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How — and when — is best to donate to those affected by the Maui wildfires?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The destruction and suffering caused by the Maui wildfires in Hawaii prompted many to immediately look for ways to help.However, experts say immediate donations may not be the most useful following a natural disaster like the Maui wildfires. They suggest standing by a week or two until needs are assessed and support lines have been established. But they know that some people will not be able to wait.Here’s what you need to know about getting your donations to the people you are trying to help.There are so many solicitiations to help the people of Hawaii. What groups should get priority right now?Experts recommend donating to nonprofits based on Hawaii that have provided rapid response services in the past.Hawai’i Community Foundation has raised more than $17 million as of Friday for its Maui Strong Fund, which is “providing financial resources that can be deployed quickly.” Though the foundation says its support will evolve, initially, it will focus on providing food...

They were alone in a fight to survive. Maui residents had moments to make life-or-death choices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

The smoke was starting to blot out the sun. Winds were howling, and heat bore down as flames licked the trees on the horizon. The power had been out all day, so Mike Cicchino thought he’d drive to the hardware store for a generator. He turned off his street, and in an instant, his Lahaina neighborhood seemed to spiral into a war zone.“When I turned that corner, I see pandemonium,” he said. “I see people running and grabbing their babies and screaming and jumping in their cars.”It was around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when Cicchino and his neighbors began a desperate fight for their lives. They had just moments to make decisions that would determine whether they lived or died in a race against the flames — a harrowing, narrow window of time in one of the most horrifying and lethal natural disasters the country has seen in years.There were no sirens, no one with bullhorns, no one to tell anyone what to do: They were on their own, with their families and neighbors, to choose whether to stay or ...

Woman with scissors tasered at TTC subway station, Line 2 service affected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Toronto police say responding officers tasered and subsequently arrested a woman believed to be armed with scissors at Christie Station on Monday.Authorities were called to the TTC subway station just after 1:30 p.m. following reports of a person armed, initially believed to be a knife.Police said a woman was allegedly carrying scissors on the subway platform.Responding officers and the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) confronted the woman and a taser was deployed, police said.The woman is now in custody.The TTC said Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) trains are bypassing Christie Station due to the security incident. Trains are not stopping eastbound at Islington.

Lebanon’s interim central bank governor freezes assets of former chief and close associates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s interim central bank governor Monday froze the accounts of the bank’s embattled former chief and close relatives and associates days after the United States, United Kingdom and Canada slapped sanctions on them.Wassim Mansouri’s decision was made public following a meeting of the central bank’s Special Investigation Commission. The commission is in charge of fighting money laundering and terrorism financing. It named former Gov. Riad Salameh, his son Nady, brother Raja, close associate Marianne Hoayek and former partner Anna Kosakova.Mansouri ordered all accounts in Lebanese banks and financial institutions of the five individuals be frozen. It also lifts bank secrecy requirements of the individuals at the request of judicial authorities.Riad Salameh’s mobile phone was off when contacted for comment by The Associated Press. Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure on July 31 under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country’s historic economic ...

Boralex shares jump 10% after reporting Q2 profit up from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

MONTREAL — Shares in Boralex Inc. were up 10 per cent in trading Monday after the renewable power producer reported its second-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago.The company says it earned a profit attributable to shareholders of $19 million, or 19 cents per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, up from $10 million, or 10 cents per share, a year earlier.Revenue from energy sales and feed-in premiums totalled $210 million, up from $168 million in the same quarter last year.The company said the improvement was attributable to the commissioning of assets and to high electricity prices in France as well as the acquisition of wind assets in the United States.It says the gains more than offset pressure on results due to unfavourable weather conditions in North America at the end of the quarter.Boralex shares were up $3.06 at $33.00 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.Companies in this stor...

Judge in Donald Trump’s hush-money case denies bias claim, won’t step aside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush-money criminal case has rejected the former president’s demand to step aside, denying defense claims that he’s biased against the Republican front-runner because he’s given cash to Democrats and his daughter is a party consultant.New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan acknowledged in a ruling late Friday that he made several small donations to Democratic causes during the 2020 campaign, including $15 to Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden, but said he is certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial.”Removing himself from the case “would not be in the public interest,” Merchan wrote. His six-page ruling echoed a state court ethics panel’s recent opinion that endorsed his continued involvement in the Trump case.The decision on recusal was entirely up to Merchan. He previously rejected a similar request when Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, was on trial last year for tax fraud.Tr...

Prosecutors presenting case to grand jury on whether Trump meddled in 2020 Georgia election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

Prosecutors in Atlanta who have been investigating whether then-president Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia have begun presenting their case to a grand jury.Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes. News outlets reported that former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen and Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state’s office, were seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday.For two and a-half years, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating actions taken by Trump and others in their efforts to overturn his narrow loss in Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden. Barriers and street closures around the courthouse in downtown Atlanta, as well as statements made by Willis, had indicated that a presentation to a grand jury was likely to be...

Q&A with WGN meteorologist as rain, potential severe storms move into Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

CHICAGO — It's raining across the Chicago area now with a risk of severe weather through the evening. WGN meteorologist Alyssa Donovan took the time to answer your questions in a weather-centric, interactive livestream.Check out the WGN Weather app or our wgntv.com Weather Center for the latest on the forecast and longer-range outlook.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog Thank you for watching the livestream. See a replay of the Q&A in the video above.

Lil Durk concert cut short at United Center due to false shooting report; woman stabbed during fight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

CHICAGO — A 20-year-old woman was stabbed and a concert was cut short at the United Center Saturday night, after false reports of a shooting.The incidents occurred during the "WGCI Summer Jam" show, where Chicago rapper Lil Durk was one of the main performers. According to the Chicago Tribune, officers responded to the United Center for a call of shots fired — and it was later determined that the reports were “non bona fide."The United Center released the following statement regarding the situation:We are working closely with authorities to investigate all incidents from last evening atthe WGCI Summer Jam show. It became apparent for all involved that ending the showearly was in everyone's best interest as the safety of our guests and employees is apriority. We are thankful that initial incident reports were false and that guests exited thefacility safely.In addition to the false shooting report, police said a 20-year-old woman was stabbed during a fight at the United Center the sa...

'Always impressive': Northwest Indiana man captures Perseid meteor shower in backyard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:55 GMT

LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. — A Northwest Indiana man captured the Perseid meteor shower in his backyard over the weekend.Patrick Thompson, a professional photographer by trade, was excited going into the day because the Perseid meteor shower was expected to put on a brighter annual show this year due to a waning crescent moon.It was good news because a bright moon and make it harder to spot the meteors.The Perseids come from comet Swift-Tuttle, a big ball of ice and rock that sheds pieces of dusty debris as it orbits around the sun. When the Earth passes by, those bits get caught in our atmosphere and burn up, creating the streaking lights."Shooting star" during Perseid, courtesy Patrick ThompsonWhile an amateur astronomer, Thompson has quite an impressive lineup of equipment for his setup Saturday night into Sunday morning. Back in February, he spoke to WGN News after capturing an amazing timelapse of C/2022 E3, more commonly known as the “green comet,” which passed by Earth for the firs...