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The Fukushima nuclear plant will start releasing treated wastewater. Here’s what you need to know.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese officials plan to start discharging treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, a contentious step more than 12 years after a massive earthquake and tsunami set off a battle against ever-increasing amounts of radioactive water at the plant.The government and plant operator say the release is an unavoidable part of its decommissioning and will be safely carried out, but the plan faces opposition in and outside Japan. Here is a look at the controversy. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH WASTEWATER?The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt. Highly contaminated cooling water applied to the damaged reactors has leaked continuously to building basements and mixed with groundwater.The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), has taken steps to limit the amount of groundwater and rainwater entering the reactor area, and...

Zimbabwe votes as the president known as ‘the crocodile’ seeks a second and final term

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Delays marked voting in Zimbabwe on Wednesday as President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeks a second and final term in a country with a history of violent and disputed elections.This is the second general election since the ouster of longtime repressive ruler Robert Mugabe in a coup in 2017.Twelve presidential candidates are on the ballot, but the main contest is expected to be between 80-year-old Mnangagwa, known as the “the crocodile,” and 45-year-old opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. Mnangagwa narrowly beat Chamisa in a disputed election in 2018.Chamisa hopes to break the ruling ZANU-PF party’s 43-year hold on power. Zimbabwe has had only two leaders since gaining independence from white minority rule in 1980.A runoff election will be held Oct. 2 if no candidate wins a clear majority in the first round. The election will also determine the makeup of the 350-seat parliament and nearly 2,000 local council positions.“It’s becoming tougher to survive in this country,&...

Pakistani children rescued from a broken cable car say they repeatedly feared they would die

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Schoolchildren who were rescued from a broken cable car dangling high above a valley in Pakistan said Wednesday that they repeatedly feared death was imminent during the 16-hour ordeal even as their parents tried to console them over the phone.Six children and two adults were pulled from the cable car in a daring rescue Tuesday. One of the youngest was grabbed by a commando attached to a helicopter by rope, while others were lowered to the ground in a makeshift chairlift constructed from a wooden bed frame and ropes.“I had heard stories about miracles, but I saw a miraculous rescue happening with my own eyes,” said 15-year-old Osama Sharif, one of those rescued.Osama was headed to school on Tuesday to receive the results of his final exam, when the cable snapped.“We suddenly felt a jolt, and it all happened so suddenly that we thought all of us are going to die,” he said in a telephone interview.Some of those aboard had cellphones and started making calls. ...

I was surprised when some of my student loans were canceled. Yours might be, too

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

In 2022, I left the teaching profession, convinced that the public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) I had been pursuing for the past 14 years was no longer a possibility. When I changed careers, I had nearly $50,000 in student loan debt.But in 2023, my loan servicer informed me that almost $40,000 of that balance had been forgiven.This surprising reversal happened because a limited PSLF waiver temporarily gave borrowers credit for payments toward loan forgiveness that normally wouldn’t count toward PSLF — and waived the requirement that borrowers must work in public service at the time of application and forgiveness.The bad news: The waiver that helped me get loan forgiveness expired Oct. 31, 2022.The good news, according to Abby Shafroth, director of the Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project at the National Consumer Law Center: “If you didn’t already take advantage of the limited waiver … there’s still time to receive almost the same benefits,” which may lead to loan cancellation...

Wednesday Forecast: Excessive Heat Warning, isolated storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, isolated storm, Excessive Heat Warning, WSW 10-15 G25. High: 99NWS Chicago said peak heat will be close to 105 to 115 degrees between Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, WSW 10-15 G25. High: 81. Overnight lows dip into upper 70sChicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Thursday: Mostly sunny, isolated storm, Excessive Heat, WSW 10-15 G25. 99Chicago Area Radar | WGN TV

