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New Mexico Game and Fish is now hiring ‘professional bear huggers’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

(CNN) — Bear lovers rejoice: The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is hiring for “professional bear huggers.”The department posted an adorable job listing on Facebook on Monday, featuring precious snaps of conservation officers cuddling baby bears.Unfortunately, a love of bears is not the only qualification you’ll need to become a conservation officer. The job listing with the formal title of the position specifies candidates should have a bachelor’s degree in “biological sciences, police science or law enforcement, natural resources conservation, ecology, or related fields.”Interested applicants “must have ability to hike in strenuous conditions, have the courage to crawl into a bear den, and have the trust in your coworkers to keep you safe during the process,” wrote the department.The photos are from a research project in Northern New Mexico, according to the Facebook post. They added they “do not rec...

OT goal allows Nashoba Regional to stun Scituate for Div. 3 crown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

Sometimes when your back is against the wall, it can be hard to find motivation. When the winter playoff seedings came out a few weeks ago, many hockey fans simply wrote off Nashoba Regional simply because of the field the Wolves were set to compete against. It would have been a very easy narrative to buy into.Instead, Joe Quinn and his group used the collective doubt as fuel for a historic journey.The senior sniped the game-ending goal with 3:54 remaining in overtime Sunday, as No. 11 Nashoba completed its miraculous Cinderella run to a Div. 3 boys hockey title with a stunning 2-1 victory over top-ranked Scituate at TD Garden.“I think we just need to talk about what’s in our own room,” said Nashoba coach Matt Biggs. “As an 11-seed, we certainly knew what we had inside, but these guys went out and proved it. It’s been a long four weeks, but I think the team that deserved it is out on top.”It was the first state title for Nashoba (15-5-5) since the program captured the Div. 3A champi...

New York Community Bank to buy failed Signature Bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Community Bank has agreed to buy a significant chunk of the failed Signature Bank in a $2.7 billion deal, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said late Sunday.The 40 branches of Signature Bank will become Flagstar Bank, starting Monday. Flagstar is one of New York Community Bank’s subsidiaries. The deal will include the purchase of $38.4 billion in Signature Bank’s assets, a little more than a third of Signature’s total when the bank failed a week ago.The FDIC said $60 billion in Signature Bank’s loans will remain in receivership and are expected to be sold off in time. Signature Bank was the second bank to fail in this banking crisis, roughly 48 hours after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Signature, based in New York, was a large commercial lender in the tristate area, but had in recent years gotten into cryptocurrencies as a potential growth business. After Silicon Valley Bank failed, depositors became nervous about Signature B...

Sandler receives Mark Twain Prize for lifetime in comedy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A host of comedic and entertainment royalty gathered at Washington’s Kennedy Center to present comedy icon Adam Sandler with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.Among those scheduled to honor Sandler on Sunday night were Jennifer Aniston, Judd Apatow, Drew Barrymore, Steve Buscemi, Dana Carvey, Luis Guzmán, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Ben Stiller.“Who has lasted this long and stayed this beloved?” Carvey said as he arrived on the Kennedy Center red carpet. “Nobody keeps this up for this long.”Buscemi, known largely for dramatic and often violent roles, portrayed a string of comedic characters in Sandler movies. “He takes his comedy very seriously. I laugh hard at everything I do with him,” he said. Buscemi also singled out Sandler’s musical comedy, including “The Chanukah Song,” which became a multiplatinum hit. “His comedy songs alone deserve this reward,” he said. Sandler, 56, first came to national attention as a cas...

Apartment fire in Palatine damages dozens of units

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

PALATINE, Ill — Firefighters are battling a fire that has damaged dozens of homes Sunday evening in Palatine.Witnesses say the fire started around 6 p.m. on East Dundee Quarter Drive. Looking to avoid the Kennedy Expressway construction? Here’s what you should know. Mauricio Sanchez, who lives in a building nearby, said everyone in the complex lost power and the fire alarm in the affected building went off.As of Sunday evening, about 24 units are affected due to the fire and water damage. 2 dead, 2 injured after fiery crash in Will County The Red Cross is on the scene and said they are working with the 50-60 people who are affected by the fire.They set up an office at the community center on-site to help people.Additional details haven't been released by the fire department at this time.

