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Outgoing CDC director says resignation spurred by sense of accomplishment and exhaustion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

By MIKE STOBBE (AP Medical Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — The outgoing head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday her reasons for stepping down were complicated, driven in part by a desire to take a break from the frenetic pace of the job during a pandemic.Dr. Rochelle Walensky surprised many in public health circles last month by announcing her departure after two years and five months — one of the shortest tenures for a CDC director in recent decades. She resigned as the pandemic’s national public health emergency was winding down.“I did what I came to do — which was get us through the darkest days of a pandemic,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press.Walensky, 54, described her time at the agency as intense, but stopped short of saying she was burned out. She said she had looked for a quiet moment to withdraw from a job that gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment but also led to criticism, protests outside he...

Orioles designate Spenser Watkins for assignment; Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcasle to begin rehab assignments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

Spenser Watkins, who started 30 games on the mound for the Orioles between 2021 and 2022, was designated for assignment Tuesday, the club announced amid a flurry of roster moves.The 30-year-old right-hander was recalled twice this season, including as the 26th man Saturday in Chicago, to add length to Baltimore’s bullpen, but he didn’t pitch in either instance.The Orioles recalled right-handed reliever Logan Gillaspie to replace Watkins on the 26-man roster, and Baltimore selected the contract of catcher Anthony Bemboom to replace Watkins on the 40-man roster.Watkins, who missed a month earlier this year with a cut on his right ring finger, had a 7.27 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP in 26 innings in Triple-A this season. In 160 innings with the Orioles in 2021 and 2022, Watkins was 7-13 with a 5.85 ERA and 5.5 strikeouts per nine innings.He made his major league debut with Baltimore in 2021 after joining the organization on a minor league deal earlier that year. He struggled in his ...

Palestinians fatally shoot 4 Israelis before being killed, spurring revenge attacks in West Bank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

By ISABEL DEBRE (Associated Press)JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Palestinian attackers opened fire at a restaurant and gas station near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank on Tuesday, killing four Israelis and wounding several other people before they were shot dead, authorities said, as violence roiled the occupied territory the day after a deadly Israeli military raid.Israeli settlers attempted to carry out revenge attacks across the northern West Bank, raising fears of a repeat of a rampage last February that resulted in damage to dozens of Palestinian homes and vehicles and the killing of a Palestinian man. Carloads of Israeli settlers drove to the northern Palestinian towns of Hawara, Beit Furik, Burin and surrounding villages, setting dozens of cars on fire, hurling stones and trying to set homes ablaze, said Nablus official Ghassan Daghlas. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.Tuesday’s violence underscored the fragility of the situation in the West Bank, ...

Healey plans Ireland trip 30 years after country decriminalized homosexuality

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey is traveling to Ireland next week to address local lawmakers on the country’s 30th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality, her office said Tuesday afternoon.During her first international trip as governor, Healey plans to speak at a series of business-focused events and offer remarks to the Irish Senate in Dublin over the course of her three-day visit. The trip also lines up with former President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 state visit to Ireland, which Healey’s office said “launched a new era of economic and cultural partnership” between the two nations.Healey said she is “honored” to have been invited to Ireland as a granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Irish immigrants and the first openly LGBTQ governor of Massachusetts.“I’m excited to meet with Ireland’s renowned business, technology, clean energy and education leaders to share with them all that Massachusetts has to offer – from our world-class education and research institutions to our cu...

Hunter Biden tax-and-gun ‘sweetheart deal’ ripped by GOP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

President Biden’s son Hunter will plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid a full prosecution on a separate gun charge in a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars.The news quickly triggered a response from Republicans, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) slamming the Justice Department.“It continues to show the two-tier system in America,” McCarthy said. “If you are the president’s leading political opponent, the DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. But if you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”Hunter Biden, 53, will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses of failing to pay his federal income taxes on what he earned from overseas business dealings.The agreement will also avoid prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he adheres to conditions agreed to in court. It’s somewhat unusual to resolve a federal criminal case at the same time charges...

