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The threat of wildfires is rising. So is new artificial intelligence solutions to fight them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Wildfires fueled by climate change have ravaged communities from Maui to the Mediterranean this summer, killing many people, exhausting firefighters and fueling demand for new solutions. Enter artificial intelligence.Firefighters and startups are using AI-enabled cameras to scan the horizon for signs of smoke. A German company is building a constellation of satellites to detect fires from space. And Microsoft is using AI models to predict where the next blaze could be sparked.With wildfires becoming larger and more intense as the world warms, firefighters, utilities and governments are scrambling to get ahead of the flames by tapping into the latest AI technology — which has stirred both fear and excitement for its potential to transform life. While increasingly stretched first responders hope AI offers them a leg up, humans are still needed to check that the tech is accurate.California’s main firefighting agency this summer started testing an AI system that look...

Lurie Children's Hospital patients, families take part in 'Kids Dig' event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

CHICAGO — With curiosity and caution, patients from Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and their families spent their day getting an up close and personal look at large equipment in an event sponsored by the construction company Clayco."The kids are just digging in the dirt. What can be more fun than that?" Dr. Derek Wheeler, the Chief Medical Officer at Lurie Children's Hospital, said. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines It's the second year for the event, called "Kids Dig," which raises money for the hospital and offers dozens of children the chance to experience the inner workings of a construction site in a big sandbox put together by Clayco in the West Loop.Dr. Wheeler says the event offers kids the opportunity to relax and have fun."They get to be a kid and, you know, forget about whatever struggles they're dealing with right now from a medical standpoint," Dr. Wheeler said. "And they can just come out here and dig, sit in the front loaders and the cranes and the bull...

Jackson, Wortham each run for TDs, Jackson adds pick-6 to help E. Washington beat UC Davis 27-24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Justice Jackson and Michael Wortham each ran for a touchdown and Marlon Jones Jr. returned an interception for a TD on Saturday night to help Eastern Washington beat UC Davis 27-24 in a Big Sky Conference opener.The Eagles (2-2) are 11-0 all time against UC Davis, which went into the weekend ranked No. 15 in the FCS coaches poll. Eastern Washington, which beat then-No. 22 Southeastern Louisiana 40-29 last week, has back-to-back wins over ranked teams following losses at No. 2 North Dakota State and Fresno State, an FBS opponent, to open the season. Wortham’s TD, from 10-yards out, gave Eastern Washington the lead for good with 13:08 to play and the Eagles defense forced a three-and-out and intercepted a pass before Isaiah Perez blocked a 31-yard field goal-attempt by UCD’s Hunter Ridley with 3:20 remaining. Lan Larison led UC Davis (2-2) with 225 yards rushing on 22 carries. Eastern Washington’s Soren McKee kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 3-3 with 3...

MLB notes: Solution to Red Sox defensive woes could be coming from within

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

At times this year the Red Sox were painful to watch defensively. The club has already reached the dubious 100-error threshold and the advanced metrics don’t look any better.The good news is there is reason for hope that next year’s defense could be much better, and a lot of the help could be coming from within.This season when Trevor Story was out recovering from elbow surgery, Boston’s alternatives in the middle infield didn’t inspire confidence. Kiké Hernández became unplayable at shortstop, and for long stretches the club had to rely on rookies like Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton, neither of whom possessed a big league caliber glove.Getting Story back immediately helped stabilize things in the middle infield, but if Boston needs to tap its depth next season its options will look much better.Ceddane Rafaela, who is already getting his big league audition, is regarded as an elite defensive talent who could represent an upgrade for the Red Sox at any pos...

1 Kosovo police officer killed and 1 wounded in an attack in the north, raising tensions with Serbia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister on Sunday said one police officer was killed and another wounded in an attack he blamed on support from neighboring Serbia, increasing tensions between the two former war foes at a delicate moment in their European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties.Prime Minister Albin Kurti said “masked professionals armed with heavy weapons” opened fire on a police patrol in the village of Banjska, Leposavic, 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of the capital Pristina at 3 a.m. (01:00 GMT), killing one officer and injuring another, whose condition is not life-threatening. Kosovo police said two trucks with no license plates had blocked a bridge at the entrance of the village. Three police units were sent to unblock it but came under fire from different positions with different weapons, hand grenades and bombs.Police managed to push back the attack and take two injured police officers at the hospital in southern Mitrovica.One of them was d...

