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Business Highlights: YouTube to allow some false claims; Disney judge removes himself from case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

___YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential electionsYouTube says it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election and other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by widespread fraud, errors or glitches. The Google-owned video service said in a blog post Friday that it wanted to avoid the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm. The updated policy will not stop YouTube from removing material that attempts to deceive voters in future elections, including the upcoming 2024 presidential election. The change comes as YouTube and other major social media companies have come under fire for not doing more to combat election misinformation.___Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantisORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSant...

Ghost guns banned under new Colorado law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Friday banning firearms that are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers, practices that allowed owners to evade background checks and impede law enforcement's ability to track a gun's origins.The new law is the latest in a slew of gun control measures signed by Polis this year. The state joins 11 others, including California, New York and Nevada, in regulating the so-called ghost guns, which have been linked to high-profile mass shootings across the U.S. Police kill 14-year-old armed robbery suspect in Aurora The use of ghost guns in crimes has risen 1,000% since 2017, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Ghost guns linked to mass shootingsA gunman in Sacramento, California, who fatally shot his three adolescent daughters, another adult and himself at a church last year had been barred from owning firearms, but was able to obtain a ghost gun.In Colorado, the person accused of kill...

What sports have Coloradans gambled on most in the last 3 years?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Coloradans are trying to make a dollar on basketball more than any other sport. It's been three years since Colorado legalized sports gambling. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states may make their own laws about sports betting, which had previously been federally illegal. Colorado ranked among top sports-betting states It has taken little time for Colorado to become one of the nation's most gambling-friendly states. Since it legalized sports betting in 2020, Colorado has grown to have the nation's seventh-highest total money wagered - over $9 billion in just two years, according to Sportsbook Review.Betting has risen quickly. Colorado went from $2.9 billion wagered in 2021 to $4.1 billion in 2022. The state now has the most legal sports books in the U.S. with 26 overall. The Denver Nuggets first championship win on Thursday night likely made a lot of Coloradans happy for more than just the win. By far, Coloradans prefer betting on basketball to any othe...

Opa-locka Police Chief Scott Israel resigns from position

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

Opa-locka Police Chief Scott Israel has resigned from his position.Israel, a former Broward County sheriff, confirmed his resignation at a news conference held Friday morning. “It was more of an honor than I ever anticipated,” he said. “Each and every day, new challenges. Under my direction, we’ve taken this police department in the right direction. We treat people with dignity and respect; we don’t racial profile, we ride around with our windows down, listening to what the community has to say.”Israel spent just 13 months on the job.He said he made the decision to step down so that he could spend more time with his family.According to the city manager, crime in Opa-locka dropped 30% under Israel’s leadership.

1 WB lane of 79th St. Causeway west bridge shut down after car, pickup truck collide; 1 hospitalized

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

Rescue crews have taken one person to the hospital after a crash that has led to the closure of the 79th Street Causeway’s west bridge in Miami.City of Miami Police and Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the two-car collision along the westbound lanes of the bridge, at around 4:15 p.m., Friday.An aerial view captured the white sedan and white pickup truck that were involved in the crash.Fire officials said they have taken on person to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The patient’s condition is unknown.The west bridge was initially shut down in both directions, but the eastbound lanes and all but one westbound lane have since reopened to traffic. Drivers are still advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Cheerleader recalls being shot after friend opened the wrong car door

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

(CNN) — A Texas cheerleader who was shot and critically injured after another girl mistakenly opened the wrong car door says she was scared during the shooting but tried to stay calm for her even more frightened friends.Payton Washington, 18, was injured in April outside a supermarket in Elgin, about 20 miles east of Austin, shortly after midnight. She was struck three times in her leg and back, damaging her pancreas and diaphragm. She had surgery to remove her ruptured spleen.The incident was one of a string of recent incidents in which young people were shot during apparently safe, ordinary encounters.Washington spoke publicly for the first time to Michael Strahan in an interview that aired Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”She said she was writing a text and eating candy at the time of the shooting.“I didn’t know where it was coming from,” Washington said, “With it being so loud and my ears ringing, I knew to turn and do something.”Washington was one of two teens shot in the...

