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Family left without home after deadly BSFR helicopter crash in Pompano Beach speak out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

Several people were left with next to nothing after a Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue helicopter crashed into their apartment complex. Now, they’re making a plea for help as they deal with the devastating loss.Even before Terran Vandiver began speaking to 7News, his eyes looked skyward as he he heard a familiar sound overhead.“The helicopter that just passed, those are things, the triggers that we now have to deal with as a family now,” Vandiver said.On Aug 28, a BSFR helicopter caught fire, lost control and plummeted into their apartment building, which killed a BSFR Battalion Chief and a woman who lived next door to the Vandivers.“I was getting ready for work, my little brother, he had the day off, he was sleeping in the living room,” he said. “We didn’t expect it. It was like a bomb that went off. It was like World War III for a while.”But now, three weeks later, they are still without a place to live. The family doesn’t have any...

Nearly $3 million worth of merchandise stolen from Miami jewelry store

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

A safe was stolen by three thieves from a South Florida jewelry store, leaving owners without millions of dollars worth of merchandise.“We will lose everything, it was everything you know,” said the store owner of Mitch the Jeweler. The owner of the store didn’t want to show his face on camera, fearing they might come back. However, they did what he thought was impossible: move his massive safe out the door. “I don’t know how they moved this safe,” he said. “There was something, I don’t know how to tell you, something big… I don’t understand how it happened.”The three thieves cut a hole into the store, through a shut-down business next door. They then came across a toilet on the other side, which they flushed out of their way. “This is something along the same lines of professional workers over here,” continued the owner. The thieves of this hooded heist tried to make sure there was no evidence.They went up to ...

Bodycam footage shows good Samaritan dropping off bag with loaded gun, ID’s belonging to former Florida state representative in Miami Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

When a woman turned over a lost bag to Miami Beach Police, they found a loaded gun that belonged to a former South Florida politician.It was an unusual delivery at the front desk of the Miami Beach Police Department. On Aug. 13, the good Samaritan was seen on officer-worn body camera footage dropping off what she said she found at South Pointe Park.“Thank you,” said the officer.“You’re welcome,” said the good Samaritan. The woman was thanked for taking the loaded pistol off the street.“I did my good deed for the day,” the good Samaritan said. “Oh, no. This counts for like maybe 20 good deeds,” the officer said regarding the high profile find.“Thank you. Have a good day,” said. According to police, she turned in a black cross body bag that was abandoned.The Samaritan believed that the bag belonged to a police officerAfter inspecting the the badge that was in the bag, it didn’t belong to an officer but rather a member...

Miami kids learn to make healthy food choices at cooking event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

Young children in Miami are learning early on how to make healthy choices.United Way Miami and kids’ cooking company, Tovla Jr. partnered up on Monday for a hands-on cooking experience.Three and four-year-olds had fun in the kitchen and learned the importance of healthy eating.“Fruits and vegetables, and healthy food, they’re not only delicious but they’re good for our bodies,” said Tova Levine, founder of Tovla Jr. “And it’s just, it’s just priceless for the kids to be able to have this knowledge, the younger the better.”The kids received child-friendly cookware kits as gifts, all thanks to United Way.

Rhode Island family to be reunited with relative’s World War II dog tags after salvage shop discovery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

An incredible discovery is reuniting one Rhode Island family with a relative’s dog tags that had been lost for decades. The dog tags belonged to Jen Hockenhull’s grandfather, who served in the Navy during World War II. Decades after the war, a salvage dealer recently found the tags and posted photos of them on Facebook.Speaking with 7NEWS on Monday, Hockenhull said her family is excited about the recent discovery and excited to get the tags back. “Knowing my grandfather, he would sit down and just tell all kinds of stories,” Hockenhull said. “I used to love hearing him tell me stories about the war.”For years, Hockenhull and her family had wondered what happened to the tags. Recently, one of Hockenhull’s friends saw a picture of dog tags posted on social media by a metal salvage shop. The tags had been found at a dump in Worcester and Hockenhull’s maiden name was on them.“I looked at it and was like ‘Oh my goodness, that is a dog tag we’ve been looking for since Worl...

