Latest news with #TheNews
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
When to expect the heaviest Canadian wildfire smoke in Minnesota this weekend
When to expect the heaviest Canadian wildfire smoke in Minnesota this weekend originally appeared on Bring Me The News. All of Minnesota will experience poor air quality this weekend as smoke — both near the surface and at higher altitudes — invades from wildfires that are burning out of control in Canada. Minnesotans will be able to see and smell the smoke when it nears the surface. "Due to Canadian wildfires, air quality across all of central-southern MN into western WI will be degraded to the Unhealthy For Sensitive Groups (AQI Orange) level through Monday. Thus, Air Quality Alerts have been issued by both MPCA and WIDNR," says the National Weather Service. "A cold front will drag smoke from large wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan southward across the Upper Midwest. Multiple waves of smoke will then follow for Saturday through Monday, resulting in a prolonged period of degraded air quality. "Sensitive groups, such as those with lung disease, heart disease, children and older adults may experience health effects and should limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors." Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters According to the weather service, "some improvement is expected across eastern MN tonight before building back east Sunday with the warm front. Periods of smoke will then persist into Monday." The near-surface smoke, which is unhealthy for everyone, will worsen throughout the day from north to south across Minnesota. The graphic below from the Grand Forks office the National Weather Service does a nice job of showing how smoke near the surface will evolve Saturday. Sunday could be worse as near-surface smoke could expand throughout more of Minnesota. Take a look: "The surface smoke is in sufficient concentrations for people to see and smell. There is high confidence that all Minnesotans will experience some level of air quality impact from smoke, and that some may experience significant air quality impacts," says the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). "Smoke concentrations may decrease at times in some parts of the state through the duration of the air quality alert, but afternoon heating and atmospheric mixing (which helps to bring smoke from aloft down to the surface) should result in additional rounds of poor air quality each day." While air quality alerts are in effect through Monday, it doesn't mean the smoke will go away next week. In fact, the MPCA says "additional fresh rounds of heavy surface smoke are possible from Monday into Wednesday of next week." A helpful tool to check the air quality in your location can be found here. Just enter your zip code for current air quality values. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Minnesota Lynx announce four free over-the-air TV broadcasts this summer
Minnesota Lynx announce four free over-the-air TV broadcasts this summer originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The (currently undefeated) Minnesota Lynx are partnering with KARE 11 and FanDuel Sports Network to simulcast four upcoming games on the local NBC affiliate, making them free to watch for roughly 1.5 million households across the greater Twin Cities region. Starting with this Sunday's matchup against the Golden State Valkyries, four Sunday games will be broadcast over the air, expanding accessibility for fans who may not have access to FanDuel Sports Network North or ION or other channels that typically air Lynx games. These are the four contests: June 1: at Golden State Valkyries, 7:30 p.m. CT June 8: vs. Dallas Wings, 3:00 p.m. CT June 29: vs. Connecticut Sun, 6:00 p.m. CT July 6: vs. Chicago Sky, 6:00 p.m. CT The Valkyries are the WNBA's newest expansion team, the 13th franchise to join the growing league. The June 8 matchup against the Wings will give fans another opportunity to watch Hopkins native and former UConn star Paige Bueckers (provided she's out of the league's concussion protocol by then). The games will be called, as usual, by FDSN broadcasters Marney Gellner and Lea B. Olsen. KARE 11 will produce pre- and postgame shows. 'KARE 11 is proud to bring Lynx basketball to more fans across Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin for free," said Doug Wieder, president and general manager of KARE 11, in a press release. "Local sports are part of who we are, and we're excited to help the Lynx broaden their reach and deepen their connection with fans throughout the region." The Lynx are 6-0 after a clutch road win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night — a game they won without their best player, league MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. There's hope that Collier, who didn't play due to knee soreness, will be able to return for Sunday's game in San Francisco. It's the first time the Lynx have started 6-0 since 2017, the year they won their most recent of four WNBA titles. They're looking to win another one this year after losing in controversial fashion to the New York Liberty in the decisive Game 5 of last year's finals. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
NYC DOT rankles staff in passing on recognizing Arab Heritage month with agency-wide message
Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez didn't recognize April as Arab American Heritage Month with an agency-wide email as he has in the past — an omission rankling some staffers who requested such a message be issued this year to voice solidarity with Muslim employees impacted by the war in Gaza. In April 2024, Rodriguez issued agency-wide message marking Arab American Heritage Month that did address the human toll of the war in Gaza. It urged all DOT employees to 'pause and reflect on the pain being felt by so many in the Arab American community, who have had family and friends impacted by the war in Gaza.' Communications reviewed by the Daily News and a DOT source confirmed staff asked department brass to issue a similar message this year. But Rodriguez issued no such message last month, sources confirmed. The internal tensions at DOT come as the war between Israel and Hamas remains a hot-button issue in New York, with pro-Palestinian protests playing out on city streets nearly every week and the conflict being hotly debated during this year's mayoral campaign. The DOT staffers told The News they were upset by Rodriguez's lack of agency-wide recognition at a time that Israel's war in Gaza — which was launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack — has left more than 50,000 Palestinians dead, according to estimates. The staffers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were especially irked as Rodriguez did issue an agency-wide email recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month this past Tuesday that made multiple references to President Trump. That message, obtained by The News, lauded Trump for issuing a national proclamation on May 16 that made a commitment to the 'security of Israel.' 