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UK government refuses to hand Boris Johnson’s unredacted messages to coronavirus inquiry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British government has refused an order to hand over a sheaf of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s personal messages to the country’s COVID-19 pandemic inquiry. It said Thursday it would try to challenge the order in court, setting up an extraordinary legal battle with an inquiry that Johnson himself set up.The notebooks, diaries and WhatsApp messages between Johnson and other officials form key evidence that the head of the probe, retired judge Heather Hallett, wants to see. The government has handed over incomplete versions, saying it cut personal and private information that is “unambiguously irrelevant” to the investigation. Hallett — who has the power to summon evidence and question witnesses under oath — wants to judge for herself, and set a deadline of 4 p.m. (1500 GMT) Thursday for the government to hand over the unredacted documents, covering a two-year period from early 2020.Soon after the deadline passed, the government said it would seek to challenge...

Cannabis price ‘race to the bottom’ hurts market’s future: OCS CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

TORONTO — The head of Ontario’s cannabis distributor says the “race to the bottom” happening with pot prices risks hurting the market’s future.“Once you condition consumers to certain prices, it may take a generation to change perceptions and price tolerances,” David Lobo, Ontario Cannabis Store president and chief executive, said in a speech at the Lift cannabis conference in Toronto on Thursday. “In an economy where inflation has impacted every other consumer good, we can’t keep pushing lower.”His remarks come as the cannabis boom that materialized in 2018, when the substance was regulated and money poured into the sector, has since dissipated. Pot companies are taking multimillion-dollar writedowns, laying off staff and rethinking their product mixes as the industry gets a better sense of consumer demand and regulatory hurdles.All the while, the illicit market, where weed is much cheaper and sellers operate outside restrictions imposed on the legal m...

Mississippi hostage standoff ends with 1 officer and suspect dead, 1 officer wounded

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Two Mississippi police officers were shot and one died Thursday during a standoff that started as a hostage situation in a home, the state Department of Public Safety said.The suspect also was shot and killed, at the home in the Jackson suburb of Brandon, state police spokesperson Bailey Martin said in a statement.Several law enforcement agencies responded during the standoff, which lasted more than eight hours. The officer killed was from the police department in another suburb, Madison. The injured officer is from the Brandon Police Department.The Department of Public Safety did not immediately release the names of the officers or the suspect. The Madison officer was killed while trying to enter the home.Brandon police told WLBT-TV that the standoff began as a domestic dispute between a man and a woman. Police Chief Wayne Dearman said the department received a call at 1:45 a.m., WAPT-TV reported. After talking for more than an hour with the suspect, the depar...

Minnesota plans rewrite of rules for copper-nickel mining near popular wilderness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators have concluded that state rules governing where copper-nickel mines can be built are insufficient to protect the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from noise and light pollution, creating another potential obstacle to the proposed Twin Metals mine in northeastern Minnesota.But the Department of Natural Resources declined as part of that decision Wednesday to declare a watershed that flows into the Boundary Waters off-limits to copper-nickel mining altogether, which had been a goal of the environmental group that challenged the regulations, Minnesota Public Radio reported.“We concluded that Minnesota’s nonferrous mine siting rule is largely protective of the Boundary Waters … but should be reopened to better address the potential for mining-related noise and light impacts,” DNR commissioner Sarah Strommen said in a statement. Twin Metals, a proposed underground mine near Ely, outside the wilderness, was already in trouble. It s...

Spirit Airlines resolves 'technical issue' after hourslong delays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Budget airline Spirit says it's working back to normal operations after "a technical issue" caused long lines and apparent flight delays on Thursday morning.Early on Thursday, the airline said the issue had caused its website, its app, and its airport kiosks to be unavailable as of 8 a.m. CT. In an update posted around an hour later, the carrier indicated that only its app was unavailable."We anticipate longer than usual lines at the airport so please plan on arriving early," Spirit wrote on Twitter. Frontier Airlines introduces new ‘all you can fly’ pass In a statement shared with Nexstar, Spirit said the cause of the problem was "a network issue between third-party services," and that it had been resolved as of 10:30 a.m. CT."We apologize for any delays and inconvenience, and we’re now working our way back to normal operations," a spokesperson said.Thursday morning's delays, according to passengers, had significantly backed up travelers at airports in different part...

