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Superfund town’s health clinic accused of submitting false asbestos claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren’t sick, earning them lifetime government benefits and bilking taxpayer funds.The case focuses on the Center For Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, and the health clinic’s high-profile doctor, Brad Black, who has been at the forefront of efforts to help residents of the town, which came to national prominence when it was declared a deadly Superfund site in 2000.Since 2003, Black and the CARD clinic have certified more than 3,400 people, primarily from the Libby area, with asbestos-related diseases.BNSF Railway — controlled by billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate — has alleged during a trial taking place in Missoula that more than half the certifications were based on false medical submissions fr...

Taika Waititi’s soccer pic ‘Next Goal Wins’ set for Toronto Film Festival premiere

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy “ Next Goal Wins ” will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall, organizers said Wednesday.The Searchlight Pictures film is based on a true story and stars Michael Fassbender as a Dutch-American soccer coach assigned to help the struggling American Samoa national team in its quest to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The team at that point was best known for suffering the worst loss in international football history — a 31 to 0 game against Australia in 2001.Waititi and co-writer Iain Morris based the film off of a 2014 British documentary of the same name, from Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, which chronicled the comeback attempt. The new film also stars Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, Will Arnett and Elisabeth Moss.“Next Goal Wins” is the first major Hollywood film this year to stake its claim on the busy fall film festival season, where many studios debut awards hopefuls. Waititi’s last film to premiere at Toronto, “Joj...

South African court rules against government over ending permits for nearly 200,000 Zimbabweans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African court on Wednesday ruled against the government and ordered it to reconsider its decision to terminate the special permits allowing nearly 200,000 Zimbabwe nationals to live and work in the country.The government’s decision was set to force Zimbabweans to return home if they didn’t obtain regular work visas, even if they have children who were born in South Africa and are South African citizens.In its ruling, the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria said the Department of Home Affairs’ decision in 2022 to end the special exemption for citizens from neighboring Zimbabwe was “unlawful” and “unconstitutional” because it didn’t follow “a fair process” of consultation.The permits were extended until at least June 28 next year under the court ruling.The department initially set a deadline of June 30 this year — Friday — for the termination of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit system. That deadline was recently extended to the end of the ye...

Rachel Garcia wins Athletes Unlimited AUX softball championship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Pitcher Rachel Garcia is the 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball champion.The former UCLA standout scored 1,392 points to finish atop the group of 42 players in the individual competition. She compiled a 4-1 record, led the league with a 3.19 earned run average and set an AUX single-season record with 34 strikeouts over 37.1 innings.Middle infielder Aubrey Leach placed second with 1,158 points and designated player Mia Davidson finished third with 1,122 points.Infielder Jessie Warren was voted 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Defensive MVP.Athletes Unlimited said the final two games were canceled due to poor air quality in the Chicago area from the Canadian wildfires on Tuesday evening.The Athletes Unlimited championship season will run from July 28 to August 27 in Rosemont, Illinois. ___AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Source

Dive Bar Semiformal? Couple ditches traditional wedding dress code at Denver wedding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — “Space Disco Cowboy.” “Yacht Shabbat.” “Burning Man Formal”? More couples are tossing tradition when it comes to what wedding guests should wear, to some befuddlement among invitees.Maggie Long, 34, recently attended the nuptials of a close friend in a low-key Denver lounge. The suggested dress? “Dive Bar Semiformal.” Should you buy now, pay later for your wedding? “I love a theme,” said Long, who lives in New York. "It's fun that people aren't taking weddings so seriously, but I had no idea what that meant."After exchanging thoughts for months with the officiant, who is also a friend, Long took her outfit idea — a strappy-back, low-cut ultra-mini purple dress with a high side slit — to the bride. The bride deemed it a bit too “Kardashian cosplay.” Long finally settled on a longer gold lamé dress by Norma Kamali, and a great time was had.“There were a lot of vintage jumpsuits. One of our friends went full 1960s with go-go boots and a bouffant. A lot of se...

These cities have the most expensive homes in Colorado

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers. High mortgage rates are also making monthly payments more expensive; as of June 15, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits at 6.69%.Although home prices have inflated all across the U.S., there are some cities that command a higher price tag than others. Location, size, age, and condition are all contributing factors to home value. Where is Denver’s cheapest Big Mac? Stacker compiled a list of cities with the most expensive homes in Colorado using data from Zillow. Cities are ranked by the Zillow Home Values Index for all homes as of May 2023. The charts in this story were created automatically using Matplotlib.Which metros have the most cities in the top 30 for most expensive homes in Colorado?Data as of May 2023.Denver-Aur...

A record number of pedestrians died in Colorado car crashes last year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- More pedestrians are dying in Colorado car crashes than ever before, according to a release from the Colorado Department of Transportation, and the trend doesn't seem to be slowing.Crash fatalities reached a new record in general in 2022, with 757 lives lost altogether. The COVID pandemic ushered in several years during which crashes rose as people drove more recklessly and aggressively despite driving less than before. Colorado traffic deaths spiked even though people are driving less Nationally, the number of traffic fatalities jumped by 19% from 2019 to 2022. The issue is worse in Colorado than in most other states. Colorado’s traffic fatalities rose by 27% between 2019 and 2022, tied with Arkansas and Illinois for the ninth-highest increase among states.The trend hasn't only involved drivers. There were 111 pedestrian traffic deaths in Colorado in 2022, an all-time high for the second year in a row. There were 94 pedestrian traffic deaths in 2021, which set t...

DPD uses Bike to Work Day to register riders for theft prevention app

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Wednesday had great weather for biking to work but lingering impacts from the recent rain meant several trails were flooded.Some people decided to continue through while others opted for a detour.Still, with a high volume of people riding through the city officers from the Denver Police Department took advantage of the opportunity to remind them about theft prevention. East Coast storms blamed for United Airlines delays and cancellations in Colorado “A lot of people don't realize that their bikes have a VIN, like a serial number, on them. So you can see a bike that you think might be yours, but because we don't know that, there's no specific identifier on it that shows that is in fact your bike. That's one of the biggest struggles that we have is we can recover [stolen] bikes but how do we A) know they're stolen and B) get them back,” said Amanda Grodman, DPD technician.In 2022, more than 400 recovered bicycles were not claimed or returned to their owners, often d...

City of Miami completes 250-foot seawall in Brickell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

There was a seawall celebration in Miami. The City of Miami marked the completion of a new seawall in Brickell, Wednesday. The project includes a 250-foot seawall and a baywalk with lighting for pedestrians and benches. The new walkway will be connected to existing baywalks.

Privacy fears dominate launch of digital euro plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

BRUSSELS ― When the European Commission unveiled draft legislation paving the way for a digital version of the euro, its jitters over how to allay privacy concerns were only too apparent.“This is not a Big Brother project,” Finance Commissioner Mairead McGuinness told reporters on Wednesday after presenting what, if it becomes a reality, will be a virtual extension of euro banknotes and coins and which will settle payments across the eurozone in seconds.Supporters say the digital euro goes beyond providing a public good and will ensure the currency and European Central Bank remain relevant in a digital economy, where cryptocurrencies circulate and big tech companies dream of printing their own money.But critics fear it will give governments a way to snoop on buying behavior. At the extreme end, conspiracy theorists portray the digital euro as a covert plan to phase out cash and monitor people’s shopping habits.Unease about how to sell the project was underscored by a last-minute att...