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US Congress has briefing to discuss risks, benefits of AI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — U.S. Senators received a classified briefing on artificial intelligence as Congress and the administration are scrambling to better understand the risks and benefits of generative AI.They are considering adopting legislative safeguards on the fast-moving technology.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said artificial intelligence was unavoidable, and lawmakers need to get up to speed.“AI is so complicated, so important, and is going to affect so many different aspects of our lives,” Schumer said.On Tuesday, senators met for the second time behind closed doors to learn about AI's benefits and its risks.“It showed how difficult the task is, but how necessary the task is for Congress to be involved,” Schumer said.Schumer says lawmakers need to work with the private sector to make sure the u-s stays ahead of its adversaries when it comes to innovating and implementing ai.“This is going to be really hard. It is going to be one of the hardest tasks that Congress has...

Wisconsin might see northern lights this week (kinda) but Minnesota may be out of luck

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

NEW YORK — The northern lights could put on a show this week — but the audience will be much smaller than some early forecasts had suggested, and Minnesota may be out of luck.The sky spectacle will be fairly typical: Stretches of Canada have a chance to spot the shimmering curtain of the aurora borealis, while a few in the U.S. could see a faint reddish glow on the horizon. Here’s what to know about the updated predictions.Who can see the lights this week?An early forecast by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, suggested that the northern lights could be visible much farther south than usual this week.But that forecast was based on long-term predictions about the solar activity responsible for the display. Forecasts using more current data from NOAA predict nothing special for the U.S.“For the same reasons that it’s hard to predict weather on Earth, it’s hard to predict weather in space,...

St. Paul man sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatal shooting after liquor dispute

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

A St. Paul man was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting a man who was running from a fight in the city’s Frogtown neighborhood last July.Payton Lee Wood, 23, had pleaded guilty to unintentional murder in connection with the killing of 59-year-old Jeffrey Foss, who was shot in the back of the head in the 600 block of Dale Street on July 1, 2022, after an altercation over liquor and cigarettes.Payton Lee Wood (Courtesy of the Ramsey County sheriff’s office)Wood told police that he feared he was going to be stabbed during a fight with Foss’ friend, who at one point pulled out a knife.Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Erin Gustafson said at sentencing that video surveillance shows Wood fired one shot from about 80 to 90 feet away at Foss and Foss’ friend.“This is not self-defense, or felony manslaughter,” Gustafson said. “This is felony murder.”Both Foss’ friend and Wood’s friend told police that Foss “didn’t do an...

Cleanup continues after landslide, flooding in North Adams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (NEWS10) -- Cleanup continued Wednesday after heavy flooding and rain poured in parts of the Capital Region. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey visited North Adams to tour the damage left behind.The city's mayor said a landslide on Church Street pulled a gas line off a house and washed out the driveway. More than a dozen other roads were damaged, and a number of basements were flooded. Three homes had to be evacuated. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! State and local leaders are now trying to make as many repairs as possible before the chance for more rain on Thursday."What's needed in terms of repair, what's needed in terms of fixing culverts and infrastructure, and how we get things going again for residents here in North Adams," Gov. Healey said. City leaders put out sandbags in some of the most flood prone areas to try to limit the damage from additional rain.

Boat arrives in Albany to raise awareness of dangers of nuclear weapons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An historic ship that's spreading a message of peace made a stop in Albany on Wednesday. The Golden Rule was first built in 1956 in Costa Rica and sailed around the Marshall Islands with the goal of preventing nuclear weapons testing. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The ship sank twice, most recently in 2010. It was restored and relaunched from California by a group of veterans, who said their message about nuclear disarmament still needs to be heard.Their stop in Albany was part of a trip that started in Chicago last September.

