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Gun safety demonstrators carry caskets to Tennessee Capitol

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Protesters calling for gun safety legislation were blocked from bringing caskets inside Tennessee’s Capitol, but a recently reinstated legislator escorted an infant-sized casket inside before he was barred from carrying it onto the House floor.Protesters led by Bishop William Barber II marched in Nashville, demanding that lawmakers pass the legislation and stop using their authority to trample democracy. They carried several caskets symbolizing those lost to gun violence on Monday. “The legislators are back, but returning duly elected lawmakers to their seat does not solve the problem,” Barber said, demanding that lawmakers “stop committing policy murder.”The fatal shooting of six people at a Nashville private school last month kicked off a stream of calls for changes to Tennessee’s gun laws, including a ban on assault weapons, tougher background checks and a “red flag” law. Republican Gov. Bill Lee has urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would kee...

Following stroke, Lucinda Williams back with book and album

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Lucinda Williams is returning to the spotlight this spring with an autobiography, a new album and concert appearances around the world. Less than three years ago, there was real worry that her creative voice would be stilled.In November 2020, the singer-songwriter suffered a stroke while getting ready to take a shower in her Nashville home. Her husband, Tom Overby, discovered her on the bathroom floor. Williams was rushed to the hospital.Her recovery has been grueling and not yet complete.“I’m doing really well,” she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I can walk again, I don’t have to use a cane or anything. I wasn’t sure about that for a while.”She’s fragile and moves slowly. She’s unable to play the guitar, as continued weakness in her left side makes it too painful to grip the fret. It’s hard not to wonder if Williams, who turned 70 in January, is pushing things.Talk to her, and her husband-manager, and it’s...

New Jersey wins Supreme Court dispute against New York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says New Jersey can withdraw from a commission the state created decades ago with New York to combat the mob’s influence at their joint port.The high court ruled unanimously Tuesday that the Garden State doesn’t need New York’s consent to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The commission was created in 1953 when organized crime had infiltrated the port and was demanding payments from workers and shippers through extortion and violence.New Jersey lawmakers have said that changes in the industry, including the development of container shipping, have lessened the influence of organized crime at the port and reduced the need for the commission. The state says the commission has become “an impediment to economic growth.”“We hold that New Jersey may unilaterally withdraw from the Waterfront Commission Compact notwithstanding New York’s opposition,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court.The two-member commission...

Residents continue to clean up community, homes following historic floods in Fort Lauderdale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

Residents in Broward County have had difficult days trying to clean up their community after historic floods damaged several homes. So many of those homes have been hit hard at a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood off of Southwest Fourth Avenue. 7News cameras captured residents as they continue to clean their homes. One thing these residents are happy about is the weather because it stopped raining and the sun is out. One woman had to escape her apartment from the window after her home flooded. “God is good, God is extremely good. Just keep praying for everyone who is going through this and keep in mind that no matter how hard we got it, somebody does have it worse,” Calleen Shirley said. “We’re going to get it through it and I’ll be back.”As people continue to assess the damages at their homes, help is on the way.

Suspects taken into custody after pursuit ends in Lauderhill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

Several suspects were taken into custody after deputies pursued their vehicle. Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies were investigating reports of a shooting in the area of Roosevelt Gardens near Fort Lauderdale, Tuesday afternoon. According to officials, units spotted the vehicle that they were after and a brief pursuit ensued.A felony traffic stop was made in the area of 3800 NW 11th Place in Lauderhill.7Skyforce hovered over the scene where several people were in handcuffs and taken away by deputies.

