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In 1st trial of its kind in the U.S., Irish startup spreads concrete dust on Illinois farm field to remove CO2 from the air

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

Adriana Pérez | Chicago Tribune (TNS)Over the course of millions of years, the earth regularly removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through a natural process called weathering, when exposure to the elements wears down surface rocks and silicate minerals.But at the rate humans have been producing and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, this process that happens on a geological time scale just isn’t fast enough to keep up.A corn and soybean farm in the village of Buckingham, 60 miles south of Chicago, is providing the testing grounds for an Irish startup attempting to “enhance” weathering, thus shortening the process from millenniums to decades.The Illinois trial, the first of its kind in the United States, is one of many efforts to leverage the potential of different materials to combat global warming.“The whole carbon removal concept exists because we have to backtrack — we’ve gone too far,” said Maurice Bryson, founder and CEO of Iris...

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: Everything you need to know about the Week 12 game before tonight’s kickoff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

The 3-8 Chicago Bears will play the 6-5 Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in a Week 12 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:15 p.m., ESPN).Vikings’ Justin Jefferson and Bears’ Tyrique Stevenson outThe Bears won’t have to face Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a second time this season when the teams meet Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.NFL Network reported Monday morning that Jefferson would miss the game as he continues his recovery from a strained right hamstring. Jefferson, the 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has been on injured reserve since the week leading up to the Bears’ first game against the Vikings this season, a 19-13 Minnesota victory Oct. 15.That means the Vikings will be without their two most important offensive players, as quarterback Kirk Cousins is out for the season following Achilles surgery.The Vikings top wide receiver without Jefferson is Jordan Addison, who has 48 catches for 647 yard...

Weeks of Green Line closures begin as MBTA tackles track issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

Four weeks of disruption to Green Line riders kicked off Monday, with construction aimed at fixing narrow tracks and eliminating speed restrictions on the beleaguered line.Trains will largely be replaced by shuttle buses, with regular bus and Commuter Rail service available as other travel alternatives over that time period, as the MBTA begins to implement its new “track improvement plan.”Highly-publicized work on both Green Line Extension branches was set to begin Monday night and last through Dec. 10. Train service will be cut off from 8:45 p.m. to end of service between North Station and Union Square, as well as the Medford/Tufts station.Crews will perform “critical track work” during that two-week period, to alleviate tight-gauge conditions on the two GLX branches and lift two speed restrictions on the Lechmere viaduct.MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, who disclosed the narrow-track conditions on the Green Line Extension in October, said at a Nov. 16 board meeting that the plann...

US airports saw record passenger volumes, but fewer headaches, over Thanksgiving weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

By DEE-ANN DURBIN (AP Business Writer)A record number of passengers traveled through U.S. airports over Thanksgiving weekend, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.The TSA said it screened just over 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, surpassing the previous record of 2.88 million set on June 30. That was 10% more than the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year.Travel was relatively smooth despite the crowds. On Sunday, just 55 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were cancelled, according to FlightAware, a tracking service. Nearly 8,000 flights were delayed, including several hundred that were impacted by snow in Denver and Chicago.Airlines were eager to avoid the meltdowns that marred travel last December, when severe winter storms knocked out thousands of flights and left millions of passengers stranded. Southwest, which canceled nearly 17,000 flights last year, said it purchased additional deicing trucks and updated its crew-scheduling technology. The airline was ...

How to finance a garage or detached structure and protect your home’s value

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

Erik J. Martin | Bankrate.com (TNS)Detached structures are a great way to add space and value to your home. Whether it’s a workshop, storage space, garage or accessory dwelling unit (ADU), the presence of a detached structure to your property could positively impact its worth.While the long-term benefits are great, detached structures are expensive to build. If you do not have the funds to pay upfront, there are financing options available. Let’s look at the ins and outs of these add-ons.Should you borrow to finance a garage or detached structure?You can, of course, pay for your detached structure in cash, but considering that they can cost well into the five figures — even up to $110,000 in some elaborate cases — that might not be the most feasible option.Some scenarios when it might make sense to finance your detached structure project include:•If you don’t have all of the cash needed to pay the full cost of the project.•If you have equity in your home that can be tapped to fund t...

