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Australian defense minister says army will stop flying European-designed Taipan helicopters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian army will never again fly its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters following a crash in July that killed four soldiers, the defense minister said Friday.Australia’s fleet of more than 40 European-designed Taipans has been grounded since July 28 when one crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a nighttime training operation in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.Defense Minister Richard Marles told Nine Network television that permanently ending Taipan flying operations was the “only decision that makes sense.”“We’re making this decision today. In many ways it was inevitable, but it’s an important step to take so that we can get our Black Hawks in the air as quickly as possible,” Marles said, referring to the U.S.-built helicopters that will replace Australia’s Airbus-manufactured fleet.The government announced plans in January to replace the Taipans with 40 UH-60M Black Hawks. The Taipans’ retirement date of December 2024 w...

Belt’s three run blast powers Blue Jays past Yankees as Toronto closes in on playoff spot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

Brandon Belt smashed a three-run home run as the Blue Jays topped the New York Yankees 6-0 on Thursday as Toronto took a step toward clinching a post-season berth.The win gave the Blue Jays a one-game lead over the Houston Astros in the race for the American League’s second wild card.It also gave Toronto a two-game lead over the Seattle Mariners, who hosted the Texas Rangers later Thursday.Daulton Varsho and Matt Chapman both had home runs as Toronto (88-71) shook off a two-game scoring drought. Cavan Biggio added an RBI single.Chris Bassitt (16-8) pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 12. The quality start gave him 200 innings on the season and a career high 16 wins. Relievers Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza preserved the victory.Luke Weaver (3-6) struck out six but gave up two runs on six hits and a walk over four innings as New York (81-78) had its three-game win streak snapped. Greg Weissert, Zach McAllister and Yoendrys Gomez came on in relief.Biggio and Alejandro Kirk ...

More than just a food pantry: Chicago doctor supports wellness in community with non-profit work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

CHICAGO — Targeting hunger and inequity in Chicago's immigrant communities. That's the life mission for Dr. Evelyn Figueroa and her non-profit community wellness organization and food pantry.   She's been working since she was 13-years-old helping to support her newly arrived family from Puerto Rico.  And she’s been helping others ever since. Figueroa understands the challenges faced by newcomers, challenges that have grown more complicated with the surge of asylum seekers in Chicago.   More: Hispanic Heritage Month stories Figueroa’s husband Alex Wu is equally passionate about serving vulnerable populations with a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by immigrants.Their foundations is working to expand services in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.WGN’s Julian Cruise has more.

JUST receives $450K grant to help diverse women entrepreneurs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- JUST, a nonprofit that works to close the racial wealth gap by investing in Texas women of color, received a $450,000 grant from Truist Foundation on Thursday.Austin Mayor Kirk Watson also joined the nonprofit and foundation at Austin City Hall as the group received the grant Thursday, which will help women entrepreneurs of color.JUST said this will help expand its mentorship and loan funding programs for women in Austin, as well as Central Texas."We've had a couple of pilot programs. This will just push us, allows us just to push them forward," said Rashidah Alshams, head of partnership and community growth with JUST.Leaders of JUST said this will also help the nonprofit advocate for changes in underwriting practices and expand into new markets in Forth Worth and San Antonio.

Minnesota food shelves brace for government shutdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

Food shelves in Minnesota and around the country are bracing for a possible federal government shutdown, especially one that could last more than a few weeks.Michelle Miller of the Two Harbors Area Food Shelf sorts 3,290 pounds of donations in 2016. (Adelle Whitefoot / Lake County News-Chronicle)One of the nation’s largest food banks is Second Harvest Heartland in Brooklyn Center. Its CEO, Allison O’Toole, said the hunger-relief network is already struggling to meet historic demand for its services and expecting to help even more people if the federal government shuts down.“You know, we’re talking about moms and babies and little kids and moms-to-be,” she said of the WIC program that could run out of funding in a prolonged shutdown. “This benefit provides fruits and veggies and peanut butter and cereal formula, the basic staples we need to help families thrive.”O’Toole said food banks, which have been asking for more help since the pandemic, will have to increase their outreach effo...

