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 Vera Rivard English Channel, swim in 14 hours and 10 minutes. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, 16-year-old Vera Rivard of Springfield (N.H.) and Derby, Vt., successfully completed one of the Triple Crowns of Marathon Open Water swimming: a crossing of the English Channel from Samphire Hoe Beach in Dover, England, to Wissant Beach, France. Her start time (local) was 9:38 a.m. and her finish time was 11:48 p.m. Rivard finished with a time of 14 hours, 10 minutes. Rivard was assisted by the boat The Rowena, Pilot Peter Reed, 2nd Pilot Peter Reed Jr. and official observer, Aaron Reed, of the Channel Swimming Association (CSA). Conditions were an air temperature of 57.9 degrees F, sea temperature of 63.5 degrees F and a wind speed of 9 knots, with wind direction from the west. According to the CSA website, Rivard is the 1,676th person to make the crossing since 1875 and the second American to finish the swim in 2020. Vera wore an Upper Valley Aquatics Center swim cap to honor her late coach, Dor

 Chadwick Boseman honored Anderson, "It is only natural that his hometown honors what he did,". Thousands are lobbying to replace a Confederate monument with a statue honoring actor Chadwick Boseman, who recently  died  after a private battle with cancer, in his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. At least two petitions circulating on Change.org are asking local and state officials to erect a public memorial commemorating the beloved actor near the county courthouse in Anderson. Nearly 63,000 signed one  petition  and 54,000 people signed  another  as of Thursday afternoon. "Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure and his accolades go on and on. It is only fitting that his work is honored in the same place that birthed him," wrote Anderson University Student DeAndre Weaver, who started one of the petitions. A second petition, created by a user identified as "Anderson Citizen," has also gained traction. “I believe the community should c

 Jacqueline Kennedy Martha's Vineyard estate, officials said Thursday. A 304-acre farm on Martha’s Vineyard owned by the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is being purchased by the  Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank  and  Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation  for $27 million. The purchase of Red Gate Farm in Aquinnah by the two the conservation agencies was announced Thursday morning. The deal should be completed by Dec. 15 and payments will be made over a four-year period. The Kennedy family will retain 98 adjacent acres of land, which includes the 6,456-square-foot cedar-shingled main residence, four-bedroom guest house, three-bedroom caretaker’s house, according to Land Bank Executive Director James Lengyel. Upon completion of a standard biological species inventory and final management plan, the farm’s dunes, beach, kettlehole pond, wooded trails and open meadows will be open to the public, according to the buyers. It will be known as Squibnocket Pond Reservation. “The Martha’s Viney

 Electronic trucks crashes study, 40% of rear-end collisions. Large trucks with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems could eliminate more than 40% of rear-end collisions, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The IIHS examined data on crashes per vehicle mile traveled from 62 carriers operating tractor-trailers and other trucks weighing at least 33,000 pounds. It found that trucks equipped with forward collision warning had 22 percent fewer crashes and trucks with AEB had 12% fewer crashes than those without either technology. Front crash prevention systems use cameras, radar or sensors to monitor the roadway ahead. Some include only forward collision warning, which alerts the driver to obstacles in the roadway. AEB systems automatically apply the brakes to prevent the collision or reduce its severity. Crash avoidance systems worth making standard “The potential benefits are great enough that these cras

 True size megalodon shark, artistic reconstruction of a 16-meter adult. The true size of a  gigantic prehistoric  megalodon shark that ruled the oceans millions of years ago has been revealed for the first time -- and it had teeth as big as hands, and a fin as tall as a human adult. Researchers at the University of Bristol, in southwestern England, and at the Swansea University, in south Wales, used mathematical calculations to work out the size of the  megalodon  shark from rare fossil remains of its teeth. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers told CNN that the giant shark species would have grown up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length and weighed about 48 tons, which is larger than any other shark known to have existed and more than twice the size of a great white shark. With teeth as big as human hands, it would have had a bite force of more than 10 tons, dwarfing that of a  great white shark's  bite force of two tons, researche

MacKenzie Scott wealth, now the wealthiest woman in the world. Author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is now the world's richest woman, according to  Bloomberg's Billionare index .  With a net worth of $68 billion, Scott is also the 12th wealthiest person in the world. Scott claimed her new title as the richest woman after surpassing L'Oreal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who boasts a net worth of $66.8 billion.  The novelist received a 4% stake in Amazon, valued at more than $59.3 billion, after her divorce with Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. After the split,  Scott pledged to give the majority of her wealth  to charity.  Not a millionaire but want to be: Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here Scott is part of the Giving Pledge, founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to fund groups working to address poverty alleviation, refugee aid, disaster relief, global health, education, among other issues.  In July,  Scott d

 West heat wave, Fourty-three million people across much of California. A dangerous heat wave is expected to hit the West Coast over the holiday weekend. Fourty-three million people across much of California, southern Nevada and western Arizona are already under an excessive heat watch, and that number is expected to rise. Forecasters warn that this heat wave has the potential to break all-time high temperature records for the region. National Weather Service Los Angeles  suggested that  "all daytime outdoor activities should be limited or canceled." Excessive heat watches are expected to start on Friday for valleys and mountains and Saturday for coastal areas. Sunday is expected to be the hottest day, with temperatures as high as 115 degrees are expected away from beaches,  according to the National Weather Service . Close to 100 record high minimum temperatures are expected to be broken during the same time frame. Overnight lows are expected to be warm in the 70s and 8

