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Brush fire burns 20 acres near Lower Otay Lake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Cal Fire crews are battling a multi-acre brush fire that broke out near the Lower Otay Lake Sunday afternoon.The fire, called the "Border 34" fire, was stopped at 20 acres, according to officials. As of 8:30 p.m., it was 60% contained.The fire, which broke out around 3:30 p.m., had a moderate rate of spread with the potential to reach 75 acres, the department said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.No structures or homes were threatened with the fire, officials said. Brush fire near border prompts closure to I-8 The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Cal Fire. However, it came as the Santa Ana winds continued strengthening, giving way to elevated ignition risk across the county.Gusty eastern winds are expected to continue at high speeds through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.Farther north, parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties were placed under a red flag warning through Monday due to the risk of fire ignition wit...

Pepper spray used in fight at Etobicoke high school, 1 hospitalized

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

Toronto paramedics say one person was taken to hospital after a fight at Lakeshore Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke on Monday morning.Officers were called to the school in the Kipling Avenue and Birmingham Street area for reports of an altercation in the school at around 9:25 a.m.In a tweet, Toronto police said pepper spray was used during the fight.ASSAULT:Kipling Av + Birmingham St9:25 a.m.– At Lakeshore Collegiate– Reports of an altercation in the school– Students affected by pepper spray used during the altercation– Police are on scene with @Toronto_Fire @TorontoMedics– The suspect is in custody#GO2515233^lb— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) October 30, 2023One person was taken to hospital in stable condition.A suspect is in custody.No further details were immediately available.More to come

FDA says WanaBana fruit puree pouches may contain dangerous levels of lead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning parents and caregivers not to buy or serve certain pureed fruit pouches marketed to toddlers and young children because the food might contain dangerous levels of lead. Children who have eaten WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches should be tested for possible lead poisoning, the agency said. Four children in North Carolina were found to have high levels of lead in their blood linked to the puree products, health officials said. State health officials analyzed multiple lots of the product and detected “extremely high” concentrations of lead. The FDA confirmed the results and said they could lead to “acute toxicity.” WanaBana, which is based in Coral Gables, Florida, has recalled all lot codes and expiration dates of the snack products, which are sold nationally, including at Sam’s Club and Dollar Tree and on Amazon.Lead is toxic to people of all ages, but can be especially harmful to children. Most children have no obvious...

Book Review: Henry Winkler grapples with the Fonz and dyslexia in his entertaining new memoir

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

Henry Winkler’s memoir begins on a Tuesday morning in October 1973, at his first audition for “Happy Days.” He was almost 28 — quite a bit old for a high schooler — and struggling with something he didn’t know had a name.“Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond,” released Tuesday by Celadon Books, is a breezy, inspirational story of one of Hollywood’s most beloved figures who became an unlikely TV screen icon and later a champion for those with dyslexia.Winkler’s 245-page book charts his course chronologically from the Fonz to “Barry” — and the frustrating fallow periods in between — painting a portrait of a man trying to overcome a bitter, loveless childhood and a disability that made reading impossibly hard and simply trying to become a better man.“I was, in my mind, always a little boy,” he writes. “My real self was like a kernel of corn sheathed in yards of concrete — as insulated as the nuclear material at Chernobyl.”He describes himself at the “Happy Da...

Book Review: ‘White Holes’ by Carlo Rovelli reads more like poetry than science lesson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

It doesn’t take a degree in astrophysics or expertise on Albert Einstein to appreciate “White Holes,” theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli’s latest book. But brushing up on Dante Alighieri’s work might help.Rovelli liberally sprinkles quotes from Dante throughout his slim book exploring the hypothesis that black holes eventually transform into an inverse white hole. It’s fitting for a book that says as much about imagination and exploration as it does about physics.Oftentimes, Rovelli’s book feels more like poetry than a science lesson as he explains black holes in striking detail and the theoretical concepts behind white holes.Unlike black holes, there is no proof that white holes exist. There are no satellite images of them. As Rovelli describes them, white holes are another solution of Einstein’s equation, “how a black hole would appear if we could film it and run the film in reverse.”In the book, Rovelli says he keeps two readers in mind when h...

