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South Florida community gathers in prayer for MDPD Director Ramirez

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

As an outpouring of support continues throughout South Florida for Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez following the incident in Tampa, officers in Doral gathered in a prayer circle to send well wishes to the Miami-Dade Police Director who remains hospitalized. “We might not fully stand in their pain, but we’re outside and we wanna help carry that pain by praying for them,” said one woman who led the prayer circle. The South Florida community rallied around the Miami-Dade Police Department and Director Ramirez. “We pray, God, that You would touch them to be of solace and comfort to him as he recovers,” said another man in the spiritual gathering. There have been prayers and an overwhelming show of support for Ramirez, who had plans to lead as he officially launched his campaign in May for the newly-created role of county sheriff. His colleagues consider Ramirez a dear friend and have shown their support. “He’s a great man,” said Stead...

UPS reaches contract with 340,000 unionized workers, averting potentially calamitous strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

UPS has reached a contract agreement with its 340,000-person strong union Tuesday, averting a strike that had the potential to disrupt logistics nationwide for businesses and households alike.The Teamsters called the tentative agreement “historic” and “overwhelmingly lucrative.” It includes, among other benefits, higher wages and air conditioning in delivery trucks.Members of the Teamsters, angered by a contract they say was forced on them five years ago by union leadership, clashed with UPS over pay as profits for the delivery company soared in recent years. Union leadership was upended last year with the election of Sean O’Brien, a vocal critic of the union president who signed off on that contract, James Hoffa, the son of the famous Teamsters firebrand.The two side reached a tentative agreement early on safety issues, including equipping more trucks with air conditioning equipment. Under the agreement, UPS said it would add air conditioning to U.S. small delivery vehicles purchas...

Biden family dog Commander has bitten several Secret Service agents, emails show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

The Biden family’s dog, Commander, has bitten several Secret Service agents — sending one to the hospital — and exhibited “aggressive behavior” in at least 10 incidents since he took residence in the White House in December 2021, emails obtained by a conservative watchdog agency show.The emails describe several biting incidents involving the 2-year-old German Shepherd between Washington and Delaware, where the Bidens often frequent, dating from October 2022 to January of this year. Judicial Watch, a Washington-based conservative group, obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Homeland Security and published them Tuesday morning.In the emails, Secret Service officials detail instances of Commander biting officers and warning of the dog’s “aggressive behavior.” Six incidents were significant bites that sometimes resulted in medical attention, two were aggressive incidents that did not result in a bite and another two were describ...

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson admits violation of conflict of interest law, agrees to pay $5,000 penalty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson admitted to violating a conflict of interest law and agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty over her hiring of both her sister and son for roles on her city council staff, according to the State Ethics Commission.The commission announced on Tuesday that Anderson signed a Disposition Agreement admitting to the violations, which first started, in-part, after her 2021 election to the Boston City Council, when she appointed her sister as her Director of Constituent Services. The District 7 councilor also took part in the vote approve the appointment, following her swearing-in on Jan. 3, 2022. The ethics commission described in a news release how Fernandes Anderson initially set her sister’s annual salary at $65,000 before increasing it to $70,000 in June 2022, in addition to awarding her a $7,000 bonus.That same month, state officials said the councilor appointed her son as a full-time office manager with a salary of $52,000. Eleven days afte...

Massachusetts Senate plans debate on bill that adds X gender designation option to birth records

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

Massachusetts residents could seek out an “X” gender designation on their birth records under legislation the state Senate plans to consider Thursday alongside another bill that creates a pathway for homeless individuals to obtain state identification cards.The Senate first plans to meet on Wednesday to tackle their rewrite of a $693 million spending bill the House passed two weeks ago before returning to the chamber on Thursday to debate the gender designation and state identification card bills.Adding an “X” gender option to birth records would line them up with other state identification documents like driver’s license, which have allowed for a nonbinary gender designation since November 2019, said GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders Attorney Chris Erchull.“For those people who don’t identify as male or female, there’s no way to obtain a birth certificate that affirms their gender identity, which can be especially harmful for young people who sometimes that’s th...

UPS reaches tentative contract with 340,000 unionized workers, potentially dodging calamitous strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writers)NEW YORK (AP) — UPS has reached a tentative contract agreement with its 340,000-person strong union, potentially averting a strike that threatened to disrupt logistics nationwide for businesses and households alike. The agreement was announced after UPS and the Teamsters came back to the negotiating table Tuesday to talk over remaining sticking points in the largest private-sector contract in North America. Both sides had already reached tentative agreement on a host of issues but remained at odds on things like pay for part-time workers who make up more than half of the UPS employees represented by the union. The Teamsters called the tentative agreement “historic” and “overwhelmingly lucrative” in a prepared statement. It includes, among other benefits, higher wages and air conditioning in delivery trucks. “Together we reached a win-win-win agreement on the issues that are important to Teamsters leadership,...

Bronny James, son of LeBron, in stable condition after cardiac arrest at USC basketball practice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at the University of Southern California, a family spokesman said Tuesday.The spokesman said medical staff treated the 18-year-old James on site on Monday and he was transported to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Tuesday after leaving the intensive care unit.“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information,” the spokesman said. “LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”Bronny James announced in May that he would play college basketball for the Trojans. He is an incoming freshman and was one of the top high school prospects in the country.The Associated Press left messages seeking comme...

Maine calls to restore 19th century tribal obligations to the constitution. Voters must now decide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Voters in Maine will be the ones to decide whether to restore long removed language about the state’s obligations to Native American tribes to printed versions of its constitution.The Maine Legislature gave its final approval on Tuesday to a proposal to restore the language that requires Maine to honor treaties the state inherited from Massachusetts when it became its own state more than two centuries ago. The language has always applied, but was removed from printed versions of the constitution in 1876.Statewide voters would have to approve of the change to the constitution for it to take place. The date of the referendum has not yet been set.The restoration of the language to the printed constitution would improve transparency and illuminate Maine’s debts to Native American tribes, said Democratic House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross. The language is not in the official online version of the Maine Constitution either, though it can be read elsewhere,...

Stock market today: Wall Street rises ahead of Big Tech profit reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are ticking higher Tuesday as Wall Street waits to hear from some of its most influential companies, and whether their huge rally this year was justified.The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in afternoon trading, near its highest level in more than 15 months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 59 points, or 0.2%, at 34,470, as of 12:38 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.General Electric was helping to lead the market as earnings reporting season picks up momentum. GE rallied 5.9% after it reported stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected. It also raised its forecasts for full-year revenue and profits.Another industrial giant, 3M, rose 5% after the maker of Scotch-Brite and Post-It raised its forecast for profits for the full year thanks in part to cost cutting efforts. Home builder PulteGroup climbed 5.8% after reporting stronger profit for the spring than expected. On the losing side of Wall Street were airline stocks, le...

Gynecologist who sexually abused dozens of patients is sentenced to 20 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A gynecologist who sexually abused dozens of vulnerable and trusting patients for over two decades at prestigious New York hospitals cried before he was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison by a federal judge who called his crimes shocking and unprecedented.The sentence for Robert Hadden, 64, came nearly a month after he heard nine victims describe how the doctor abused them during gynecology treatments from the late 1980s until 2012 at prominent hospitals, including Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.Given his chance to speak Tuesday, Hadden stood with his hands folded before him to say that there was “much I’d like to say” but that he had been advised by his lawyers to keep his statement brief.“I’m very sorry for all the pain that I have caused,” a sobbing Hadden said through his tears before dropping his head down as he sat again. He then took off his glasses and wiped tears from his eyes. In statements over ...