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Florida agriculture losses between $78M and $371M from Hurricane Idalia, preliminary estimate says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida agriculture losses from Hurricane Idalia are estimated at between $78 million and $371 million, with producers also suffering widespread damage to such infrastructure as irrigation rigs and fences, according to a preliminary report Thursday from the University of Florida.The Category 3 hurricane came ashore Aug. 30 along Florida’s Big Bend region with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (205 kph), sweeping across rural areas that include crops such as peanuts and cotton as well as cattle, poultry and aquaculture operations.Predicted losses for livestock are pegged at between $30.1 million and $123.4 million, according to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences report. Estimates for field and row crop losses are between $30.7 million and $93.6 million, with greenhouse and nursery products accounting for between $4.7 million and $68.8 million.Researchers said the wide ranges in these estimates w...

Authorities announce death of father who attempted to rescue child at Salisbury Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

Authorities say a 44-year-old man who attempted to rescue his child at Salisbury Beach was pronounced dead after he was recovered by emergency crews.The Essex District Attorney’s Office said 44-year-old Gary Simard of Methuen originally went into the water on Wednesday to try and rescue one of his children after they were pulled from the shoreline.Witnesses told 7NEWS a rip current appeared to be the cause, leading Simard and two bystanders to get into the water and attempt the rescue.According to the DA’s office, the bystanders were able to rescue the child, but were unable to find Simard afterwards.Later, both police and firefighters were called to to the area of 266 North End Blvd where crews located the 44 year old and immediately began taking life-saving measures on the beach.Simard was then taken to Seabrook Emergency Room where he was pronounced dead, the DA’s office said in an update Thursday.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and onlin...

Boston police request public’s help in finding 14-year-old Roxbury boy who never arrived at school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

The Boston Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a 14-year-old boy from the city’s Roxbury neighborhood who left for school Thursday morning, but never arrived.Boston PD said Jaydn Betts was last seen around 8 a.m., leaving the area of Highland Street while heading to the MBTA’s Jackson Square station.According to police, Betts was supposed to take the train to Andrew station and then walk to Upper Academy, but never arrived at school.Stating that Betts suffers from mental health issues, the police department described Betts as a Black male with a height of 5’4″ and a slim build.He was also believed to be wearing a Patriots winter hat at the time, along with dark-colored pants and black shoes.https://twitter.com/bostonpolice/status/1704897996553347499Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact 911 or Boston PD’s B-2 Detectives at 617-343-4275.Those who wish to remain anonymous are asked to con...

At-home COVID-19 tests: A Mayo Clinic expert answers questions on expiration dates and the new variants

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkAt-home COVID-19 tests allow you to collect your sample and detect active COVID-19 infections.But what if you have at-home COVID-19 tests nearing expiration or expired on your shelf?Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says companies set the original test dates arbitrarily due to these diagnostic at-home tests being developed rapidly. So, check your boxes before you toss them.“Now that we are 3 1/2 years into the pandemic, those manufacturers have had the opportunity to go back and assess the test performance over prolonged periods of time. And they’ve updated the expiration dates in many cases,” says Dr. Binnicker.His first recommendation if you have tests at home is to search the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website for information on updated expiration dates.“If you take a test that is beyond the expiration date, and the test is positive, that’s likely ...

Mystery Patriots revealed: Two cornerbacks added to provide depth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

The Patriots signed two cornerbacks to their practice squad Thursday, per sources.Cornerbacks Breon Borders and Azizi Hearn signed to the Patriots practice squad Thursday after working out for the team in the morning, per sources.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots offensive line takes a hit at Thursday practice before Jets game New England Patriots | Patriots have ideas on how to fix ineffective running game New England Patriots | Patriots: 6 reasons to still be optimistic about 2023 season New England Patriots | Callahan: Bill Belichick hamstrung Bill O’Brien, but O’Brien must deliver anyway at the Jets New England Patriots | Patriots captain: Defense off to ‘hell of a start’ preparing for Jets Borders and Hearn were the unidentified players at practice wearing Nos. 35 and 42 on Thursday afternoon.Borders is a veteran cornerback out of Duke who has spent time with the Raid...

Patriots offensive line takes a hit at Thursday practice before Jets game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones missed the start of his second straight practice Thursday with a shoulder injury, while offensive lineman Sidy Sow was newly absent.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots have ideas on how to fix ineffective running game New England Patriots | Patriots: 6 reasons to still be optimistic about 2023 season New England Patriots | Callahan: Bill Belichick hamstrung Bill O’Brien, but O’Brien must deliver anyway at the Jets New England Patriots | Patriots captain: Defense off to ‘hell of a start’ preparing for Jets New England Patriots | Patriots see increased participation from three players in practice Sow, who sat out last week with a concussion, returned to the field Wednesday in a limited capacity. It’s unknown whether his absence Thursday is tied to the same concussion. The fourth-round rookie started the Pats’ season opener at right ...

Gov. Healey expands legal services for migrants living in emergency shelters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

The Healey administration plans to expand legal services for migrants living in emergency shelters in Massachusetts to help them access work authorizations and use state funds to pay for their online application filing fees.Gov. Maura Healey has repeatedly said the lack of efficient access to work authorizations is one the main drivers of an overburdened shelter system. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, a frustrated Healey again called on the Biden administration to speed up work permits.In a statement Thursday, Healey said the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services plan to offer legal aid services for new arrivals who are legally allowed to be present in the United States.The two offices will partner with refugee resettlement agencies to provide case management and other services, “with the goal to enable shelter residents to begin working sooner and reduce the strain placed on the emergency assistance system,” ...

Here’s how to decorate for Halloween, according to scare professionals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

From their nightmare factory in Greeley, Colorado, husband-and-wife team Ed Edmunds and Marsha Taub-Edmunds have been making elaborate monsters and masks for more than four decades.Their company, Distortions Unlimited, then dispatches the creepy cast of artfully crafted characters — like animatronic circus clowns, life-sized werewolves, and a toothy 11-foot-tall “Sleeping Giant” — to commercial haunted houses, theme parks and corn mazes.But during the COVID-19 pandemic, an interesting trend emerged: Homeowners began taking an interest in the Hollywood-quality monsters and props and incorporating them into their own front-yard haunts. Direct-to-consumer sales in the past few years have shot up by roughly 200%, Taub-Edmunds estimates. Each one costs anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.“People weren’t able to go to haunted houses during COVID, and they weren’t handing out candy, so they really got into the spirit of decorating,” she said.Retail stores got ...

An end in sight? Striking writers and Hollywood studios resume negotiations for a second day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood studios and striking screenwriters resumed talks Thursday that could potentially put an end to the nearly five-month dispute that has brought many film and television productions to a halt.In a rare joint statement issued Wednesday night, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the industry’s studios, streaming services and production companies in union negotiations, and the Writers Guild of America, said that they’d met for bargaining Wednesday and would continue Thursday. Present at the meeting were a group of top entertainment CEOs including Disney’s Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Universal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos. The four are likely to be present at the talks Thursday as well. On Wednesday, CNBC reporter David Faber wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the writers and AMPTP were “near” an agreement and “hope to fi...

Clarification: US-Philanthropy-Gates-Foundation story

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story published September 20, 2023, The Associated Press reported on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $200 million pledge to groups supporting women’s health. The story should have made clear that Unitaid does not manufacture health products itself but rather funds health projects, including manufacturing health products.Thalia Beaty, The Associated Press