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Iowa man’s collection of 70,000 pencils being evaluated as possible world record

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

COLFAX, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man may be well on his way to an official world record — for pencils.Aaron Bartholmey of Colfax has been collecting wooden advertising pencils since he was a child. Now, he claims to own more than 70,000. That’s substantially more than the Guinness World Record for the largest pencil collection — 24,000, held by Emilio Arenas from Uruguay since 2020.Bartholmey told KCCI-TV that his most treasured pencils are those from his hometown, noting that in many instances the pencils “are the only place where there is any record of that business still, and I think it’s just a neat way to preserve history.”Last weekend, two counters from the American Pencil Collectors Society were at the Colfax Historical Society to count Bartholmey’s pencils. Now, he’s waiting to hear if the count is approved by Guinness, which estimated the review process could take up to three months.The Associated Press

Search stretches into third day for two people missing after Quebec landslide

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

SAGUENAY, Que. — The search for two people swept away by a landslide in Quebec’s Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region is stretching into a third day.Rescue teams resumed looking today for a man and woman in their 40s missing in Rivière-Éternité, Que., about 260 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.The search operation is focused along a 1.8-kilometre stretch of the small, winding Éternité River, on the shore and in the water.Quebec provincial police say the operation is being slowed by a number of factors including debris from the landslide and extreme heat.More than 50 people were forced to leave their homes after a storm on Sunday dumped 130 millimetres of rain over two hours on the area, washing away roads and triggering flooding.Police have not identified the two missing people but have said they were not from the community. A third person was also caught in the landslide but was saved and taken to hospital.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2023.The Canad...

WACH LIVE: Highland Park marks one year since July Fourth mass shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill.  — Tuesday marks one year since the mass shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade.There are several events planned to mark the somber anniversary.The day will kick off with a remembrance ceremony outside Highland Park's city hall at 10 a.m.As part of that ceremony, there will be a moment of silence at 10:14, the exact moment gunshots rang out. More: Grief lingers one year after Highland Park Fourth of July shooting Seven people were killed and 48 injured in the mass shooting.After the remembrance ceremony, there will be a community walk and a musical performance in honor of the victims.The day's events will wrap up with a drone show.WGN News will carry the ceremony during special live coverage beginning at 10 a.m.

1 killed, 9 hospitalized after fireworks explosion in Michigan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — One person is dead and nine more were injured after an incident involving a firework explosion Monday night in Park Township.The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened shortly after 11 p.m. Monday night at a home on Main Street near N. 160th Avenue. Nine other people were taken to nearby hospitals with “injuries ranging from minor to critical.”A 10th person, identified as a 43-year-old woman from Holland, was unresponsive when crews arrived. First responders started “life-saving measures”, but she was eventually pronounced dead at the scene.Piles of fireworks remain outside of a home in Park Township where an explosion killed one person and hospitalized nine others on Monday, July 3, 2023. (WOOD TV8)A car window was damaged following a fireworks explosion Monday night in Park Township. One woman was killed and nine others were hospitalized. (WOOD TV8)Shreds of paper and plastic lay in the road the day after a fireworks explosion kille...

Cat named Lucky escapes Connecticut house explosion that hospitalized homeowner

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (WTNH) — For nearly a week, a Connecticut community has been searching for a couple's cat after an explosion destroyed their home. "Lucky" for them, the cat miraculously made escaped harm and was found. The explosion happened on June 28 in Old Saybrook, a coastal town roughly 30 miles east of New Haven. It shook the neighborhood and completely destroyed a portion of the home, lifting off of its foundation and dropping it into the basement, according to Old Saybrook Fire Marshal Peter Terenzi.June 28 also marked the 65th wedding anniversary of the couple that owns the home, neighbors told Nexstar's WTNH. VIDEO: Home explosion sparks massive fire in Old Saybrook The man, who was home alone at the time doing dishes, was rescued by a neighbor. His wife is currently in a nursing home. Authorities say the man required an overnight stay at the hospital but was then released. Unfortunately, the couple's cat was nowhere to be found after the explosion and subsequent fi...

