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Newly discovered snake species found in remote Peruvian land is named for Harrison Ford

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

(CNN) — Four researchers navigated treacherous terrain and feared for their lives during a harrowing brush with suspected drug traffickers in one of the most dangerous, scientifically unexplored areas in the world, according to the lead scientist and an account published by a nonprofit conservation organization.But the highlight of the trip to South America was discovering a species of snake new to science, which the team named for action icon Harrison Ford — a moment of levity in an otherwise dramatic excursion, noted Dr. Edgar Lehr, the lead author of a scientific paper describing the snake species. The report was published August 15 in the German journal Salamandra.At the time, Lehr, who is a professor of biology at Illinois Wesleyan University, thought: “Wouldn’t this be cool to dedicate this new species to Harrison Ford? And also funny because of the hate his character ‘Indiana Jones’ (has for snakes)?”Now it’s official: The nearly foot-and-a-half-long, yellow-br...

State auditor’s threat against Massachusetts legislature ‘rare,’ Andrea Campbell says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s request to pursue legal action against the legislature to force them to comply with an audit of their operations is “rare,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said Friday.DiZoglio asked Campbell last month for permission to take the House and Senate to court in an effort to get the two branches to open up their finances and divulge details on active and pending legislation, processes for appointing committees, adoption and suspension of rules, and policies and procedures of the Massachusetts General Court.But it is uncommon for one side of state government to take legal action against another, Campbell said.“I just want to stress that this is rare that you have one part of government wanting to sue another or vice versa depending on how this unfolds,” Campbell said on GBH’s Boston Public Radio.DiZoglio is required to seek approval from the attorney general before bringing a lawsuit against any entity, public or private, according to state law. Sh...

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell appoints new head of elder justice unit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

Attorney General Andrea Campbell turned to a state lawyer focused on health care and fair competition for the past eight years to lead a new unit focused on the safety and well-being of older adults in Massachusetts.Mary Freely, the deputy chief of the Health Care and Fair Competition Bureau, has been appointed to lead the attorney general’s Elder Justice Unit, Campbell announced Friday. The unit plans to prosecute the abuse and exploitation of vulnerable older adults when it comes to long-term care, financial exploitation, and scams, Campbell said.“We continue to see bad actors prey on older adults, whether that’s targeting them for financial scams or neglecting care in long-term facilities. The Elder Just Unit will serve as a resource and advocate for elders who face these issues across the commonwealth,” Freely said in a statement.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Grandparents watch out! Boston Police warn of new kidnapping variant to common scam targeting ol...

Hope is hard to let go after Maui fire, as odds wane over reuniting with still-missing loved ones

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The days of waiting have become harder and harder as the odds grow longer and longer, but Kevin Baclig remains undeterred in his search for his wife and her parents, missing since Aug. 8 when a wildfire engulfed and flattened the Hawaiian town of Lahaina.He has gone looking from one shelter to another, hoping strangers might recognize the faces on the flyers he brings with him. Baclig, 30, has driven back and forth to Lahaina, desperately scouting for anything that might lead him to his wife, Angelica, and her parents, Joel and Adela Villegas. Six other relatives who lived next door also remain unaccounted for.“I’m not going to give up until I see them,” he said. “Of course I’m hoping to find them alive. … What else can I do?”Even as he tries to sound optimistic, his voice is subdued.“I’ve been searching and searching — in Lahaina, everywhere,” Baclig said, speaking in Ilocano, a dialect of the northern Philippines.The blaze took ...

