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Escape from Maui: Travelers at Bay Area airports share stories of escaping flames

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- As the deadly wildfires on Maui continue to burn Thursday, the widespread impacts are being felt right here in the Bay Area. Flight cancellations at Bay Area airports have upended vacation and travel plans. Many travelers returning from the island have come back with harrowing stories of narrowly escaping the devastation.Selin Uyarer arrived at SFO Thursday morning from Maui and was staying at an Airbnb on vacation with her family when the wildfires erupted. She says the Airbnb was destroyed completely. Fire causes heavy smoke near Port of Oakland “Staying in Lahaina in an apartment place. And then we were waiting for the storm to calm down, but it got really bad. And then the ceiling starts... the roof starts to fly off. And then we got the evacuation order. So, in the five minutes, we put everything in our bags and leave. And then we saw the smoke," said Uyarer, a San Jose resident. "It's gone. It's been totally burned. Those people have lost their homes...

Excitement for the first day of school in East Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

SAN RAMON, Calif. (KRON) -- The San Ramon Valley Unified School District kicked off their first day of school on Thursday. Alamo Elementary School welcomed students back on campus with a welcome display. Classes started at 8 a.m. with Thursday also being a minimum day for students. Cancellations at SFO continue as wildfires in Maui rage on The school district wants to remind parents and students that class assignments and schedules can be found on the district's Infinite Campus portal. School officials are asking parents to be patient and park only in designated spaces both before and after school."We're really excited. We love our jobs. We love what we do," said Principal Bjorn Remmers, Alamo Elementary School. "We're going to be looking out for them and taking great care of them."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fires nearly all governors in West Bank in major upheaval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fired most of the governors in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, responding to long-standing demands for a political shake-up as frustration grows with the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority.Abbas issued a decree dismissing the governors of eight provinces under Palestinian administration in the occupied territory. The upheaval included the restive northern cities of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem, the focus of a recent surge in Palestinian militancy that has undermined the authority’s leadership. Only three areas — including Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority — retained their governors. The president’s office said that he would form a committee to suggest replacements.Although the decision is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the ground, experts said it signals Abbas’ recognition of the authority’s deepening unpopularity and his desire to show that he is heeding calls for change in the face of mounti...

White House will ask Congress for $13 billion more to fund Ukraine war and $12 billion for disaster fund, AP source says (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported $12 billion for Ukraine and $13 billion for disaster fund)

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House will ask Congress for $13 billion more to fund Ukraine war and $12 billion for disaster fund, AP source says (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported $12 billion for Ukraine and $13 billion for disaster fund).Source

Phil Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion, according to book by renowned gambler Billy Walters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

Phil Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last three decades and wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while playing for Team USA, according to a much-anticipated book by renowned gambler Billy Walters.The stunning betting estimates Walters provides — from his own detailed record from what he describes as two reliable sources — are detailed in an excerpt of Walters’ book, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk.”It is schedule to be available Aug. 22. The FirePit Collective obtained an except of the book. Mickelson’s management group did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.Walters is widely regarded as America’s most famous gambler who claims to have a winning streak of more than 30 straight years.He said he ended his betting partnership with Mickelson in 2014. Two years later, Mickelson was a relief defendant in Walters’ insider trading case. Mickelson was never charged and had to re...

Lego Discovery Center opens at Springfield Town Center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

LEGO’s newest LEGO Discovery Center officially opens to the public August 14 at Springfield Town Center in Virginia after an official ribbon-cutting and preview on August 9.The LEGO Discovery Center will also be open August 10 through August 13 for a First Play Days preview.The 32,000-square-foot indoor attraction is on the lower level of the mall directly off the main entrance.There is plenty for kids and their parents to do, including a DUPLO Park for young children, an entire area for kids to create and build with LEGO bricks, a Mini-World that features LEGO creations made from more than 1.5 million bricks, a train ride through a LEGO world with games and moving models, a creative lab, a 4D theater and a workshop where master builders display their creations.There is also a cafe and a space mission gallery where children build spaceships and fly them through virtual galleries.Tickets start at $28.99 with online ticket purchases recommended.It is the region’s first LEG...

Western officials say Niger’s junta threatened to kill deposed president if neighboring countries intervened militarily

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Western officials say Niger’s junta threatened to kill deposed president if neighboring countries intervened militarily.Source

Hialeah mayor addresses missed 911 calls after city officials prompt investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

Hialeah city officials are investigating an alarming amount of missed 911 calls and the mayor addressed the situation after a councilman called attention to the issue. Mayor Esteban Bovo said in a news conference on Thursday that the city’s call center is working efficiently and explained how these calls might be seen as “missed.” “There are no missed calls,” said the mayor. “There are calls that go into our system and are somehow another loss due to somebody hanging up. As I said, a misdial. If it does ring once or twice and somebody hangs up, it could be a nervous caller. And then they’re being called back.”In a press conference held on June 26, Councilman Brian Calvo called for an investigation into the city’s 911 call center after multiple sources documented deterioration of service, including a March 2022 report he said was commissioned by the mayor. “This report showed, and I quote, ‘That the city’s 911 system is woef...

Movie weapons supervisor pleads not guilty to manslaughter in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The woman who oversaw the use of weapons on the movie set where Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence, New Mexico court officials said.Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed waived her right to an arraignment on the charges in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust,” officials said Wednesday.A state district judge tentatively scheduled a trial for December.A defense attorney for Gutierrez-Reed has characterized it a tragic accident and says the weapons specialist committed no crime. Prosecutors allege Gutierrez-Reed was negligent in the handling of firearms and ammunition on the set.“Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls has pleaded no contest to a charge of unsafe handling of a firearm and received a suspended sentence of six months’ probation.In April, prosecutors dropped charges against Baldwin, who...

Iran puts 5 Iranian-American prisoners under house arrest, lawyer says; Tehran does not acknowledge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has put five Iranian-American prisoners to house arrest, a U.S.-based lawyer said Thursday, a move coming as Tehran for months has suggested a prisoner swap was possible between it and Washington. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the move.The move comes amid months of heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. A major American military buildup in the Persian Gulf is underway, with the possibility of armed U.S. troops boarding and guarding commercial ships traveling through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of all oil traded passes.It remains unclear whether the Iranian-Americans’ transfers reflect significant progress in a possible prisoner swap between the two countries. Iran in past months has overstated progress in talks, likely conducted with mediation from Oman and Qatar, on a potential trade.The U.S. in March called remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian that a deal for a swap was close a “cruel ...