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Coral Gables lights up the holidays with 20th annual tree lighting ceremony

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

The holiday season officially kicked off Thursday night at the 20th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Coral Gables, bringing festive cheer to Merrick Park.7News’ Alex de Armas hosted the event, joined by Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago in flipping the switch to illuminate the dazzling 50-foot tree. The ceremony featured a special appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus, spreading Christmas magic from the North Pole.The night’s festivities included enchanting performances by the Miami Royal Ballet and Coral Gables Senior High School Gablettes. Local singer Preston Howell, a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice, added to the celebration. Attendees enjoyed holiday costumed characters, a 360° photo booth, and the highly anticipated appearance of Santa Claus.The “Back to Tradition” event at the Shops at Merrick Park marked the beginning of the holiday season, uniting the community in the joyous spirit of the festivities.

Miami Marlins and Feeding South Florida team up for Thanksgiving food distribution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

In the spirit of giving, the Miami Marlins, in collaboration with Feeding South Florida, are set to distribute free food to a thousand families in need just ahead of Thanksgiving.The Home Plate Meals Thanksgiving Distribution will take place at 4:30 p.m., Friday at LoanDepot Park, located at 501 Marlins Way, Miami, FL 33125. Each meal box provided will include Thanksgiving staples, featuring a 10-pound turkey and approximately 15 pounds of additional food.Marlins players Luis Arraez, Nick Fortes, and Braxton Garrett will be on hand to assist in the distribution, ensuring families in the Little Havana community can enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The event, supported by partners such as Goya Foods, P.A.N., and Pepsi, aims to make the holiday season brighter for those facing food insecurity.

Man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after fire at apartment in Salem

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

Fire officials are investigating an apartment fire in Salem early Friday morning that left a man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, officials said.Crews responding to a reported structure fire at 173 Lafayett St. around 6 a.m. pulled an unconscious man from a first-floor unit. He was taken to the hospital with what were considered life-threatening injuries.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Arrest made in robbery of Salem, NH Loan Max

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

A Methuen man was arrested in Texas on Thursday in connection with the robbery of a Salem, New Hampshire Loan Max earlier this year.Nelson Perez, 58, was arrested in Katy, Texas and is being held pending his arraignment and extradition to New Hampshire, officials announced Friday.Officers responding to a reported robbery at the Loan Max at 522 South Broadway learned two employees had been tied up and the suspect had fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. After executing multiple search warrants, Perez was identified as the suspect, according to Salem New Hampshire police.This case remains under investigation and police say additional charges against Perez are likely. Anyone with information is asked to contact Salem Police Det. Joshua Dempsey at the Salem Police Department (603) 893-1911.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Man killed in rollover crash on SR-78

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The crash was reported to law enforcement just after 6:30 p.m. According to California Highway Patrol logs, a silver Dodge Challenger flipped and rolled down about 200 feet into an embankment near 19000 San Pasqual Valley Road. Help sought to identify person killed on I-5 The San Diego Police Department said the driver of the Dodge was traveling at a high rate of speed when he crossed into the eastbound lane to pass multiple vehicles. The driver was reported to have lost control of his vehicle, veering off the roadway to the left. The vehicle struck a boulder, which authorities say caused the Dodge to flip, cross both lanes oftraffic, and go down an embankment on the north side of the roadway.The driver was pronounced dead at the scene while still inside his vehicle. SDPD's Traffic Division is investigating the crash.Road closures were temporarily in place between San Pasqual Academy and Ramona for several hours, CHP said. The area has since reopened.Anyone with inform...

Maine lobsterman jumps from boat to help rescue a driver from a car submerged in a bay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A lobsterman in Maine jumped from a boat into the water to help save a driver trapped in a sinking car, police said.The car drove into Casco Bay shortly after noon on Thursday, according to police in Portland, Maine. Police and fire crews were able to force entry into the vehicle while it was underwater. The lobster boat was nearby. Manny Kourinos, who was on board, jumped in and helped pull out the driver, police said. The water temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).“I’ve been diving for 20 years now and never been in that circumstance where I had to recover someone from underwater,” Kourinos told WCSH-TV. The 33-year-old driver was listed in stable condition after being taken to a hospital, police said. Police are investigating and said the vehicle was reported stolen out of South Portland earlier in the day.The Associated Press

Spain’s Pedro Sánchez beat the odds to stay prime minister. Now he must keep his government in power

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez pulled off his latest feat of political survival to get reelected as prime minister with an absolute majority in a highly fragmented parliament. Now, he will have to use all his dexterity to keep a mixed bag of supporters happy and his government in power for the next four years.Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, has defied the odds before, but the ones he faces this time look especially daunting. To win the endorsement of a majority of lawmakers Thursday, he clinched deals with six small parties, including two Catalan separatist groups that demanded he take an unpopular action in return. He agreed to push through a controversial amnesty for hundreds of people in legal trouble over the Catalonia region’s failed secession attempt in 2017. Among them is the region’s fugitive former president, Carles Puigdemont, who for many in Spain is public enemy No. 1 since he led the independence bid before fleeing to Belgium.While...

Are we missing the city for the trees?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, if there’s been one progressive assumption about cities over the past couple of decades, it’s that they need to greener — more trees, more parks, more green projects on top of buildings, all of that. And while the goals are laudable, and the plant life will surely help in the climate era, a new books asks if we’re so concerned with making cities green, why are we forgetting to make them functional for the people who live in them? Des Fitzgerald is a Professor of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences at University College Cork in Ireland. He’s the author of The Living City: Why Cities Don’t Need To Be Green To Be Great.“I have absolutely no quibble or objection to the fact that there is clearly important work that green space is doing in cities in terms of climate collapse,” said Fitzgerald. “I guess I want to retain … some kind of love for urban space in its own right, to not think of the city as a thing that just need...

Empty vehicle on tracks derails Chicago-bound Amtrak train in Michigan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. (AP) — An Amtrak train heading to Chicago with 200 passengers derailed after striking an unoccupied vehicle on the tracks in southwestern Michigan, authorities said Friday.“The engineer and approximately 10 passengers received non-life threatening injuries and were treated by local ambulance services,” the Berrien County sheriff’s office said.The train derailed but remained upright.The crash happened Thursday evening near New Buffalo in Michigan’s southwestern corner, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) east of Chicago.The vehicle was stuck on the tracks and was in the process of being removed when the train hit it, the sheriff’s office said.Passengers were taken to New Buffalo High School. Some were picked up by family and friends while others continued their trip to Chicago on buses arranged by Amtrak, the sheriff’s office said. The Associated Press

Ron DeSantis picks up 10 South Carolina endorsements from former backers of Tim Scott’s campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:51 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ron DeSantis has picked up 10 endorsements in South Carolina from former backers of Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential campaign, support the Florida governor is hoping can shore up his strength in the first-in-the-South primary state as the 2024 GOP field continues to consolidate.In a list shared Friday with The Associated Press before its public release, South Carolina state Reps. Bill Taylor and Tom Hartnett Jr. — as well as more than a half-dozen municipal-level elected officials who had backed Scott before he shuttered his bid — are now announcing their support for DeSantis.“Ron DeSantis is the leader we need for this exact moment,” Hartnett said. “He not only is the only candidate who I know can win, but he will be a president who will follow through on his promises to reverse the decline of our country.”Both DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are trying to pick up supporters and donors from Scott’s campaign following his surp...