Private school administrator arrested, fired after engaging in sexual conduct with minor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

A former private school administrator was arrested and charged with engaging in sexual conduct with a minor in a position of authority. Following her arrest by Coral Springs Police on Monday, Tracy Michelle Smith was fired from her position as Head of School at Xceed Preparatory Academy, located at 3301 N University Drive in Coral Springs.Smith’s online bio, which has since been deleted, once said she “enjoys connections with students, faculty and families.”The school’s attorney, Brian Bieber, released a statement on Tuesday: “The allegations resulting in Ms. Smith’s arrest yesterday came as a complete shock to everyone at the school. The school and its staff will cooperate with law enforcement in every way possible. A safe learning environment is paramount at XCEED – with no exceptions.”She is being held at the North Broward Jail and her bond is set at $25,000.

Medford man pleads not guilty on murder charge in connection with 2 bodies found in Brighton storage unit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

A Medford man pled not guilty Tuesday morning on a murder charge in connection with the bodies of two men that were found in a storage unit on North Beacon Street on Saturday, according to court records, Leonid Volkov, 37, was arrested Saturday in North Attleboro in connection with the deaths of Kiryl Schukin, 37, and Pavel Veshkin, 28, a married couple from Medford who both sustained stab wounds. Friends reported Schukin and Veshkin missing last week, but the pair hadn’t been seen since March 29.Investigators executing a search warrant on the unit, which had been rented by Volkov using one of the victim’s names, found the men’s bodies in rubber storage bins. One of the bodies, tentatively identified as Kiryl Schukin, had been dismembered, officials said.Investigators say they also found bleach, rubber gloves, and items belonging to Schukin and Veshkin. The victims, officials said, were known to Volkov, and Schukin was a guarantor on Volkov’s apartment lease. However, S...

Air Force to review base where airman leaked documents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force has opened its own investigation into how a lone airman could access and distribute possibly hundreds of highly classified documents, top Air Force leaders told Congress on Tuesday.Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said he has directed the Air Force inspector general to go look at the Air National Guard unit based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira served and “anything associated with this leak that could have gone wrong” and allowed the leak to happen.Teixeira, 21, was charged Friday in the U.S. District Court in Boston with unauthorized removal and retention of classified and national defense information. He is expected back in court for a hearing Wednesday.The leaks have raised questions as to how a single airman could have removed so many documents without being detected, why there were not safety checks in place and how the documents could have lingered online undetected for months.“How could this gua...

T. rex skeleton sells for more than $5M at Zurich auction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

By JAMEY KEATEN (Associated Press)BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Nearly 300 Tyrannosaurus rex bones that were dug up from three sites in the United States and assembled into a single skeleton sold Tuesday at an auction in Switzerland for 4.8 million francs ($5.3 million), below the expected price. Crafted into an open-mouth pose, the T. rex skeleton measuring 11.6 meters long (38 feet long) and 3.9 meters high (12.8 feet) high came in under the anticipated range of 5 million to 8 million francs when it went under the hammer at the Koller auction house in Zurich. Koller had said Tuesday’s sale would be the first time such a T. rex skeleton would go up for auction in Europe. The composite skeleton, featuring 293 bones, was a showpiece of an auction that featured some 70 lots, and the skull was set up next to the auctioneer’s podium throughout.“It could be that it was a composite — that could be why the purists didn’t go for it,” Karl Green, the auct...

Bears stadium development could hinge on TIF money — a financial tool that’s had varying success in Arlington Heights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:45 GMT

Arlington Heights officials proudly point to their downtown as an example of tax subsidies that work.The village transformed the once-sleepy area into a thriving destination with high-rise luxury apartments and condominiums, entertainment and restaurants. In fair weather, the streets close to draw steady crowds to a festive al fresco dining district.Just 2 miles down the road, though, lies another attempted redevelopment that went terribly wrong. International Plaza was once filled with Asian restaurants and stores, a karaoke bar, even a competitive table tennis club. Now it’s mostly abandoned, marred with potholes and boarded windows.Both sites were designated by the village as tax increment financing, or TIF, districts. The two areas, one thriving, and one nearly deserted, illustrate the range of possible outcomes for TIFs.The tax subsidy tool has come under increased scrutiny now that a TIF has been suggested as a potential funding mechanism to help draw the Chicago Bears t...