37-acre brush fire in rural East County prompts evacuations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

SAN DIEO -- A wind-driven wildfire burned dozens of acres Tuesday in rural East County and prompted authorities to order evacuations.The brush fire, dubbed the Blackwood Fire, was reported shortly after 11:30 a.m. near Black Wood and Old Mine roads on the Manzanita Reservation, according to Cal Fire San Diego.At 1:10 p.m., an evacuation order was issued northeast of the Manzanita and Los Posta Indian reservations. Evacuees were told to go to Golden Acorn Casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way in Campo or Lo Posta Casino at 777 Crestwood Road in Boulevard.The County of San Diego emergency map shows the areas under evacuation warning (outlined) and under evacuation order (shaded). Body of missing hiker found at Three Sisters Falls By 2:45 p.m., crews had stopped the spread of the wildfire at 37 acres, Cal Fire said, adding that the fire was 10% contained. One outbuilding was destroyed in the flames.

I-8 lanes closed in El Cajon as crews mop up brush fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in El Cajon, prompting the closure of Interstate 8 lanes.The fire was reported near the 800 block of Murray Drive, according to Heartland Fire Department. 37-acre brush fire in rural East County prompts evacuations All lanes of westbound Interstate 8 are closed east of El Cajon Boulevard, Caltrans San Diego said on Twitter.Earlier Tuesday, a wildfire erupted farther east, prompting evacuations in a rural area near the Manzanita Reservation. Crews halted the spread of that fire at 37 acres.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Tornadoes clobber Mississippi. Hours later, its governor attends Republican fundraiser in Alabama

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves traveled to Alabama for a Republican fundraising event as people in his state were still reeling from back-to-back tornadoes that killed one person, injured dozens and destroyed homes and businesses, and in the midst of lingering power outages from severe thunderstorms.Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Reeves headlined a Republican Governors Association fundraiser on Monday at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Birmingham, according to an invitation obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press. Ticket prices ranged from $5,000 for one person to $50,000 for four people.Reeves is policy chairperson for the RGA and is seeking a second term as governor this year. His campaign manager Elliott Husbands said in response to questions Tuesday that the event was planned long ago, and money raised there was not earmarked for any specific campaign. Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi have the only governor’s races this year.Reeves has stayed in contact with Missi...

CPA Quebec, Ontario bodies sever ties with national organization

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

TORONTO — The organizations that represent chartered professional accountants in Ontario and Quebec are severing ties with their national counterpart. CPA Canada says it is disappointed and surprised that CPA Ontario and CPA Quebec have decided to break with the national organization. The organization says in a news release that the break triggers an 18-month withdrawal period under the groups’ current agreement. In separate statement, the Ontario and Quebec organizations announced their intent to end their current formal relationships with CPA Canada. The two organizations say their decisions will enable them to better fulfil their missions. CPA Canada says it has worked with provincial, territorial and Bermudian CPA bodies to find a path forward on governance and national representation of CPAs since the profession was unified a decade ago. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

What’s that yellow goo in the water along the shores of Toronto Islands?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:11 GMT

If you happened to be at the Toronto Islands this past weekend, you might have seen a bright yellow-green substance floating on the surface of the water and along the shorelines.Visitors to the islands expressed concerns about whether the substance was toxic given the seemingly suspicious colouring, but authorities say there’s no cause for alarm.The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) says the yellow film floating on the water is likely pollen that mixed in with the water.TRCA staff say this happens when large amounts of pollen is released by trees and plants and carried by the wind. When it lands on the surface of the lake, the waves push the pollen to the shore, concentrating it and making it very noticeable along the water’s edge.RELATED: Ontario water and air quality a concern, environment report findsThe water remains safe and there is no danger to people who chose to swim in it. However, they caution that “it is not recommended for people who hav...