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President Biden heads to Florida to see Idalia’s destruction. But he won’t be seeing Gov. DeSantis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is heading to Florida on Saturday for a firsthand look at Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, but he won’t be seeing the state’s Republican governor and 2024 presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis, who suggested such a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts.“We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.” Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning along Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread flooding and damage before moving north to drench Georgia and the Carolinas. But Biden’s visit to see its effects threatened to be engulfed by political clashes since DeSantis’ statement came hours after the president himself earlie...

Jimmy Buffett’s laid-back party vibe created adoring ‘Parrotheads’ and success beyond music

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

Jimmy Buffett celebrated slackers before the word existed, even though he was hardly one himself.“Wasting away in Margaritaville,” went the chorus to his most famous song, which became an international singalong. But Buffett was actually an astute, ambitious, aggressive businessman. A statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages announced his passing on Friday at age 76. The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause. He rescheduled concerts in May and acknowledged he had been hospitalized for an unspecified illness.Buffett built an empire based largely on Caribbean-flavored pop that celebrated the Florida Keys, sunshine and nightlife. His name became synonymous with a laid-back subtropical party vibe, and his fans were known as Parrotheads.But behind the laid-back exterior, Buffett was an admitted workaholic. He expanded into novels, nightclubs and many other ventures. At one time his estimated annual income was more than $40 million, and his ...

Maine resident captures nature in action in N.B. as shark snacks on whale carcass

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

Paul Keller was sitting on the back porch of his rented cottage by the Bay of Fundy, sipping his morning coffee, when he spotted some commotion in the water. Perhaps the splash of a flipper, he figured, or something washing up against a rock.Through his binoculars he realized he had spotted a rare scene of ocean carnage — a great white shark feeding on a whale carcass.“That was kind of an odd, strange sensation to see,” said the bi-vocational pastor, who lives in China, Maine.“At first I thought it was some sort of flipper or something rubbing against the rock. Then I saw the fin of what became the shark. Then I thought, ‘Wow, OK, this is something you don’t see every day.’ At least I’ve never seen.”Keller and his wife usually spend at least a week every year in the summer by Campobello Island. This year, they were in New Brunswick from Aug. 26 to 31.The morbid Monday morning scene about 7 1/2 metres from the shore showed the shark taking bi...

Dozens injured in a protest by asylum-seekers outside Eritrean Embassy in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Violent protests have erupted between hundreds of Eritrean asylum-seekers and Israeli police in Tel Aviv on Saturday during a protest against an event organized by the Eritrean Embassy. The Israeli police said 27 officers were injured in the clashes, and at least three protesters were shot by police firing live rounds after they felt “real danger to their lives.”Israeli police in riot gear and on horses tried to corral the protesters, who broke through barricades and hurled chunks of sidewalk, batteries and rocks at the police.Similarly violent protests have popped up all over the world as Eritrea, one of the world’s most repressive countries, marks 30 years of independence with festivals held by Eritrea’s diaspora across Europe and North America. Earlier this year, Eritrea called anti-government protesters marching against these events “asylum scum.”Eritreans make up the majority of the more than 30,000 African asylum-seekers in Israel. They say they fled da...

'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett, who turned beach-bum life into an empire, dies at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76. “Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett's official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.” The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause of death. Illness had forced him to reschedule concerts in May and Buffett acknowledged in social media posts that he had been hospitalized, but provided no specifics.“Margaritaville,” released on Feb. 14, 1977, quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind for those ”wastin’ away,” an excuse for a life of low-key fun and escapism for those “growi...

'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76.“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett's official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause of death. Illness had forced him to reschedule concerts in May and Buffett acknowledged in social media posts that he had been hospitalized, but provided no specifics. Joe the Plumber, made famous during Obama’s 2008 campaign, dead at 49 “Margaritaville,” released on Feb. 14, 1977, quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind for those ”wastin’ a...

Public input process gets underway for replacing Upper Sioux Agency State Park recreation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — The process to identify possible recreational opportunities for the replacement of the Upper Sioux Agency State Park got underway with the first public outreach meeting on Aug. 30 in Granite Falls.“It’s a community effort,” Jeremy Losinski, regional parks and trails director for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said as he opened the first of two outreach sessions held that day.Legislation authored by State Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton, and State Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, calls for the state to transfer the roughly 1,300-acre park to the Upper Sioux Community. The DNR must submit a report to legislators on the barriers to the transfer in January 2024.The legislation allocated $5 million for the transfer process as well as for developing recreational opportunities to replace the park. Since the parklands were originally acquired with federal Lands, Waters and Conservation Lands funding, the state must provide a replacement “recre...

Warmer than normal weekend forecast with rising humidity

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Temperatures will be rising throughout the weekend. Humidity will remain low today, but temperatures will be warmer than normal, reaching around 90 degrees. Expect plenty of sunshine. Overnight lows will only drop into the upper 60s to near 70. Humidity will increase on Sunday, and with highs in the low 90s, it will feel more like the mid- to upper 90s. For Labor Day, it will become even more humid, with heat index values around 100. License plate reader leads to arrests in stolen identity ring We will begin to see an increase in storm chances on Monday afternoon across southeast Missouri. For St. Louis, we can't rule out an isolated storm during the afternoon. Otherwise, rain chances will increase across the entire area by Tuesday and continue through midweek.

'Margaritaville' singer, Jimmy Buffett, died at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Jimmy Buffett passed away last night, September 1, peacefully in his sleep, according to a statement posted on his website. He was 76.The statement does not specify the place of death or the cause. In May, the singer had to reschedule his concerts due to health issues, which he had shared on social media, indicating his hospitalization.Jimmy Buffett is renowned for his music career, notably as a singer-songwriter celebrated for his laid-back, tropical-themed style. He is often linked to the 'Gulf and Western' or 'Trop Rock' subgenre, which blends elements of country, folk, rock, and Caribbean music. License plate reader leads to arrests in stolen identity ring His music frequently embraces a carefree, beachy lifestyle, with his most famous songs including "Margaritaville," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and "Come Monday." Beyond his musical achievements, Buffett is recognized for his entrepreneurial ventures, such as the popular restaurant chain 'Margaritaville,' which ...

How did Broncos take on $100 million in Empower Field work over a single offseason? “It’s been quite a heavy lift”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:44 GMT

You’d typically think the busiest time of year at a football stadium is football season.Not so for Empower Field at Mile High over the past several months.For all the commotion between a Nathaniel Hackett-led September win against Houston and a Jerry Rosburg-led early January win against the Los Angeles Chargers, that was all just a warmup for the frenetic offseason.When the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group took over the franchise in August, one of the primary questions surrounding its purchase was the future of Empower Field.The owners are still determining whether they want to build a new stadium to serve as the franchise’s home, one thing they knew for certain was that they wanted to update the current one. In late 2022, the club decided on $100-plus million in upgrades to serve as Empower Field’s second act after a 22-year opening run.The challenge: Get it done in eight months.“My challenge to them was that we haven’t touched the stadium in any meaningful way sin...