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Colorado offers safe haven for abortion, transgender care

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday signed a set of health care bills enshrining access to abortion and gender-affirming procedures and medications, as the Democrat-led state tries to make itself a safe haven for its neighbors, whose Republican leaders are restricting care.The goal of the legislation is to ensure people in surrounding states and beyond can go to Colorado to have an abortion, begin puberty blockers or receive gender-affirming surgery without fear of prosecution. Bordering states of Wyoming and Oklahoma have passed abortion bans and Utah has severely restricted transgender care for minors.Many states with abortion or transgender care bans are also criminalizing traveling to states for the purpose of accessing legal health care.The contradicting laws are setting the stage for interstate disputes comparable to the patchwork of same-sex marriage laws that existed until 2015, or the 19th-century legal conflict over whether fugitive enslaved people...

Sequoia National Park partially reopens after storm damage

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Foothill areas of Sequoia National Park reopened to the public Friday following extensive storm damage to roads last month, but no access to its giant trees is expected for weeks, the National Park Service said.The reopened area extends 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) past the entrance station in the town of Three Rivers, allowing access to lower elevation trails, camping and abundant wildflowers.Giant Forest and the General Sherman Tree are among features that remain closed and are not expected to open before Memorial Day, the park service said in a statement.The park service suggested that visitors who want to see giant sequoias go to nearby Kings Canyon National Park, where Grant Grove reopened April 7.“Visitors should prepare by bringing sufficient water for their trip, snacks, a full tank of gas, tire chains or cables, and warm layers, expecting more than ten feet of snow in most areas,” according to the parks service statement.Sequoia and Kings Ca...

Lazio increases hold on 2nd with 3-0 win at Spezia

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

ROME (AP) — Lazio strengthened its hold on second place in Serie A with a 3-0 win at Spezia on Friday.Felipe Anderson drew a penalty that Ciro Immobile converted, then scored another goal before Marcos Antonio added a third.The victory extended Lazio’s unbeaten run in the league to eight matches and moved the Roman club eight points ahead of third-place Roma, which hosts Udinese on Sunday.Lazio also moved within 13 points of runaway leader Napoli, which hosts relegation-threatened Hellas Verona on Saturday.Spezia remained one spot above the drop zone.Also, Cremonese beat Empoli 1-0 for its second straight win to boost its chances of avoiding relegation. Cyriel Dessers scored four minutes in for Cremonese after controlling a ball over the top and finding the target from the center of the area.Cremonese has also reached the semifinals of the Italian Cup but was beaten 2-0 by Fiorentina in the first leg.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsS...

Falcons add another pass rusher, sign OLB Bud Dupree

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons added another player to rush the quarterback, signing outside linebacker Bud Dupree to a one-year contract Friday.A first-round pick by the Steelers in 2015, the 30-year-old Dupree started 11 games for the Tennessee Titans last season. He had nine quarterback hits, six tackles for losses and four sacks.The Falcons ranked last in the league in sacks in 2021 and were ahead of only one other team with 21 sacks a year ago.Atlanta previously signed defensive end Calais Campbell, who turns 37 on Sept. 1. He has 99 career sacks, including 5 1/2 with the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. The Falcons also could add another edge rusher with the No. 8 pick in the upcoming draft.The 6-foot-4, 269-pound Dupree has 46 1/2 sacks over eight seasons spent with Pittsburgh and the Titans. He is a native of Irwinton, Georgia.In other moves Friday, Atlanta released outside linebacker Quinton Bell, defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe and safety Jovante Moffatt.___AP NFL...

Washington Capitals, coach Laviolette part ways after missing playoffs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

The Washington Capitals and coach Peter Laviolette have decided to part ways after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.General manager Brian MacLellan announced the decision, which he described as mutual, on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Capitals’ season ended. Laviolette’s contract was set to expire.“We are grateful for Peter’s leadership and dedication to our organization for the last three seasons,” MacLellan said in a statement. “Peter is a first-class individual who has represented our club with integrity and guided our team through many difficult circumstances in his tenure as our head coach. We wish him all the best moving forward.”Laviolette, 58, coached the Capitals for the past three seasons, making the playoffs in each of the first two to extend the organization’s postseason streak to eight years. They lost in the first round each time and have not won a series since hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018 under Barry Trotz...

