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Thailand sends 3 orangutans rescued from illicit wildlife trade back to Indonesia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Three trafficked Sumatran orangutans were sent back from Thailand to Indonesia on Thursday as part of a joint effort between the countries to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.Nobita and Shizuka, both 7 years old, and Brian, 5 years old, had been living at a wildlife sanctuary in the western Thai province of Ratchaburi. After the repatriation, there are no more trafficked orangutans currently under the care of Thai authorities, officials said.Rachmat Budiman, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Thailand, thanked the authorities in both countries for the repatriation and said he has “mixed feelings” about it: happy the orangutans will be back in their natural habitat but sad for the Thai caretakers who had bonded with the animals over several years.The orangutans were transported from the sanctuary to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport before being put on a plane to Jakarta. Thai officials said Indonesia covers the cost for transportation and the animals’ health ...

Schaumburg 6th grade teacher brings love of nature into classroom to nurture students

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

WGN's December Teacher of the Month is an elementary school teacher in Schaumburg.Kimberly Savino's love for teaching grew from when she was about 10 years old, exploring nature with her dad."I wanted to be an architect, artist, zoologist, environmentalist," said Savino, a sixth grade teacher at Collins Elementary School in Schaumburg. "Somehow I brought that into teaching and I was able to make it all work."Mrs. Savino teaches all subjects to her sixth graders at Collins Elementary, and works in the same classroom where she was once a student teacher more than 20 years ago.During her first year on the job, she won a coveted grant to make a classroom dream a reality.And, her dream?A traveling zoo. WGN's November Teacher of the Month "It would go from one grade to another for one week at a time, where all students in that classroom would be responsible for the cleaning, the feeding," Savino said.She ran the in-school zoo for 17 years."The teachers were terrified, but by the end the...

Christmas surprise for single mother in need of a vehicle

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

COTTLEVILLE, Mo. – Christmastime is the season of giving. That often extends beyond just friends and family to those most in need.Angel Dunn, known as Super Mom to those around her, is a single mother of two: a little girl and a 4-year-old boy suffering from cancer. Dunn recently arrived in an Uber at a toy drive that St. Louis Youth Sports Outreach was hosting. "And when we saw her pull up in the Uber, it just hit home, and we thought, ‘Hey, we need to do something here,’” Scott Collett, St. Louis Sports Outreach, said.“It was just absolutely mind-blowing to me that somebody fighting this hard has to scratch and do what they have to do for a ride,” Billy Mayhall said. “It was not acceptable for us, so we got together and figured something out for them.”Angel was surprised with a brand-new set of wheels—a Lincoln MKS decked out in gifts from top to bottom for Elih and Nialye. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subs...

Questions remain over nursing home closure in north St. Louis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Five days after one of the largest nursing homes in the St. Louis area suddenly shut down, workers, residents, and their families are still searching for answers.Things look much different at the now-abandoned Northview Village Nursing Home. A sign out front reads, 'danger, condemned, keep away,’ and police have set up cameras over here to keep people from getting any ideas. We talked to one man who says his family member has been moved, and he can't get in touch with them, and Governor Mike Parson is weighing in on this entire situation.The lights are on but nobody's home at the abandoned north city facility. Toppled Christmas decorations and signs saying 'keep out.' It’s a jarring scene as some families say their questions haven’t been answered.Alvin Cooper Sr. said his adult son, Alvin Cooper Jr., was one of the residents who moved. He says he's recovering from a traumatic gunshot injury. And he said he’s still trying to get in touch with him.“We were supposed to...

L.A. County hospital seeks family of unknown patient

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

An L.A. County hospital is searching for the family of a patient who was found in Bell Gardens last week.The woman is currently at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and has been there since Dec. 14.She was found at John Anson Ford Park located at 8000 Park Lane, hospital staff said.She is described as a woman in her mid to late 30s. She stands around 5 feet three inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has black hair and dark brown eyes.She speaks both English and Spanish with possibly a Portuguese or Island accent. No personal information or belongings were found to help identify her, officials said.She was found wearing a blue floral short-sleeve button-down blouse and pink floral Volcom boxer shorts.An unidentified female patient hospitalized at the St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood since Dec. 14, 2023. (St. Francis Medical Center) Lynwood hospital locates unidentified patient’s loved ones Anyone who recognizes this woman or has additional information is asked to ...

