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DeSantis presidential countdown begins as Florida lawmakers end legislative session

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

(CNN) — After 60 days of pushing through the priorities of Gov. Ron DeSantis — a contentious slate of policies that have established Florida as the vanguard of the conservative movement’s latest fascinations — state lawmakers concluded their annual legislative session Friday.Now, the countdown to DeSantis’ presidential campaign has begun.DeSantis put off an announcement about his political future while lawmakers were at work, looking to rack up policy wins before jumping into the fray. The GOP-controlled legislature has largely delivered for him, handing DeSantis a potential platform for his White House run while reshaping Florida schools and society in immeasurable ways.Abortion in Florida will be banned after six weeks with limited exceptions. Permits and training won’t be required to carry a concealed gun in public. A new law allows eight jurors to send someone to death row, the lowest threshold in the nation; another allows child rapists to be...

FEMA: Owners of cars damaged in historic Broward floods may be eligible for money

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

Owners of vehicles that were severely damaged by the historic flooding in Broward County last month may be eligible to receive federal money to repair or even replace them.Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency said those who qualify to receive the assistance need to meet certain requirements:The vehicle(s) must have been damaged during the flooding that happened between April 12 and 14.The vehicle(s) must no longer be operable or safe to drive.Cosmetic repairs will not be covered.Applicants must own it or lease the car(s). Rentals are not eligible.Assistance only applies to damage not covered by insurance or if owners have no insurance.To apply, click here. For more information from FEMA, click here and here.

Fans scramble after Commuter Rail tickets for Taylor Swift Gillette show sell out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

It’s a problem Taylor Swift fans in New England know all too well at this point – trouble getting tickets for the singer’s “Eras Tour.”If the slog of getting tickets for the shows themselves was not enough, though, some Swift fans are now dealing with travel issues after Commuter Rail tickets for trains servicing Swift’s three shows at Gillette Stadium on May 19-21 sold out online soon after becoming available on Friday.Officials initially said there would not be any additional trains, while apologizing for the inconvenience in a Tweet around 10 a.m. In a message later in the day, though, officials were singing a different tune. “Due to the high level of interest in this service, the MBTA and Keolis are assessing if it is possible to release additional tickets,” Keolis, which manages the T’s Commuter Rail network, said in a statement. The T had offered tickets for $20 round trips to Foxborough station via the mTicket app coinciding ...

Man accused in pair of armed robberies in Jamaica Plain under arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

A man has been arrested in connection with a pair of armed robberies at cell phone stores in Jamaica Plain late last month, Boston police announced. Boston police said Boston officers working with state police and members of the US Marshals Office arrested Akeem Lahens, 32, of Dorchester around 2:40 p.m. Friday. Lahens is now facing charges including armed robbery and kidnapping linked to the Jamaica Plain robberies on April 26 and April 27, officials said. 7NEWS previously spoke with people who work at the stores, who described their experiences. “He said ‘Don’t play dumb man. I’m not having a good day. Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want to kill you man,’” Emmanuel Sanchez said of a man he said robbed him while wielding two knives on April 27 at a Cricket Wireless store on Centre Street. The robbery Sanchez described happened 24 hours after workers said a man showed two knives while robbing a nearby Boost Mobile store. Store manager Ashley Cruz said the...

Kodai Senga dominates as Mets end three-game skid with win over Rockies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

Brandon Nimmo did what he could to help the Mets jumpstart their scuffling offense and the Mets’ pitching staff did what they could do to make his fourth-inning home run hold up.The Mets opened a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies with a 1-0 win behind Nimmo’s home run and six shutout innings by right-hander Kodai Senga on Friday night at Citi Field.The win was badly needed as the team was fresh off a sweep by the Detroit Tigers. Much like the Tigers, the Rockies are not expected to be in contention for a playoff spot, and the Mets were eager to snap their three-game skid.Senga (4-1) came into the game with three extra days of rest. His goal was to be more pitch efficient and walk fewer hitters to allow him to go deeper into the game. He went six strong and still walked four hitters, but he got the outs he needed to finish one of the best outings he’s had so far.Nimmo hit his third home run of the season off left-hander Antonio Senzatela (0-1), who made hi...

