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Alabama police chief apologies for inaccurate information in fatal shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — A police chief in Alabama has apologized for his department giving “inaccurate information” about what was said before officers shot and killed a homeowner during a dispute with a tow truck driver.Decatur Police Chief Todd Pinion wrote in a statement Wednesday that the department gave an inaccurate description of officers’ commands in “our initial rush to release information” about the Sept. 29 shooting of Steve Perkins. The department inaccurately said officers ordered Perkins to drop his weapon and that he refused to do so. Pinion said what actually happened is the officers identified themselves as “police” and ordered Perkins to “get on the ground.”“I apologize for the inaccurate description of the encounter in our initial statement, and we have already taken steps to improve our public information sharing process,” Pinion wrote.Perkins, 39, was killed by police in front of his home in a confrontation that began with a tow truck driver tryin...

Estes Park among best small towns to visit for Halloween

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Estes Park is known as one of the best places to see fall colors in the country and is known for The Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King found inspiration for "The Shining."Now, Trips to Discover is acknowledging the mountainside village as one of the best small towns in the U.S. to visit for Halloween. What makes The Stanley Hotel one of the spookiest hotels in the nation? The lost looks at Halloween events and the town's history. You can find activities for people of all ages including shows, live music, craft classes, dining, shopping and touring.The Historic Park Theatre and Cafe in downtown Estes Park shows haunting movies and hosts ghost hunts and historic tours in October.The Estes Park Visitor Center hosts scenic tours for visitors to see wildlife surrounded by the changing colors. This year on Oct. 14 and 15, Garden of the Cats is hosting a cat show, "The Purring: Here's Kitties!" which showcases exotic breeds, championship cats, non-pedigreed felines and e...

Sheriff Gregory Tony, federal officials announce 17 BSO deputies charged in PPP loan fraud case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony and federal investigators announced that 17 BSO deputies were charged in an elaborate cash crime revolving around Paycheck Protection Program loans during the coronavirus pandemic.During a press conference on Thursday, Tony revealed that in 2021, they were investigating one employee due to policy violations. They then looked at all 5,550 BSO employees to see who had applied for loans.Once criminal action was discovered, the case was refereed to federal officials. According to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, the employees took more than $500,000 from the federal government.According to Florida Bulldog investigative reporter Dan Christensen, he reported that between 50 and 70 BSO employees will soon be charged with fraud.Christensen spoke with 7News on Wednesday.“I’ve heard- the word that’s going around at Broward Sheriff’s Office is 50 to 70 employees, mostly deputies, sworn deputies, detention deputies and...

Florida citrus forecast improves over last year when hurricanes hit state

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The forecast for Florida citrus, the state’s signature crop, is expected to improve in the upcoming season compared to last year when twin hurricanes battered the state at the start of the citrus season, according to estimates released Thursday.Florida is expected to produce 20.5 million boxes of oranges during the upcoming season, up from 15.8 million boxes last season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Florida growers are expected to harvest 1.9 million boxes of grapefruit during the 2023-2024 season, which lasts through next spring, up from 1.8 million boxes last season.The production of tangerines and mandarins also was forecast to be up, going from 480,000 boxes last season to an expected 500,000 boxes in the upcoming season.Florida had been the leading producer of oranges in the U.S. until last season when the state was battered by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. California surpassed the Sunshine State in orange production.The decline in orange pr...

Israel-Hamas war: UK readies navy in eastern Mediterranean to ‘prevent escalation’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

LONDON — U.K. military assets including surveillance aircraft and naval patrols will be deployed in the eastern Mediterranean to support Israel, Rishi Sunak announced Thursday evening.No. 10 Downing Street said that Royal Air Force aircraft will on Friday begin patrols to track threats to stability in the region, while a navy “task group” — including two Royal Navy ships — will be moved to the eastern Mediterranean to assist with humanitarian efforts. The British government said the military package is intended to prevent escalation and hammer home its support for Israel. Sunak has declared repeatedly that the U.K. “stands with Israel” and offered unequivocal support, since Hamas’ surprise attacks on Saturday.“Alongside our allies, deployment of our world class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation,” the prime minister said in a statement.“Our military and diplomatic teams across the region ...

