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Gov. DeSantis signs several education bills in SW Miami-Dade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis made a South Florida stop where he signed several education bills that would support and empower Florida’s teachers.On Tuesday morning, the Florida governor visited the True North Classical Academy in Southwest Miami-Dade to add new legislation aimed at recruiting and retaining teachers. DeSantis stated this legislative session was all about education.Among the bills was a $1 billion salary increase for teachers, meaning thousands of dollars more in the pockets of deserving educators.“That represents an increase of over a quarter of a billion dollars over last year’s record,” said DeSantis. “So that’s really significant and if you look just in the last five years, we provided from the state, over $3.3 billion to increase teacher salaries as well as add to bonuses.”Another bill that was signed declared term limits for school board members to change from a 12-year term to eight years in office. The Teacher Bill of Rights was ...

Dolphins agree to 1-year deal with tight end Tyler Kroft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are adding depth and experience at tight end by agreeing on Tuesday to a one-year deal with Tyler Kroft, according to his agent Mike McCartney.Kroft, 30, appeared in 11 games for San Francisco last season and has spent time with the Jets, Bills and Bengals.Miami has needed to bolster its tight end room after losing Mike Gesicki to New England in free agency.Last month, the Dolphins signed tight end Durham Smythe to a contract extension through 2025. They also signed former Broncos tight end Eric Saubert and drafted Stanford receiver Elijah Higgins, whom they intend to convert to tight end.With Smythe expected to be the Dolphins’ No. 1 option at tight end, Kroft adds experience as a protentional No. 2.Kroft has 105 receptions, 1,081 yards and 13 touchdowns and was a third-round pick by Cincinnati in 2015.

19 residents displaced after home catches on fire in Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

Several residents are now displaced after a fire forced them out of their homes. The fire that ignited Monday afternoon was unknown to the homeowner, and it wasn’t until the family’s dog started barking, that the owner realized that the fire started.Nineteen people are now homeless and are receiving help from the America Red Cross. Immense flames and thick black smoke filled up the sky at Miami’s Shenandoah neighborhood as the fire ripped through a home on Southwest 17th Lane and 23rd Avenue.The homeowner, speaking Spanish, told 7News what he saw. “I saw the flames. I got out of the house because I didn’t want to get burned up,” Lorenzo Hernandez said. The fire fight was so intense that first responders had to evacuate from an apartment next door as a precaution. “I use a cane. I didn’t even have time to grab my cane,” said Raul, a resident. Soon after, crews were able to get a handle on the fire. Hernandez does not know how t...

‘I stood right underneath him’: Pregnant woman describes catching toddler who fell from window

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Des Moines police say a 2-year-old boy is safe thanks to a neighbor who caught him after he fell from a second-story window Monday.Kyrie Jones was walking her dog when she noticed the toddler hanging out the window in the 1900 block of Merle Hay Road.“I noticed the little boy was bending over the edge of the window, and he was throwing things out the window,” said Jones.Jones, who lives next door, says she started knocking and ringing the doorbell to alert the child’s mother, but no one answered. She then called the police and went back to the window to keep an eye on the child.“When I came back out, the baby was holding on the ledge hanging. So, I stood right underneath him just in case,” Jones said through tears on Monday.The child ended up losing his grip and falling from the window. Jones, who is 33 weeks pregnant, says she caught him just before he hit the concrete.“He kind of hit my belly a little bit. I think...

In a spin: Downing Street defends Rishi Sunak over latest short-haul helicopter trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson insisted there is “a lot of pressure” on the U.K. prime minister’s time after he took a helicopter to Southampton instead of making the short train journey there from London.Sunak — who has attracted criticism in the past for taking publicly-funded flights around the country — traveled to the southeastern port city Tuesday to launch a plan aimed at cutting waiting times for doctors’ appointments.But No. 10 faced a grilling Tuesday evening after the Mirror tracked Sunak’s flight and found a train journey would have taken around the same time.The outlet reported that a government helicopter departed RAF Northolt at around 8:53 a.m., travelled to Westminster to pick up Sunak, and then touched down at Southampton Airport at 9:47 a.m. A train from London Waterloo to Southampton would have taken less than an hour-and-a-half, it pointed out.Fielding questions from reporters, Sunak’s official spokesperson said the...