Bear attacks, injures shepherd in wilderness area northeast of Durango

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

A bear attacked and severely injured a shepherd in a backcountry camp about 23 miles northeast of Durango. Wildlife officials say the bear was tracked and killed.The incident happened Tuesday morning near a camp in the Weminuche Wilderness above Lemon Reservoir, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release.The 35-year-old victim, a shepherd with a grazing permit for the San Juan National Forest, suffered bite wounds to his head, wounds to his left hand and arm, severe lacerations to his left hip area and scratches on his back. He was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango and then flown to Grand Junction for surgery.“This is an unfortunate incident and we are thankful the victim was able to contact help to get emergency services deployed and that he was able to be extracted to receive necessary medical care,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta, in the release.About 1 a.m. Tuesday, the shepherd was woken by a camp disturbance involving a black bear. He f...

Bandimere family plans to build new drag-racing facility near DIA; current land likely to be put to automotive use by new buyer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

MORRISON — As Bandimere Speedway hosts its final Mile-High Nationals this weekend ahead of its closure later this year, the family that owns track is intent on building a new facility on a plot about 10 times its size.Speedway owner John Bandimere Jr. said his hope is to take a year off in 2024, then open up a new facility in 2025 that will likely be located somewhere near Denver International Airport.“Everybody thinks that we’re being pushed out by houses,” Bandimere said Wednesday. “Of course, there’s no question, they’re building a lot of houses around us. But that’s not why we’re leaving. We really feel comfortable with why we’re leaving: We need more space.”The current speedway sits on about 100 usable acres, and Bandimere said the 65-year-old facility’s parking is about to become a major issue beyond 2023. The family is looking at two different sites near DIA, where Bandimere said the plan is to build on a...

Slumping Rockies face tough choices, big challenges in second half

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

A Midsummer Classic dream home run by Elias Diaz gave the Rockies a much-needed boost.“That was absolutely electric!” Ryan McMahon told The Denver Post Tuesday night after Diaz hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the National League to a 3-2 win in the All-Star Game.“Super pumped for Elias, couldn’t be happier for him,” manager Bud Black said after Diaz was named MVP.Now it’s back to a harsh reality.The Rockies are a slumping team in transition as the so-called second half of the season begins with a weekend series against the Yankees. The Rockies will almost certainly make trades before the Aug. 1 deadline but it remains to be seen how active they will be. The club would also like to see what it’s got in young players such as Nolan Jones, Brenton Doyle, Elehuris Montero and Michael Toglia.At the same time, Black and general manager Bill Schmidt want to put a competitive team on the field and they need to provide play...

Judge rejects Bandimere’s lawsuit over pandemic restrictions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

For the third time, a court has thrown out a lawsuit by Bandimere Speedway that claimed pandemic-era public health orders violated the rights of the track and its owners.U.S. District Judge Nina Wang ruled Monday that Bandimere’s claims had already been litigated in state courts and therefore could not, by law, be relitigated in her courtroom.Bandimere, along with owners Lorraine and John Bandimere Jr., sued Gov. Jared Polis and Mark Johnson, a former director of the Jefferson County Public Health Department, last July. It later modified the lawsuit to exclude Polis, leaving Johnson as the only defendant.The Bandimeres alleged that Johnson violated their 1st and 14th Amendment rights when he tried to prohibit the Morrison track from hosting its “Fourth of July God and Country Rally” in summer 2020, then suspended its liquor license and sued the Bandimeres.They alleged that Johnson used unconstitutional public health orders to punish the speedway because John Bandimere Jr. had critic...

Firefighters battling apartment fire in Hollywood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:37 GMT

Firefighters are responding to a fire in a two-story apartment building in Hollywood where at least one person was in need of rescue on the second floor, authorities announced Wednesday.  Crews responded to the 7700 block of West Hollywood Boulevard at around 5:20 p.m. after receiving reports of two vehicles on fire in the carport of the garden-style apartment building, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.  At the scene, fire personnel discovered the flames had extended into the building’s attic.  Crews worked to rescue a woman on the second floor. No information was provided on her condition.  Aerial footage from Sky5 showed heavy smoke pouring out of the roof of the building. This is a developing story. Please stay with KTLA for updates.