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2 people charged with looting as residents worry about burglaries following Hurricane Idalia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two people were charged with looting a home damaged by Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend region, as residents’ concerns grew that burglars could be tempted to hit other hurricane-ravaged homes since law enforcement is stretched thin in the remote, wooded area along the Gulf Coast.Some residents of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, one of the communities hardest hit after Idalia made landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane, urged law enforcement to set up checkpoints where people would have to show identification in order to get into the town.Marina worker Kerry Ford had high praise for local law enforcement’s response to the hurricane but wished more would be done to keep out people who don’t belong in Horseshoe Beach.The authorities “did really good,” Ford said. “Now, the only thing I’ve seen where they’ve dropped the ball is you can come right into Horseshoe without showing you’re a resident or anything like that. That’s a pro...

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz falls while jogging and bruises his face

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fell while jogging and sustained bruises to his face, prompting him to cancel some appointments this weekend, the government said Saturday.In an emailed response to a query about the incident, the government said that the 65-year-old German leader had “a small sports accident” and canceled appointments Sunday in the central Hesse region, where a state election is being held on Oct. 8. But it said his appointments next week won’t be affected.The Hesse-based Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper first reported on Saturday’s incident. It cited a prominent lawmaker with Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats, Michael Roth, who had invited the chancellor to his home town of Heringen and planned a discussion event with him there on Sunday.Scholz has led Germany since December 2021. He previously served as the country’s finance and labor minister, and as mayor of Hamburg.The Associated Press

Libya’s chief prosecutor is seeking more details on minister’s meeting with Israel’s chief diplomat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s chief prosecutor said Saturday he would establish a fact-finding mission to investigate a meeting last month between the foreign minister of one of the country’s rival governments and Israel’s chief diplomat.The Aug. 22 meeting caused an uproar across the North African nation. Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister of the Tripoli-based government, and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met in Rome in the first-ever between top diplomats of Libya and Israel.Libya criminalizes establishing ties with Israel under a 1957 law. The oil-rich country has long been hostile toward Israel and supportive of the Palestinians.In a terse statement Saturday, General Prosecutor Al-Sediq al-Sour said the fact-finding mission would probe violations of Libya’s rules of boycotting Israel and “investigate the extent of damage to Libya’s interests” because of the Mangoush-Cohen meeting.Libya slid into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. ...

An attack on a Chinese mining convoy carrying gold in Congo leaves 4 dead, authorities say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — An attack on a Chinese mining convoy transporting gold in northeast Congo killed four people, including two Chinese nationals, authorities said Friday.Sammy Badibanga Kalonji, administrator of the Fizi territory where the attack took place, said a Congolese soldier, a driver and two Chinese nationals were killed in the armed robbery near the Kimbo river.Three people were seriously wounded in the attack, including a Congolese soldier and a worker, Kalonji said. The wounded were receiving treatment in a local hospital.Kalonji said the assailants stole a “large quantity” of gold from the convoy, which belonged to a Chinese mining company operating in the restive South Kivu province. He had no additional details.Many Chinese companies mine gold and other minerals in South Kivu, one of the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo that have been plagued by violence from armed groups for nearly three decades.Attacks on quarries and mining cooperatives ar...

GOP lawmakers take aim at LGBTQ+ ‘safe places’ program in small Florida town

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

MOUNT DORA, Fla. (AP) — Some central Florida lawmakers said they were considering “all legislative, legal and executive options available” to stop business owners in a small town from voluntarily displaying rainbow decals in their windows indicating that they are “safe place” for LGBTQ+ people who feel threatened.Four Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to officials in Mount Dora two weeks ago warning that the new, optional city-sponsored program could put the central Florida community outside Orlando “in the crosshairs of potentially detrimental and absolutely unnecessary economic harm.” The lawmakers cited boycotts of Bud Light and Target, which followed the brands’ efforts to promote diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community.Mount Dora’s city council approved the Safe Place Initiative last month. The city of 17,000 residents is known for its antique shops and weekend festivals.“The mission of the Safe Place Initiative is to provide the community with easily acce...

