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Gusty winds deflate, topple Christmas decorations across South Florida as wicked weather lingers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Mother Nature was a Grinch in a couple of South Florida neighborhoods, as relentless rain and whipping winds continue to wreak havoc across the region.Tons of inflatable Christmas decorations struggled to stay inflated and upright with the strong gusts on Thursday. Miami Shores resident Marta Guisti had her Christmas spirit temporarily deflated as the decorations in her home fell prey to the inclement weather“It made me sad to see it like that,” she said. Giusti said she spent her whole morning fixing what her son-in-law spent so much time setting up.“Oh, my gosh, he worked all day, two days, doing all this, and then the water came in,” she said. “I was trying to see if I can connect it and make it dry, but I see it’s full of water inside.”Hundreds of dollars worth of inflatable decorations came down. It was a big challenge for Santa and his reindeer as they are not strong enough to fly in this heavy wind and rain.As for Joseph and the mang...

Apology letters by Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro in Georgia election case are one sentence long

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The apology letters that Donald Trump-allied lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro were required to write as a condition of their plea deals in the Georgia election interference case are just one sentence long.The letters, obtained Thursday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an open records request, were hand-written and terse. Neither letter acknowledges the legitimacy of Democrat Joe Biden’s win in Georgia’s 2020 election nor denounces the baseless conspiracy theories they pushed to claim Trump was cheated out of victory through fraud.“I apologize for my actions in connection with the events in Coffee County,” Powell wrote in a letter dated Oct. 19, the same day she pleaded guilty to six misdemeanors accusing her of conspiring to intentionally interfere with the performance of election duties.“I apologize to the citizens of the state of Georgia and of Fulton County for my involvement in Count 15 of the indictment,...

Youth football teams from Dixmoor and Robbins fall short of championship wins in Florida playoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Youth football teams from Dixmoor and Robbins fell short of goals of bringing national playoff trophies home to the south suburbs, although the Dixmoor Vikings captured second place in Division 1 of the 11-U championship.Dixmoor played for the second straight year at the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando, while the Robbins Eagles made its first trip in the team’s 40-year history to the American Youth Football League championship in Naples, Florida.The Vikings won their opening round game Dec. 3, beating the Santa Barbara Seahawks from California 28-14, then advanced in the semifinals, besting another California team, the Saddleback Valley Bears, 27-16.The 11-U squad, however, was held scoreless in the championship game, falling 26-0 to the Avalon Wolves of Florida.Avalon had advanced in the semifinals to face Dixmoor by defeating a North Carolina team, the Capital City Steelers, 46-0.Many of the same Dixmoor players had been part of a team that went to the Pop Warner playoffs l...

Hot Property: Lots of room in Newton contemporary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Builders walk a fine line between loading new construction with every single trend under the HGTV sun to appeal to modern buyers and the risk of those homes looking outdated as shiplap and brass go in and out of style.Hitting that sweet spot quite nicely, 62 Stanley Road in Newton boasts some of the latest innovations in newer builds in a sleek, restrained way that families will enjoy for years to come.The newly unveiled contemporary masterpiece is redefining luxury living in every facet. Boasting 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and sprawling across a substantial 5,480 square feet, the home’s numerous bells and whistles focus on style and function.A grand two-story entryway floods the interior with natural light from its wall of glass, creating a light and open ambiance. From there, an open living, dining, and kitchen space enjoy the same abundance of oversized windows, hugging the floor plan with views of the meticulous landscaping.If you’ve gotten used to “chef’s kitchen” being bandied abo...

Kansas courts’ computer systems are starting to come back online, 2 months after cyberattack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

By JOHN HANNA (Associated Press)TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The court system in Kansas has started bringing its computer system for managing cases back online, two months after a foreign cyberattack forced officials to shut it down along with public access to documents and other systems, the judicial branch announced Thursday.The case management systems for district courts in 28 of the state’s 105 counties are expected to be back online by Monday, with others following by the end of the week. Online access to documents for the public will be restored after that, though counties that go back online will be able to offer access through terminals at their courthouses, the judicial branch said.The courts also have restored systems that allow people to apply for marriage licenses online and file electronic requests for orders to protect them from abuse, stalking and human trafficking.The Kansas Supreme Court’s seven justices, who oversee administration of the state courts, said...

