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Pope Francis says migrant surge not emergency but long-term reality

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

Pope Francis on Saturday urged EU leaders to treat migrants humanely and challenged the characterization of the recent surge in arrivals across the Mediterranean Sea as an emergency, calling it a long-term reality instead. “Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome, for life,” the pope said in a speech in the French city of Marseille, the Associated Press reported.“As for the emergency, the phenomenon of migration is not so much a short-term urgency, always good for fueling alarmist propaganda, but a reality of our times, a process that involves three continents around the Mediterranean and that must be governed with wise foresight, including a European response capable of coping with the objective difficulties,” the pontiff said.The comments made by the leader of the Catholic Church come after a boom in arrivals in Lampedusa, the small Italian island between the coasts of Sicily and Tunisia, which is a frequent landing destination for migrants making th...

Tropical Storm Ophelia creates rainy, breezy weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

Welcome to the start of astronomical fall! Today you’ll want the pumpkin spice latte in one hand and umbrella in the other. We’ll have periods of rain this weekend with breezy, cooler conditions. Rain moves out Monday morning, and the rest of the first week of fall looks nice!Here’s the latest track of Tropical Storm Ophelia. Here’s what radar could look like later today…Join us this morning on 7News for more on the rain and wind timing.

Olympic bobsled medalist files lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by chiropractor employed by USA Bobsled

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

(CNN) — Aja Evans, an Olympic bobsled athlete who won bronze at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was sexually abused by a chiropractor who was working with the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.Chiropractor Jonathan Wilhelm, as well as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and Wilhelm’s personal practice in Montana, Pro Chiropractic, are named defendants in the suit, which was filed Wednesday in a New York state court.According to the filing, Evans alleges Wilhelm repeatedly sexually harassed and sexually assaulted her under the guise of athletic medical care while she was a member of the USA Bobsled team, starting in 2012.“This lawsuit is not only to spare other athletes from the predatory behavior of Mr. Wilhelm, who continues to practice sports medicine, but also to hold USA Bobsled and the USOPC accountable for their role in enabling my abuser and neglecting the wellbeing of their a...

California attorney general sues groups over abortion reversal claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

(CNN) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday that his office has filed a lawsuit against two organizations that operate crisis pregnancy centers, saying the organizations used “fraudulent and misleading claims” about a procedure they claim can reverse medication abortions.The complaint alleges that Heartbeat International (HBI) and RealOptions mislead patients by claiming there is a way to “reverse” the effects of mifepristone, the first of two oral drugs used for medically induced abortions, through a process they call “abortion pill reversal.”Bonta alleges both companies know there is no evidence showing the protocol works, is safe or is effective, but they keep promoting and advertising it to patients. According to the complaint, the organizations direct a patient to take high doses of progesterone within 72 hours of taking mifepristone to “reverse” the effects of mifepristone.HBI operates more than 2,000 “pregnancy resource centers” in the United States....

Tropical Storm Ophelia makes landfall in North Carolina and will now trek up the East Coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

(CNN) — Ophelia made landfall near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on Saturday morning as a strong tropical storm and will now head inland and up the East Coast, delivering heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding well beyond its center.The storm roared ashore with 70 mph sustained winds – just shy of hurricane strength. Tropical-storm force winds extend up to 310 miles from Ophelia’s core and had knocked out power to at least 50,000 homes and businesses across North Carolina and Virginia by early Saturday, according to utility tracking site PowerOutage.us.The storm will weaken as it moves farther inland, but power outages could grow as it affects more areas.Ophelia is on track to move across eastern North Carolina and then travel through southeastern Virginia, before heading farther north across the Delmarva Peninsula on Saturday and Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.The storm’s shield of rain extends hundreds of miles from its center and is already dumpi...

