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3 Palestinian students were shot in Vermont. Civil rights groups are calling for a close look at the motive

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

(CNN) — Three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday evening, prompting calls from civil rights organizations and the victims’ families for authorities to look into possible bias by the attacker.The 20-year-old men are all receiving medical care, according to a Sunday news release from the Burlington Police Department. “Two are stable, while one has sustained much more serious injuries.”The students were walking on Prospect Street while visiting a relative in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday when “they were confronted by a white man with a handgun,” says the release.“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot,” police said.Police said that two of the victims are US citizens and one is a legal resident.Two of the three students were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, according to the police department. Two were shot in the torso and one in the “lower extremi...

17 Israeli hostages released and reunite with families during temporary cease-fire

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

Two Israeli children have been reunited with their families after Hamas, released 17 hostages late Saturday night.Since the cease-fire, no American hostages have been released. The Biden administration said that the U.S. will keep fighting to bring them home.A Red Cross convoy from Gaza made it to Egypt’s Rafah crossing before heading back to Israel on Saturday.Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals were released from Hamas captivity.Thomas Hand thought his daughter Emily was killed during the Oct. 7 attacks after spending the night at a friend’s house.“They said, ‘We found Emily, she’s dead,’ and I went, ‘Yes’ and smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew,” said Hand.After spending her ninth birthday in captivity, the Irish-Israeli girl is alive and back in Israel as one of the 17 hostages released on day two of a hostage-prisoner swap.It accompanies a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting betwee...

Red Sox bring back injured reliever on minor league deal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

The Red Sox have brought back right-hander Wyatt Mills on a minor league deal, according to the team’s transaction log.Mills, who did not pitch last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, became a free agent earlier this month after being non-tendered by the Red Sox but will be back with the organization anyway as he continues his recovery.Originally acquired last offseason from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitching prospect and former Methuen High standout Jacob Wallace, Mills was one of Boston’s best pitchers early in spring training before he was shut down due to elbow trouble. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 1.80 ERA with 10 strikeouts in five innings over his first four Grapefruit League appearances, but on March 13 he gave up four runs in an ugly inning against Toronto and did not pitch again the rest of the season.Mills eventually had his surgery on July 5 and likely won’t return to the mound until sometime in the second half.Prior to hi...

Switzerland seeks to host low-budget Olympics  

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

Switzerland wants to host the first Winter Olympics spread across an entire country. It also wants to overcome historic opposition by proposing that the games be the cheapest on record.Winter Games are usually held by a certain region or city, and they can be pricey. The 2018 edition held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, cost about $13 billion. Even back in 2002, Salt Lake City still spent $2.2 billion on the Games.But Switzerland’s sports federations voted unanimously on Friday to approve the local bid, clearing the way for a $1.6 billion proposal for the 2030 Games. Accounting for inflation, that would make it arguably the cheapest Olympics in history — and the most cost-effective since Los Angeles eked out a profit in 1984.The bid marks a shift from governments spending billions on hosting Games as a show of power and urban renewal toward a more sustainable Olympics that’s focused on sport. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he wants the Paris 2024 Games to be the cheapest i...

Hamas releases third group of hostages as part of truce, and says it will seek to extend the deal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the U.S. said it hoped would be extended. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners.Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said one was airlifted to a hospital, and the director of Soroka Medical Center said Elma Avraham, 84, was in life-threatening condition as “a result of an extended period of time when an elderly woman was not taken care of as needed.”The youngest hostage released was Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct. 7. “What she endu...

Newfoundland Christmas parade cancelled over ‘firearms situation’ in St. John’s

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

A Christmas parade in St. John’s, N.L., was cancelled moments before getting underway on Sunday due to what police called a firearms situation in the city’s downtown.The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary shared few details about the situation, saying officers responded to a weapons offence that is “believed to be firearms-related.”Krystahh Lawlor, a mom from St. John’s, took her 7-year-old son Elias to the Christmas parade only to find a portion of the downtown area had been shut down by officers who were wearing what she described as “full battle gear.” “It’s kind of sad what’s going on,” she said of the reported weapons offence in an interview conducted over social media. The Downtown St. John’s Business Commission, who organized the parade, said in a social media post Sunday the event would be cancelled and postponed until next weekend.The business commission said the postponement came at the request of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary in ...

