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Public defender: Inmate killed himself while in custody at North Broward jail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

Officials are investigating the death of an inmate at a Broward County jail, the second such death in a county correctional facility in just over two weeks.Authorities said Alvin Stephen Modeste was found dead in his cell after he strangled himself to death while he was at the North Broward Bureau.He was scheduled to attend a hearing on Thursday to determine his mental competency. Modeste was arrested on Oct. 4 after his mother called police because he was throwing things around their house. He gave himself up to police after hiding in a closet.Modeste was charged with culpable negligence and resisting arrest without violence. He was ordered to be held on a $5,000 bond. In a letter to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes said Modeste suffered from a “well documented mental illness.”Weekes told 7News that Modeste had been placed in a unit designed to care for the mentally ill in the North Broward jail. “Individuals that are acut...

Firefighters reunite with dog they found wedged between warehouse walls in Hialeah

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

There was a canine celebration in Hialeah when some firefighters get together with a special four-legged patient that they rescued from a tight squeeze.7News captured the moment Hialeah Fire Rescue members greeted Yanko on Thursday.“Hi, buddy,” said one of the firefighters as he petted the dog.What a difference a couple of days make.This rescue reunion was made possible after Yanko took a lick when he got trapped between two warehouses in the area of West Fifth Avenue and 18th Street.A neighbor heard his cries for help on Tuesday, setting off a rescue mission with Hialeah Fire Rescue.A mechanic says Yanko lives at one of the warehouses and was probably chasing another animal when he became stuck.“The owners told us that there was a dog stuck in there, and we couldn’t see it,” said Hialeah Fire Rescue Paramedic Roly Medina, “so we just walked in there with the lights, and way up in there we saw the building tapers, and the a dog was in there wedged...

Driver arrested, charged with OUI after allegedly striking two homes in Hopkinton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

A Hopkinton man was arrested and charged Thursday after he allegedly hit two homes with a van while drunk, officials said. Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett and Fire Chief Gary Daugherty in a joint statement said the incident happened near the intersection of Grove Street and Pleasant Street in Hopkinton shortly before 3 p.m. Police soon responded and arrested Stephen Murphy, 52, close to the scene, according to Bennett and Daugherty. Murphy was charged with operating under the influence of liquor (second offense) and driving to endanger. He was also charged with two counts of leaving the scene of a property damage crash after officials said he initially fled the area. While there were no reported injuries, officials said one of the homes that was hit “suffered significant damage to a load-bearing wall.”Fire crews worked to stabilize the home on Thursday afternoon and were continuing efforts as of Thursday night ahead of expected snowfall over the weekend, officials sa...

DeMar DeRozan was ranked in early NBA All-Star fan voting. Should his Chicago Bulls teammate Coby White join him?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

NEW YORK — Focus began to shift to Indianapolis as the NBA released its initial round of fan voting results Thursday for the 2024 All-Star Game.DeMar DeRozan ranked ninth among Eastern Conference guards with 175,233 votes. After earning All-Star selections the last two seasons, DeRozan remains consistent in his output for the Bulls while stepping up as a facilitator to average 22.4 points and 5.3 assists per game. He sits ahead of Boston’s Jrue Holiday (145,144) and just behind Boston’s Derrick White (175,940).But another name was excluded from this first round of voting: Bulls guard Coby White, who has buoyed the team with a breakout performance in his first full season as the starting point guard.White is averaging 17.8 points and 4.8 assists per game, shooting over 39% from behind the arc to make 2.9 3-pointers per game. His averages were hindered by a slow start and a short shooting skid at the end of December, but White’s contributions have been critical...

Massachusetts animal welfare organizations waiving adoption fees for guinea pigs this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

Animal welfare organizations across the region are waiving adoption fees for guinea pigs this weekend following a large surrender, shining the spotlight on a new ordinance that bans the sale of the critters at pet shops in Boston.Recently, the Animal Rescue of League received 55 guinea pigs from a single home, with MSPCA-Angell taking in 20 of the pets. The surrender prompted the two agencies to team up with Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, and the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts in hosting the fee-waived adoption event.The event starts Friday and runs through Sunday, with the $30 adoption fee for guinea pigs being waived. In total, the groups are hoping more than 100 guinea pigs will find their new homes.“Their owners purchased guinea pigs from pet stores where they were incorrectly sexed, resulting in many litters,” MSPCA-Angell said of the 55 surrenders on X, the former Twitter platform. “This underscores the importance of measures like Boston’s recently passed...

