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Investigation into Florida GOP chairman expands amidst rape allegations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

The ongoing investigation into former Sarasota County Commissioner and current Florida GOP Chair, Christian Ziegler, has taken a significant turn as law enforcement widens its scope following a disturbing rape allegation that surfaced in October. The case involves an encounter between Ziegler, his wife, and a woman, leading to a subsequent accusation of non-consensual sexual activity during a second planned meeting.According to the victim’s account, despite the cancellation of the second meeting, Ziegler allegedly appeared unexpectedly and committed the sexual assault. The latest development in the investigation now revolves around a video recording, as revealed in a recently executed search warrant.“I’ve seen it where they fight and in other instances where it’s a very serious allegation like a homicide or a suicide caught on tape or whatever then yeah, they will cooperate in something for that, but it’s very hard to get them to agree to release docume...

US quietly reaches agreement with Qatar to keep operating largest military base in Middle East

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

(CNN) — The United States has quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence at a sprawling base in Qatar for another 10 years, three US defense officials and another official familiar with the agreement told CNN.The deal, which has not been announced publicly, highlights Washington’s reliance on the tiny Gulf country that has recently played a central role in mediating the release of Americans from captivity in Gaza and Venezuela.The Al Udeid Air Base, located in the desert southwest of Doha, is the biggest US military installation in the Middle East and can house more than 10,000 American troops.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Al Udeid last month where he thanked Qatar for their increased spending on the base.But he made no mention of the renewal and the Biden administration has not publicized it – at a time when Qatar has come under growing scrutiny for hosting senior Hamas leaders. Qatari officials have countered that it was only after a US request dur...

Police investigating fatal collision involving cyclist; westbound Coral Way shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

Authorities shut down a West Miami-Dade street after a car struck a bicyclist, Wednesday morning. Miami-Dade Police officer were at the intersection of Coral Way and Southwest 72nd Street where they blocked off the westbound lanes of Coral Way. According to officials, the driver of the vehicle involved stayed at the scene and reported that the incident occurred at 6:04 a.m. when he struck a cyclist on the road. Live video footage from 7SkyForce captured the scene as officers investigated the damage surrounding a body covered by a yellow tarp. Details surrounding the circumstances of the collision, as well as the identity of the victim and any potential charges, are yet to be released.Local law enforcement are urging commuters to seek alternate routes as the westbound lanes remain shutdown while the investigation continues. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Dozens dead in Iran after blasts strike Qassem Soleimani memorial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

More than 100 people were killed and dozens more injured in Iran after two explosions went off near the tomb of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani on Wednesday, according to local media reports.Iran’s state media reported that at least two explosions occurred in the cemetery in the city of Kerman, where hundreds of people were commemorating Soleimani’s death four years ago. The feared general led Iran’s paramilitary Quds force before being killed by a U.S. drone strike in January 2020.According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, 103 people died and around 140 injured people were taken to hospitals. Officials are investigating the cause of the explosions. IRNA reported that Iranian authorities believe it was a terrorist attack, citing Kerman’s deputy governor for security, Rahman Jalali.The first blast went off 700 meters away from Soleimani’s tomb, while the second explosion happened minutes later about one kilometer away from the grave.This story has been u...

Movers Find Mass. Among Top States For Outbound Residents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

Massachusetts was a top 10 state for outbound residents, according to a study that examined where and why Americans moved in 2023.United Van Lines’ 47th annual National Movers Study, released Tuesday, found Americans “are moving eastbound and southbound – and relocating to less expensive areas with comparable amenities to larger metropolitans.”“We are continuing to see the trend that Americans are moving to more affordable, lower-density areas across the country, with many heading to Southern states,” United Van Lines Vice President of Corporate Communications Eily Cummings said. “Movers are also becoming more strategic with their planning, as relocation continues to be driven by factors such as the price of housing, regional climates, urban planning and job growth.”The top 10 “inbound” states that attracted more residents in 2023 were, in order, Vermont, Washington, D.C., South Carolina, Arkansas, Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Dakota, Alaba...

