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WATCH: VT couple goes for wild ride after finding raccoon stowaways on their boat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

A Vermont couple took a cruise to remember on the Fourth of July, capturing video of two raccoon stowaways who joined them for a once-in-a-lifetime ride around Lake Champlain.Steve Lipkin said he and his wife were making their way out on the lake when out popped the two animals.“The two heads popped up and it was the raccoons that had stowed away under the seats,” he said.His wife, Shannon, said in the ensuing chaos the couple used cushions to corral the curious critters.“I’m an animal lover, so I was mortified at the thought of these raccoons in the middle of the lake,” she said.At one point, Steve said it looked like the raccoons decided to relax and enjoy the sights.“They were just leaning over the side of the boat and enjoying the wind in their fur,” he recalled.Once back at the dock, the animals scampered off, leaving the couple with a holiday memory they’ll never forget.

Maine father drowns while trying to rescue his daughters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

UNION, Maine (AP) — A Maine man has drowned in a pond while trying to rescue his daughters, the Maine Warden Service said.Henry Brooks, 46, of Hope, was at Seven Tree Pond in Union on Saturday afternoon watching his 12- and 13-year-old daughters swim when one of them fell into deeper water where the river enters the pond, the warden service said. The other daughter also fell into the deeper water trying to rescue her sister and both were swept out to even deeper areas of the pond.Brooks jumped into the water to rescue them, followed by his 27-year-old son, who grabbed a life jacket, the warden service said. The son swam to his sisters and brought them back to a nearby dock. When he looked back, he could not find his father, the warden service said.Game wardens, fire and rescue crews and the local sheriff’s office searched the area by boat and foot but were unable to find Brooks. Three Maine Warden Service divers recovered Brooks’ body at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday appro...

Lucas: White House coke will push 2024 race off the rails

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

The 2024 presidential election is shaping up to be the dirtiest in 140 years.And the discovery of a stash of cocaine in the White House last weekend will only add to the expected political nastiness, especially as President Joe Biden’s degenerate son Hunter, a one-time crack cocaine addict, is living there.Whether it is Hunter Biden’s cocaine or not will make little difference. People will believe that it is. Stashing cocaine at the White House, of all places, will be an issue in the campaign even if it is covered up. So much for the war on drugs.Back in 1884 New York Gov. Grover Cleveland, the Democrat presidential nominee, and a bachelor, was accused of fathering an illegitimate child ten years earlier.The Democrats in turn attacked Republican candidate James G. Blaine of Maine, former Speaker of the House, accusing him of outright lying and corruption.In the American Gilded Age version of attack ads, Democrats hounded Blaine with the chant of “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, Con...

Dear John, please put down the toilet seat!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

A couple grads from Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have finally solved the long-lived bathroom dispute between men and women on how they should leave toilet seats after they’re done using them.The group of five graduates teamed up to form Cleana, a Boston-based technology startup that’s all about creating a cleaner bathroom experience, starting at the toilet seat.After four years of planning and testing different means to meet that mission, the company’s initial products, an automatic-lifting seat for commercial uses and one that automatically closes for residential purposes, are expected to be delivered later this year.The process started in 2019 when Kevin Tang, now the chief executive officer of the company, wanted to create a product that would solve an ‘unmet need’ in the bathroom. He turned to the toilet seat because other fixtures in a modern bathroom are much more advanced, like automatic flush valves.“The funny thing is, all of those things ...

Kremlin says Putin met with Russian mercenary leader days after abortive mutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin days after a short-lived rebellion by the mercenary chief and his private army, the Kremlin’s spokesman said Monday.The three-hour meeting took place at the Kremlin on June 29 and also involved commanders from the military company Prigozhin founded, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Wagner mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. Prigozhin has a long-simmering feud with Russia’s top military brass which on June 24 culminated in an armed mutiny in which he led his fighters into Russia. Prigozhin ended the mutiny after a deal was brokered for him to be exiled to Belarus.The confirmation of a face-to-face meeting with Putin, who branded Prigozhin as a backstabbing traitor, adds a new twist to the uncertainty surrounding the mercenary chief, whose fate and whereabouts have been unknown since the abortive mutiny. The rebellion severely weakened Putin’s authority.Pes...

