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‘Crushing consequences’: experts see growing risk as wildfires crash into communities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

The fire department in Slave Lake, Alta., had a long-standing plan for tackling wildfire encroaching on the community, but in May 2011, flames from a nearby forest blewover suppression effortsand destroyed several hundred homes and other buildings.“I think that was the most shocking time of my entire career and maybe of my life, where you’re so sure that something’s going to work, and then it doesn’t … with crushing consequences,” said Jamie Coutts, the former Slave Lake fire chief.A firefighter for more than 30 years, Coutts said wildfires have been burning “hotter, faster (and) crazier” over the last decade, and “every single person that lives in the forest is on a collision course with something disastrous happening.”Research suggests that so-called interface fires, which occur where forests and flames meet human development, are on the rise. An interface fire crashed into suburban Halifax on Sunday, destroying or damaging doz...

Lone tenant in a $400-a-month apartment could hold up major Montreal condo project

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

MONTREAL — As Carla White looks out the window of her yellow-and-pink, plant-filled apartment in the heart of downtown Montreal, she wonders where she’s going to live next.“I look out there and say, where am I going now?” she says, gesturing at the highrises that tower above the building where she lives.The apartment is small and cluttered, it doesn’t have a working stove and her bed and small desk take up most of the floor space. But it’s home and, at $400 a month, the price is right.White, who declined to give her age, says she was homeless after multiple previous evictions before she found a home she could afford a decade ago. The small bachelor apartment has given her a measure of stability. But like so many low-income tenants in Montreal, she finds that stability threatened by gentrification and development.She is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to m...

Technology could be key to future wildfire prevention, fighting: companies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

When wildfires hit Alberta earlier this month, leaving more than 10,000 square kilometres of land scorched so far this year, João Lopes was worried about how much more devastation could be on its way.“Unfortunately, the statistics are showing that maybe next year will be worse than this year,” said the entrepreneur, who founded crop monitoring and fire risk assessment technology company SensaioTech.Wildfires flaring up around Halifax in recent days are yet another reminder of the increasing risks that many are warning of. A United Nations report from 2022 found wildfires are becoming “more intense and more frequent” and said with temperatures on the rise as global warming worsens, “the need to reduce wildfire risk is more critical than ever.”Canada alone sees about 7,500 wildfires burn more than 2.5 million hectares of forest — about half the size of Nova Scotia — every year and that amount is projected to double by 2050, the Canadian Space Agency...

Daily horoscope for May 30, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

Moon Alert: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The Moon is in Libra.Happy Birthday for Tuesday, May 30, 2023:You are a serious thinker. Naturally, as a Gemini, you are always curious. You are hardworking, disciplined and reliable. Focus on your personal responsibilities to others this year. Take care of yourself. Put family friends and loved ones first, for your own benefit and enjoyment.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★Conversations with partners, spouses and close friends will go well today. In fact, your ability to engage with members of the general public is also excellent. Feel free to run your ideas up the flagpole, because someone will salute. Competitive sports and high-energy fun beckon to you! Tonight: Conversations!TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★This is a solid day for business and commerce. Trust your moneymaking ideas. (You’re the financial wizard of the zodiac.) With Venus in your House of Communications, you can sell your ideas to anyone....

Spain holds regional elections ahead of year-end national vote

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

Spanish voters headed to the polls on 28 May in regional and municipal elections, the results of which will serve as a barometer for an end-of-year general election.Voting is taking place in 12 regions and 8,000 towns and cities, most currently run by the governing Socialist Party (PSOE). Polls are predicting gains for the conservative People's Party (PP), which if replicated later in the year could unseat the current left-wing coalition.Voting opened at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and closed at 8 p.m. Over 35 million people are eligible to vote.Campaigning has been marked by several controversies, from allegations of voter fraud in small towns to an unprecedented case of kidnapping.Races will be tight in many areas, with few clear majorities, election polls and experts predict, except in the region of Madrid, where regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the PP could win re-election with an absolute majority.Some polls suggest a close race in the Valencia region, which with a population of a...

