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Cleanup from Maui fires complicated by island’s logistical challenges, cultural significance

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

Cleanup of areas destroyed in the Maui wildfires could end up being one of the most complex to date, federal officials said, given the island’s significant cultural sites, its rich history including a royal residence and possibly remains of people who died in the disaster.The first stage of cleanup started in late August, with around 200 Environmental Protection Agency workers in white protective gear removing toxic household debris from Upper Kula and the town of Lahaina including gas cylinders, pesticides, fertilizers and battery packs used in solar power. They have monitored the air quality and sampled for heavy metals and asbestos.The EPA expects to hand over responsibility later this month or in November to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will oversee removing the remaining debris over the next six to 12 months. About $400 million has been budgeted, but the cost could go higher to remove an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 tons of building debris from about 1,600 parc...

Looking for a good family-friendly place to eat? This is just the job

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

The pleasant Belgian commune of Linkebeek was once home to countless cafes and coaching inns, writes Martin Banks.That was at the start of the 20th century and, nowadays, few of these are left.Happily, one does remain and is proving as big a hit as ever.It is called La Laiterie and a potted history of both the area and restaurant can be found on the inside page of the menu.It makes fascinating, if brief, reading.You learn that people would visit the aforementioned inns from far and wide, including Brussels to enjoy their conviviality.The phrase “Toernee Generale” – roughly meaning “drinks all round” – is typical of what you may have heard at the time.Fast forward to 2023 and this lovely resto is still attracting customers from a wide area, all drawn to its enviable reputation for very good food and hospitality.It may not quite amount to “drinks all round” but the emphasis on friendliness and “un bon moment” remains.It had been a resto for many years but was given a completely new le...

Teen killed at San Pedro birthday party; suspects at large

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

Loved ones are mourning a teenager who was shot and killed at a San Pedro birthday party as the suspects remain at large.On Sept. 30, police responded to a shooting on the 1200 block of North Park Western Drive around 11:34 p.m. Arriving officers found four victims with gunshot wounds, including Joseph Isaiah Saldana, 17. Saldana was pronounced dead at the scene. The bullets had gone through the home’s walls and struck the teenage victims.The armed suspects fled the scene in a gray sedan, police said.Saldana had just graduated from Dominguez High School with honors a few months ago and was preparing to start college and work his first job.“He was looking to become an engineer,” said Joey Ortega, Saldana’s cousin. “He was getting ready to enjoy life. It’s a tragedy that his life was cut short.”Joseph Isaiah Saldana, 17, in a family photo.Loved ones are mourning a teenager who was shot and killed at a San Pedro birthday party on Sept. 30, 2023 as the suspects remain at large. (Ke...

Affordable housing proposals in L.A. neighborhoods prompt protests

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

As city leaders struggle to find ways to get people off the streets and create affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, many residents are pushing back at rezoning proposals that would allow single-family lots to become high-rise apartments in the middle of residential neighborhoods. On Tuesday, dozens of Westchester residents rallied before a neighborhood council meeting and their message was clear.  “The thing we’re demanding is that single-family homes and du-triplex homes are removed from the map,” Westchester resident Jolie Delja told KTLA's Omar Lewis. “There is no reason to upzone people’s residential properties.”  The City of Los Angeles is currently working on updating its general plan, which outlines how and where the city will develop in the future. This includes making changes to zoning regulations for specific neighborhoods and adding thousands of additional housing units.  “It’s triple the number of units that we h...

Kesha Performs New Songs at Grammy Museum

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

Kesha Performs New Songs at Grammy Museum: On more than one occasion while both performing and then engaging in a Q&A at the Grammy Museum on Monday night, Kesha acknowledges that she’s had a very difficult year. Her legal war with Dr. Luke that included allegations of the most vile assaults finally came to an end after eight years. For Kesha’s sake, we hope that she’s able to find some peace as she moves forward.She certainly seemed comfortable and at ease during this intimate Grammy Museum performance. These things are always a real pleasure; we’ve seen everyone from Richard Marx and Sammy Hagar to Lana Del Rey and the Bangles do one of these “An Evening With…” shows at this venue, and it’s always wonderful to see big league musicians in cozy surroundings.Usually, the artist does the Q&A first, and then concludes with a short set. This time, Kesha did it in reverse. We got three acoustic versions of songs from this year’...

San Pablo cop who saved choking baby is new father

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

SAN PABLO, Calif. (KRON) – A San Pablo police officer was recognized this week for saving a baby.Officer Brandon Oswald is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and a six-year veteran with the San Pablo Police Department. He’s also a new dad, and that’s why he says this call hit closer to home.A frantic 911 call from Sept. 9 said a one-week-old baby girl is choking on breast milk. The family was at the West County Health Center to get help, but the facility was closed for the weekend.  Two arrested for murder and torture after 2-year-old drowns in Rodeo bathtub Oswald happened to be around the corner and arrived within seconds."I just happened to be at the right place, right time to get there as quick as I did,” he said. Police bodycam video shows a sergeant running up to Oswald as he’s performing infant CPR. Oswald says his training kicked in right away.It was a relief for all when the baby started crying. "Instant relief because if the baby is crying, then the baby is brea...

France will send military gear to Armenia

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

PARIS — France will send military equipment to Armenia amid escalating tensions with its neighbor Azerbaijan, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Tuesday evening. “France has agreed to forge future contracts with Armenia for the delivery of military equipment to enable Armenia to defend itself,” she said during a press conference in Yerevan. The French minister didn’t provide details about the types of gear France would provide. In late September, Azerbaijan declared victory after a lightning military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing ethnic Armenians living in the breakaway region into exile. Last week, Baku officially dissolved Nagorno-Karabakh. France and Armenia have long had strong diplomatic ties, with France hosting a large Armenian diaspora. In 2001, Paris was among the first Western capitals to recognize the Armenian genocide, two decades before the United States did. In recent months, Paris has been looking to deepen defense co...

The smart route to net zero

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

EU, Russia and US held secret talks days before Nagorno-Karabakh blitz

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

Top officials from the United States and the EU met with their Russian counterparts for undisclosed emergency talks in Turkey designed to resolve the standoff over Nagorno-Karabakh, just days before Azerbaijan launched a military offensive last month to seize the breakaway territory from ethnic Armenian control.The off-diary meeting marks a rare — if ultimately unsuccessful — contact between Moscow and the West on a major security concern, after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 upended regular diplomacy. A senior diplomat with knowledge of the discussions told POLITICO the meeting took place on September 17 in Istanbul as part of efforts to pressure Azerbaijan to end its nine-month blockade of the enclave and allow in humanitarian aid convoys from Armenia. According to the envoy, the meeting focused on “how to get the bloody trucks moving” and ensure supplies of food and fuel could reach its estimated 100,000 residents.The U.S...

5 people were wounded in a shooting after a homecoming event at Morgan State University in Baltimore

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:30:37 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Five people were wounded, none critically, in a shooting that interrupted a homecoming week celebration at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday and prompted an hourslong lockdown of the historically Black college.Students were told to shelter in place for about four hours, as police went room to room looking for suspects. Classes were canceled for Wednesday.Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the five victims, four males and one female, are between the ages of 18 and 22. Their injuries were not life-threatening, he told reporters at a news conference early Wednesday.Morgan State Police Chief Lance Hatcher said four of the victims are students at the university. No arrests were announced and police did not release information about a suspect or suspects.The shooting happened shortly after an event to crown Mister & Miss Morgan State at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, as students were heading to a coronation ball.Konnor Crowder, a sophomore from Baltim...