Extreme heat hits Chicagoland area, warnings in effect

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

CHICAGO -- The extreme heat is expected to hit later this morning and temperatures can reach up to 115 degrees today. The National Weather Service has already issued an Excessive Heat Warning for the next two days. It is said to stay away from alcohol, caffeine and sodas. Limit time outside and if air conditioning is not accessible, keep shades drawn, blinds closed with windows slightly open. Chicago Public Schools prepare for dangerously hot temperatures Also be aware of signs of heat related illnesses like extreme sweating, intense thirst, nausea, fatigue, dizziness or confusion. The OEMC says those are signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. “Try to stay away from being outside. Keep yourself very hydrated,” Cook County Health Emergency Physician Mike Schindlbeck said.There are also opportunities to stay cool at Chicago Public Libraries as well as citywide park district facilities while they are open.

Ted Cruz gets fooled by fake photo of shark swimming on 405 Freeway in Los Angeles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

(KTLA) -- It's true that you can't always trust what you see on the internet, even if you're a United States senator.On Monday, hours after the worst of Tropical Storm Hilary cleared its way out of Los Angeles, Ted Cruz, a Texas senator and former presidential candidate, shared a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, that appeared to show a shark swimming on a flooded roadway.The photo was shared by sports commentator and satirist Dan Katz, better known by his media pseudonym Big Cat, of Barstool Sports."Friend of mine out in LA just took this picture on the 405. And yes, all news and media outlets you have permission to use this. Wild," Katz wrote in the satirical post.Cruz shared the photo to his 6.1 million followers with the caption, "Holy crap." X users were quick to point out that the photo did not depict what the caption claimed it did. Corrections made to Community Notes, a function on X that allows users to provide additional context or dispute the information p...

'Get out of my house!' Kansas publisher's 98-year-old mother reacts on video amid raid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

MARION, Kan. (AP) — Newly released video shows the 98-year-old mother of a Kansas newspaper publisher confronting police officers as they searched her home in a raid that has drawn national scrutiny, at one point demanding: “Get out of my house!”Video released by the newspaper Monday shows Joan Meyer shouting at the six officers inside the Marion, Kansas, home she shared with her son, Marion County Record Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer. Standing with the aid of a walker and dressed in a long robe or gown and slippers, she seems visibly upset.“Get out of my house ... I don't want you in my house!” she said at one point. “Don't touch any of that stuff! This is my house!” she said at another.The raids of the newspaper and the homes of the Meyers and a City Council member happened on Aug. 11, after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. Joan Meyer died a day later. Her son said he believes that the stress contributed to her death.A ...

Two campers found in Ulster County after overnight storm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

NAPANOCH, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An 18-year-old and 23-year-old camper were found the morning after separating from their camping group in Ulster County, near the Ice Caves Trail in Minnewaska State Park. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says the two were found after thunderstorms and heavy fog hampered search efforts. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, around 11:27 p.m., state police requested the help of forest rangers in search of two campers in the Sam's Point Preserve portion of Minnewaska State Park. A group of four counselors and 16 campers had been dropped off around 6:45 p.m. earlier that night at Sam's Point Preserve for a hike. An 18 and 23-year-old hiker separated from the group on the Ice Caves Trail, per the DEC. Rescue personnel attempted to find them, but thunderstorms and fog hurt their efforts. 5 things to know this Wednesday, August 23 The following morning a multi-agency search operat...

'SLATE' transportation job fair happening today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:43 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The city of St. Louis is stepping up Wednesday to help find new jobs for workers recently laid off from trucking companies. Hundreds of workers in the area are impacted.The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, or 'SLATE, is located on Market and is the city agency charged with helping displaced workers. This is where the job fair is going to take place, starting later Wednesday morning.'Yellow Trucking' was one of the companies that recently shut down, leaving hundreds of St. Louis workers without jobs.A SLATES release said that Wednesday's job fair is for all job seekers interested in transportation and logistics careers. However, the release specifically mentions that the event is to help displaced workers from Yellow Trucking and DHL find new employment. State climatologist: Heat causing high evaporation rates, no rainfall to place it SLATE officials shared that it's been devastating to watch numerous companies over the past few weeks close their doors with ...