Turkey fryer explodes inside NC home after the cook falls asleep: police

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

BURLINGTON, N.C. (WAVY) -- A North Carolina family is lucky to be alive after a turkey fryer exploded inside their home. According to authorities, a propane tank fueling the fryer exploded at a home in Burlington earlier this week. The explosion was so strong, it blew out the windows in the back of the house. Investigators said the person cooking the turkey fell asleep and left the boiling oil unattended."And that is dangerous," said Burlington Police Chief Daniel Shoffner. Turkey leftovers: How long is too long in the refrigerator? No one was seriously hurt in the explosion, according to authorities.Shoffner said this can happen anywhere since unattended cooking is one of the leading causes of home fires, especially during the holiday season.According to the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission, an average of 1,600 cooking fires happen on Thanksgiving Day -- more than three times the daily average for such incidents."There's more house fires due to unattended cooking, or ...

Woman bags marriage proposal after killing big buck on hunting trip

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman bagged a marriage proposal earlier this month along with a big buck during a recent deer hunting trip.Samantha Camenzind's boyfriend not only gave her the first shot at the deer they had spotted on a trail camera south of Lincoln, but then surprised her by popping the question in the middle of a photo shoot with the prized trophy — a giant buck with 11 tines on one side of its antlers and nine on the other.“Everybody has been saying they would marry him, too, if he let them shoot this big of a deer,” Camenzind, 28, who lives in Omaha, told the Omaha World-Herald. Neighbors help save Virginia woman’s dogs from burning home In three years of dating one of the things the couple bonded over is their shared love of hunting. They process and eat the meat of what they kill.Cole Bures said he didn't have any problem letting Camenzind take the first shot at the buck.“I was just as excited as she was when she got it,” the 32-year-old from Filley, Nebraska...

Texas at No. 7 for 6th consecutive week in AP Top 25, Ohio State falls out of top 5

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the sixth consecutive week, Texas is No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings.Despite a 57-7 blowout win over Texas Tech to end the Big 12 Conference regular season and send the Longhorns to the conference title game, voters kept the Longhorns in a spot they've been familiar with for almost two months. Ohio State fell out of the unbeaten ranks with a 30-24 loss to Michigan and tumbled four spots to No. 6. Instant Analysis: A blowout before the title game is exactly what the Longhorns needed Georgia remained the No. 1 team with Michigan, Washington, Florida State and Oregon each moving up a spot to occupy the top five. Alabama remained No. 8 while Missouri and Penn State each moved up a spot to round out to the top 10.Oklahoma moved up one spot to No. 12 after beating TCU 69-45 to finish in a second-place tie with Oklahoma State at 7-2 in Big 12 play, but the Cowboys got the nod to face Texas in the title game. By coming back to beat BYU 40-34 in double ove...

30s at night before a warmer and wetter trend

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:28:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After this morning's cold front, temperatures have been chilly and the wind has made it feel colder. Wind gusts will slowly back off tonight, but it will still be a little breezy for the next few hours.As the wind backs off, temperatures will drop under a partly cloudy nighttime sky. Widespread 30s are expected by Monday morning with parts of the Hill Country flirting with freezing.Monday morning lowsTonight could be the first of two or three nights in the 30s, but Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning's lows will be cloud-cover dependent.Expected morning lows the next few daysI expect highs in the 50s again on Monday under a partly sunny to mostly cloudy sky. We'll see 60s returning Tuesday and highs up near 70 starting Thursday.Highs next few daysA bigger storm system approaches from the south Wednesday night into Thursday bringing a decent chance of heavier rain throughout the day. Models have backed off on rain chances for the Hill Country, but areas east of I-3...