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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene targeted by failed Christmas swatting attempt

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM (Associated Press)Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was the target of a swatting attempt at her Georgia residence on Christmas morning, the congresswoman and local police said, marking the latest instance of someone calling in a fake emergency to draw armed officers or SWAT teams to her home.The Rome Police Department quickly verified that the call was a hoax and did not send officers to the house, department spokesperson Kelly Madden said.“I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here. My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this,” Greene wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.A man in New York called the Georgia suicide hotline just before 11 a.m. Monday, claiming that he had shot his girlfriend at Greene’s home and was going to kill himself next, Madden said. The call was quickly transferred to police when suicide hotline responders recognized the Georgia congresswoma...

What to know before the Holiday Bowl and parade: Road closures, parking

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO — With the passing of Christmas, San Diegans are gearing up for another local tradition: the Holiday Bowl and Holiday Bowl Parade.City officials are estimating that over 35,000 people will flock to downtown for the annual college football event and extended festivities this Wednesday.The Holiday Bowl parade kicks off the day at 10 a.m. along the Embarcadero, featuring balloons, floats and world-class marching bands. Then, at 5 p.m., the Louisville Cardinals (ACC) and USC Trojans (Pac-12) will meet in Petco Park for the bowl, followed by the KGB Sky Show.The stadium's gates will be open at 3 p.m. for fans headed to the Holiday Bowl game. The first 10,000 fans who enter the gate will be given one-day park tickets for SeaWorld San Diego, so those going may want to get to the stadium early. Holiday travel in full swing across San Diego Whether you are attending or live in the area, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Holiday Bowl festivities — from road cl...

This San Diego County bakery represents California on Yelp's best holiday desserts list

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

BONITA, Calif. -- A San Diego County bakery is representing California on a new Yelp list of best holiday desserts across the country. The fresh fruit strudel at Hans & Harry’s Bakery in Bonita, California, has made the list put together by Yelp of best holiday desserts you can find in each state. More freebies from Starbucks? Yes, please Maybe you're traveling and want to check out a new dessert in another state, or maybe you live locally or are traveling to San Diego County for the holidays, Yelp's "Crumbs Across America: A state-by-state guide to the best holiday desserts" list features a holiday dessert in every state across the country. Other bakeries featured along the West Coast: Candy Cane Crunch Brownie at Fairytale Brownies Phoenix, Arizona; Cranberry Cream Cheese Loaf at Freed’s Bakery in Las Vegas, Nevada;Pumpkin Custard Pie at Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen in Honolulu, Hawaii; Chocolate Pecan Pie at Snohomish Pie Company in Mountlake Terrace, Washington; Snowball Co...

What to do with old Christmas trees in San Diego

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Christmas trees are lit up, presents are under the tree and you may still be doing some last minute shopping. The holiday season is in full swing as we head into Christmas Eve this weekend. Although you may not be thinking just yet about what to do with your tree after the holidays, the City of San Diego is, and is ready to accept Christmas trees part of its recycling program. ‘Tis the season: What to do this holiday season in San Diego County Whether you're one of those who keeps your tree up for weeks after the holidays or maybe you take it down the next day or right after New Year's Day, you can recycle real Christmas trees for free in San Diego through the end of January. The City of San Diego will kick off its 50th annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program starting the day after Christmas (Dec. 26). Where is Santa? Here’s how to track him City of San Diego residents can drop off real Christmas trees to one of 16 locations through Jan. 23, 2024:Carmel Valle...

SIU investigating death of man in Lakefield

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the death of a 40-year-old man on Tuesday morning in Lakefield.Preliminary information suggests that at approximately 1:30 a.m., a woman contacted Peterborough police to report that her son was in distress at an apartment on Queen Street in Lakefield.Upon arrival, an officer saw the man holding a baseball bat outside of the apartment. The man struck the officer with the bat, then went back inside the apartment.Additional officers arrived on scene, and attempted to communicate with the man to no avail. Officers breached the apartment door and located the man in the kitchen in medical distress.Officers and emergency medics provided first aid, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.Three investigators and one forensic investigator have been assigned to the case. The SIU asks anyone with information about the investigation, including video or photos, to contact them.

