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17 deaths associated with Rickettsia in Baja California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Rickettsia is spread by ticks, lice, fleas, mites found in animals such as dogs. It lives in people's bloodstream, slowly damaging their skin, lungs, brain and other organs until they die. Seventeen people in the state of Baja California -- including some children -- have died from the disease this year, according to the state's health secretary Adrián Medina Amarillas. Eight of the deaths have taken place in Tijuana.As the weather heats up, more cases are expected since most rickettsia deaths occur during the summer. Medina Amarillas is asking people to be careful around dogs that might be carrying ticks. In spite of opposition, officials deem Tijuana beaches safe for swimming A male adult dog tick, or Dermacentor variabilis, crawls over a penny. Dog ticks can transmit diseases such as rickettsia. Credit: NIAID (Photo by: IMAGE POINT FR/NIH/NIAID/BSIP //Universal Images Group via Getty Images)"It's necessary to maintain clean living areas such as patios and make sure...

Blaze rages out of control on Greek island of Rhodes, forcing evacuations including from 2 resorts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A large blaze burning on the Greek island of Rhodes for the fifth day has forced authorities to order an evacuation of four locations, including two seaside resorts.In previous days, the wildfire was confined to the island’s mountainous center, but aided by winds, very high temperatures and dry conditions, it spread Saturday toward the coast on the island’s central-eastern side. Local media reported the fires had reached three hotels, whose clients had already been evacuated.Fire Service spokesman Yannis Artopios said Saturday afternoon that the residents of four localities were sent SMS messages to evacuate – in two localities they were told to move to the northeast and, in two others, to the southwest.Artopios said that over 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were operating on the ground, assisted by three planes and five helicopters. The force includes 31 firefighters from Slovakia, with five fire engines.The main front of the fire is a triangle, with two ...

Record-breaking downpours from thunderstorms cause flooding across Nova Scotia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

HALIFAX — A long procession of intense thunderstorms have dumped record amounts of rain across a wide swath of Nova Scotia, causing flash flooding, road washouts and power outages.Torrential downpours started Friday afternoon across the Halifax region, dumping more than 200 millimetres of rain in the Hammonds Plains, Bedford and Lower Sackville areas — and there was more rain in the forecast for Saturday. The port city receives about 100 mm of rain during an average month. Residents in the Halifax region are being warned to stay off the roads, including major highways.Rainfall warnings remain in effect for central and eastern Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton. And an additional 40 to 100 mm of rain was expected by Saturday night.Earlier in the day, an evacuation order was issued for people living near the St. Croix River system in central Nova Scotia, where a dam is at risk of being breached.“The amounts of rain received so far has varied dramatically across the province and ...

Search continues for Ukrainian refugee who went missing after swim in Quebec river

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

Quebec provincial police are continuing their search for a Ukrainian refugee who went missing Wednesday evening after a swim in a river southeast of Quebec City.BACKGROUND: Quebec police looking for Ukrainian refugee missing after going for swim in riverPolice spokesperson Sgt. Catherine Bernard says officers are searching the banks of the Etchemin River near St-Anselme, Que. and a police helicopter will survey the water later Saturday.A team of divers was assisting with the search, but police said a strong river current forced them to suspend their work Thursday afternoon.Police have described the refugee as a man in his 20s but have not confirmed his identity.Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, says the man is 21 years old and has a mother, twin brother and younger brother who are also in Canada.Laura Torres, who works with a group that helps immigrants settle in Quebec, said the man’s mother called police about her missing son ...

