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Owners of a Colorado funeral home where 190 decaying bodies were found are due to appear in court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The owners of a Colorado funeral home where 190 decomposing bodies were found are set to appear in court Tuesday, facing allegations that they abused corpses, stole, laundered money and forged documents.Jon and Carie Hallford own Return to Nature Funeral Home, which has a facility in Penrose where investigators in early October discovered dozens of stacked bodies, some that had death dates as far back as 2019, according to a federal affidavit.Family members had been falsely told their loved ones were cremated and had received materials that were not their ashes, court records said.Several families who hired Return to Nature to cremate their loved ones have told The Associated Press that the FBI confirmed to them privately that their loved ones were among the decaying bodies.The Hallfords were arrested in Oklahoma last month, after allegedly fleeing Colorado to avoid prosecution. They have been jailed on a $2 million bond. Both have been charged with ap...

Miramar police seek help from public in identifying porch pirate caught on camera

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

Miramar Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a porch pirate caught on camera stealing packages in the River Run community. The suspect, who police said is responsible for at least three thefts, may be linked to additional incidents.The thefts were captured on camera on Nov. 21 at residences along the 2400 block of Riverdale Drive, the 9800 block of Miramar Blvd and the 9700 block of Bosque Lane in Miramar. The suspect was observed exiting the passenger door of a black SUV and swiping packages from front porches.If you have any information on this crime, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

68-year-old woman dead following house fire in SW Miami-Dade

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

An investigation is underway following a house fire in Southwest Miami-Dade that left a woman dead, Tuesday morning.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue rushed to the scene, located in the 10900 block of Southwest 138th Court, at around 6:45 a.m. 7SkyForce showed just how extensive the effort was to maintain the fire.Miami-Dade Police confirmed that a body was located and that foul play is not suspected at this time. The deceased was identified as 68-year-old Donna Darreff.“She was a nice person, you know, she took care of her mother and her father,” said Arturo Perez, a neighbor. For Perez, she was a neighbor and a friend. “I knew her from walking my dog. We would say hello,” he said. “I feel sorry for her, especially around this time of year.”A video taken by another neighbor, showed smoke billowing out from the house as firefighters tried desperately to save her.The smoke marks were still visible before Dareff’s boyfriend came to help clean up the scen...

Lynn family stunned after 5-year-old son dies due to RSV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

A Lynn family was recently left stunned after what started as apparent cold symptoms developed into a more serious illness that ultimately claimed the life of their young son.Five-year-old Grayson Moth got sick last week. His father spoke to 7NEWS on Tuesday, detailing how quickly the situation turned tragic. “He gave me a lot of joy,” said Rady Moth. “He put a smile on my face that nobody knows about.” Rady said Grayson was always active and playing. When he got sick, Rady said, his illness appeared to be the common cold, with symptoms such as a cough and a runny nose.“Common thing for a kid in this cold weather,” Rady said. “So, I just gave him regular cold medicine.” Days later, Rady said his son began to have a hard time breathing. The family called 911 but said Grayson did not survive. “It was so fast — from going here talking to the ambulance and he was gone,” Rady said.Rady said the doctors told them it was a deadly case of RSV. Speaking with 7N...

Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats’ for 2024 from election equipment software breaches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — An effort to access voting system software in several states and provide it to allies of former President Donald Trump as they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election has raised “serious threats” ahead of next year’s presidential contest, according to a group of experts who urged federal agencies to investigate.The letter sent by nearly two dozen computer scientists, election security experts and voter advocacy organizations asks for a federal probe and a risk assessment of voting machines used throughout the country, saying the software breaches have “urgent implications for the 2024 election and beyond.” The breaches affected voting equipment made by two companies that together count over 70% of the votes cast across the country, according to the letter.“The multistate effort to unlawfully obtain copies of voting system software poses serious threats to election security ...

