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Republicans raise the specter of widespread COVID-19 mandates, despite no sign of their return

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — As Americans fend off a late summer COVID-19 spike and prepare for a fresh vaccine rollout, Republicans are raising familiar fears that government-issued lockdowns and mask mandates are next.It’s been a favorite topic among some of the GOP’s top presidential contenders. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that people are “lurching toward” COVID-19 restrictions and “there needs to be pushback.” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted online that the “radical Left” seeks to bring back school closures and mandates. And former President Donald Trump urged congressional Republicans to stop the Biden administration from bringing back COVID-19 “mandates, lockdowns or restrictions of any kind.”“The radical Democrats are trying hard to restart COVID hysteria,” Trump told supporters in Rapid City, South Dakota, during a recent campaign stop. “I wonder why. Is there an election coming up by any chance?”While some individual schools and colleges have implemented te...

Judge blames Atlanta officials for confusion over ‘Stop Cop City’ referendum campaign

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the case involving Atlanta activists’ referendum effort against a police and firefighter training facility accused city officials on Wednesday of moving the goalposts on the signature-gathering campaign, saying they have “directly contributed” to a widespread sense of confusion over the matter.U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that he does not have the authority to force the city of Atlanta to begin processing the tens of thousands of signatures that were handed in Monday by “Stop Cop City” activists, explaining that he cannot intervene while a larger dispute over the effort is awaiting input from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.But Cohen also said he was “compelled to comment upon the vacillating positions of the City of Atlanta throughout this litigation.”“On June 21, 2023, instead of approving a referendum petition it had no intention to honor regardless of the number of signatures obtained from City residents, the City could ha...

El Chapo’s wife released from US custody after completing 3-year prison sentence

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was released from federal custody on Wednesday after completing a three-year sentence for helping him run his multibillion-dollar criminal empire, the federal Bureau of Prisons said.Emma Coronel Aispuro, who pleaded guilty in 2021 to three federal offenses as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors, had been moved from a Texas prison to a California halfway house prior to her release. She will now serve four years of supervised release. Coronel Aispuro expressed “true regret for any and all harm” when she was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges including money laundering conspiracy and engaging in transactions with a foreign narcotics trafficker.She also helped her husband plan a dramatic escape through a tunnel dug underneath a prison in Mexico in 2015 by smuggling to him a GPS watch disguised as a food item, prosecutors have said. That helped those digging the tunnel pinpoint his location and reach him. El Chap...

NBA takes steps to try to ensure its star players appear in more games

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA took steps Wednesday to try to ensure that its star players appear in more games, particularly nationally televised matchups and the in-season tournament that is being added this year.The league’s board of governors approved a new player participation policy that will take effect for this upcoming season, replacing the player resting policy that was implemented prior to the 2017-18 season. The new rules focus primarily on star players — someone who has been an All-Star or on the All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons.Teams will have to manage their rosters to ensure that multiple available star players aren’t sitting out the same game to rest. The league will have the ability to penalize teams that violate the policy by fining them $100,000 for the first infraction and $250,000 for the second. Each successive violation increase by $1 million.The NBA also wants teams to maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences a star playe...

A week remains until the sun sets before 7 p.m.

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you've been noticing the sun setting earlier and earlier as the days go by, you aren't just seeing things.Whether you're excited about the longer nights to come or wish the long summer days would last forever, afternoon sunsets in Denver are on the way. It's just a matter of time.In fact, as of Sept. 13, there is only a week left until the sun starts setting before 7 p.m.End of summer, start to fallAccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Sept. 20 is the last day of 2023 that the sun will set after 7 p.m. Specifically, it will set at around 7:01 p.m.Three days later, on Sept. 23, astronomical fall begins with the fall equinox. This is the day that the sun rises and sets at the exact same point in the sky.Interestingly, in Denver at least, it takes until Sept. 26 for the sun to set and rise exactly 12 hours apart. On that day, the sun will rise at 6:51 a.m. and set at 6:51 p.m.Doesn't the sun already set before 7 p.m.?If you live in the Front...

