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Trudy Rubin: After the Ukraine dam disaster, NATO must make Putin pay for his war crimes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

When Ukraine’s U.N. ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya addressed a special Security Council session on Tuesday about the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, he confronted his Russian counterpart as “the representative of Putin’s terrorist regime … that has detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction.”That says it all.Who can doubt that it was Moscow that unleashed the largest man-made disaster in Europe since the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl? But Chernobyl — another Russian desecration of Ukrainian soil — was caused by Soviet incompetence. This massive ecological crime was deliberate.By destroying the dam, Vladimir Putin meant to impede Ukraine’s counteroffensive to drive Russia out of occupied Ukrainian territory, a critical undertaking which has just gotten started.He must not be allowed to succeed.Ukrainian forces will now be unable to cross the flooded Dnipro River with armored vehicles in coming weeks (although this approa...

Twins focus on two-strike approach as strikeouts pile up

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

TORONTO — The Twins entered Friday’s series opener with Toronto on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them under .500 for the first time this season. During that stretch, the Twins, who are on pace to set a single-season strikeout record, scored just six runs.So, what’s the focus as they try to course correct?Their two-strike approach has been a prominent topic of conversation in recent days.“Our glaring weakness is with two strikes. That’s something we need to get better on. I take full responsibility for that,” hitting coach David Popkins said. “We’ve got to better prepare and execute in those situations.  Some of that is when things go bad in baseball, it starts to get a little mental. Everyone is pressing and they want to get it done so bad, and they get a little tight in those situations. Some of that is on our end. We need to do a better job as a staff and myself especially in preparing them for those situations.”The Twins, who entered Friday leading the majors in whif...

Lawmakers ramping up efforts to regulate AI

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers are slowly ramping up efforts to regulate artificial intelligence.Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) says as a matter of national security, the number one priority must be setting up guardrails within the military here and abroad."Once it's out of the box, it's hard to put it back in," he said.Moulton says he fears that the U.S. government isn't prepared to protect the nations from dangers posed by AI."The risk is not from like-minded nations the risk is from adversaries like Russia like China will totally disregard the moral norms that we have for using weapons like this," he said.AI developers warn, left in the wrong hands, their tools pose an existential threat to humanity. Moulton says he told the Pentagon about these very risks three years ago."What we need is actually a Geneva Conventions type of an agreement that all nations, friend and foe alike, agree to," he said.On Thursday, the UK prime minister and President Biden signed an agreement pledging t...

National Grid employees help build bed frames for kids in need

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- National Grid partnered with a local organization to help build beds for children in the Capital Region. Forty National Grid employees spent the day Friday sanding, drilling, and crafting 50 bed frames for the non-profit Sleep in Heavenly Peace.According to the organization, at least two percent of children in the United States do not have a bed of their own. Experts said a lack of sleep can increase a child's risk for diabetes, obesity, and anxiety. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "Childhood bedlessness is a big problem that a lot of the time goes under the radar, and it's a national problem where kids don't have a safe comfortable place to sleep at night," Maureen Neufeld with Sleep in Heavenly Peace said. "It impacts their growth, their ability to learn. Everything ties into a good night's sleep."Sleep in Heavenly Peace also donates mattresses, pillows and blankets to children who need them. Fami...

Saratoga Springs to open new homeless shelter

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Saratoga Springs has been looking for a location to help their homeless population. Mayor Ron Kim says this problem goes back to before his term.“It all starts with Woodlawn Garage. I remember when I was running for election, I got a question on Woodlawn Garage and I literally did not have a response to it," described Kim. Local agency offers solutions to Saratoga homeless concerns Years later, Kim and his team have now approved a contract to have RISE, housing and support services, operate the shelter on 4 Adelphi Street. The city plans to have those staying at the parking garage be moved to the building and then look into long-term help.“We do have a continuum of housing for folks. All the way from group homes to independent apartments to affordable housing," explained Executive Director of RISE, Sybil Newell. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Residents say they are happy to see the city m...

Hometown Heroes honored in Guilderland

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

GUILDERLAND, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local community is continuing an annual program honoring local veterans and active duty military service members. Guilderland has placed banners honoring hometown heroes in Tawasentha Park for the past six years. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Town leaders and the American Legion hosted a dedication ceremony Friday morning for the eight new names added this year. Organizers said military veterans often aren't recognized, and they wanted to do something to change that."They're heroes because they served. They're heroes because they sacrificed. They're heroes because they succeeded in keeping us safe."Banners from those who were honored in previous years will also be on display.

Troy FD receiving federal funding for gear upgrades

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local fire department is receiving federal funding for equipment upgrades. The Troy Fire Department was awarded about $128,000 through a grant program meant to help first responders. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The department can use the funding to buy new equipment that removes carcinogens from firefighting gear. Studies show cancer rates among firefighters in upstate New York have been increasing, and officials want to reduce their risk.

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott grants $1 million to Colorado early education nonprofit

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

By Sara Martin, Chalkbeat ColoradoBillionaire MacKenzie Scott has awarded $1 million to a small, low-profile Colorado non-profit, whose leaders remain a bit stunned.Related ArticlesEducation | Denver school board considering whether to rescind 2020 policy barring police on campuses Education | Denver school board set to revisit 2020 ban on armed police in schools Education | Former DPS superintendent Susana Cordova poised to become Colorado’s next education commissioner Education | Colorado speller remains in Scripps National Spelling Bee after 3 rounds, advances to quarterfinals Education | Colorado teen flouts school policy, wears Mexican and U.S. flag sash to graduation “The whole thing was very surreal,” said Heather Tritten, executive director of Parent Possible, which provides support for early childhood services. “When I look at who else has been funded in Colorado — organizations that...

Nuggets’ Michael Malone before NBA Finals Game 4: “Michael Porter is not coming out of the lineup”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

MIAMI — The question wasn’t about Michael Porter Jr. — it wasn’t even about present day — but Michael Malone has a way of segueing any news conference topic into the real message he wants to get across.In this unprompted example: his trust in the struggling Porter.“Right now, people want Michael Porter out of the lineup,” Malone said before Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. “Michael Porter is not coming out of the lineup, man.”The question was about how Malone learned to trust Jamal Murray, dating back to a 2019 playoff game vs. the Spurs in which Murray started a game poorly but found his stroke in the second half. Malone said he knows it’s common for people to panic and clamor for a lineup change when someone isn’t playing well.Porter was 3 for 19 from 3-point range in this series as Malone spoke, emphasizing there has been “zero discussion about making any changes” to Denver’s starting five.“We would ...

Los Angeles City Council approves 'sanctuary city' ordinance

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:16:49 GMT

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday unanimously approved a motion to make Los Angeles a “sanctuary city” for immigrants.The motion directs the city attorneys to prepare an ordinance that would enshrine the sanctuary policies into the city’s municipal code to ensure that no “city resources, property, or personnel are used for federal immigration enforcement,” according to a news release. L.A. City Council votes to expand anti-camping law to include Woodland Hills encampments The motion also directs other city departments to report ways Los Angeles could limit direct and indirect data sharing with federal immigration authorities.In the past, the city council passed a symbolic resolution declaring that L.A. was a sanctuary city, but no sanctuary policies were written into law.Migrant rights groups hold candles during a vigil to protest against Donald Trump's crackdown on "sanctuary cities" outside the City Hall in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2017.(Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images...