China’s declining aid to Pacific islands increasingly goes to allies, think tank reports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — China’s declining aid to the South Pacific is increasingly targeted toward its political allies in the region as appetite there for Chinese credit declines and competition grows with the U.S. for influence, an independent Australian think tank reported Tuesday.Chinese overall economic influence among the 14 aid-dependent island nations in the region is losing ground because of better loan deals being offered by U.S. allies, especially Australia, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in its annual analysis of aid to the region.Focus on the strategic competition in the South Pacific has heightened since China struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year that raised the prospect of a Chinese naval foothold in the region.China has increased aid to the Solomons and neighboring Kiribati since they switched diplomatic allegiances to Beijing from self-ruled Taiwan in 2019, the report said.The United States has sought to counter Chinese influence in the...

Book Review: Broad themes meet niche topics in Fadipe’s debut novel ‘The Sun Sets in Singapore’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

Dara’s dream of defying the odds and becoming a partner at her firm is just within reach when Lani enters the picture. This handsome Nigerian man is about to irrevocably change her life, and her best friend’s and the newcomer to their book club’s lives, too.Kehinde Fadipe’s debut novel, “The Sun Sets in Singapore,” brings three expat Nigerian women to the stage to highlight the specific struggles that come with their race, gender and backgrounds — particularly in an upscale and competitive environment like Singapore.Lani is joining Dara’s firm, and the timing is impeccable for undermining the years of cutthroat efforts and ludicrous hours she’s sunk into her job trying to secure a partnership. She tells her best friend, Amaka, in hopes they can dig up some dirt on the guy and figure out what to do.But Amaka, who’s trying to keep her workplace romance and the battle over her father’s estate thoroughly compartmentalized, is zapped by an immediate attraction to Lani. ...

FDA warns consumers to stop using dozens of over-the-counter eye drops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

(WHTM) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urging consumers to stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products from multiple major brands due to the risk of eye infections that may lead to vision loss or blindness.The FDA first posted the warning Friday, explaining that officials had already urged the manufacturer to recall the affected products days before. The move came "after agency investigators found insanitary conditions in the manufacturing facility and positive bacterial test results from environmental sampling of critical drug production areas in the facility," the FDA wrote. Dog food sold in 5 states recalled over possible salmonella contamination The eye drop products were marketed under the following brands:CVS HealthLeader (Cardinal Health)Rugby (Cardinal Health)Rite AidTarget Up&UpVelocity PharmaCVS, Rite Aid and Target were in the process of removing the affected products from sale as of Friday, according to the FDA. The agency said, however, that Rugby,...

IDOT: New ramp closures on Kennedy Expressway to begin Tuesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

CHICAGO — New ramp closures are coming to the inbound Kennedy Expressway as part of the ongoing rehabilitation project.The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the closures were to begin Monday, October 30 — weather permitting. Due to weather, the Division Street ramp to the inbound Kennedy was postponed. The ramp will be closed by 6 a.m. Tuesday. According to IDOT, the closures are needed to accommodate ongoing bridge rehabilitation and ramp repairs. Starting at 6 a.m. Monday, the following ramps will close:Division Street to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen in two weeks.Inbound Kennedy (mainline) to the Ohio Feeder — anticipated to reopen in two weeks.Current ramp closures, additional time is needed to complete the work:Montrose Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen early November.Kedzie Avenue to inbound Kennedy — anticipated to reopen early November.Inbound Kennedy to North Avenue (Illinois 64) — anticipated to reopen mid-November.Armitage Aven...

Cubs 'superfan' Dorothy Farrell, who came to fame in 2016 World Series run, has died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:24 GMT

CHICAGO — A number of Cubs' fans along with the team itself are remembering a die-hard fan who became an internet sensation during the club's run to the 2016 World Series championship run.Dorothy Farrell, whose celebration plans for the Cubs' first pennant in 71 years went viral, has died at the age of 97. A longtime fan of the north siders along with members of her family, she came to fame when she told Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal that her celebration of the National League championship would include a shot of Jagermeister liquor.After that, WGN Morning News contacted Farrell to share that celebration, which she did during an entertaining segment with sports anchor Pat Tomasulo. Together they shared a few shots of Jagermeister while taking a few of their own at each other with perspective on the team along with topics of the day. The full segment aired on October 26, with the Cubs winning Game 2 of the World Series later that night. Farrell would later appear on set on WGN Ne...