MIAA Football Committee: Gillette to host 8 championships

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

State championship football will return to Gillette Stadium.The only difference is that the games will not be contested on the traditional first Friday and Saturday of December. Due to the fact that the Patriots will be hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 3, MIAA football committee liaison Richard Pearson said it appears the eight championships would be contested on Wednesday (Nov. 29), Thursday (Nov. 30) and Friday (Dec. 1).As for semifinal venues, Pearson said the MIAA is currently looking at several sites in which to host the 16 games. Committee member Steve Dembowski expressed a concern shared by several coaches that some facilities didn’t provide locker room accessibility among other things.Mother Nature played havoc with some of the football games last weekend. Three of the games, including the Swampscott-Auburn affair, were not completed due to inclement weather. Pearson said the games have to be played to completion and if they aren’t, they would have to app...

Cannabis Control Commissioners butt heads over acting pot chair role

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

You would think the people in charge of the weed would be a little more chill.An attempt by state pot regulators to appoint an acting chair to fill the void left by their suspended leader grew heated enough Monday morning that commissioners had to take a quick break to collect themselves after they spent half an hour arguing.An attempt by Commissioner Kimberly Roy to run the Cannabis Control Commission’s public meeting in the absence of Chair Shannon O’Brien was stymied shortly after the group was gaveled together after one of the commission’s attorneys informed the group they had no chair and would have to appoint an acting officer to continue their discussion.“We do and we are going to stick to the agenda. New business is the fourth item,” Roy said when Acting General Counsel Andrew Carter told the commission they had no chair.Roy objected to Carter’s assertion, saying she, as commission secretary, is to serve as acting commission chair when O’Brien is not present.“There are two w...

Chicago Cubs’ playoff hopes are in a precarious position after getting swept by Arizona Diamondbacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

Their worst stretch of play in months could not have come at a much worse time for the Chicago Cubs.The veteran team needed to regroup on Monday’s day off after a dreadful 1-5 trip against the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks. Five consecutive losses culminated with Sunday’s 6-2 defeat as the Cubs were swept for the first time in almost three months and returned to Chicago for their final homestand desperately trying to regain their playoff position.The Cubs (78-72) entered Monday tied with the Miami Marlins for the final National League wild-card spot, though the Marlins hold the tiebreaker.“They were better than we were in all aspects of the game,” manager David Ross said of the Diamondbacks. “They played better defense, they pitched better, they had timely hitting, they ran the bases better. We got beat all the way around. A bad road trip. Try to wash it on the off day tomorrow.”The Cubs wasted their best opportunity to erase Arizona&#...

DA investigates death of Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

The death of a 53-year-old New Hampshire man at Sunday night’s Patriots game is under investigation, the Norfolk DA announced.Foxboro police and fire personnel responded into the 300’s tier of Gillette Stadium where Dale Mooney of Newmarket, N.H., “was in apparent need of medical attention at approximately 10:57 p.m.,” the DA’s office said Monday.Mooney was transported to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro where authorities say he was pronounced dead.State troopers are following “normal protocol” by investigating the death, the DA added.“The matter remains under active investigation. The District Attorney’s Office has been informed that the autopsy is not scheduled to be conducted (Monday). There are no charges in place at this time,” the announcement added.The State Police said Mooney suffered an “apparent medical event” during the game. His wife was quoted as saying he was a father of two and a season ticket holder...

Phil Mickelson says he’s done gambling and is on the road to being ‘the person I want to be’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:37 GMT

Phil Mickelson won’t be betting on football this year — much less the Ryder Cup — saying in a lengthy social media post Monday that he previously crossed the line from moderation into addiction and “it wasn’t any fun.”“The money wasn’t ever the issue since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm,” Mickelson wrote in the post.His public admission of a gambling addiction comes more than a month after renowned gambler Billy Walters wrote in his book that Mickelson wagered more than $1 billion over the last three decades and wanted to place a $400,000 bet on the 2012 Ryder Cup while playing for Team USA.Mickelson denied ever betting on the Ryder Cup, which starts next week outside Rome.Mickelson has been relatively quiet since Walters did a media tour in August for his book, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life of Risk.” He returns to competition this week w...