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A plane stuck for days in France for a human trafficking investigation leaves for India

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

VATRY, France (AP) — A charter plane grounded in France for a human trafficking investigation departed on Monday for India, after an exceptional holiday ordeal that left about 300 Indians en route to Central America blocked inside a rural French airport for four days.Associated Press reporters outside the Vatry Airport in Champagne country saw the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and about 200 other people boarded the plane. It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen with those who didn’t board the plane.The passengers grounded in France included a 21-month-old child and 11 unaccompanied minors who were put under special administrative care. Several passengers have requested asylum in France, according to an official with the Marne regional prefecture. Two passengers were detained and are appearing before a judge Monday to face possible charges including involvement in an organized criminal group helping foreigners enter or stay in a country illeg...

Colorado’s first Firehawk is nearly ready to fight fires after longer delays than expected

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

Colorado’s long-awaited first custom firefighting helicopter has been delayed nearly a year longer than expected, but its backers are hopeful for delivery by early 2024.The Firehawk is a Black Hawk helicopter that’s undergone a near-complete retrofit to equip it to fight wildfires. In addition to custom technology and outfitting for fire crews, the aircraft also sports a water tank that can slurp up 1,000 gallons of water and dump it on hot spots within moments.Lawmakers approved funding for the first Firehawk, at a cost of $24 million, in 2021 with near-unanimous votes in both chambers just months after the devastating 2020 fire season. They approved the purchase of a second helicopter earlier this year, before the first one was complete.Officials had hoped the first Firehawk would land in state hands by the end of 2022. But supply chain delays took a toll, and quality control and inspections proved stickier than officials anticipated.Eric Lama, Aerial Firefighting customer experie...

Denver man awarded Carnegie Medal for saving fisherman from creek in Vail

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

A flat bicycle tire during a trip to the mountains put a Denver man in the position to save another man from a rushing creek, which would later earn him one of the highest honors for heroism in North America.John Chase sits at Lionshead Village in Vail July 17, 2023, in his cycling gear after saving Joseph Radtke’s life after he fell into Gore Creek and got swept up in rapids. Chase jumped into the water and pulled Radtke to shore so first responders could resuscitate him. (Provided by John Chase)On July 17, John Chase, a 53-year-old lawyer from Denver, and his wife, Christy Chase, traveled to Vail planning to ride Vail Pass, but his flat tire sent them in the opposite direction to get it fixed.That “fortuitous” course change would end with Chase swimming to the rescue of Joseph Radtke, an 80-year-old fisherman who fell into the rapids of Gore Creek near its confluence with the Eagle River after his dog fell and pulled him down.“I would like to think what I d...

Why the best comp for 49ers’ Brock Purdy isn’t Montana or Marino but Drew Brees

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy idolized Dan Marino by proxy through the eyes of his father, a former Dolphins fan who grew up in Florida.The second-year 49ers’ quarterback is identified locally as the heir to Joe Montana after just 23 games, which would seem ridiculous except Purdy’s production has him in the running for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award as the 49ers (11-3) host the Baltimore Ravens (11-3) on Christmas night at Levi’s Stadium.But as Purdy’s career progressed through high school in Arizona and college at Iowa State, he found a logical comparison for his own skillset in Drew Brees.Purdy turns 24 next Wednesday, so Montana had been retired for five years before he was born. Marino played his last game on Jan. 2, 2000, five days after Purdy’s birth. Right about the time Purdy was getting serious about football, he realized there was an NFL star in his prime with the New Orleans Saints who mirrored his own strengths and perceived s...

Wish Book 2023: ‘This bike shop will help a lot of people get their lives together’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

Life hasn’t been easy for Paul Foxx.He has been homeless now for some 20 years, dealing with harsh weather conditions, violence and the vast unpredictability that comes with life on the street.Most recently, he’s been living in a tent under a bridge in downtown San Jose.“That’s what I can do right now,” the 65-year-old Foxx says. “I don’t have enough to rent a place.”Despite his troubles, Foxx comes across as quite chipper and positive as he talks about how the free bike he received from Good Karma Bikes improved his situation.“The bike made my life a lot easier,” he says. “I was able to take care of all kinds of business.”Foxx is one of thousands of people who have benefited from the free bikes given out by Good Karma Bikes, a San Jose nonprofit that got its start in 2008, and officially incorporated the following year. The organization works to empower their clients by providing them with a much-needed form of transportation.Paul Foxx, who received a bike from Good Karma Bik...

