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Slave descendants are suing to fight zoning changes they say threaten their island homes off Georgia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Black residents of a tiny island enclave founded by their enslaved ancestors off the Georgia coast have filed suit seeking to halt a new zoning law that they say will raise taxes and force them to sell their homes in one of the South’s last surviving Gullah-Geechee communities.The civil lawsuit was filed in McIntosh County Superior Court a month after elected county commissioners voted to double the size of houses allowed in Hogg Hummock, where a few dozen people live in modest homes along dirt roads on largely unspoiled Sapelo Island. Black residents fear larger homes in the community will lead to property tax increases that they won’t be able to afford.County officials approved the larger home sizes and other zoning changes Sept. 12 after three public meetings held five days apart. Well over 100 Hogg Hummock residents and landowners packed those meetings to voice objections, but were given just one chance to speak to the changes.The lawsuit accuses...

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez dealing with ailment during ALCS against Rangers, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez is dealing with an ailment as the Astros face the Texas Rangers in the AL Championship Series, a person familiar with his condition told The Associated Press on Monday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the illness publicly.Manager Dusty Baker deflected when asked about Alvarez’s health prior to ALCS Game 2 on Monday.“He’s fine,” Baker said. “He’s better today than he was yesterday.”Alvarez’s illness was first reported by The Athletic.Alvarez was not on the field for introductions or the national anthem before Game 1 on Sunday night. Alvarez, who hit .438 with four homers and six RBIs in the Division Series, had an uncharacteristically poor game in the 2-0 loss, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.Baker added that people often have to work when they aren’t feeling well. “Like I was telling somebody yesterday, as a responsible man, a family man, you go to work, you know,...

Italian lawmakers debate long-delayed Holocaust Museum revived by far-right-led government

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italian lawmakers on Monday marked the 80th anniversary of the Nazi roundup of more than 1,200 Roman Jews in the Holocaust with a debate on a measure to partially fund a long-delayed Holocaust Museum in the capital.The Shoah Museum project was launched in 2007, but has foundered over funding, a location and even reluctance to highlight the role of Italy’s fascist government as a perpetrator in the Holocaust. The project was revived this year by far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, both of the far-right Brothers of Italy party with neo-fascist roots. Italy’s lower house will vote later this week on a measure that includes 10 million euros ($10.5 million) in funding for the museum over the next three years, following Senate approval this summer. The president of the Shoah Museum Foundation that is heading the project, Mario Venezia, told The Associated Press that the Italian role in the Holocaust must be central to the museu...

Column: F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix shaping up to be both a spectacle and an expensive headache

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — It was a pretty typical weekend in Las Vegas, with Adele performing at Caesars Palace, U2 at the newly opened largest spherical structure in the world, NASCAR in town and the Raiders hosting the Patriots. An exhaustive set of entertainment options. With it came the traffic snarls — on foot or car — from every road closure, redirection or new fencing erected along the Las Vegas Strip as part of construction preparations for a Formula One race that is still a month away. The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, if nothing else, will be a sensory overload of neon bright lights, roaring race cars and some of the wealthiest F1 fans in the world in attendance. But the daily disruptions have created a vibe that the ballyhooed event might also be an expensive, logistical headache. American fans of the global racing series have grumbled since tickets went on sale that they’ve been priced out of this year’s third F1 stop in the United States. The race is being promoted...

CDC Director urges winter vaccinations in South Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

With the arrival of the winter season on the horizon, public health experts are sounding the alarm about the potential risks for the unvaccinated population. Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, was in South Florida on Monday leading a proactive effort to bolster vaccination rates and safeguard the community.“At any age, you need to be thinking about protecting yourself for the winter,” said Cohen. Cohen visited a CVS Pharmacy in Southwest Miami-Dade where COVID-19 and flu vaccinations were available, emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated as winter approaches. The urgency is underlined by recent federal data revealing that Florida has reported approximately 1,300 COVID-19 deaths in the past three months.So far, more than 8 million Americans have received the vaccine. According to Cohen, the elderly and those with higher risks should consider getting the vaccine. “This virus has changed and the updated CO...