Police: 4 injured, driver charged after crash in Yorkville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

YORKVILLE, Ill. — Four people were injured and a driver was charged with DUI after a crash Sunday afternoon in Yorkville, according to police.The crash was reported around 4:15 p.m. near Route 47 and Galena Road. 2 dead, 2 injured after fiery crash in Will County According to a news release from the Yorkville Police Department, a driver, 44, of Aurora, side-swept two cars in the other lane and then hit another car head-on.Officers arrived and found the four vehicles involved in the crash went into Rob Roy Creek, but they weren't submerged.Four people were taken to Rush Copley Medical Center with minor injuries, according to the release.The 44-year-old driver, of Aurora, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the release.

Man dead after shooting in DeKalb

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

DEKALB, Ill. — A man was shot and killed Sunday in DeKalb, according to police.The shooting was reported to the DeKalb Police Department Sunday afternoon in the 800 block of Russell Road. Police: 4 injured, driver charged after crash in Yorkville Police said a man in his 20s was killed. His identity hasn't been released.Detectives said they are speaking to a person of interest and a weapon was recovered. Additional details haven't been released at this time.

NCAA men’s hockey: Gophers get No. 1 seed, date with Canisius

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

Bob Motzko generally takes the “it is what it is” stance with things a coach can’t control. That attitude extends to things like the NCAA tournament schedule. Although the Minnesota coach had one quibble after seeing the bracket on Sunday evening.The Minnesota Gophers are the top seed for the Fargo regional, and as such will get the No. 16-seeded Canisius Golden Griffins at 8 p.m. on Thursday night. That last detail was Motzko’s only complaint.“We don’t want to practice, we want to play games. The only problem I saw was 8 o’clock (at night). I’d rather play at 8 in the morning,” Motzko said. “We have a group that needs to get in some game time right now. I’m glad it’s Thursday. They don’t need to hear my whistle anymore.”In the other Fargo matchup, St. Cloud State will face Minnesota State Mankato at 4 p.m. Thursday. The Huskies, making their 17th NCAA Division I tournament appearance and fifth strai...

DU Pioneers hockey to open NCAA Tournament vs. Cornell

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

The University of Denver hockey team will begin its national title defense out east.The Pioneers were given the No. 1 seed in the Manchester Regional and will open NCAA Tournament play at 3:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPNews) against Cornell University at SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.Boston University and Western Michigan will play in the region’s other semifinal at noon on Thursday (ESPN2). The semifinal winners will face off in the regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU) for a spot in the NCAA Frozen Four.Denver has a 30-9-0 overall record and won the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions with a 19-5-0 mark in league play. The Pioneers lost to Colorado College 1-0 on Friday in the NCHC semifinals.The defending national champions are the No. 4 national seed. Minnesota (Fargo, N.D.), Quinnipiac (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Michigan (Allentown, Pa.) hold the top spots in their respective regionals.DU has a 7-5-0 all-time record against Cornell. The teams have met four tim...

Disney's reimagined Toontown is an inclusive playground for all

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:22:51 GMT

Walt Disney famously said that Disneyland would never be completed. The idea was that there would always be room for improvement, room for innovation and room for new ideas.It was with that mindset that Disney Imagineers took on the task of revitalizing a large portion of the young child-centric Mickey's Toontown to better cater to a group of fans who may have been left out by the land's original layout.On Sunday, the new-and-improved Toontown was unveiled to the public after a year of construction. While much of the beloved area remains the same, new additions and modifications have transformed Toontown into a place of inclusion for those of all abilities.During a reopening ceremony on Saturday, Disneyland President Ken Potrock highlighted the changes and praised the innovative team behind the decision-making process."One of the things that we wanted to be able to do is recognize that this was going to be a land that was available, not just to all of our guests and our families, bu...