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In wake of Qatargate, Commission seeks binding ethics accord

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Commission’s answer to a unified ethics overhaul across a motley set of institutions: court-backed peer pressure. Under a proposal for an ethics organization adopted by the EU executive branch today, nine EU institutions would make — and enforce — binding commitments to implement common ethics standards for political officials working in them.A promise that long predates the Qatargate bribery scandal that rocked the European Parliament six months ago, the plan is the Commission’s attempt to overcome legal and political hurdles blocking an independent ethics cop to enforce rules across the EU. The new panel would not have the power to launch investigations or punish wrongdoing; however, the proposal, obtained by POLITICO, does aim to bind political officials to better police themselves (and publicly embarrass them if they don’t).The idea is that each of the nine subject institutions would nominate a representative to sit on the ethics body, which wo...

Suspect arrested, charged with attempted murder after crews extinguish massive house fire in Holden

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

A suspect is facing multiple charges, including a count of attempted murder, after crews contained “an intentionally set fire” that ripped through a home in Holden, according to officials.The Holden Fire Department said its crews were called to the area of 25 Juniper Lane around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6, where heavy flames could be seen engulfing parts of a home’s basement and first floor.According to the department, two alarms were struck as multiple fire departments sent personnel to help put out the blaze at the single-family house.Image provided by the Holden Fire DepartmentAuthorities said two civilians were evaluated and treated while no firefighters were injured during the response.Holden FD said it took around two hours to put out the blaze, which appeared to heavily damage a large portion of the front of the home, based on photos shared by the department.In a joint-statement from both Fire Chief Russell Hall and Holden Police Chief Timothy Sherblom, of...

Philadelphia is under a ‘code red’ alert as millions from the East Coast to Canada suffer unhealthy air from Quebec’s wildfires

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

(CNN) — As an orange haze of wildfire smoke from Canada smothers parts of the eastern US, officials are warning residents in both countries of unhealthy or hazardous air Wednesday.More than 55 million people in the eastern US are under air quality alerts due to the smoke. The heaviest smoke is forecast to impact the Northeast through the Mid-Atlantic and down to the Carolinas, and smoke conditions in those regions could last through at least Thursday.Major metro areas in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut now have air quality indexes (AQIs) above 150 – which is considered “unhealthy,” according to the government website AirNow.gov.Philadelphia had an AQI of 205 as of Wednesday morning, which is classified as “very unhealthy.”New York City; Jersey City, New Jersey; and New Haven, Connecticut all had “unhealthy” AQIs ranging from 155 to 171 on Wednesday morning.Live updates on the smoke’s spreadAnd the Canadian capital of Ottawa is getting...

FAA issues ground stop at LaGuardia airport due to smoke

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented a ground stop for flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia airport due to smoke.Flights going to LaGuardia are being kept at their departing airports until 2 p.m. ET, according to a FAA bulletin. The FAA says the chance of an extension is “low,” but delays could follow.All flights bound to Newark Liberty International Airport are being delayed from taking off from their departing airports until 11:59 p.m. ET.An FAA advisory cites “low visibility” as the cause.As of 1:00 p.m. ET, airlines in the U.S. have canceled 74 flights and delayed another 1,257, according to data from tracking site FlightAware.The Federal Aviation Administration says the extreme wildfire smoke haze lingering over the Northeast U.S. due to Canadian wildfires could delay flights through Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

Afternoon Briefing: Jockeying for the Bears’ next home continues

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

Good afternoon, Chicago.Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to keep the Bears in Chicago as the NFL franchise floats interest in potentially moving to a suburb other than Arlington Heights.Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said conversations he’s had with the Bears about potential business opportunities there are just that, conversations. The Bears issued a statement June 2, the days officials met with the mayor, that said plans to build “the largest single development project in Illinois history” in Arlington Heights are “at risk” and they are exploring other options.Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy2 injured following explosion, fire at Oak Forest apartment Tuesday eveningOak Forest police and firefighters were called to 160th Stre...

