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Officials remind community of firework safety tips ahead of 4th of July celebrations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

Independence Day is on Tuesday and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), along with several fire departments across Miami-Dade and Broward counties shared tips to have a safe and happy holiday. A fleet of law enforcement agents from the U.S. Coast Guard, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and FWC will be set to enforce the laws at sea, as the holiday celebration unfolds. According to FWC, 735 boating incidents were reported in the state last year. Monroe County and Miami-Dade County topped the list with more than 180 incidents between the two counties. Officials said alcohol was the leading factor, along with an absence of life vests on boaters. Fire departments reminded the community that although fireworks can be beautiful to marvel at, they can also be extremely dangerous. Even small sparklers can reach temperatures of up to 2,00 degrees Fahrenheit, said MDFR Chief of Staff Erika Benitez. “It can cause serious burns,” she ...

Opa-locka police investigating after victim found shot in vehicle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

Opa-locka police are investigating after a person was found deceased inside a vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound. Police have established a perimeter in the area of 1040 Caliph Street as they continue to investigate. The victim was found on the driver’s side of a grey SUV. If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000

Man arrested at Orlando International Airport for assault on staff and attempted murder of police officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (WSVN) – Flight frustration reached a boiling point at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday as a 41-year-old man, allegedly engaged in a violent altercation.According to witnesses, Edward Hariston became increasingly aggressive at the Spirit Airlines ticket counter.Hariston is accused of grabbing a nearby computer keyboard after becoming aggressive with staff. Airport staff promptly called for authorities, who responded to the scene.Upon the arrival of law enforcement, Hariston allegedly escalated the situation further by placing one officer in a chokehold, causing the officer to nearly lose consciousness. The intense struggle that ensued was eventually brought under control, as additional officers restrained Hariston. A video captured the moment he was detained. A woman in the video is seen in distress. Hariston was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Orange County Jail. He now faces a litany of charges, including a charge of attempted mur...

Broward County initiates mosquito spraying following Florida Department of Health’s malaria advisory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

In response to the Florida Department of Health’s statewide advisory on mosquito-borne illnesses, Broward County initiated a comprehensive mosquito control program to combat the recent spread of malaria. This marks the first time in two decades that local transmission of malaria has occurred within the United States.The development came to light after four individuals in Florida, who contracted the illness, were identified along the Gulf Coast region south of Tampa. The affected residents, all residing in Sarasota County, have undergone prompt medical treatment and have successfully recovered, according to the official statement from the state’s Department of Health.Malaria, a parasitic infection transmitted through bites from Anopheles mosquitoes, presents symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, nausea and vomiting, as well as severe headaches. It is important to note that malaria cannot be spread from person to person.Taking preventive action, Broward County’s mo...

Australian teenager Arisa Trew, 13, becomes first female in skateboarding history to land 720 trick

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

(CNN) — Australian teenager Arisa Trew has become the first female to land a 720 – a skateboarding trick involving two full rotations while in the air – as she competed in the Tony Hawk Vert Alert event on Saturday.In 1985, legendary skateboarder Hawk became the first to complete the trick but since then no female has joined him in achieving the feat – until now.Hawk was present at the competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, and said on Instagram that the 13-year-old Trew, “brought the house down.”“I can’t believe I landed my first 720!!! And to be the first girl in the world to land a 7 in competition,” an ecstatic Trew said on Instagram, before thanking those who helped her achieve this accomplishment.Her coach Trevor Ward also took to Instagram to talk about the process of the teen making history and the battle between 16-year-old Lilly Stoephasius and Trew to land the trick.“What an amazing scenario. The 2 best vert skaters going head-to-head to land the 720 in front of the invento...

