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Curacao and St. Maarten to welcome new currency more than a decade after becoming autonomous

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new joint currency will be launched this year for the Dutch Caribbean islands of Curacao and St. Maarten more than a decade after they became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, according to a recent bank report.The Caribbean guilder will replace the Netherlands-Antillean guilder as mandated by a regional constitutional reform in October 2010 that changed the political status of Curacao and St. Maarten.The currency will be introduced in the second half of 2024, according to an annual report that the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten released late last year.The new currency will contain improved security features and will circulate alongside the current currency for three months after its introduction, the bank stated.Residents in both islands will be able to exchange the current Netherlands-Antillean guilder for the new currency for a period of 30 years at an equal rate.The Associated Press

Four children killed in a fire at a multifamily home in Connecticut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — Four children died Tuesday night in a fire that broke out in a two-family home in the northeastern Connecticut town of Somers.The children, ages 5, 6, 8 and 12, were found inside the house where 11 people lived, fire and town officials said.The fire broke out at about 10:30 p.m. and by the time fire crews arrived, flames were showing from windows in both the first and second floors, town Fire Chief John Roache said. At least one person jumped from a window to escape the blaze. Roache said fire crews had a difficult time getting inside the home because a back entrance was blocked and flames prevented entry through the front door. Roache said several other victims were taken to local hospitals. It was not clear Wednesday how many people were in the house at the time of the fire, how many were injured or the extent of those injuries.“It’s a tremendous loss for the town,” first selectman Tim Keeney told reporters on the scene Wednesday morning. “An incredible loss, ...

Ballard Power Systems signs new long-term supply deal with NFI

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

VANCOUVER — Ballard Power Systems has signed a new long-term supply agreement with bus maker NFI Group Inc. The Vancouver-based fuel cell company says the deal marks a new phase in its partnership with NFI.It also says the Winnipeg-based company has placed its first order under the agreement for a minimum of 100 fuel cell modules for planned delivery this year.The modules will primarily be produced in Ballard’s facility in Bend, Ore. They will be used in New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE FC hydrogen fuel cell buses that will be deployed in North America.Ballard chief commercial officer David Mucciacciaro says the company believes NFI subsidiary New Flyer is well positioned to deliver deployment scale volumes of fuel cell buses, particularly in the U.S. market.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2024.Companies in this story: (TSX:BLDP, TSX:NFI)The Canadian Press

Iran says at least 103 people killed, dozens wounded in blasts at ceremony honouring slain general

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for a prominent general slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, killing at least 103 people and wounding at least 141 others as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.No group immediately claimed responsibility for what Iranian state media called a “terroristic” attack shortly after the blasts in Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran.While Israel has carried out attacks in Iran over its nuclear program, it has conducted targeted assassinations, not mass-casualty bombings. Sunni extremist groups including the Islamic State group have conducted large-scale attacks in the past that killed civilians in Shiite-majority Iran, though not in relatively peaceful Kerman.Iran also has seen mass protests in recent years, including those over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022. The country also has been targeted by exile group...

Some Chicago area hospitals requiring masks again as respiratory infections rising

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

CHICAGO — Some Chicago area hospitals and other facilities are returning their mask mandates as respiratory infections are on the rise.Rush is one provider that is requiring masks in certain areas as the threat from COVID-19, flu and respiratory viruses are rising.The new mandates will apply to patients, staff and visitors at Rush Medical Center, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Copley.Hospitals are looking to get out in front of the growing risk of transmission.Most hospitals eased or eliminated their masking requirements last spring, after the federal government ended the COVID-19 public health emergency. Some hospitals reinstating mask requirements amid rise in COVID-19 As present, Chicago, the rest of Cook County, DuPage, McHenry and Lake counties are all at "medium risk level."

Hickory Hills man accused of molesting Northwest Indiana girl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

PORTAGE, Ind. — A suburban man is facing multiple charges of child molestation after allegedly sexually abusing a 12-year-old Portage girl.Portage police began an investigation in late October after the victim disclosed to a counselor about the alleged abuse.Joe Benavente, 23, of Hickory Hills, was booked into the Porter County Jail on Thursday following the investigation.Police believe Benavente picked the girl up near her home on July 27 and he allegedly sexually molested her. The two communicated on Snapchat prior to the incident, according to police documents.On Aug. 10, Benavente allegedly picked her up and took her to a motel on US Route 20. He handed her a COVID-19 face mask and said "you should wear this when we go in so no one sees," documents allege.Detectives obtained data from Snapchat and the Benavente's photo was picked out of a lineup by the alleged victim. Woman in toll road crash struck, killed by alleged intoxicated driver in Northwest Indiana An arrest warrant w...

Souvenir sellers flooded the Brooklyn Bridge. Now the city is banning them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

NEW YORK (WPIX) - Visitors to New York City hoping to take home a souvenir from the Brooklyn Bridge will now have to settle for a photograph, as vendors are about to be banned from the iconic spot.The new rule, which goes into effect Wednesday, aims to ease overcrowding on the bridge’s heavily trafficked pedestrian walkway, where dozens of trinket sellers currently compete for space with tourists and city commuters.As crowds flocked to the bridge over the holiday season, the situation turned dangerous, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams said Tuesday that the number of legal and illegal vendors on the pedestrian walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge is "not only a sanitary issue, it's a public safety issue." Tourist flights over national parks face new rules. None are stricter than at Mount Rushmore Christine Lazzara, a personal tour guide with "Just Ask Christine," took videos last weekend that show a packed group of people climbing down from the pedestrian walkway onto t...

AG Paxton says home was target of 'swatting' incident on New Year's Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

MCKINNEY, Texas (KXAN) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his home in McKinney was the target of a "swatting" incident on New Year's Day. Paxton said on social media someone made a false report to 911 describing a life-threatening situation at his home in McKinney. According to Paxton, the McKinney police and fire departments responded to the home. Paxton and his wife, Sen. Angela Paxton, were not home at the time, and Paxton said they were notified of the false report when a state trooper, who was contacted by McKinney police, informed them of the incident. What is "swatting"? The Associated Press reported the goal of these types of false threats is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to a certain address. AP also said some of the cases use caller ID spoofing to disguise their number.Making false reports to 911 is a crime which should be vigorously prosecuted when this criminal is identified. These fake calls divert resources from actual emergencies and ...

7 people pulled from overnight house fire in St. Paul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

Firefighters pulled six children and a woman from a St. Paul home Wednesday morning and they were taken to the hospital with some in critical condition.The fire department was called at 1:30 a.m. about a residential house fire in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood and found a single-family home with smoke showing, said Deputy Fire Chief Tony Farina.St. Paul firefighters put out a fire in the 1200 block of Arkwright Street and took seven people to the hospital on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department)Firefighters discovered seven people inside the house on Arkwright Street near Maryland Avenue. “The condition of some of the occupants required immediate CPR and intervention by St. Paul Fire Paramedics,” the fire department said in a statement. They were taken by ambulances to Regions Hospital.The children are believed to be under the age of seven, Farina said.The fire is not suspicious and is under investigation, according to the fire department.The fire depar...

Crash near Twin Bridges in Halfmoon causes backups

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:12:21 GMT

HALFMOON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to 511 NY, a crash on I-87 Northway southbound near the Twin Bridges in Halfmoon has closed one left lane of three, causing significant backups at this time. Drivers in the area should expect delays. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Little is known regarding this crash right now. Stick with NEWS10 as more information becomes available. Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!