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Beloved SeaWorld beluga whale, 'Ferdinand,' dies at 53

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A beloved beluga whale that resided in SeaWorld San Diego for nearly two decades passed away at the estimated age of 53, the theme park announced in a social media post on Friday.The whale, named "Ferdinand," was the oldest of three living in the park, and was known for his playful personality and uniquely elongated head. According to park officials, he lived "a very full life," surpassing the average 30 to 50 year lifespan for the cetacean species."We will miss Ferdinand dearly and we sincerely appreciate the support from our community and his fans all over the world," park officials said in the post announcing the whale's passing on Friday. "Ferdinand will be remembered for his great personality and amazing relationships with his animal care team." New home for the holidays: Birch Aquarium takes in five new penguins Ferdinand came to SeaWorld in 2004 after spending nearly 30 years at the Duiesberg Zoo in Germany. He was believed to have been about five years old when...

Trader Joe's opening new store in Santee

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

SANTEE, Calif. -- You can find Trader Joe's stores scattered throughout San Diego County. Now, a new location is coming to East County where the closest one is a bit of a drive away. Santee is getting a brand new Trader Joe's location, a company spokesperson confirmed Friday. Raising Cane’s bringing ‘craveable’ chicken to new Imperial Beach location The grocery store chain has locations throughout San Diego County, including Carmel Mountain Ranch, Chula Vista, Scripps Ranch, La Jolla, Point Loma and more. Currently, the nearest Trader Joe's location to Santee is on Grossmont Center Drive in La Mesa.The newest location will be opening in Santee in the near future. The company did not give a timeline of when the new store is expected to open, but did say it would be announced on their website in advance. The exact location of the new store was also not released at this time. New home for the holidays: Birch Aquarium takes in five new penguins Nationwide, the grocery store chain ...

US Senate confirms Shreveport attorney as first Black judge in Louisiana’s Western District

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A north Louisiana attorney is now the first Black federal judge to serve on the state’s U.S. Western District Court following confirmation by the U.S. Senate.Jerry Edwards Jr., of Shreveport, was one of two judicial nominations by Democratic President Joe Biden. Brandon Scott Long of New Orleans was the other nomination approved Thursday.Edwards will serve the district in the court based in Alexandria while Long will serve on Louisiana’s U.S. Eastern District Court, based in New Orleans, The Shreveport Times reported.“I was glad to support both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Long,” said Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy in a statement. “They each have the experience, qualifications and knowledge of the law to rule fairly and consistently. I wish them the best as they begin this new chapter dedicated to serving Louisiana and the country. ”Edwards has served as first assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District in Shreveport since 2022. Before that, he serve...

South African ex-President Jacob Zuma has denounced the ANC and pledged to vote for a new party

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former President Jacob Zuma on Saturday denounced the governing African National Congress party and announced that he would vote for a newly-formed political formation in South Africa’s general election next year.Zuma, who was president of the ANC from 2007 to 2017, said that he’s backing the newly-formed Umkhonto we Sizwe party that is named after the ANC’s now-defunct military wing, which was disbanded after the liberation struggle.Zuma, 81, called on other South Africans to vote for the new formation, saying it would be “a betrayal to vote for the ANC” of President Cyril Ramaphosa.The country’s general election scheduled for 2024 is expected to be highly contested, because the ruling ANC, which has governed the country since Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically-elected leader in 1994, faces a myriad of challenges.Recent polls have suggested that the ANC could for the first time garner less than 50% of the national vote in...

Alberta’s renewable energy pause could become lingering stumble, observers say

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

EDMONTON — It was just supposed to be a pause, a breather for an overburdened regulator and concerned public to catch up with an industry growing beyond expectations. But for those who study the renewable electricity industry, as well as for those in it, the six-month moratorium on project approvals slated to come off in February could turn out to be a crucial stumble that costs Alberta its lead, perhaps forever.  “It’s unlikely to think this kind of pause and decision will have no impact on investment,” said Sara Hastings-Simon of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. “It’s hard to know how large (the impact) is … but we’re in a competitive market to attract capital.”As recently as last summer, the sun shone bright and the breezes were favourable for Alberta renewables. The Business Renewable Centre, a group that links buyers and producers of renewable energy, said Alberta was on track to see $3.7 billion worth of const...