Unemployment or recession fears aren’t stopping workers from making career moves

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

Sarah Foster | Bankrate.com (TNS)For more than a year now, workers have been told to strap in for a recession that could zap their historic career opportunities, harm their unprecedented amount of bargaining power and injure their job security.That downturn has yet to arrive. Now, workers may be learning to live with the uncertainty.One in 3 (or 33%) employed Americans are worried about their job security, according to Bankrate’s job seeker survey released in April. But a new analysis shows they’re also the ones most likely to make career moves.Nearly 9 in 10 workers who are worried about their job security (or 88%) say they will likely take at least one career action in the next 12 months, which includes quitting a job, asking for a raise, relocating for a job, negotiating for more flexibility and searching for a new position, the survey found. About two-thirds (or 67%) of those with no job security worries said the same.Illustrating the divide even more, 21% of workers who are wor...

Great white shark called Jekyll tracked off Long Island coast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

Tim Balk | New York Daily News (TNS)A great white shark named Jekyll isn’t hiding from beachgoers on Long Island.The 400-pound beast swam near the beaches of the Hamptons this week before heading farther out to sea, according to shark tracking data monitored by researchers.The juvenile 9-foot-long fish, first tracked in December off the Georgia coast, has been trawling near Long Island at least since last Friday, according to the shark-tracking organization OCEARCH.The group said Monday night that Jekyll’s recent movements marked the first time its researchers have tracked the shark near New York.OCEARCH tweeted that it is “excited to see where he spends his summer.”On Sunday, Jekyll was tracked near the village of Quogue in Southampton.Despite great whites’ notoriety, generated in part by the 1975 “Jaws” movie, they do not typically attack people on purpose. Their extremely rare human bites are believed to be accidents.A study from California State University, Long Beach, released ...

WWE Hall of Famer ‘The Iron Sheik’ dies at 81

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

David Matthews | New York Daily NewsLegendary wrestler Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, who performed as “The Iron Sheik,” died Wednesday. He was 81 years old.“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of The Iron Sheik, but we also take solace in knowing that he departed this world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations to come,” a statement posted to his Twitter account reads.“With his larger-than-life persona, incredible charisma, and unparalleled in-ring skills, he captivated audiences around the globe. He was a trailblazer, breaking barriers and paving the way for a diverse range of wrestlers who followed in his footsteps.”No other details of his death were given.Vaziri was born in Iran in 1942 and trained as a wrestler before moving to the United States in the 1960s. He went on to become an assistant coach for the 1972 and 1976 U.S. Olympic wrestling teams, where the U.S. won 12 medals.He entered the world of pro wrestling and soon...

Gunman who opened fire after Virginia high school graduation targeted graduate, Richmond police say

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

By SARAH RANKIN and DENISE LAVOIE (Associated Press)RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A gunman who opened fire minutes after a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, targeted an 18-year-old graduate he had a long-running dispute with, police said Wednesday.Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Lorenzo Smith, 36, were both killed Tuesday in the shooting, which sent hundreds fleeing in panic outside the state capital’s city-owned Altria Theater after the graduation ceremony for Huguenot High School. Five other people were wounded in the shooting.Richmond Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards said the shooting suspect, Amari Pollard, 19, knew Jackson and the two had been embroiled in a dispute for more than a year. Edwards said the nature of the dispute is still being investigated.“This was targeted at one individual … that’s what we know at this time,” Edwards said during a news conference Wednesday.Pollard was arraigned Wednesday morning on two counts of second...

Man who died at Ramona motocross track identified

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

RAMONA, Calif. — Officials have identified the man who died Tuesday at a motocross track in Ramona.Patrick Michael Casey, 29, died after he lost control of the motocross bike he was riding and was ejected from the vehicle, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said.The incident happened around 2:45 p.m. at Slayground Motocross Park, which is owned by Axell Hodges, a three-time gold medal winner in X Games Moto X competition.According to authorities, Casey crashed his motorcycle while performing a jump on the park ramps. Bystanders called 911 after the crash and paramedics were dispatched to the track. Medics found Casey pulseless and apneic. Despite life-saving measures, he was not able to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene.The “Slayground” was the site of the X Games Moto X competitions in 2021 and 2022. The 2023 X Games Moto X event will take place in Ventura.