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Hurricane Idalia unleashes fury on Georgia and Florida, swamping the coast and closing highways

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia remained an extremely dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it moved into Georgia after making landfall Wednesday morning on Florida’s west coast, where it unleashed life-threatening storm surges and rainfall across an area that has never before received such pummeling.More than 242,000 customers were without electricity as trees snapped by strong winds brought down power lines and rushing water covered streets. Along the coast, some homes were submerged to near their rooftops and structures crumpled. As the eye moved inland, destructive winds shredded signs and sent sheet metal flying.“We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” posted the fire and rescue department in Cedar Key, where a tide gauge measured the storm surge at 6.8 feet (2 meters), submerging most of hte downtown. “We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island.”Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves...

GEM prepares supplies to assist communities and people affected after Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

After Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Sunshine State, The Global Empowerment Mission in Doral is packing up and is ready to send supplies to those hit hard by the storm. 7News cameras on Wednesday captured several items in their assembly line such as socks, food, water and family hygiene kits.The Chief Development Officer at GEM spoke with 7News about their current plans. “It’s always getting the most amount of aid to the most amount of people in the least amount of time for the least amount of money,” Patrick Lynch said. “It’s what we’re doing here today. Our neighbors here in Florida, just up the road, are no strangers to storms like this, unfortunately, and neither are we. So starting yesterday, we already sent out two tractor trailers worth of aid that are currently en-route to Perry. They’ll be ready for distribution as soon as the storm clears.”Lynch also discussed what GEM will do for the rest of the week.“Throughou...

Randy Arozarena, Josh Lowe and Isaac Paredes slug homers to lead Rays over Marlins 11-2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Randy Arozarena, Josh Lowe and Isaac Paredes homered as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from two early deficits and beat the Miami Marlins 11-2 Tuesday night for their ninth win in 11 games.José Siri hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning and Yandy Díaz added two singles for the Rays, who trail AL-leading Baltimore by 2 1/2 games in the East Division and maintained their 5 1/2-game lead in the race for the AL’s top wild-card spot. With the win, Tampa Bay improved to 81-52, ensuring the Rays will go a seventh straight season without a losing record.“We’re playing good baseball and trust each other,” Arozarena said. “And we have to continue playing strong to maintain the positive results.”Miami slugger Jorge Soler left the game in the seventh inning due to right hip tightness. Soler, who has 35 homers this season, swung at a pitch from Tampa Bay reliever Erasmo Ramírez and stepped away from the plate.Aaron Civale (7-3) overcame a 32-pitch first inning and worked fiv...

Police seize cash from home of MEP Maria Arena’s son

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

BRUSSELS — Belgian police found cash in the home of Ugo Lemaire, the son of European parliamentarian Maria Arena, as first reported by Le Soir and confirmed by the Belgian prosecutor’s office.Arena, though implicated in the corruption scandal now known as Qatargate through July raids of her and her family’s homes, remains uncharged. But recent revelations show investigators in charge of the Qatargate case discovered large amounts of cash during the search of her son’s home in July. It was Arena who allegedly opened the door to her son’s apartment, next door to her own, where police officers recovered €280,000 in cash, according to Le Soir. To date, no connection has been established between the cash and any corruption activities related to a foreign country.Asked to comment on the raid and on the amount of money seized, the Belgian prosecutor’s office declined to give further information — but said it “deplored any leak of information in this case.”Belgia...

Pope’s Russia fiasco lingers as Lithuania summons Vatican envoy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

Lithuania has summoned a Vatican diplomat following Pope Francis’ controversial remarks about “great mother Russia.”A spokesperson for Lithuania’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said they had invited the Apostolic Nuncio (a Vatican diplomat) for a chat in early September, after he returns from holiday, local news reported.It comes days after Pope Francis was widely slammed for telling Russian youths to remember their legacy as heirs of a “great, enlightened Russian empire.”During a video speech to the All-Russian Meeting of Catholic Youth in St. Petersburg, a clip of which was posted online, the pope invoked former Russian emperors Peter I and Catherine II, two rulers who played key roles in expanding Russia’s conquests in Europe, and who are known as symbols of Russian imperialism.The comments sparked outrage in Kyiv where the pope was condemned for praising Russia’s imperialist past, considering the Kremlin’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.Oleg Nikolenk...