Ex-NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown arrested in Broward County for allegedly failing to pay child support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown was arrested on Sunday for failure to pay child support, following a warrant issued by a Miami-Dade judge in August, according to officials. According to the arrest report, Brown, whose legal issues have been in the spotlight, was taken into custody outside of his Broward County home.SEE ALSO: Dashcam video captures altercation between Antonio Brown, moving truck driver outside Hollywood homeAntonio Brown faces arrest warrant for domestic incident in TampaAttorney: Antonio Brown trashed Sunny Isles Beach condo, threw furniture to pool areaAntonio Brown accused of raping trainer in South Florida federal lawsuitThe warrant stemmed from Brown’s alleged failure to meet child support obligations to Wiltrice Jackson, the mother of his daughter Antanyiah, born in 2008. In an interview with TMZ, Jackson said Brown owes her more than $30,000.The arrest unfolded when a deputy pulled over a taxi in which Brown was riding during a routine traffic st...

BSO: Oakland Park grandmother arrested in death of 11-month-old

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit detectives have arrested 53-year-old Tibina Louissant for the aggravated manslaughter of her 11-month-old grandson, Josiah Fenelus, who died while in her care, officials said on Monday. The arrest comes after an investigation into the child’s death revealed a lethal concentration of the prescription antihistamine cyproheptadine in his system, BSO said in a news release.According to officials, on Aug. 21, 2022, at around 9:30 a.m., Broward County Regional Communications received a call reporting an unresponsive child in the 124 N.W. 40th Court in Oakland Park. BSO Oakland Park District deputies and Oakland Park Fire Rescue responded, transporting Josiah Fenelus to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.Officials said detectives discovered that the family had left Josiah in the care of Louissant, his paternal grandmother, over the weekend. While at Louissant’s home, Josiah, who had no known medical issues, became u...

2 shot dead in Brussels ‘terrorist attack’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

A shooter killed two people near the center of Brussels on Monday evening, in what Belgium’s foreign minister has condemned as a “terrorist attack.”Police said gunshots were fired near Place Sainctelette and Boulevard du Neuvième de Ligne shortly after 7 p.m. and patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene.Two people were confirmed dead, said Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere, but more details were not immediately available. “The investigation is ongoing,” she said.Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said: “My deepest condolences to the relatives of this cowardly attack in Brussels. We are monitoring the situation and ask the people of Brussels to be vigilant.”He added that he had passed on his condolences to Sweden’s prime minister “following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens.” Sweden is playing Belgium in an international football match at the national stadium in northern Brussels. Belgia...

Clashes at Lebanon-Israel border raise fears of wider war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

Southern Lebanon (CNN) — On the face of it, the crossfire on Lebanon’s border with Israel appears marginal, dwarfed by the scale and intensity of the Hamas-Israel war further south.The fighting has stayed within a roughly 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius of either side of the demarcation line, with at least 13 people killed since last Saturday.Yet this barely populated swathe of mountainous terrain could be the launching pad of a regional war, drawing in a myriad of actors, including Iran and the United States.Hezbollah – an Iran-backed armed group that is also a regional force in its own right – dominates south Lebanon. It also operates alongside Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, where the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights separates Israel from Tehran-aligned fighters.Iran’s Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian on Monday raised the specter of expanded fighting after talking to counterparts in Tunisia, Malaysia and Pakistan.“Underlined the need to immediate...

CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid are closing thousands of stores. Here’s why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:32 GMT

New York (CNN) — Drug store chains for decades saturated US cities, suburbs and small towns with new stores.Now, they are closing thousands of stores, leaving gaps in communities for medicines and essentials. Researchers find pharmacy closures lead to health risks such as older adults failing to take medication.Rite Aid, the third largest standalone pharmacy chain, filed for bankruptcy Sunday and will reportedly close roughly 400 to 500 of its approximately 2,200 stores.Rite Aid was undone by competition from larger rivals, its $3.3 billion debt load, and expensive legal battles for its alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis.It comes amid walkouts by Walgreens pharmacists and technicians around the country and at CVS stores in Kansas City over low pay and understaffed stores.Drug store strugglesRite Aid’s bankruptcy reflects long-term struggles in the retail pharmacy industry.The majority of drug stores’ sales comes from filling prescriptio...