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First responders share boating safety tips, caution Biscayne Bay will be slow speed zone on July 4th

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

Boating safety is a top priority this holiday weekend, and with so many activities going on in the water, ensuring boaters follow safety measures is a top priority for first responders.It was the calm before the holiday on Friday, as the U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and several fire departments and police agencies have teamed up in an effort to keep everyone on the water safe this Fourth of July.The initiative is called Operation Dry Water. Officials said all of Biscayne Bay will become a slow speed zone from 7 p.m. on Tuesday until 2 a.m. on Wednesday.“All vessels within the regulated area are required to transit at no more than 15 knots,” said Eddie Oropeza with U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami Beach. With the influx of people, FWC is putting even more resources out on the water to prevent tragedy.“It’s one of the busiest holidays in the nation, including here in Florida,” said FWC spokesperson George Reynaud. Thi...

Maine woman punches bear that chased her dog and ends up with stitches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

PORTER, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman was bitten by a bear in her backyard while defending her pet dog, necessitating a trip to the hospital for stitches, officials said Friday.Lynn Kelly, 64, was tending her garden in Porter when her dog took off into the woods barking at something on Friday. In short order, the dog was racing back to the yard with a black bear in hot pursuit, said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.Kelly stood and made herself appear large, which is recommended in a black bear encounter. But instead of slowly retreating, she proceeded to confront the bear, which is not recommended, Latti said.The bear briefly latched onto Kelly’s wrist after she punched the animal on the nose, and she received stitches for the wound at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, he said.It’s rare for someone to be bitten by a bear in Maine even though the state has one of the largest black bear populations on the easte...

Fox News to pay $12 million to former producer who accused the network of rampant sexism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

(CNN) — Fox News will pay $12 million to settle a pair of major lawsuits brought by former producer Abby Grossberg, her lawyer said Friday.Grossberg had accused Fox News of pressuring her into giving false testimony in Dominion Voting Systems’ historic defamation case against the network, and of fostering a deeply misogynist workplace. She had sued Fox News, its parent company, former primetime host Tucker Carlson and several senior executives.In a statement announcing the settlement, Grossberg said “I stand by my publicly filed claims and allegations” but that she agreed to withdraw the lawsuits as part of the $12 million deal.“I am heartened that Fox News has taken me and my legal claims seriously,” Grossberg said. “I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the Network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace.”A Fox News spokesperson confirmed the settlement in a statement F...

Holiday Hijinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

The July 4th Holiday Weekend is upon us….a long one with where the 4th falls on a Tuesday this year. If today started the Holiday, what a banger of a day! I think tomorrow is also a solid summer day. Except for an isolated shower/patchy drizzle on the Cape/Islands for a few hours tomorrow morning, skies will become partly sunny fairly quickly Saturday morning leading to some great outdoors weather including golf courses, pickleball, poo parties and the beaches…Away from the coastline, plan on temps reaching the low to mid 80s under a partly sunny sky…How about the rest of the Holiday Weekend? It’s….OK. Our junky pattern is still with us (albeit rather sleepy these past two days) but another Low Pressure begins to slide through New England on Sunday and linger into early next week. While, no day looks cloudy, crummy or gloomy I do think Sunday/Monday/Tuesday will offer a chance of showers/t-storms each day with Sunday being the highest chance…Sunda...

Crime Briefs: Still no verdict in Weymouth cop-killer case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

The jury has yet to decide the fate of Emanuel Lopes, the man charged with the murder of Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and bystander Vera Adams nearly five years ago, after three days of deliberations.Lopes, 25, faces a total of 11 charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. In addition to the murder charges, he stands accused of attempted murder, weapons, assault and other charges for the July 15, 2018, shootings. Jurors received the case on Wednesday following closing arguments.Prosecutors and the defense pitted their arguments on culpability in the deaths. Prosecutor Greg Connors said the killing of Chesna with his own gun was a deliberate act and defense attorney Larry Tipton stressed that his client has suffered from mental illness, which was compounded by marijuana use.Deliberations are set to resume Monday.— Flint McColgan‘Unattended death’ at Sterling police station under investigationState police and local authorities are investigating an “unattended death” last week ...

