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Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest

18Aug

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Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly to Category 4 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could bring heavy rain to the southwestern U.S. by the weekend. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hilary had sustained winds near 140 mph (220 kph) at midnight and was expected to continue its rapid intensification through Friday morning. It should start to weaken Saturday. Tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the Baja California peninsula late Friday. Hilary’s projected path threatened landfall in the middle of the peninsula by Sunday, or it may stay just offshore while heading for Southern California. Hilary was centered about 425 miles (685 kilometers) south of Los Cabos on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. It was moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph)...

Emergency services chief on Maui resigns. He faced criticism for not activating sirens during fire

18Aug

By AdminsNo Comments

Emergency services chief on Maui resigns. He faced criticism for not activating sirens during fire

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Outdoor alert sirens on Maui stayed silent as a ferocious fire devastated the seaside community of Lahaina last week. The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency said he had no regrets about not deploying the system as a warning to people on the island. A day after making that statement, Administrator Herman Andaya resigned Thursday. Andaya had said he feared blaring the sirens during the blaze could have caused people to go “mauka,” using a navigational term that can mean toward the mountains or inland in Hawaiian. “If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire,” Andaya explained. But the decision not use the sirens, coupled with water shortages that hampered firefighters and an escape route that became clogged with vehicles that were o...

Accounts of ‘body checks’ at Miss Universe Indonesia shock the nation as contestants speak out

16Aug

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Accounts of ‘body checks’ at Miss Universe Indonesia shock the nation as contestants speak out

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Their dreams of representing Indonesia in the 2023 Miss Universe pageant turned to nightmares when they were forced to undergo “body checks” in front of local organizers. Now seven contestants have filed complaints with the police, accusing the organizers of sexual harassment, their lawyer said Tuesday. During the July 29-Aug. 3 Miss Universe Indonesia contest in the capital of Jakarta — and ahead of the show’s Grand Final event — the contestants were told to strip to their underwear for “body checks” for scars or cellulite, said lawyer Melissa Anggraini. The checks took place in a ballroom at the downtown Sari Pacific Hotel, where the contest was held, with about two dozen people present, including men. Five of the contestants said they were then photograph...

Georgia case against Trump presents problems from the start, from jury selection to a big courtroom

16Aug

By AdminsNo Comments

Georgia case against Trump presents problems from the start, from jury selection to a big courtroom

ATLANTA (AP) — Putting 19 people on trial at the same time is a difficult assignment for any prosecutor — whether or not one of those defendants is a former president of the United States running to reclaim his old office. The sprawling racketeering indictment returned this week by a grand jury in Atlanta presents a wide range of challenges. A big one is political: Finding jurors who don’t have unshakeable opinions about Donald Trump and others in his orbit. Beyond that, with so many defendants, prosecutors and defense lawyers will labor to keep the names and conflicting stories straight for those jurors over weeks or months. There will be countless legal details and basic logistics to argue or work out — even down to finding a courtroom big enough to fit everyone. In an early exa...

Summer camp in California gives Jewish children of color a haven to be different together

12Aug

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Summer camp in California gives Jewish children of color a haven to be different together

PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) — One camper, from Oakland, California, has a white Jewish mother and a father who is Black and Muslim. Another was adopted in Uganda by a white Jewish woman; they now live in Montana. Like many of the young people who shared challenges and adventures with them this summer, they grew up often feeling like outliers — and then found a near-magical comfort zone at Camp Be’chol Lashon in the rolling hills of California’s Marin County. Its founders say it’s the only sleepaway summer camp specifically serving Jewish children of color, creating a safe space for candid conversations on race and identity. Isaac Harrison, the 10-year-old from Oakland, went to a traditional Jewish summer camp last year and said he was bullied by some campers for being Black. ...

In deadly Maui wildfires, communication failed. Chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames

12Aug

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In deadly Maui wildfires, communication failed. Chaos overtook Lahaina along with the flames

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — In the hours before a wildfire engulfed the town of Lahaina, Maui County officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames and instead relied on a series of sometimes confusing social media posts that reached a much smaller audience. Power and cellular outages for residents further stymied communication efforts. Radio reports were scarce, some survivors reported, even as the blaze began to consume the town. Road blocks then forced fleeing drivers onto one narrow downtown street, creating a bottleneck that was quickly surrounded by flames on all sides. At least 67 people have been confirmed dead so far. The silent sirens have raised questions about whether everything was done to alert the public in a state...