WPTF News Archives

Jerry Kelly holds on for first PGA Tour Champions victory in 2 years

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 6:15 pm

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Jerry Kelly is a winner on the PGA Tour Champions again. Kelly shot a 67 in the final round of the SAS Championship and survived a bogey on the final hole. He was leading by two shots until a three-putt from about 40 feet on the closing hole at Prestonwood Country Club. Padraig Harrington made birdie on the par-5 17th. Harrington was tied for the lead until missing the green from the fairway on the 18th hole. He chipped 8 feet by and missed the par putt to force a playoff. Kelly won for the first time in two years.… Read More

Biden is surveying Hurricane Milton damage in Florida. Harris is going to church in North Carolina

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 12:36 pm

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Joe Biden is surveying damage left behind in Florida by Hurricane Milton. Biden arrived in Tampa on Sunday and flew by helicopter to St. Pete Beach. Along the way he saw what was left of the roof of Tropicana Field, which was shorn off by Milton’s powerful winds. Vice President Kamala Harris will speak during a church service in Greenville, North Carolina, as part of her campaign’s effort to turn out Black churchgoers before Election Day. She also plans a campaign rally. North Carolina narrowly voted for Donald Trump in 2020. Democrats are hoping to win back the state on Election Day.… Read More

FACT FOCUS: A look at the false information around Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 11:31 am

The devastation around Hurricanes Helene and Milton has been complicated further by false and misleading information, much of it politically motivated. Misinformation around the Federal Emergency Management Agency, some of which claimed land would be seized and bulldozed in North Carolina, and claims that state and local governments were failing to address the situation were spread by GOP candidates, including former President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden and other federal officials have criticized Trump and others for spreading disinformation around the hurricanes.… Read More

In an engineering feat, mechanical SpaceX arms catch Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 11:02 am

SpaceX has launched its enormous Starship rocket on its boldest test flight yet, catching it with mechanical arms back at the pad. This fifth try involved grabbing the returning booster at the Texas pad. Towering almost 400 feet, the empty Starship blasted off Sunday from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border. It arced over the Gulf of Mexico like the four Starships before it that ended up being destroyed. This latest test flight aimed to bring the first-stage booster back to land seven minutes after liftoff. The launch tower sports monstrous metal arms, dubbed chopsticks, that caught the descending 232-foot booster.… Read More

Netanyahu mulls plan to empty northern Gaza of civilians and cut off aid to those left inside

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 10:28 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants. If implemented, the plan could trap without food or water hundreds of thousands of Palestinians unwilling or unable to leave their homes. Israel has issued many evacuation orders for the north throughout the yearlong war. The plan proposed to Netanyahu by a group of retired generals would escalate the pressure, giving Palestinians a week to leave the northern third of the Gaza Strip. Those who remain would be denied food, water, medicine and fuel. The chief architect of the plan says it is the only way to break Hamas in the north and pressure it to release Israeli hostages.… Read More

Fisher-Price recalls over 2 million ‘Snuga Swings’ following the deaths of 5 infants

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 9:50 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Fisher-Price is recalling parts of over 2 million infant swings across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. That’s because of a serious suffocation risk following reports of five infant deaths. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that all models of Fisher-Price’s Snuga Swings should never be used for sleep or have bedding materials added. Between 2012 and 2022 there have five reports of deaths involving infants when this product was used for sleep. Consumers are urged to immediately cut off the headrest and remove the body-support insert before continuing to use the swing. Fisher-Price, a division of toy giant Mattel, is providing a $25 refund to those who remove and destroy these parts of the product.… Read More

Volunteers bring solar power to Hurricane Helene’s disaster zone

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 9:41 am

BAKERSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene downed power lines and washed out roads all over North Carolina’s mountains, the roar of gas-powered generators is both unpleasant and essential. More than 43,000 of the 1.5 million customers who lost power in the region still lacked electricity on Friday. Without it, they can’t keep medicines cold, pump well water, recharge their phones or apply for federal disaster aid. Crews from all over are helping Duke Energy make repairs, but it’s slow going in the dense mountain forests. One nonprofit that is helping is the Footprint Project, which is scaling up to supply solar-powered mobile infrastructure, from batteries and small generators to solar grids.… Read More

Legislative majorities giving one party all the power are in play in several states

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 7:52 am

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — A behind-the-scenes battle is underway between Democrats and Republicans for supermajority control of state legislatures across the country. More than 5,800 state legislative seats are up for election this year in 44 states. In most states, there is little doubt which party will prevail because of local voting patterns heavily favoring one party over another. But there is still plenty at stake. In 14 states, a swing of just three seats or fewer could determine whether one party holds a supermajority, meaning a margin so large it can enact laws without needing any support from the other party.… Read More

Determination to rebuild follows Florida’s hurricanes with acceptance that storms will come again

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 7:39 am

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — The devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton is still being tallied as a swath of Florida comes to terms with damage from the unusual dual strike of storms in such close proximity. Some longtime Floridians have grown accustomed to the annual cycle of storms that can shatter and upend lives in a state known mostly for its balmy weather, sunshine and beaches. Some say it’s the price of living in paradise. President Joe Biden planned to visit the Gulf Coast on Sunday. Many residents spent much of Saturday searching for gas as a fuel shortage gripped the state.… Read More

Mud, beer and cash: Annual wife-carrying championship attracts competitive couples to Maine

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 6:31 am

NEWRY, Maine (AP) — An annual event in Maine involving mud, beer and cash has once again drawn dozens of eager competitors. More than 30 couples participated Saturday in the North American Wife Carrying Championship. The raucous, politically incorrect event involves embarking on a 278-yard race during which contestants splash through water, leap over logs and trudge through mud — all while carrying their partner like a sack of potatoes. The championship is based on Finland’s “Ronkainen the Robber,” whose gang was known to pillage villages and carry away the women. … Read More

Floridians cleaning up from Hurricane Milton are hampered by a widespread fuel shortage

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 5:54 am

CORTEZ, Fla. (AP) — Many Floridians spent much of Saturday either waiting hours in line for gas, trying to get home or beginning the arduous work of cleaning up after Hurricane Milton. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday several fuel depots where residents could get 10 gallons of gas for free were set to open. Officials were also using state fuel stockpiles to replenish area gas stations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for the state and will Florida on Sunday to assess the damage. Moody’s Analytics estimates economic costs from the storm will range from $50 billion to $85 billion.… Read More

North Carolina football player Tylee Craft dies from rare lung cancer at 23

Author: The Associated Press | Date: October 13, 2024, 5:23 am

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina football player Tylee Craft has died from a rare form of lung cancer. Coach Mack Brown made the announcement in his postgame news conference following the Tar Heels’ loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday. Craft was 23. Brown said he didn’t learn of Craft’s death until after the game. The team had honored Craft during Saturday’s game by wearing shirts bearing Craft’s name and number. UNC had honored Craft’s family on the field. Receiver J.J. Jones also wore Craft’s jersey during the game. Craft played a reserve role in 2020 and 2021 before his diagnosis in March 2022.… Read More