Hundreds of new Bay Area housing units could be left sitting vacant as they await PG&E equipment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

In downtown Oakland, a new 19-story apartment tower with 236 units could be left sitting vacant — not for lack of demand from renters, but because of a shortage of components required to connect the building to the electrical grid.The tower’s developer, oWow, was caught off guard when it went to place an order for three subsurface distribution transformers earlier this month, only to be told by Pacific Gas & Electric that the critical equipment — which converts energy from the grid into power for residential use  — wouldn’t be available until the second half of 2024.Developers across the Bay Area are dealing with the transformer conundrum. A nationwide shortage has led to enormous backlogs, creating a roadblock to development in an industry that already must clear a number of hurdles to build more needed housing.Around 540 PG&E customers are waiting on transformers in Northern and Central California, and about 40% are in the Bay Area, the company said. In Novembe...

For downbeat Sharks, World Juniors provides hope for future, and intriguing possibilities

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

There might come a time during the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships when Team USA’s Will Smith matches up against Canadian and fellow centerman Macklin Celebrini.Smith, the top player in the San Jose Sharks pipeline, competing against Celebrini, arguably the best player available in the 2024 NHL Draft. They’re the two best NHL prospects at the under-20 tournament in Gothenburg, Sweden, per The Athletic, and with some Sharks’ lottery luck, could be teammates as soon as next season, and for several years to come.“Any time when you have an opportunity to see talent versus talent,” Chris Morehouse, the Sharks’ director of amateur scouting, said recently, “is an exciting thing,”Seeing Smith and Celebrini in teal uniforms one day is a tantalizing proposition for anyone following the Sharks, who entered the Christmas break in last place in the NHL’s overall standings with a 9-22-3 record.If the season ended today. San Jose would have the best chance of winning the NHL’s draft...

What you can - and can't - recycle on Christmas morning

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Before you get out a trash bag when it comes time to open gifts, some parts of the present are recyclable. But don't recycle everything, especially most wrapping papers.If your gifts are already wrapped in paper decorated with Santa Clauses and glitter, there's not much you can do.According to Recycle Colorado, wrapping paper is usually not recyclable. Local woman looking for owner of Christmas card with cash Wrapping paper that is glossy, metallic or has glitter on it should be put in the trash and not recycled.It's actually more harmful if you try and recycle wrapping paper that isn't recyclable.Ridwell, a Denver recycling provider, calls it "wishcycling," which is when you hope something that isn't recyclable will be recycled somehow.This ends up being more harmful because it can lead to hold-ups and contamination, which will either slow down the recycling facility or cause the facility to throw the entire batch in the landfill if it's contaminated with so...

Pompano Beach toy giveaway unites community

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

The Pompano Beach Fire Rescue Benevolent Christmas Express has brought together over 20 local businesses, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), and Pompano Fire Rescue for a grand toy giveaway.Three U-Haul trucks filled with toys for boys and girls were packed and ready to be delivered on Christmas morning. This effort is to spread holiday cheer to those who cannot afford to make Christmas happen. More than 20 businesses in Pompano Beach have joined forces with the BSO and Pompano Fire Rescue to collectively purchase over $20,000 worth of toys for the community. “This is actually, probably one of our biggest years,” said one woman with the Pompano Beach Fire Department volunteering in the event. “I’ve actually never had to have three U-Hauls before so, this one here is our overflow this year. So we usually have boys and girls, but this year we’ve had so many donations. We’ve been blessed in so many ways. It’s truly a Christmas miracle.&#...

Christmas Eve shooting at Colorado mall leaves 1 dead and 3 injured

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:04:29 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A man was fatally shot and three people were hurt as gunfire rang out at a shopping center in Colorado on Christmas Eve, police said Sunday.A fight broke out between two groups of people in the afternoon at the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs and officers received a report of gunshots and responded, the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a series of posts on the social media platform X.One adult male was dead at the scene with a gunshot wound, and two more, each of whom had been shot at least once, were taken to hospitals in serious condition, police said.A female also was taken to a hospital with what were said to be minor injuries.Police said they detained “multiple people” and were “working to determine their involvement.”The mall was cleared and closed, police said, and there was no known continuing threat to the community.Colorado Springs is about 71 miles (114 kilometers) south of Denver.