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Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue captain deployed to Israel shares firsthand account amid war

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

A South Florida firefighter on a mission in Israel shared his firsthand account after he answered the call for help amid the ongoing conflict.Just outside of Tel Aviv, firefighters heard sirens in the distance and missiles passing above them.Among them was Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Capt. Jason Friedman. He spoke with 7News via Zoom on Wednesday.“It was a little nerve-racking, to say the least,” he said.Heart-stopping video showed what the the first responder experienced while he was looking for shelter shortly after he arrived in Israel.Friedman is there with Emergency Volunteers Project, or EVP, and on day 6 of his deployment, he was stationed in Jerusalem, where he described it as eerily quiet.“I’m at a station that normally runs numbers between 10 and 15 calls a day. We’ve been running maybe, like, three to four calls a day,” he said.Friedman is helping respond to fire calls.“Here in Jerusalem, we’ve only had, I think, one or two ...

President Biden wraps up visit to Israel after meeting with leaders, pledging support

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, likely by the end of the week, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them.“I understand. Many Americans understand,” Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the Oct. 7 Hamas assault to the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people. “You can’t look at what has happened here … and not scream out for justice,” he said.“But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”Biden urged Israel to step back from the brink, not just to ease growing tensions in the Mideast that threaten to spiral into a b...

‘Uplifting’: Youth football league cheers on 8-year-old fighting inoperable brain tumor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

If you’re looking for a shining example of sportsmanship – look no further. 8-year-old AJ Congdon of the Charlton Dudley Rams football team stole the show and a lot of hearts at a game last weekend. An inoperable brain tumor recently sidelined the second grader.“It was very uplifting,” his mom Jamie Congdon said. “It was something we all needed, he needed.”“Not so well without me,” AJ said when asked how the team is doing this year.Last weekend, AJ brought his fighting spirit to make a touchdown unlike any other. In the video, you can see a teammate hand him the football, and then AJ runs to the endzone.The idea for the memorable play actually came from the opposing coach of the Leicester Spencer Raiders. In the video, his players also cheered AJ on toward the endzone.“We’ve always known and loved this community so much but. to have them have that outpouring of support for our kids and us is definitely overwhelming,” Jamie said. “We are just truly appreciative over everything.”...

Suspect arrested in deadly Chula Vista shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A suspect was arrested Wednesday after a deadly shooting in Chula Vista, authorities said.Kai Espinoza, 20, turned himself in to police and was placed under arrest, Sgt. Anthony Molina with the Chula Vista Police Department said in a news release.The shooting happened Tuesday evening at a mobile home community, Brentwood Park, at 1100 Industrial Blvd., according to police. The caller who reported the shooting said they saw a white Jeep leave the area. Police say the two shooting victims, a 21-year-old man and 17-year-old boy, were in the Jeep and able to flag down a police officer at the intersection of Broadway and Palomar Street. Body found as crews respond to brush fire off Interstate 5 When first responders arrived on scene, they took the man and boy to a hospital. Police confirmed the 21-year-old died due to his injuries while the 17-year-old was listed in stable condition.During the investigation, detectives identified Espinoza, a Brentwood Park reside...

North Island sailor arrested on child porn charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A U.S. Navy sailor assigned to a squadron at Naval Air Station North Island was arrested last week on suspicion of possessing child pornography, a Navy official confirms.Cameron Bradley Hoffman faces two charges: attempted receipt of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to a complaint obtained by FOX 5.The complaint alleges that on Sept. 22, Hoffman's roommate reported Hoffman "spoke about a child in a way that prompted him to be suspicious of his activity on his cellphone." The complaint alleges that Hoffman told the roommate "that he didn't want kids, but that he liked the child, liked hanging out in the child's room and liked hanging out with the child at the park."On the night of Sept. 15, the roommate went to the barracks room while Hoffman was sleeping in the room, the complaint alleges. That's when the roommate opened Hoffman's cellphone and found several photos and videos o...

