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Cause sought of explosion that leveled an Arlington, Virginia, home as police tried to serve warrant

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Hours before a massive explosion destroyed a duplex and shook a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., a suspect inside his home fired a flare gun 30 to 40 times into the neighborhood, drawing a large police response, officials said Tuesday.All officers escaped serious injury but it was unclear what happened to the suspect who was inside when it was leveled by the explosion Monday night, Arlington County, Virginia, police spokesperson Ashley Savage said.Officers went to the home about 4:45 p.m. after receiving reports of shots fired. The preliminary investigation showed that a suspect discharged the flare gun from inside his home, but no property damage or injuries were reported, police said in a statement.While police investigated, they obtained a search warrant for the home and tried to make contact with the suspect by telephone and loudspeakers, but he remained inside without responding, police said.As officers tried to execute the warrant, police said the sus...

Energy infrastructure firm AltaGas raising quarterly dividend for 2024

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

CALGARY — AltaGas Ltd. is raising its dividend as it says it expects its earnings to grow next year, helped by its core operations.The energy infrastructure company says it will pay a quarterly dividend of 29.75 cents per share starting with its March payment to shareholders, up from 28 cents per share.In its outlook, AltaGas says it expects its normalized earnings per share for 2024 to total between $2.05 and $2.25.The result would mean year-over-year growth of about 10 per cent, based on the midpoint of its guidance for both years.The company says its capital spending plan for 2024 is expected to be $1.2 billion, excluding asset retirement obligations.AltaGas shares closed down 39 cents at $27.33 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:ALA)The Canadian Press

Blue Jays reportedly meet with Shohei Ohtani in Florida as free agency rumours swirl

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays are finding plenty to be excited about on Tuesday morning as they continue to look for clues that the hottest free agent in baseball history might be taking his talents north of the border.According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Shohei Ohtani and his camp are believed to have met with the Blue Jays at the team’s spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida on Monday.“All day Monday, there were signs something was happening between the Jays and Ohtani,” wrote Rosenthal. “While a timetable for Ohtani’s free-agent decision is not known, the meeting would indicate that the negotiations with the Jays and other clubs are entering the final stages.”Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins turned his scheduled in-person press gathering at MLB’s winter meetings in Nashville into a zoom meeting on Monday. When asked by reporters, Atkins would not shed any light on where he was, further fuelling speculation surrounding Toro...

US unveils global strategy to commercialize fusion as source of clean energy during COP28

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

The United States will work with other governments to speed up efforts to make nuclear fusion a new source of carbon-free energy, U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry said Tuesday, the latest of many U.S. announcements the last week aimed at combatting climate change. Nuclear fusion melds two hydrogen atoms together to produce a helium atom and a lot of energy—which could be used to power cars, heat and cool homes and other things that currently are often powered by fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. That makes fusion a potentially major solution to climate change, which is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Still, fusion is a long way off, while other clean technologies like wind, solar and others are currently in use and could be increased. “We are edging ever-closer to a fusion-powered reality. And at the same time, yes, significant scientific and engineering challenges exist,” Kerry said, in Dubai for U.N. climate talks. “Careful thought and thoughtful policy is going to be criti...

Lawmakers in Norway make a deal opening up for deep sea mining in Arctic Ocean

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s minority center-left government and two large opposition parties made a deal Tuesday to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration despite warnings by environmental groups that it would threaten the biodiversity of the vulnerable ecosystems in the area.Norway said in June it wanted to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for commercial deep sea mining in line with the country’s strategy to seek new economic opportunities and reduce its reliance on oil and gas.“This is a disaster for the sea,” said Frode Pleym, head of the local chapter of Greenpeace. “Norway is now allowing irreversible interventions in areas where nature is completely unknown.”Martin Sveinssønn Melvær of the Norwegian Bellona environmental group said it was “completely contrary to scientific recommendations” and believes “it is a dangerous derailment in the fight against climate change to open up seabed minerals.”The government – made up of the Labor and t...

Wikipedia, wrapped. Here are 2023’s most-viewed articles on the internet’s encyclopedia

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2023? Well, Wikipedia has the receipts.English Wikipedia raked in more than 84 billion views this year, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind the free, publicly edited online encyclopedia. And the most popular article was about ChatGPT (yes, the AI chatbot that’s seemingly everywhere today).Since its launch just over a year ago, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has skyrocketed into the public’s consciousness as the technology makes its way into schools, health care, law and even religious sermons. The chatbot has also contributed to growing debates about the promise and potential dangers of generative AI, much of which is documented on its Wikipedia page.The second most-read article on Wikipedia in 2023 was the annual list of deaths, which sees high traffic year after year — taking the #4 and #1 spots in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Individual entries for notable figures who passed away ...

Millennial Money: What the 2024 Social Security COLA could mean for your retirement

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

Social Security benefits for millions of people will rise by an average of over $50 a month starting in January, thanks to the Social Security Administration’s 3.2% annual cost of living adjustment for 2024, announced on Oct. 12. The change will immediately put more money in current retirees’ pockets, but it also could have a considerable effect on payouts to future retirees.The 2024 increase is much smaller than last year’s 8.7%,the largest since 1981. But because the COLA reflects inflation, a smaller increase is not necessarily a bad thing; it suggests that inflation is more stable and may help the Social Security Administration provide maximum benefits for longer.The COLA has been relatively volatile in recent years, however, and future retirees are understandably concerned about the health of the Social Security benefits program.Here’s what the cost of living adjustments really mean and how to factor Social Security benefits into your future retirement budget.A LOWER COLA IS A ...

GTA home sales fall amid affordability challenges but relief forecasted

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area fell six per cent last month compared with November 2022 despite an influx in new listings, as high borrowing costs and uncertain economic conditions persisted.The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TREBB) says last month’s 4,236 home sales were also down 8.7 per cent from the 4,640 sales in October.The board says a lack of affordability has taken its toll on the market, which remains sensitive to the current environment of high interest rates, but that relief seems to be on the horizon.TRREB president Paul Baron says that with an increasing number of forecasters anticipating Bank of Canada rate cuts in the first half of 2024, this would “help alleviate affordability issues for existing homeowners and those looking to enter the market.” Related: GTA home sales drop 5.8% in October amid high borrowing costs Short-term rentals have ‘significantly impacted’ housing affordability, report says...

Woman struck, killed by vehicle on Dan Ryan; SB lanes shut down near 18th Street

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman was struck and killed by a vehicle on the Dan Ryan Expressway.According to Illinois State Police, the crash happened around 2:25 a.m. Tuesday on the southbound Dan Ryan near 18th Street.ISP said a minor crash occurred and the woman exited the involved vehicle — and was then struck by another vehicle not involved in the original accident.All southbound lanes are shut down and traffic is being diverted onto the Stevenson Expressway while the investigation is underway.This is a developing story. Check back for details.

3-year-old fatally shot in Merrillville

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:47:00 GMT

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — A toddler has died after an apparant accidental shooting in northwest Indiana, according to police.Officers responded to a shots fired report in the 3100 block of West 79th Street around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, they found a 3-year-old child who had been shot. According to police, an individual called 911 and said the toddler shot themself. It is unclear how the child got the weapon.The 3-year-old was transported to Southlake Methodist, where they were pronounced dead. The identity of the child has not yet been released. Woman struck, killed by vehicle on Dan Ryan; SB lanes shut down near 18th Street No further details have been provided at this time.