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Louisiana plagued by unprecedented wildfires, as largest active blaze grows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — One of the largest wildfires in Louisiana history continues to burn through land and threaten rural communities, which are used to flooding and hurricanes this time of year rather than drought and blazes.Louisiana has had an unprecedented wildfire season as dry conditions and extreme heat persist. The rapid spread of fires has been made worse by pine plantation forests, blown down by recent hurricanes, fueling the blazes. This month alone, there have been about 600 wildfires across the state, and officials say there will likely be more in the weeks ahead. “This is not done. We expect a dry September. So we got to be prepared for this and all work together until the rain comes … and then we can get back to life,” Mike Strain, the commissioner for Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said during a news conference Tuesday.The state’s largest active blaze, the Tiger Island Fire in southwestern Louisiana, doubled in size over the weekend, grow...

NCino: Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — NCino, Inc. (NCNO) on Tuesday reported a loss of $15.9 million in its fiscal second quarter.The Wilmington, North Carolina-based company said it had a loss of 14 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for stock option expense and amortization costs, came to 9 cents per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 7 cents per share.The company posted revenue of $117.2 million in the period, also beating Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $115.1 million.For the current quarter ending in October, nCino expects its per-share earnings to range from 10 cents to 12 cents.The company said it expects revenue in the range of $120 million to $121 million for the fiscal third quarter.NCino expects full-year earnings in the range of 38 cents to 41 cents per share, with revenue ranging from $475 million to $478.5 million._____T...

Boston will no longer require prospective spouses to register their sex or gender to marry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Couples filling out marriage certificates in Boston will no longer be required to identify their sex or gender under a new policy adopted by the city Tuesday.The change is the first the city has made based on its new gender-aware guidelines, officials said.The goal is to provide more dignity to residents whose gender and sexual identities have historically gone unrecognized or unsupported by government agencies.“Our fundamental charge in public service is ensuring that our services and opportunities reach everyone, and that starts with affirming and supporting constituents of all identities,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.“Boston must continue to work to dismantle the historic inequities and injustices that persist. This update to Boston marriage licenses is a huge step in building a city that is truly inclusive,” she added.Boston residents who are already married and want to remove sex or gender identifiers from their marriage licenses can do so by conta...

Which Colorado cities have the highest sales tax rates?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- You may not like it, but you have to pay taxes when you buy things.Sales tax rates vary wildly across the state of Colorado, so depending on where you live, you might be paying more -- or less -- than someone in a nearby town. For example, the sales tax rate is 8.81% in Denver. That rate comes from a 2.9% tax from the state, a 4.81% tax from the city and county, a 1% tax from the Regional Transportation District (RTD), as well as a .1% "Scientific and Cultural Facilities District" tax, which applies to counties in the Denver metro area.However, in nearby Commerce City, that rate is 9.25%. Denver metro adding more apartments than most US cities While that may seem high, there are areas in Colorado that collect even more sales tax than that.What are the highest sales tax rates in the state?It may come as no surprise, but some of the highest sales tax rates are in the mountains, with the highest rate found in a ski resort town.Winter Park - 11.2% sales tax2.9% state...

Running onto a sports field isn't just 15 seconds of fame — it's also trespassing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- While running onto a sports field might be seen as a way to give you fame, it could also give you jail time.Running onto a sports field has different consequences in different states. While it's widely considered trespassing, every state's laws are different. Is it really easier to hit a home run at Coors Field? When it comes to Colorado, running onto a sports field is considered trespassing, according to the Denver Police Department. It can vary from a fine to jail time, depending on the courts and what charges they may face."It also depends on what the individual does after going on the field. Other charges may be appropriate as well (i.e. assault, threats, etc)," DPD said. What are the consequences of trespassing? The punishments for trespassing vary. Trespassing ranges from first to third degree, with the first being the worst.The first degree is when someone knowingly trespasses to commit a crime, which results in a class 1 misdemeanor if there is no one on t...

