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‘Shit happens’: Margrethe Vestager responds to French fuss over US hire

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s antitrust chief was trying to do the right thing in picking a renowned U.S. professor as a top EU competition economist.“I just wanted to find the right person and do it in the right fashion and then, shit happens,” Margrethe Vestager told a POLITICO reporter on Friday at the Unamido Japanese ramen restaurant near Flagey square in Brussels. The Danish commissioner, who has faced off against at least one shouting Big Tech executive and U.S. presidential venom, endured a potentially damaging setback last week over her choice of Fiona Scott Morton, who has been described as one of the “best economists in the world” in her field, for the influential EU chief competition advisory role.The shit, or rather la merde, came pretty much from one direction — when French President Emmanuel Macron joined other French politicians in criticizing the European Commission for choosing an American for the senior EU post. Macron said neither the U.S. nor ...

Orioles earn dramatic 3-2 win over Phillies powered by Colton Cowser’s ninth-inning RBI double, Dean Kremer’s pitching

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

In the city that popularized “The Process” in the NBA, the Orioles displayed Monday night the continued success of their rebuild.Dean Kremer, acquired in the 2018 trade that sent Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched brilliantly. Jordan Westburg, drafted in the first round of the 2020 MLB draft, hit his first career home run. And, most pivotally, Colton Cowser — picked in the first round of the 2021 draft — hit a ninth-inning double to score 2019 second-round selection Gunnar Henderson.The Orioles beat the Phillies, 3-2, improving to an American League-best 62-38 and moving 2.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.The Philadelphia 76ers became synonymous with a rebuild when the pro basketball team suffered through several losing seasons in the 2010s, but collected draft picks and have put together six straight playoff appearances — although they’ve yet to reach the conference finals in that span.The Orioles similarly endure...

Strong typhoon blows closer to northern Philippines, forcing evacuations and halting sea travel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon blew closer to the northern Philippines on Tuesday, forcing thousands of evacuations and a halt to sea travel ahead of torrential rains and tidal surges up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet).The strongest winds at the storm’s center are expected to remain offshore as Typhoon Doksuri barrels northwest off Cagayan and Batanes provinces, but they may hit outlying islands in the archipelago. The typhoon’s 680-kilometer- (420-mile-) wide rainband could cause flash floods and set off landslides in northern provinces, the country’s weather bureau said.Doksuri was last tracked 310 kilometers (193 miles) east of Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province with sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph), government forecasters said. The typhoon would also enhance seasonal monsoon rains in central and northern provinces. It was forecast to continue moving northwest on a track south of Taiwan that would...

Building dome of heat to produce 90s over two thirds of the Lower 48 Tuesday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

A RING OF FIRE PATTERN threatens sporadic thunderstorms; Chicago’s hottest temperatures predicted Thursday and FridayAIR QUALITY ISSUES—THE PRODUCT OF CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE AND A SUMMER BUILDUP OF OZONE AND PARTICULATESParticulate and ozone levels have surged across the Chicago area Monday afternoon and the EPA now characterizes Chicago area air quality as “UNHEALTHFUL FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS”—which places air quality at LEVEL 3 on the EPA’s 6-LEVEL AIR QUALITY SCALE—the worst being level 6. The air quality at Madison, WI has even deteriorated to “UNHEALTHY.”LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TEMPERATURESSouthern Lake Michigan water temperatures—National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL, 936 AM CDT, Monday, July 24, 2023The Michigan City water temperature sensor is located at a water intake one mile offshore and 60 feet below the water surface. It is read every day of the yearIt’s baaaack! In truth, it never completely left us. I’m talking about the smoke off those devastating Canadian wildfir...

Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

ST. LOUIS – “I’ve shopped with those people for years. My first living room set I had from there. I just bought a dining room set from there last year,” said south St. Louis resident Kim Gray.That’s why Gray didn’t think twice about returning to the Home Decor Outlets store on South Kingshighway earlier this year. Kim says she picked out the furniture in January and put it on layaway, making payments when she could, with the goal of having it fully paid for and in her possession before moving into a new place later this month.Gray made her final payment in late April – for a total of $1,300. She says she didn’t know the store closed until she drove past the building last week.“When I saw the homeless people sitting out there, it just dawned on me. I got out the car and I’m like, ‘What’s going on, where are the people at?’ They’re not open,” she said. “So, I called the Better Business Bureau and they said, ‘Yeah, they’re closed.’ They gave me the number to the attorney general. I cal...