Body found inside hole in Linda Vista

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A body was found late Monday morning inside a hole on a hill in Linda Vista, authorities confirmed. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department responded to calls of a person in a hole or a "tunnel" around 10:13 a.m. Monday. SDFD spent nearly an hour working to free the individual from the confined space. Man shot, boy stabbed in Lakeside SkyFOX was overhead as crews appeared to dig on a hillside in a vacant lot near Osler and Ulric streets in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego.SDFD have confirmed one person was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:27 a.m. The body has been turned over to the San Diego Police Department. Authorities are holding a press conference on the incident at this time. This story is developing. Stay with FOX 5 for the latest updates.

Solo-vehicle crash on I-805 prompts multiple lane closures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Multiple lanes of the northbound Interstate 805 through Chula Vista were blocked Monday morning after a traffic collision, according to California Highway Patrol.The collision was reported around 10:45 a.m. Authorities said a truck pulling a trailer hit a wall along the interstate near the Palomar Street exit. According to CHP logs, crews had to rescue passengers from the vehicle. It is unclear how many individuals were in the truck at the time of the crash or if any sustained injuries. San Diego ranked worst US city for parking availability: study The right two lanes of the roadway were blocked by crews for a little over an hour as a result of the crash, Caltrans said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. All lanes were reopened around noon.A SigAlert was also issued due to traffic, as motorists were reportedly backed up to Telegraph Canyon Road.No additional details about the collision were immediately available.

Remains of a WWII heavy bomber gunner identified nearly 80 years after his death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Army Air Force gunner’s remains have been accounted for nearly eight decades after the heavy bomber he was flying in was shot down over France during World War II, military officials said Monday.Staff Sgt. Franklin P. Hall, 21, of Leesburg, Florida, was identified in July by scientists who used anthropological and DNA analysis, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release.Hall was assigned to the 66th Bombardment Squadron, 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in the European Theater in January 1944, officials said. The airman was the left waist gunner on a B-24D Liberator called “Queen Marlene” when it was attacked by German air forces near Équennes-Éramecourt, France. German forces found the crash site and recovered nine sets of remains, which were interred in the French cemetery at Poix-de-Picardie. Hall’s remains were not accounted for after the war, and he was declared non-recoverable in 1951.Ongoing research into soldiers missing from co...

New Mexico Supreme Court upholds Democratic-drawn congressional map

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court upheld a Democratic-drawn congressional map that divvied up a conservative, oil-producing region and reshaped a swing district along the U.S. border with Mexico, in an order published Monday.All five justices signed a shortly worded order to affirm a lower court decision that the redistricting plan enacted by Democratic state lawmakers in 2021 succeeded in substantially diluting votes of their political opponents — but that the changes fell short of “egregious” gerrymandering.The Republican Party argued unsuccessfully that the new district boundaries would entrench Democratic officials in power, highlighting the 2022 defeat of incumbent GOP Congresswoman Yvette Herrell by Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez.Democratic state lawmakers argued that the 2nd District in southern New Mexico remains competitive, with just a 0.7% margin of victory in the 2022 election.The district is one of about a dozen in the national spotlight as Republica...

Pathways Alliance increasingly confident $16.5B carbon capture project will go ahead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:19 GMT

CALGARY — The oilsands industry group that has proposed building what would be one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage projects says it is more confident than ever it will go ahead with construction.The Pathways Alliance is a consortium of Canada’s largest oilsands companies, which have banded together to propose a $16.5 billion carbon capture and storage network to decrease emissions from oilsands sites in northern Alberta.The group hasn’t yet made a final investment decision but has spent about $80 million on preliminary engineering, design and environmental work.Last week, the federal government provided additional details about its promised carbon capture investment tax credit, including a timeline for its finalization.It also promised that up to $7 billion will be allocated to special contracts intended to give companies the confidence they need to make major investments to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.Pathways president Kendall Dilling s...