Miss Manners: Her sheepish greeting always makes me feel awkward

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My son’s family and I live in the same town, and we see each other often.When I am entering their home, my daughter-in-law often says, “Sorry about the messy house” or something similar.I never know what to say to that, or if I should let it pass without acknowledgment.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Must I order sheep’s brains if I don’t want to share my food? Advice | Miss Manners: My former co-workers made snide comments about my presence Advice | Miss Manners: I’m a millennial, so don’t expect me to follow older people’s rules Advice | Miss Manners: Is it cute that she’s bringing her boyfriend? No, I’m fuming. Advice | Miss Manners: Is it OK to use social media to tell the truth about my neighbors? When she first came into our lives and began the “messy house” comments, I told her that my house would sel...

Dear Abby: What the bridesmaid told me sent my wedding stress off the charts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I got engaged five months ago, and my wedding date is seven months from now.My soon-to-be sister-in-law and bridesmaid has just announced she’s pregnant with her second child and due a week after our wedding.I have conflicting emotions. While I’m happy for her family to grow, I can’t help but worry it will detract from my fiance and me.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I walked into the bedroom and I can’t forget what I saw Advice | Dear Abby: My friends’ comments about my wedding are hurting my feelings Advice | Dear Abby: The team is shunning me because I stood up for my wife Advice | Dear Abby: I don’t want my boyfriend to learn I’m stalking his ex Advice | Dear Abby: The mother overshared with the girls, and now they shun us I’m not sure what to do. Do I keep her as a bridesmaid, one week away from delivery? She might be late, but thereR...

Montgomery Co. is looking for a Pride Month decal designer. Could that be you?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

Montgomery County, Maryland, has plans for an official Pride Month decal to be displayed throughout the county, but someone needs to design it.The county’s Department of Health and Human Services and Office of Community Partnerships put out a communitywide call for artists and designers to submit their ideas. All submissions are due by Thursday, June 1, and must be submitted electronically on the Montgomery County Pride website.“The Montgomery County Pride decal will be used by businesses, non-profits, county government entities, and other establishments to show their public support for LGBTQ+ communities,” Montgomery County Pride said on its website. “This is especially important during a time of high levels of national anti-LGBTQ+ violence.”There are two categories: one for artists ages 23 and older and another for those who are under 23.Creators must be residents of Montgomery County when their work is submitted.Designs themselves need to include the...

Un tribunal japonés declara inconstitucional la prohibición del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

(CNN) — Un tribunal japonés dictaminó este martes que no permitir el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo es inconstitucional, informó la cadena pública japonesa NHK.El Tribunal de Distrito de Nagoya dictaminó este martes que la falta de reconocimiento del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo por parte del gobierno incumplía un artículo de la Constitución que exige leyes iguales para todos.Sin embargo, el tribunal desestimó las demandas por daños y perjuicios de los hombres del mismo sexo demandantes, que pedían una indemnización de 1 millón de yenes (unos US$ 7.100) por persona, argumentando que la falta de reconocimiento de los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo violaba su derecho constitucional a la igualdad, informó este martes la emisora local Kyodo News.¿En qué países es legal el matrimonio homosexual? ¿Dónde fue legal primero?Esta es la segunda vez que un tribunal de Japón se pronuncia sobre la constitucionalidad del matrimonio entre personas del mismo se...

Let’s Go! Music Festival returns to Annapolis headlined by Live, 311, Chris Young

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:04:34 GMT

toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews the Let's Go! Music Fest in Annapolis (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); The Let’s Go! Music Festival is returning to Annapolis, Maryland, at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds this weekend.The third annual event features three straight days of music with Live and Collective Soul on Friday; 311, Cold War Kids and Lit on Saturday; and country-music stars Chris Youn...