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MDPD director shot himself while with wife, he survived

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP/WSVN) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in stable condition after surgery in a Tampa area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday, amid reports from local media that he had shot himself.Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.“Following a critical injury in Tampa yesterday, Chief Ramirez is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, adding that “that “All that matters right now is Chief Ramirez’s wellbeing.”Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told Tampa TV station WFLA that Ramirez shot himself Sunday night during a domestic dispute after stopping his car along Interstate 75 south of Tampa, where the sheriff’s conference was underway.The Miami Herald reported that Ramirez’s wife was traveling with him at the time.According to Tampa Police, officers responded to reports of a man, just after 6:30 p.m., who...

Police arrest phone thief at Rolling Loud Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

An off-duty officer’s keen eye led to the arrest of a phone thief who was found with a stash of stolen iPhones from the Rolling Loud music festival at Hard Rock Stadium.Authorities said the incident occurred Sunday evening. According to police, the off-duty officer noticed a Hispanic male walking through the event wristband and carrying an opaque book bag, a violation of the event’s rules.Concerned about the individual’s suspicious behavior, two officers approached the man identified as Kevin Andres Vargas Chistancho. The officers advised Chistancho that his bag violated the event rules and proceeded to remove it from his possession. Upon inspecting the bag, officers found a smaller black bag inside, which, when opened, revealed a metallic inner lining consistent with a Faraday bag – a device commonly used to block phone signals.To their surprise, the Faraday bag contained a total of 12 stolen iPhones of various models. One of the victims of the thefts was ab...

Top sports court sides with FIFA over new rules for agents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

Leading football agents lost a crucial legal dispute over FIFA’s incoming rules that would impose a cap on their service fees.The Court of Arbitration for Sport — the world’s top sports court — ruled in FIFA’s favor Monday, dismissing the Swiss Professional Football Agents Association’s (PROFAA) claims that the regulations violate competition and European Union laws in their “entirety.”FIFA introduced new regulations for agents earlier this year — due to take effect in October — that include limiting agents’ earnings on players’ salaries and transfers. The rules also prevent agents from representing both buying and selling clubs during a transfer. The Swiss agents’ group requested that the new rules get a legal check last October, asking the court to decide whether FIFA can regulate agents’ activities because they are “peripheral” to the actual sport.But judges said FIFA “has both technical and democratic ...

Trader Joe’s recalls two types of cookies because they may contain rocks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

CNN) — Trader Joe’s announced a recall of two types of cookies, stating that they may contain a foreign material, rocks, in a statement on Friday.According to the statement, Almond Windmill Cookies with sell by dates of 10/19/23 through 10/21/23 or Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies with sell by dates of 10/17/23 through 10/21/23 may have been affected.Remaining cookies have been removed from sale or destroyed, the statement said, but any shoppers who purchased these products should dispose of them.The statement urged customers not to consume any of the potentially affected cookies and said the products can be returned to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.

‘Conversation has commenced’ with North Korea over US solider, United Nations Command says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — A “conversation has commenced” with North Korea over US Army Pvt. Travis King, who crossed the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations, the deputy commander of the United Nations Command (UNC) said Monday.King, believed to be the first US soldier to cross into North Korea since 1982, had a history of assault, was facing disciplinary action over his conduct and was meant to go back to the US the day before the incident.Gen. Andrew Harrison said the case of King is still under investigation and he could not provide further detail on the private, who the US military said “willfully and without authorization” crossed into North Korea while taking a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area, a small collection of ​buildings inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has separated North and South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.“There is a mechanism that exists under the armistice agreem...

