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Virginia Beach stuck by tornado, dozens of homes damaged

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (AP) — The City of Virginia Beach declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area Sunday and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.City officials said it’s unclear how many homes had been damaged but they estimated between 50 and 100, after the tornado touched down just after 6 p.m., WTKR-TV reported. City Manager Patrick Duhaney declared a state of emergency Sunday night.Much of the damage had been reported in the area of River Road and N. Great Neck Road. It also includes Upper Chelsea Reach and Haversham Close.There were no immediate reports of injuries.Virginia Natural Gas responded to several homes with gas leaks and Dominion Energy was reporting just under 1,000 outages early Monday.Great Neck Road will remain closed between Cox High School and the bridge at Adam Keeling Road until further notice to allow for emergency and debris management work to occur, the city said.Crews will be out at 8 a.m. Monday to begin clea...

JPMorgan Chase comprará la mayoría de los activos del First Republic Bank tras su colapso en marzo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

(CNN) — JPMorgan Chase comprará la mayoría de los activos de First Republic Bank en un acuerdo anunciado este lunes que fue organizado por la Corporación Federal de Seguros de Depósitos (FDIC, por sus siglas en inglés), la agencia gubernamental independiente que asegura los depósitos de los clientes bancarios.JPMorgan Chase dijo que había adquirido la gran mayoría de los activos y asumido los depósitos y otros pasivos del First Republic Bank de la FDIC.La FDIC tomó el control del prestamista asediado este domingo y luego anunció de inmediato la venta de muchos de sus activos y depósitos. Esto convierte a First Republic en el segundo colapso bancario más grande en la historia de Estados Unidos.ANÁLISIS | First Republic Bank es un gran desastre. Eso se debe, en gran medida, a sus clientes adineradosCaen 60% las acciones del First Republic Bank 1:10La medida representa el último esfuerzo de los reguladores federales para apuntalar la confianza del consumidor en el sistema bancari...

El papa Francisco dice que el Vaticano está involucrado en una misión de paz para poner fin a la guerra en Ucrania

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

(CNN) — El Vaticano es parte de una misión de paz para poner fin a la guerra en Ucrania, dijo el Papa Francisco este domingo.“La misión está en curso ahora, pero aún no es pública. Cuando sea público, la revelaré”, dijo Francisco a periodistas.El pontífice hizo las declaraciones cuando regresaba a Roma después de un viaje de tres días a la capital de Hungría, Budapest.Durante su visita, Francisco se reunió con un representante de la iglesia ortodoxa rusa pro-Kremlin, el Metropolitano Hilarión de Volokolamsk, y por separado con el primer ministro húngaro, Viktor Orbán.El papa rompe a llorar por Ucrania durante un acto público en RomaAsí cerró el papa Francisco la Semana Santa 1:56Cuando se le consultó sobre si los encuentros podrían acelerar la paz, Francisco dijo: “Creo que la paz siempre se hace abriendo canales; la paz nunca puede lograrse mediante el cierre”.También cuando se le preguntó si estaba dispuesto a ayudar a facilitar el regreso de los niños ucranianos llevados a ...

How a rise in Virginia student absences may impact school ratings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

Virginia public school officials say an increasing number of students are missing many days of class, an issue that may have consequences for a school’s accreditation.In early April, the state’s Board of Education voted against a proposal to suspend the use of attendance as a factor for accreditation, enabling the state to use attendance as a factor for its school review process. It will mark the first time since the pandemic that attendance is used to evaluate schools.The change may negatively impact schools’ accreditation statuses, Northern Virginia school officials say, which in turn could alter public perception of schools. The state uses a series of factors to determine accreditation status, and schools that aren’t fully accredited have to work with the state to resolve any lingering issues.About a quarter of schools in Virginia have reported a chronic absenteeism rate above 25% this year, according to survey data collected by the Virginia Association of...

Food relief agency resumes Sudan operations after staff deaths forced halt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has Monday resumed operations in Sudan, two weeks after stopping work when three of its staff members were killed amid fighting which has rocked the country.“As the crisis in Sudan pushes millions into hunger, WFP is immediately lifting the temporary suspension put in place after the tragic deaths of our team members,” Executive Director Cindy McCain wrote on Twitter. “WFP is rapidly resuming our programs to provide the life-saving assistance that many so desperately need right now.”On April 15, clashes broke out across Sudan between forces loyal to two rival generals: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. Other countries have scrambled to evacuate their citizens.The following day, the WFP said three of its staff had been killed and two more injured in “violence” while on duty in the North Darfur region. It called a temporary halt to i...

