Norfolk Southern CEO promises to keep improving safety on the railroad based on consultant’s report

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Norfolk Southern CEO promises to keep improving safety on the railroad based on consultant’s report OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO pledged to continue working to improve safety after consultant the railroad hired following the fiery Ohio derailment recommended making sure that safety is truly a priority at all levels and continuing many efforts it has already begun.CEO Alan Shaw told the railroad’s employees in a letter Thursday that Norfolk Southern will take several immediate steps in response to the initial report Atkins Nuclear Secured delivered including strengthening the way it responds to any safety incident and establishing a dedicated team to work on implementing the consultant’s recommendations.The railroad industry has been in the spotlight ever since the February derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border prompted evacuations, health worries, a massive ongoing cleanup and calls for reforms.“I know that each of you feels as strongly as I do that we need to do everything we can to prevent accidents that can impact commun...

Denver weather: Sunshine and warmer temperatures return this weekend

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Denver weather: Sunshine and warmer temperatures return this weekend DENVER (KDVR) — Thanks to the latest round of showers and thunderstorms, Denver weather records now show enough rain to get totals back on track for September. And Denver is still running more than 6 inches ahead for an entire year's rain total.Now, enjoy a great weekend that will be perfect for football, according to Pinpoint Weather, Colorado’s Most Accurate Forecast.Rocky Mountain Showdown forecast Saturday nightBroncos forecast at Mile High SundayWeather tonight: Clearing and coolShowers and thunderstorms will end through the evening across southern parts of the state. Skies will be clearing from north to south. The wind will be light and it will be cool across the Eastern Plains and in metro Denver, with overnight readings in the 40s. It will be cold in the Colorado mountains, with most places in the 30s and some close to or even below freezing.Overnight lows by Saturday morning across ColoradoWeather tomorrow: Sunny and warmerSkies will be sunny across the state on Saturday wi...

Oregon launches legal psilocybin amid hopes for improved mental health care

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Oregon launches legal psilocybin amid hopes for improved mental health care EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on psychedelic mushrooms. For roughly six hours, adults over 21 can experience what many users describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and a oneness with the universe.Epic Healing Eugene — America’s first licensed psilocybin service center — opened in June, marking Oregon's unprecedented step in offering the mind-bending drug to the public. The center now has a waitlist of more than 3,000 names, including people with depression, PTSD or end-of-life dread. What is the black Colorado license plate and how much does it cost? No prescription or referral is needed, but proponents hope Oregon's legalization will spark a revolution in mental health care.Colorado voters last year passed a measure allowing regulated use of psychedelic mushrooms starting in 2024, and California’s Legislature this month approved a measure that would allow possession an...

Denver Broncos face Washington Commanders: TV channel, time, what to know

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Denver Broncos face Washington Commanders: TV channel, time, what to know DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Broncos are looking to come back from a tough loss against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 1 with a victory over the Washington Commanders this week at Empower Field.How to watch Commanders vs. Broncos on TVKickoff: 2:25 p.m.Channel: CBSKickoff between the Broncos and Commanders takes place Sunday at 2:25 p.m. at Empower Field in Denver. Tickets for Commanders vs. BroncosAs of Friday afternoon, there are still tickets together throughout the stadium. The most affordable individual seats start at $70 plus fees for the upper level of the stadium. Analysis: Payton’s excoriation of his predecessor looks even worse after his bungled Broncos debut If you want to be closer to the action, seats in the lower bowl start around $115 through the Broncos website. Secondary websites like StubHub also have plenty of seats available. They're generally listed around the same price ranges outlined above. Denver forecast for Commanders vs. BroncosIt's going to be a great da...

DeSantis suspends Diaz de la Portilla after arrest; commissioner says ‘not an ounce of truth’ to money laundering, bribery allegations

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

DeSantis suspends Diaz de la Portilla after arrest; commissioner says ‘not an ounce of truth’ to money laundering, bribery allegations Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla a day after the commissioner and his attorney were arrested on money laundering and bribery charges.In a news release issued Friday evening, DeSantis’ office confirmed the governor signed issued Executive Order 23-184 suspending the commissioner.Moments after he walked out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday night, Diaz de la Portilla insisted he did nothing wrong and called his arrest political.“Not an ounce of truth. Not an an ounce of truth to those allegations,” he said. “This is a work of fiction, and I’ll repeat it again: this is a work of fiction by a Democrat state attorney targeting a Republican city commissioner. Period.”Charges against him include bribery, money laundering and official misconduct. Some of that alleged misconduct involved a controversial private school in Miami. According to the Miami Herald, the investigation revealed ...

