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Opinion polls show Australians likely to reject Indigenous Voice to Parliament at referendum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians appear likely to reject the creation of an advocate for the Indigenous population in a referendum outcome that some see as a victory for racism.Two opinion polls published in newspapers on Monday are the latest to show a majority of respondents oppose enshrining in Australia’s constitution an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Creating the Voice would aim to give Australia’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policies that effect their lives.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday would not concede defeat before voting on the referendum ends Saturday.“We’ll wait and see when they cast their vote. I’m not getting ahead of the Australian people,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp.“I know there’s some arrogance has crept into the no-side campaign, but it’s a campaign based upon fear,” Albanese added.Albanese has said the world will judge Australians on how they vote at their first referendum since 1999.Indigeno...

Hamas attack at music festival led to chaos and frantic attempts to escape or hide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The outdoor Tribe of Nova music festival was meant to be an all-night dance party in a rural area near the Gaza-Israel border, where thousand of young people would celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.But it became a site of deadly chaos when Hamas militants attacked the festival in the desert area early Saturday, killing an estimated 260 people. Terrified revelers tried to run and hide from the gunfire, according to an Israeli rescue organization, news outlets and accounts on social media. The Israeli rescue service Zaka said paramedics have removed about 260 bodies from the music festival, with the figure expected to rise as teams continue working to clear the area. Festival organizers said in a statement on social media they were assisting security forces to help locate missing people who attended the event.The attack on the music festival was part of the larger assault on Israel by Hamas fighters who blew through a fortified border fence in an unprecedented su...

Tourism resumes in West Maui near Lahaina as hotels and timeshare properties welcome visitors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The area around the Maui town largely destroyed by wildfire two months ago began welcoming back travelers on Sunday after the mayor and Hawaii’s governor pushed ahead to restart tourism to boost the economy despite opposition from some Lahaina residents. Five hotels in West Maui were accepting reservations again, according to their websites and the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association. In addition, eight timeshare properties — in which visitors have an ownership stake in their room — were opening across the region early this month, including some a few miles from the devastation.The reopening fell on the two-month anniversary of the wildfire that killed at least 98 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures, many of them homes and apartments. Ilihia Gionson with the Hawaii Tourism Authority said Sunday that a huge influx of visitors was not expected based on conversations with hotels. Precise figures for how many travelers were returning to the area’s hotels and t...

Sunday forecast: Clearing skies & cooler temperatures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

Tonight: Clearing skies & getting cold. Patchy fog late. Frost possible in some outlying areas. NW 5-10 mphLow 39 Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Tomorrow: Mostly sunny & a bit milder. NW 10-15 mphHigh near 60Extended outlook calls for more sunshine on Tuesday. Temps a bit closer towards normal in the mid to low 60s. Clouds and a rainy period moves into Chicagolanad on Wednesday in the afternoon and stay with us through the end of the week. Rain at times and highs in the mid to upper 50s. 

Powerball jackpot up to $1.55 billion as lottery losing streak continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Saturday and won the giant prize.The numbers drawn Saturday night were: 47, 54, 57, 60, 65 and red Powerball 19.The $1.55 billion prize is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 30 years. Most jackpot winners opt for cash, which for the next drawing Monday night would be an estimated $679.8 million.The jackpot is now the world’s fourth-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 34 consecutive drawings, since the last time someone won the top prize on July 19. That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022.The scarcity of Powerball jackpot winners reflects the game’s daunting odds of 1 in 292.2 million.Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ATCEMS and APD recruit at Austin City Limits Music Festival for the first time

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time, Austin City Limits Music Festival attendees could leave the festival with a potential job opportunity.Both the Austin Police Department (APD) and Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) are recruiting for more staff. RELATED COVERAGE: PHOTOS: Day 2 of 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival "We have a combined public safety recruiting booth here at ACL. It's the first year we've done it," said Gabe Webber, ATCEMS field operations commander. Webber said because of the staffing shortage, they are starting to venture outside of the places they typically recruit like EMS conventions. "Trying to reach a broader audience and something uniquely Austin like ACL fest gives us an opportunity to do that," said Webber. "We're having challenges filling positions in the department. So we're kind of expanding beyond some of the traditional recruiting lanes."One of their selling points is all the events where ATCEMS gets to work. ACL being one of them. "It's not just ...

