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Government incentives and cost-conscious customers lead to electric vehicle boom in India

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Groceries stashed in the back of an electric delivery scooter are an increasingly familiar sight in the Indian city of Bengaluru. In crowded markets, electric rickshaws drop off and pick up passengers. And the number of tech startups focused on electric transport has shot up as the city — and country — embrace electric vehicles.India is one of the fastest-growing electric vehicle markets in the world and now has millions of EV owners. More than 90% of its 2.3 million electric vehicles are the cheaper and more popular two- or three-wheelers — that’s motorbikes, scooters and rickshaws — and over half of India’s three-wheeler registrations in 2022 were electric, according to an IEA report released in April. A $1.3 billion federal plan to encourage EV manufacturing and provide discounts for customers, along with the past decade’s rising fuel costs and consumer awareness of the long-term cost benefits are combining to drive up sales, analysts say. Electric v...

This trans woman was begging on India’s streets. A donated electric rickshaw changed her life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — When Preethi moved to Bengaluru in southern India 10 years ago after being kicked out of her family home for being transgender, she hoped for a better future.But 38-year-old Preethi, who only uses her first name, couldn’t get consistent work. For most of the decade, her main way of making money was begging on the city’s streets, making her susceptible to abuse and violent crime. “I just didn’t want that kind of life anymore,” she recalls.Then in March last year, she got a chance to turn things around. She got the keys to her very own electric rickshaw, using it to make a living by transporting passengers around Bengaluru’s clogged roads. She’s now one of millions of electric vehicle owners in India, but one of very few to have received an EV through a charitable donation. Preethi can be seen as a success story as India attempts to slash planet-warming emissions in a way that benefits people across economic backgrounds, known as a “just...

Artscape’s receivership news sparks concern from artists about their future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

After more than three decades of operation, Artscape has announced it’s going into receivership, sparking concern from artists who live and work in its 14 properties.The non-profit provides residences and creative spaces for artists, along with event venues such as the old streetcar facility at Wychwood Barns. In a statement posted to its website, Artscape says it was forced to take on debt over the years in order to expand its offerings to support the creative and the artist community. With event spaces shut down due to the pandemic, its finances were stretched even further. Artscape says it commenced a financial restructuring plan this year to try and reduce debt, including the sale of the Artscape Daniels Launchpad property on Queens Quay. Additional lending to maintain operations was also sought, including the city committing $1.1 million, but it says the primary lender took steps that led to Artscape being placed into receivership. “While Artscape had begun to see s...

Nebraska volleyball stadium event draws 92,003 to set women’s world attendance record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska laid claim to the world record for largest attendance at a women’s sporting event with 92,003 filling Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night for the Cornhuskers’ volleyball match against Omaha.The university took aim at the record last spring when it announced it would hold a daylong celebration of a sport that enjoys immense popularity in this state of fewer than 2 million.The event began with an exhibition between in-state Division II powers Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and was followed by the Huskers’ regular-season match. Country artist Scotty McCreery was to perform afterward.The previous attendance record was 91,648, set during a Champions League soccer match when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022.Memorial Stadium’s official capacity is just over 85,000 for football, but that number was higher for this event because there were seats and standing room on the field. The cour...

Senators hail Health Dept. recommendation to ease restrictions on marijuana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President Joe Biden’s request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.”“We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,” he added.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that HHS had recommended that marijuana be moved from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.“HHS has done the right thing,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “DEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.”Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalt...

