Latest news with #HeatIndex
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three Slidell teens indicted in death of St. Tammany Parish Sergeant Grant Candies
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Three Slidell teenagers were indicted on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the death of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office Sergeant Grant Candies. According to the 22nd Judicial District Court, on March 25, Candies was hit and killed while deploying a spike strip to stop a vehicle in a high-speed pursuit. Bounty hunter believes escaped inmate Antoine Massey's days are numbered In connection to the investigation, 17-year-old Adrian Waughtal, 17-year-old Mason Fischer and 18-year-old Michael Lanier were indicted and face the following charges. Waughtal: Second-degree murder. Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer. Aggravated flight from an officer. Aggravated obstruction of a highway. Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence. Conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Fischer: Second-degree murder. Aggravated flight from an officer. Aggravated obstruction of a highway. Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence. Conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Lanier: Manslaughter. Obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence. Conspiracy to distribute marijuana. Court officials say that, although the murder of a police officer allows for the potential imposition of the death penalty in Louisiana, due to a United States Supreme Court ruling, the death penalty would be off the table for the three suspects, as they were all under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed. New Orleans jail escapee releases videos, prompting search of home where they were made, source says The suspects' arraignment is scheduled for July could lose health insurance with GOP's 'big, beautiful bill?' Senate GOP talks cutting Medicare 'waste, fraud' to offset cost of Trump tax bill Judge blocks deportation of Boulder suspect's family as DHS prepares removal Thunderstorm potential as Heat Index reaches triple digits Judicial nominees appear before Senate Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hot Temperatures, Isolated T-storms & chance for Severe Weather continues for Memorial Day Weekend
Hot temperatures, humidity and isolated thunderstorms sums up the remainder of your Memorial Day Weekend. More thunderstorms to come for Saturday evening between 7-10 p.m. north of I-12. Pearl River and Hancock counties along with Washington, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes continue to be at a MARGINAL risk for severe weather particularly for damaging wind gusts, large hail and the chance for a tornado if the situation is right. It'll be quiet through Saturday night heading into Sunday morning reaching a low of 78-degrees, but it'll become toasty again for Sunday with a high nearing the 90-degree mark and isolated thunderstorms throughout the day. Although, no parts of our area will be at risk for severe weather. Memorial Day Monday will be pretty similar to Sunday in regards to temperatures and the chance for isolated thunderstorms. Also, the Heat Index will make it feel like almost 100-degrees so if you plan to be out and about, please be sure to stay hydrated, limit your time outdoors and 'rock the 'block' (or sunscreen). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Toronto Star
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Book reviews for books that don't exist? More proof why journalists must be careful when using AI
Chicago-based freelance journalist Marco Buscaglia had a week from hell that began with some nasty emails he received on his cellphone early Monday. In a nutshell, the blowback he received from readers that morning at 6 a.m. pertained to an article he wrote earlier this year that was published last Sunday, about the top books to read this summer. That article contained major errors — several of the books, 10 of 15 that he listed, don't exist at all. Readers immediately spotted the problems. It's the kind of calamity that gives many of us in the media shivers. As it turns out, Buscaglia relied on content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to write his article. The AI he used, including a tool named Claude, contained bad information. Buscaglia's erroneous article was featured in a special 'advertorial' section called the Heat Index guide to the best of summer, syndicated by a third party and picked up by two widely read U.S. newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. It was disastrous for Buscaglia, 56, a veteran in journalism for 33 years. He told me in a telephone interview this week from his base in Chicago that he takes full responsibility for what went wrong here, admitting that he didn't do his due diligence by fact-checking the information he gleaned from AI. 'The fact that I completely dropped the ball on this, (not) checking up on it, makes me feel awful and incredibly embarrassed,' he said. He later added: 'I didn't do the leg work to follow up and make sure all this stuff was legit.' While he sat in bed reading those awful emails Monday and pieced together what had happened, he felt like a 'cartoon character' blasted through the stomach by a cannon ball, walking around with a gigantic hole in his stomach for the rest of the day. 'I was devastated,' he said. 'It's been a couple of really bad days here, but I can't say I don't deserve it.