Weekend Break: Abbey Farms Classic Car Show

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

Check out Weekend Break with Marcus Leshock while he takes us on a spin through Abbey Farms Classic car show.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Mega Millions jackpot increases to $820 million; 8 players win $1 million prize

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Friday's Mega Millions drawing once again failed to produce a grand-prize winner, causing the jackpot to swell closer to the $1-billion mark.Friday’s winning numbers — 29, 40, 47, 50, 57 and the Mega Ball 25 — went unmatched once again, continuing a months-long trend that began after the last jackpot-winner was announced on April 18.The estimated jackpot now stands at $820 million, with a cash value of $422 million. Family’s TikTok video of ‘unsanitary’ conditions at Myrtle Beach hotel goes viral The jackpot rose to similar heights around the same time last year — leading to a $1.337 billion jackpot being awarded on July 29, 2022. It was the third billion-dollar jackpot won in the competition's history, according to the Mega Millions website.The current jackpot amount is the fifth-largest in the game's history, but still more than $700 million beneath the largest ever won.AmountDateWinning Tickets$1.537 billion10/23/20181-SC$1.348 billion1/13/20231-ME$1.337 bi...

Zoe Kreitenberg: Affirmative action is banned — except at military academies?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

With a conservative majority on the bench, the recent Supreme Court ruling to strike down affirmative action was widely expected. One unexpected twist, however, was an inconspicuous footnote exempting military academies from the drastic change.In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. briefly singled out military academies as the sole class of institutions allowed to maintain race-conscious admissions practices. This unexplained double standard illuminates the flaws in the court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. It may also doom more minority students to the discrimination that exists within the ranks of our nation’s military.The military academies are among the elite schools that drive much of the affirmative action debate. The Army and naval academies, West Point and Annapolis, often rank in the top liberal arts colleges nationwide. All five federal service academies — also including the Air Force Academy, Coast Guard Academy...

Sainted & Tainted: ‘These people make a meaningful, apolitical, difference’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

SaintedI recently lost my 101+ year-old mom, Irene. She, and I, were blessed with her relatively quick, peaceful, pain-free death. Over the past several years we received assistance with her care through the many services provided by Ramsey County’s Medical Assistance program. Wow! It is hard to say enough good things about all the people with whom I have interacted during those years.Everyone I have dealt with truly cared about her. They are competent professionals and were always attentive and compassionate. In this day and age of so much social discord and global horror, they are a beacon of what is right about humanity. I am particularly proud of this organization as a born-and-raised Saint Paulite. These people make a meaningful, apolitical, difference. Thank you.Jim Bracke, Eden PrairieSaintedSainted – the couple who lives across the street from Geranium Park in Maplewood. They have planted lots of flowers – along the curb, in their yard and in the space between their an...

Rotterdam police investigate death on Greenpoint Avenue

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

ROTTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Detectives with the Rotterdam Police Department reported a death on the 1700-block of Greenpoint Avenue on Friday. Although information is limited for now, investigators said that there is no threat to the public. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Lt. Patrick Farry told NEWS10 that a post-mortem exam is scheduled for Monday and that police hope they will be able to release more information after it is completed. Local law enforcement is working with the Schenectady County Medical Examiner's Office to determine a cause of death.For now, the investigation is ongoing. If you or someone you know has information about the case, call the police at (518) 355-7397 ext. 7104.

Grading The Week: Why does it feel like Broncos’ kicking competition is only going to make us miss Brandon McManus more?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:50 GMT

It took Brandon McManus 114 attempts and four seasons to miss as many extra points — seven — as the combo of Brett Maher and Elliot Fry have whiffed on over their last 72 attempts. Combined.Now, we’ll grant you, the guys coming back from vacation on the Grading The Week stat crew admittedly aren’t that good at math.But when they sent us that particular number, our initial reaction was probably the same as a lot of Broncos Country: Zoinks! Or rather, doinks!Broncos kicking competition — D-plusHey, hey, we trust you, Sean Payton. I mean, what choice do we have? It’s Shanny Part II in Dove Valley, the Penners are all-in, and the Broncos needed a grown-up with gravitas to lead the room after aiming low at head coach for what feels like ages.And maybe — actually, no, this is more of a certainty — we’re so scarred from trying to poke our own eyes out after watching NFL (makes air quotes) offenses (more air quotes) drawn up by Nathaniel Hackett and “Pencil” Pat Shurmur these last few years...