Vikings tight end Josh Oliver on his fumble: ‘I let the Vikings down’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

It’s a phrase head coach Kevin O’Connell has leaned on over the past month as the Vikings have struggled with ball security: Whenever a player has the ball in their hands, they have the whole organization in their hands.That explains why tight end Josh Oliver was so distraught after the Vikings suffered a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.After catching a pass on the first play from scrimmage, Oliver made a defender miss, then raced up field where the ball got dislodged by safety Justin Reid.“I was trying to make a play and was doing too much,” Oliver said. “I let the Vikings down.”Asked what he could’ve done differently, Oliver emphasized the importance of tucking the ball away while in traffic.Not surprisingly, fellow tight end T.J. Hockenson tried his best to keep Oliver’s spirits up postgame.“That guy creates an explosive play with a great move to start and then the guy gets his fac...

Popular lights display relocates to Festus for Halloween season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

FESTUS, Mo. – A popular Halloween light show that was so big it was forced to move locations last year is back again this year. It’s turning heads and has the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records.It's a sight to see. Too bright for a Pevely neighborhood, the Lenhard family's Halloween light display has found a new home in Festus. With more lights, animations and songs this year, the display can be seen from miles away. It’s something onlookers are thrilled about.Carol Burkhard and her daughter-in-law, Shannon, made a point of getting to Larry G. Crites Memorial Park in Festus early to claim their parking spot for Sunday night’s show.“We’re two little kids at heart,” Burkhard said. “We came out to watch. They had it last year, and we enjoyed it.”Joanne Dormoy said that after missing the show last year, she made a point of coming out to see it the first weekend this year."I've seen it on video, but I've never been here in-person,” Dormoy said. “So, I wanted to see it up clo...

Kiszla: Where does Sean Payton rank on coaching scale of Vince Lombardi to Nathaniel Hackett?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

It’s infuriating the Broncos don’t know how to win, but what’s far worse is how a once-proud NFL franchise doesn’t even know how to act in defeat.While bad football happens, a team with bad football character starts at the top, and coach Sean Payton is responsible for losers in the Denver locker room that duck and run when the going gets tough.After a wretched 31-21 loss to the New York Jets, during which the Broncos forgot how to tackle and could not hold onto the football, much less the lead, Payton stood in account for only 4 minutes and 42 seconds during his postgame news conference before spinning on his heels and bolting from the podium.“Thank you, guys,” Payton told media members, before ducking for cover, much the way a bully does when challenged.Sorry, Mr. Payton. But that doesn’t cut it in Broncos Country, where losses can’t be brushed off by a coach who came to Denver and immediately put everybody involved with the franchise on blast.Like everything that stinks, bad chara...

Broncos reeling defense ripped for 234 yards rushing by revenge-minded Nathaniel Hackett, Jets offense in 31-21 loss: “We choked”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:54 GMT

Sean Payton still likes to look at photos of plays between drives rather than the tablets that instantaneously deliver video to NFL sidelines.He calls them “the pictures.”The Broncos coach had a particularly brutal one in mind following his team’s 31-21 loss to the Jets on Sunday afternoon.A frame showing Denver’s defensive line getting washed down yet again. Jets running back Breece Hall steaming through behind a fullback who had nobody to block. Broncos safety Kareem Jackson scrambling on a bad angle and failing to get so much as a hand on Hall.No Broncos in sight the rest of the way to a 72-yard touchdown on the opening play call of the second half for Jets offensive coordinator and former Denver head coach Nathaniel Hackett.The Jets had only just taken the lead, but it felt like a knockout punch nonetheless. For the game, sure, but also for much more than that.“The first half of the game, I felt like we defended the run well,” Payton said. “Then in the second half, some of the m...