Train crash in eastern Pakistan injures at least 30. Authorities suspend 4 for negligence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

LAHORE, Pakistan. (AP) — A passenger train collided with another already parked and carrying goods in eastern Pakistan on Sunday, injuring at least 30 passengers, five of them seriously, officials said.Railway authorities suspended the driver of the Lahore-bound passenger train, his assistant and two of the ground staff for negligence as an investigation has been opened, said top railways official Shahid Aziz.Aziz said the incident happened in Shaikhupura district near Qila Sattar Shah station early morning as the passenger train which left Mianwali for Lahore was directed to the track where the goods train was already parked. He said most of the injured were treated at the train station, but those with serious injuries were moved to hospital and the tracks were quickly cleared.Such accidents are common in Pakistan where railways suffer from decades-old signal systems and tracks.The Associated Press

A mayoral race in a small city highlights the rise of Germany’s far-right AfD party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — The German city of Nordhausen is best known as the location of the former Nazi concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora.On Sunday, a mayoral election could again put the focus on the municipality of 42,000 people if a far-right candidate wins the vote.Joerg Prophet, a candidate from the populist far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, is the frontrunner in Sunday’s mayoral runoff vote. Earlier in September, Prophet won 42.1% of the vote in the first round of the election and now faces off against independent candidate Kai Buchmann. Sunday’s election underscores recent gains nationally for the AfD and the increasing influence it has on the political discussion in Germany. It also raises concerns about the normalization of far-right rhetoric in places like Nordhausen, drawing criticism from Holocaust survivors and those who work to combat discrimination.“The significance of the election in Nordhausen extends far beyond (its) borders,” Felix Klein, the German gove...

B.C. mule deer stressed by wildfire, but still much to learn about wildlife impacts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

Proof that deer experienced elevated stress in response to wildfires in British Columbia’s southern Interior can be found in their poop, although researchers say there’s still much to learn about what increasingly severe blazes mean for wildlife.Shaun Freeman, a wildlife and habitat biologist with the Skeetchestn First Nation, said his team began gathering mule deer pellets in August 2021, while two large fires were still burning in the area between Cache Creek and Kamloops, B.C.The samples were sent to the Toronto Zoo, where testing revealed elevated concentrations of the stress-induced hormone cortisol.Stress can affect the animals’ nutritional uptake, causing them to burn precious fat stores, and it can decrease their ability to produce offspring, Freeman said.Cortisol levels have since dropped by around half in samples taken during more favourable conditions, he said, allowing the researchers to establish a baseline.But the local mule deer population has been d...

Pioneer Press reader trip to New Orleans is an exploration of food, music and culture

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

When I think of my favorite U.S. cities, New Orleans is always near the top of that list.The food, the music, the architecture, the culture and the welcoming people all keep me coming back, and every time I’m there, I discover something new and wonderful about the city.This time, I brought along 28 Pioneer Press readers on a five-day guided adventure during which I learned more about the city than I did on any of my other visits.Our tour, hosted by travel company Collette, took us through but also out of the French Quarter, into the world of Mardi Gras and into the impossibly beautiful swampland outside of the city.If you’ve never been, what are you waiting for? Here’s a rundown of what we did, but I’m here to tell you there’s much more to see and taste — so much more that I’m already plotting my return.Day OneFin wings at GW Fins in the French Quarter of New Orleans. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)We arrived in the late afternoon, and stepping out of the airport, we were hit w...

Daily horoscope for September 24, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:44 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EDT today (1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Capricorn into Aquarius.Happy Birthday for Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023:You love to travel and be on the move. You are caring and empathetic, and you like to help others. Many of you are psychic. Simplicity is the key to life this year. Take charge of your health. Work. Stay grounded and levelheaded. It’s time to create a solid foundation.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★Everything is supportive today. The Moon is at the top of your chart dancing with Mercury and Jupiter, which makes your words like gold with a winning attitude. This is a recipe for success. Tonight: Partnerships. This Week: Stay mellow before the Full Moon in your sign on Friday.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★★★This is an excellent day to enjoy travel and exploring ideas. Socialize, enjoy sports events and fun activities with kids. The bottom line is you want the freedom to do your...