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Paramount in his thoughts was the notion that what he did fell well below the standards of the Inquirer and Sun-Times. While AI can be a powerful tool that can assist journalists in some scenarios, as public editor I would state that this unfortunate case demonstrates that AI can also be quite fraught. AI can contain flaws and must be handled with caution by journalists. When things go wrong, like the books fiasco, it can undermine the media's credibility in a climate where public trust is already shaky. The special Heat Index section was produced and licensed by a U.S. operation, King Features, which is owned by the large magazine outlet, Hearst. A spokesperson for the company that owns the Sun-Times said in a statement that the content was provided by the third party and not reviewed by the Sun-Times, but these oversight steps will be looked into more carefully for the future and a new AI policy is also being worked on for the Sun-Times. Buscaglia said he had used AI before writing his book summaries and was familiar with AI 'from a layman's' perspective: he assumed it was akin to a 'glorified search engine.' It was only after his mishap this week that he delved deeper into how this technology works. He told me that's when he felt 'incredibly naïve' and that he should have known more about AI while using it. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Generative artificial intelligence relies on large language models (LLMs) to create content, such as images, text and graphics. These LLMs are trained by massive amounts of digital data 'scraped' from the internet. Flaws with AI come when incidents, sometimes called 'hallucinations' occur. That's where AI simply invents facts. This has even caused significant problems in court here in Canada where, in one example, a lawyer relied on legal cases 'invented' by AI tool ChatGPT. Full disclosure: the Star uses AI for processes such as tracking traffic to our website, But we have a strict AI policy — internal and in our publicly accessible Torstar Journalistic Standards Guide. Among the rules stated: human verification of any AI-generated information or content is always required in our newsrooms. In addition, all original journalism must originate and be authored by a human. AI 'must not be used as a primary source for facts or information.' Since stepping into her role last summer, Nicole MacIntyre, the Star's editor-in-chief has spoken publicly about her concerns around AI and its impact on journalism. 'I said then — and still believe — that we must harness the benefits of this technology cautiously, with public trust always at the forefront. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Since then, I've immersed myself in the topic, watching closely as newsrooms around the world experiment with AI. I've seen the risks, including some very public missteps that have shaken reader confidence. But I've also seen what's possible when this technology is used responsibly and with purpose,' MacIntyre told me. She went on to say the Star's AI guidelines protect our commitment to people-powered journalism. 'With the right guard rails, I'm excited about the possibilities,' she added.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Summer reading list featured in Chicago Sun-Times, Philadelphia Inquirer created by AI — and filled with nonexistent books
The recommended reading list contained some works of fiction. It also contained some works that were, in fact, actually fictional. The content distributor King Features says it has fired a writer who used artificial intelligence to produce a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn't exist. The list appeared in 'Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer,' a special section distributed in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer last week. 4 The content distributor King Features says it fired a writer who used artificial intelligence to write a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn't exist. Chicago Sun-Times More than half of the books listed were fake, according to the piece's author, Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI for help in his research but didn't double-check what it produced. 'A really stupid error on my part,' Buscaglia wrote on his Facebook page. AI has bedeviled some news organizations It's the latest instance of an AI shortcut backfiring and embarrassing news organizations. Sports Illustrated was caught in 2023 listing nonexistent authors for product reviews carried on its website. The Gannett news service had to pause an experiment using AI for sports stories after errors were discovered. 'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance contract creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI,' the syndicators King Features said in a statement, noting it has a strict policy against using AI to create material. Only the Sun-Times and Inquirer have used the supplement, the organization said. 4 Sports Illustrated was caught in 2023 for using AI and listing nonexistent authors. REUTERS The syndicators King Features distributes comics like 'Blondie' and 'Beetle Bailey,' political columns from Amy Goodman and Rich Lowry, and advice features like 'Hints From Heloise.' Among the summer reading suggestions was 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir, described as 'a science-driven thriller following a programmer who discovers an AI system has developed consciousness' and been secretly influencing world events. 