Inside the group that’s saving Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — When U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin brings together the defense chiefs of more than 40 nations here in southwest Germany each month, the hours-long gathering typically ends the same way: Celeste Wallander, the Pentagon’s head of international security affairs, calls on each participant to read out what weapons their nation is ready to donate to Ukraine.It’s a question — perhaps the question — that will help determine Ukraine’s future more than a year following Russia’s invasion.And it’s made the monthly closed-door grouping of leaders — known by the anodyne bureaucratic title of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — an under-the-radar yet central force in equipping the Ukrainian military with everything from precision rockets to main battle tanks. It’s also helped the nation create an ad hoc yet astonishingly modern military that would be capable of outgunning some long-standing NATO members.But on the sidelines of the group’s April 21 meeti...

Guregian: Sizing up how the Patriots, AFC East teams fared in the draft

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

Before the NFL draft kicked off Thursday night, the Patriots had some catching up to do with in the AFC East.The Jets secured one of the top quarterbacks in the league in Aaron Rodgers to complement their shutdown defense. The Dolphins, meanwhile, bolstered their soft spot — defense — during free agency, and the Bills continue to be one of the elite teams in the league thanks to the presence of Josh Allen.So did any of the teams make any dramatic moves during the draft to improve?Here’s how it shapes up for the Patriots and the rest of the AFC East teams:Buffalo BillsDraft haul: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah; O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida; Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane, Justin Shorter, WR, Florida, Nick Broeker, G, Houston, Alex Austin, CB, Oregon State.Best pick: Kincaid. Torrence is a close second given they snagged one of the best interior line prospects in the second round. But Kincaid, who the Bills surrendered a fourth-round pick to move up the board to get, is the premier pass-catchi...

Winners, losers of 2023 NFL draft: Ravens’ goal was to take ‘best guy that’s there at every single pick’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

During the roughly 20 or so hours the NFL draft took to complete between Thursday and Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, there was one constant: Every time a camera showed a team’s draft room following its pick, people were celebrating. Never were team officials shouting in disagreement or glum.The same can’t be said for some fans, but the draft is mostly about hope, promise and excitement, as much as it is for those following along as it is the teams they root for.As for the Ravens, their celebrating — or sigh of relief — began a few hours before the draft even started with reaching terms with quarterback Lamar Jackson on a five-year contract extension. There were signs that a deal was going to get done at some point, but there were also real moments of concern, particularly Jackson’s request to be traded and the fatigue that had set in on both sides over a two-years-long stalemate in negotiations.“It’s been emotional,” said Ravens ge...

Mike Preston: Ravens draft projects could pay off in the long run | COMMENTARY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

All drafts are geared toward building for the future, but the Ravens’ 2023 class in particular will be remembered more for long-range plans than immediate starters.That’s different from a year ago when first-round picks Kyle Hamilton, a safety, and Tyler Linderbaum, a center, were expected to start right away. The Ravens also drafted other prominent rookies such as defensive tackle Travis Jones and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis in 2022.Both general manager Eric DeCosta and Joe Hortiz, the team’s director of player personnel, mentioned the word “projects” several times Saturday, which would be of some concern if the team were rebuilding.But the Ravens aren’t in that class. They should be contenders again with their starting lineup pretty much set before the draft began Thursday night. The Ravens provided themselves with several possible starters in a few years in defensive end-outside linebacker Tavius Robinson (fourth round), Stanford cornerback K...

OBF: Celtics-Sixers a marquee matchup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:31 GMT

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have been the best of frenemies for 70 years.The teams renew their vows of antipathy tonight at TD Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. A mouthful for Round 2 of the playoffs. Tip is sometime after 7:30, depending on how long of a pregame show is offered on TNT.No two franchises have met more in the NBA postseason. Their first playoff meeting was in 1953. In those days, the Philadelphia 76ers were the Rochester Nationals.That the NBA once had franchises in places like Rochester, Syracuse, and Fort Wayne is another illustrative note of just how much The Association has grown in reach and prosperity. A rinky-dink league that played in dinky rinks and arenas now commands a worldwide audience.Boston and the Sixers franchise met 17 times in the playoffs from 1953 through 1985, averaging more than every other year. Overall, they have clashed 21 times in the postseason. Boston has won 14 series and is 62-47 (.589) overall.To get h...