Thousands of Palestinian protesters rally in downtown Chicago

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

CHICAGO -- Thousands of protesters from the Palestinian American community called an emergency protest in Chicago after Tuesday's hospital explosion in Gaza.Just after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Chicago after meeting at Federal Plaza and began walking towards the Israeli Consulate.The organizers of the rally said they don't believe Israel when it says it didn’t strike the hospital, even though the current U.S. intelligence assessment is that Israel was not responsible. For more coverage of the Israel and Hamas Conflict, click here Israel claims the Islamic Jihad militant group misfired a rocket within Gaza and caused the blast that killed hundreds of innocent people. Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. An additional 1,200 people are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said. Those numbers predate the explosion at the ...

LCSO: Deputy shoots, kills meat cleaver-wielding man in Round Lake

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

ROUND LAKE, Ill. — A man is dead after being shot while charging at a sheriff's deputy with a meat cleaver in Round Lake Tuesday afternoon, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office (LCSO).LCSO officials said deputies were called to a residence in the 34200 block of Barberry Court around 4:05 p.m. in unincorporated Round Lake on a report of a man bleeding and in need of help.When deputies arrived at the residence, they found a man unconscious and unresponsive on a blood-stained mattress in the living room of the home. According to the LCSO, a deputy discovered the man had a pulse and started to remove pieces of his clothing to find where he was wounded and provide aid. 1 of 2 former DCFS workers found guilty in connection to death of 5-year-old AJ Freund As the deputy was trying to save the man's life, he woke up and immediately grabbed a meat cleaver sitting next to him, and lunged at the deputy.LCSO officials said the deputy and another person in the home immediately retreat...

Deer struggling in cold Alaskan waters rescued by wildlife troopers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two deer struggling in the waters of southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage finally made it to land, thanks to two Alaska Wildlife Troopers who gave the deer a lift in their boat.Sgt. Mark Finses and Trooper Kyle Feuge were returning from a patrol in nearby Ernest Sound to Ketchikan on Oct. 10 when they spotted the deer, agency spokesperson Justin Freeman said in an email to The Associated Press. Female frogs fake death to avoid unwanted male attention, study shows  The two deer were about 4 miles from any island in the channel, which is favored by large cruise ships taking tourists in summer months to locations such as Ketchikan and Juneau.The deer were floating down Clarence Strait about 14 miles northwest of Ketchikan, but not toward any particular island, Freeman said. They were fighting the current during mid-tide.This image shows one of two deer that was struggling in the waters of southeast Alaska’s famed Inside Passage, on Oct. 10, 2023, near Ketc...

10 cities with the most 'affordable' mansions in the US

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- The idea of living in a mansion may seem like a fantasy to some, especially as U.S. mortgage rates continue to climb and housing affordability takes a hit nationwide.Even still, there are places across the country where you can live large for less. A new report from Realtor.com ranked the top 10 U.S. cities where you can find the most affordable mansions -- homes with more than 5,000 square feet for under $1 million. Experts analyzed every single-family home listing on Realtor.com from the past year. They calculated what percentage of those big, budget-friendly properties made up each metropolitan area's single-family home listings.  Here are the 10 most expensive places to buy a home “Many of the metros on the list stand out for being generally affordable locales, with plenty of space to grow and sprawl,” Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst with Realtor.com, wrote in the report. “They tend to be less densely populated, especia...

Want to buy a house? Here's how much you need earn to afford one in Chicago

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:23 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA/NEXSTAR) — Buying a house in the U.S. isn't cheap, and according to a report from Redfin, it is now harder than ever to afford one.Sky-high mortgage rates and rising home prices have made it more difficult than ever, especially for first-time home buyers, Redfin said in the report, which was released Tuesday.The average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose to 7.57% from 7.49% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said earlier this month. It's the highest level in more than two decades.To afford a median-priced U.S. home now, Redfin said buyers must earn $114,627, up 15% ($15,285) from a year ago and up more than 50% since the start of the pandemic. The real estate website said a typical household earns about $40,000 less than that. This is the wealthiest person in your state, new Forbes report shows "Hourly wages have risen in 2023, but not nearly as fast as the income necessary to afford a home is rising: The average U.S. hourly wage has increased by&nbs...