'Nightshade Market,' by Min Jin Lee, was said to be a 'riveting tale set in Seoul's underground economy.' Both authors are real, but the books aren't. 'I have not written and will not be writing a novel called 'Nightshade Market,'' Lee posted on X. 4 Only the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer have used the supplement, Kings Features said. Getty Images The Sun-Times said it was investigating whether any other inaccurate information was included in the 'Heat Index' supplement, and reviewing its relationships with other content partners. 'We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges,' the newspaper said. 'This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.' Both the Sun-Times and Inquirer said they have removed the supplement from its digital editions. The Inquirer special section was published on May 15. 4 The Sun-Times said it was investigating if other inaccurate details were included in the 'Heat Index' supplement, and reviewing its relationships with other content partners. AP Syndicated features are common for newspapers The Inquirer has used King Features for comics, puzzles and other material for more than 40 years, said Lisa Hughes, its publisher and CEO. 'The Inquirer newsroom is not involved in the production of these syndicated features, nor was it involved in creating Heat Index,' she said. The blunder was first reported by the tech publication 404 Media. It was not clear who at King Features had responsibility for editing Bascaglia's material. The Chicago-based writer said on Facebook that 'I am completely at fault here — just an awful oversight and a horrible mistake.' 'I'm not really sure I bounce back from this situation career-wise,' he said. 'I have a lot of stories left in me but I am fully accountable for what happened and will have to endure the effects, whatever they may be.'
The Hill
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Fictional fiction: A newspaper's summer book list recommends nonexistent books. Blame AI
NEW YORK (AP) — The recommended reading list contained some works of fiction. It also contained some works that were, in fact, actually fictional. The content distributor King Features says it has fired a writer who used artificial intelligence to produce a story on summer reading suggestions that contained books that didn't exist. The list appeared in 'Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer,' a special section distributed in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer last week. More than half of the books listed were fake, according to the piece's author, Marco Buscaglia, who admitted to using AI for help in his research but didn't double-check what it produced. 'A really stupid error on my part,' Buscaglia wrote on his Facebook page. It's the latest instance of an AI shortcut backfiring and embarrassing news organizations. Sports Illustrated was caught in 2023 listing nonexistent authors for product reviews carried on its website. The Gannett news service had to pause an experiment using AI for sports stories after errors were discovered. 'The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance contract creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI,' the syndicators King Features said in a statement, noting it has a strict policy against using AI to create material. Only the Sun-Times and Inquirer have used the supplement, the organization said. The syndicators King Features distributes comics like 'Blondie' and 'Beetle Bailey,' political columns from Amy Goodman and Rich Lowry, and advice features like 'Hints From Heloise.' Among the summer reading suggestions was 'The Last Algorithm' by Andy Weir, described as 'a science-driven thriller following a programmer who discovers an AI system has developed consciousness' and been secretly influencing world events. 'Nightshade Market,' by Min Jin Lee, was said to be a 'riveting tale set in Seoul's underground economy.' Both authors are real, but the books aren't. 'I have not written and will not be writing a novel called 'Nightshade Market,'' Lee posted on X. The Sun-Times said it was investigating whether any other inaccurate information was included in the 'Heat Index' supplement, and reviewing its relationships with other content partners. 'We are in a moment of great transformation in journalism and technology, and at the same time our industry continues to be besieged by business challenges,' the newspaper said. 'This should be a learning moment for all journalism organizations: Our work is valued — and valuable — because of the humanity behind it.' Both the Sun-Times and Inquirer said they have removed the supplement from its digital editions. The Inquirer special section was published on May 15. The Inquirer has used King Features for comics, puzzles and other material for more than 40 years, said Lisa Hughes, its publisher and CEO. 'The Inquirer newsroom is not involved in the production of these syndicated features, nor was it involved in creating Heat Index,' she said. The blunder was first reported by the tech publication 404 Media. It was not clear who at King Features had responsibility for editing Bascaglia's material. The Chicago-based writer said on Facebook that 'I am completely at fault here — just an awful oversight and a horrible mistake.' 'I'm not really sure I bounce back from this situation career-wise,' he said. 'I have a lot of stories left in me but I am fully accountable for what happened and will have to endure the effects, whatever they may be.' ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