Traveling to Florida? What to know after Hurricane Idalia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

(WFLA) – Hurricane Idalia tore across Florida Wednesday as a dangerous Category 3 storm, destroying homes, flooding neighborhoods and snapping trees before moving into Georgia as a still-powerful storm.Along with its path of physical destruction, Idalia also upended travel plans for those hoping to visit Florida or nearby states in the Southeast. For those people whose itineraries are now anything but certain, here is what we know so far.Flights and airportsAirports in Florida are planning to reopen as Hurricane Idalia, now a tropical storm, moves across Georgia and South Carolina Wednesday night.The Federal Aviation Administration cautioned on social media Wednesday that the storm is causing flight cancellations and that severe weather can affect flights beyond the immediate area. Hurricane Idalia causes 100-year-old oak tree to split, fall on Gov. DeSantis’ mansion Flight tracking service Flight Aware registered more than 1,000 canceled U.S. flights Wednesday, hundreds with dest...

Nebraska volleyball stadium event sets women's world attendance record

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska laid claim to the world record for the largest attendance at a women's sporting event with 92,003 filling Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night for the Cornhuskers' volleyball match against Omaha.The university took aim at the record last spring when it announced it would hold a daylong celebration of a sport that enjoys immense popularity in this state of fewer than 2 million.The event began with an exhibition between in-state Division II powers Nebraska-Kearney and Wayne State and was followed by the Huskers' regular-season match. Country artist Scotty McCreery was to perform afterward.The previous attendance record was 91,648, set during a Champions League soccer match when Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2022. Monster Jam trucks damaged in California highway fire Memorial Stadium's official capacity is just over 85,000 for football, but that number was higher for this event because there were...

Former Disney star says Texas arrest was 'a misunderstanding': report

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

ROCKWALL, Texas (KXAN) — Former Disney actor Mitchel Musso, who was arrested over the weekend in Texas, has denied the allegations against him in a new interview. Musso, known for his role as Oliver in “Hannah Montana,” was arrested by Rockwall police Saturday and charged with public intoxication and theft, in addition to other charges listed in jail records online. KXAS-TV in Dallas reported the Rockwall Police Department responded to a disturbance at a hotel around 7:15 p.m. Saturday and were told that an individual — identified later as Musso — who “appeared drunk” had entered the hotel, got a bag of chips and started eating them.When he was asked to pay for the chips, the man became “verbally abusive” and left without paying, the news outlet reported. Musso’s total bail for the public intoxication and theft charges was $1,000, and the bail for his other charges was about $1,080, records showed.Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Musso called the situation "a misunderstandin...

Some AISD campuses recipients of 'Inspire the Future' grant program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Teachers in Austin ISD were surprised by Austin Ed Fund visiting school campuses on Wednesday to present checks to the 2023 Inspire the Future grant program recipients. With some 70 projects, around $400,000 was donated to the educators and student groups from Austin Ed Fund, a local nonprofit organization. Austin Ed Fund leaders said the fund passed $2.1 million in grant funding awarded out in less than a decade. The majority of projects this year went to elementary school programs, and to student well being. Congressman Lloyd Doggett joined in the effort at Crockett Early College High School, where educators Tashala Thompkins, Odera Anyasinti and Cristina Coro received grants. Thompkins and Anyasinti are grant recipients of more than $9,000 for the Black Student Alliance that was started this past year. “It's about amplifying our students' voices, giving them a place to connect, have shared experiences, given them the opportunity to go out ...

Third child shot in Minnesota this month after loaded gun found in home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:37 GMT

For the third time this month, a Minnesota child has found a loaded gun inside a home and discharged the weapon.On Monday night, a 7-year-old boy found a handgun inside a home in the 7800 block of Fremont Avenue North in Brooklyn Park. The boy pointed the gun at his 9-year-old brother and fired, injuring him in the face. Police say the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Two other recent shootings ended in tragedy.On Aug. 5, Markee Jones, 12, was visiting his grandmother’s house in St. Paul for a birthday party. A 14-year-old found a gun inside the house, then shot and killed Jones.Three days later, a 3-year-old boy in Hinckley found a 9mm handgun, pulled the trigger and killed himself. The Hinckley boy’s father, Roy Dean Pauza-Moore, was charged with three felonies: two counts of second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment by firearm.The spate of recent shootings prompted this warning from Elliot Faust, inspector and public information officer ...