A Black woman was criminally charged after a miscarriage. It shows the perils of pregnancy post-Roe

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio was in the throes of a bitter debate over abortion rights this fall when Brittany Watts, 21 weeks and 5 days pregnant, began passing thick blood clots.The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made her first prenatal visit to a doctor’s office behind Mercy Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren, a working-class city about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Cleveland.The doctor said that, while a fetal heartbeat was still present, Watts’ water had broken prematurely and the fetus she was carrying would not survive. He advised heading to the hospital to have her labor induced, so she could have what amounted to an abortion to deliver the nonviable fetus. Otherwise, she would face “significant risk” of death, records of her case show.That was a Tuesday in September. What followed was a harrowing three days entailing: multiple trips to the hospital; Watts miscarrying into, and then flushing and plunging, a to...

Crash involving suspected drunk driver forces hours-long closure of northbound Highway 400

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

A driver is facing impaired driving charges following an early morning crash which forced the closure of a portion of Highway 400 in Vaughan.Ontario Provincial Police said around 5 a.m. Saturday, a car struck the concrete barrier and was stopped in a live lane of the highway at Bass Pro Mills Drive when it was struck from behind by a transport truck. The truck ended up in a ditch several hundred metres north of the impact. Transport truck with front end damage following an early morning crash on Highway 400 in Vaughan on Dec. 16, 2023. CITYNEWS/James TumeltyPolice say the driver of the car was taken to hospital with unknown injuries and has been arrested for impaired driving.The highway was eventually reopened to traffic more than five hours after the incident.

Williamson County announces new elections administrator

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Williamson County Elections Commission named Bridgette Escobedo as the new Williamson County elections administrator on Thursday. She will start in the new year. Escobedo previously served as the director of the Travis County Elections Division for the last four years, where she was responsible for elections of the almost one million registered voters in the county. As part of her role, she also oversaw the annual budget and supervised staff. She also worked as the elections administrator for Bastrop County, per a county press release. PREVIOUS: Williamson County names new elections administrator “Bridgette Escobedo has a wealth of knowledge in the elections field and will be well-equipped to lead our Williamson County Elections Department,” said Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell."I am honored and thrilled to join Williamson County as your new Elections Administrator. I look forward to joining such a talented and dedicated elections team t...

Billionaire has bought, demolished 7 homes on Duluth’s Park Point

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

DULUTH — A member of one of the wealthiest families in the United States has demolished seven homes on Park Point after buying them well above market value, igniting rumors over what will be built in their place and raising concerns over property taxes among longtime residents of the 7-mile-long sandbar.Over the last year, North Shore LS, LLC has spent a combined $4.6 million on seven addresses on Park Point — $2 million more than the combined estimated market value of all 14 parcels put together, according to St. Louis County property tax and sales data.Kathy Cargill is listed as the North Shore LS manager on business filings available through the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.According to public records, Kathy Cargill is married to James R. Cargill II, who Forbes said is one of 12 billionaire heirs to the Minnesota-based agribusiness Cargill, the country’s second-largest private company. The global food and agricultural company was started by his great-grandfath...

Other voices: Democrats, make a border deal to save Ukraine

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:11:18 GMT

In exchange for approving a supplemental national-security bill providing aid to Israel and Ukraine, Republican lawmakers are insisting on a far-reaching crackdown on the flow of migrants at the U.S.’s southern border. Many Democrats continue to resist the GOP’s demands. They should reconsider.The Republicans’ plan is not unreasonable. They want to increase detentions of unauthorized migrants, curb the use of “humanitarian parole” to release asylum seekers into the U.S., and require that migrants apply for asylum in countries they pass through before arriving at the border. They say these measures would deter people from giving themselves up at the border, requesting asylum and then being granted entry until their cases are processed, often years later — an influx that is overwhelming communities stretching from El Paso to New York City.Faced with criticism from Democratic mayors, President Joe Biden’s administration has backed some GOP prop...