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5 things to know about what may be distracting drivers on the road with you

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

Travelers Cos. released its annual survey on the leading causes of distracted driving in the face of an alarming reality: more than 46,000 people die in preventable traffic crashes in the United States in 2022. That’s up 9% from 2020, according to the National Safety Council, when the pandemic tightened its grip.Chris Hayes, assistant vice president of workers compensation and transportation, risk control at the property-casualty insurance giant, said debate abounds about the role played by the pandemic in the rise in traffic fatalities and why distracted driving is increasing.One theory gaining traction is that in the early days of the pandemic roadways were relatively deserted as people worked at home. That gave drivers the freedom to take more chances with their vehicles — driving faster and while doing so, using their cell phones for everything from checking Facebook to taking photos and even shopping, Hayes said.“But a lot of those driving behaviors really haven’t changed,” Hay...

Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne to play metal festival this fall

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

Los Angeles-based concert promoter Goldenvoice is bringing metal music back to an iconic Southern California venue Oct. 6-8 with its Power Trip music festival featuring performances by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Tool, Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden.Fans can register for access to tickets starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 6 at powertrip.live. Three-day general admission is $599; three-day reserved floor seats are $799-$1,599; reserved grandstand seats are $1,099-$1,399; three-day pit tickets are $1,599; three-day VIP passes are $1,749-$2,999. Various hotel and camping packages are also available.Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden will perform Oct. 6; AC/DC and Ozzy Osbourne will play Oct. 7 and Metallica and Tool will cap the event Oct. 8.Ozzy Osbourne will perform at Power Trip at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, Oct. 7. (Photo by Harry How, Getty Images)AC/DC will perform at Power Trip at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, Oct. 7. (Photo by Valerie Macon, AFP vi...

Why has King Charles’ name surfaced in the dispute between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

By Jeff WeinerAs the news broke that Walt Disney Co. had quietly stripped power from the board that oversees Disney World’s government services ahead of its takeover by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ replacements, a reference to British royalty caught the internet’s attention, becoming instant fodder for memes.A “declaration of restrictive covenants” approved by the board’s former members on Feb. 8 — a day before the Florida House voted to hand control of the district to DeSantis — prohibits the district from using Disney’s name, Mickey Mouse and other characters without the corporation’s approval.But it was the term of that ban that raised eyebrows.“[T]his Declaration shall continue in effect until twenty one (21) years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England living as of the date of this Declaration,” the document said.[ Read more: DeSantis’ Reedy Creek board says Disney stripped its power ]The mention of the king in a list of covenan...

After cardiac arrest, NFL’s Damar Hamlin backs plan for more defibrillators in schools

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

Anthony Man | (TNS) South Florida Sun-SentinelBuffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin joined an effort Wednesday to promote federal legislation to equip schools, and provide training, for administering life-saving treatment to athletes, students and others who go into sudden cardiac arrest.Hamlin’s on-field collapse during an NFL Monday Night Football game in January galvanized viewers. He received immediate, high-quality medical care, and survived.The legislation he endorsed, the Access to AEDs Act, was introduced this week by U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who represents Broward and Palm Beach counties, and Bill Posey, a Republican who represents Brevard, Indian River and a sliver of Orange County.The measure would establish grants to elementary and secondary schools that could be used to buy automated external defibrillation devices known as AEDs, batteries and maintenance, replace outdated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED equipment, pay for training and h...

Former New Bedford Whaling Museum worker indicted for stealing more than $150,000 in artifacts: Police

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

A former worker at the New Bedford Whaling Museum has been indicted for stealing museum artifacts worth more than $150,000, according to the Bristol District Attorney’s Office.Robert Burchell, 42, was arrested earlier this year for allegedly stealing artifacts from the museum. The Bristol DA’s Office announced that he has now been indicted by a grand jury on 19 counts of larceny over $1,200.New Bedford police arrested him on Jan. 5, and charged him with larceny from a building. Burchell had been employed as a facilities associate at the museum for the past two years.He allegedly stole dozens of pocket-sized items from the museum, and sold the artifacts at local antique and pawn shops for cash. A shop owner in West Bridgewater, who bought some of the artifacts from Burchell, tipped off police that the items were rare and likely stolen.Burchell was initially arraigned on larceny charges in New Bedford District Court on Jan. 6. The judge imposed a cash bail of $5,000, and o...