El Chapo’s wife has been released from a US prison

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, has been released from a US prison after serving nearly two years for drug trafficking and money laundering charges, a prison official said Wednesday.Coronel was sentenced to three years in prison in November 2021 after pleading guilty to charges related to her husband’s narcotics empire. Her sentence also included four years of supervised release and a forfeiture of $1.5 million.“We can confirm Emma Coronel Aispuro released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) today, September 13, 2023,” spokesperson Randilee Giamusso told CNN in an email.“For privacy, safety, and security, the FBOP does not provide additional information on those who are no longer in our custody,” she added.Coronel had been held at a residential reentry management facility in Long Beach, California, according to the prison bureau’s inmate locator.During her sentencing, Coronel, a dual US-Mexican citizen, expressed de...

27th annual “Dunn’s Run” to unite runners in support of Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

Thousands of runners will soon gather in Deerfield Beach for the 27th Annual “Dunn’s Run,” an event aimed at benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. The event, scheduled for Oct. 1, serves as the unofficial start of the running season and raises funds for at-risk children across Broward County.Founded by the late business and community leader Jim Dunn of J.R. Dunn Jewelers, “Dunn’s Run” has generated millions of dollars for the charity through its 13 clubs in Broward County.“What Jim Dunn did in founding this event and his support of our Clubs, and what the Dunn Family continues to do for our members is nothing short of amazing,” said co-CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Chris Gentile in a press release. “Seeing so many people come together at one place, at one time, to support our kids is humbling and makes such a difference in the lives of so many young people.”The race has become one of the tri-county areaR...

Florida Gov. DeSantis recommends against latest COVID booster in ongoing disagreement with FDA, CDC

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida will recommend most citizens don’t take the latest COVID-19 booster shot, saying Wednesday there is not enough data to show the potential benefits of the vaccine outweigh potential risks.Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for president, and Florida Surgeon Joseph Ladapo discussed the vaccine with doctors on a Zoom call livestreamed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It repeated much of what they said a week ago during a live event in Jacksonville, in which they warned against the vaccine the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved this week.“This has obviously been a flashpoint in our society,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “In Florida, we’ve obviously taken a different approach.”The discussion began with the words “NO WAY FDA” on the screen before DeSantis introduced the doctors.“We continue to live in world where the CDC and the FDA, when it comes to COVID at least, are j...

Fort Lauderdale girl rings bell to celebrate beating cancer during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

In a celebration during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 13-year-old Melynanie rang the bell signifying the end of her cancer treatment, surrounded by the pediatric oncology team at Broward Health Medical Center.The Fort Lauderdale girl’s journey was marked by a diagnosis of high-risk leukemia, which, during her battle, led to the development of diabetes, Broward Health Medical Center said in a news release. Melynanie fought through a challenging course of treatment, including high doses of chemotherapy.Throughout her ordeal, she received multiple blood transfusions to mitigate the risk of stroke. On Wednesday, her medical team, devoted caregivers, and family, including her mother and sister, celebrated the the fact that she is officially leukemia-free.The eighth grader is now thriving and enjoys being social and going to school.

Fire breaks out at emergency shelter in Sutton housing displaced, migrant families

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:01:56 GMT

A fire broke out late Wednesday morning at an emergency shelter site in Sutton serving displaced and migrant families, prompting first responders to evaluate several people for smoke inhalation injuries, including members of the Massachusetts National Guard.Local officials, including the fire chief and two state lawmakers, raised concerns last week and at the end of August about the safety of families staying at the hotel. Healey administration officials have said the severity of an emergency shelter crisis and state law requires them to quickly procure temporary housing for local homeless and migrant families.The Sutton Fire Department received a call just before noon for a fire at the Red Roof Inn, which began “in the area of a stove in a hotel staff area,” according to the state Department of Fire Services.State Sen. Ryan Fattman and other town officials were on their way to the hotel to greet National Guard troops who were arriving for their deployment as part of an up to six mo...