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Dreaming of a white Christmas? Alaska may be your best bet, as U.S. ski resorts see rain, not snow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

GILFORD, N.H. (AP) — For most Americans dreaming of a white Christmas, this year’s prospects aren’t good.Although parts of the Rockies and Midwest already have snow or could get a fresh dusting by Monday, other parts of the country that are normally coated in white this time of year are still sporting their drab late-fall look.“Some people will get their dream, their wish, and get a white Christmas right at the last minute,” said Judah Cohen, the director of seasonal forecasting at Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research. “But most of the country will have a brown Christmas.”Among the areas more accustomed to snowy Decembers is the Northeast, where a powerful storm blew in this week and dumped heavy rain on the region’s ski areas, wreaking havoc on the snowpack.“It didn’t wash out our trails. But it was crazy rain,” said Tom Day, the general manager of Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire.He hiked the ski area Monday, when it was...

Holiday travel forecast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

Good morning! We’re tracking the conditions for your holiday travel. This morning spotty showers could create some slick patches on the roads. A Winter Weather Advisory is in place through 9 am for Southern New Hampshire. Freezing rain and freezing drizzle could create an icy glaze on the roads. Once we get through mid morning, temperatures should start to climb a bit and the chance for slick patches fades.We’ll see a lot of clouds today. Highs will be in a range of the 40s. There won’t be a lot of wind. It stays mainly dry, except for a few sprinkles possible later.Layers of clouds will hold temperatures near 40 tonight. Fog develops tonight and lingers overnight. Heads up if you’re traveling late or early, that could cause some visibility issues.A lot of clouds to start tomorrow. It’ll be a mostly cloudy but mild Christmas Day! Enjoy!

Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals: Everything you need to know about the Week 16 game before kickoff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

The 5-9 Chicago Bears will play the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field in a Week 16 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (3:25 p.m., Fox-Ch. 32).5 things to watch in the Bears-Cardinals game — plus our Week 16 predictionsRanking QB Justin Fields’ Bears startsHere we are again, Chicago, in the home stretch of another losing Bears season with quarterback uncertainty swirling. Justin Fields has three games remaining in his third season and, quite possibly, in his time with the organization.Here is our ranking of every NFL start Fields has made — 1 to 35.True or false: Bears QB Justin Fields’ inability to close will accelerate his exit from Chicago5 things we learned from the Bears, including Justin Fields and Jaylon Johnson addressing their uncertain futuresJaylon Johnson bet on himself — and it paid offCredit Jaylon Johnson for acknowledging the elephant in the room — and finding a way to use it as motivation from the begi...

As conflicts rage abroad, a fractured Congress tries to rally support for historic global challenges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Senate wrapped up its work for the year, Sen. Michael Bennet took to the floor of the nearly empty chamber and made a late-night plea for Congress to redouble support for Ukraine: “Understand the stakes at this moment.”It was the third time in recent months the Colorado Democrat has kept the Senate working late by holding up unrelated legislation in a bid to cajole lawmakers to approve tens of billions of dollars in weaponry and economic aid for Ukraine. During a nearly hour-long, emotional speech, he called on senators to see the nearly 2-year-old conflict as a defining clash of authoritarianism against democracy and implored them to consider what it means “to be fighting on that freezing front line and not know whether we’re going to come through with the ammunition.”Yet Congress broke for the holidays and is not expected to return for two weeks while continued aid for Ukraine has nearly been exhausted. The Biden administration is plannin...

More Canadians to feel pinch of high rates in 2024, making way for lower inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

OTTAWA — As another inflation-fighting year wraps up, the Bank of Canada’s quest to restore price stability is expected to begin drawing to a close in 2024.The central bank’s hefty rate hikes are finally bearing fruit, allowing it to hold its key interest rate steady at five per cent over the last few months. Higher borrowing costs have caused a pullback in business investment and consumer spending, making way for lower inflation. The economic slowdown is expected to lay the groundwork for interest rate cuts as early as mid-2024, which would signal a turning point in the fight against inflation.Desjardins’ chief economist says although the central bank’s rate hikes have helped get a handle on inflation, a lot of the slowdown in price growth has also come from global price pressures easing.“We’re looking at inflation 3.1 per cent, now much less stressful than it was a year ago,” said Jimmy Jean, chief economist at Desjardins. &...

