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Months after historic flooding in Broward, residents and officials monitor potential tropical system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

A potential tropical system brewing in the Caribbean Sea is raising concerns among Broward County residents who were impacted by historic flooding earlier in the year.Speaking with 7News on Friday, Fort Lauderdale resident Chris Armstrong said he is still dealing with the ripple effects of the relentless rains that swept through the region back in April.“Yeah, the insurance money is hopefully going to arrive,” he said.Armstrong’s home was heavily damaged, and he’s hoping to start repairs next week.“It was a long back-and-forth process but, you know, it happened in April, and here we are in August,” he said.Residents are not only concerned over the potential tropical system that could impact South Florida next week, but also about the return of king tides.Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Chief Stephen Gollan said city leaders met earlier in the day.“This afternoon, leaders from the City of Fort Lauderdale met, just to see what’s out there an...

Crews extinguish flames after minibus catches on fire in NW Miami-dade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

Crews battled fierce flames after a minibus became engulfed in flames in Northwest Miami-Dade.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units sprung into action at the scene of the blaze that completely gutted this minibus near Northwest 135th Street and 27th Avenue, Friday.According to officials, the bus was empty and no one was hurt.The fire was put out, but what exactly sparked the flame remains under investigation.

Mark Wahlberg surprises fans at Publix Liquors in Cooper City to promote tequila brand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

There was a star studded surprise at a South Florida Publix.Mark Wahlberg showed up for a special event at a Publix Liquors at 10018 Griffin Road to promote bottles of his signature new tequila brand Flecha Zul.Fans filled up the lines to pose for pictures and showed off their brand new bottles of tequila. “In my hand is a bottle of Mark’s reposado tequila,” said Alexa, a fan. “It was very nice, he was very sweet. He actually did like, he posed a couple of times and was actually really cool about it.”Mr. Wahlberg’s team said the money raised will go directly to helping the devastated community on the island of Maui.

Florida woman who was pierced by stingray in Tampa speaks out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

A woman was stabbed in the back but there was no need for an arrest in this case. While wading in the water, she was caught in a stinging situation when a venomous stingray sunk its barb into her back.“I remember saying, ‘I’m going to black out, I’m about to black,'” Kristie O’Brien said. O’Brien, talked about the stingray strike that sent her to the hospital for at least a week.She was at Bahia Beach in Ruskin, outside Tampa Tuesday as she wading in knee-deep water.When she leaned back to wet her hair, she felt a sharp stab in her back.She then leaned forward and her husband saw an angry stingray on her back, hanging by its tail.It pierced her four inches deep, missing her lungs by just centimeters.Paramedics arrived at the scene and went in the water to free her.“I know they had put the IV in while I was still standing on the beach because I told them I need fluids, I need pain medicine, I’m about to pass out, I need some oxyg...

Broward County woman charged in $190.7 million Ponzi fraud scheme targeting investors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

The former Chief Executive Officer of MJ Capital Funding, LLC was indicted on charges of orchestrating an investment Ponzi fraud scheme totaling around $190.7 million from the business. The South Florida federal grand jury indictment accuses Johanna Michely Garcia, 40, of Broward County, of conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, the Department of Justice said in a news release. MJ Capital Funding, LLC, based in Pompano Beach, offered merchant cash advances (MCAs) to small and medium-sized businesses. The indictment alleges that between October 2020 and Aug. 12, 2021, Garcia, along with Pavel Ramon Ruiz Hernandez and accomplices, fraudulently collected funds from investors under the pretext of financing MCAs. Recruits were also used to attract additional investors, earning a 10% commission.Garcia appeared in U.S. Magistrate Court on Friday, and a subsequent hearing is scheduled for August 28. If convicted, Garcia c...

