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Rescue helicopter pilot says he heard bangs before fiery crash that killed 2, report says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A pilot told investigators he heard a loud bang before a South Florida medical rescue helicopter caught fire in flight last month, leading to a crash that killed a paramedic and a woman on the ground, a federal report released Friday said.The twin-engine Broward County Fire-Rescue helicopter had just taken off from Pompano Beach Airpark on Aug. 28 when at about 400 feet (122 meters) pilot Daron Roche said he heard the bang, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report said. Then he saw on his control panel that one engine’s temperature was rising.He radioed air traffic controllers to tell them that he had an emergency and tried to return to the suburban Fort Lauderdale airport, the report said. The fire warning light had illuminated, so he activated the suppression system but the temperature gauge kept rising, Roche told investigators. Video taken by witnesses on the ground shows flames coming from the engine compartment followed b...

‘This is kind of a homecoming’: Tom Brady Sr. says whole family is looking forward to team’s tribute to the GOAT

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Tom Brady will be back in Foxboro this weekend for a special ceremony honoring the legendary quarterback, and it’s an occasion the whole family’s looking forward to, according to his dad.Speaking with 7NEWS, Tom Brady Sr. said his son is excited to come back to where he started his career this Sunday as the New England Patriots play their home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.“It’s going to be fun – this is kind of a homecoming, our roots are here in Foxboro,” Brady Sr. told 7’s Dan Hausle. “[Tom Brady] came to this town 24 years ago or so, a little wet behind the ears and became a man here and so, it’s pretty neat – we’re just so happy about it.”The iconic quarterback will be honored at halftime during a ten-minute ceremony, according to the Patriots organization. The team originally announced back in May that it planned to celebrate the player, months after he announced his retirement. “It’s ...

Douglas couple describes tree crushing their moving car, trapping them inside

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

A couple is describing the moment a tree crashed on top of their moving car in Douglas, smashing the windshield and hospitalizing one.The incident happened on South Street around 3 p.m. The couple inside the SUV had just picked up groceries and were about a mile from their home when a tree snapped and fell on top of their moving car.“All of a sudden I heard a tree making a cracking sound, and as soon as I heard it, I seen it coming upon us into the car, hitting us, crushing us inside the vehicle,” said Piedade Desousa.57-year-old Piedade Desousa and her 59-year-old husband Gil found themselves trapped. She said the windshield shattered and the airbags deployed.“It was just awful. I looked around, I couldn’t get out,” Piedade said. “I looked to the right the tree was blocking me, I looked to the left, he’s unconscious.”The tree had also pulled down powerlines, which were sparking around them. Piedade said she was scared the car might catch fire, so she climbed out and...

Severe storm threat tonight, storm chance this weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

It’s been an active afternoon. Severe storms moved through with damaging wind, hail and heavy rain through Worcester, Middlesex and Essex counties early afternoon. The threat for severe storms continues through 11 p.m. with areas shaded in pink under that threat.You can see numerous storm reports within the past 24 hours. We’ve received many of your reports and pictures from trees down and quarter size hail. We’ve had the heat this week, and a front is in the process of dislodging that heat. In doing so it fired up storms today. The front will be slow to cross our region. For that reason, the thunderstorm risk continues this weekend. We’re also watching Hurricane Lee. Right now it’s a category 4 storm. The core of Lee is expected to stay well north of Leeward Islands this weekend. Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to develop around the Western Atlantic through early next week. It’s still too early to determine its path beyond early nex...

In U.S., Canada’s ‘game plan’ for Trump all about stepping up the tempo of talks

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

WASHINGTON — Canada’s ambassador to Washington typically doesn’t get a whole lot of notice before the president of the United States makes a decision with the potential to reverberate beyond the country’s borders. But when President Joe Biden signed a measure to better ensure U.S. companies and workers reap the lion’s share of the benefits of American research and development, Kirsten Hillman had known about it for nearly two months.“They wanted to talk about it,” Hillman said — and in particular, make clear that it would have no impact on the “hundreds and hundreds” of bilateral collaborations that routinely happen between the two countries.  “They were the ones who reached out to us, to make sure that we understood that this wasn’t about affecting the way in which those projects take place.”Discussions ensued all through June, including an “explicit assurance” that the order would not inhibit any Canadia...