'This selective recognition not only undermines the agency's stated commitment to equity and diversity, but also sends a troubling message about which communities are deemed worthy of visibility and respect,' said one Muslim DOT source. 'The repeated use of Trump in the email when he made statements about moving out the Palestinians from their land shows a lack of sensitivity to the Arab and Muslim staff,' the source added, a reference to the president's proposal to expel all Palestinians from Gaza. DOT spokesman Nick Benson declined to speak to the question of why Rodriguez didn't send an agency-wide email marking Arab American Heritage Month this year. He said the department made a post about Arab American Heritage Month on an internal messaging board; that communication made no reference to the war in Gaza. Kayla Mamelak, Mayor Adams' spokeswoman, said his office wasn't involved in crafting the DOT's messaging. With Evan Simko-Bednarski
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
High hopes for early childhood centre
It is hoped a newly opened early childhood centre in Cromwell's fast-growing Wooing Tree Estate will offer much-needed relief to local families, easing pressure on waiting lists at other centres bursting at the seams. BestStart Wooing Tree opened at the end of April on the edge of the new neighbourhood, beside State Highway 8B and close to the entrance of the pedestrian tunnel under the highway, linking it to the town centre. "Interest from local families has been very strong, which reflects the growing need for early childhood education in the Cromwell area," centre manager Emma Stone told The News. "We've had a steady stream of inquiries and are now taking enrolments." For months — if not years — some parents were enrolling their children as soon as they learned they were pregnant, desperate to secure a spot in a town where demand for childcare for under-5s vastly outstripped supply. Cromwell-based mothers support group Mums4Mums co-ordinator Kylie Murdoch said the shortage had placed enormous stress on working households, particularly those dependent on two incomes to manage the region's higher-than-average housing costs. Ms Murdoch said it was still too early to know the impact of the opening of the new centre, but feedback from young families suggested demand was "levelling out". Parents had told other media in the area that the lack of childcare availability had made it difficult — if not impossible — for some to return to work after parental leave, with women disproportionately affected. Some had jobs lined up or contracts signed, only to be forced to delay or abandon their return to the workforce because they could not secure the hours they needed in care. Ms Murdoch said, with the changing job market, she just hoped enough work opportunities would be available for parents that needed them as childcare became more available. Ms Murdoch said there was one upside to the childcare squeeze, "it's created a sense of community with the mums". "They've worked together and found other ways [to support each other]." Meanwhile, Ms Stone advised families interested in enrolling children at the Wooing Tree preschool to "get in touch as soon as possible". BestStart Wooing Tree can cater for up to 80 children, aged three months to 6 years. Soon-to-be-4-year-old Tyson Browne told The News his favourite thing about the centre was its slide.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC Councilman Chris Marte caught on video in suspected removal of opponent campaign flyer
Manhattan Councilman Chris Marte was caught on video earlier this month removing a palm-sized card from a Lower East Side apartment complex — and a resident as well as a political consultant believe the piece of paper Marte picked up was a campaign pamphlet advertising one of his primary challengers. The Ring camera video, provided to the Daily News by a resident of the 265-275 Cherry St. complex, is from the evening of May 7. It shows Marte walking in a hallway in the building holding a stack of his campaign mailers in one hand before kneeling down and using his other hand to pick up a card left by the front door of an apartment. He can then be seen stuffing that card into a bag slung over his shoulder before continuing into a stairwell. Christian Gil, the resident whose Ring camera captured Marte in front of her neighbor's door, told The News the card he picked up was likely a pamphlet for Elizabeth Lewinsohn, one of the candidates challenging him in the June 24 Democratic primary for his Council seat. Gil said she saw the Lewinsohn pamphlet at her neighbor's door just a couple hours before Marte showed up. She also said she reviewed the relevant two hours of footage before Marte showed up and told The News no one else appeared in that span. After reviewing the footage, political consultant and Lewinsohn campaign manager David Quesada said he also believed the card Marte removed was a Lewinsohn mailer headed with the phrase 'Leadership That Gets Result.' Quesada said he recognized the font on the card displayed in the video as being the same printed on the campaign's mailers. Lewinsohn's campaign had distributed those mailers in that building earlier in the day on May 7. 'If he's going around doing shady s–t like this, he does not have my support,' said Gil, who voted for Marte during his first Council campaign in 2021. The News tried multiple times this month to reach Marte and his campaign for comment, but they didn't respond to calls and texts. Quesada called Marte's actions 'disheartening.' 'But it's not surprising,' he added. 'A growing number of his former endorsers, such as the teachers' union, are now supporting Lizzie's surging campaign. We all cope differently.' Marte's facing several other challengers besides Lewinsohn in June's primary, including Jess Coleman, a Manhattan attorney and community board member. Marte's district includes Chinatown and parts of the Lower East Side. During his time as a Council member, Marte has faced some pushback internally for opposing affordable housing construction, including by aligning himself with a group of celebrities seeking to block the long-delayed redevelopment of Manhattan's Elizabeth St. Garden.
