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State attorney, business leaders, local officials introduce campaign against human trafficking ahead of Grand Prix

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, along with a team of professionals, launched a campaign against human trafficking ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.Rundle held a news conference, alongside other city leaders, including mayor daniella levine cava to emphasize a very stern message:“And that is that human trafficking, the sexual exploitation of any kind, particularly our children and our youth, will not be tolerated. Not in our hometown,” said Rundle.The racing event is expected to be one of the biggest turn outs of the year, when it comes to big events.The Miami Grand Prix will take place this weekend, starting Friday, with the race ending on Sunday.

Another woman threw a drink at US Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two women have now been accused of throwing drinks at U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.The most recent was Saturday, when Selena Chambers, 41, of Tallahassee, threw a glass of wine at the Republican congressman during an event in Miramar Beach and shouted obscenities at him, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.“We cannot allow an environment where you can throw things at elected officials because you don’t like them,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. “No matter your political affiliation, this is not the way to conduct yourself and will not be tolerated in Walton County.”Miramar Beach is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Pensacola and is part of Gaetz’s Florida Panhandle congressional district.Chambers was charged with battery and released Sunday on $1,000 bail.Defense attorney Matthew A. Karp said in an email that his own investigation has revealed that Gaetz and his group were engaged in a verbal altercation with a grou...

76ers’ Embiid doubtful; Celtics vow adjustments for Game 2

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he didn’t walk off the court feeling any panic following Boston’s 119-115 Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the 76ers in Game 1.If anything, he thinks his team saw on tape a blueprint of exactly what they need to do to rebound in Game 2 on Wednesday.“I don’t think it was a letdown, we just lost the game,” Mazzulla said. “Hindsight is 20-20, you always have the answer after.”What he and his staff observed was a Boston team that made lots of little mistakes in the second half. That, along with a 45-point performance by James Harden and 17 3-pointers by the 76ers, was too much for Boston to overcome.“There’s pockets of that game that we can handle better,” Mazzulla said. “Then obviously late-game execution can get better. Switching, and different coverages and just finding floor space. So, I think it’s just honing in on what we’re great at and working to do it. … And then clean up some areas where we can be a little more physi...

New Patriots receiver Smith-Schuster already feeling at home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — JuJu Smith-Schuster’s first few weeks with the New England Patriots have made him feel as if he’s back in college.Every day has been a new learning experience.He’s entering the second phase of the team’s offseason conditioning program and aside from getting his body ready for upcoming organized team activities, the receiver has also been diving into the third new playbook of his career after joining the Patriots in free agency.Smith-Schuster said arriving in Foxborough early this offseason is crucial as he tries to acclimate himself after spending last season with the Kansas City Chiefs and the previous five in Pittsburgh.“Every day I’m growing here,” Smith-Schuster said. “That’s that I love about here.”He was a hot commodity when free agency opened in March, and quickly garnered a three-year deal that reportedly could be worth as much as $33 million.A Pro Bowler in 2018 with Pittsburgh, injuries limited him to just five games his final season there in...

Zach Muckenhirn set to become first players from University of North Dakota to reach majors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

DETROIT — Zach Muckenhirn is about to become the first player drafted out of the University of North Dakota to ever reach the Major Leagues.And quite possibly the last.“I’m already an artifact,” Muckenhirn told the Daily News in the spring.The Mets selected the left-hander’s contract Monday afternoon. With Brooks Raley on the injured list, it opened up a spot for Muckenhirn, who posted 0.77 ERA in Triple-A Syracuse to start the season.A Minnesota native, Muckenhirn had only one Division I offer coming out of high school: North Dakota. The school has always been known for its powerhouse hockey program but Muckenhirn saw a talented class of baseball recruits and trusted the vision and coaching of head coach Jeff Dodson, who loaded the schedule with tough competition to be able to give his players more exposure than they would get in Grand Forks.But the program was cut shortly after Muckenhirn was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 2...