What makes fireworks red, white and every color in between?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- With July 4, and summer in general, upon us, it’s likely that you’re taking in a fireworks show or two. But have you ever wondered what makes the fireworks glow red, blue and nearly every color in between?If you were paying attention during high school science class, you may already know. The fireworks we see in the sky are created by the explosion of multiple small pellets of black powder, known as stars, once the powder has been ignited. Those stars can be arranged so that the fireworks create different shapes in the sky. What is used to make those stars also impacts the color of the fireworks. They all have the main ingredient -- black powder -- and are then combined with a certain chemical or mineral. That chemical or mineral will then make the firework a different color after it reacts with the heat from the explosions. There are seven mineral elements commonly used in fireworks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  July’s full moon will be a ...

Here's how to avoid summer bug bites, according to experts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

Waco, Texas (KWKT) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a health advisory over cases of malaria.This is the first time in 20 years that the CDC has had to make an advisory over a local spread of malaria in the United States. The advisory was made after four cases were detected in Florida and another was detected in Texas.Malaria, caused by a parasite that spreads through bites from Anopheles mosquitoes, causes fever, chills, sweats, nausea and vomiting, and headaches. It is not spread person to person.Jeff Wooten, the owner of Cen-Tex Pest Control in Waco, Texas, said bugs nest in wet areas in the springtime to then move and populate in the summer.He said it's best to take care of your surroundings."Mosquitos kill more people than anything else on planet Earth," said Wooten. "Nearly every year, mosquitoes kill the entire population of the city of Austin. That's every man, woman and child killed yearly by mosquitoes."Wooten says bugs are attracted to an...

Ken Paxton will not testify at impeachment trial, defense attorney says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) -- The lead attorney for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton said his client will not testify in his upcoming impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.Paxton’s defense lawyer, Tony Buzbee, made the announcement in a late Monday night statement on the eve of the July Fourth holiday. The Senate could still try to force Paxton to testify, but the statement makes clear Paxton would fight such efforts.“We will not bow to their evil, illegal, and unprecedented weaponization of state power in the Senate chamber,” Buzbee said of the House. A spokesperson for chamber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the defense team's statement.The House voted to impeach Paxton in late May, accusing him of a yearslong series of crime and misconduct. Most of the 20 articles of impeachment center on allegations from former deputies that Paxton misused his office to help a wealthy campaign donor and Austin real-estate investor, Nate Paul.Paxton was immediately suspen...

'World's largest lettuce greenhouse' opens in Temple, Texas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

Temple, TX (KXAN) - Central Texas is gaining access to more crisp vegetables. Revol Greens opened their new facility this May and have begun shipping their product. The company claims their new greenhouse is the largest in the world."It's pretty amazing and it's longer than a football field wide, and it's quite a number of football fields the other way," said Revol Green CEO Michael Wainscott.The facility sits on 20 acres of land in Temple, Texas, just down the road from H-E-B's distribution center. It has an additional 40 acres available for future expansion. "Temple's centrally located so we can get to Dallas, even get to Houston, San Antonio and Austin (are) all right there."Growing lettuce with scienceWainscott said they used new technology and science to ensure they can grow year-round."The heat, you know, that was always the big question. I think it's probably 101 outside right now. And I would say in here, it's probably 82 degrees."Special material is used for the roof of the...

Get pumped up at Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach competition in Venice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:51:12 GMT

Tuesday is the Fourth of July, which means it's time again for the Mr. and Ms. Muscle Beach bodybuilding competition in Venice.The annual contest brings out dozens of bodybuilders to compete in a variety of categories, including figure, bikini, wellness, and men's and women's physique.Prejudging begins at 10 a.m., with the finals set for 1 p.m.To attend, visit Venice Beach at 1800 Ocean Front Walk.