EV tax credits just changed again: Here’s where you can still get discounts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

(CNN) — The Internal Revenue Service updated the rules for electric vehicle tax credits again starting with the first day of 2024, bringing some good and bad news.The bad news is that fewer vehicles are now eligible for federal tax credits, and even fewer are eligible for the maximum $7,500 credit.But there’s good news, too. Many electric and plug-in hybrid models are still eligible for at least a portion of the full tax credit. Also, consumers can now get the tax credit applied to the purchase price of the vehicle at the time they buy it, rather than having to wait until they file their taxes. And, as before, if you lease, rather than purchase the vehicle, you can still enjoy the benefit of the tax credit even on vehicles that would not otherwise qualify.Many states and even municipalities also offer their own incentives for electric vehicles and for the installation of home EV chargers. These IRS changes don’t impact those incentives.Even with electric vehicles being heavily ...

How to watch the Quadrantids, the first meteor shower of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

(CNN) — January kicks off with the Quadrantids, one of the quickest yet strongest meteor showers of the year.The shower is expected to peak overnight between January 3 and 4, according to the American Meteor Society. Sky-gazers in the Northern Hemisphere can best view the shower between the late-night hours of Wednesday and dawn on Thursday.Meteors are leftover pieces from broken asteroids and comet particles that spread out in dusty trails orbiting the sun. Each year, Earth passes through the debris trails, and pieces of dust and rock create colorful, fiery displays called meteor showers as they disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere.The Quadrantid shower is notoriously hard to observe due to its brief peak of six hours. The peak has a limited duration compared with most meteor showers, which peak over two days, because the shower only has a thin stream of particles and Earth passes through the densest concentration of those particles quickly at a perpendicular angle, accordi...

Suncor reports 808,000 barrels per day of upstream production in fourth quarter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

CALGARY — Suncor Energy Inc. says its upstream production in the fourth quarter was 808,000 barrels per day, the second highest quarter in the company’s history.The Calgary-based company says the performance for the last three months of the year resulted in annual average upstream production of 746,000 bbls/d for 2023.Suncor says net synthetic crude oil production was 476,000 bbls/d and net non-upgraded bitumen production was 282,000 bbls/d resulting in total oilsands production of 758,000 bbls/d for the quarter. Total production from its exploration and production operations was 50,000 bbls/d in the fourth quarter including production from the ramp up at Terra Nova.Suncor says its downstream operations posted average refining utilization of 97 per cent in the fourth quarter.The company is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter financial and operating results on Feb. 21.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2024.Companies in this story: (TSX:SU)The Can...

Curacao and St. Maarten to welcome new currency more than a decade after becoming autonomous

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new joint currency will be launched this year for the Dutch Caribbean islands of Curacao and St. Maarten more than a decade after they became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, according to a recent bank report.The Caribbean guilder will replace the Netherlands-Antillean guilder as mandated by a regional constitutional reform in October 2010 that changed the political status of Curacao and St. Maarten.The currency will be introduced in the second half of 2024, according to an annual report that the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten released late last year.The new currency will contain improved security features and will circulate alongside the current currency for three months after its introduction, the bank stated.Residents in both islands will be able to exchange the current Netherlands-Antillean guilder for the new currency for a period of 30 years at an equal rate.The Associated Press

Four children killed in a fire at a multifamily home in Connecticut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:43:56 GMT

SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — Four children died Tuesday night in a fire that broke out in a two-family home in the northeastern Connecticut town of Somers.The children, ages 5, 6, 8 and 12, were found inside the house where 11 people lived, fire and town officials said.The fire broke out at about 10:30 p.m. and by the time fire crews arrived, flames were showing from windows in both the first and second floors, town Fire Chief John Roache said. At least one person jumped from a window to escape the blaze. Roache said fire crews had a difficult time getting inside the home because a back entrance was blocked and flames prevented entry through the front door. Roache said several other victims were taken to local hospitals. It was not clear Wednesday how many people were in the house at the time of the fire, how many were injured or the extent of those injuries.“It’s a tremendous loss for the town,” first selectman Tim Keeney told reporters on the scene Wednesday morning. “An incredible loss, ...