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ConocoPhillips faces potential $914,000 fine over Alaska gas blowout, leak

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — ConocoPhillips Alaska faces a potential $914,000 fine over what a state regulatory agency called a “shallow underground blowout” of a well that released natural gas at the company’s Alpine field on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope last year. An investigation by the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission found the company violated several provisions of state law during missteps leading up to the leak and during the response, according to a proposed enforcement notice that was released Wednesday. The commission oversees oil and gas drilling in the state.ConocoPhillips is reviewing the commission’s findings, said Rebecca Boys, a company spokesperson. ConocoPhillips has 15 days to challenge the fine, a standard part of the process, the Anchorage Daily News reported.There were no reports of injuries during the gas leak, which was first discovered on March 4, 2022 and resulted in about 7.2 million cubic feet (216,000 cubic meters) of natural gas...

Royals owner John Sherman envisions new stadium by 2027 or 2028 season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hope to settle on the location for a new ballpark by the end of the summer, and owner John Sherman said Thursday that he envisions the club playing in a new stadium by the 2027 or 2028 season.The long-preferred site is near downtown Kansas City, where the park would be the centerpiece of a redevelopment project that links the eastern part of the metro to the vibrant area near T-Mobile Center. The location would keep the club in Jackson County, though far from the current Kauffman Stadium, and continue a trend of using sports to spearhead urban renewal.But complicating matters has been a competing bid from Clay County, which sits across the Missouri River from downtown Kansas City. There is more space available for a ballpark village, much like the entertainment district that has sprung up around Truist Park in Atlanta, and that could help the small-market organization generate much-needed long-term revenue.“We’ve always said ‘down...

Programa de asistencia para la compra de viviendas en DC se queda sin dinero

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

Docenas de compradores de vivienda de DC aseguran que sus sueños de ser propietarios de vivienda pueden hacerse añicos después de que el gobierno del Distrito les prometió fondos, pero se quedó sin dinero.Los compradores habían calificado para préstamos sin intereses y ayuda con los costos de cierre a través del Programa de Asistencia para la Compra de Vivienda (HPAP, en inglés) de DC para familias con ingresos bajos o moderados.A pesar de que el gobierno capitalino aumentó el financiamiento máximo de $80,000 a $200,000 en el año fiscal 2023, ahora el sitio web de HPAP dice que se ha quedado sin dinero hasta que comience el nuevo año fiscal en octubre.“Quienquiera que esté administrando el dinero, si sabe que se está acabando, hay que decir algo antes de tiempo”, acotó una madre afectada que deseaba permanecer en el anonimato. “No hay forma de que la gente pueda estar bajo contrato, lista para cerrar, para descubrir dos semanas antes que no hay dinero”.Por su...

Tim Tichenor will be plate umpire for MLB’s All-Star Game at Seattle on July 11

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Todd Tichenor will be the home plate umpire and crew chief for the All-Star Game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11.Tichenor, 46, will be working the All-Star Game for the second time after umpiring in left field for the 2014 game in Minneapolis. Tichenor umpired his first big league game in 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2012. He worked the 2020 World Series and was promoted to crew chief this year.His crew includes five umpires working the All-Star Game for the first time: Quinn Wolcott (first), Tripp Gibson (second), Stu Scheurwater (third), Ryan Blakney (left) and Ramon De Jesus (right). Wolcott and Blackney are Washington state natives and Gibson is a Washington state resident.Jim Wolf will be the replay umpire in New York. He worked right field in the 2010 All-Star Game.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Virginia sheriff, 3 businessmen, indicted on federal bribery charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

Culpeper County Sheriff's Office vehicle. Courtesy Culpeper (County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)(Courtesy Culpeper County Sheriff's Office via Facebook) Culpeper County Sheriff's Office vehicle. Courtesy Culpeper (County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)(Courtesy Culpeper County Sheriff's Office via Facebook) RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia sheriff has been indicted on federal public corruption charges for allegedly handing out auxiliary deputy sheriff’s appointments in exchange for cash bribes and large donations to his reelection campaign. Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins is charged in a 16-count indictment, along with three businessmen who are accused of paying bribes to Jenkins. The indictment unsealed Thu...

Pickleball coming to Denver at Skyline Park this summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Skyline Park will soon be home to a part-time pickleball court as part of Downtown Denver Partnership's plan to get more people out and about in the city this summer."Pickleball is taking the nation by storm, so to bring this popular sport to our center city is a big deal! We can’t wait to welcome families, friends, and colleagues to downtown Denver, which will be the ultimate destination for summer fun," Sharon Alton, senior vice president of Downtown Experience for the Downtown Denver Partnership, said in an emailed press release. Pickleball players fight plans to close Congress Park courts The court will be located at Skyline Park and will be available for reservations from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, as well as afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for free play. The Skyline Beer Garden's website lists the cost for a one-hour reservation as a $20 donation. Equipment rental will be an additional $2.Skyline Park's other summer activities include roller-ska...

Divided Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action in college admissions; Biden ‘strongly’ disagrees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.The decision, like last year’s momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal, this time finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to colleges that receive federal funding, as almost all do.Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “co...

Paddleboarder who encountered hammerhead shark en route to Lake Worth Beach speaks out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida woman was stalked at sea, as she came dangerously close to a hammerhead shark. Now, she’s talking about the close encounter. Malea Tribble said she was halfway through an 80-mile trip from the Bahamas to Lake Worth Beach on Sunday when she came too close for comfort to the marine predator.“It definitely kind of gives you a little bit of like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe that happened.'” she said.“I was just kind of doing my thing, and I felt a little bit of a tap on my board, but I thought I was picking up seaweed,” Tribble said. “That happens. You can drag seaweed on your fin.”The encounter, which happened as she was taking part of an event that raises money for cystic fibrosis research, was captured on video.Tribble said she suddenly noticed her paddleboard was not the only fin in the water. The other fin belonged to the hammerhead shark that was following her.“I saw my husband&...

SUV crashes into home in North Miami; no injuries reported

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

Officials are investigating after an SUV crashed into a home in North Miami.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the crash near the corner of Northwest 10th Avenue and 123rd Street, just after noon, Thursday. Homeowner Cassandra Little said she heard the deafening moment of impact.“I heard a horn blow, and after that I heard metal,” she said.7Skyforce hovered above the scene and showed where the white Kia SUV came to rest in the home’s front porch. The front end of the vehicle ended up in the middle of the living room.“Normally the kids are in the living room, so it’s just a blessing that they weren’t there today,” said Little’s daughter.It is unclear as to why the vehicle left the roadway or how it left the roadway and crashed into the home.Little said she and her daughter were inside the home. Her daughter asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.“I was in my bedroom right here, and I just heard t...

US Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:47 GMT

The Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a major blow to affirmative action in higher education, striking down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.In a ruling divided along ideological lines, the high court’s six-justice conservative majority found that the universities discriminated against white and Asian American applicants by using race-conscious policies that benefited applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. The three liberal justices dissented.“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Roberts wrote.The decision undercuts long-standing admissions policies at elite colleges and universities that use race as one of many factors in evaluating applicants. Those policies relied on prior Supreme Court cases that permitted the use of race as part of a “holistic” process meant to promote a diverse student body. But Thursday’s ruling appeared to find most of those...