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Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts employee accused of stealing at least $4K in traffic fine payments

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

A Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts employee has been arrested after he landed on the wrong side of the law.According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, 57-year-old Scott Kessler stole cash from people who came to the office to pay off their traffic fines and citations while working at the North Dade Justice Center.Prosecutors said the suspect pocketed between $4,000 and $5,000.Kessler was busted in a sting when undercover police officers paid off phony fines with marked bills.Kessler faces three felony charges, including conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud.

BSO searching for graffiti vandal who hit several locations, including new building

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies are looking for a vandal in Deerfield Beach.Someone has been spraying graffiti in several areas, including a new building near First Street and Southwest 21st Avenue.And while the messages of love featuring teddy bears seem sweet, detectives said it’s still a crime.If you have any information, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

Two people stabbed outside Brockton High School

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

Two juveniles were taken to a hospital Friday after police said they were stabbed near the softball field at Brockton High School.Police said the incident happened after dismissal shortly after 2 p.m. and remained under investigation as of Friday afternoon. In a statement, police said the people who were stabbed had non-life-threatening injuries.Both police and Brockton Public Schools Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Jess Silva-Hodges said the incident was not random, adding that there is no active threat at Brockton High School.Shortly after the stabbing near the high school, police said they responded to Good Samaritan Medical Center, also in Brockton, following a report of an assault and battery in process. Police said they later arrested three people after the incident at Good Samaritan.“Investigators believe both issues may be related,” police said of the incidents at Brockton High School and Good Samaritan.Brockton police remained at Brockton High School as...

Gloucester Girl Scout helps renovate animal shelter’s play yard as part of Silver Award project

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

A 14-year-old from Gloucester recently lent a helping hand to clean up a local animal shelter, giving back as part of a project to earn the highest award a girl scout cadette can receive. Speaking with 7NEWS, cadette Jocelyn Maddalena said she hopes the dogs staying at the shelter will have a fun place to play while they wait for their forever homes. “My dogs love rolling around in the grass,” Maddalena said. “And I know all dogs do. And to have that instead of rocks must feel much better on their feet, so they would be happier.” Maddalena said she wanted to give back to Cape Ann Animal Aid. Last year, she spoke with administrators at the facility to find out how she could help. “When I saw the play yards, I knew right away that I wanted to do that,” Maddalena said. She continued, saying she was told the yards weren’t being used much and that replacing an existing bed of rocks with grass would help. Maddalena wasted no time, reaching out to eight differ...

Yankees Notebook: Aaron Boone drops Anthony Volpe in the lineup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

Anthony Volpe had hit leadoff in all of his starts between April 16 and May 11, but the rookie shortstop found his name penciled into the seven-hole for Friday’s game against the Rays.Volpe had slashed .158/.186/.316 over his last 14 games heading into the night, so Aaron Boone batted Gleyber Torres first while keeping DJ LeMahieu in the middle of the order. Boone attributed the decision to the Yankees getting healthier; Harrison Bader and Aaron Judge recently returned from injuries.“With getting some more guys back in the mix, it’s something I considered,” Boone said before insisting that dropping Volpe was not an indictment of the neophyte’s recent at-bat quality. “And [he] could end up back [leading off]. Or, as we get more guys back, [he] could end up at the bottom again. You know how I like him there. But just something I wanted to do today.”Volpe has hit some balls hard lately — including his first-career grand slam on Wednesday ...

Red Sox notebook: Joely Rodríguez, Garrett Whitlock taking steps towards returning from injuries

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

Joely Rodríguez will pitch for Double-A Portland on Saturday, and could be activated before Monday’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners.The left-handed reliever was Boston’s first free agent signing last November, but hasn’t pitched for the big-league team yet. He began the season on the injured list, after suffering a right oblique strain during a spring training game.Rodríguez last pitched for the New York Mets. In 2022, he posted a 4.47 ERA across a career-high 55 games, including nine games finished. He ranked in the 84th MLB percentile or better in expected slugging (84), hard hit rate (91), chase rate (94), barrel rate (95) and average exit velocity (96). He struck out 57 batters and only gave up three home runs, but also issued a career-worst 26 walks, putting him in the sixth percentile in walk rate.Upgrading the bullpen was one of Boston’s top priorities over the offseason, and despite some dicey moments, the extreme makeover is paying off. R...

Ukraine says it has retaken territory near Bakhmut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

Ukrainian military commanders said Friday that their troops had recaptured more territory from Russian forces at the scene of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle, for the eastern city of Bakhmut, but it wasn’t clear if this marked the start of Kyiv’s long-expected counteroffensive.Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Ukrainian forces had stepped up attacks north of the region while denying speculation by Russian military bloggers that the Kyiv forces had achieved “defense breakthroughs.”The 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of territory that Ukrainian forces south of Bakhmut retook this week represented a significant gain and will protect an important supply chain, according to commanders of Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, a special forces unit that led the attack.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he met with the top military commanders Friday, noting that Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi reported his forces “stopped the enemy and even pushed him back in some directions.”In...

Highest-rated cafes in San Diego, according to Yelp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

SAN DIEGO — From the first coffee houses in the Ottoman Empire to Boston's London Coffee House, cafes have always been an egalitarian place to gather, sip, and share ideas, many of which have changed the world.During the Enlightenment, cafes would regularly entertain the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Isaac Newton. Later, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre would spend hours in cafes, pondering their works and holding court alongside other intellectuals.Needless to say, coffee and cafes beget some revolutionary ideas; sipping a cup may even be a political act. When settlers dumped tea into the Boston Harbor to send a message to the British empire, tea became a British loyalist's drink, and coffee became a popular substitute. Unsurprisingly, Boston's London Coffee House opened in 1689, was soon renamed the American Coffee House. Later on in Philadelphia, Merchant Coffee House, also known as the City Tavern, would host the likes of George Was...

Tennessee company refuses US request to recall 67 million potentially dangerous air bag inflators

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A Tennessee company is heading for a legal battle with U.S. auto safety regulators after refusing a request that millions of potentially dangerous air bag inflators be recalled.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that ARC Automotive Inc. of Knoxville should recall 67 million inflators in the U.S. because they could explode and hurl shrapnel. At least two people have been killed in the U.S. and Canada, and six others have been hurt as a result of defective ARC inflators, the agency said.The recall would cover a large portion of the 284 million vehicles now on U.S. roads, but the percentage is difficult to determine. Some have ARC inflators for both the driver and front passenger. In a letter posted Friday, the agency told ARC that it has tentatively concluded after an eight-year investigation that ARC front driver and passenger inflators have a safety defect.But ARC responded that it no defect exists in the inflators, and that any problems we...

Democrats in the Minnesota Legislature poised to pass contentious gun control measures

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:32 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic Minnesota senators, holding firm despite only a one-vote majority, were poised Friday to pass gun control legislation strongly supported by the governor that would align the battleground state with others nationally that have taken steps to keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis and criminals.The proposals include a “red flag law” that would allow authorities to ask courts for “extreme risk protection orders” to temporarily take guns away from people deemed to be an imminent threat to others or themselves. The provision is part of a broad public safety budget bill that also contains expanded background checks for gun transfers. “What we are going to be providing — finally — is a path forward for families and law enforcement who know that someone’s exhibiting signs of crisis and danger,” said Democratic Sen. Rob Latz of St. Louis Park, chairman of the Senate public safety committee. “And it will give them lawful tools to sep...