Erdogan says Turkey could approve Sweden’s NATO membership if Europeans ‘open way’ to Turkey EU bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country could approve Sweden’s membership in NATO if European nations “open the way” to Turkey’s bid to join the European Union.Erdogan, whose country has been holding off its final approval to Sweden’s NATO membership, made the comments in Ankara on Monday before departing to the alliance’s summit meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.“Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years now, and almost all of the NATO member countries are now members of the European Union. I am making this call to these countries that have kept Turkey waiting at the gates of the European Union for more than 50 years,” Erdogan said.“Come and open the way for Turkey’s membership in the European Union. When you pave the way for Turkey, we’ll pave the way for Sweden as we did for Finland,” he added.Turkey is a candidate to join the EU, but its membership bid has been stalled due to Ankara’s democratic backsliding ...

Extreme flooding overwhelms New York roadways and kills 1 person

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Heavy rain spawned extreme flooding in New York’s Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night, as much of the rest of the Northeast U.S. braced for potentially punishing rains.As the storm moved east, the National Weather Service extended flash flood warnings into Connecticut, including the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, before creeping into Massachusetts. Forecasters said some areas could get as much as 5 inches (12 centimeters) of rain.In New York’s Hudson Valley, rescue teams were attempting to retrieve the body of a woman in her 30s who drowned after being swept away while trying to evacuate her home. Two other people escaped.The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed the woman’s house and damaged part of its wall, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus told The Associated Press.“Her house was completely surrounded by water,” he said.“She was trying to get through (the flo...

Man, woman in hospital after morning shooting in downtown Toronto

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

Two people are in hospital after bullets rang out during the start of the Monday morning rush in downtown Toronto.Officers responded to a shooting around 6 a.m. near Yonge and Charles streets, just south of Bloor Street.Paramedics tell CityNews a man and a woman have been taken to hospital with serious injuries.The suspects fled the area in a vehicle. Investigators believe it may have been a drive-by shooting.Charles Street is closed from Yonge to Balmuto Street for the investigation. Motorists are being asked to avoid the area.

At least 300 people traveling in three boats from Senegal to Spain are missing, aid group says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At least 300 people traveling in three boats from Senegal to Spain are missing, a Spanish aid group said Monday. Two boats departed from Mbour city on June 23 carrying about 100 people and a third left the southern town of Kafountine four days later with approximately 200 people, said Helena Maleno Garzon, coordinator for Walking Borders (Caminando Fronteras). “The most important thing is to find those people. There are many people missing in the sea, this isn’t normal, we need more planes to look for them,” she told The Associated Press.There has been no contact with the boats since their departure, she said. The Spanish and Senegalese authorities didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.The Atlantic migration route is one of the deadliest in the world, with nearly 800 people dying or going missing in the first half of this year, according to Walking Borders. In recent years the Canary Islands has become one of the main destinations for people ...

Israeli troops kill Palestinian suspect as West Bank violence shows no signs of slowing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:28 GMT

JERUSAELM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man during new unrest in the West Bank Monday, as a wave of violence in the occupied territory showed no signs of slowing.The Israeli military said troops stopped a motorist in Deir Nidham, a town west of Ramallah, to question him. It said the man got out of his car, threw a grenade and fired shots toward soldiers, who then opened fire. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that a 33-year-old man had been killed, but gave no further details.The death comes during a major spike in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel last week concluded a fierce two-day offensive that used rare air power and hundreds of troops in what was designed as a crackdown against militants.But the operation in the Jenin refugee camp was followed by more bloodshed, including a shooting by a Palestinian assailant that killed an Israeli soldier. A Israeli military raid killed two militants while a third Palestinian was killed during...