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Why you may be seeing more black widow spiders in Colorado this season

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — The iconic black widow spider calls Colorado home, but the record-wet weather this summer means you may be seeing them more around your neighborhood."When you have increases in moisture, you usually have increases in insect populations," said Sara Stevens, director of animal collections at the Butterfly Pavilion. "So they're most likely thriving more due to the abundance of prey items more so than the weather itself." Invasive wood-boring beetle detected in Arapahoe County Stevens said black widows are mealworm beetle specialists but also eat any sort of insect and are great at pest management."Black widows can be really beneficial for helping to mitigate that around the house," Stevens said. "Especially because most of the time they're outside. They're pretty shy spiders. They really don't want to come into our homes and interact with us too much. They like to find nice quiet spaces and they're sort of couch potatoes. They make a really kind of lazy we...

Director of Miami-Dade Public Works and Waste Management resigns, citing growing trash disposal problem

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

A Miami-Dade official who resigned from his position said he chose to step down due to the county’s growing trash placement problem.A February fire at a renewable energy plant in Doral added fuel to the flames when it comes to Miami-Dade’s waste management dilemma.With no long-term solution in place, Mike Fernandez, the director of the Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Department, has called it quits.Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado reacted on Wednesday to Fernandez’s decision.“I think Mike resigned because he’s been beating the drum for two years to an administration that doesn’t want to listen,” she said.Regalado said it’s up to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to bring an already prepared master plan to the commission, To date, that has not happened.No action has thus far been taken on a plan that includes expanding landfills and building a new incinerator plant.“Every single day that we do...

Correction: Philadelphia Shooting story

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In a story published July 5, 2023, about a deadly shooting in Philadelphia, The Associated Press erroneously reported the age of one of the victims. Lashyd Merritt was 21, not 20.

Nets trade Patty Mills to shed salary; agree to deal with Dennis Smith Jr.

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

Patty Mills, it was a pleasure.The Nets traded Mills, the longtime San Antonio Spurs guard whose two-season stint in Brooklyn ended in a deal with the Houston Rockets, on Saturday night. The Rockets then sent the Oklahoma City Thunder Mills and draft compensation in a separate deal on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.In a related move, the Nets reportedly reached an agreement with Hornets free agent high-flying point guard Dennis Smith Jr. on a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum.Smith enjoyed a resurgence in Charlotte last season, averaging 8.8 points, five assists and 1.4 steals per game off the bench for the Hornets. He adds quality depth at the point guard position, though he only shoots the three ball at a 21% clip.Nets general manager Sean Marks and his front office staff have been actively cutting salary to avoid steeper luxury tax penalties this summer. The organization decided to move on from Mills, the locker room favorite, in a move that she...

NBA Free Agency: Who’s left for the Nets to sign?

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

And just like that, the free agency pool is barren.Thanks to some deft wheeling and dealing by Nets GM Sean Marks and his front office staff, the Nets remain under the $165 million luxury tax line — even after agreeing to terms with restricted free agent Cam Johnson on a four-year deal worth $108 million.But the options are limited, and few available players address team needs.Marks (pulled the trigger) on a pair of salary-dumping moves — shedding sharpshooter Joe Harris’ $19.9 million salary in a deal with the Detroit Pistons, then moving reserve guard Patty Mills to the Houston Rockets to part ways with his $6.8 million salary. The Nets filled the void at the reserve guard slot by signing both Dennis Smith Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV to one-year deals at the veteran’s minimum, but the belief is the Mills trade and Seth Curry’s departure frees more minutes to give Cam Thomas a legitimate shot as first guard off the bench.The trade exceptions acquired thro...

Toxic gas leak in South Africa kills 16 people, including three children, police say

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME and GERALD IMRAY (Associated Press)JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 16 people, including three children, died when toxic gas leaked from a cyclinder near Johannesburg, South African police said Wednesday.Emergency services said that as many as 24 people might be dead. It wasn’t immediately clear why there was a discrepancy in the death toll.Search and rescue teams were still working through the area trying to ascertain the extent of the casualties.The incident happened in an informal settlement in the city of Boksburg on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg, the South African Police Services said. Emergency services spokesman William Ntladi said the deaths were caused by a leak from a gas cylinder being kept in a shack in the Angelo settlement. He said the leak had stopped and teams were searching a 100-meter (100-yard) radius around the cyclinder to check for more casualties.The bodies were still lying on the ground “in and around the area,”...