CERT volunteers in Broward ready to assist people as hurricane season begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

As we head into another hurricane season, there’s a group of volunteers standing by to help if a storm hits our area. Karen Hensel introduces us to them in tonight’s 7 Spotlight.When parts of Broward County ended up underwater during that massive rainstorm in April, some of the first emergency response work came from citizen volunteers who lived in the flooded neighborhoods.Mark Miller, CERT Deputy Operations Chief: “So we have our people that are already in the field, and they’re calling in to the Emergency Operations Center saying, ‘Here’s what it’s like in Edgewater. Here’s what it’s like here. Here’s what’s going on there,’ so they’re tremendously important.”Mark Miller helps run the Fort Lauderdale Community Emergency Response Team, also called CERT.He is one of the hundreds of people who have volunteered to be on the front lines if a disaster strikes in South Florida.Mark Miller: “We̵...

‘We should not have a snow day in June’: Teachers, children, parents gather after falling concrete in Somerville school prompts canceled classes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

The Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville was closed Friday after a section of concrete fell into a stairwell inside the building, school and city officials said. While engineers were set to “conduct a more thorough review of the building,” many parents, children and teachers gathered elsewhere at the Somerville Public Library where they discussed the situation and ongoing concerns about building conditions at the Winter Hill School. “This is a situation that we should not be in,” said Winter Hill School Dean of Students Brendan Buckland. “We should not have a snow day in June.”Officials said the concrete fell outside school operating hours, while the school was unoccupied. The stairwell was later closed to students and staff. Officials said Department of Public Works crews had then “conducted minor repairs” and had been monitoring the building’s interior as of Thursday night. The closure on Friday, though, came “out of an abundance of caution,” according t...

Orioles put reliever Mychal Givens back on IL, call up Baltimore-area native Bruce Zimmermann

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

The Orioles brought back Mychal Givens to supply a veteran presence to their bullpen. His availability in it continues to be limited.After the 33-year-old right-hander spent most of the first two months of the season on the injured list with left knee inflammation, right shoulder inflammation has landed him back on the 15-day IL.In four innings this season since his May 21 activation, Givens, signed to a one-year deal this winter after pitching for Baltimore from 2015 to 2020, has issued six walks and allowed six runs (five earned). His average fastball velocity, according to Baseball Savant, was 91.7 mph, down 3 mph from two seasons ago.Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, an Ellicott City native, will take Givens’ place on the roster. The 28-year-old has had stints with the Orioles over the past three seasons and has a 4.05 ERA in nine starts this year with Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore’s rotation lacks a fifth starter, but the timing of the call-up and the club’s upcomin...

WooSox bat boy makes the grab of the night at Fenway, gains fame from Red Sox Nation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:14 GMT

The bat boy for the WooSox says he’s living the dream.Aaron Buckley, an 18-year-old lifelong Red Sox fanatic, became the man of the night when he grabbed Connor Wong’s two-run homer in the first row atop the Green Monster during the eighth inning of Thursday’s 8-2 win against Cincinnati.“I definitely got some height on it,” Buckley told the Herald on Friday. “I just kind of jumped up and threw my glove up there, and I think I just put it in the right spot. There wasn’t too much time to think.”Before the magical moment, Buckley had already been standing up, since the Red Sox had put the game away by scoring four runs in the eighth, which he said helped make the difference.Kike Hernandez hit a solo blast to the Monster seats an inning earlier to give the Red Sox a one-run lead at the time, 2-1. The ball landed a few sections away from Buckley.“It was more like, ‘Wow, that ball got out of here quick, so I have to be ready if something is coming near me,’” Buckley said of his mindset th...