REVIEW: Tetris fits lots of disparate pieces into place

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

What do you think is the greatest video game of all time? Some may look at the liberty of Grand Theft Auto, or the puzzles of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and see the greatest game ever. For many, the intense story of the Last of Us resonated, or maybe it’s the fun gameplay of Overwatch that does it. But decades after it came out, with minimal changes to the game, you can’t beat the simplicity of Tetris.Taron Egerton, Sofia Lebedeva and Nikita Efremov in “Tetris,” premiering March 31, 2023 on Apple TV+.The film version of Tetris is anything but simple. Instead of adapting the game, it instead looks to the game’s tumultuous origin for its story. The game was invented by a Soviet engineer called Alexey Pajitnov (played by Russian actor Nikita Efremov from Cinderella). One day, a different game designer called Henk Rogers (played by Taron Egerton from Rocketman) encounters the game and realizes his biggest chance for success is getting the game out...

What you need to know about the first-time homebuyers savings account

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

TORONTO — Jeremy Kinnear is 23 and already thinking about home ownership.Fresh out of university, the Edmontonian is in the midst of a four-year job program that will require him to move to Calgary halfway through. After that, he hopes to put down roots.So when Kinnear got a call from his broker earlier this year about the new Tax-Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA), he was excited about taking advantage of the program.“I’m pretty young, so I’ve been saving as much as I can right now. I need to invest young so that I can compound my money sooner,” he said.The rules governing the new program come into force April 1, allowing prospective homebuyers to start saving for up to 15 years once they open an account, with an annual $8,000 deposit cap and a lifetime contribution limit of $40,000.But prospective homebuyers excited to start saving might not be able to open a FHSA as soon as they’re hoping. Eight large Canadian financial institutions, including al...

Joint Base Andrews on lockdown after armed person reported

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A military base in Maryland has been locked down for reports of a man carrying an “assault-style” rifle on Thursday, authorities said.Joint Base Andrews was locked down after the person was reported seen near the base’s housing area, according to the base’s Facebook page. There was no immediate report of any injuries and additional details were not immediately available.Joint Base Andrews is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the “doomsday” 747 aircraft that can serve as the nation’s airborne nuclear command and control centers if needed.“Security Forces foot and mobile patrols are out looking for the suspect,” the Facebook post read.The Associated Press

Transcript of AP interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

ON A TRAIN FROM SUMY TO KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — AP Executive Editor Julie Pace interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Zelenskyy visited the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, which still faces regular shelling from Russian forces, and northern towns in the Sumy region that were liberated shortly after the war began a year ago.Zelenskyy spoke to the AP aboard a train shuttling him across Ukraine to cities near some of the fiercest fighting and others where his country’s forces have successfully repelled Russia’s invasion. Zelenskyy rarely travels with journalists, and the president’s office said AP’s two-night train trip with him was the most extensive since the war began.Here is the transcript:___JULIE PACE: Well, let’s actually start where we just began. We very much appreciate you inviting us to spend two days here. And you did tell us that you thought it was important to see the war outside of the capital. Do you worry that people are forgetting — not just peop...

Canadian airport security measures in federal budget raise concerns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:28 GMT

You’ll have to pay up in order to improve security lines at Canadian airports.The federal budget lays out measures to make airport visits more efficient, but advocates for both airlines and passengers are disappointed with what’s being proposed.According to these advocates, there is good news and bad news with the federal approach in the fiscal plan.On the one hand, the federal government is pumping $1.8 billion into making airport security screening more efficient. However, on the other hand, security fees paid by travellers will be going up by as much as 33 per cent to help pay for that.Ian Jack, the vice president of public affairs at the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), tells CityNews this is a federal responsibility. He feels the government should shoulder the cost, not passengers.“We feel that’s a bit much at this point. The system is not working very well — we prefer the government actually get the system fixed before they start adding to t...