Mexico sets up large tent shelter for hundreds of migrants in border city of Matamoros

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

The Mexican government said Saturday it has set up a large tent shelter for about 600 migrants in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.The large tents provide sun and rain shelter for dozens of smaller three- or four-person tents pitched inside.Mexico’s National Immigration Service said that electrical outlets, portable bathrooms and cooking facilities would also be provided at the site, which is close to the Rio Grande, which marks the border.Upon opening, the shelter had almost 600 occupants, many of whom were seeking appointments through a U.S. phone application to make their case for refuge or asylum.There were about 120 Venezuelans, 96 Mexicans, 88 Haitians, 66 Nicaraguans, 47 Ecuadorians and 35 Cubans at the camp, among other nationalities.The Associated Press

Former Quebec NDP MP Roméo Saganash charged with sexual assault in Winnipeg

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

OTTAWA — Winnipeg police say former New Democrat MP Roméo Saganash has been charged with sexual assault.Police say they arrested Saganash on June 27 in relation to an allegation from May 1 in Winnipeg and the matter is now before the courts.Saganash represented the northern Quebec riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou from 2011 to 2019, serving as the Indigenous affairs critic.He has not responded to a request for comment The Canadian Press sent by email on Friday, but APTN, which first broke the news, reports he confirmed the sexual-assault charge to them. The federal NDP has not responded to a request for comment.Saganash had been one of the residential school survivors working with a national advisory committee for missing children and unmarked burials set up by the federal government and National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg.A spokesman for the centre said Saganash no longer holds that role, and did not say why or when he ended that position.Saganash, A C...

Thousands more evacuated as Tenerife fire rages on Spain’s Canary Islands

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) — Thousands more residents of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed “out of control” raged on for a fourth day.The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harm’s way on the Atlantic island that is home to around a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply. Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees “could surpass 26,000” according to provisional calculations based on the island’s census. The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.The regional government said that “the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it” due to hot and dry conditio...

Large wildfire ravages forest in northern Greece as 8 villages are evacuated

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities on Saturday evacuated eight villages near the northeastern border with Turkey, where a large summer wildfire was burning out of control, whipped on by high winds.The fire service said more than 130 firefighters, assisted by 14 water-dropping planes and three helicopters, were struggling to contain the blaze and reinforcements were being sent from other parts of the country. The forest fire broke out early Saturday near the village of Melia, east of the town of Alexandroupolis.There were no immediate reports of injuries to firefighters or residents, but authorities said some houses suffered damages in two of the evacuated villages.Earlier, a section of a major highway in the area was closed down due to heavy smoke drifting across it.Residents of Alexandroupolis were also advised to keep their windows closed due to smoke blown over the town from the fire.Another smaller wildfire was burning outside Thessaloniki, in the north, the second-largest ...

Tucker Barnhart's time with the Cubs comes to an end

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

CHICAGO — There was hope he could be a solid option for the Cubs at catcher for the next two seasons when the team signed him this offseason. But in the end, Tucker Barnhart's stay at the major league level for the team didn't even last a season.The Cubs have officially DFA’d catcher Tucket Barnhart..He was hitting just .202 this season in 44 games, playing in just four contests this month..Infielder Miles Mastrobuoni has been called up from Iowa..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/aPYNV1z44d— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) August 19, 2023The veteran catcher was designated for assignment on Saturday morning ahead of the team's second game with the Royals in a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Infielder Miles Mastrobuoni was called up from Triple-A Iowa to take his place on the roster. This comes after Barnhart signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract before this season, but he's run with the team ends short of a full season.He played in just 44 games and only took part in four games in Aug...

Chicago Fire FC, Red Stars restart their regular seasons Sunday

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:24:31 GMT

CHICAGO — For Chicago's two professional soccer teams, it's been all about tournaments over the past month. But now Chicago Fire FC and the Chicago Red Stars are ready to get back to work in the regular season, hoping to keep their campaigns going as long as possible. Both teams return to regular season play on Sunday, both doing so against teams from Orlando, as each hopes to find a way into their respective postseasons. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)Chicago Fire FC played in three games in the Leagues Cup over the past month, getting out of the group stage before losing to Club America on August 4 at SeatGeek Stadium. Since then, they've been off the pitch, getting ready for a critical stretch to their season that could result in an end to their sixth-year MLS Cup Playoff drought. They enter their match on Sunday at Soldier Field against Orlando City SC with 32 points, which puts them eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. That puts them above the playoff line, with DC United current...