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Ruling that Boulder King Soopers shooting suspect is competent for trial set to be debated

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A hearing begins Wednesday to determine if the man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 is mentally competent to stand trial.Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 24, was found mentally competent by experts at the state mental hospital in August, but his defense attorney Kathryn Herold asked for the determination to be debated in court.Judge Ingrid Bakke was required to schedule the two-day hearing that will include testimony but denied Herold's request for another evaluation from the mental hospital. Bakke's ruling could come as soon as Thursday. New memorial for King Soopers shooting victims Herold argued at the time that Alissa, who has schizophrenia, is not competent and cited the psychiatric evaluations describing him as “profoundly mentally ill.”Schizophrenia can shake someone's grasp on reality, potentially interfering in a legal defense in court. Mental competency to move toward trial entails Alissa being able to understand court proceeding...

Wild otter attack leaves Jupiter resident hospitalized with rabies concerns

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

JUPITER, Fla. (WSVN) — An calm evening in Jupiter took a terrifying turn when a man’s peaceful backyard encounter with an otter escalated into a wild attack, leaving him hospitalized and sparking concerns about rabies.Joe Scaglione, a devoted animal lover and Jupiter resident, was enjoying a serene moment in his backyard, surrounded by the tranquility of nature’s creatures, from ibises to blue jays and ducks. Suddenly, his peaceful evening took an unexpected twist when an otter charged toward him.“I didn’t turn my back because it’s a bad idea to turn your back on a wild animal. It kept lunging forward,” Scaglione recounted.Hearing the commotion and her husband’s screams for help, Ana Scaglione rushed to the scene.“I saw him full of blood and I said, ‘Oh my god,’ and then I started screaming, ‘Please somebody help us,'” she said.The otter’s attack left Joe Scaglione bitten more than 40 times. Fortunat...

New ‘supercontinent’ could wipe out humans and make Earth uninhabitable, study suggests

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

(CNN) — The formation of a new “supercontinent” could wipe out humans and all other mammals still alive in 250 million years, researchers have predicted.Using the first-ever supercomputer climate models of the distant future, scientists from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom predicted how climate extremes would intensify after the world’s continents merge to form one supercontinent, Pangea Ultima, in around 250 million years.They found it would be extremely hot, dry and virtually uninhabitable for humans and mammals, who are not evolved to cope with prolonged exposure to excessive heat.Researchers simulated temperature, wind, rain and humidity trends for the supercontinent and used models of tectonic plate movement, ocean chemistry and biology to calculate carbon dioxide levels.They found that not only would the formation of Pangea Ultima lead to more regular volcanic eruptions, spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and warming the planet, but the sun would a...

Stay in Shrek’s swamp: Airbnb offers fairy tale getaway in Scotland

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

In the morning — you could be making waffles — with donkey! Airbnb is bringing a beloved fairy tale to life just in time for Halloween with a unique stay at Shrek’s Swamp, a faithful recreation of the iconic ogre’s home from the 2001 DreamWorks animated film. Airbnb is turning fantasy into reality by offering guests the opportunity to experience Shrek’s Swamp, nestled in the Scottish Highlands. The enchanting getaway promises an earthy, immersive experience reminiscent of the beloved animated movie. The swamp features a mud-laden, moss-covered, and murky-watered abode that will transport guests into Shrek’s world. Here, you can light earwax candles, gather around a cozy fire, and indulge in Donkey’s freshly made waffles for breakfast.Interested guests can request a two-night stay at Shrek’s Swamp, starting on October 13. Up to three lucky visitors will then have the chance to immerse themselves in this unique home from October 27 throu...

The Relentless Rain to Continue

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

South Florida remains stuck in a soggy stretch of weather this week as deep, tropical moisture gets steered in from the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and gets trapped across the state.This will lead to higher than normal rain chances at a 70% chance through Saturday. The liklihood for rain along with the potential for heavy rain means the risk for flooding will exist each and everyday in spots.Through the rest of this week, expect to see rounds of rain and thunderstorms at any point in the day. Given how unsettled this pattern is with no notable weather features nearby, it’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly we’ll see the rain but chances do look to be the highest during the afternoons and overnights.The positive with the added cloud cover the rest of this week is that temperatures won’t be too hot. Instead, it will be near-normal into the upper 80s with some pockets of low 90s for areas that don’t see much rain.Then during this weekend, some changes arri...