$88M settlement approved for 'critical' Austin airport expansion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for June 1, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council approved an $88 million settlement agreement with LoneStar Holdings, the group that operates the airport’s South Terminal, for a lawsuit in Travis County District Court and another in federal court.The agreement allows Austin-Bergstrom International Airport the ability to move forward with its expansion and redevelopment program, according to an AUS press release.  Austin City Council to vote on Project Connect rail line proposal Thursday As part of its expansion plans for AUS, the city decided last June to use eminent domain to take over the property near the main terminal where the South Terminal sits.The city agreed to a 40-year deal with Lonestar in March 2016 and then in June 2022 offered to pay the group $1.9 million, which Lonestar denied, citing the amount it took to renovate the South Terminal. As a result, the company filed a lawsuit against th...

Austin City Council green lights Project Connect rail line proposal Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council is nearing its summer holiday deadline. Here is some of what KXAN is watching during Thursday's council meeting. Project Connect: ApprovedAustin City Council voted Thursday in favor of advancing the Austin Transit Partnership's pick for the first Project Connect rail line. Mayor Kirk Watson and several council members indicated during a work session earlier this week they are pleased with the group's first steps and will vote to move it forward. Austin leaders react to Project Connect light rail recommendation “This option best reflects the needs and values of the Austin community and lays the best foundation for future expansions and extensions in all three directions,” Greg Canally, executive director of ATP, said. “We heard support from community and advocacy groups for this option as it provides critical connections for people, and we are proud to listen to and take into account that feedback.”CapMetro's board of directors will review and...

No threat to public after Austin airport incident, APD says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department said there is no threat to the public after it helped investigate reported "suspicious activity" at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Thursday morning.According to APD, the incident at the airport was for a deceased person investigation. "Initial information indicates this does not appear to be a homicide," Austin Police said.AUS and APD investigated the Red Garage for reported "suspicious activity," according to the airport's Twitter page. The Red and Blue Garages and adjacent admin buildings were closed during the investigation. In an update, AUS said the Blue Garage was fully open, and the Red Garage was open, except for the northwest corner of level three.The airport said its operations have returned to normal, and traffic was moving freely on airport roadways.

Crews clean up after two trains derail in Minnesota and North Dakota but no toxic chemicals spilled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

LANCASTER, Minn. (AP) — Crews are still cleaning up after two Canadian Pacific Kansas City trains derailed in Minnesota and North Dakota earlier this week.Several hazardous materials cars were among the 24 cars that toppled in the Minnesota derailment Wednesday in the northwest corner of the state near the Canadian border. The North Dakota derailment near Balfour Tuesday afternoon knocked several cars carrying shipping containers that did include several hazardous materials such as lithium batteries off the tracks. But no toxic chemicals spilled and no injuries were reported in either derailment.A spokeswoman for the railroad said Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s hazardous materials experts were continuing to work with first responders Thursday to clean up the mess in Minnesota, and it wasn’t immediately clear when highways in the area and the train tracks will reopen.The tracks in North Dakota reopened early Wednesday after crews cleared the derailed cars.The cause of both derailment...

NYS Museum reopens iconic carousel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:55:34 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- After extensive repairs and upgrades, the iconic antique carousel at the New York State Museum reopened on Thursday. The carousel is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the fourth floor of the museum. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to The New York State Education Department, the carousel was disassembled, had new parts fabricated, and underwent several repairs to be then reassembled over the past three years. Dozens of local elementary students along with their teachers joined to celebrate its reopening with State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, along with some Stewart's ice cream and a reading of "Carousel" by Pat Cummings.The carousel can have up to 50 riders at a time. Road closures, parking restrictions for Freihofer’s Run “The State Museum Carousel is truly a work of art. Members of the Museum staff have worked diligently alongside craftsm...