Knicks’ Randle could return from ankle injury to face Cavs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — The New York Knicks could have star forward Julius Randle back for their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers after he missed the final two weeks of the regular season with a sprained left ankle.Randle has been undergoing treatment and showing steady improvement. On Friday, the Knicks said that he’s questionable for Saturday’s Game 1 in Cleveland.Randle played in New York’s first 77 games before rolling his ankle against Miami on March 29. He sat out of the final five games, including a win over Cleveland on March 31.The 28-year-old averaged a career-high 25.1 points and 10.0 rebounds in his fourth season with New York.The Cavs prepared all week as if Randle will be active. It’s not yet known if he’ll start or how long he’ll be able to play.Randle will get some extra time to rest with Game 2 not scheduled until Tuesday night.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

NHL playoffs: Devils-Rangers, Bolts-Leafs highlight openers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

After six weeks of hopeful excitement that his New Jersey Devils would face the New York Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs, Erik Haula had a simple, sarcastic take: “Here we are.” And the playoffs are finally here, too.Devils vs. Rangers in another chapter of their bitter Hudson River rivalry is one of the juiciest of the eight first-round matchups, six of which were set on the penultimate day of the regular season. Two more awaited the result of Colorado’s game Friday night at Nashville.The Eastern Conference is set, featuring the NHL-best Boston Bruins against the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division bracket, along with Rangers-Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Islanders on the Metropolitan side.In the West, MVP favorite Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers face the Los Angeles Kings, and the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights go up against the Winnipeg Jets. The d...

Peter Laviolette out as Washington Capitals’ head coach

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

Peter Laviolette will not return as the head coach of the Washington Capitals next season, the team announced Friday. The Capitals and Laviolette, whose contract expires June 30, mutually agreed to part ways.NEWS | The Washington Capitals and head coach Peter Laviolette have agreed to mutually part ways.https://t.co/gb9IHQu1Ol— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 14, 2023This story is developing. Check back with WTOP for updates. Source

Indiana plastics fire raises worries about health dangers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

A fire at a scrap plastics business in Indiana raises numerous health concerns for people in the area — particularly with the discovery of asbestos in debris, experts said Friday.An evacuation order for about 1,500 residents of the town of Richmond near the Ohio line remained in effect as firefighters doused hot spots while federal, state and local agencies monitored air and water for contamination. It might take weeks for the fire to be fully extinguished, officials said.Plans are being developed to deal with asbestos fragments in nearby neighborhoods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. Inhaling asbestos can cause lung diseases, including cancer.“Probably the worst thing you can do if you have debris in your yard would be to mow and break up that material” and possibly inhale it, EPA on-scene coordinator Jason Sewell said.Crews were taking air measurements at 34 sites, he said, with some samples being sent for laboratory analysis. Monitors in the evacuation zone detecte...

City breaks ground on Veterans’ Village

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:11:04 GMT

Representatives from the Governments of Canada and Ontario were in Kingston on Friday to celebrate officially breaking ground on the Homes for Heroes Kingston Veterans’ Village.The project was initially announced in 2020 along with $200,000 in funding, with the provincial and federal governments later announcing they’d each be kicking in $2 million.Homes For Heroes started the initiative in response to the growing number of military veterans who return to Canada and find themselves on the path to homelessness. Kingston’s village will be the third in Canada, and the first in Ontario. The village is located at 730 King Street West and will include 20 homes, a resource centre, social service offices, community gardens, and a community recreation space. Home for Heroes Foundation CEO David Howard says since the announcement was made the team has been hard at work fundraising for the project and continuing to keep November 1, 2023 in mind for move in day. “Our tea...