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15 pieces of gear worth packing for summer adventures

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

When thinking of summertime essentials, perhaps pool floaties and sunscreen come to mind. Beachgoers will want to pack their umbrellas, sunshades and perhaps a boogie board for a fun day on sunny shores.While camping becomes less desirable during the Sunshine State’s sweltering summer months (unless in an air-conditioned RV), there are still plenty of outdoor adventures worth embarking on. Whether it’s water-based excursions on a paddleboard, workouts or nighttime get-togethers in the backyard, there are small pieces of gear that can enhance outdoor activities.From the back patio to the trailhead, here are 15 pieces of equipment and accessories that are worth packing when venturing outdoors this summer. These items can be found for less than $300 each and everything pictured belongs to me personally.Central Florida Explorer Patrick Connolly shows off his favorite gear for summertime adventures including the ENO DoubleNest hammock at Lake Baldwin Park on May 31, 2023. (Patrick Connol...

MLB, WNBA postpone games due to smoke from Canadian wildfires

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball postponed games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.A National Women’s Soccer League game in New Jersey and an indoor WNBA game set for Brooklyn were also called off Wednesday amid hazy conditions that have raised alarms from health authorities.The New York Yankees’ game against the Chicago White Sox was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m. on Thursday, and the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Detroit Tigers was reset for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally a day off for both teams.“These postponements were determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and all of the impacted clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” MLB said in a statement.The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: “the New York S...

S&P/TSX composite down Wednesday, U.S. stock markets mixed

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index moved lower Wednesday as the market digested an interest rate hike by the Bank of Canada, while U.S. markets were mixed. The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.75 per cent, the first increase since January. The raise was a response to inflation ticking unexpectedly higher in April after months of steady decline, said Kevin Burkett, portfolio manager at Victoria-based Burkett Asset Management.Inflation in April was 4.4 per cent year over year, up from 4.3 per cent in March. “It was breaking what was a very steep downtrend in inflation data,” said Burkett. While the market was initially caught by surprise at the Bank of Canada’s decision, it appears to have digested it and normalized as the day wore on, said Burkett. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 71.91 points at 19,983.69.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 91.74 points at 33,665.02. The S&P 500 index was down 16.3...

Canadian Pacific guilty of contempt of court around long work shifts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

OTTAWA — A Federal Court judge has found Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. guilty of contempt of court for employees working excessively long hours.The ruling says the rail operator failed in 22 instances in 2018 and 2019 to comply with cease-and-desist orders laid out by an arbitrator.The orders related to rest provisions that largely limit shifts to 10 or 12 hours, depending on the circumstances.Teamsters Canada president François Laporte says in a statement that Canadian Pacific recklessly puts lives on the line in forcing train crews to work longer than allowed.Canadian Pacific says it disagrees with the Federal Court decision and plans to file an appeal.The June 6 decision comes less than two months after one of the railway’s freight trains went off the tracks due to a washout in Maine that saw locomotives and four derailed lumber cars go up in flames.This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:CP)The Canadian Press

Ex-Florida State football player acquitted in fatal shooting

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida jury agreed Wednesday that a former Florida State football player acted in self-defense when he fatally shot one man and injured another several hours after he scuffled with his girlfriend. Travis Rudolph, 27, was found not guilty of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder by a Palm Beach County jury, the Palm Beach Post reported. The 12-member panel also chose not to convict Rudolph on lesser offenses, including second-degree murder and manslaughter.Rudolph was first arrested in April 2021 after four men went to his home several hours after he fought with his girlfriend, investigators said. At some point, Rudolph armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on them as they drove away, killing Sebastien Jean-Jacques and wounding Tyler Robinson. Rudolph testified that the men were armed and shooting back at him. Investigators said they never found evidence of the fleeing men returning fire.Rudolph...