Red Sox notebook: Bryce Harper back in Phillies lineup, James Paxton still rehabbing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

It looks like the Red Sox won’t be able to escape Bryce Harper when they head to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend.Defying odds and shattering timetables, the Philadelphia Phillies star got clearance to play again on Monday, just 159 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery last fall. The two-time National League MVP will make his season debut on Tuesday night.Harper will rejoin the lineup as the designated hitter first. He served in that role for the majority of 2022, playing through a partial tear in his UCL for almost the entire season in order to help the Phillies end their postseason drought (2011) and win their first pennant since 2009.The 30-year-old slugger has faced the Red Sox 22 times before, and hasn’t hit them very well in the past (16 hits, including five doubles and four homers, and 28 strikeouts), but he’s very comfortable in his home ballpark: since signing his record-breaking contract with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season, he’s hi...

Ticker: Outdoor dining kicks off in Boston; Healey names Will Rasky to DC post

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

One day into the start of the outdoor dining season in Boston, the list of restaurant applicants is continuing to grow, Mayor Michelle Wu said Tuesday afternoon.The city has approved 26 new applications to start outdoor dining programs this season, Wu said. Eleven more are in the final stage of approval, and 50 are in review.The kick-off of the season this year has been different than previous years, with accessibility and other requirement leniencies under the pandemic no longer in effect and outdoor dining now largely banned in the North End.The city is continuing to take applications on a rolling basis with no cutoff date, Wu said, and has streamlined the process “in a very significant way” to keep applications moving.The number of applications continues to grow at a fast pace, the mayor said, with 25 of the applications under review submitted in the last few days.The city already has over 300 outdoor dining locations mapped on its website.Healey names Will Rasky to D...

Four Boston school students ate pot edibles, taken to hospital

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

Four students from the Henderson Inclusion School were hospitalized for eating pot-infused edibles, Boston school officials said.Dr. William H. Henderson Head of School Stephanie Sibley said in a letter to families that the middle-school students “ingested what appeared to be a cannabis-infused chocolate edible,” on Tuesday.“School staff immediately notified BPS safety services and Boston Police of the incident,” Sibley wrote. “The families of all students involved were immediately notified and the students were seen by the school nurse.“Boston EMS was also notified of the incident, and the students were taken to a local hospital for further medical care. An investigation into this incident is ongoing.”Boston Police spokesman Sgt. Det. John Boyle said the students, three females and a male, “ingested some potato chips of THC and a chocolate bar which contained THC.”The students’ medical condition was described as non-life-threatening by police, who responded to Henderson’s upper sch...

Board of Supervisors vote to support special election to fill Fletcher's seat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support a special election to fill Supervisor Nathan Fletcher's seat once he resigns.When the board meets again in three weeks, they will vote on the newly created resolution to hold a special election on Aug. 15.Fletcher plans to step down from his District 4 seat on May 15. He is currently out on a medical leave being treated for what he says is alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress.Since that announcement, there have been many developments involving the supervisor and his leadership position. Days after he announced he was checking himself into treatment, a former MTS employee, Grecia Figueroa, filed a lawsuit accusing Fletcher of sexual harassment and assault in his role as then-chairman of MTS. Timeline: Unfolding of the Nathan Fletcher scandal "Holding a special election ensures that San Diego County residents can choose their representatives fairly and transparently," Supervisor Jim Desmond said in a ...

Navy commander pulled from job in connection with SEAL death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:52:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of the Naval Special Warfare Center who was reprimanded in connection with the death last year of a Navy SEAL candidate has been pulled out of his job about two months early, U.S. officials said Tuesday.Navy Capt. Brian Drechsler is being moved to another job as Navy officials seek new leadership for the Center, more than a year after SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen collapsed and died of acute pneumonia just hours after completing the grueling Hell Week test.Drechsler was one of three Navy officers who received administrative “non-punitive” letters as a result of Mullen's death. They were not directly blamed for his death and Drechsler has not been formally relieved of duty, although such an investigation is likely a career-ender. His transfer is the first step in an ongoing review to determine if any additional punishment is warranted. Officials said Drechsler will be serving as a special assistant at Naval Special Warfare Command, and had been planning t...