Lieutenant Governor Driscoll Warns Mass. Shelters “Definitely At Capacity”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

Massachusetts is going to run out of places to shelter newly arriving immigrants and other families without housing “very, very soon,” leaving the one state in the country that has a legal obligation to shelter unhoused families in a position where “there is not going to be literally any room at the inn,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said Thursday morning.Driscoll said Thursday morning that Massachusetts has almost 7,500 families (close to 23,000 people) enrolled in the Massachusetts emergency assistance shelter system. She said during a live interview on El Mundo’s La Hora del Café that “we’re really running out of capacity” and renewed the administration’s calls for the federal government to speed up the work authorization process for immigrants and to establish new congregate shelters.“Folks are coming in through the border because they’re fleeing horrific circumstances. But when you have this many people in a shelter...

Trump sharply criticizes Netanyahu over intelligence failure in latest sign of soured relationship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Former President Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the Israeli prime minister was caught unprepared by Hamas’ attack and praising the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as “very smart.”The remarks reflect the soured relationship between the two men and are notable at a time when Trump’s Republican presidential rivals have uniformly sought to position themselves as steadfast supporters of Netanyahu during Israel’s war with Hamas.“(Netanyahu) has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here. He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared,” Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade in an interview clip that aired Wednesday night.Trump went further at a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida.“When I see sometimes the intelligence, you talk about the intelligence, or you talk about some of the things that went wrong over the last week, they’ve got to straighten it out because they’r...

‘Moonlighting’ creator says Bruce Willis is ‘still Bruce’ despite not being ‘totally verbal’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

(CNN) — Glenn Gordon Caron said that while his friend Bruce Willis can no longer communicate in all the same ways, he knows Willis is happy about his show “Moonlighting” finally coming to streaming.Caron, who was a creator of the show in which Willis starred in during the 1980s, talked to the New York Post about his friend, whom he said he tries to see around once or month or so.“I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people,” Caron said.“Moonlighting,” a beloved romantic comedy series starring Willis and Cybil Shepherd as private investigators, is now streaming on Hulu.“The process [to get ‘Moonlighting’ onto Hulu] has taken quite a while and Bruce’s disease is a progressive disease, so I was able to communicate with him, before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now, about hoping to get the show back in front of people,” Caron said. “I know it means a lot to him.”It was announced last year that Willis would be ...

10 reasons to hit the road along Oregon’s North Coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

Susan Young | TravelPulse (TNS)The 75-mile stretch along Oregon’s Highway 101 from Astoria to Tillamook offers a day trip full of surprises. Also known as the Oregon Coast Highway, this route can be accessed a couple of hours from Portland and includes traversing the Northern Oregon Coast Range.The diverse topography and charming towns make this a beautiful way to spend a day on the road.An aerial view of Astoria, Oregon. (Dan Klimke/Dreamstime/TNS)AstoriaLocated in the northwest tip of Oregon lies the state’s first city, Astoria, and the largest on this trip. The Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean at this point, and, alongside the Astoria-Megler Bridge, this historic city offers a rich map of walking tours and water activities.The Riverfront Trolley is a deal for $1, which gets you a one-hour round trip covering three miles on the River Walk with stops including the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The Museum offers multiple interactive experience about shipwrecks, information a...

Review: The new ‘Frasier’ is classic and contemporary. And it’s quite good

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:55 GMT

Robert Lloyd | Los Angeles Times (TNS)I would not have bet on “Frasier” to win the Great Revival Sweepstakes, but here we are, 19 years after its run on NBC ended, picking up the story, Thursday on Paramount+. (In a “get you hooked” stratagem, the first two episodes will air on CBS the following Tuesday.)Not that the original wasn’t a great show, but I don’t suppose even its fans spent much time wondering what had become of radio psychologist Dr. Frasier Crane. (Now, Niles and Daphne, that’s another story.) Then again, “Frasier” wasn’t necessarily the comedy you would have expected to be spun off from “Cheers,” although I can’t think of a likelier candidate. And this new series, which brings in “Cheers” co-creator James Burrows to direct its first two episodes, is really quite good.Is it as good as classic “Frasier”? Well, it’s hardly fair to compare a 10-episode series, freshly conceived and cast (star Kelsey G...