia was made on Thursday, according to a news release. The office said they received an anonymous tip about possible illegal fireworks in the White Oak area on Wednesday. A Stafford County Deputy Fire Marshal was sent to the reported address at the 200 block of McCarty Road. He immediately saw a large amount of illegal fireworks in plain view when he exited his vehicle, according to the release.The business had an existing fire prevention code permit so that it could be inspected at any time. After an inspection, the Fire Marshal’s Office said they seized an abundance of illegal fireworks that they estimate are worth over $600,000.The department said the two individuals involved have charges pending while they continue inve...

Musk limits number of posts Twitter users can view per day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

Twitter users will face new limitations on the number of tweets they can view per day, according to a tweet from the company’s billionaire owner Elon Musk on Saturday.“To address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation, we’ve applied the following temporary limits,” Musk tweeted, before announcing that verified accounts would be limited to reading 6,000 posts per day, unverified accounts to 600 posts per day and new unverified accounts to 300 posts per day.Before Musk unveiled Twitter’s new policy, users were met with a message reading “rate limit exceeded,” when trying to view content. Enough users were confused by the alert that “#TwitterDown” was trending in the U.S. on Saturday morning.The announcement is the latest in a series of major changes for the social media company, including the appointment of a new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, who took over the role from Musk in June. Upon her appointment, Musk tweeted that Yaccarino would “focus primarily on busin...

CIA director met Zelensky on trip to Ukraine, US official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

(CNN) — CIA Director William Burns recently traveled to Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence officials, according to a US official.“Director Burns recently traveled to Ukraine, as he has done regularly since the beginning of Russia’s recent aggression more than a year ago,” the official told CNN. “As with other trips, the director met with his Ukrainian intelligence counterparts and President Zelensky, reaffirming the US commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend against Russian aggression.”The official noted that Burns traveled to Kyiv before Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion, which was not a topic of discussion.Another official told CNN that Burns also spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Naryshkin, after the rebellion and reiterated that the US had nothing to do with it. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the call.The Washington Post first reported on Burns’ most recent trip to Ukraine...

Moms for Liberty’s focus on school races nationwide sets up political clash with teachers unions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Moms for Liberty, a “parental rights” group that has sought to take over school boards in multiple states, is looking to expand those efforts across the country and to other education posts in 2024 and beyond. The effort is setting up for a clash with teachers unions and others on the left who view the group as a toxic presence in public schools.The group’s co-founder, Tiffany Justice, said during its annual summit over the weekend in Philadelphia that Moms for Liberty will use its political action committee next year to engage in school board races nationwide. It also will “start endorsing at the state board level and elected superintendents.”Her comments confirm that Moms for Liberty, which has spent its first two years inflaming school board meetings with aggressive complaints about instruction on systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom, is developing a larger strategy to overhaul education infrastructure across the country.As the group has ...

Prosecutor in the Hunter Biden case denies retaliating against IRS agent who talked to House GOP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal prosecutor leading the investigation of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter is pushing back against claims that he was blocked from pursuing criminal charges in Los Angeles and Washington and denies retaliating against an IRS official who disclosed details about the case.In a two-page letter to House Republicans on Friday, U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware defended the lengthy investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings that ended last month with a plea with the Justice Department that likely spares Biden from time behind bars.Weiss, who was named to that post by President Donald Trump and was kept on by the Biden administration, said in his letter that the department “did not retaliate” against Gary Shapley, an IRS agent who said the prosecutor helped block Shapley’s job promotion after the tax agency employee had reached out to congressional investigators about the Biden case.Shapley is one of two IRS employees interviewed ...

Fanfare, golf and boos have marked July Fourth for US presidents. Zachary Taylor’s was the worst

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Through history, the Fourth of July has been a day for some presidents to declare their independence from the public. They’ve bailed to the beach, the mountains, the golf course, the farm, the ranch. In the middle of the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt was sailing to Hawaii on a fishing and working vacation.It’s also been a day for some presidents to insert themselves front and center in the fabric of it all. Teddy Roosevelt drew hundreds of thousands for his July Fourth oratory. In 2019, Donald Trump marshaled tanks, bombers and other war machinery for a celebration that typically avoids military muscle.Richard Nixon enraged the anti-war masses without even showing up. As the anti-Nixon demonstrations of 1970 showed, Independence Day in the capital isn’t always just fun and games. It has a tradition of red, white and boo, too.In modern times, though, presidents have tended to stand back and let the people party. George W. Bush had a ceremony welcoming immigrants as...

Ontario tracks spread of tick borne illnesses; top doctor links it to climate change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

Ontario’s top doctor expects to see a growing number of cases of three types of tick-borne illness in the province, in addition to Lyme disease – a spread he says is directly linked to climate change.A new regulation that takes effect this weekend requires health-care providers in Ontario to report cases of anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus to their local medical officers of health.There have been anecdotal reports and publications about the three illnesses being found in Ontario in recent years, but the province now needs to start formally tracking them, said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore.“We can now count and track when these illnesses are occurring, map it for a risk map and be able to inform the public when these diseases become more prevalent,” he said in an interview.“It’s absolutely expected that we’ll have greater incidence over the next several years because this is a known wave of infections that weR...

Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago: Organizers hoping for green flags, no storms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

Organizers are hoping the weather cooperates Sunday for Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago.Day one of the first ever street race in Chicago was partially washed away by rain.Saturday’s events started with Xfinity practice and qualifying. Then the checkered flag waved to start the race. But about halfway through, lightning and rain threats forced NASCAR to postpone it until Sunday.The Loop 121 race will resume at 10 a.m. Sunday on lap number 26. Gates will open to the general public at 9 a.m. What happens if bad weather hits the NASCAR Chicago Street Races? The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 has been moved up to 4:05 p.m.NASCAR announced that single-day tickets are still available for Sunday.Also Saturday, the Chainsmokers concert scheduled for after the race was also canceled and won't be rescheduled. More coverage: NASCAR in Chicago Some fans are requesting refunds. But most attendees didn't let the rough weather rain on their parade and took in...

2 dead, 28 injured after Baltimore block party shooting: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gunfire erupted at a block party in Baltimore on Sunday — killing two people, wounding 28 and leaving an extensive crime scene that marred the U.S. holiday weekend, police said. Three of the wounded were in critical condition.Baltimore Police Department Acting Commissioner Richard Worley told reporters there were a total of 30 victims during a press conference at the scene.The shooting took place just after 12:30 a.m. at a block party in the Brooklyn Homes area in the southern part of the city, Worley said.The shooting comes amid gatherings around the country leading up to the July Fourth holiday. Elsewhere, a shooting in Kansas left seven people with gunshot wounds and two more victims hospitalized after being trampled as people rushed out of a nightclub early Sunday morning, police there said.All of the Baltimore victims were adults. Nine victims were transported by ambulance and 20 victims walked into area hospitals with injuries from the shooting, Worl...

Video: Crack found in North Carolina roller coaster, ride closed until further notice

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:58:26 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) - A Charlotte, North Carolina amusement park has closed its tallest roller coaster after someone spotted an apparent crack in one of its support beams.In a statement, Carowinds said Fury 325 – advertised as the world's tallest and fastest giga roller coaster – was closed Friday after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar.(Shared with WNCN)A giga coaster is a type of roller coaster with a height or drop of at least 300 feet.In a video shared with Nexstar's WNCN, the beam, seen in the photo here, appears to move as one of Fury 325's trains whizzes by. The viewer who captured the video said he reported the crack to guest services. According to Carowinds, a maintenance team is inspecting the ride, which will be closed until repairs have been completed."Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process," Carowinds' statement read in part. "As part of our compreh...