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South Floridians mop up, recall fear after historic deluge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The water was rising around her car, and Amanda Valentine thought she was going to die. She had just gotten a warning on her phone about flash flooding, and now it was all around her.“I called my parents like, ‘I’m going to die. Like I’m going to drown. There’s no way for me to get out of this car,’” Valentine said. “And they couldn’t help me. I called 911, and they told me they couldn’t help me.”She eventually forced the door open and got to safety.Parts of South Florida began cleaning up Thursday after the unprecedented storm that trapped Valentine and other motorists dumped upward of 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain in a matter of hours, caused widespread flooding, closed a key airport and turned thoroughfares into rivers. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.Residents still waded through knee-high water or used canoes and kayaks to navigate the streets Thursday in Fort Lauderdale’s Edgewood neighborhood, where window scree...

BSO search for missing 17-year-old girl in Pompano Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

The Broward Sheriff’s Office is seeking the the public’s help in finding a missing 17-year-old girl.Rhianna Etienne was last seen Saturday at around 10 a.m. in the 2900 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue.She was last seen wearing a grey sweater and black leggings.Etienne stands at 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. She also has a nose piercing and a tattoo on her right hand.Anyone with information on Etienne’s whereabouts is urged to contact BSO Detective Chris Blankenship at 954-321-4268 or the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-HELP (4357).

Slovakia’s central bank boss convicted of bribery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

The governor of Slovakia’s central bank, Peter Kažimír, was convicted of bribery on April 3 by Slovakia’s Special Criminal Court and ordered to pay a fine of €100,000 or serve two years in jail, in a ruling first reported publicly Thursday.Kažimír, a former Slovakian finance minister, is also a member of the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, which sets interest rates. “I’m innocent, despite the court’s order, which I have yet to receive,” Kažimír said Thursday in Washington, where he has been attending the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings.The special prosecutor who filed the charges against Kažimír appealed the court’s ruling, according to Jana Tökölyová, a spokesperson for the General Prosecutor’s Office, meaning that a trial will follow in the months to come. According to a February 16 social media post by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the charges include “crimes of corruption related to the tax audits of multiple companies.”Before assuming his role at the...

AG: Guardsman to be charged with removing classified info

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who has emerged as a main person of interest in the disclosure of highly classified military documents was taken into custody Thursday by federal agents, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced.Investigators believe that the guardsman, who specializes in intelligence, led the online chat group where the documents were posted. Garland identified the guardsman as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, and said he would be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information.FBI agents converged Thursday at Teixeira’s Massachusetts home and heavily armed tactical agents took Teixeira, who was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, into custody outside the property, “without incident,” Garland said.He will be charged with unauthorized removal of classified national defense information, Garland said, and will have an initial court appearance in federal court in Massachusetts.It was not immediately...

Biden in Ireland encourages nations to ‘dream together’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

DUBLIN (AP) — Holding up his own family history as an example, President Joe Biden on Thursday told lawmakers in a packed parliament building that the story of Irish immigrants setting sail for the U.S. is at the very heart of “what binds Ireland and America together.”“Like so many countries around the world, though perhaps more than most, the United States was shaped by Ireland,” Biden said in address to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas in Leinster House. “And the values we share remain to this day the core of the historic partnership between our people and our governments.”In his address, Biden stressed the importance of economic ties, a united front on the war in Ukraine and a shared urgency to manage climate change. Biden addressed the parliament as part of his four-day trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, where he also met with political leaders and took a whirlwind tour of his ancestral homeland.Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaí l, speaker of the Dail, parliame...

House approves $654M tax relief package

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

The Massachusetts House overwhelmingly approved a $654 million tax relief package for the 2024 fiscal year Thursday.The bill, which passed on a 150-3 vote, is aimed at helping seniors, renters, businesses and wealthier homeowners while rewriting the law that sent about $3 billion back to taxpayers last year, according to Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano.The measure, which would result in $1.1 billion in savings for taxpayers in the 2026 fiscal year, would raise the state’s estate tax threshold from $1 million to $2 million.Massachusetts is one of just 12 states with an estate tax. Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who released her own $742 million tax relief package in February, would eliminate the tax for estates valued up to $3 million.The House proposal would also make changes to the 1986 law designed to limit state tax revenue growth and return any excess to taxpayers. The law triggered nearly $3 billion in refunds last year.The credit is applied to the personal inco...

Lobbying firm for Arlington Heights area school districts likely to be impacted by Bears redevelopment says ‘we’re still talking’ to the team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

A lobbying firm hired by a trio of school districts that tax the former Arlington International Racecourse site the Chicago Bears recently purchased has begun providing updates on the firm’s work, telling Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 officials Wednesday night there’s nothing substantial to report — right now.“So far, we haven’t had any conversations that have resulted in an agreement, but we’re still talking to the Bears and we’re trying to set up a more formal meeting with the Bears,” John Dunn, of the Philadelphia-based Cozen and O’Connor law firm, told board members as part of a legislative update during the meeting.Lobbyists for the Chicago Bears and the one for a trio of school districts that pull funding from the former horse racing venue have met informally about Senate Bill 1350, a massive property tax incentive bill that could divert billions in tax dollars away from school districts to encourage th...

Massachusetts Air National Guardsman tied to leaking Pentagon secret documents has been arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

A 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who has been tied to leaking top secret U.S. documents about the Ukraine war has been arrested, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.Jack Teixeira has been identified as the leader of a Discord group, a social media platform, where the highly classified military documents were posted online.Federal agents on Thursday were seen taking him into custody at a North Dighton home.The FBI wait outside the home on Maple Street of a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the disclosure of highly classified military documents on the Ukraine war on Thursday in Dighton, MA. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald) April 13, 2023“FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident,” Garland said from the Pentagon, adding that Teixeira will have an initial appearance in Massachusetts U.S. District Court.The Department of Justice investigation is into alleged “...

California State Capitol reopens after being temporarily evacuated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

(KTXL) — The California State Capitol building was temporarily evacuated Thursday morning due to 'credible threats' from a suspect connected to two shootings in the Sacramento area that occurred the previous day and who is still at large, according to Roseville Police and the California Highway Patrol.The evacuation lasted a little over an hour, and legislators and their staffers could enter the building again around 10:30 a.m.“The California Highway Patrol has notified the Senate of a threat they consider to be credible involving the Capitol,” says a letter sent to state senators and senate staff. During the evacuation, legislators and staff were asked to remain home and work remotely. Senators and staffers already at the Capitol were asked to remain in place. What we know about the shooting at Mahany Park in Roseville While the Capitol was evacuated, the grounds around the building appeared relatively calm, with people moving about normally, a FOX40 News team observed. The ...

Suspected US intelligence leaker arrested in Massachusetts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:24 GMT

Jack Teixeira, an airman in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in Massachusetts in connection with the leak of classified documents shared in a group he managed on a website popular with gamers.Teixeira oversaw Thug Shaker Central, a group on Discord where more than 100 classified documents on topics ranging from Ukraine to intelligence gleaned from spying on allies first appeared.Teixeira’s arrest comes after The New York Times reported last week that documents dealing with intelligence on Ukraine’s battle with Russia from as far back as February had been percolating on the site before spreading to other social media platforms.Teixeira, 21, enlisted in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and in July was promoted to Airman First Class.Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed the arrest in a brief public statement, indicating Teixeira could face charges under the Espionage Act.“Today the Justice Department arrested Jack ...