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Air quality statement ends for GTA as wildfire smoke eases

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

GTA residents who have found it difficult to catch their breathe outdoors over the past couple of days will be breathing a sigh of relief on Friday,A special air quality statement for all of Southern Ontario has now been lifted by Environment Canada as wildfire smoke that has blanketed the region for much of the week starts to move out.The forecast is still calling for local smoke through Friday evening, however it is expected to be far less intense than what was experienced over the past couple of days with fresher air thanks to shifting winds.Forecasters are warning that the hazy skies could make a return if winds change direction again.CityNews weather specialist Denise Andreacchi says Toronto can expect sunny skies on Friday with a chance of showers. The guaranteed high is 20 C. Saturday and Sunday call for a mix of sun and cloud with a guaranteed highs of 23 C and 20 C, before potential showers late Sunday.The number of fires burning across the country fell slightly Thursday, b...

No. 1 Iga Swiatek seeks a 3rd French Open title in women’s final against Karolina Muchova

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A little more than four years ago, in the first round of a tiny clay-court tournament in the Czech Republic, 95th-ranked Iga Swiatek lost in three sets to 106th-ranked Karolina Muchova.That was the only time they’ve ever played each other, although they are frequent practice partners.On Saturday, the same two players will step into Court Philippe Chatrier for a second matchup — on a far grander stage and with far larger stakes: the French Open championship. Swiatek is now ranked No. 1, where she’s been for more than a year, and is bidding for her third title at Roland Garros and fourth at a major tournament.Muchova’s career has been sidetracked by various injuries, so she is ranked just 43rd and is unseeded, but she has been at her best over the past two weeks, particularly when coming back after facing a match point to eliminate No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday.And Muchova did it with the same mix of old-school and new-school tennis that Swiatek reme...

Some in Georgia GOP seek purity test as Trump appears at convention in aftermath of indictment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s state Republican convention gets underway Friday with Donald Trump still expected on Saturday, even as a right-wing party faction seeks to punish GOP officials it considers ideological traitors by banning them from future primary election ballots.Trump could feed an air of vengeance after announcing Thursday that he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents, overshadowing party business and speakers including Republican presidential candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy. The proposal to ban candidates could be used to penalize elected Republican leaders including Gov. Brian Kemp or Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who crossed Trump by refusing the then-president’s demands to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. It also could be used against candidates who show insufficient purity on abortion or taxes.Kemp, Raffensperger and some other officials are skipping the two-day gathering in Columbus.The proposals could be s...

Maple Leafs planning to add Coyotes legend Shane Doan to front office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

Shane Doan, the long-time Arizona Coyotes captain, will be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs front office alongside new general manager Brad Treliving, Sportsnet can confirm.Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Nick Kypreos and ESPN’s Kevin Weekes were the first to report the connection between Doan and the Maple Leafs.A timeline for when Doan will join the Maple Leafs or what role he will hold was not immediately known. It’s been speculated that Doan will be assistant to the general manager, a similar position to the title Jason Spezza had last year in Toronto’s front office alongside Kyle Dubas.Doan played his entire 1,570-game career with the Winnipeg Jets-Arizona Coyotes organization, the vast majority as captain, scoring 402 goals and 972 points.After he retired in 2017, Doan joined the NHL front office, and in 2021, he returned to the Coyotes as chief hockey development officer. Doan and the Coyotes parted ways in September 2022.Doan and Treliving have a strong workin...

Ford to bring Mustang back to Le Mans under company rebranding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

LE MANS, France (AP) — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.Ford CEO Jim Farley told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Per...

Weekend: scattered storms to start, near 100-degrees to finish

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One more round of scattered storms this weekend before our focus solely turns to dangerous heat.Today is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far with afternoon highs soaring well into the 90s. Austin's forecast high of 98° will run 5° hotter than normal for this time of year. An isolated storm can't be ruled out late day but rain chances stand at 10% or less.Plenty of sunshine expected FridayA ride of high pressure building over the state will act to suppress storm development and enhance our June heat moving forward.The ridge will not entirely eliminate rain chances, however, with scattered storms likely to drop south into our area late Saturday afternoon and evening. There is a low risk of strong to severe storms within this activity, with the threat of strong winds and large hail within any well-developed storm.Low severe risk late Saturday afternoon and eveningWeekend forecast "The future is smoky": Northeast U.S. air quality problems linked to clima...

MAP: Zebra mussels are now in 35 lakes across Texas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the summer boating season ramps up, parks officials are urging boaters to take steps to prevent the further spread of zebra mussels across the state.The invasive species was first detected in Lake Texoma, north of Dallas, in 2009. Now, a total of 31 lakes are infested, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Two Texas zoos named among the best in the country Zebra mussels have also been detected in a further four lakes and are suspected in one more.Most of the infested lakes are clustered in central and north Texas. Last month, another lake was added to the infected list: Hords Creek Lake in Coleman County, south of Abilene.A single zebra mussel was found attached to dam infrastructure in the lake in April, TPWD said. Follow-up surveys found the presence of a reproducing population in the lake.There is one success story: Lake Waco. Zebra mussels were first detected in the lake in 2014, but by 2021, the lake was declared free of the species. The zeb...

CapMetro granted $950,000 to improve safety through vehicle automation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration announced more than $11 million in grants for six transit bus automation research projects that will improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility on the road and in bus maintenance yards.CapMetro will get nearly $950,000 of that money to integrate vehicle automation in an advanced yard management system and run heavy-duty vehicle demonstrations at its operations facility, according to Thursday's announcement. The FTA said the CapMetro project will also include "a bus automation workforce analysis to address how bus yard automation may impact existing roles and create demand for new positions."The CapMetro project was one of six transit bus automation research projects the FTA was supporting with $11.6 million in grants, according to Thursday's announcement. The FTA said examples of projects include strategies for avoiding collisions with pedestrians, improved emergency braking and preci...

Lightning strike causes house fire in Lakeway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) – A lightning strike caused a house fire Thursday afternoon in The Village of the Hills area, according to a tweet from Lake Travis Fire Rescue. The lightning bolt that likely caused the fire was recorded by KXAN First Warning Weather radar at 12:39 p.m.Fire caused by lightning strike burns home in Lakeway on June 8. (Photo courtesy: Jim Ellis via ReportIt) KXAN First Warning Weather Radar showing the lightning strike that likely caused the Lakeway house fire on June 8. Fire fighters with the Lake Travis Fire Department on the scene of a house fire caused by lightning on June 8. (Courtesy: Lake Travis Fire Department)No injuries were reported, according to the tweet.

APD: Man dies in June 1 auto-ped crash on Hwy 290

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said Thursday a man died after being hit by a pick-up truck on the night of June 1. According to APD, the crash happened around 9:20 p.m. in the 6100 block of the eastbound service road of East U.S. Hwy. 290. That is just east of William Cannon Drive and Williamson Creek in southwest Austin. Police said the unidentified man died at the scene. The driver of the pick-up truck remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, according to APD.APD said this is Austin's 43rd fatal crash of 2023, resulting in 43 fatalities for the year. Anyone with information should call APD's Vehicular Homicide unit at 512-974-8111. You can also submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program on the web or by calling 512-472-8477.