Dangerous intersection in St. Louis leaves 1 dead, 2 injured

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Police say speed is a likely factor in another deadly crash at one of St. Louis's most dangerous intersections.FOX 2 has learned the intersection has been left out of the city's historic plan to make streets safer.Carla Ennis was a passenger in a car driving through the intersection of West Florissant and Riverview in north St. Louis on Monday afternoon, about 12 hours after the latest deadly crash there.“No, it’s not a surprise. It’s not a surprise. It’s not the first death, but it should be the last if we can do something about it,” she said. Sometimes you’ve just got to slow down and live.”She thought of all the crashes at the very same intersection through the years, including a woman killed in a hit-and-run last year; three children ejected and critically wounded in a crash in 2020; and an accident after a rolling gun battle that left behind a downed streetlight and smashed cemetery fencing seven years ago. Crews investigating fatal 3-vehicle crash in north St. Lo...

Police body cam captures St. Ann family's murder scene

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

ST. ANN, Mo. – FOX 2 has received exclusive access to police body camera video from a family murder scene on July 4. The crime shook the entire community and police department.The video may be hard for some to watch, as it shows what happened when police arrived and discovered a mother, her boyfriend, and two children dead.The “shots fired” call came in at 8:30 p.m. on July 4 at a home on Jane Avenue. Police initially hoped it was fireworks and would be a false alarm. Those hopes were short-lived, as police received another call indicating that a man had shot his family.The first officer arrived on scene to find a neighbor holding a child who had been shot in the hand.At this point, police were unsure if they had a barricaded suspect, which would result in a standoff with police. Another officer arrived and discovered a woman dead in the garage. That officer called for backup. Crews investigating fatal 3-vehicle crash in north St. Louis Police learned there were still children in ...

Regional higher tech leads national shortage, local benefits to come

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

O'FALLON, Mo. - A national shortage, and now the St. Louis region is leading the way. The MEMC plant on Pearl Drive is creating a whole new type of higher technology and a whole new extension of the facility. The work they’re doing and creating will help both the local and global economies.On Monday, the MEMC group and many partners gathered to discuss and celebrate the work being done in the area. The $300 million investment from the corporation is taking shape. From the outside, tons of heavy machinery filled the new extension of the building; meanwhile, inside, classes were going on, and employees heading into the clean room."This is exactly the kind of project that shows what our team is made of," said Karla Chaney, the site manager of MEMC, O'Fallon, Missouri.It's not just what they're made of, but what they can create… The world's only plant producing 300-millimeter wafers. Crews investigating fatal 3-vehicle crash in north St. Louis "Our SOI wafers are used in chips that go...

You Paid For It: Million-dollar flood basin in St. Charles in disrepair

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Residents in a St. Charles neighborhood say a million-dollar flood basin built in 2021 is beginning to fail, and the city isn’t doing enough to address the problem.The basin, located in the Schaefer Place neighborhood, is supposed to hold approximately three million gallons of water, keeping it from people’s homes.“The biggest problem is that this basin needs to be fixed, maintained, and improved upon. Currently, the basin has flooded two times in the last two years. The last time causing over six feet of flooding in some properties,” resident Claire Schueler said.Residents say vegetation is growing in the basin and some of the building blocks are coming apart. They say city hall is not moving fast enough to fix things. Crews investigating fatal 3-vehicle crash in north St. Louis ”It’s the city’s responsibility to fix this. Not just to beautify this city, but also so that the homes of the residents remain safe and dry,” Schueler said.St. Charles Director of Engi...

6 injured in multi-vehicle crash in L.A. County

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:03 GMT

At least six people, including one child, were taken to the hospital after a multi-vehicle crash in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood that may have involved a stolen vehicle suspect, authorities announced. Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to 12700 block of West Vanowen Street, near Bellaire Avenue, in Valley Glen at around 7 p.m. At the scene, firefighters found a five-vehicle collision involving five adult victims and one child, all of whom were transported to the hospital in fair condition, LAFD said.  Aerial footage from Sky5 showed a heavy presence of firefighters and police at the scene. Two of the vehicles in the roadway showed heavy damage. Six people were taken to the hospital after a five-car crash in Valley Glen on July 24, 2023, that may have involved a stolen vehicle suspect. (KTLA)Six people were taken to the hospital after a five-car crash in Valley Glen on July 24, 2023, that may have involved a stolen vehicle suspect. (KTLA)Six...