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Bear helps itself to 60 cupcakes from Connecticut bakery, scares employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

AVON, Conn. (AP) — A hungry black bear barged into the garage of a Connecticut bakery, scared several employees and helped itself to 60 cupcakes before ambling away.Workers at Taste by Spellbound in the town of Avon were loading cakes into a van for delivery on Wednesday when the bear showed up. There are between 1,000 and 1,200 black bears living in Connecticut, the state environmental agency says, with sightings last year in 158 of the state’s 169 towns and cities.Bakery owner Miriam Stephens wrote in an Instagram post that she heard employee Maureen Williams “screaming bloody murder” and yelling that there was a bear in the garage.Williams told TV station WTNH that she shouted to scare the bear off but it retreated and came back three times.Williams said the bear charged at her so she backed out of the garage and ran.Surveillance video obtained by WTNH shows bakery workers walking around the side of the business to try to scare the bear, but then running away after it scares them...

First Republic hit with 1,000 job cuts after California bank was seized and sold to JPMorgan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — About 1,000 employees of First Republic Bank are being let go about a month after it was seized by regulators and acquired by JP Morgan Chase. The vast majority of First Republic employees, roughly 7,200 before it ran into trouble, were offered jobs by JPMorgan, meaning that about 15% of the bank’s employees laid off. When First Republic failed and was bought by JPMorgan on May 1, JPMorgan executives said they planned to take 30 days to figure out new roles for the First Republic employees and that not every employee would be guaranteed a job.“We recognize that they have been under stress and uncertainty since March and hope that today will bring clarity and closure,” the bank said in a written statement.First Republic cut roughly 25% of its workforce before JPMorgan stepped in. Bank employees that are not being offered jobs at JPMorgan will get an additional 60 days of pay and benefits, the bank said. Additional payments to those being let go will be based on ...

Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement after 17 years at Big Ten school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta will retire on August 1 after 17 years at the university, the school announced Friday.Barta, 59, is one of the longest tenured athletic directors in a Power Five conference. He was hired by Iowa in 2006 after being the AD at Wyoming.An interim director will be announced next week, Iowa said. In September, Iowa hired former Ball State athletic director Beth Goetz to be deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, putting her in position to possibly succeed Barta.“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve in this role the past 17 years,” Barta said in a statement. “This decision didn’t come suddenly, nor did it come without significant thought, discussion, and prayer.”“That said, I’m confident this is the right time for me and for my family.”Iowa won four NCAA national team titles and 27 Big Ten team titles during Barta’s tenure. The women’s basketball team is coming off an appearance in the nationa...

2 dead in small plane crash at South Florida airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

LANTANA, Fla. (AP) — Two people died Friday when a small plane crashed at a small South Florida airport, Palm Beach County sheriff’s officials said. The crash at the Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana happened shortly after 11 a.m. officials said. Television helicopter footage shows the Cessna Skyhawk broken into several pieces well off the runway. Names of the victims were not immediately released. Flightaware.com, an online flight tracking service, shows that the plane was taking off or had just taken off when it crashed. The flight records show that the single-propeller plane typically made several short flights each day, taking off and then returning to the Lantana airport or, occasionally, flying to other small airports in the area. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate along with the sheriff’s office. The airport serves small planes and is home to flight schools, advertising banner companies, repair shops and other aviation-related busine...

Seguimos esperando coches autónomos, pero los barcos autónomos ya están aquí

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

(CNN) — Durante años se prometieron automóviles totalmente autónomos, pero a pesar de las numerosas pruebas en carretera y los avances tecnológicos, todavía estamos esperando.En 2016, Lyft predijo que la mayoría de sus viajes serían autónomos para 2021, mientras que en 2017, General Motors dijo que produciría en masa vehículos totalmente autónomos incluso antes. Pero crear un automóvil capaz de manejar cualquier eventualidad que pueda surgir en cada camino está resultando más difícil de lo previsto.En el agua, la situación es un poco diferente: con menos vehículos en canales, ríos y en aguas abiertas que en carreteras, y sin el problema de los peatones descarriados, los barcos autónomos tienen menos obstáculos a los que enfrentarse. Además, los barcos a menudo siguen rutas establecidas, por ejemplo, rutas marítimas y cruces de ferry, por lo que la navegación es más fácil que con un automóvil autónomo.El helicóptero Black Hawk que le daría flexibilidad operativa militar a EE.UU...