Man dead due early morning to fire near The Stockyards

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

A man has died due to a fire near The Stockyards early Sunday morning.Fire crews were called to McCormack Street, near Weston Road and St. Clair Avenue West, at approximately 4:08 a.m. for reports that several tractor trailers were on fire.“In the course of firefighting and search and rescue operations, one person was located inside a storage trailer adjacent to the fire,” said Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg on X.The victim, a man in his 40’s, was transferred to the care of Toronto medics but succumbed to his injuries at the scene.Police and the Office of the Fire Marshal are investigating the origin, cause and circumstances of the fire.I am on scene with @Toronto_Fire crews on McCormack Street. The investigation into the origin, cause&circumstances of this fire is underway in collaboration with @TorontoPolice and @ONFireMarshal. Sincere condolences to family, friends and all those impacted by this tragic fire.— Matthew Pegg (@ChiefPeggTFS) December 24, ...

Iran summons Russian envoy over statement on Persian Gulf disputed islands

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran summoned Russia’s charge d’affaires after Moscow and Arab countries released a joint statement earlier this week challenging Iran’s claim to disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, state media reported Sunday.Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the Russian envoy was summoned on Saturday and handed a note to deliver to Moscow in which Tehran protested the statement the 6th Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum issued in Morocco that called for a peaceful solution to resolve the conflict between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the islands.Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told his Russian counterpart over the phone that “respecting countries’ sovereignty and integrity is among basic principles in the ties between nations,” IRNA said in a separate report.This marked the second time this year that Iran has called for a Russian envoy in protest over comments on the disputed islands. Tehran summon...

Several flights canceled at Chicago Midway International Airport due to fog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

CHICAGO — Several flights departing from Chicago's Midway International Airport have been canceled on Christmas Eve morning due to the fog.There is a dense fog advisory in the area until 9 a.m. Latest warnings and watches from the National Weather Service.As of 6:30 a.m., visibility at Midway was .5 miles. Visibility at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is 5 miles.At 7:20 a.m., a ground stop was issued at Midway.Several Southwest Airlines and Frontier flights are canceled through 9 a.m.On Saturday evening, a ground stop was issued at Midway due to the fog.Southwest released the following statement to WGN-TV.We’re working with our Customers whose travel is impacted by fog at Chicago Midway that began Saturday night and prevented inbound aircraft from landing, forcing some diversions and subsequent flight cancelations. With visibility remaining below required operational minimums throughout the night and expected to continue through daybreak, we’ve modified our planned ...

Person found dead in alley in Portage Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

CHICAGO — A person was found dead in an alley late Saturday night in Portage Park, police said.The person, a male, was found dead around 11 p.m. in the 5800 block of West Belmont. Man shot after pulling knife during fight at Red Line station The cause of death is still under investigation.Anyone with information should contact Area Five detectives.Additional details haven't been released.

Thousands of gallons gush from Travis County water tower on multiple occasions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:20 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The irony was not lost on David Way.While he methodically worked to save an oak tree in his front yard by using a soaker hose on his designated watering day, water, on a few occasions, was gushing from a water tower just feet away from his western Travis County home. Texas neighbors lived in limbo with dozens of holes inside homes “My guess is untold thousands of gallons,” Way said. “The waste of water in this time of drought.” David Way recorded this footage in early December of water overflowing from a tank at the foot of a Travis County Water District 10 water tower (Courtesy: David Way).“It's simply not OK to let that keep happening,” he added.Way recorded one of the overflows on his phone. His footage showed water running out of the top of what appears to be a concrete overflow tank at the base of the water tower. The video showed the water running into the street. Austin Water leader responds to KXAN Investigation over custome...