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Biden says he’ll travel to Florida on Saturday following Hurricane Idalia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he plans to travel to Florida Saturday morning after Hurricane Idalia battered the state earlier this week.“I’m going to Florida Saturday morning,” Biden said, after delivering brief remarks at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters after thanking staff for their work responding to the storm.Biden will “visit the areas most impacted by the hurricane,” White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall told reporters at the White House Thursday. She noted Biden “has been receiving regular updates from [FEMA] Administrator Criswell and from me on the latest developments with Hurricane Idalia, and also of course with the ongoing recovery operations in Hawaii on the island of Maui.”Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Florida Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 storm and has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it makes its way up the East Coast, causing flooding, significant property damage and power outages ac...

Missouri judge says white man will stand trial for shooting Black teen who went to wrong house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge ruled Thursday that the 84-year-old white homeowner who shot a Black teenager after he mistakenly went to the man’s house must stand trial.Clay County Judge Louis Angles issued the ruling after hearing from several witnesses at a preliminary hearing, including Ralph Yarl, the teenager who was shot by Andrew Lester on April 13 when Yarl went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He previously pleaded not guilty in the shooting that shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America.Kansas City Officer Larry Dunaway described Lester as “an elderly guy who was scared” after the shooting. Another officer, James Gale, said Lester was clearly worried.“He said he hoped he didn’t kill anybody,” Gale testified.A handful of people wearing shirts that said “Justice for Ralph” were seen entering the ...

Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne Johnson launch Maui recovery fund

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

(CNN) — Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have launched a recovery fund for the people who lost housing in the Maui wildfires, the pair announced in a video shared on Instagram Thursday.The two stars together donated $10 million to get the campaign started and are inviting the public to help in the effort.“We have created the People’s Fund of Maui that will put money directly in the hands of the people who need it right now,” Winfrey said, explaining that adults who lost their primary homes in the Lahaina and Kula fires are eligible to receive $1200 a month. This includes both homeowners and renters.Winfrey said the idea for the fund was sparked by an article she read about Dolly Parton helping her community.“It is a clean direct from you directly to their hands and right away with some real immediacy,” Johnson added.The funds will be distributed “each month for as long as members of our community are still in need and as long as the funds last,” according t...

Police investigating after toddler dies in Cohasset

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

An investigation got underway in Cohasset Thursday where police said a two-year-old child died at a local auto body shop.There was a large police presence in the area on South Main Street as of around 3:30 p.m., with a number of police cruisers spotted and caution tape in place. Police said the child who died was set to turn three in September. In addition to local police, officials said State Police investigators and personnel from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office were also investigating as of Thursday afternoon.No further information was immediately available. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Newton man accused of killing wife pleads not guilty to first-degree murder charge, ordered held without bail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

A man from Newton accused of fatally assaulting his wife with a baseball bat and a barbell will remain held without bail after he pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge.Richard Hanson, 64, was back in court on Thursday, a month after he was arrested on July 15 for the death of his wife, Nancy Hanson.He appeared at Middlesex County Superior Court where prosecutors laid out their case, describing how he allegedly beat his wife to death while their three young children were inside their home, in another room.“One of the children relayed seeing his father hitting the victim in the back and head with a baseball bat,” the prosecution said in court. “A second observed the defendant sitting on the bed in the aftermath, holding the bat.”The prosecution reviewed how two 911 calls were made the night of the fatal assault, including one by the Hansons’ oldest son and another from a friend who was on the phone with the victim during the attack.“[Th...

Massachusetts transit sergeant charged with falsifying reports to cover for second officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police sergeant was arrested Thursday on federal charges alleging he filed false reports to try to obstruct an investigation into another officer’s assault of a man at a subway station.David S. Finnerty, 47, of Rutland, was indicted on two counts of filing false reports, investigators said.Finnerty was the officer in charge and the supervisor of a second officer identified by the initials “D.B.” on July 27, 2018, when that officer illegally assaulted a man, according to the federal indictment.Investigators allege that Finnerty falsified an arrest report, specifically by including false and misleading statements and by omitting other details of the incident.The charge of filing false reports carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.Finnerty’s lawyer, R. Bradford Bailey, said his client pleaded not guilty and was released on minimal ...

Judge rules white man will stand trial for shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl, who went to wrong house

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH (Associated Press)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge ruled Thursday that the 84-year-old white homeowner who shot a Black teenager after he mistakenly went to the man’s house must stand trial. Clay County Judge Louis Angles issued the ruling after hearing from several witnesses at a preliminary hearing, including Ralph Yarl, the teenager who was shot by Andrew Lester on April 13 when Yarl went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers. Lester, a retired aircraft mechanic, is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He previously pleaded not guilty in the shooting that shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America. His next court date is an arraignment, scheduled for Sept. 20.Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, said in closing arguments that Lester was acting in self-defense, terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed for the night.“...

Police stop Nebraska man for bucking the law with a bull riding shotgun in his car

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

By JOSH FUNK (Associated Press)A car driving with a bull in it was pulled over by police in northeast Nebraska’s biggest city. Don’t worry, he didn’t steer.Norfolk Police Capt. Chad Reiman said it didn’t take long for officers to track down the modified Ford Crown Victoria sedan with a bull riding shotgun after a 911 call about it driving on the main highway entering the city of roughly 24,000 Wednesday morning. “We didn’t have a full understanding of it until we saw it,” Reiman said.The car that Lee Meyer has driven in parades across the area for years has half the windshield and roof removed to make room for his bull, named Howdy Doody, to ride along. A yellow metal cattle gate serves as the passenger side door — allowing for the Watusi bull to be tied up — and a set of longhorns serves as a hood ornament.“It wouldn’t go far without being noticed for sure,” Reiman said.A video of the traffic stop shot by News ...

Biden administration proposes rule that would require more firearms dealers to run background checks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year.People who sell firearms online or at gun shows would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.The bureau estimates that the rule would affect anywhere from 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. It is aimed at those who are in the business of gun sales, rather than those with personal collections.Background checks help prevent guns from being sold to people convicted of crimes, teenagers and others who are legally blocked from owning them, said the agency’s dir...

BC defensive backs John Pupel, Alex Washington set for Northern Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:50 GMT

The Boston College secondary will have the Ivy scent when the Eagles open the season against Northern Illinois on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium.Two transfer portal refugees from the Ivy League, strong safety John Pupel (Dartmouth) and cornerback Alex Washington (Harvard), are listed on the two-deep and expected to start against the Huskies.Pupel was a three-year letterman with the Big Green and recorded 133 career tackles despite missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Pupel was a graduate transfer to BC in 2022, but was injured and appeared in only four games with limited special teams’ duties. Pupel brought an urgency to training camp and won a starting position.“He was the biggest surprise of camp,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley. “He was hurt last year, he had some issues and had to really get some good work done and the first time I saw him healthy was this spring.“We liked what we saw on tape when we got him from Dartmouth. He’s smart, tough, he tackles and, in the spring,...