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Former energy minister quits Britain’s Conservatives over approval of new oil drilling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s former energy minister said Friday he is quitting the Conservative Party and stepping down as a lawmaker over the government’s backtracking on its environmental commitments.Chris Skidmore said he could not support a forthcoming bill that will authorize new North Sea oil and gas drilling and called the U.K.’s retreat from its climate goals “a tragedy.”Skidmore has been a Conservative lawmaker since 2010. He wrote a government-commissioned review published a year ago setting out how Britain could reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 while creating thousands of new green jobs.He said that “as the former energy minister who signed the U.K.’s net zero commitment by 2050 into law, I cannot vote for a bill that clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas.”“To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained,” he added in a statement.He said he would step down when Parliament returns next week from it...

These were the top Colorado license plate designs in 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- With some 218 license plate designs in Colorado, drivers are sure to find the plate that suits their vehicle best.Coloradans will have even more options in 2024 with four new designs including the Born to be Wild License Plate, the "In God We Trust" License Plate, the Stegosaurus State Fossil License Plate, and the Navy Seabees Military License Plate. This is the fastest-selling license plate in Colorado history Even with an array of options, some designs are more popular than others. The Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles revealed which license plate designs were the most popular in Colorado in 2023 on Friday.What was the most popular license plate design in 2023?The new blackout license plate, which replicates a historical 1945 Colorado license plate, was by far the most popular design last year. According to a release from the Colorado DMV, Coloradans chose the blackout plate 169,998 times in 2023. What is the black Colorado license plate and how much does i...

Denver estimates hundreds of migrants arrive in the city per day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The city of Denver is sweeping encampments and trying to place migrants in shelters, but with every few hundred migrants housed, a few hundred more arrive in the Mile High City.Since December, more than 140 buses have arrived from Texas.FOX31's Vicente Arenas spoke with a city public information officer who estimates that 225 migrants arrive in Denver per day. Packed Denver migrant shelters create more issues, advocates say As more and more buses come in, the city is running out of places to house them, according to Mayor Mike Johnston.On Wednesday, crews cleared a camp at Zuni Street and Speer Boulevard in the Jefferson Park neighborhood where hundreds of migrants lived. This is one of many encampment sweeps in the past few months.Following Wednesday's encampment sweep, a city public information officer told FOX31's Vicente Arenas that 277 people were moved directly from the streets to one of three migrant shelters - not including anyone who had previously moved ...

BSO search for missing 15-year-old boy in Dania Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit is seeking the public’s help in finding a missing 15-year-old boy.Jeremiah Pope was last seen Wednesday at around 1:26 p.m., near 33 SW 6th Ave. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, black shorts and brown slides.Pope stands at about 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs around 130 pounds. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact BSO Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-4274 or the BSO non-emergency number 954-764-HELP (4357).

BSO search for missing 14-year-old boy in Lauderdale Lakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit is seeking the public’s help in finding a missing 14-year-old boy.Christopher Coppet was last seen at around 1 p.m. on Dec. 27, near the 3400 block of Northwest 35th Street.He was last seen wearing a black jacket and black shorts.Coppet stands at 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs around 150 pounds, has brown hair and black eyes.According to Coppet’s family, he has a health condition and requires medication.Anyone with information on Coppet’s whereabouts should contact BSO Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-424 or at the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764- HELP (4357).

Flu and COVID infections got worse over the holidays, with more misery expected, CDC says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The flu season in the U.S. is getting worse but it’s too soon to tell how much holiday gatherings contributed to a likely spike in illnesses.New government data posted Friday for last week — the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s — show 38 states with high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms. That’s up from 31 states the week before.The measure likely includes people with COVID-19, RSV and other winter viruses, and not just flu. But flu seems to be increasing most dramatically, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“We expect it to be elevated for several more weeks,” said the CDC’s Alicia Budd. So far, though, this is a moderate flu season, she said.Interpreting flu reports during and after the holidays can be tricky, she noted. Schools are closed. More people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to go see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. O...

David Soul, ‘Starsky & Hutch’ star, dead at 80

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

(CNN) — David Soul, best known for his role in the popular 1970s television series “Starsky & Hutch” has died, his wife announced in a statement to CNN.He was 80.“David Soul – beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother – died yesterday (4 January) after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” his wife Helen Snell wrote. “He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend. His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”No cause of death was shared.According to his site, the actor was born David Solberg in Chicago, Illinois and “spent the first twelve years of his life between the prairies of South Dakota and the divided city of post WWII Berlin.”His father, Richard Solberg, was a professor of history and political science as well as an ordained minister and moved the family to Berlin where the elder Solberg served as religious affairs adv...

Polar bears hold secret to surviving frigid winters — and we can benefit, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Julia Daye | (TNS) The Charlotte ObserverIt’s cold out. And our century-old way of staying warm — down jackets — may have just met its match.A new study found that textiles that mimic polar bear fur may be better at keeping us warm than down jackets, not to mention less bulky.In the study, published Dec. 21 in the journal Science, researchers in China tested a fiber modeled off of polar bear fur.Polar bears stay warm in arctic temperatures thanks to the unique structure of their fur, the researchers said. Each strand of polar bear fur contains tiny air pockets that trap heat and prevent it from escaping. The porous core is then surrounded by a dense outer shell.The scientists imitated this structure with a lightweight, synthetic material called an encapsulated aerogel fiber. They found that the polar-bear-inspired aerogel material maintains its heat-trapping properties even after being stretched, washed and dyed.The group knitted a sweater out of the revamped aerogel fiber and teste...

Revolution players Jones, Bajraktarevic called up to U.S. Men’s National Team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

New England Revolution coach Caleb Porter will open training camp Jan. 13 in Foxboro with two key returning players on the road providing service to their country.The Revolution announced Friday that dynamic left back DeJuan Jones and homegrown midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic have been called up for international duty with the United States Men’s National Team for its January camp.While Jones and Bajraktarevic attempt to make a favorable impression on USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter in Orlando, Fla., the Revolution will be setting up their four-week stay at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., just south of St. Petersburg.Bajraktarevic, 18, in the youngest player on the USMNT 25-man roster. The graduate of the Revolution Academy and Revolution II from Wisconsin was the youngest player named to the U.S. Under 23 squad in November, where he scored a goal in two games.The Revolution’s youth program has been a successful MLS pathway for Bajraktarevic, Jack Panayotou and Noel Buck of Arli...

Cancer patients face frightening delays in treatment approvals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Lauren Sausser | (TNS) KFF Health NewsMarine Corps veteran Ron Winters clearly recalls his doctor’s sobering assessment of his bladder cancer diagnosis in August 2022.“This is bad,” the 66-year-old Durant, Oklahoma, resident remembered his urologist saying. Winters braced for the fight of his life.Little did he anticipate, however, that he wouldn’t be waging war only against cancer. He also was up against the Department of Veterans Affairs, which Winters blames for dragging its feet and setting up obstacles that have delayed his treatments.Winters didn’t undergo cancer treatment at a VA facility. Instead, he sought care from a specialist through the Veterans Health Administration’s Community Care Program, established in 2018 to enhance veterans’ choices and reduce their wait times. But he said the prior authorization process was a prolonged nightmare.“For them to take weeks — up to months — to provide an authorization is ridiculous,” Winters said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s cancer o...