Car crashes into ice cream shop in Gloucester

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Gloucester after a car slammed into an ice cream shop on Washington Street Friday. The crash happened at Carl’s Cones at the corner of Washington Street and Grove Street and was caught on camera by nearby surveillance video. The driver was taken to a hospital. The shop, officials said, was closed at the time of the crash because of rainy weather, meaning no one was inside. “That’s good because they’re usually open all the time,” said neighbor Patrick Hunt.Video shared with 7NEWS showed the car involved in this crash first come around a corner before drifting off the road and smashing into the building. Neighbors said they heard a loud bang at the moment of impact and soon saw the car in the front of the shop.“Obviously, it’s pretty insane when the ice cream place right next to you has a car through it,” Hunt said. Gloucester’s Acting Building Commissioner Donald Belanger was on scene with board-up crews around 4 p.m. Friday after...

‘Dune: Part Two’ delayed to 2024 as Hollywood strikes drag on

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

(CNN) — “Dune: Part Two,” the long-awaited sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic “Dune” from 2021, has been delayed, Warner Bros. announced on Thursday.The film, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, was originally slated for release on November 3rd of this year.In an email to CNN on Thursday, the studio confirmed the sequel was being pushed “due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.” (Warner Bros. and CNN are both a part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)Actors in that union, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, have been on strike since July after negotiations with the studios and streaming platforms around a new contract failed.Sticking points in those negotiations include residual payments, transparency with viewership data on streaming platforms, and updated protections against the advent of artificial intelligence within the industry.The actors’ strike came as writers in Hollywood had already been on strike since M...

Orioles newcomer Jacob Webb emerging as a reliable reliever: ‘They picked me up for a reason’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

In a matter of three days, Jacob Webb went from being rejected by a team with a small chance of making the playoffs to being accepted by one with the best record in the American League.The Los Angeles Angels acquired three pitchers at the trade deadline, a collection of moves that bumped Webb out of their bullpen plans. He was designated for assignment and subsequently turned down by 27 other clubs during the waiver process.The lone team in the majors that wanted Webb: the Orioles.The process of being designated for assignment and changing teams in the middle of the season, Webb said, was a “shock.” He grew up an Angels fan and enjoyed his time with the organization playing alongside all-time greats Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.However, the disappointment of being put on waivers quickly turned to excitement once he saw the team that claimed him.“They picked me up for a reason,” Webb said. “It’s nice to have some confidence behind you.”That c...

Healey declines to release emails between top staffers in run up to emergency declaration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey’s office largely declined to release top staffers’ emails associated with a state of emergency declaration earlier this month, keeping secret the conversations they had in the runup to the major decision.Healey declared a state of emergency on Aug. 8 in response to emergency shelters filling up with constantly arriving migrants from other countries and as surging housing costs hurt residents already in Massachusetts.Housing and migrant advocacy groups applauded the move as a way to free up resources and easily clear bureaucratic hurdles to respond to what they have described as a humanitarian crisis.But the online discussions decision-makers in state government had in the months prior have been withheld from public view. The governor is not subject to the public records law in Massachusetts but has, in some cases, released records to the public and media.The Herald requested emails sent or received between May 1 and Aug. 8 by Healey, Chief of Staff Kate...

Lucas: Is Ed Markey’s ‘fat cat’ private jet surtax bill aimed at John Kerry?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:48 GMT

Surely Sen. Ed Markey did not have Climate Czar John Kerry in mind when he filed his bill taxing “fat cats” flying around the world in carbon-polluting private jets.Markey said that one percent of the world’s population is responsible for half of all aviation emissions.“The one percent can’t free ride on our environment and our infrastructure at a discount,” Markey said.Markey last week sent out an email seeking signature support for his bill.It can’t be true about Kerry, though. Markey owes his Senate seat to fellow Democrat Kerry. So, it is unlikely that he would turn on him.But hardly had Kerry finished taking a beating before a Republican-led committee hearing for allegedly flying around the world on private jets, then Markey filed his bill blasting the rich for flying private and polluting the world.Kerry’s explosive hearing before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on oversight — where Republicans were gunning for him — took place Thursday, July 13. Markey filed ...