Erdoğan gives public workers 45 percent pay rise in Turkey’s tight election race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

ISTANBUL — In a sign President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan realizes he needs to pull out all the stops before Turkey’s too-close-to-call election in five days, he announced a 45 percent pay hike for hundreds of thousands of public workers on Tuesday. The decision affects more than 700,000 public workers, who will now be paid a minimum monthly wage of 15,000 Turkish lira (€700).The announcement is seen as a move to attract voters in a tight election race dominated by the economy. Erdoğan’s economic policies, once one of his main selling points, are unpopular, largely due to high inflation and a tumbling lira. “Within the framework of this collective bargaining agreement, we are raising wages by 45 percent, including the welfare share, thus increasing the minimum wage of public workers to 15,000 lira,” Erdoğan said in the capital Ankara.Erdoğan signaled the government would also raise the wages and pensions of civil servants.The announcement was a tren...

Norwood PD welcomes newest officer: an 8-week-old Golden Retriever in need of a name

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

The Norwood Police Department welcomed a new, furry addition to the force this week and plans on asking local schools and the public for name suggestions.Norwood Police Chief William Brooks swore in an eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppy Tuesday morning, which will be assigned to School Resource Officer Geoffrey Baguma and take part in a “Police ‘Pup’ Academy.”Image provided by the Norwood Police Department“She comes highly recommended for her pawsitive people skills and passed her Good Girl background check with flying colors,” the police department said on social media.The department stated the puppy will undergo extensive training before working within Norwood schools and the community to “create peace and calm for whoever may need it.”Image provided by the Norwood Police Department“After completing her academy with SRO Baguma, she will be able to assist in de-escalating stressful situations and individuals in crisis with th...

Woman and 17-year-old girl killed, 3 children hurt in suspicious New York apartment fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

Click here for updates on this story NEW YORK (WCBS) — A woman and teenage girl are dead, and three other children are hospitalized following a suspicious fire overnight in East New York, Brooklyn.Police say someone set fire to the first floor stairs, and an accelerant was found in the hallway.Firefighters responded around 2:15 a.m. to a three-story building on Fountain Avenue near Calhoun Street.“You just see the flames, you see the fire truck, you heard kids screaming,” neighbor Lashanna Bray told CBS2.A 36-year-old woman was pronounced dead on the scene. A 17-year-old girl also died after being rushed to the hospital in critical condition.Three other children — two girls, ages 14 and 10, and a 9-year-old boy — were also hospitalized with critical injuries.Neighbors say the victims were well known in the community and owned a deli down the street.“That’s my family, I love them to death, and this just blew my mind,” said neighbor Mich...

Newly seated Arlington Heights trustees get rundown on Bears plans to move to Arlington Heights: ‘We’ve still got a long, long way to go’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

Arlington Heights officials looked ahead to coming milestones in the Chicago Bears’ proposed redevelopment at Arlington international Racecourse during a meeting Monday night, but stressed that the process is still in very early stages.Village staff held a Bears-oriented presentation for newly seated and returning trustees at the Village Board Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night, walking through actions over the last two years’ at the racetrack, which is also known as Arlington Park.“[The Bears] can ask for whatever they want,” Mayor Tom Hayes said while responding to a public comment on whether and how tax dollars would support the project. “But it will be subject to discussion and public input and a vote by somebody.”The Bears officially purchased the 326-acre site in February, more than a year after signing a $197.2 million purchase agreement for the property. The team’s opening volley for redeveloping the racetrack is a domed NFL...

Judge seems skeptical of Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend’s claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:29 GMT

By TERRY SPENCER (Associated Press)STUART, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge appeared skeptical Tuesday to arguments made by an attorney for superstar golfer Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, who is trying to invalidate a nondisclosure agreement that would require the ongoing legal disputes between the two be decided privately by an arbitrator. During a 45-minute hearing, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger repeatedly questioned why the mandatory arbitration clause in the couple’s disputed agreement wouldn’t invalidate Herman’s lawsuit against Woods. She even appeared to agree with Woods’ attorney, J.B. Murray, that even the question of whether Herman actually signed the August 2017 document or her signature is forged should, for now, be left to an arbitrator.Neither Herman nor Woods was present. Herman, 39, is suing both Woods, 47, and the trust that owns his $54 million Florida mansion, seeking $30 million from the latter amid unspecified allegatio...