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DeSantis barnstorms New Hampshire and Trump returns to Iowa as rivalry intensifies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

By MICHELLE L. PRICE, STEVE PEOPLES and THOMAS BEAUMONT (Associated Press)LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off his first visit to New Hampshire as a declared presidential candidate Thursday by turning his focus to President Joe Biden, criticizing him for championing a move to demote the early-voting state from its prominent role picking presidential candidates.The appearance by DeSantis before New Hampshire voters comes as former President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail in Iowa, marking the first time both Republicans were pitching themselves before voters as official candidates.The Florida governor, appearing in Laconia, repeated an oblique jab he’s made lately at Trump, a celebrity and former reality show star, saying that “leadership is not about entertainment.”But he focused more on Biden and said the president was wrong to back a Democratic National Committee move to have New Hampshire hold its Democratic primary the sam...

Twitter may be worth one-third what Musk paid for it last fall as Fidelity fund marks down value

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

By The Associated PressTwitter may now be worth one-third of what Elon Musk paid for the social media platform just seven months ago.The Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund has reduced the market value of its equity stake in Twitter for a third time, now putting it at $6.55 million. That’s down from the nearly $20 million the Fidelity fund valued its stake at in October. Financial services provider Fidelity Investments is privately held, not public, but is required by the SEC to regularly disclose its holdings. Because Twitter is a private company now called X Holdings Corp., information about its finances can’t be verified.Musk took control of Twitter in October, after a protracted legal battle and months of uncertainty. The CEO of Tesla, who also owns SpaceX, bought Twitter for $44 billion. The billionaire financed the purchase with funds including loans from a group of banks. Musk has said the $44 billion price tag for Twitter was too high but that the company had great po...

Two adults sentenced in 2022 road rage incidents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- On Wednesday afternoon, Gillio Repetto and Serenity Nieblas were both charged in two separate road rage incidents that took place in 2022.Both adults pleaded not guilty to accepting a plea agreement with the district attorney's office."For a stipulated eight years," said Honary Michael Popkins, San Diego County Judge. "We will submit on the agreement your honor," said the attorney for Gillio Repetto, Gloria Collins. Dozens of ghost guns seized in San Diego County over 3-month period A judge sentenced Gillio Repetto to eight years in prison. Repetto received two years for an assault with a firearm, two years for a gun charge, and three years for great bodily injury. He has time served credit of more than 400 days.In May 2022, prosecutors argued Repetto and a 34-year-old man were racing in their cars. They stopped at the intersection of Olympic Parkway and Town Center Drive in Chula Vista.Cell phone video showed Repetto and the man getting into a fistfight. Pr...

Treliving says meeting with Matthews his top priority as Maple Leafs GM

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

Brad Treliving has a long to-do list as the new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.The No. 1 priority is sitting down with the team’s best player.Named the 18th GM in franchise history following the stunning dismissal of Kyle Dubas last month, Treliving says he plans to soon visit with star centre Auston Matthews, who can sign a contract extension as of July 1.Treviling adds he plans to sit down with head coach Sheldon Keefe to chart a path forward, but didn’t commit to him being behind the bench next season.Treliving left the Calgary Flames in April after nine seasons.An extremely busy stretch ahead includes preparing for the NHL draft and free agency, which could see as many as 12 roster players hit the open market.

Jordan’s crown prince weds scion of Saudi family in ceremony packed with stars and symbolism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s crown prince married the scion of a prominent Saudi family on Thursday in a palace ceremony attended by royals and other VIPs from around the world, as massive crowds gathered across the kingdom to celebrate the region’s newest power couple.The marriage of Crown Prince Hussein, 28, and Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, 29, drew a star-studded guest list including Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate, as well as U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.The celebrations hold deep significance for the region, emphasizing continuity in an Arab state prized for its longstanding stability and refreshing the monarchy’s image after a palace feud. It even could help resource-poor Jordan forge a strategic bond with its oil-rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia.The bride, wearing an elegant white dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab, arrived at Zahran Palace in a 1968 Rolls-Royce Phantom V custom-made for the crown prince’s late great grandmother. The crown prince arr...