Second Wind Developer Moves to Terminate Its Contracts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

Another offshore wind developer took a major step Tuesday toward scrapping its initial plans for an installation in waters off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. SouthCoast Wind, whose pair of successful bids represented a combined 1,200 megawatts of anticipated offshore wind power, agreed to pay utility companies $60 million to terminate contracts the parties previously struck for the clean energy. The penalty would be divided into $32.4 million for Eversource, $27.3 million for National Grid and $591,000 for Unitil, according to contract amendments filed with the Department of Public Utilities. The utility companies would then credit the payments to their ratepayers through contract adjustments. The move makes official the developer’s attempt to cancel existing contracts after months of warning that the project was no longer financially viable under the negotiated prices as a result of economic trends. Like Commonwealth Wind, another developer whose termination agreement ...

Yankees’ Michael King has ‘the weapons’ to be a long-term starting pitcher, Aaron Boone says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

Michael King’s transition back to the Yankees rotation is off to a strong start.The right-hander’s four shutout innings in Tuesday night’s win over the Detroit Tigers impressed Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who isn’t ruling out a long-term role as a starting pitcher for King.“He definitely has the weapons to do it,” Boone said. “It’s just a matter of transitioning and can he then hold the stuff in extended outings? … With what he’s been through now in his career, and the confidence he’s gained as a pitcher in this league, and I think a real good understanding of what he has and what he can use, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything he’s able to do.”Tuesday marked the third start of the season for King, who started 59 games in the minor leagues, as well as 10 for the Yankees across 2020 and 2021.King operated exclusively out of the Yankees’ bullpen in 2022, when he pitched to a 2.29 ERA over 51 inn...

Judge’s illness delays sentencing for ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in Jan. 6 case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Proud Boys national leader Enrique Tarrio’s sentencing for orchestrating the far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol was delayed until Sept. 5 because the trial judge was sick on Wednesday.The government is seeking a 33-year sentence for Tarrio in one of the most significant prosecutions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That is nearly twice the length of the longest prison term so far among the hundreds of riot prosecutions.U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who is not bound by prosecutors’ recommendation, was sick and unable to preside at the hearing Wedneday, the U.S. Marshals Service said shortly before the proceeding was to begin. Tarrio had already been arrested and ordered to leave Washington by the time Proud Boys members joined thousands of Trump supporters in storming the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. But prosecutors say Tarrio organized and led the group’s assault fro...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises in morning trading following 3 straight gains

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in morning trading on Wednesday following several updates showing that the job market continued cooling, but economic growth remained resilient.The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and continued to chip away at the market’s losses in August. The benchmark index is coming off of three straight gains.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 131 points, or 0.4%, to 34,984 as of 10:15 a.m. and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%.Technology stocks led the market’s gains. Apple jumped 1.9% and Palo Alto Networks rose 2.3%.HP was on the losing end with a 8.1% slump after cutting its profit forecast for the year. Wall Street’s focus this week remains a broad mix of economic updates that investors hope will paint a clearer picture of where the economy is headed and whether the Federal Reserve has enough reason to hold off on any additional interest rate hikes.A survey of private-sector employers in the U.S. showed that hiring cooled more than expected by economists...

Haitian judge interviews Colombian suspects for the first time since the president was assassinated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:59:29 GMT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A judge in Haiti is for the first time interrogating some of the 18 Colombian suspects arrested more than two years ago and accused of being part of a mercenary squad that assassinated President Jovenel Moïse, a judicial official said Wednesday.The former Colombian soldiers earlier had refused to talk when questioned by a judge who previously had been assigned to the case, magistrate Bernard Saint-Vil, who appoints judges in the case, told The Associated Press. The first two suspects were transported on Monday and Tuesday from Haiti’s main penitentiary in downtown Port-au-Prince to a government office in nearby Petion-Ville where they were undergoing interrogations by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, the magistrate said.The 18 Colombians are among more than 40 suspects including elite Haitian police officers who were arrested in Haiti after Moïse was fatally shot in July 2021 in his private residence. The investigation in Haiti has moved very slowly, in pa...