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Jumbled wreckage complicates chocolate factory blast probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

WEST READING, Pa. — Investigators looking for the cause of a deadly explosion that leveled part of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory faced an even more difficult task Monday as they combed through wreckage that was extensively picked apart and moved around during the intensive weekend search for victims and survivors.Seven people were killed and several others wounded in the powerful blast at the R.M Palmer Co. plant in West Reading, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. One survivor was pulled from the rubble hours after the powerful explosion rattled windows and shook houses.With the recovery effort now over, attention turned to identifying the cause — a task complicated by the jumbled wreckage.“The No. 1 goal of this, once the fire was out, gas stopped, is to look for the victims,” Pennsylvania State Police Master Trooper David Beohm said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “So with that, when they picked the building apart with the excavator, ...

Train derails in rural North Dakota and spills chemicals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

WYNDMERE, N.D. (AP) — A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety.There were no injuries and no fire associated with the derailment, which occurred in a rural area outside Wyndmere, a town of several hundred people about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Fargo.Canadian Pacific spokesperson Andy Cummings said 31 of the 70 cars on the train, including several carrying hazardous materials, left the tracks around 11:15 p.m. Sunday.Four cars filled with liquid asphalt and two railcars filled with ethylene glycol spilled some of those chemicals in the derailment. And Cummings said a car carrying propylene was punctured and released some vapor.It wasn’t immediately clear how much of the chemicals were released, but there are no waterways nearby and the chemical spills were contained at the site of the derailment. The railroad’s hazardous ...

Umpire ejects Realmuto after bizarre game ball exchange

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was ejected Monday in a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays for an awkward ball exchange that followed a pitch-clock violation.Home plate umpire Randy Rosenberg had just finished calling a ball on Phillies pitcher Craig Kimbrel for taking too long on the mound when the at-bat in the fourth inning devolved into the bizarre ejection.Kimbrel asked for a fresh ball after the violation, and Rosenberg threw him one. Kimbrel then threw out that baseball and asked for another. Rosenberg tried handing that ball to Realmuto to throw, but the catcher blindly turned his glove away and the ball dropped to the ground.Rosenberg immediately ejected Realmuto.Realmuto, still squatting in his catcher’s position with his back to Rosenberg, turned around and expressed confusion about what had just happened.Phillies manager Rob Thomson then came to the plate for an explanation.“How does he expect me to know he’s giving ...

N. Carolina governor signs Medicaid expansion bill into law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday signed a Medicaid expansion law that was a decade in the making and gives the Democrat a legacy-setting victory, although one significant hurdle remains before coverage can be implemented, thanks to a Republican-backed provision.At an Executive Mansion ceremony attended by hundreds, Cooper celebrated passage of expansion legislation, which he’s ardently sought since being first elected governor in 2016. It took Republicans in charge of the General Assembly all this time to come around to the idea and agree to offer coverage to more low-income adults, with federal coffers paying for most of it.North Carolina has been among 11 states who haven’t accepted expansion from the federal government. States with Republican leaders have recently been considering expansion after years of opposition.“This law, once implemented, will be the working families bill of the decade,” Cooper said. “Today is a historic step toward a heal...

Indiana bill banning gender-affirming care sent to governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana House Republicans on Monday approved a bill that would ban all gender-affirming care for minors in the state, sending the measure to Indiana’s Republican governor amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the U.S.The House advanced the ban 65-30 after contentious hearings that primarily featured testimony from vocal opponents. The bill would prohibit transgender youth under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgeries in the state.“This is good public policy to protect our children from irreversible, harmful, life-altering procedures,” said bill sponsor Indiana Rep. Joanna King of Middlebury.In many U.S. states, lawmakers are approving or considering laws that target transgender health care and limit competitions open to trans athletes.At least nine states have enacted laws restricting or banning some forms of gender-affirming healthcare for minors: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah and...

Saskatchewan looks to boost critical minerals industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is hoping to bolster critical mineral exploration after announcing a strategy Monday that aims to attract investment and double production by 2030.The plan would see the province expand a tax credit program and provide millions more dollars in grants to companies. The federal government has promoted critical minerals as being essential for moving toward a greener and more digitally focused economy. Producing more of them at home would also help avoid supply-chain disruptions, given China is the main producer, Ottawa has said. Critical minerals include lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, zinc and rare earth elements. They are used for batteries, solar panels, computer chips and electrical transmission lines.“The world’s moving to where batteries are going to have a bigger impact on all our lives. Critical minerals are incredibly important,” Energy Minister Jim Reiter said. “The time is now.”The Saskatchewan Party governm...

California lawmakers OK potential fines for high gas prices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Monday approved the nation’s first penalty for price gouging at the pump, voting to give regulators the power to punish oil companies for profiting from the type of gas price spikes that plagued the nation’s most populous state last summer.The Democrats in charge of the state Legislature worked quickly to pass the bill on Monday, just one week after it was introduced. It was an unusually fast process for a controversial issue, especially one opposed by the powerful oil industry that has spent millions of dollars to stop it.Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom used his political muscle to pass the bill, which grew out of his call last December for a special legislative session to pass a new tax on oil company profits after the average price of gas in California his a record high of $6.44 per gallon, according to AAA. Taking on the oil industry has been a major policy priority for Newsom, who is widely viewed as a future presidenti...

Death toll in Tennessee crash updated to 4 youths, 2 adults

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday revised the number of youths killed over the weekend in a Tennessee highway crash, saying that four girls ages 1 to 12 died instead of the six they originally reported.Emergency crews found a car upside down with extensive damage early Sunday when they responded at about 2 a.m. to the crash site on Interstate 24 in Robertson County, said Brent Dyer, chief of the county’s emergency management services office. In a news release sent after the crash, Robertson County EMS said first responders found six females ranging in age from 1 to 18 who had been thrown from the car and could not be resuscitated. The Tennessee Highway Patrol released a report Monday identifying the car as a Toyota Camry and placing the number of people who were in the vehicle at eight. The report revised the ages of those killed from six youths to four girls and two adults. All six were riding in the Camry. The highway patrol said the girls’ ages were 1, 3, 5 ...

Ottawa eyeing U.S.-made surveillance planes for Canadian Armed Forces

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada is looking at buying a fleet of military surveillance aircraft from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing without a competition.The federal Procurement Department says Canada has submitted a letter to the U.S. government asking for more information, including a price, for up to 16 P-8 Poseidon planes and associated equipment.The department says the request follows discussions with industry and close allies about potential replacements for the Air Force’s aging CP-140 Auroras.The department says those consultations identified the Poseidon as the only aircraft that could meet Canada’s requirements for a new surveillance aircraft.The government says the query does not commit Canada to buying the American-made planes.“The final decision will be based on the capability offered, availability, pricing and benefits to Canadian industry,” the department said in an unsigned statement released late Monday afternoon.However, the federal government has announced a s...

Test Test Test Test Test Test from IT

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:00:54 GMT

IT Test Text goes here.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Month Date, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:TKTK)The Canadian Press