MDPD Director Alfredo Ramirez home from hospital weeks after shooting himself near Tampa

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

MDPD Director Alfredo Ramirez home from hospital weeks after shooting himself near Tampa Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez has returned to South Florida nearly two months after, authorities said, he shot himself on the side of Interstate 75 south of Tampa.According to state law enforcement officials, Ramirez severely wounded himself with a gunshot wound to the head on July 23.Prior to the incident, investigators said, Ramirez and his wife had some sort of argument at the JW Marriott in Tampa, where the police director was attending a law enforcement conference.Tampa Police units responded to the hotel and spoke with Ramirez and his wife before he got to leave with his wife and his gun.A troubled Ramirez then made a phone call to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Not long after, he shot himself in the head while his wife was in the car.Ramirez’s wife called for help, and the 52-year-old was rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where he spent weeks recovering.Ramirez, a Democrat, is still running for reelection as MDPD’s po...

Enough to make your skin crawl: 20 rattlesnakes found inside a homeowner’s garage in Arizona

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Enough to make your skin crawl: 20 rattlesnakes found inside a homeowner’s garage in Arizona MESA, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona man called a snake removal company after seeing what he thought were three rattlesnakes lurking in the garage of his Mesa home. He was wrong.There actually were 20 snakes — five adult western diamondback rattlers and 15 babies. One of the adult snakes also was pregnant.Snake wrangler Marissa Maki found most of the rattlers coiled around the base of a hot water heater in the unidentified homeowner’s cluttered garage Tuesday.“That is a lot of snakes. I’m not going to lie. This is crazy,” Maki said in a YouTube video recorded by the company, Rattlesnake Solutions.The western diamondbacks, with their distinctive triangular-shaped heads, are found throughout the Southwest. And though their venom is far less toxic than other rattlesnake species, they still require care when being handled.Maki used tongs to pick up each snake before dropping them into large plastic buckets and relocating them to a natural habitat in a desert area.“This is our record for the mo...

Tory Lanez denied bail while appealing Megan Thee Stallion shooting conviction

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Tory Lanez denied bail while appealing Megan Thee Stallion shooting conviction (CNN) — Tory Lanez has lost an attempt to be free on appeal while he seeks to overturn his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion.He was sentenced in August to 10 years in prison for the 2020 shooting of the “Savage” artist, who was his friend at the time.Lanez’s request for bail was denied on Thursday, with the judge citing his conviction for a “violent felony” and possible flight risk, according to Unite the People CEO and co-founder Ceasar McDowell, a nonprofit organization representing Lanez in his appeal.Lanez had pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, according to prosecutors.But a jury found him guilty in December 2022.“Mr. Peterson’s case has been a challenging one from the beginning,” McDowell said in a statement to CNN. “Despite the hurdles we have faced, we firmly believe in his innocence and will continue to advocate fo...

Prosecutors seek narrow gag order on Trump in DC elections case after ‘inflammatory’ public comments

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Prosecutors seek narrow gag order on Trump in DC elections case after ‘inflammatory’ public comments By ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are seeking an order that would prevent Donald Trump from making “inflammatory” and “intimidating” comments about witnesses, lawyers and other people involved in the criminal case charging the former president with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election.Special counsel Jack Smith’s team said in a motion filed Friday that such a “narrow, well-defined” order was necessary to preserve the integrity of the case and to avoid prejudicing potential jurors. Prosecutors had foreshadowed for weeks their concerns about Trump’s verbal attacks, but Friday’s request marks the first time they have proposed formal action to rein in speech that they say risks tainting the case and causing court workers and witnesses to live in fear of being targeted. The motion lays out what prosecutors say is a pattern of “false and inflammatory” statements abou...

Battenfeld: Shannon O’Brien’s surprise suspension creates more turmoil in $3 billion pot industry

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:58:14 GMT

Battenfeld: Shannon O’Brien’s surprise suspension creates more turmoil in $3 billion pot industry Let’s see, put a hack political appointee and a pot industry executive at the helm of the state agency that’s supposed to regulate the $3 billion weed industry – what could possibly go wrong?State Treasurer Deb Goldberg’s incredibly bad decision to put former state Treasurer Shannon O’Brien at the helm of the Cannabis Control Commission has not surprisingly come back to bite her as O’Brien is now out just a year into her tenure.In a shameless and cowardly move, Goldberg leaked the news of O’Brien’s surprise suspension in a Friday news dump while the state was in a hurricane state of emergency – refusing to face the music for her ill-fated move.O’Brien’s ouster – which sounds permanent and ominous – signals new turmoil ahead for the CCC and the already reeling cannabis industry. The CCC has now lost all credibility and Goldberg has lost control.Goldberg would give no details about the reason for O’Brien’s paid suspension, declining to address the reasons behind the decision or how lo...