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When you adopt a desert tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise.What’s more, pet tortoises can wag their tails, will plod on up to greet you and some can even recognize their own names. The surprising warmth of this ancient cold-blooded creature has made them popular pets for families with pet dander allergies and for retirees.After years of living pet-free (save one vicious betta fish), my family and I decided to adopt a captive desert tortoise. Fittingly, it was a slow and steady process.In Arizona where we live, the state runs a captive desert tortoise adoption program. The adoption is free, but requires an application, including photos and a diagram of the tortoise’s new home. We spent hours setting up her habitat in our backyard, digging out rocks, fashioning a burrow and planting tortoise-friendly flowers.Building the habitat takes time. But the tortoise itself is a pretty low-maintenance pet.Tortoises sl...

En la mira debate sobre permitir una semana laboral de 32 horas en EEUU

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

WASHINGTON – La semana laboral de 40 horas en Estados Unidos está en el punto de mira. La pandemia demostró las posibilidades de flexibilizar horarios y un congresista demócrata ha utilizado ese impulso para reintroducir un proyecto de ley que resta 8 horas a ese baremo estándar de trabajo.La propuesta de Mark Takano modificaría la Ley de Normas Justas de Trabajo (FLSA), que estableció en 1938 las reglas sobre el salario mínimo y el pago del tiempo extra, y haría que a partir de las 32 horas la remuneración recibida mejorara, instando así a los empresarios o a pagar más o a contratar a más gente.Solo se aplicaría a los llamados “trabajadores no exentos”, aquellos a los que normalmente se les paga por hora y que reciben un extra a partir de las 40 semanales. CNBC: congresista busca crear semana laboral de 32 horas para aumentar “la felicidad de la humanidad” Tendencia laboral: más empresas prueban semana de 4 días de trabajo ...

T2 Biosystems: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

LEXINGTON, Mass. (AP) — LEXINGTON, Mass. (AP) — T2 Biosystems Inc. (TTOO) on Tuesday reported a loss of $18 million in its first quarter.The Lexington, Massachusetts-based company said it had a loss of $1.32 per share. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.17 per share.The diagnostics company posted revenue of $2.1 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TTOO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TTOOSource

Here's how you can check the air quality for where you live

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Wildfires in Canada have caused poor air quality and smoky skies across the Denver metro area for several days.On Tuesday morning, the air quality in Denver was ranked among the top 10 worst in the world. Colorado will have a ‘broiling wet’ summer, Farmer’s Almanac says How to check the air quality where you liveYou can actually check the current Air Quality Index for Denver and see the air quality forecast across Colorado on the FOX31 website. Once you are on the webpage, you can see the current Air Quality Index, as well as the air quality forecast for today and tomorrow. You can search any city or town in Colorado.The official data is provided by AirNow and the EPA.You can also check the live rankings of air quality on the IQAir website. Is the smoke dangerous?Will the level of smoke be dangerous for your health? Here’s what the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said you should know.“If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you...

Firefighters extinguish storage facility blaze in Miami Gardens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

Firefighters extinguished a blaze that broke out in a Miami Gardens storage facility after hours of work.According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, multiple units with the Miami-Dade Fire Department responded to the scene at 3505 N.W. 167th St., near 37th Avenue and the Palmetto Expressway, around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday.When crews arrived, they immediately worked to attack the fire as they found a light haze and flames behind the facility. More than 30 units were on the scene as they worked to stop the blaze from multiple angles. Video footage from 7SkyForce captured the massive clouds of smoke coming from the blaze. “The firefight became complicated due to the layout of where the fire actually broke out,” said the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief. “As you can imagine public storage units are stuffed with all kinds of flammables and combustibles.”Around 7:30 a.m., officials declared the fire a Second Alarm as crews on the scene needed additional manpower. Units remained ...

Millionaire’s elaborate jail escape plan foiled, Florida sheriff says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in Florida say they foiled an elaborate jail escape plan by a 78-year-old businessman who had previously fled to France following his 2014 arrest on child pornography charges before being arrested in another country and returned to the U.S.A tip from outside the jail sparked a two-month investigation into the actions of John Manchec, some of his employees and others who he befriended in jail, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said Monday during a news conference. Manchec is a citizen of both the United States and France.“Essentially, the plan comes down to this,” the sheriff said. “These folks that are on the outside are going to wait until Manchec has a doctor’s visit, and they are going to take out our corrections staff while he’s out at the medical facility.”The plan also called for Manchec’s employees to have a plane — which the sheriff said the man owns — ready in nearby Fort Pierce, so he could esca...

U-Haul driver faces multiple charges after crashing into security barrier near White House in Lafayette Square, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

(CNN) — A man crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier near the White House on Monday night in what authorities are investigating as a potentially intentional incident.Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, is in custody and facing multiple charges including threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member, US Park Police said. The Secret Service said there were no injuries to any agency or White House personnel.The truck crashed into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street just before 10 p.m. ET, the US Secret Service said. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have intentionally struck the barrier, the agency later said.Video taken by a witness showed the 26-foot moving truck stopped on the sidewalk near Lafayette Square before the driver accelerates and crashes into a set of security bollards that ring the White House complex to prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic.After the crash, the...

LeBron James questions retirement after Lakers are eliminated from playoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James questioned retirement after his Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets despite the highest-scoring postseason half of James’ matchless NBA career.James set a personal record with 31 points in the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night, but he missed two potential tying shots in the final minute as the Nuggets ended the Lakers’ season with a 113-111 victory.The 38-year-old James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and immense frustration after Los Angeles’ remarkable late-season surge ended with four consecutive defeats. Although the top scorer in NBA history spoke about himself as part of the Lakers next season, James also said he hasn’t made up his mind on retirement.“We’ll see what happens going forward,” James said in the final answer of his postgame news conference. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketbal...

Teen accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier at park near White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police have arrested a Missouri man they believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House.The box truck’s driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday at around 10 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. He was identified as a 19-year-old from Chesterfield, a St. Louis suburb.No one was injured in the crash.Officers from the Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department searched the truck after the crash. Video posted by WUSA-TV shows a police officer at the scene picking up and inventorying several pieces of evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag.Based on a preliminary investigation, investigators believe the driver “may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square,” Guglielmi said. Authorities offered no additional details about the possible motive.The U.S. Park Police said the man was arrested on mult...

Kyle Dubas breaks silence after dismissal from Maple Leafs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:42 GMT

Former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Kyle Dubas broke his silence on Tuesday, days after the 37-year-old was let go as general manager.President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan announced on Friday that Dubas, who had been with the Maple Leafs front office for nine years, wouldn’t return as general manager.Shanahan publicized a detailed timeline of the negotiations, saying he wanted the 37-year-old executive back and offered him a contract extension before changing his mind after Dubas spoke to the media at the end of the season.In a statement on Tuesday, Dubas said he wouldn’t get into the specifics of his departure, noting the conversations he had with Shanahan and the Leafs to be “reasonable and consistent but private discussions.”“In the days that I felt I needed to assess and evaluate my own view [of] the future, both with respect to the necessary direction of the Club and ensuring that I had the full support of my family for what I knew wou...