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Authorities: Woman caught driving Charger resembling FHP cruiser says she ‘fell in love’ with black and tan color scheme

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

A South Florida woman was arrested after she was caught driving a vehicle resembling a Florida Highway Patrol unit along the Palmetto Expressway in Medley, and she gave troopers a strange reason why she chose the colors of the law enforcement agency, authorities said.According to authorities, FHP troopers conducted a traffic stop on a Dodge Charger with the same color scheme as FHP vehicles, at around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The stop occurred along the northbound lanes of State Road 826 near Northwest 74th Street.Upon investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle had a blue LED overhead lightbar and an emergency siren. The vehicle was impounded, and the driver, identified as Iulia Pugachev, 28, was arrested.Credit: FHPCredit: FHPCredit: FHPAuthorities informed Pugachev that vehicles in Florida cannot have the same color scheme as FHP’s marked patrol units, black and tan.Pugachev, according to officials, told troopers that she had purchased the vehicle in this condition from ...

Florida teens had hit lists and planned shooting at high school, authorities say

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

(CNN) — Authorities say they thwarted a planned high school shooting after the recent arrests of three teenagers in north Florida.Deputies were alerted to text messages that mentioned two lists targeting multiple students at Creekside High School, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.The suspects had one “hit list” of students they “wanted to physically harm” and another “lethal hit list” of students they wanted to kill, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. The school in St. Johns is about 25 miles south of Jacksonville.The text messages also included pictures of students the suspects planned on targeting with their faces circled, aerial photos of the high school and firearms they planned to use, the sheriff’s office said.Another student alerted authorities to the plot, according to arrest reports. The arrest reports say the group of teens formed “due to being being bullied by other students” and they tried to recruit others.The arrest reports do not state whe...

No threat at Margate Middle School after officers find BB gun in student’s backpack

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

A South Florida school was cleared after a scare on campus.According to police, a student at Margate Middle School reported seeing a gun on a fellow classmate’s waist, Thursday. Officers investigated and found a BB gun in that student’s backpack.There were no known threats and the school returned to normal operations.It is unclear if the student will face any disciplinary action.

Renew proposes MEP Martin Hojsík as new Parliament vice president

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

BRUSSELS — Liberal Slovak MEP Martin Hojsík is in the running to become one of the European Parliament’s 14 vice presidents, after a spot opened up in the wake of September’s election in Slovakia.Chaired by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the bureau of vice-presidents makes decisions on how the €2-billion-a-year Parliament runs, including appointments of top civil servants, acquisition of properties, and agreeing rules for MEPs.A current vice president, Michal Šimečka, is set to resign as he prepares to take up a seat in the national parliament, having led his Progressive Slovakia to the second-placed spot in the election. Hojsík also represents Progressive Slovakia, which looks set to be the main opposition party in Slovakia, after populist Robert Fico struck a tentative coalition deal with the social democrats and a far-right party Wednesday.“For me it’s humbling and I will try to do my best in order to get the confidence of the colleagues in the...

Local organization collecting donations to send to people in Israel

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

What was once a meeting space in Newton has been converted into an operation center as a local Israeli-American organization is collecting donations to send to people in Israel. The Israeli American Council of New England is collecting supplies to send to the hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who are displaced because of the current war between Israel and Hamas. A donation drive on Wednesday began at 9 a.m. at the operation center on Centre Street and was ongoing as of around 4 p.m. People were driving their cars to the site where donated goods were then taken upstairs to be sorted and boxed. Donations will eventually be brought on a plane to Israel. “This moment in time is calling us to take action and do what needs to be done,” said Noam Bentov of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.“People fled from their towns with only the clothing on their backs,” said Gilad Skolnick of the Israeli American Council. “They have absolutely nothing. They’ve lost everything.”The ...

Students, community members rally at MIT in support of Israel

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

Emotions ran high on the campus of MIT in Cambridge Wednesday when hundreds of students held a rally in support of Israel. The midday rally came days after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel over the weekend. Speaking on Wednesday, rally attendees were calling for the violent attacks and kidnappings to end. “I can’t sleep and I can’t eat anymore and my brother calls me all the time to tell me he’s so, so scared,” said Liyam Chitayat.Chitayat’s family lives in Tel Aviv. Her brother is just 14-years-old. Chitayat helped organize Wednesday’s rally, which included people holding Israeli flags and handing out roses. One display included pacifiers and toys and mourned the loss of babies killed in the Hamas attack.Demonstrators were furious at those who say Israel is somehow to blame for the surprise atrocities. “This is not resistance,” Chitayat said. “Shame on you.”Chitayat told 7NEWS she is a PHD student who was serving in the Israeli army just two mon...

Fantasy Fixer: Week 6

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

7’s Morey Hershgordon has the inside scoop on who to start and sit this week in Fantasy Fixer. Go set your lineups!

Mild again tomorrow, some weekend showers

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

It’s been a quiet day with clouds, some sun and mild temperatures. Tomorrow will be a similar feel. Friday will be cooler and breezy, but still dry. The weekend will bring cool temperatures, more clouds and the chance for a few showers.Overnight, temperatures will fall into the mid/upper 40s inland and 50s on the coast, Cape and Islands. You’ll want the jacket out the door in the morning, and might not need it in the afternoon. High temperatures will be similar to today in the mid/upper 60s. Some towns will get close to 70° once again.An upper level low and cold front will shift east into Friday. Behind that we’ll have a northwest wind. It’ll be breezy and cooler. Although these temperatures are closer to average for this time of year. Boston’s average high is 63° and Worcester’s average high is 60° come Friday.An area of low pressure will continue its journey across the country this week. Luckily, it looks like it will take a track that moves it ...

Fossil future: Exxon Mobil picks up Permian Basin rival in $59B deal

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

Exxon Mobil is buying Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock deal valued at $59.5 billion, its largest buyout since acquiring Mobil two decades ago, creating a colossal fracking operator in West Texas.Including debt, Exxon is committing about $64.5 billion to the acquisition, leaving no doubt of the Texas energy company’s commitment to fossil fuels as energy prices surge.Pioneer shareholders will receive 2.32 shares of Exxon for each Pioneer share they own.“I think fossil fuels, as the world looks to transition and find lower sources of affordable energy with lower emissions, fossil fuels oil and gas are going to continue to play a role over time,” Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods said during an interview with CNBC. “That may diminish with time. The rate of that is, I think, not very clear at this stage. But it will be around for a long time.”Woods explained that Exxon and Pioneer will be able to use their combined capabilities to drive down emissions an...

Social media is awash in misinformation about Israel-Gaza war, but Musk’s X is the most egregious

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:50:20 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY (AP Technology Writer)While Twitter has always struggled with combating misinformation about major news events, it was still the go-to place to find out what’s happening in the world. But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting falsehoods.Experts say that under Elon Musk the platform has deteriorated to the point that it’s not just failing to clamp down on misinformation but is favoring posts by accounts that pay for its blue-check subscription service, regardless of who runs them.If such posts go viral, their blue-checked creators can be eligible for payments from X, creating a financial incentive to post whatever gets the most reaction — including misinformation.Ian Bremmer, a prominent foreign policy expert, posted on X that the level of disinformation on the Israel-Hamas war “being algorithmically promoted” on the platform “is unlike anything I’ve ever been exposed to...