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Old NASA satellite falling to Earth, risk of danger ‘low’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

An old NASA satellite is expected to fall to Earth this week, but experts tracking the spacecraft say chances are low it will pose any danger. The defunct science satellite known as Rhessi will plummet through the atmosphere Wednesday night, according to NASA and the Defense Department.NASA said Tuesday that the reentry location is not being disclosed, given lingering uncertainty over when and where it might go down. Most of the 660-pound (300-kilogram) satellite should burn up upon return, but some parts are expected to survive. The space agency said in a statement the risk of anyone on Earth being harmed by plunging satellite pieces is “low” — about 1-in-2,467.Rhessi — short for the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager — rocketed into orbit in 2002 to study the sun. Before being shut down in 2018 because of communication problems, the satellite observed solar flares as well as coronal mass ejections from the sun. It captured images in high-energy X-rays and g...

Daylong truce reportedly reached in Sudan goes into effect

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A 24-hour cease-fire reportedly reached between Sudan’s rival generals went into effect on Tuesday, but heavy fighting raged up until the time it was supposed to begin, and it was unclear whether it would hold.The truce, reported by several Arab media outlets, was to begin Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time.Residents said they still heard gunfire and explosions in different parts of the capital Khartoum, particularly around the military’s headquarters and the Republican Palace, the seat of power. They said few people had ventured out, though there were crowds outside some bakeries.“The fighting remains underway,” Atiya Abdulla Atiya of the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate told The Associated Press. “We are hearing constant gunfire.”Forces loyal to Sudan’s two top generals continued fighting each other in the streets of Khartoum throughout the day, underscoring the fragility of efforts to bring even a pause in the intensifying violence that has threatened to spir...

Left your taxes till the last minute? Here are some tips

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’ve waited till the last minute to file your taxes, don’t panic. The tax deadline is Tuesday, but you still have time to get it done.If you are worried that you might not be able to finish in time, you can file for an extension, though that’s not ideal (more on that below.)Whether you do your taxes yourself, go to a tax clinic or hire a professional, navigating the tax system can be complicated and stressful. Courtney Alev, a consumer financial advocate for Credit Karma, recommends you go easy on yourself.“Take a breath. Take some time, set out an hour, or go through it over the weekend. You’ll hopefully see that it’s a lot simpler than you think,” Alev said.If you find the process too confusing, there are plenty of free resources to help you get through it. Here’s what you need to know:WHEN IS THE DEADLINE TO FILE TAXES?Taxpayers have until Tuesday to submit their returns from 2022. If you’re filing by mail rather than online, the retur...

Ralph Yarl’s mom: ‘Buckets of tear,’ but he’s coping well

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The mother of Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager shot when he mistakenly went to the wrong Kansas City, Missouri, home to pick up his younger brothers, said her son is crying “buckets of tears” as he comes to grips with what happened to him.“Ralph is doing considerably well,” Cleo Nagbe told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King on Tuesday. “Physically, mornings are hard, but his spirits are in a good place. I borrow from his spirits. He is in very good hands.”Nagbe said the trauma remains evident. She said her 16-year-old son is “able to communicate mostly when he feels like it, but mostly he just sits there and stares and the buckets of tears just rolls down his eyes.”“You can see that he is just replaying the situation over and over again, and that just doesn’t stop my tears either.” Kansas City police said the shooter, 84-year-old Andrew Lester, has still not been arrested. There was no answer at Lester’s home phone and he does not yet hav...

Funding killed for Wisconsin’s largest conservation project

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee voted Tuesday to kill funding for the largest land conservation project in Wisconsin history, a move that came following concerns about the $15 million purchase of 56,000 acres of forest land that would have been open to both logging and recreational use.Republican lawmakers objected in November to using $4 million from the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to help finance the purchase of the property east of Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin known as the Pelican River Forest. The rest of the funding for the conservation easement would come from a federal grant.Efforts to address lawmakers’ concerns since objections were raised were unsuccessful, Sen. Mary Felzkowski, one of the Republicans who objected to the project, said Tuesday. She was among the 12 Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee who voted to kill the project, while all four Democrats voted to fund it...