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson dies at 75

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Bill Richardson, a two-term governor of New Mexico and a longtime fixture in Democratic politics, has died at the age of 75. The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, a foundation started by Richardson in 2011, confirmed the news of his death, saying he died in his sleep on Friday night, at his summer home in Chatham, Massachusetts."He lived his entire life in the service of others — including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad," Mickey Bergman, the vice president of the Richardson Center, said of Richardson's accomplishments and work with the foundation. ‘Margaritaville’ singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76 Richardson was elected as New Mexico's 30th governor in 2003, holding the office through 2011. Prior to his role as the state's chief executive, Richardson served as a federal lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1983 through February 1997, represen...

Texas Longhorns open 2023 football season vs. Rice Owls at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — College football is finally here in Austin.The No. 11 Texas Longhorns host the Rice Owls at 2:30 p.m. with triple-digit temperatures set to roast the turf at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will air on FOX.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersAs head coach Steve Sarkisian said in the spring, Quinn Ewers is the starting quarterback, but all eyes are on the Longhorns backfield after the departures of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. On the Longhorns Week 1 depth chart, freshman CJ Baxter and sophomore Jonathan Brooks are listed as potential starters but both should see plenty of carries.Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington and Adonai Mitchell are listed as starting wideouts with JT Sanders at tight end. Along the offensive line are Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle, Hayden Conner at left guard, Jake Majors at center, DJ Campbell at right guard and Christian...

'Nowhere to go': Austin Women's Health Center fundraises to keep reproductive health clinic open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tucked away off South Interstate 35 near Woodland Avenue, amid canvassing trees and along a small creek, lies Austin Women's Health Center. For nearly 50 years, the independent clinic has provided reproductive health care services for patients in the Austin area.In the year since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the implementation of Texas' abortion ban, staff said the clinic is now at a "crisis point," with an active fundraiser in place to help keep the facility open."The past year has been a rollercoaster," said Julie Smith, a former Austin Women's Health Center employee. She, alongside several other employees, lost their jobs at the clinic after revenues plummeted following the overturn of Roe, she said. Smith now serves in a consultant capacity for the clinic."We pretty much had to figure out overnight how we were going to make it work and continue to provide all the other health care services that we were providing: miscarriage management, early pregnancy [det...

Texas high school football scores for Friday, Sept. 1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Wires got crossed and the defenses forgot to show up out in Liberty Hill on Friday. The Panthers and Hutto both lived in each others' end zones and it was Liberty Hill who recovered an onside kick late to clinch an 82-80 win over the Hippos. Liberty Hill running backs Ben Carter and Noah Long combined for nearly 700 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while Hutto quarterback Will Hammond accounted for 10 touchdowns. It was absolute mayhem out there Friday night.REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteDripping Springs took care of San Antonio Wagner 35-14 and Vandegrift topped Cedar Park 41-17. Lake Travis and Cibolo Steele engaged in a 6A Top 15 battle with the No. 12 Cavaliers coming up with a 20-10 win over the No. 11 Knights.Scores from the KXAN viewing areaBrentwood Christian 50, Somerville 22Brownwood 56, Marble Falls 7Burne...

Dane Mizutani: Vikings wanted a ‘competitive rebuild’ and they’re right on track

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:00:40 GMT

The use of two words has more or less defined the brief tenure of Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to this point.He coined the phrase “competitive rebuild” shortly after being hired about 18 months ago. He explained it as living for today and living for tomorrow with hopes of giving the Vikings as many kicks at the can as possible. He vowed to carefully navigate those diverging timelines in order to keep the franchise relevant in the present while also keeping an eye toward the future.As a result, the Vikings have neither pushed their chips to the center of the table, nor torn the thing down to the studs.They aren’t atop the list of odds to win the Super Bowl. They also aren’t atop the list of odds to take uber-talented USC quarterback Caleb Williams with No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.Where does that leave the Vikings, with the Sept. 10 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about a week away?Exactly where they want to be.Asked if he stil...