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Acropolis’ midday closure leaves many tourists in the lurch as a heat wave lashes southern Europe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Disgruntled tourists bemoaned the temporary closing of the Acropolis in Athens on Friday as Greek authorities proactively shut the world monument’s gates between midday and early evening amid a heat wave that continues to grip southern Europe.Red Cross staff handed out bottled water to tourists wilting in long lines hoping to beat the closure and scale the steps up to the gleaming Parthenon temple as temperatures were expected to peak above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the Greek capital.Some visitors were frustrated at being left in the lurch because they were unaware of Greek authorities’ last-minute announcement of the Acropolis’ closure at noon. One visitor said he was disappointed as his cruise ship would depart later in the day.“I even bought a €50 ticket to skip the line to enter and I couldn’t enter the place,” Hector from Mexico told The Associated Press.Others who beat the closing timewere elated despite the heat, like Sylvia from Colo...

Search on for wayward sea otter harassing surfers, kayakers off California coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wildlife officials were trying to capture a wayward sea otter Thursday that has been wresting surfboards away from surfers and aggressively approaching kayakers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California.The 5-year-old female otter has shown aggression toward people for several weeks and poses a public safety risk, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.Video and photographs shared on social media show the marine mammal getting on top of different surfboards — on at least one occasion biting and tearing chunks off a board — and aggressively approaching surfers.A team of wildlife experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium were working to capture and put the animal in a new home, the service said.This image from video provided by TMX shows an encounter between a female otter and a surfer off the coast of Santa Cruz, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2023. California wildlife officials are trying to captur...

Video: Cat stolen by pizza delivery driver, Colorado family claims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) - A Colorado family said a Domino's Pizza delivery driver took their cat, and they have security camera video to prove it.While their neighbors got a pizza, the Adams County family said they were left with grief after going over the video of the driver with their cat “Pinto” last Saturday."He got in the middle of the street when he saw someone pull up," Jennifer Chumil, the mother of the family, said of their cat.In the video, Pinto, one of several family cats, is seen running toward a Domino's delivery car."She petted him, and then a few minutes go by and he's in the car with her and they're driving off," Chumil said. "They were delivering pizza to my neighbor across the street."You can see Pinto approach the car and the delivery driver interact with the cat. Another angle, Chumil said, shows Pinto in the car with the driver. 9 suspects wanted after gun store burglaries Shortly afterward, the video appears to show the Domino's employee driving away.The ...

Dean's Reviews: Sound of Freedom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

Check out WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards’ review for "Sound of Freedom."Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's Reviews: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

Check out WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards’ review for the latest installment of the much anticipated Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Man records extremely close encounter with cougar in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

TRABUCO CANYON, Calif. (KTLA) -- A wildlife photographer may have gotten the shot of a lifetime Wednesday night when he encountered a mountain lion mere feet from him on a path.Mark Girardeau said he was checking his motion-activated cameras in Trabuco Canyon when he saw the adult puma, which he calls "Uno," "just chilling" on the trail. This mountain lion had no problem around wildlife photographer Mark Girardeau on July 13, 2023. (Mark Girardeau)When he zooms in on Uno, the camera shows that the cougar is calm and composed, seemingly more curious about Girardeau's presence than anything else.The big cat then saunters down the trail until she reaches the other side of the path from Girardeau's position, then trots away."Oh s—. I had bear spray ready," he narrates.In another video, Uno, who is wearing a collar, walks within an arm's length of Girardeau's vehicle, seemingly unconcerned with his presence. If you encounter a mountain lion in the wild, the...

Walmart adding sensory-friendly hours across US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

(WHNT) — Shopping for everything your kids need before going back to school is already a daunting task, but it's even harder for those living with sensory disabilities.Walmart wants to change that. The big box chain said stores across the country will offer a quieter -- and hopefully more enjoyable -- shopping experience. Homeless World Cup makes US debut in California During sensory-friendly shopping hours, stores will dim the lights, the music will be turned off, and anything with moving images on screens will be turned into a stationary picture.The shopping window will be from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. every Saturday in July and August, the store announced in a press release last week.In areas of the country where school doesn't start back until after Labor Day, the initiative will start on July 22."We are striving every day to create a culture where everyone feels they belong," the company said in a statement.

Krispy Kreme offering doughnut deal for company's 86th birthday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Krispy Kreme is celebrating 86 years in business with a deal on doughnuts.On Friday, July 14, customers at Krispy Kreme who purchase any dozen doughnuts can buy an additional Original Glazed dozen for an additional 86 cents, the company announced. A dozen things you never knew about doughnuts In-store customers will be limited to four offers, while those ordering online for pickup or delivery (using offer code 86YEARS) will be limited to one 86-cent dozen.“Gifting fans a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts for just 86 cents when they buy any dozen is a pretty sweet way to celebrate 86 years of delicious doughnuts," Krispy Kreme executive Dave Skena said in a press release.(Getty Images)Krispy Kreme’s history dates back to 1933, but it wasn’t until 1937 that Krispy Kreme founder Vernon Rudolph began selling doughnuts directly to customers. Rudolph had been selling his doughnuts wholesale to grocery stores during the first few years, but the demand from passersby outsi...

LIVE BLOG: $1,670 in donations raised so far for Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For more than 30 years, Family Eldercare has been running a Summer Fan Drive to keep people cool amid Texas' summer heat.This year's drive comes on a week with multiple days in a row topping out over 100°. KXAN meteorologists forecast the excessive heat will continue for the next one to two weeks. On Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., people can drop off their fans at KXAN, Roger Beasley Mazda locations and Whittlesey Landscape Supplies. They can also donate online. KXAN will be tracking the number of fans collected and money raised and will share updates in this story. How to donate to the 33rd Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive Live blog9:30 a.m.Fan donation at Roger Beasley Mazda Central for the 2023 Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive. (KXAN Photo)Cowboy, the dog, and his owner helped support the Summer Fan Drive by dropping off a cash donation at Roger Beasley Mazda Central. (KXAN Photo)Cowboy, the dog, and his owner helped support the Summer Fan Drive by dropping off...

For some remote Canadian wildfires, best and fastest option is sending in the smokejumpers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:34 GMT

FORT ST. JOHN, British Columbia (AP) — When James Bergen steps from a plane and plummets toward fire below, he’s not scared. Instead, he says, he gets a rush from not knowing exactly what he’ll face when he parachutes in as one of the smokejumpers confronting the wildfires that have scorched Canada this spring and summer.One call may mean a drop and a hike to a meadow to put out a single burning tree. “Next day you go to a fire and it’s a giant roaring beast threatening a community,” said Bergen, a solidly built 46-year-old with graying stubble. “That anticipation of what you’re going to get, an unknown every time you get on the plane — that to me is still the excitement.”As more than 900 fires burn in a Canadian fire season that has periodically pushed dangerous smoke south into the U.S. and even far east to Europe, only one province — British Columbia — relies on smokejumpers to help fight the blazes. Its history dates back to 1998.Canada’s provinces organize the...