Judge rules University of Michigan grad strike unfair

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a graduate student instructor strike at the University of Michigan amounts to an unfair labor practice. David Peltz, an administrative law judge for the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, issued the decision Friday, the Detroit News reported Monday. Peltz ruled that the graduate students’ union breached its duty to bargain in good faith by violating the no-strike provision in its current contract and recommended all union representatives end the strike. Their current contract ends May 1. His decision is a recommendation to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which is expected to issue a final ruling. The union plans to appeal Peltz’s ruling to the commission, said Amir Fleischmann, a political science doctoral candidate and a union officer. More than 2,000 graduate students who teach at the school walked out March 29, seeking better pay and other benefits. The university filed unfair labor practice cha...

Canadian Screen Awards viewership numbers down from last year and pre-pandemic times

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

TORONTO — Preliminary ratings suggest fewer people watched the pre-taped Canadian Screen Awards on CBC than last year, with numbers plunging by more than half of those in pre-pandemic times.The public broadcaster shared overnight data from Numeris that reports an average audience of 136,000 for Sunday’s hour-long telecast compared to 2022’s show, which averaged 146,000 viewers.The overnight numbers refer to viewers over the age of 2, but among the coveted advertising age group of 25-to-54 year-olds, the show averaged 31,000 viewers compared to 14,000 the year before.The public broadcaster would not release live viewership numbers for its streaming service CBC Gem.This year’s Screen Awards show offered comedy bits and highlights of seven non-televised galas where practically all of the awards were handed out in the days prior.The awards show that aired April 10, 2022 was also a pre-recorded one-hour special but it included live announcements of the marquee categories and accept...

Tribeca sets lineup with docs on Stan Lee, Dan Rather

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Films directed by Chelsea Peretti, David Duchovny and Michael Shannon will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, organizers of the New York film festival announced Tuesday, as will documentaries about Dan Rather, Stan Lee and Gloria Gaynor. Some 109 feature films, including 93 world premieres, will be screened at the 22nd Tribeca Film Festival. The festival runs June 7-18. Many of those include movies directed by notable actors. Peretti, the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star, will premiere “First Time Female Director,” in which she stars alongside Amy Poehler. Duchovny will debut his “Bucky F—-ing Dent.” Shannon will screen his “Eric LaRue,” starring Judy Greer and Alexander Skarsgård. Also playing at Tribeca are John Slattery’s “Maggie Moore(s)” and co-directors Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater’s “Downtown Owl,” a Chuck Klosterman adaptation.Several more actors-turned-directors will also make a stop at Tribeca after debuting their films ea...

Police: Man helping get goose out of road struck, killed in suburbs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

KANE COUNTY, Ill. — A man was struck and killed after helping get a goose out of traffic early Tuesday morning in unincorporated Elgin Township.At around 6 a.m., authorities were dispatched to the 1200 block of St. Charles Street on the report of a pedestrian struck.Police believe Rateb Arqan, 59, of West Chicago, pulled over on the side of the road to help remove a goose from southbound lanes of traffic. At some point, he was struck by a 2012 Chevy Express van, driven by Juan Padilla-Regalado, 29, of Elgin. Arqan was pronounced dead at the scene. Motorcyclist dead following police pursuit in Gary No citations have been issued at this time.

California teen missing for months found alive

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:56:22 GMT

(KTLA) – A California teenager missing since Jan. 1, and who may have been held captive, has been found safe, authorities with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.  Alinka Castaneda, 16, left her family’s home in Carson, California, and was seen “entering an unknown vehicle” at 5 a.m. that day, officials with the sheriff’s department said.  Footage from a Ring doorbell camera captured an unidentified man walking toward Castaneda moments before she disappeared.  Family of teens shot, killed by L.A. County deputies demand justice While the teen’s family initially believed her disappearance may have been an attempt to run away, they later received several distressing calls from the 16-year-old.  “In this phone call, she actually shared with her sister and her mom that she didn’t know where she was then and wouldn’t be allowed to leave. She sounded like she was under duress and stressing out,” Moses Castillo, a retired LAPD detective and a private in...