 Philippines transgender killing, his lawyer said Wednesday. A U.S. Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the Philippines has been ordered freed on the grounds of good conduct after serving half his maximum 10-year sentence, his lawyer said Wednesday. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton has been in detention since the October 2014 motel killing of Jennifer Laude after he met her at a bar while on a break from joint military exercises in the northern city of Olongapo. A court ruled Tuesday that Pemberton -- held in a special jail at the Philippine military headquarters in Manila -- qualified for early release, his Filipina lawyer Rowena Garcia Flores said. Court officials in Olongapo and spokespeople for the Philippine military or U.S. embassy could not be reached for comment. A statement from Philippine military spokesman Major-General Edgard Arevalo said they had not received any court order, but they would abide by it. The decision was deplored by Harry Roque, now

 Star Trek trans character, Gray, will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander. Sci-fi franchise Star Trek is set to introduce its first transgender and non-binary characters. The characters are to appear in the third series of Star Trek: Discovery, producers said on Wednesday. The trans character, Gray, will be played by trans actor Ian Alexander, and likewise non-binary Adira will be portrayed by Blu del Barrio. "Star Trek has always made a mission of giving visibility to underrepresented communities," said a producer. The show's co-runner and executive producer Michelle Paradise added: "It believes in showing people that a future without division on the basis of race, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation is entirely within our reach." The programme, which will begin again next month on US TV network CBS, previously featured the first married gay characters in the franchise's history; while Sonequa Martin-Green also became the first Black woma

 Michael Bloomberg HBCUs, Increase Number of Black Doctors and Improve Minority Health Nationwide. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced that Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded $34 million to Meharry Medical College   to help increase the number of Black doctors in the U.S. by significantly reducing their debt burden. Over the next four years, the historic gift will provide scholarships for medical students with financial need, many of whom have faced increased financial pressures because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Meharry Medical College community learned of the gift this morning during a virtual announcement hosted by college President and CEO Dr. James E.K. Hildreth that included a video presentation by Mayor Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Current Meharry School of Medicine students with financial need could be eligible for scholarships of up to $100,000 over four years under the gift. The grant also covers “wrap around” services, su

 Juliette Binoche Pope Francis, other French environmentalists get pope's backing. Actress Juliette Binoche and fellow French  environment alists received encouragement from  Pope Francis  at a private Vatican meeting Thursday where he told them people shouldn't lose hope even when the condition of the planet can appear “catastrophic.” The urgency for such commitment was made plain by the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis said. “We understand to what point we are tied one to the other, inserted in a world whose future we share, and that maltreating it can’t help but bring grave consequences, not only  environment al, but social and human,’’ the pontiff told his guests. Binoche and the other activists work with the French Conference of Bishops on environmental themes, which were highlighted by Francis in a 2015 encyclical which exhorted all persons of good will to protect the Earth. In 2018, Binoche was an author of a letter calling on politicians to act decisively and swiftly in

 Wrigley Field sportsbook, complete with betting windows and self-serve kiosks. The Chicago Cubs have talked about having a sportsbook at Wrigley Field for a little while now, and with the advent of  sports betting in Illinois , it’s coming. And not just a little sportsbook, either. The Cubs are reportedly planning to work with  DraftKings  to create the largest individual sportsbook in the country right at Wrigley Field, which could become the first sports betting location at a major sports venue: Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney  said in a release  announcing a multiyear partnership with DraftKings, “An increasing number of sports fans want to integrate sports betting into their game experience, and we’re excited to be one of the first to engage in developing a retail sportsbook at a professional sports venue.” By having a sportsbook right at Wrigley Field, the Cubs could closely serve another significant portion of the fanbase, and also reap the benefits of legaliz

 Dijon Kizzee running away, family alleged Wednesday. Dijon Kizzee, the 29-year-old Black man  who was fatally shot  by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies two days ago, was running away from deputies when he was killed, attorneys for Kizzee's family alleged Wednesday. "Dijon Kizzee did not deserve to be executed like this in cold blood as he was running away," attorney Benjamin Crump said during a virtual news conference."He was riding a bicycle while Black." CNN reached out to the sheriff's department for comment on the allegation that Kizzee was running when he was shot. "The investigation is ongoing and there is no additional information available at this time," a spokesman replied. Crump, who was joined in the news conference by Kizzee's aunt Fletcher Fair and co-counsels Dale Galipo and Carl Douglas, referred to other recent high-profile police shooting incidents, including George Floyd, Jacob Blake, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna

 Thailand first local virus case,  health officials said Thursday. A prison inmate in Thailand has tested positive for the  coronavirus  in the country’s first confirmed locally transmitted case in 100 days,  health  officials said Thursday. They identified the inmate as a 37-year-old man arrested for drug abuse who was brought to prison in Bangkok on Aug. 26 and tested positive Wednesday at the prison's  health  center. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday had congratulated the nation for having achieved 100 days without any confirmed local cases of the coronavirus. The last person to test positive was on May 24. Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department, said the infected man had been kept in a small group of quarantined inmates in a standard procedure to limit the possible spread of the virus. In another routine procedure, he was tested as part of a group of 34 new inmates. He had only a mild possib