As Bally Sports seeks new contracts, Wild explore other options

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

Roughly two weeks from their regular-season opener, the Minnesota Wild are unsure whether Bally Sports North will be televising all or part of their 2023-24 season.That should become more clear in the coming weeks as Diamond Sports Group, which owns and operates the 19-market Bally Sports Network, negotiates expiring contracts with cable giant Comcast and satellite provider DirecTV.If those providers decide not to renew their deals with Bally Sports, the group could decide it can no longer afford to run Bally Sports North, leaving the Wild and Timberwolves scrambling to get their games on televisions.“We hope that doesn’t happen, because the best option for us is staying with Ballys,” Wild owner Craig Leipold said Thursday.The Vegas Golden Knights, which was not a Bally team, announced this week a 69-game streaming package for $69 dollars a season or $6.99 per game. The Knights also are showing their games over the air.Asked about that Thursday, Leipold said, “Everybody’s looking at...

St. Paul firefighters tackling the Twin Cities Marathon in full gear for a cause — their fallen co-workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

Among the sea of runners in shorts and tank tops in the Twin Cities Marathon, two will stand out for their gear: They’ll be in their St. Paul firefighter turnout gear and helmets.Their heavy gear won’t be ideal for the expected temperatures, but that’s not why they’d rather not be there. It’s because of what their presence represents: Capt. Kyle Bode and firefighter Bryan Buxton are taking part in the marathon for their fallen co-workers, who they wish were alive and not having people run in their memories.They’re trying to bring attention to the job-related risks to firefighters: cancer, cardiac problems and suicide linked to trauma that builds up from what firefighters witness in their work. Five active-duty St. Paul firefighters have died of such causes in the last eight years.After St. Paul Fire Capt. Chris Parsons passed away of a heart attack at age 48 in June, Bode said he was sick of seeing his friends from the fire department die.“I...

Some asylum seekers can now start to apply for work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The New York City administration confirmed they have nearly 62,000 asylum seekers still in their care. NEWS10 breaks down how many asylum seekers can start the process to get to work.  New rules for Venezuelan asylum seekers seeking work A representative with New York City Mayor Adams’ administration confirmed nearly 40,000 asylum seekers are aged 18 and over and could possibly be ready to start the process that gets them working.Roughly 15,000 Venezuelan asylum seekers have been assessed and are confirmed to have been in the country before July 31st.  Around 1800 asylees are living outside of the city, not all of them are Venezuelan. Carlos, a Capital Region Venezuelan asylum seeker, talks about the new temporary protected status that allows for the early start time, he told NEWS10 that he feels the rules are unfair for others. Hochul discusses migrant costs & impacts of govt shutdown “This is really hard it's really hard for everyo...

Dramatic video shows armed encounter at St. Charles gas station; teens arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Teenagers with a long list of criminal priors are in custody after a frightening armed encounter.Only FOX 2 was able to obtain the eye-opening evidence from the chaos that broke out Sunday morning at a St. Charles gas station.Video shows two white cars are being targeted by a Mercedes SUV that police say was stolen earlier from Brentwood. You can see two suspects run simultaneously to each car to steal items inside. The victim driver by the pump sees her purse swiped and chases down one suspect down. She gets all the way into his SUV, then backs out with her hands up. St. Louis had only 2 officers for an entire district – Both called in sick Ashley Holbrook saw it. She said, “I’m just actually really speechless because I really can’t believe that happened so close.”On the video, you can hear the hysteria. Then the suspects drive off with the stolen goods, which includes one victim’s car keys. You can also hear that victim’s panic when the suspects return for her...

St. Peters puts brakes on panhandling with new ordinance 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:35 GMT

ST. PETERS, Mo. - Some St. Peters residents have raised concerns about what they call an increase in aggressive panhandling. On Thursday, the city’s board of aldermen passed an ordinance taking aim at those concerns.  City attorney John Young said the new ordinance was crafted following feedback from residents. He said, “They were concerned about the safety of pedestrians and motorists.” The new ordinance prohibits a panhandler or solicitor from approaching a vehicle, while in a right-of-way. St. Louis had only 2 officers for an entire district – Both called in sick “It’s just intended to make sure that the police department has an enforceable mechanism for making sure people are safe in the intersection and in the city’s right of way,” said Young.  FOX 2 recently reported on a similar ordinance in Chesterfield.  The action led to that city denying a request by the Incarnate Word Knights of Columbus to continue its annual Tootsie Roll drive on several street corners. St. Pete...