A tornado outbreak in February? In the Great Lakes? Storms leave a trail of destruction

Severe storms that appear to have spawned a rare February tornado outbreak sent sleeping Midwesterners scrambling for safety and left a trail of damage and power outages across four Great Lakes states, including the Chicago suburbs, ending a spell of summerlike, sometimes record temperatures. Nearly two dozen confirmed or suspected tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio littered roads with …

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Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs’ org, looks to local leaders to bridge divides

Francine Spang-Willis wishes the landscape of the Crazy Mountains near Livingston, Montana, could speak for itself. But absent that, the oral historian will launch a new project talking to people with a connection to the land. Spang-Willis is one of a dozen new fellows announced Wednesday by the Emerson Collective, Laurene Powell Jobs’ philanthropy organization. In partnership with the nonprofit …

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Ski Report

Chestnut Mountain — Wed Reopen 02/29 machine groomed 10 – 30 base 15 of 22 trails, 68% open, 6 of 9 lifts, Mon/Tue: 9a-4p. Wed/Thu: 9a-6p. Fri: 9a-9p Sat/Sun: 9a-8p; Feb 28: Not open. Snowstar Winter Park — Closed for Snow Sports Indiana Paoli Peaks — Closed for Snow Sports Perfect North Slopes — Wed 9:22a machine groomed 6 – …

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LIU visits Breland and Cent. Conn. St.

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. Long Island Sharks (7-20, 6-9 NEC) at Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (17-10, 11-3 NEC) New Britain, Connecticut; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Cent. Conn. St. takes …

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Washington state lawmakers consider police pursuit and parents’ rights initiatives

SEATTLE (AP) — Two conservative-backed initiatives that would give police greater ability to pursue people in vehicles and declare a series of rights for parents of public-school students were considered by Washington state lawmakers Wednesday in back-to-back hearings that occasionally became heated. These initiatives are just two of six certified after a conservative group submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures …

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Cal visits Colorado after Simpson’s 28-point game

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. California Golden Bears (13-15, 9-8 Pac-12) at Colorado Buffaloes (18-9, 9-7 Pac-12) Boulder, Colorado; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Buffaloes -11; over/under is 151 BOTTOM LINE: …

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy pleads for more ammunition at Albania summit of southeastern European nations

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Ukraine’s president pleaded Wednesday for more ammunition to repel Russian advances as he co-hosted a summit with Albania’s government to build further support for Kyiv among southeastern European countries while signs of war fatigue grow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that increasing the supply of armaments, and especially ammunition, was paramount for Ukraine just over two …

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Georgia Southern takes on Marshall following Moore’s 27-point outing

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. Marshall Thundering Herd (12-17, 7-9 Sun Belt) at Georgia Southern Eagles (6-23, 6-10 Sun Belt) Statesboro, Georgia; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Eagles -1.5; over/under is …

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UN hands over 1st military base in Congo to begin its drawdown after decades in the country

KAMANYOLA, Congo (AP) — United Nations peacekeepers handed over their first military base to security forces in eastern Congo on Wednesday as part of an eventual withdrawal after decades of operating in the country. The handover comes as violence soars in the conflict-riddled region. Peacekeepers transferred responsibility and equipment at its base in Kamanyola in South Kivu province to Congo’s …

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