SeaWorld guests removed from attraction after ride stops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- SeaWorld San Diego experienced an issue with one of its rides on Thursday, park officials said.Journey to Atlantis, a popular flume ride, "experienced a stop," forcing the SeaWorld team to safely remove guests from the attraction, according to the theme park."The guest removal was conducted in accordance with safety standards and practice procedures," SeaWorld said. Legoland California celebrates 25th birthday with kids ticket deal Around 1 p.m., SkyFOX was over the scene after the guests were removed. The ride was operating with no one on it.No other details were released about the what caused the stop.In June, SeaWorld's rollercoaster “Electric Eel” rollercoaster was temporarily shut down after a person was injured on the ride, according to California safety regulators. The ride features a drop from heights of 150 feet while traveling both forwards and backwards at speeds as high as 60 miles per hour.

Federal appeals court denies effort to block state-run court in Mississippi’s majority-Black capital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal appeals court has denied a legal effort to stop Mississippi officials from creating a state-run court in part of the majority-Black capital city of Jackson, over objections from the NAACP. In a Thursday ruling, three judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied the NAACP’s motions for an injunction pending an appeal and vacated an administrative stay that had temporarily blocked state officials from creating the court. The panel’s unanimous decision means state officials can begin setting up the Capitol Complex Improvement District Court, which will have a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice and prosecutors appointed by the state attorney general — officials who are white and conservative. A state law approved by the Republican-controlled Mississippi Legislature created the court; Jackson is governed by Democrats. The 5th Circuit’s decision said the NAACP’s argument did not meet the burden for ...

Ailing 53-year-old female elephant euthanized at Los Angeles Zoo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 53-year-old Asian elephant has been euthanized at the Los Angeles Zoo after she was unable to stand up, the zoo announced Thursday.Shaunzi, one of two female elephants at the zoo, was discovered unable to stand in her exhibit on Tuesday night. “Animal care staff and zoo veterinarians responded quickly and worked through the night to help Shaunzi up. Despite the use of all resources and personnel available, the extraordinary efforts were ultimately unsuccessful,” a zoo statement said. A “heartbreaking” decision was made to sedate and euthanize the animal on Wednesday, the statement said.Born in Thailand, Shaunzi spent her youth in a circus, came to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in 1983 and was sent to the Los Angeles Zoo in 2017.The median life expectancy of female Asian elephants in human care has been estimated by various zoos, researchers and conservation groups as around 40 to 50 years. Elephants in the wild can live decades longer. Asian elephants are conside...

Man on lifetime firearms ban charged, found asleep at the wheel in Vaughan: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

York Regional Police have arrested and charged multiple people in various firearm investigations out of Vaughan, including one incident involving a man on a lifetime firearms ban found asleep at the wheel.Investigators responded to calls of an idle driver in the left turn lane on Rutherford Road at Jane Street in the early morning of Jan. 1. It’s alleged that officers found a male driver unresponsive and asleep at the wheel. When the man woke up, he attempted to speed away, striking a police cruiser. Officers located an open bottle of alcohol on the passenger seat and, as they searched the driver, found a loaded handgun in the waistband of his pants. A quantity of drugs suspected to be fentanyl was also discovered.On Thursday, police identified the man as 23-year-old Christian Marius Kamukuny of Brampton. He’s been charged with various firearms offences, including possession of firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order, impaired operation and possession for the...

Nearly 2 months after train crash, CTA Yellow Line set to re-open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:10 GMT

CHICAGO — Nearly two months after a CTA Yellow Line train crashed into a piece of snow removal equipment, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital, train service is set to resume, the transit agency said. Scheduled service for the Yellow Line is set to begin Friday at 4:45 a.m. As the citywide transit agency continues to work with the National Transportation Safety Board, several interim safety enhancements will be in place:SEE ALSO | Emergency brakes were activated before CTA Yellow Line collision with snow equipment, NTSB report suggestsReduced Travel Speeds: Yellow Line trains will run at reduced speeds of 35 mph, down from 55 mph. Track Cleaning: Crews also have power-washed the Yellow Line, clearing debris and residue from the rail. Enhanced Operations Communications: CTA also added an extra layer of communication and protection, implementing what’s known as “manual blocking” on the rails for non-transport vehicles, such as snowplows and ot...