This Colorado mountain town hotel spa is one of the best in the US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — If you drive west from Denver for about an hour on Interstate 70, you will hit a small mountain town known for its casinos and hotels. Now, one of those hotel spas has been named among the best in the U.S.USA Today’s 10Best combines a list of 20 nominees for contests that cover food, lodging and travel. Then, readers get to make the final decision and vote for their favorite picks. Recently, USA Today made a list of the 10 best hotel spas where guests can indulge in luxury, wellness and serenity. Colorado hot spring voted one of the best in US Colorado's very own Spa Monarch at Monarch Casino Resort Spa was picked as the fourth best in the whole country.According to USA Today expert Ava Roxanne Stritt, Spa Monarch is "one of the most complete luxury spas in the USA."According to the resort's website, the spa offers an indoor infinity pool, jetted spas, aqua spas, respiration and light therapy, herbal steam rooms and their Laconium Lounge. The Laconium Lounge c...

Hearing delayed for dentist accused of killing wife with poisoned protein shakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife by lacing her protein shakes with poison was set to enter a plea to a first-degree murder charge Tuesday, but his attorneys requested to postpone the arraignment, saying they got another 2,000 pages of information to review.The next court date for James Craig will now be in October.Police said Craig, who began an affair before his wife's March 18 death, had searched online for answers to questions such as, “Is arsenic detectable in an autopsy?” and “How to make murder look like a heart attack." In the following days, Craig's wife, Angela Craig, then Googled symptoms she was having including vertigo, shaking and cold lips, District Attorney John Kellner said at a July preliminary hearing.Angela Craig, a mother of six who was married to her husband for 23 years, died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a substance found in over-the-counter eye drops, according to Arapahoe County Coroner Kelly Lear. A...

Hurricane Idalia strengthens into a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 2 storm with 100 mph (155 kph) winds on Tuesday as it barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast.Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Idalia is expected to become a major hurricane Tuesday night before it reaches the Big Bend, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula, and is still likely to be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia on Wednesday.Authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas along the Gulf Coast to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding. The hurricane could deal a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend region.At 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Idalia was about 195 miles (310 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, the ...

Broward Sheriff says mayor will secure 2 new state-of-the-art choppers following fatal BSFR helicopter crash in Pompano Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

NEAR FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — As questions loom whether there were warning signs before a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue helicopter fell from the sky and crashed into home, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony provide the public with answers. On Tuesday, Tony said that the department is still recovering from the tragedy, which killed BSFR Captain Terryson Jackson, In doing so, Tony also said that the mayor of Broward County reached out to him to find solutions to fix what happened. Tony said he received a commitment by Mayor Lamar Fisher that the county will secure a contract for two brand new state-of-the-art helicopters. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are currently looking through the rubble and are taking take a closer look at the chopper that crashed in Pompano Beach on Monday. “We’re making due as best as we can,” Tony said. On June 8, Sheriff Tony met with the Broward County Commission to speak about the departmen...

Standing down: Ramaswamy agrees to stop performing Eminem’s work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:11:28 GMT

Vivek Ramaswamy’s hopes of becoming the 2024 Republican presidential primary’s Real Slim Shady seem to have been dashed, as he has agreed to comply with rapper Eminem’s request to stop using his works on the campaign trail. And he’s spinning the decision into his campaign’s messaging that rails against the political establishment.“I’ll respect his wishes, but I would just say: ‘Will The Real Slim Shady please stand up?,’” Ramaswamy told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday afternoon.“Eminem and his rise used to be a guy who actually stood up to the establishment and said the things that the establishment didn’t want him to say,” he added. “I think the fact that my political viewpoints may differ from his, I think people change over the course of their lives.”The performance rights organization BMI sent a cease-and-desist letter to Ramaswamy’s campaign last Wednesday asking that it stop performing any of the rapper’s work. It was not an uncommon development — artists have often been he...