Jury deliberating whether actor Jonathan Majors assaulted a girlfriend in New York last spring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — A jury began deliberating Thursday whether Jonathan Majors is guilty of assault following a New York trial featuring clashing narratives about whether the rising Hollywood star was the aggressor or victim during a chaotic struggle with his then-girlfriend that began in the back seat of a car.The criminal case has centered on allegations brought by Grace Jabbari, a 30-year-old British dancer, who said the “Creed III” actor struck her on the side of the head, twisted her arm behind her back and squeezed her finger until it broke during a dispute last spring.In closing arguments that ended before lunch Thursday, Major’s lawyer portrayed Jabbari as a compulsive liar who concocted a story of an abusive relationship as revenge after catching her boyfriend of two years texting another woman.The 34-year-old actor dabbed his eyes with a tissue as his attorney, Priya Chaudhry, implored the jury to “end this nig...

Amber Alert issued for girl, 13, last seen in Imperial County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert issued Thursday afternoon for a 13-year-old girl who was last seen in Imperial County.Raine Gonzales is 5 feet 9 inches tall, 115 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a black shirt, a dark-colored jacket and white shoes. She was carrying a backpack.Raine was last seen Sunday with 43-year-old Lorenzo Guerrero in Brawley, near I and 18th streets, CHP said. Guerrero is 5 feet 7 inches tall, 180 pounds and bald. He was last seen wearing a white baseball jersey with the number 44, a hat and sneakers. Arrest made in Mission Bay crash that killed 12-year-old paddleboarder CHP believes the pair are in a 2007 silver Mercedes-Benz C230 with California license plate 5ZFS158.The alert was issued for Imperial and San Diego counties.California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert issued Thursday afternoon for a 13-year-old girl who was last seen in Imperial County. (California Highway Patro...

Toronto council rescinds ‘arbitrary’ cap on rideshare licences, Uber praises move

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Toronto’s City Council and Mayor Olivia Chow confirmed on Thursday it would continue to issue licences to rideshare drivers, such as Uber, by rescinding a previous cap. Last week, Uber Canada announced it was taking Toronto to court to reverse the city’s decision to limit the number of rideshare vehicles on its streets. The rideshare company filed an injunction with the Ontario Supreme Court on Dec. 4, alleging the move to put a cap on rideshare licences is illegal and would irreparably harm its business.According to some, Toronto’s move came too quickly, so on Thursday, Mayor Chow said she’d wait at least a few more months to see how it plays out. Related: Uber, Lyft warn of higher costs, long wait times as Toronto moves to cap drivers “It’s about planning, transportation, public transit, greenhouse gas emissions, and across different divisions and departments,” Mayor Chow said.Opponents of Toronto’s City Council said...

52 commerical and backyard flocks in B.C. have been infected with bird flu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

VANCOUVER — More than 50 poultry farms in British Columbia have been infected with avian flu since October, but animal health officials say that rate is slowing as the fall migration of wild birds ends. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Thursday 47 commercial farms and five small-flocks have been infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus this fall. B.C.’s Agriculture Ministry says in a news release that it is working with the agency and B.C.’s poultry producers to ensure enhanced biosecurity measures are in place to limit the spread of disease. If the flu is detected in a flock, all the birds on the farm must be destroyed and the CFIA said in November about five million birds in B.C. have been culled due to H5N1 since the first case was detected in April 2022. The ministry says avian flu poses a low risk to public health with no risk to food safety, and there are currently no poultry food supply disruptions due to the virus. The B.C. government introduced a $...

'We're all going to die': Mokena family recounts tour boat sinking in the Bahamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

MOKENA, Ill. — Last month, the Savage family took a cruise to celebrate a birthday. Thursday, Becky, her husband Matt, and their two sons are more than happy to be back home and alive after an excursion off the cruise ship left floating in the ocean, hoping to stay alive.On Nov. 14, the Savage family and more than 100 people boarded a two-deck Blue Lagoon Island tour boat that inevitably sank before reaching the island in the Bahamas.According to the Savages, they took the tour boat ride as an excursion on the last day of their trip on a Royal Caribbean cruise line that took them from Jamaica to the Bahamas."It started getting choppy, it was already a little choppy," said Matt Savage. "But then all of a sudden, it felt like it kind of sped up." More from Jewell: ‘He’s the ball of sunshine’: Mom provides update on Cooper Roberts The family said the boat started to sink around 10:30 a.m. and the crew didn't communicate what was going on, other than for those on board to put their li...