As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly three years after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and cable news: suitcases filled with ballots, late-night ballot dumps, dead people voting.Experts warn it will likely be worse in the coming presidential election contest. The safeguards that attempted to counter the bogus claims the last time are eroding, while the tools and systems that create and spread them are only getting stronger.Many Americans, egged on by former President Donald Trump, have continued to push the unsupported idea that elections throughout the U.S. can’t be trusted. A majority of Republicans (57%) believe Democrat Joe Biden was not legitimately elected president.Meanwhile, generative artificial intelligence tools have made it far cheaper and easier to spread the kind of misinformation that can mislead voters and potentially influence elections. And social media companies that once inv...

Tis the season for giving: A guide for how to give, even a little

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

Christmas is over, but giving season for nonprofits is just starting to peak.The end of the calendar year is when nonprofits make appeals far and wide to attract donors — in part because of holiday traditions or, for some, tax advantages. Nonprofits get about 30% of their annual donations in December — including 10% in the final three days of the year — according to marketing agency Nonprofits Source.“This is one of the busiest times of the year for us as we assist donors with their year-end giving,” said Erin Musgrave, a spokesperson for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.Many potential donors don’t realize how much nonprofits value even small gifts, especially local organizations that meet community needs. And nonprofits and industry groups warn that donations are down this year, so gifts right now could help them a lot.Only 11% of Americans itemize their taxes, which allows them to claim significant tax deductions for charitable donations. That means most Americans don...

For a new generation of indie rock acts, country music is king

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer-songwriter Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine,” plays out like a whispered dirge.The song is gothic lounge music for a listener who only has about two minutes to have their heart broken — a silky soft slow burn stacked with a choir, organ, bass and most critically, pedal steel guitar, the kind favored by country and western purists.In no way does that description scream “mainstream hit,” and yet, for 12 weeks, it has been on the Billboard Hot 100, an unusual metric of success for a wholly independent artist. And for 10 weeks, her indie rock-meets-chamber pop-meets-country held the No. 1 position on Billboard’s TikTok trending chart.Mitski is not from the American South, though her discography has long considered small town U.S.A. and she relocated to Nashville a few years ago to mine the geography’s humanity. (“Valentine, Texas” from last year’s “Laurel Hell” album is an example, but there are many.) She is, of course, not the first indie artist to explore wee...

6-year-old boy traveling to visit grandma for Christmas put on wrong Spirit flight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A 6-year-old boy who left on a flight for the Christmas holiday to visit his grandmother in southwest Florida instead was put on the wrong plane and ended up 160 miles away in Orlando, Florida.When the grandmother, Maria Ramos, showed up on Thursday at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers to greet her grandson who was flying for the first time from Philadelphia, she was told he wasn’t on the Spirit Airlines flight. “I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me,’” Ramos told WINK News.She then got a call from her grandson from the airport in Orlando, telling her that he had landed.An email was sent to Spirit Airlines on Tuesday morning seeking comment.In a statement to WINK News, Spirit Airlines said the boy was under the care and supervision of an airlines employee the entire time, even though he was incorrectl...

Search for girl who fell into Quebec river now a recovery mission as it enters Day 5

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:44 GMT

DOLBEAU-MISTASSINI, Que. — Quebec provincial police say the search for a four-year-old girl who fell into a river last week is no longer a rescue operation, but a recovery mission.The child has been missing since Friday, when she fell into the Mistassibi River in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Que. — about 240 kilometres north of Quebec City — while sledding with her mother near the riverbank.It’s Day 5 of the police search for the girl, which included a ground team, a helicopter and, until Monday, diving teams.Police have only been pausing their efforts during the night for security reasons.Spokesperson Sgt. Hugues Beaulieu says officers will continue to survey the riverbanks today while a nautical team monitors the river downstream.Provincial police published photos on Monday of the clothes the girl was wearing — including a rainbow-patterned coat and violet snow pants — and asked members of the public to report any sightings along the river.This report by The Canadian Press was first ...