Why Celtics could benefit after being eliminated from In-Season Tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

Jayson Tatum didn’t hide his frustration after the Celtics lost to the Pacers in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament, which forced them to go home to Boston instead of a free trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals.“I wanted to (expletive) go to Vegas,” Tatum told reporters in Indiana, flashing a mild smirk. “I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go to Vegas, so yeah I’m mad. Next year, I guess.”Added Jaylen Brown: “It’s unfortunate for us that we’re not going to Vegas, but I guess we’ll have to settle for Encore in Boston.”Certainly, there should be some disappointment for the Celtics as their hopes of claiming the first in-season tournament championship came to an end. It certainly does not replace the ultimate goal of an NBA championship, but the IST proved as something of a playoff simulator. It was an opportunity for growth for a group that’s figuring out how to get over the hump. Not to mention the incentives of a trip to Vegas and a significant cash reward.But it’s als...

Alex Cora says Josh Winckowski could be a candidate for starting rotation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

The Red Sox are expected to add multiple starting pitchers to bolster their rotation this winter, but until they actually do the club is also preparing its younger arms to shoulder the load.Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Alex Cora said they’ll be stretching out Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck, and presumably Kutter Crawford as well, but the Red Sox manager also made a point to highlight Josh Winckowski as a guy to watch, too.“(Winckowski is) somebody that towards the end of the season I viewed more as a reliever than a starter, but with the information provided and the new group, there’s a new vision with him,” Cora said. “I’m not saying he’s going to be a starter but he’s a guy that can go multiple innings with his stuff and the characteristics of his pitches against lefties and righties. So stretch everybody out, that’s what they’re working at and we’ll see what happens in the upcoming weeks and months.”A...

JetBlue: Spirit deal vital to compete

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

A lawyer for JetBlue Airways said Tuesday that the biggest U.S. airlines are using their size to cement their dominance in a post-pandemic world, making it critical that a federal judge allow JetBlue to buy Spirit Airlines.The lawyer, Ryan Shores, said JetBlue needs Spirit to be a “viable challenger” to the four airlines that control most of the domestic air-travel market.“That mandate is even more urgent today,” Shores said during closing arguments in a federal court trial over the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit to block JetBlue’s $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit, the nation’s biggest low-fare carrier.A Justice Department lawyer argued that the deal would push fares higher by 30% and leave fewer options for travelers on a budget.Edward Duffy said if JetBlue absorbs Spirit, it would cut the ultra-low-cost-carrier share of the market by half — or 6 million fewer budget flights per year.Duffy said JetBlue was contradicting itself by arguing ...

US made offer to bring home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. Russia rejected it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer, the State Department said Tuesday.Spokesman Matthew Miller did not reveal the details of the offer nor why Russia had turned it down, but the revelation of the proposal was a fresh indication that Washington is continuing to try to negotiate with Moscow to get both men home.“This was a new proposal, in recent weeks. It was a significant proposal,” Miller said. “And it was rejected by the Russians but it does not, it will not deter us from continuing to do everything we can to try and bring both of them home.”The U.S. government has declared both Whelan and Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained.Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been jailed in Russia since his December 2018 arrest on espionage-related charges that both he and the U.S....

Illinois scraps plan for building migrant winter camp due to toxic soil risk

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:12 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced Tuesday that it is scrapping plans for a temporary winter camp for migrants in Chicago, citing the risk of contaminants at the former industrial site.The setback comes as Chicago struggles to house more than 24,000 migrants arriving from the border with Mexico since August of last year, most in buses sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, according to city data released Tuesday. With the coldest weather looming — and despite a partnership with religious leaders to provide temporary housing — hundreds of asylum-seekers still await placement at airports and police stations, some of them still camped on sidewalks outside precinct buildings.Responding to the urgent need, the state put up $65 million for a tent camp in Brighton Park designed to hold 2,000, and for permanent structures at a 200-bed site in the Little Village neighborhood giving priority to families and people with disabilities. Construction at the Brighton Park site be...