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Vietnam veteran receives high school diploma after 54 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

 DENVER (KCNC) — In 1969, Thomas Dreiling was a typical senior at Ranum High School in Westminster. But instead of graduating, he went to war.“I had a low draft number, so I just decided I needed to go,” said Dreiling. “It was a wakeup call. I grew up.”Dreiling spent 13 months in Vietnam where he was exposed to Agent Orange.“I have diabetes because of it, I have a heart problem,” Dreiling expressed, “I had a disease on three of my main arteries and they had to do surgery last year and then I have Parkinson’s.”He went on to serve in the Navy Reserve and eventually became an electrician.“It’s always been a weight on my shoulders not having a diploma. I didn’t ever need my diploma, but it’s always been something that’s been back there,” Dreiling said.But decades later, he got a second chance at that dream when he read about Operation Recognition.It’s a new VA program that grants h...

Firefighters extinguish blaze in Miami home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

Firefighters responded to a house fire in Miami, Monday morning. Officials said, around 4:15 a.m., fire rescue crews arrived at the residence on Northwest 51st Street and extinguished the flames within minutes. No injuries were reported and the owner of the home did not require assistance, officials said. The fire remains under investigation.

Power surge in Waltham leads to outages, fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

First responders and power crews have been working throughout Waltham after the city experienced a power surge on Monday, leading to widespread outages and at least one house fire.Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullin told 7NEWS his department received around 40 phone calls from residents within 30 minutes around 9 a.m. He said the calls ranged from homeowners reporting power outlets smoking to a full-blown house fire on School Avenue.A 15-year-old boy was believed to be the only person inside of the home at the time and was able to get out safely, according to officials.“I heard a loud commotion and then all of our hard-wired alarms were going off,” said Tricia Hurley, a neighbor who called 911. “Smoke just billowing from the top of the house – one of my neighbors did show me a picture [showing] that the flames were shooting out the front.”An Eversource spokesperson said its crews worked as quickly as possible to resolve the outage, which was believed to ha...

A search is underway after a sub used to view the wreckage of the Titanic went missing in the Atlantic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to locate a submarine that went missing during an expedition taking tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic, CNN partner CTV News reported.The group conducting the trip, Oceangate Expeditions, said it is “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” the group said. “We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”CNN has reached out to the Boston Coastguard and authorities in Newfoundland, Canada.The Titanic infamously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912, killing over 1,500 people. The wreckage of the Titanic, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the...

Blinken and Xi pledge to stabilize deteriorated US-China ties, but China rebuffs the main US request

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

By MATTHEW LEE (AP Diplomatic Writer)BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and said they agreed to “stabilize” badly deteriorated U.S.-China ties, but America’s top diplomat left Beijing with his biggest ask rebuffed: better communications between their militaries.After meeting Xi, Blinken said China is not ready to resume military-to-military contacts, something the U.S. considers crucial to avoid miscalculation and conflict, particularly over Taiwan.Still, China’s main diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, Yang Tao, said he thought Blinken’s visit to China “marks a new beginning.”“The U.S. side is surely aware of why there is difficulty in military-to-military exchanges,” he said, blaming the issue squarely on U.S. sanctions, which Blinken said revolved entirely around threats to American security.Yet Blinken and Xi pronounced themselves satisfied with progres...

Fiercest fighting in years erupts in West Bank camp of Jenin, at least 5 Palestinians killed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

By ILAN BEN ZION and MAJDI MOHAMMED (Associated Press)JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Israeli military forces raided a refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Monday, igniting the fiercest day of fighting in years as Palestinian militants detonated roadside bombs and Israeli helicopter gunships struck Palestinian gunmen to rescue troops trapped in the hourslong firefight. At least five Palestinians were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and over 90 others were wounded, Palestinian health officials said. Seven Israeli soldiers were also wounded, the army said. The Israeli military said forces stormed into the Jenin refugee camp in the early morning to arrest two wanted militants. They faced fierce resistance. Palestinian militants said they ambushed Israeli armored vehicles with explosive devices, disabling several vehicles with troops trapped inside. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht described Palestinian militants’ use of at least one powerful ...

A search is underway for missing submersible that takes people to see Titanic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

A search is underway for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic, according to media reports.The U.S. Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was underway Monday off the coast of Newfoundland. OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it owned the missing vessel. “We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely,” the company said in a statement to BBC News. “Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.”The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return messages sent by The Associated Press. However, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said a Canadian military aircraft and a Canadian Coast Guard vessel are assisting the search effort, which is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard.In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that struck an iceberg and san...

UN complains Russia blocks aid workers from area of Ukraine dam collapse; Moscow says it’s unsafe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin’s spokesman said Monday that U.N. aid workers who want to visit areas ravaged by the recent Kakhova dam collapse in southern Ukraine can’t go there because fighting in the war makes it unsafe.The United Nations rebuked Moscow on Sunday for allegedly denying aid workers access to Russia-occupied areas where residents are stranded amid “devastating destruction.” The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, said in a statement that her staff were engaging with both Kyiv and Moscow, which control different parts of the area, in a bid to reach civilians in need. They face a shortage of drinking water and food and a lack of power.Brown urged Russian authorities “to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law” and let them in.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t explicitly admit that Russia had blocked U.N. access, but told a ...

Everett girl, 14, standing in Chelsea pot shop parking lot was struck by vehicle; Watertown driver charged after crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

A 14-year-old Everett girl was critically injured in a crash Sunday night when a Watertown man behind the wheel of a Mercedes Benz allegedly drove through a metal fence and struck her as she was standing in a Chelsea pot shop parking lot.Massachusetts State Police and Chelsea Police are now investigating the crash that caused life-threatening injuries to the 14-year-old girl shortly after 8 p.m. on Sunday in the parking lot of RISE Recreational Marijuana Dispensary Chelsea on Beacham Street.The girl was transported to a Boston hospital after the crash, and she was in critical condition on Monday, police said.Ceserino Borelli, 44, has been charged with numerous motor vehicle offenses by Chelsea Police, and additional charges against the suspect are possible depending on the results of the investigation.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Suffolk DA Hayden gives quarter million in seized funds to nonprofits At around 8:10 p.m. on Sunday, Borelli was allegedly d...

Search on for tourist sub that takes people to see the Titanic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:12 GMT

A search is underway for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic, according to media reports.The U.S. Coast Guard told BBC News that a search was underway Monday off the coast of Newfoundland. OceanGate Expeditions confirmed it owned the missing vessel.“We are exploring and mobilising all options to bring the crew back safely,” the company said in a statement to BBC News. “Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families.”The U.S. Coast Guard in Boston did not immediately return messages sent by The Associated Press.In 2021, OceanGate Expeditions began what it expected to become an annual voyage to chronicle the deterioration of the iconic ocean liner that struck an iceberg and sank in 1912.The company said at the time that in addition to archaeologists and marine biologists, the expeditions also would include roughly 40 paid tourists who would take turns operating sonar equipment and performin...