Biden offers new student debt relief plan, lashes out at GOP after Supreme Court ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

By WILL WEISSERT and COLLEEN LONG (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden vowed Friday to push ahead with a new plan providing student loan relief for millions of borrowers, while blaming Republican “hypocrisy” for triggering the day’s Supreme Court decision that wiped out his original effort. Biden said his administration had already begun the process of working under the authority of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which he called “the best path that remains to provide as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.”In the meantime, since student loan-payment requirements are to resume in the fall, the White House is creating an “on ramp” to repayment and implementing ways to ease borrowers’ threat of default if they fall behind over the next year. The president said the new programs will take longer than his initial effort would have to ease student loan debt.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden sa...

Brad Stevens: Celtics have ‘green light’ to spend as NBA free agency begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

Kristaps Porzingis sat to Brad Stevens’ right at a podium inside the Auerbach Center on Thursday. Among other things, it represented the Celtics taking on a difficult challenge head on.With the addition of Porzingis to the fold, the Celtics now have three big salaries on their roster including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown that puts them well into the luxury tax as free agency began Friday at 6 p.m. But even as salary cap restrictions loom with the new collective bargaining agreement, the Celtics weren’t dissuaded from adding to their payroll.“We’re trying to win and everybody is very supportive of that from top down,” Stevens said. “It starts with (co-owners) Wyc (Grousbeck) and (Steve Pagliuca) and our ownership group. We’re trying to win and we’re going to try to do the best to put our best foot forward to do that.”As it stood entering free agency, the Celtics have 11 players under contract and are certainly not finished with their roster construction – whether ...

Orioles place struggling reliever Keegan Akin on IL; Brandon Hyde provides updates on Dillon Tate, Austin Voth, others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

Two days after Keegan Akin unraveled in the 10th inning of an Orioles loss, the club placed the left-handed reliever on the 15-day injured list Friday with lower back discomfort.Akin has spent most of the 2023 season in Baltimore’s bullpen, but Wednesday’s outing, in which he allowed three hits and four runs while recording just two outs against the Cincinnati Reds, was the latest in a four-game stretch that ballooned his ERA from 3.66 to 6.85. The move is retroactive to Thursday.Manager Brandon Hyde said Akin will undergo testing in Baltimore over the next week.“Not sure,” Hyde said when asked if Akin was dealing with the discomfort in his lower back before Wednesday. “It was obviously bothering him enough to report it after the game. It is something that had been lingering for a little bit, but he felt fine going in, just didn’t feel good after.”To replace Akin, the Orioles recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from Triple-A ahead of their serie...

First heatwave of 2023 to bring high temperatures for 4th of July holiday weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The hottest weather so far this year is expected over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in San Diego County's inland areas.A warming trend has settled in as high pressure builds over the West Coast and it is prompting heat-related warnings for the mountain and desert regions.Mountain communities like Julian and Pine Valley are under heat advisories until Monday evening, where peak temperatures could range from 88 to 96 degrees. California grad student commutes to class by plane to save on rent However, the biggest heat risk will be in our deserts, where an Excessive Heat Warning is in place. Temperatures there are likely to reach 115 degrees Saturday and Sunday.The warmup will be less pronounced for beaches and coastal valleys because of the marine layer and sea breeze. Beaches will top out in the mid-70's this weekend, with upper-80's to low-90's for the inland valleys.  Expect periods of low clouds and fog each evening and morning, especially along the coast, throu...

'Excelsior!': Stan Lee exhibit coming to Comic-Con Museum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Ahead of the big convention weekend next month, the Comic-Con Museum is celebrating with a tribute to Marvel trailblazer Stan Lee that shows just how much "one person can make a difference."The museum will be debuting a new exhibit, "Excelsior! The Life and Legacy of Stan Lee," celebrating the late Marvel founder's many contributions to the comic book industry during the year that would have marked his 100th birthday. The Worst-Case Scenario: An immersive survival experience at Balboa Park The first-of-its-kind exhibit, curated by the museum and Kartoon Studios, will feature a collection of rare comic books, original art and paintings that explore Lee's work. A section will also be dedicated to Lee's co-creators of the Marvel Universe, including Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.Comic book fans will also get to see never-before-seen artwork and items donated from auction houses and private collectors in the new display. The "Excelsior!" exhibit is one of three debuting at th...