Former Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian leader arrested amid mass exodus

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

KORNIDZOR, Armenia — The former leader of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians has been detained by Azerbaijani forces as he attempted to escape the war-ravaged region alongside tens of thousands of civilians.In a statement shared with state media on Wednesday, Azerbaijan’s border guard service said it had arrested Ruben Vardanyan “as a result of the vigilance of military personnel” as he attempted to cross the internationally recognized border into Armenia. A photograph of the bearded Russian-Armenian oligarch being escorted by officers has since been published.Moments earlier, Vardanyan’s wife, Veronika Zonabend, shared an impassioned plea with POLITICO in which she confirmed her husband was blocked from leaving the exclave, alongside an estimated 42,500 people who have fled their homes in the past three days. “Ruben has stood with the Arsakh people during the 10-month blockade and has suffered with them in their struggle for survival,” she said.V...

Spain’s Feijóo loses first vote to become prime minister

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

Spain’s Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on Wednesday failed to obtain enough support in the Spanish parliament to be appointed the country’s prime minister.The conservative boss needed to secure the support of at least 176 of the parliament’s 350 lawmakers — an absolute majority — to be confirmed as prime minister in Wednesday’s vote. But only 172 MPs voted in favor of his candidacy, with 178 voting against.Although the Popular Party won the most votes in July’s national election, it fell short of a majority, and its proximity to the far-right Vox party has made it impossible for Feijóo to secure additional support from other groups in parliament.Spain’s constitution requires the parliament to vote on Feijóo’s bid to form a government for a second time in 48 hours. The Popular Party leader only needs to secure a simple majority of the ballots — more yeas than nays — but a majority of lawmakers are expected to once ag...

‘I honestly thought it went into my glove’: Chicago Cubs suffer devastating 7-6 loss on Seiya Suzuki’s error

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

A routine fly ball turned into a nightmare for Seiya Suzuki and the Chicago Cubs at Truist Park — and with it a heartbreaking blow to their postseason hopes.The Cubs were an out away in the eighth inning from escaping with a one-run lead intact when left-hander Drew Smyly got Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy to hit a ball to right field with runners on second and third base. What should have been an easy inning-ending flyout to Suzuki became a disaster. Suzuki whiffed on the would-be inning-ending catch, allowing two runs to score on his error.The Cubs went down in the ninth to seal a devastating 7-6 loss Tuesday night in a game they led 6-0 entering the bottom of the sixth.The lights contributed to misplaying the fly ball, Suzuki explained through interpreter Toy Matsushita. He saw the ball pretty well until the last second.“I honestly thought it went into my glove, so it was just that split second where it blurred my vision,” Suzuki said of the lights at Truist...

Column: Sleepless nights for David Ross in the wild-card chase unlikely to end after Chicago Cubs’ shocking loss

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

David Ross participated in seven postseasons as a player with four teams and one season on “Dancing With the Stars.” But the pressure Ross faced before is nothing like what he’s going through now managing the Chicago Cubs in this crazy National League wild-card chase.The challenge of getting this Cubs team into the postseason has been one of the biggest of his life and is why Ross sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night.“Way different as a manager than as a player,” Ross said Tuesday before the Cubs’ 7-6 loss to Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s fun, and you try and prepare and keep it all the same, but inside you’re riding it.“But within that it’s fun. (Julian) Merryweather the other day walks the first two guys (in the ninth inning) and gets out of that. You’re carrying it. I don’t get that (feeling) golfing on the weekend. That’s what you sign up for...

Patrick Williams must find his footing in fourth year with the Chicago Bulls: ‘I’m not where I want to be’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:31 GMT

Patrick Williams knows last season wasn’t enough.He knew it from the final buzzer of the Chicago Bulls season, a haphazard run that ended in crushing fashion as the team let a lead — and a shot at the playoffs — slip away in Miami. In the aftermath of the play-in tournament loss, Williams cradled his head in his hands in the cramped visiting locker room, struggling to find words to articulate his own disappointment.Did he live up to his potential?“Hell no,” Williams said.Williams’ third year repeated the patterns that have defined his career — too timid on the boards, too hesitant with the ball in his hands, showing flashes of promise that never evolved into consistent production. The result was a slip from a hopeful position in the starting lineup to a regular role in the secondary rotation, a demotion that sharpened the spotlight on the former No. 4 draft pick.Throughout a frustrating season, Williams reiterated his own frustration —...