Wildfire smoke drives traditional summer camp activities indoors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

By MARK SCOLFORO (Associated Press)The Canadian wildfires that have shrouded much of the nation in smoky haze are making it much harder for American kids to enjoy one of the staples of summer camp: fresh country air.As a result, many camps in the Midwest and the East have been moving activities indoors, seeking advice from medical professionals and hoping the air quality improves soon so campers can get back to hiking, playing tetherball and waging games of capture the flag.“There’s certainly a concern, considering that we take children from the cities,” Mark Zides, chairman of the Pennsylvania Camp Association, said Thursday. “Coming up to the mountains for the summer is what summer camp is all about.”YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer in western Pennsylvania closed its outdoor pool Wednesday and sent home a few campers with health problems, said Karla Schell, associate executive director of the camp about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh. The camp is hosting 244 children in ...

An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation index that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve tumbled last month to its lowest level since April 2021, pulled down by lower gas prices and slower-rising food costs.At the same time, consumers barely increased their spending last month, boosting it just 0.1%, after a solid 0.6% gain in April.The inflation index showed that prices rose 3.8% in May from 12 months earlier, down sharply from a 4.4% year-over-year surge in April. And from April to May, prices ticked up just 0.1%.Still, last month’s progress in easing overall inflation was tempered by an elevated reading of “core” prices, a category that excludes volatile food and energy costs. That underscored the Fed’s belief that it will need to keep raising interest rates to conquer high inflation.Core prices rose 4.6% in May from a year earlier, down slightly from the annual increase of 4.7% in April. It was the fifth straight month that the core figur...

Former Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman lists Buffalo Grove home for $775,000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

Former Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman and his wife, Leslie, have their five-bedroom, 4,011-square-foot house in Buffalo Grove for sale for $775,000.A California native, Forman, 63, joined the Bulls as a scout in 1998 and worked his way up through the administration until he became the team’s general manager in 2009. He led the Bulls to the playoffs in seven of his 10 years as general manager, but he was ousted from the team in April 2020 during a season that was halted for a time by the COVID-19 and that was marked by poor performance. Upon Forman’s firing, Tribune sports columnist Paul Sullivan wrote that “the Bulls don’t shoot, rebound, defend or handle the ball well, and they can’t even compete in the vastly inferior Eastern Conference, where a sub-.500 team can make the playoffs.”Forman most recently has been a special advisor to the New Orleans Pelicans.In Buffalo Grove, the Formans paid $536,000 in 2003 to buy the house from former...

The world’s tallest flagpole. A tiny Maine town. An idea meant to unite people is dividing them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — Lobster boat engines rumble to life in quiet coves. Lumberjacks trudge deep into the woods. Farmers tend expanses of wild blueberries. Maine’s Down East region is where the sunlight first kisses a U.S. state’s soil each day, where the vast wilderness and ocean meet in one of the last places on the East Coast unspoiled by development.Which makes it a striking backdrop to one family’s bold vision for the region: a flagpole jutting upward from the woodlands toward spacious skies — the tallest one ever, reaching higher than the Empire State Building. And atop it? A massive American flag bigger than a football field, visible from miles away on a clear day.To promoters, the $1 billion project, funded in part by donations, would unite people of all political stripes and remind them of shared values in an era of national polarization. Here’s how Morrill Worcester, founder of Worcester Wreath, tells it: “We want to bring Americans together, remi...

Executives urge Europe to rethink its world-leading AI rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — More than 150 company executives are urging the European Union to rethink the world’s most comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, saying Friday that upcoming regulations will make it harder for companies in Europe to compete with rivals overseas, especially when it comes to the technology behind systems like ChatGPT.Officials at companies from French planemaker Airbus and carmaker Renault to Dutch beer giant Heineken signed an open letter to EU leaders saying the 27-nation bloc’s groundbreaking legislation may put shackles on the development of generative AI. That technology gives popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT the power to generate text, images, video and audio that resemble human work.“Such regulation could lead to highly innovative companies moving their activities abroad ” and investors withdrawing their money from AI development in Europe, the letter said. “The result would be a critical productivity gap between the two sides of the A...