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Hundreds flee from wildfire in South Korean seaside city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Hundreds of South Koreans were forced to flee a wildfire fueled by strong winds that burned parts of an eastern coastal city Tuesday, destroying dozens of homes.More than 700 firefighters and 300 vehicles were dispatched to fight the fire that started on a mountain in a central part of Gangneung, according to the Gangwon Province Governor Kim Jin-tae and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.At least 44 homes were destroyed and more than 300 residents evacuated to facilities that included an ice-skating arena and a middle school gym. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, according to the ministry. It wasn’t immediate clear how long it would take firefighters to bring the flames under control as the high winds made it difficult to deploy aircraft. Kim during a televised briefing said firefighters are establishing barriers while focusing on preventing the fire from spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung. Photos showed firefighters s...

Less than half say next vehicle is an EV: AP-NORC/EPIC poll

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans aren’t yet sold on going electric for their next cars, a new poll shows, with high prices and too few charging stations the main deterrents. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults are at least somewhat likely to switch, but the history-making shift from the country’s century-plus love affair with gas-driven vehicles still has a ways to travel.The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago shows that the Biden administration’s plans to dramatically raise U.S. EV sales could run into resistance from consumers. Only 8% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases an electric vehicle, and just 8% say their household has a plug-in hybrid vehicle.Even with tax credits of up to $7,500 to buy a new EV, it could be difficult to persuade drivers to ditch their gas-burning cars and trucks for vehicles without tailpipe emissions. Auto companies are investing billion...

Maryland lawmakers pass gun bills, cannabis, by session end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

HANNAPES, France — Maryland lawmakers adjourned late Monday from their annual legislative session after approving measures for gun control, abortion rights, a licensing framework to open a recreational marijuana market and a push to expand offshore wind development.The Maryland General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats, passed a bill that would prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in certain areas. The measure would prohibit people with permits to carry concealed handguns in sensitive areas like school playgrounds, hospitals or polling locations. “The goal that we have in passing this bill is not to chip away at Second Amendment rights, as hard as it may be for some minority party members to believe. It’s to reduce gun violence of all kinds: gang violence, mass shootings, self-inflicted gunshots,” said Del. Marc Korman, a Montgomery County Democrat who is the House majority leader. But opponents expressed doubts the measure would stand up to inevitable le...

DeSantis flexes executive powers while eyeing White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Suspending an elected Democratic prosecutor. Forbidding gender-affirming treatments for minors. Expanding the “Don’t Say Gay” law to high schools.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has exercised his executive powers to advance elements of his aggressive conservative agenda, drawing on appointees, boards and the state Constitution in a deliberate manner as he builds toward an expected presidential candidacy. The approach displays the Republican’s willingness to leverage his office to notch political wins and punish political enemies, even as the GOP-dominated Legislature has sped his proposals through the statehouse. It also signals the meticulous style that underpins his brash public persona and offers hints about how he could govern if elected president. For DeSantis, the unilateral moves are part of his broad mandate as the elected chief executive of Florida. He is coming off a dominant reelection victory last fall where he campaigned on a host of conservativ...

Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson spark Wild to comeback win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

CHICAGO — The lineup resembled that of an exhibition game, and so, too, did the effort from the Wild for prolonged stretches.After leaving Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin at home to avoid potential injury, the Wild lacked urgency against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at the United Center.In the end, though, the Wild did just enough to earn a 4-2 win over the Blackhawks. That keeps their slim hopes of winning the Central Division alive at least for a few more days.“We have a good enough team to still go out and play better than we did tonight even though we’re missing some guys,” said Marcus Johansson, who put the team on his back with a pair of goals. “We still have something to play for.”On a night that former Gophers captain Brock Faber made his NHL debut, and top prospect Marco Rossi made his highly anticipated NHL return, the Wild at times looked like they had very little interest playing in an NHL game.Ult...

