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Pelicans sign forwards Jones and Lidell, and center Zeller to contracts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans signed forwards Herb Jones and E.J. Lidell, and veteran center Cody Zeller, the club announced Thursday.Jones, a 2021 second-round draft choice out of Alabama, was a starter throughout last season after emerging as the club’s most decorated defensive player as a rookie. His four-year extension is reportedly worth about $56.3 million.Zeller’s one-year deal, worth a reported $3.2 million, comes after the Pelicans let go of reserve centers Willy Hernangomez and Jaxson Hayes in free agency, creating the need for a reserve to spell starter Jonas Valanciunas.Lidell was the Pelicans’ second-round draft choice out of Ohio State in 2022, but was lost to a right knee injury for his entire rookie season. He has returned in time to join the Pelicans’ Las Vegas NBA Summer League squad, which opens play on Friday night. Lidell was on a two-way contract before the Pelicans opted on Thursday to give him a three-year contract report...

Worker airlifted after injury at wood facility in NW Miami-Dade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

A worker needed to be airlifted after they were injured on the job. The incident occurred at a wood production facility along 63rd Street and Northwest 74th Avenue, Friday. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue airlifted the victim to Jackson Memorial Trauma Center. Details of the incident are limited as police continue their investigation.

AMBER Alert: 12-Year-Old boy missing, possibly with adult male suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

A Florida AMBER Alert has been issued for 12-year-old Leon Scarborough, who went missing from the 6500 block of Nuevo Lagos in Fort Pierce, Florida.Authorities are concerned for his safety as he may be in the company of Tracey Scarborough, a 54-year-old male. The public is urged to be vigilant and report any information that may assist in locating the missing child and the suspect.Leon Scarborough, described as a 12-year-old white male with blonde hair and blue eyes, was last seen wearing a dark-colored shirt, dark-colored shorts, and yellow Crocs. He stands at approximately 5’06” and weighs around 130 pounds. Leon has a mole on his left shoulder blade and is known to wear a large silver chain around his neck.Tracey Scarborough, the suspect in this case, is a 54-year-old white male with a bald head and hazel eyes. He is approximately 6’00” tall and weighs about 180 pounds.Law enforcement authorities are urging the public to exercise caution and not approach t...

Driver suffers minor injuries after crashing into Weston lake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

A car plunged into a lake leaving one person with minor injuries.The incident occurred on Friday morning near Racquet Club Road and East Mall Road in Weston. Live video footage showed the car partially submerged in the lake.Broward Sheriff Fire Reacue said the driver exited the vehicle on their own. The driver was then taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

EU moves to quit energy investment treaty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

The European Union on Friday moved to pull the plug on the bloc’s membership in the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) — an investor protection pact that’s seen as hampering decarbonization efforts.Brussels had led a push to reform the treaty and make it more difficult for fossil fuel companies to sue over changes in policy like banning offshore drilling or coal phaseouts that affect their investments. But that effort stalled and eight EU countries —  Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain — threatened to quit.“Keeping an unmodernised Energy Charter Treaty is not a viable option for the EU,” Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said in a statement. “The Treaty in its current form is not in line with the EU’s investment policy or our energy and climate goals.”The Commission said it “is also withdrawing its previous proposal to ratify the modernised Treaty, which did not gather the required majority among Member States.̶...

Man barricaded in house in Worcester after shooting 2 family members, shooting at officers, police say 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Hostage negotiators were on scene in Worcester as of around 12 p.m. Friday after police said a man shot two of his family members and then shot at police before running into a nearby home. The incident happened on Colby Avenue. Police said the man shot at his family members and later opened fire on police when they tried to arrest him. The man, 21, then barricaded himself in the home, according to police. Police said the family members who were shot were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The officers who were shot at are also OK, according to police. Still, the scene in Worcester remained active early Friday afternoon with other fire crews, Massachusetts State Police troopers and Worcester Police officers on scene alongside negotiators. Worcester police, officials said, had the home where the man was barricaded surrounded. Some residents in the area were evacuated from their homes.One neighbor earlier in the day Friday told 7NEWS he heard si...

Texas gunman in Walmart shooting gets 90 consecutive life sentences but may still face death penalty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

By MORGAN LEE and PAUL J. WEBER (Associated Press)EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty.Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year to nearly 50 federal hate crime charges in the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, making it one of the U.S. government’s largest hate crime cases. Crusius, wearing a jumpsuit and shackles, showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read.Police say Crusius drove more than 700 miles from his home near Dallas to target Hispanics with an AK-style rifle inside and outside the store. Moments before the attack began, Crusius posted a racist screed online that warned of a Hispanic “invasion” of Texas. In the years since the shooting, Republicans have described migrants crossing the southern U.S. border as an “i...

Malaria in the US: A Mayo Clinic expert offers insight, tips on prevention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkMalaria, a severe and potentially fatal disease most often caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, has been reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a health advisory because there have been instances of people getting infected with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Florida and Texas, even though they hadn’t traveled outside the country. Malaria does not spread from person to person.“Malaria is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, that are usually injected into people through the bite of a mosquito,” says Dr. Bobbi Pritt, director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.Dr. Pritt says most people become infected with Plasmodium parasites through the bite of an infected Anopheles species mosquito.“Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest of the Plasmodium parasites. But occasionally, Plasmodium vivax can also cause human fatalities, and all of the malaria species ...

Mayo Clinic Minute: What drowning doesn’t look like

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkJust like last summer, there are reports this year of a lifeguard shortage around the nation, meaning many public swimming pools and beaches may be closed or their hours limited. Without trained lifeguards on duty, water safety becomes an issue, especially for children.Dr. Michael Boniface, a Mayo Clinic emergency medicine physician, says drowning happens quickly and quietly so make sure children are always supervised by an attentive adult.A sunny day at the beach or pool can take a dark turn in seconds.“Drowning in this country remains one of the leading causes of accidental death in children and affects adults, as well,” says Dr. Boniface.On average, more than 10 people die from drowning each day, most of them children. But he says drowning doesn’t usually look how people expect it to look.There isn’t the splashing and screaming you see in movies.“In most cases, you don’t see a struggle,” he says....

For the third time this week, Earth sets an unofficial heat record. What’s behind those big numbers?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:14 GMT

By SETH BORENSTEIN (Associated Press)Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record and what one prominent scientist says could be the hottest in 120,000 years.But it’s also a record with some legitimate scientific questions and caveats, so much so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has distanced itself from it. It’s grabbed global attention, even as the number — 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius) — doesn’t look that hot because it averages temperatures from around the globe.Still, scientists say the daily drumbeat of records — official or not — is a symptom of a larger problem where the precise digits aren’t as important as what’s causing them.“Records grab attention, but we need to make sure to connect them with the things that actually matter,” climate scientist Friederike...