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Police arrest woman accused of breaking into church, spray painting walls in SW Miami-Dade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

A South Florida woman is being accused of arming herself with spray paint and committing a crime at a South Florida church.Forty-four-year-old Alfa Illescas was charged with criminal mischief.Police arrested Illescas Sunday night after, they said, surveillance video caught her in the act, breaking an altar outside, spray painting the walls, and trashing the courtyard.She is still behind bars and is being held on a $6,000 bond.

Law enforcement officials prepare for former President Trump’s historic arraignment in Miami

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Protecting a former president, and the crowd that may follow him, is no small job, and South Florida is on deck a day before Donald Trump’s arrival in Miami for his arraignment in federal court. “We wanted to assure the public that we are ready,” said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.Suarez hosted a news conference, Monday afternoon.“In our city, we believe in the Constitution, we believe people should have the right to express themselves and we also believe in law and order,” Suarez said.“Since the moment the announcement was made, we have been planning and preparing,” said Miami Police Department Chief Manuel Morales.Morales said Miami is ready for a crowd of 5,000 to 50,000.“To make sure that we have a comprehensive approach that is going to ensure that we maintain, not only peace and order, like the mayor said, but that everyone has the right to express themselves and the first amendment rights,” he said. Depending on the crowd si...

Person smoking while connected to oxygen tank causes Cape Coral house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — According to the Cape Coral Fire Department PIO, one of the occupants was smoking while connected to an oxygen tank, which caused the fire early Monday morning.Cape Coral firefighters responded to a 2100-block South East 16th Street house in Cape Coral after a house caught on fire at around 5:20 a.m.When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the front of the house and the roof.According to CCFD, the resident thought he had shut his oxygen off before lighting his cigarette.Caution tape has been placed around the house. While firefighters extinguished the flames that had spread toward the garage.The building inspector red-tagged the home, and Red Cross is assisting with a temporary house.All occupants were able to get out as well as their dog, one person was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation.This is the second fire caused by a cigarette that Cape Coral firefighters have responded to in less than a week.

Macron warns Ukraine counteroffensive could last ‘weeks, even months’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces could last “weeks, even months.”“The counteroffensive has started. It’s going to be deployed for several weeks and even months. We are supporting it within the limits that we set ourselves,” Macron said alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Elysée Palace.Ukrainian forces have stepped up operations in the last couple of days and announced on Monday evening that they had liberated several villages in the south and the east of the country.  “We want [the counteroffensive] to be as victorious as possible so that we can then start a period of negotiations in good conditions,” he added.The French, Polish and German leaders were meeting in Paris to discuss Ukraine’s request for security guarantees and a clear pathway to NATO membership ahead of a summit of the military alliance in July. However, on Monday evening it ...

Von der Leyen vows to conclude EU-Mercosur deal by year-end

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today pledged the EU and the Mercosur bloc would conclude their long-delayed trade agreement by the end of the year. Speaking alongside Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, von der Leyen said: “We both believe it is now the time to conclude the EU-Mercosul agreement. We have the ambition, the two of us, to get it done as soon as possible, the latest by the end of the year.”The deal between the EU and the Mercosur bloc — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — has been in the making for over two decades, and Brussels is now gearing up to speed up talks ahead of an EU-Latin America summit in mid-July.EU trade negotiators presented an extra sustainability document to the Mercosur countries earlier this year to try to assuage concerns in Europe over deforestation in the Amazon. France and Austria are among the long-standing opponents to the deal over climate and agricultural concerns. The Commissio...