Miembro del grupo Oath Keepers es sentenciada a 8 años de cárcel por el ataque al Capitolio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

Un veterano del ejército que irrumpió en el Capitolio de EEUU en una formación de estilo militar con otros miembros de Oath Keepers fue sentenciado el viernes a más de ocho años de prisión, un día después de que el fundador del grupo de extrema derecha recibiera una pena de prisión de 18 años en el ataque del 6 de enero de 2021.Jessica Watkins, de Woodstock, Ohio, fue absuelta del cargo de conspiración sediciosa del que el fundador de Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, fue declarado culpable en noviembre, pero los jurados la condenaron por obstrucción y conspiración para impedir que el Congreso certificara la victoria del presidente Joe Biden.Ella es la tercera miembro del grupo antigubernamental en recibir su castigo esta semana en uno de los casos más graves que ha presentado el Departamento de Justicia en los disturbios. El término de 18 años de Rhodes es la sentencia más larga que se ha dictado hasta ahora en los cientos de casos de disturbios en el Capitolio.El juez federal de distr...

MATCHDAY: Dortmund, Bayern vie for Bundesliga title; PSG can clinch record 11th French crown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:GERMANYIt’s the final day of the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich contesting the closest title race for years. Dortmund leads by two points and needs to beat Mainz at home to be sure of ending Bayern’s 10-year reign as champion. Bayern will be hoping for a Dortmund slip-up as it visits Cologne at the same time. Bayern’s goal difference is better than Dortmund’s so a draw won’t be enough for Dortmund if Bayern beats Cologne. Union Berlin and Freiburg are fighting for the last Champions League qualification place. The teams are level as Union hosts Werder Bremen and Freiburg visits Eintracht Frankfurt. Augsburg, Stuttgart, Bochum and Schalke are all still playing for survival.FRANCEParis Saint-Germain has a six-point lead and needs only to draw at Strasbourg to ensure a record 11th Ligue 1 title. PSG also has a vastly superior goal difference to second-placed Lens, which seeks a win at home against already-re...

More than 30 abducted women released in Cameroon; some tortured in captivity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — More than 30 women abducted by separatist rebels for protesting illegal taxes imposed on them were released, the government said Friday.The women were taken earlier this month from Babanki, a farming village in the Northwest Region, along the border with Nigeria.“We have taken the women to hospitals where they are being treated for injuries and supported psychosocially,” said Simon Emil Mooh a local government official. The separatists were collecting monthly payments from children, women and men, imposing taxes on couples before they got married, and forcing families to pay $1,000 to bury their relatives, he said.The Central African nation has been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017, with the stated goal of breaking away from the area dominated by the French-speaking majority and setting up an independent, English-speaking state.The government has accused the separatists of committing atrocities against Engli...

Commemorating Memorial Day with events in the DC area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

Memorial Day is Monday, May 29, and there are plenty of events scheduled in the D.C. region to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.Here are some of the ceremonies and activities happening in the area this weekend.D.C.United Prayer March The yearly United House Prayer March will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Saturday, May 27 to Sunday, May 28. The annual parade happens on 6th Street in Northwest. As a result, there will be street closures and parking restrictions for the event.National Memorial Day ConcertPeople are invited to return in person to the 34th National Memorial Day Concert this Sunday at 8 p.m. on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. It’ll be the first time the concert will be a live event since the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also be on PBS and YouTube.National Memorial Day ParadeThe National Memorial Day Parade will be coming back to the District this Monday to honor those Americans who paid the ultimate price. I...

Cardinal blasts vendettas, ‘plots against me’ in Vatican financial trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:32 GMT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican cardinal on trial in the Holy See’s big financial crimes case complained Friday that he can’t properly defend himself from “the nightmare of these accusations” because prosecutors have withheld key evidence from the defense.Cardinal Angelo Becciu spoke out in court after Judge Giuseppe Pignatone rejected his lawyers’ latest appeal for access to the material. In a decree read aloud Friday, Pignatone sided with prosecutors who have argued that the redacted interrogation transcripts and WhatsApp chats are now part of another investigation and must remain secret.Becciu, who was once one of the most influential Vatican cardinals and a close aide to Pope Francis, said he maintained his faith in the Vatican tribunal but was “bitter” and “perplexed” by the judge’s decision.“The defense has been demeaned — it cannot fully exercise the right of defense if it doesn’t have all the material,” he told the court.Becciu is on trial along with nine other people in...