Who could win Most Valuable Oriole? These 10 players deserve consideration.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

Throughout the season, as the Orioles have racked up impressive win after impressive win, their players have remarked at what they view as the main reason for their success.“Every game, it’s a different person,” catcher James McCann said. “It’s a different hitter, a different pitcher, a different guy stepping up every night. We have a group of guys that truly believe in each other.”That balanced approach has led them to a 95-59 record, the best in the American League. It will also make voting for Most Valuable Oriole more difficult than in recent years.When local media votes later this month for MVO, there are plenty of candidates who have cases to land on the top three of ballots. Compare that with the rebuild years, when either one player was an obvious choice (Cedric Mullins in 2021) or there were no standout options (pandemic-shortened 2020 season).Ahead of next week’s voting, here are 10 players who could receive MVO consideration and t...

Tropical Storm Ophelia moves inland over North Carolina as coastal areas lashed with wind and rain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia swirled across North Carolina after making landfall near Emerald Isle early Saturday, lashing eastern parts of the state with rain, damaging winds and dangerous surges of water.The storm came ashore with near-hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph (110 kph) at around 6:15 a.m. and was expected to weaken as it turns north Saturday and then shifts northeast on Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Life-threatening flooding was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. The storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of the two states, as well as 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in the rest of the mid-Atlantic region through Sunday.A storm surge warning, indicating danger from rising ocean water pushed inland by Ophelia, was in effect from Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, to Chincoteague, Virginia. Surges between 4 and 6 feet (1.2 and 1.8 meters) were...

Many states are expanding their Medicaid programs to provide dental care to their poorest residents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For months, Carlton Clemons endured crippling pain from a rotting wisdom tooth. He couldn’t sleep, barely ate and relied on painkillers to get by.The 67-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, could not afford to see a dentist on the $1,300-a-month his family gets in Social Security and disability payments. So he waited for the state to roll out a program this year that offers dental care to the more than 650,000 Medicaid recipients like him who are 21 and older. Tennessee is spending about $75 million annually on the program.“Man, I thought I had made it heaven because the pain was over,” he said after the tooth was pulled in July at the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. “When they did pull it out, I was so happy. I was so glad. Everything just changed after that.” His wife, Cindy, who also is on Medicaid, has had her teeth pulled at the clinic.Medicaid, the federal and state health insurance program for the poor, requires states to provide dental cov...

Health Canada recalls multi-purpose lighter due to fire, burn hazard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

A popular multi-purpose lighter is being recalled due to a potential fire and burn hazard. Health Canada says the X-Lite Multi-Purpose Lighter does not meet regulations, noting it may exceed the allowable flame height during ignition; may exhibit an abnormal, sudden increase in flame height; and may continue to burn after the trigger mechanism has been released.The affected product bears the UPC code 8 77318 00180 3 and Lot Number 22C and comes packaged within a set of eight. “These lighters have a metal black barrel with a coloured handle. Handles may be red, green, blue, purple or orange in colour. These lighters feature an adjustable flame height, fuel level window, and safety switch,” the federal agency said in a statement. “Consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact X-Lite Corporation for a refund.”Health Canada says more than 28,000 units of the affected product has been sold in Canada between April 27, 2023 and June 30, 2023. As of...

Tropical Storm Ophelia makes landfall in North Carolina, bringing wind, rain, flooding to East Coast states

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:32 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Tropical Storm Ophelia was moving inland across North Carolina early Saturday, lashing coastal areas with rain, damaging winds and dangerous surges of water, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.Life-threatening flooding was forecast for parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, but the system is expected to weaken after landfall.Radar, hurricane hunter aircraft and observers on the ground found that Ophelia's center came ashore at around 6:15 a.m. near Emerald Isle with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), the hurricane center said. An update at 8 a.m. put the storm's center about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Cape Lookout, weakening slightly with maximum winds dipping to around 60 mph (105 kph).Ophelia is likely to turn north Saturday and then shift northeast on Sunday, the hurricane center said. The storm promised a weekend of windy conditions and heavy rain up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina and Vi...