German soccer mourns teenager’s death after youth tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German soccer federation will hold a weekend of mourning for the 15-year-old player who died after a post-match brawl at an international youth tournament last weekend.“This incredibly sad and shocking act at a soccer tournament for juniors leaves us speechless,” federation president Bernd Neuendorf said Thursday. “It is the ultimate challenge to all of us to take a firm stand against violence — in soccer and in society as a whole.”The player from JFC Berlin died Wednesday from severe brain injuries sustained during a post-match brawl on Sunday. A 16-year-old player from a French team remained in detention in Frankfurt pending further inquiries.The victim was struck in the head or neck area and collapsed, police said. They asked for witnesses who may have video of the brawl to come forward. The federation said a weekend of mourning will begin Friday when the German and French teams contesting the Under-17 European Championship final in Budapest, Hungary, will line ...

Federal appeals court halts EPA effort to impose air pollution plan in Missouri

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

A federal appeals court has put on hold an Environmental Protection Agency regulation aimed at reducing air pollution in Missouri, drawing criticism from environmentalists but praise from the state’s attorney general who called the proposal “unconstitutional overreach.”Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced Wednesday that the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week granted his request for a stay, preventing the EPA from imposing the regulation until the appeals process plays out. It was not immediately clear if the EPA would appeal. A message left Thursday with a spokesperson was not immediately returned.At issue is a “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act which requires states to submit a plan detailing how they will address air pollution from sources like power plants and industrial facilities that can drift to neighboring states. The EPA deemed Missouri’s proposal inadequate and in March finalized its plan for the Ozone National Ambient Air...

Forest fire out of control near Chapais in northern Quebec

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

MONTREAL — Authorities say a forest fire is out of control in Chapais in northern Quebec.On Wednesday evening, the community near Chibougamau announced that residents in the southern part of the town had to evacuate.There are about a dozen active fires in the province, with the Chapais one and another near Sept-Îles on Quebec’s north shore considered out of control.Meanwhile authorities say the situation is improving in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City, where two fires were declared under control and a third was contained.The province’s Natural Resources and Public Security departments issued a notice today asking people to avoid travelling in the province’s forests as much as possible due to the high flammability hazard.This week, authorities issued a ban on fires in or near forests across the province.Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency says the high temperatures and dry conditions enveloping the province, couple...

3 residents of partially collapsed Iowa building still unaccounted for, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three residents of an Iowa apartment building that partially collapsed on Sunday are still unaccounted for, according to police. Earlier this week, authorities said five people were missing, but Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said during a media briefing Thursday morning that two of them have since been accounted for and are safe. One moved out of the building a month ago and was found in Texas, and the other was found locally. The six-story building partially collapsed shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday. The city has since released documents, including structural engineering reports, that show the building’s owner was warned that the parts of the building was unstable. An engineer’s report dated May 24, just days before the collapse, suggested patches in the west side of the building’s brick façade “appear ready to fall imminently” and could be a safety hazard to cars or passersby.The engineer’s report also detailed that window openings, some filled and ...

Store owner charged with murder in teen’s shooting has shot at suspected shoplifters before

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:29 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A store owner in South Carolina charged with murder this week after shooting a teen he wrongly thought stole water has shot at suspected shoplifters two other times in the past eight years and not faced charges, authorities said.In 2018, Richard Chow confronted a shoplifter at his Xpress Mart Shell station in Columbia and the man attacked him, Richland County deputies said. Chow fired two shots and wounded the man, who plead guilty to charges in the case, in the leg. investigators said.In 2015, Chow fired several shots at a vehicle after he tried to stop someone he suspected of shoplifting, and the suspect got into the vehicle and threatened to shoot Chow, deputies said. No one was hurt.In both cases, authorities said Chow’s actions were not criminal. Self-defense law in South Carolina requires the shooter doesn’t instigate the incident, believes he is in imminent danger and has no way to avoid that danger.Deputies decided that was not the case Sunday, wh...