Activist: Kidnapping, killings of call center workers in Mexico has been happening for years

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A missing-persons activist in western Mexico said Wednesday that call center workers have been going missing in Mexico since at least 2017, and that authorities have done little to solve the cases.Activist Hector Flores says authorities’ failure to investigate those disappearances helped set the stage for what authorities believe was a mass kidnap-killing of eight young call center employees last month.The violent Jalisco cartel operates call centers in the western state of the same name; the centers target Americans in timeshare frauds. The cartel is suspected of killing people who try to quit working at these call centers.“”There have been similar cases,” with one person going missing in 2017, another in 2019 and two in 2021, said Flores, the co-founder of the volunteer search group “Light and Hope.” Three of those victims worked at call centers that sell timeshares, said Flores, whose own son has been missing in a separate case since 2021.A U.S. official ...

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, begins erupting after 3-month pause

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, began erupting on Wednesday after a three-month pause, displaying spectacular fountains of mesmerizing, glowing lava that’s a safe distance from people and structures in a national park on the Big Island. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement that a glow was detected in webcam images from Kilauea’s summit early in the morning, indicating that an eruption was occurring within the Halemaumau crater in the summit caldera.The images show fissures at the base of the crater generating lava flows on the crater floor’s surface, the observatory said.Before issuing the eruption notice, the observatory said increased earthquake activity and changes in the patterns of ground deformation at the summit started Tuesday night, indicating the movement of magma in the subsurface.“We’re not seeing any signs of activity out on the rift zones right now,” said Mike Zoeller, a ...

Canada marks Clean Air Day with worst air quality in the world as wildfires rage

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

OTTAWA — Hazy skies tinged with an eery yellow glow greeted millions of Canadians in Quebec and Ontario again Wednesday as the smoke from hundreds of wildfires continued to cause air quality warnings in Canada’s most populated corridor.In the morning, Environment Canada’s air quality health index listed Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., as the worst in Canada, followed closely by the eastern Ontario cities of Kingston, Cornwall and Belleville.Residents in those cities were encouraged to limit outdoor activities, and those most vulnerable to the smoke were told to avoid them altogether.The smoke was so thick in downtown Ottawa that Gatineau’s high-rise office towers were barely visible just a few hundred metres away across the Ottawa River.In a bizarre twist of fate, on a day when air quality was among the worst the country has ever seen, it was national Clean Air Day in Canada.“I want to recognize the air quality statements that have been issued by Environment Canad...

Wildfire roundup: What you need to know about blazes burning across Canada

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

Hundreds of wildfires are burning across Canada, prompting widespread evacuations and blanketing cities in smoke. Here’s a look at developments Wednesday:Ontarians urged not to start campfiresAs smoke from wildfires degraded air quality for millions of people across the province, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging everyone to refrain from lighting campfires. Fifty-four wildfires are burning in Ontario and 29 are out of control.Ford says half of the fires were started by lighting strikes and the other half were caused by human activity, such as not properly extinguishing campfires.Officials say a lot of the smoke blanketing Ontario also is coming from wildfires in Quebec.Record Quebec fires lead to more evacuationsOfficials say Quebec’s wildfire season is the worst on record and the number of evacuees is expected to rise to more than 15,000. More than 150 forest fires are burning in the province, with just under 100 considered out of control.Premier François Legault says about...

Actor known for ‘Bob’s Burgers’ character arrested on Capitol riot charges

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:41:00 GMT

An actor known for his roles on the comedy television shows “Bob’s Burgers” and “Mr. Show with Bob and David” was arrested Wednesday on charges that he joined a mob of Donald Trump supporters in confronting police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot, court records show.Jay Johnston was arrested in Los Angeles on charges including civil disorder, a felony. He is expected to make his initial court appearance in California on Wednesday. An attorney for Johnston didn’t immediately respond to a telephone call and text message seeking comment.Video footage captured Johnston pushing against police and helping rioters who attacked officers guarding an entrance to the Capitol in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Johnston held a stolen police shield over his head and passed it to other rioters during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, the affidavit says. Johnston “was close to the entrance to the tunnel, turned back and signaled for other ...