UN report says the world is way off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix that

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path.“The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all is rapidly closing,” Friday’s report warned. The globe has to cut its emissions of heat-trapping gases by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and 60% by 2035, the report said. To get there, the report said, “the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required,” using a phrase international climate negotiators have shied away from before. It also said phasing out the internal combustion engine would be a huge help.And the way money flows — such as investments, subsidies, loans, grants and payments for people and places hurt by warming’s extreme weather — also has to change, the report recommended. It said countries need to stop $450 billion in annual subsidies for...

Prison guard who missed killer’s escape is fired, as hunt for fugitive focuses on botanic garden

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A prison tower guard has been fired after letting a murderer slip away on his watch in a brazen daytime escape, officials said Friday, as the nine-day-old search pressed on amid southeastern Philadelphia suburbs, farmland and a vast botanical garden.News of the firing came as the searchers’ ranks grew overnight, focusing on the area around Longwood Gardens, where the fugitive inmate has been spotted before.Danelo Souza Cavalcante, 34, escaped while awaiting transfer to state prison on Aug. 31 after being sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021. Prosecutors say he wanted to stop her from telling police that he’s wanted over a killing in his home country of Brazil.Authorities have described Cavalcante as extremely dangerous. With the search in its second week, nervous residents remain alert for any sign of him. Police believe Cavalcante has been spotted nine times since his escape, most recently on Thursday night, and has man...

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial is about halfway done. This is what happened and what’s next

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The impeachment trial that could remove Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from office over corruption allegations is near the halfway point. The historic proceedings, which continued Friday, began this week with testimony about an extramarital affair and the Republican’s former top aides testifying they felt compelled to report him to the FBI.Paxton, who is accused of bribery and abuse of office, skipped all of the early testimony. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, sat and listened to it all.The articles of impeachment center on allegations that Paxton improperly used the powers of his office to protect Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer who was indicted this summer on federal charges of making false statements to banks.If convicted by the Texas Senate, where Republicans hold a dominant majority, Paxton would be removed from office and possibly barred from holding any political office in the future.The trial adjourned for the weekend and was set ...

Music Review: The Chemical Brothers’ ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’ is dreamy electronic music

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

“For That Beautiful Feeling,” The Chemical Brothers (Republic Records)Remember, if you can, the ‘90s: When the popularity of rock bands waned and electronic music dominated. By the time techno and acid house had taken dancefloors by storm, The Chemical Brothers were already pioneers of the big beat genre. That spirit continues on the British duo’s 10th studio album, “For That Beautiful Feeling.”Back in the day, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons’ “Hey Girl Hey Boy” and “Galvanize” electrified the airwaves. As EDM ebbed and flowed — to this reporter’s ears, becoming a cultural marker only to gently fade into the foreground as niche, easy listening — The Chemical Brothers’ innovative music never wavered. They continue to find the less obvious beats and harmonies on “For That Beautiful Feeling”; they’ve never lost their “it” factor.The 11-track record is a dreamy otherworldly vibe, reflecting its title to a tee. Recorded in their close-to-the-coast studio in Engla...

Regulator yanks thousands of wells from troubled oil company, transfers for cleanup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:50 GMT

Alberta’s energy regulator has transferred control of thousands of oil and gas wells and other facilities held by a troubled Calgary company to the group that’s responsible for cleaning up poorly maintained or abandoned sites. In an order issued Wednesday, the regulator told the Orphan Well Association that it would be responsible for the care and operation of more than 3,000 oil and gas wells, 2,700 pipeline segments and 350 facilities owned by AlphaBow Energy.“AlphaBow and any contractors of AlphaBow are not permitted to take any actions at the licences and the sites without first obtaining the approval from the (Orphan Well Association),” said the letter to association president Lars DePauw.The Alberta Energy Regulator’s documents state AlphaBow’s entire environmental liability is $154 million. The regulator has told the association to suspend AlphaBow’s wells, meaning surface structures must be safely locked and the drill hole plugged wi...