Crash involving overturned big rig kills 1, injures 5 in Los Angeles County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

One person was killed and another five were injured after a crash Monday involving a vehicle and a big rig in Antelope Acres, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County.  Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were dispatched to Highway 138, near 110th Street, at around 5:44 p.m., officials told KTLA.  At the scene, paramedics found one person dead, four people with critical injuries and another person with minor injuries. Authorities did not identify any of the victims, nor did they say if the person who died was in the vehicle or in the big rig. While it’s unclear what led up to the accident, aerial footage from Sky5 showed a dark colored vehicle that was badly damaged and an overturned big rig with debris spilling out of the top of one of the trailers it had been pulling.  A crash involving a vehicle and a big left one person dead and 5 others injured on Highway 138 in Antelope Acres April 9, 2023. (KTLA)A crash involving a vehicle and a big left one p...

Trailer drops for Disney's 'Peter Pan & Wendy'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

Scene from the trailer of Peter Pan & Wendy. (DIsney)Disney’s first trailer for the upcoming Peter Pan live-action reboot, Peter Pan & Wendy, dropped on Monday, transporting fans back to Neverland once again.The film, which is based on both the J.M. Barrie novel and the 1953 Disney animated classic, “introduces Wendy Darling, a young girl looking to avoid boarding school who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up.“Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever,” Disney says in the film’s synopsis.Peter Pan & Wendy stars Jude Law as Captain Hook, along with Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Yara Shahidi, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk and Jim Gaffigan.This will be the ninth official Peter Pan film in the Disney fran...

SF Giants done in by home runs, old foes to start Dodgers rivalry on sour note

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants lost more games to the Dodgers in 2022 than any season since the teams moved west. They were outscored 99-51. If they hoped to fare better in 2023, that quest started Monday night, with Logan Webb on the mound.But this season’s first installment of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry only brought more of the same.Julio Urías mystified on the mound and Max Muncy mashed at the plate, as Giants were done in by their oldest nemeses in a 9-1 loss to the Dodgers.Outdueling Webb for six innings, the Giants’ only damage off Urías came on a towering Wilmer Flores solo shot to left field. With one run on four hits over six innings, Urías actually increased his ERA against the Giants dating back to the start of last season to 1.00 over six starts.With a three-run shot off Webb and a seventh-inning grand slam that sealed the loss, Muncy was responsible for seven of the Dodgers’ nine runs, managing to find a new career-high to set against a Giants team that he...

Bicyclist hit and killed near Filoli in San Mateo County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

WOODSIDE – A driver hit and killed a bicyclist Monday in San Mateo County, according to the California Highway Patrol.The crash was reported just after 5 p.m. on Cañada Road near Filoli, said CHP Officer Art Montiel.The bicyclist, identified only as a 37-year-old South San Francisco man, was pronounced dead at the scene, Montiel said. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity once it is confirmed and his next of kin is notified.Montiel said the bicyclist was riding northbound on Cañada Road when he was hit by the driver of an Acura traveling in the same direction.The driver, identified only as a 22-year-old Redwood City man, and his 21-year-old passenger were taken to an area hospital as a precaution following the crash, Montiel said.The collision is under investigation, and it wasn’t immediately known if alcohol or drugs played a role.Cañada Road was temporarily closed in both directions at Edgewood Road for the investigation.Anyone with information rela...

Novak lifts Predators past Flames 3-2 in shootout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:17 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Tommy Novak scored the deciding goal in the shootout and the Nashville Predators beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Monday night to preserve their playoff hopes.Zach Sanford and Egor Afanasyev also scored for the Predators, who have two home games remaining in the regular season — on Thursday against Minnesota and Friday against Colorado. Juuse Saros stopped 42 shots through overtime and three of four in the shootout.Troy Stecher and Mikael Backlund scored for the Flames, and Jacob Markstrom finished with 27 saves.Jonathan Huberdeaul scored on the first attempt of the shootout for the Flames. Cody Glass tied it in the third round for the Predators, and Novak won it in the fourth round.Calgary’s 17 overtime and shootout losses is the most in the NHL.Nashville led 1-0 after the opening period. Afanasyev scored the first NHL goal of his career at 5:49. Predators forward Mark Jankowski chased the puck behind Calgary’s net. The former Flames player fed the 22-year-old...