Police reflect on rescuing Stoughton woman from mud at Easton’s Borderland State Park

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

Stars aligned during the days-long rescue mission of the missing Stoughton woman who was reportedly stuck in mud for at least three days at an Easton state park.Easton and Stoughton emergency responders on Wednesday reflected on the “tremendous team effort” that rescued 31-year-old Emma Tetewsky from thick mud at Borderland State Park on Monday.“This is the outcome that we had hoped for, and ultimately this is a great story for everyone that she’s safe and was rescued,” Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara told reporters outside the Easton Police Department.Stoughton police invested a “significant amount of time” into the search, McNamara said, with her department and the  Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (METRO-LEC) Search and Rescue team starting to look for Tetewsky on June 28.Tetewsky was reported missing by her family two days earlier.The search culminated Monday when hikers at Borderland heard a woman screaming for help in a swamp-like area, unable to reach her. A trio of...

Meta takes aim at Twitter with the launch of rival app Threads

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

By KELVIN CHAN (AP Business Writer)LONDON (AP) — Meta unveiled an app to rival Twitter on Thursday, appearing to target users looking for an alternative to the social media platform owned — and frequently changed — by Elon Musk.Called Threads, the new offering is billed as a text-based version of Meta’s photo-sharing app Instagram that the company says provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.” The app is live in Apple and Google Android app stores in more than 100 countries including the U.S., Britain, Australia, Canada and Japan. Users will get a Twitter-like microblogging experience, according to screenshots provided to media, suggesting that Meta Platforms has been gearing up to directly challenge the platform after Musk’s tumultuous ownership has resulted in a series of unpopular changes that have turned off users and advertisers. There are buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a “thread,...

Orioles call up 2021 first-round pick Colton Cowser; outfielder makes major league debut vs. Yankees

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

The Orioles’ strong start to the season came with a pair of prospects pounding on the door to make their respective debuts. In a little more than a week’s time, both have arrived in the majors.Nine days after calling up infielder Jordan Westburg, the Orioles promoted outfielder Colton Cowser, their No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, to the majors ahead of Wednesday night’s game at the New York Yankees. Drafted fifth overall in 2021, the 23-year-old Cowser was hitting .330/.459/.537 in 56 games with Triple-A Norfolk.“This year, I came in with some goals I wanted to achieve,” Cowser said. “I didn’t get off to the greatest start, but ultimately, I think turning that around and then really starting to hit my stride was something that I wanted to do. Have some struggles, how quickly can you combat that, and ultimately, I think that I did.”The Orioles opened space for Cowser on their active and 40-man rosters with a flurry of rost...

Elgin News Digest: Cubs organist to host sing-a-long at Dundee Library; gun buyback and safety event in Elgin this Saturday; Northern Illinois Food Bank holding Saturday pop-up mobile market at ECC

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:07:15 GMT

Cubs organist to host sing-a-long at Dundee LibraryJohn Benedeck, who plays the organ for Chicago Cubs home games at Wrigley Field, will be hosting a sing-a-long music lesson Friday, July 7.The free event for children and families is set for 4 to 4:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the library at 555 Barrington Ave. in East Dundee.Benedeck, a radio producer who graduated from McHenry County College and Western Illinois University, landed the Cubs job in 2020.To register, go to www.frvpld.info/events/upcoming.Gun buyback and safety event in Elgin this SaturdayThe Elgin Police Department and the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office are holding a gun buyback and safety event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 8, at Elgin City Hall, 150 Dexter Court.Each person who turns in a gun will receive $100 for every weapon or weapons, police officials said on a Facebook post. Guns must be unloaded and transported in a case, box or bag or inside a vehicle trunk.Be SMART for Kids w...