Vermont farmers urged to document crop losses from flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) — Vermont state and federal officials on Monday urged farmers to document and report damage from the catastrophic flooding that hit the state two weeks ago and inundated crops in the rural mountainous state known for its scenic farmland.They toured Paul Mazza’s Fruit and Vegetable farm, where fields were under 20 feet (6 meters) of water during the flooding, including row after row of blueberry bushes laden with berries and corn. The crops are now contaminated and unsellable. Mazza, who has seven farms in different locations, estimates he has about 25% of his produce left. Fields are covered with sediment and piles of sand from the river.“It’s a killer. My head just spins,” Mazza said. “I lost my shirt,” he added.A 2021 state government report on Vermont agriculture credited maple producers, apple orchards, farms, cheese, and ice cream for having “long defined the Vermont experience” and said agriculture is a key engine of the...

Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers study therapy that could potentially reverse chemotherapy-related fertility loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

A medical breakthrough could be on the horizon when it comes to reversing chemotherapy-related fertility loss, thanks to researchers with Brigham and Women’s Hospital.Using mice in a preclinical study, researchers have been testing how stem cells could potentially reverse fertility loss for women who have undergone chemotherapy.According to Brigham and Women’s, about 5 percent of women experience premature ovarian failure due to cancer treatment or genetic issues.“The ovary basically has two functions – one is to produce reproductive hormones and the second is for fertility,” said Dr. Raymond Manohar Anchan of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “When they get this medicine for their cancer treatment, depending on how much they get and how long they’re treated, a group of them will have a transient failure and some will have complete, permanent failure of their ovaries.”Once a person’s ovaries fails, the ability to create eggs and conceive c...

Try these inexpensive speakers for outdoor listening

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

My wife, Patti, likes to listen to music while she gardens in the backyard. She can listen through her phone’s speakers, but even though modern smartphone speakers have gotten better, they’re still not that great, especially at loud volumes. So, to allow Patti to listen to music or audio books while picking blueberries and watering her tomatoes, I decided it was time to get a portable Bluetooth speaker.Related ArticlesEntertainment | Lowell Folk Festival boasts diverse, delightful lineup Entertainment | It’s ‘Time’ to check out Culture Club’s fresh stuff at Xfinity Center show Entertainment | Terri Nunn reunites with Berlin for ’80s icon concert Entertainment | Tony Bennett dies at 96: ‘Best singer in the business’ [+photo gallery] Entertainment | Musician/photographer Andy Summers adds photos to new tour There are many to chose from, including several high-end p...

Happy hour at home: How to create a cocktail corner for entertaining

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

By Anne Valdespino | Orange County Register“HEATHER HOTCAKES!!” She enters a room and men shout her handle. Yup, Heather Manning started as a plus-size pinup model at heather_hotcakes and has more than 12,000 Instagram followers. But imbibers need to know, she’s added a new beverage-focused page: cocktails.with.hotcakes.Manning is always dressed to the nines. So, when we decided to gather tips on how to set up a special corner of any home as a pop-up or permanent space for drinks, she was the first influencer who came to mind.This Southern California mother of two, a special education teacher by day, has a style that’s vintage, fun and friendly.Manning took on cocktails during the pandemic because she missed her bartender friends. She has met quite a few while attending media events with her husband of nearly 20 years, Southern California beverage writer Rich Manning.During the pandemic she had a bartender come on her social media channel weekly to teach her how to make a cocktail, ...

Vermont farmers are urged to document crop losses from flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:11 GMT

By LISA RATHKE (Associated Press)ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) — Vermont state and federal officials on Monday urged farmers to document and report damage from the catastrophic flooding that hit the state two weeks ago and inundated crops in the rural mountainous state known for its scenic farmland. They toured Paul Mazza’s Fruit and Vegetable farm, where fields were under 20 feet (6 meters) of water during the flooding, including row after row of blueberry bushes laden with berries and corn. The crops are now contaminated and unsellable. Mazza, who has seven farms in different locations, estimates he has about 25% of his produce left. Fields are covered with sediment and piles of sand from the river. “It’s a killer. My head just spins,” Mazza said. “I lost my shirt,” he added.A 2021 state government report on Vermont agriculture credited maple producers, apple orchards, farms, cheese, and ice cream for having “long defined the Vermont expe...