Rubber dam on Russian River in Sonoma County lowered

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Ahead of the storms, Sonoma County water officials lowered the "Rubber Dam" on the Russian River in anticipation of elevated water levels."It's awesome you don't realize how much water is really in the river," said Andrea Rodriguez, a Sonoma County water spokesperson. Car crashes into Napa ditch, drivers urged to slow down on roads Rodriguez is showing us how much rain the Rubber Dam on the Russian River received over the last few days. The dam is downstream of the Wohler Bridge near Forestville. This is what it looked like in June. The dam is usually put up during the warmer months to hold back the water in the dry season and in August when visitors can line up closer to get a view.That view is now flooded."Now that we see the river flows are above 1,600 cubic feet per second," Rodriguez said. "We want to lower that dam so it doesn't damage it and also to let the clear passage of the water to go through the river." Bay Area storm updates: 72-hour rainfall totals revea...

Dixon hits go-ahead 3-pointer, scores 32 points in Villanova’s 68-66 OT win over No. 12 Creighton

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Eric Dixon made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in overtime to finish his 32-point night and Villanova held off No. 12 Creighton 68-66 on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.The Bluejays (9-3) led by double digits until midway through the second half before Villanova (8-4) rallied to tie it and force overtime.Baylor Scheierman had a chance to tie it with seven seconds left but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and he missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.Trey Alexander scored all eight of Creighton’s points in overtime and finished with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Scheierman also had 16 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 14.Creighton led by 14 early in the second half before hitting a cold spell. The Wildcats chipped away to tie it at 56 with under four minutes left when a defensive breakdown allowed Jordan Longino to go in for an uncontested layup.It was 58-all when Alexander came away with a hard-earned reboun...

Toyota’s small car unit Daihatsu raided after faked tests lead it to suspend all vehicle shipments

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese transport ministry officials inspected Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu on Thursday, one day after officials announced it was suspending the small car unit’s shipments of all vehicles in and outside Japan after an investigation found improper testing involving 64 models. The safety test irregularities earlier this year prompted an independent panel investigation, which found widespread and systematic problems at Osaka-based Daihatsu Motor Co. It is the latest of safety or other violations found at at least five of Japan’s major automakers in recent years. On Thursday, transport ministry officials began a deeper investigation at Daihatsu’s offices over the systematic safety scandal that apparently persisted for decades. “It’s extremely regrettable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday. “It damaged the trust of car owners and has shaken the foundation of the automobile certification system.” Hayashi urged Daihatsu officials ...

RJ Davis scores 23 points, No. 11 North Carolina knocks off unbeaten No. 7 Oklahoma 81-69

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 23 points, Armando Bacot added 14 points and eight rebounds and No. 11 North Carolina handed seventh-ranked Oklahoma its first loss of the season 81-69 on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center.Cormac Ryan had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 11 for the Tar Heels (8-3), who snapped a two-game losing streak.Otega Oweh had 23 points and Javian McCollum had 14 for Oklahoma (10-1), which never led. The Sooners’ loss leaves No. 3 Houston, No. 20 James Madison and No. 25 Ole Miss as the only unbeaten teams in Division I basketball.It was the seventh straight game Davis has led the Tar Heels in scoring. He came into the game averaging 21.6 points per game.The Sooners cracked The Associated Press Top 10 this week for the first time since February 2021, but struggled from the onset in their first meeting with North Carolina since a 72-60 loss in the 2009 NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.North Carolina’s defense gave Oklahoma fits in the early goin...

3D holiday designs from NailBox Miami in Little Havana add festive flair to the season

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:00 GMT

Christmas is only a few days away, and I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve got to get my nails done.” If you’re looking for inspo or for an appointment, don’t you worry. Deco is checking a really cool SoFlo spot that making manicures merry and bright.Bad day? Don’t worry. NailBox Miami in Little Havana is gonna make everything merry and bright.Karen Elmir: “I’ve been coming here since they opened, and I always leave super happy. I think that their nail techs do the best designs.”Daniel Moran: “Every time I come here, I bring an idea. I always want 3D, more glitter.”Ciro Orizondo: “We do very detailed nail art — a 3D chrome, anything popping out of your nails, any magnets that we can stick on your nails, almost anything you have on your mind, we can make it come to life.”Really? OK, I have holidays designs on my mind. What ya got?Ciro Orizondo: “You’re gonna see a lot of Christmas-the...