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N.W.T. researchers studying permafrost, ‘the foundation on which everything is built’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

INUVIK, N.W.T. — Off the side of the road not far from the airport in Inuvik, N.W.T., among the shrubs and spruce trees, a series of rusted metal bars are buried deep in the ground. Installed in 2004, they are helping researchers measure how the ground is changing over time.Jennifer Humphries, permafrost specialist at the Aurora Research Institute, says it’s the only site in the world south of the treeline looking at the long-term thermal expansion and contraction of the ground connected to annual changes in air temperature. She says the ground there has been expanding two centimetres every year. “It is a very neat site,” she says.Past clouds of buzzing insects, several trees nearby sport metal platforms attached to their slim trunks, measuring changes in tilt. As the permafrost degrades unevenly below, Humphries says it can cause what’s known as “drunken forests” where off-kilter trees lean in different directions.This is one of several places in...

Threads collects so much sensitive information it’s a ‘hacker’s dream,’ experts say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

It knows when you’ve been online shopping, the last time you worked out and whether you’ve been lurking on your ex’s profile.Meta’s new social media platform Threads is gobbling up massive amounts of sensitive data on its 100 million users and counting.The specificity and quantity of information the text and multimedia platform can access poses a risk to most users, if it falls into the wrong hands or is used to target them, tech experts agree.“This is a hacker’s dream,” said Claudette McGowan, a longtime banking executive who founded Protexxa, a Toronto-based platform that uses artificial intelligence to rapidly identify and resolve cyber issues for employees.“The more data you have sitting in a certain position (or) spot is going to get people really, really excited about getting access to it and being very creative about it.”Threads falls under Meta’s wider privacy policy that covers its other social media platforms, Facebook and Instagra...

Sunday Brunch: Khmai Fine Dining

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

Join Sunday Brunch this morning with Khmai Fine Dining to showcase authentic Cambodian food.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

California woman kidnapped in Mexico released by captors, FBI says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KRON) — A San Mateo, California woman who was kidnapped in Mexico last year has been found and will soon be reunited with her Bay Area family, the FBI has confirmed.Monica De Leon Barba was walking her dog in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico on Nov. 29, 2022, when she was kidnapped, the FBI previously shared.Authorities said De Leon Barba, a U.S. citizen living in Mexico at the time, was held in captivity until Friday, when she was released by her captors. No arrests have been made in connection to her kidnapping and an investigation remains underway. The FBI shared video of her suspected kidnapping to the public in April to help find her. In the video, De Leon Barba can be seen walking along the road with her dog before apparently being forced into a vehicle by several suspects. Alabama woman who disappeared after reporting child along interstate found In a second clip, three cars used in the kidnapping were highlighted, the FBI said. The descriptions of five suspe...

Weekend Break: Voyage en France

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

Check out today's segment of Weekend Break with Erik Runge where he takes a trip to Voyage en France in Wheaton.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Why guys who post a lot on social media are seen as less manly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

(The Conversation) - For better or worse, much of life is categorized along gendered lines: Clothing stores have sections for men and women, certain foods are considered more manly or more feminine, and even drinks can take on a gendered sheen (“manmosa,” anyone?).Our newly published research finds that even social media is a canvas for rigid gender stereotyping.Specifically, we show that men who post often on social media are seen as feminine, a phenomenon we refer to as the “frequent-posting femininity stereotype.” We observed this bias in four experiments featuring over 1,300 respondents from the U.S. and U.K.To post is to be seen as unmanlyAs consumer behavior researchers, we have long been interested in the contradictions, peculiarities and restrictions associated with masculinity.These dynamics have far-reaching implications in the world of marketing. It is widely known, for example, that Coke Zero was created as an alternative to Diet Coke, a product that ...

Alabama woman who disappeared after reporting child along interstate found

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) — The search for a 25-year-old woman in Alabama has come to an end after authorities say she returned home, ending a two-day search. Carlethia “Carlee” Russell called police Thursday night, reporting that she had seen a toddler walking along I-459 in Hoover, Alabama, a city just outside of Birmingham. She then called a family member to tell them she was stopping to check on the child, police said.“The family member lost contact with the caller, but the line remained open,” Lt. Daniel Lowe of the Hoover Police said at a news conference on Friday. Officials give timeline leading up to the disappearance of Birmingham woman Police found Russell's car and some of her belongings near the scene, but were unable to find her or the child. There had also been no reports of a missing child that night. A witness, meanwhile, had reported seeing a man and a gray vehicle near the area where Russell reported seeing the toddler, Lowe said.Russell’s parents, Talitha and Carlos R...

Real World Economics: Changing climate pressures insurers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

Edward LottermanThe invention of insurance more than five centuries ago was at least as key to the development of modern economies as the steam engine.Being able to spread risk from those engaging in an enterprising activity to others who were willing to absorb it for a fee facilitated greater trade and investment.Virtually every household and business buys insurance. But the property and casualty part of the industry is in rough waters. Some companies are insolvent. Others are no longer serving large geographic markets.Longstanding policyholders suddenly find that firms with which they have done business for years are not just raising rates, but rather refusing entirely to renew coverage. Homeowners — and condo owners associations — scramble to get coverage that, if for no other reason, understandably is required by mortgage lenders.Commercial property owners, including farmers, face the same price and coverage shocks.State insurance regulators and legislators often see...

07/16/2023: Another stormy Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from Meteorologist Jill Szwed.Happy Sunday! Storms were up early this morning. A few tornado warnings were issued as the latest round of heavy rain pushed in. We are in the clear for severe weather now. Flooding concerns will grow as the day goes on.This morning's heavy rain and storms exit to the east by mid-morning. Rays of mid-day sun could lead to some pop-up storms. Otherwise, the middle of the day will be drier. A line of storms will approach late this afternoon. These storms will arrive in the Hudson Valley around sundown.The late-day storms will be capable of producing damaging winds and a few more brief spin-ups. Areas east of the Hudson River into the Berkshires have a slightly elevate risk for an isolated tornado. The severe threat will diminish after dark.Flooding remains the top threat all day long. It will only take an inch or two in three hours for flash flooding to occur. A Flood Watch remains in effect through early Monday morning. ...

Albany County Farmers Market moves inside due to weather

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:29 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The first day of the Albany County Farmers Market has been moved inside MVP Arena due to thunderstorms in the area. The event will run on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The new farmers market series will offer a wide array of goods from local vendors. Free parking is provided for attendees in the MVP Arena parking garage during the hours of the events. The remainder of the market's schedule for the season is listed below.Farmers Market ScheduleAll markets held rain or shine from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.August 20September 17October 15 Village of Scotia Fire Department celebrating 150 years of service Each event will also feature educational and family activities. The market is free and open to the public.