Sightings continue as bear roams through Arlington, Lexington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

A black bear that prompted a warning and a delayed opening for Arlington schools Monday has continued to roam around the area, most recently being spotted at a farm in neighboring Lexington. As authorities track the animal, some in the community have shared their reactions. At Wilson Farms in Lexington, Store Manager Richie Salerno said he saw the bear run out from behind a building earlier in the day.Colleague Robbie Sampson also saw the bear. “[He was] probably 200-300 pounds, maybe three and a half feet tall,” Sampson said. Sampson captured video of the bear. Another video captured by Arlington police showed the bear darting across a row of plants. “He made his way to the food,” Salerno said. “Smart bear.” In Arlington, Betti Tasanari was one of the first people to spot the bear on Monday morning around 7 a.m. She said she saw the bear when she was taking her dog out. “A lady drives by and she starts yelling at us ‘There’s a bear, there’s a bear...

South Boston family thankful after return of statue containing ashes of two family members

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

A family in South Boston recently got some relief after a stolen statue containing the ashes of two family members was returned. 7NEWS spoke with Jessyca Doyle last week after she said someone took the statue from the spot in the family’s lawn where it had been standing for close to 10 years. The colorful statue of Charlie Chaplin was painted by Doyle’s late father and now contains both his ashes and the ashes of Doyle’s grandfather. Doyle said the statue was taken on June 5. One week later, she said it was returned on Monday. “I’m just so happy they returned it, because it means just so much — it really does — to me, to my grandma, to the whole family,” Doyle said. Doyle said she believes whoever took the statue returned it after learning it contained the ashes of family members. It is unknown who returned the statue. In comments on Monday, though, Doyle said the family is thanking the mystery returner.The family now plans to give the statue a fresh coat ...

Investigation underway after acidic chemical poured on playground in Longmeadow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Authorities in Longmeadow asked for the public’s help Monday after they said an acidic chemical was poured on playground equipment at a local park, injuring two children over the weekend. The Longmeadow Fire Department said police and fire personnel first responded to Bliss Park Playground on Sunday morning after a report of a suspicious substance on the Playground. Crews also responded to a home, according to fire officials, after receiving a report of two children with “burn-like injuries” after they left the park. Officials said investigators found a pump room in the basement of a nearby pool building had been broken into and pool chemicals were stolen. Investigators said a pool chemical determined to be muriatic acid that was stored in the pump room was later poured on slides at the Bliss Park Playground. “The pool chemicals had been stored properly in a secured area,” the Longmeadow Fire Department said. “A great deal of effort was employed to enter this space. We sus...

Ticker: Judge extends time for airlines to unwind deal; Sales tax holiday date to be decided

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

A federal judge who ordered American Airlines and JetBlue Airways to spike their Northeast partnership is giving the airlines more time to unwind the deal.U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston said in an order Monday that the injunction he ordered last month will take effect 21 days after he issues a final judgment imposing terms on the airlines. It’s not clear when that will be.The airlines had faced a deadline next weekend, just 30 days after the judge’s May 19 decision in favor of the U.S. Justice Department, which sued to break up the deal.American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said last month that his Texas-based airline will appeal the May ruling. New York-based JetBlue has not indicated whether it will appeal.Date of sales tax holiday to be decidedThe Legislature faces a Thursday deadline to select an August weekend as this year’s sales tax holiday, when the typical 6.25% levy does not apply to most retail items less than $2,500.Retailers Association of Massa...

Saquon Barkley’s case for Giants importance is only missing clarity on deals he’s turned down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:58 GMT

Saquon Barkley’s most passionate comment Sunday night in Jersey City was his last one.While lamenting teams’ suppression of the running back market by using the franchise tag, Barkley pivoted into a detailed explanation of why not every running back’s situation is identical.Every team is, in his words, “different.”“There’s a [stat] that goes up about quarterbacks in the Super Bowl and how many rushing yards the top rusher [has], but every team is not — like Pat Mahomes is a two-time Super bowl MVP, two-time MVP. And not everybody has Pat Mahomes,” Barkley said at his AMPT Events kids’ football camp. “And this is no knock to Daniel Jones. So don’t even try to flip it like that.“And then you look at the Eagles,” Barkley added. “Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. That team is amazing. But every team is not the Eagles. Every team don’t have that much talent.”That’s when Barkley d...