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Montana gov. signs bill banning TikTok; challenge expected

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

By Amy Beth Hanson and Haleluya Hadero | Associated PressHELENA, Mont. — Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app.The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has said it will fight for Montana residents to be able to use the app.Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chi...

Harry and Meghan’s cab driver in paparazzi ordeal ‘wouldn’t call it a chase,’ as NYPD downplays the danger

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

Queen Elizabeth III’s famous statement, “recollections may vary,” might apply to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s claim that they became prey Tuesday night to a “near catastrophic” pursuit by paparazzi through the streets of New York, with photographers allegedly causing multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.While Harry and Meghan’s spokesperson described a two-hour ordeal that is reminiscent of “The French Connection,” New York City police officials and a taxi driver briefly enlisted to help the couple evade the paparazzi offered far less dramatic accounts. A NYPD spokesperson agreed that there were numerous photographers following the couple Tuesday night, which made their “transport challenging.” But the spokesperson, Julian Philips, also said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination safely and there were no reported collisions or injuries and no one was a...

Woman arrested after meth, thousands in cash seized in Santa Rosa drug bust

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was arrested Wednesday for being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in Santa Rosa, the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) said in an alert. The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Santa Rosa resident Maria Mondragon. Man arrested after stabbing at Safeway parking lot in Santa Rosa: police Mondragon was arrested around 10:40 a.m. when she was in her car on the 1100 block of Sebastopol Road. Authorities then served a search warrant and found six ounces of suspected meth packaged for sale and approximately $6,770 in cash (pictured above), according to SRPD. SRPD detectives began their investigation into a local meth distributor back in January of this year. They eventually identified the suspect to be Mondragon. Mondragon was booked into Sonoma County Jail for possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance for sale. Her bail is currently set at $250,000, according to Sonoma County Jail records. KRON On is s...

Md. man leads Virginia State police on chase in stolen SUV, rams into trooper car

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

The disabled Virginia State Police SUV that was rammed multiple times during a stolen car pursuit on May 17, 2023. (Courtesy Virginia State Police)Police say a man from Brooklyn, Maryland, stole an SUV from a dealership in Prince William County, Virginia, on Wednesday morning, ramming into a Virginia State trooper vehicle multiple times after leading them on a chase.Prince William County police said that a GMC Yukon from the Koons dealership on Richmond Highway was reported stolen around 10:40 a.m. A detective located the vehicle and attempted to arrest the driver, but he fled the scene, according to police.The vehicle headed north, where the Virginia State Police identified the stolen SUV as it was headed into Fairfax County on Route 1.A state trooper activated his emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop, but the SUV driver would not stop and sped off, according to officials. The trooper pursued the stolen vehicle, and officers said the driver rammed the state trooper...

Outman hits grand slam to propel Dodgers to 7-3 victory over Twins

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Outman hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo homered for the Twins, who dropped two of the three in a matchup of division leaders.The Dodgers trailed 3-2 in the seventh before scoring five runs all with two outs. Will Smith tied it after Emilio Pagan walked Miguel Vargas with the bases loaded and Outman put them on top when he drove a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center. It was the rookie outfielder’s ninth home run of the season and second career grand slam.José De León (0-1) took the loss after he allowed two-out base hits to Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh. Brusdar Graterol (2-1) got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in what was largely a bullpen game for the Dodgers. Starter Dustin May left after the first inning due to right elbow pain. May had Tommy John Surgery two years ago.Manager Dave Roberts said af...

Plebes no more! Naval Academy students complete famed ‘Herndon Climb’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

It started and ended with the shot of a cannon.After all the grease was wiped away, the class of 2026 at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, were plebes no more—now midshipmen and women.It was 21 feet to glory for the annual Herndon Climb, where first-year students are tasked with scaling a greased monument — erected in honor of Cmdr. William “Bill” Herndon — to knock off the “dixie cup” on top, and plant the hat of an upperclassman on top of the marker in its place.(new Image()).src = "https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384&cid=c2ffed0c-3624-46c0-b10f-97c976d290a3";cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "9be9c680-c459-4acb-af21-654a2ccca384",mediaId: "c9893ec4-62d9-4808-9776-85267fdb84be"}).render("7219b17b87c54a749d1a961410c888f5"); });It took a little over two and half hours on a brisk Wednesday morning, with older midshipmen dousing plebes with water the whole time, for the first-year academy studen...

Independent candidate becomes first elected Black mayor of Colorado Springs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

DENVER (AP) — An independent candidate defeated a longtime Republican office holder to become the first elected Black mayor in Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second largest with a history of being a conservative stronghold. The victory on Tuesday night of?” Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant and entrepreneur who has never held elected office before, is the latest political setback for Republicans in a state that was once a battleground state. But that doesn’t mean a shift to the left.Mobolade, who picked up the endorsements of some prominent Republicans, focused on issues like hiring more police officers, reating affordable housing, conserving water and cutting red tape for businesses.He said people he met while campaigning are interested in solutions to everyday problems that respond to their needs, not partisanship.“That same hunger is not only in Colorado Springs but it’s across the country,” Mobolade told The Associated Press on Wednesday. He has compared the po...

New Mexico gunman who killed 3 wore bulletproof vest, left note

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A high school student who killed three women in northwestern New Mexico with an indiscriminate spray of gunfire left a cryptic note presaging “the end of the chapter” and wore a bulletproof vest that he discarded before being shot to death by police, authorities said Wednesday.Police added new details to the profile of the lone gunman and the weaponry he used as he walked through his residential neighborhood before being confronted by officers and fatally shot outside a church. The shooter discharged more than 190 rounds during the rampage, according to authorities, most of them from the home he shared with his father.Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a news conference that 18-year-old Beau Wilson was wearing what appeared to be a modified vest with steel plates and that the note was found in his pocket. Handwritten in green lettering, the message said in part, “if your reading this im the end of the chapter.”Wilson began shooting with an AR-1...

Gurriel scores go-ahead run in 9th to lead Diamondbacks past A’s, 5-3

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the ninth with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jose Herrera to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday for their fifth win in six games.Christian Walker and Corbin Carroll homered as Arizona took two of three from Oakland in the series despite the bullpen giving up another late lead. Gurriel led off the ninth with a double off Shintaro Fujinami (1-5) for his seventh straight game with an extra-base hit. Two walks loaded the bases before Herrera’s drive to right off Adrian Martinez allowed Gurriel to score easily.Ketel Marte added an RBI single.Jose Ruiz (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win. Miguel Castro pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. The A’s have lost all eight home series this season.Arizona starter Ryne Nelson allowed a leadoff double to Esteury Ruiz in the first inning and didn’t give up another hit in 5 1-3 scoreless innings....

FinVolution: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:10 GMT

SHANGHAI (AP) — SHANGHAI (AP) — FinVolution Group (FINV) on Wednesday reported net income of $101.3 million in its first quarter.On a per-share basis, the Shanghai-based company said it had net income of 35 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 36 cents per share.The online consumer finance marketplace provider posted revenue of $444.2 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 FINV at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FINVSource