Jake Bauers’ misplay in left field sinks Yankees as Rays take series opener

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG — Prior to the Yankees’ first game of the year against the Rays, Aaron Boone shared a glowing scouting report on the Yankees’ first-place, American League East rivals.“No real weakness. They’re doing everything,” Boone said at Tropicana Field. “They’re slugging with the best of ‘em. They’re hitting the ball out of the ballpark. They’re playing defense. They’re athletic. They can pitch. So there’s not an area right now where you’re saying, ‘Oh, they’re kind of struggling.’ They’re kind of covering all the bases right now and off to the historic start.”The last-place Yankees went on to give Tampa Bay a run for its money Friday, but the Rays squeezed out a 5-4 win, their MLB-leading 27th of the year, thanks to some of the strengths Boone mentioned — and a big Bombers blunder.Tampa Bay took the lead for good in the seventh inning when Wander Franco slice...

Needham defeats fellow volleyball powerhouse Westfield, 3-0, for 59th straight win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

NEEDHAM – In each of the past two state title-winning seasons, one constant within Needham volleyball’s multi-faceted identity was Raymond Weng orchestrating the attack as its premier setter.Not anymore.Adding to a long string of games as the No. 1 Rockets’ Swiss Army knife, Weng delivered one of his best performances of the season as part of a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-17) nonleague sweep of No. 7 Westfield (12-2) on Friday evening. Eight of his 15 kills came in the third set, pairing with 12 assists and two aces to help lead Needham (13-0) to its 59th straight win.Weng, a two-time All-Scholastic, has been a primary leader in the majority of those 59 games. He has impressed head coach Dave Powell in this transition to a heavy-hitting role all year, but this one – against the reigning Div. 2 state champions – certainly stood out.“He’s a hitter,” Powell said. “He’s a really good server, he’s a really good hitter. If he’s in the front row, we try to feed him in certain situations. He’s a ...

Local organization seeking host homes for migrants after Title 42 expires

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- In the last days of Title 42, with more and more migrants gathering along the border, a looming question is where will migrants go after they’re allowed into the U.S. to move forward with asylum claims?“It's going to be very scary to see those families potentially on the street," said Alberto Melchor with Safe Harbors Project, a local organization that has helped asylum seekers find temporary housing since 2015.The group, in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee, is now launching a Host Family Program, seeking compassionate individuals and families in the San Diego area who are willing to share their homes with a migrant family for three to six months.“We have already been seeing an increase in migrants and asylum seekers looking for shelter because there isn't anything out there," Melchor said. Highest-rated restaurants for burgers in San Diego, according to Yelp Under the program, Safe Harbors Network will take selected migrant families and match the...

Blue Jays rebound with shutout win over Pirates to arrest miserable slide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

Those four games at Fenway Park this week may very well turn out to be the four worst days the Toronto Blue Jays have this season.A rough turn for the rotation meant a lot of extended outings for the bullpen, which led to a lot of long innings in the field. Some defensive miscues followed, compounding everyone’s time on their feet in the miserable weather, and that carried over into at-bats.Add an improved Boston Red Sox team eager to turn around last year’s 3-16 season series between the AL East rivals, and you get a damning four-game sweep.“We just really fell into a little bit of a snowball effect … and kind of lost the time-of-possession, if you will, right there,” is how Blue Jays manager John Schneider put it. “This team and the way that we’re built, we are very well-suited to take care of the ball, have good at-bats, make good pitches. We’ve seen that this year. It just hasn’t been happening.”Hence, the Blue Jays mad...

Texas petrochemical plant fire sends 5 workers to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:11 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, leaving five workers hospitalized and sending up a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire.Nothing exploded, Gonzalez said, although the sheriff’s office initially responded to emergency calls saying there was an explosion.As of Friday evening, the fire was still burning but had died down and was contained, Gonzalez said.The cause of the blaze was still being investigated. Officials said they were monitoring the air for any impact from the fire but so far there w...