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Ocean heat around Florida is ‘unprecedented,’ and scientists are warning of major impacts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

(CNN) — A sudden marine heat wave off the coast of Florida has surprised scientists and sent water temperatures soaring to unprecedented highs, threatening one of the most severe coral bleaching events the state has ever seen.Sea surface temperatures around Florida have reached the highest levels on record since satellites began collecting ocean data. And the warming is happening much earlier than normal – yet another example of ocean heat being amplified by the human-caused climate crisis and the extreme weather it brings.“We didn’t expect this heating to happen so early in the year and to be so extreme,” Derek Manzello, a coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch, told CNN. “This appears to be unprecedented in our records.”The exceptional temperatures – close to 97 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas – are more than just another alarming climate record; extreme ocean heat and its duration are critical in deciding the survival of coral ...

FBI arrests man in downtown Miami bank robbery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

Officials have identified the suspect accused of robbing The Bank of America in downtown Miami and taking an elderly woman hostage.On Monday, the FBI announced the arrest of Arnold Bell Jr., a 47-year-old resident of Miami, Florida, in connection with the attempted robbery of a Bank of America branch on July 14, 2023. According to police, during the hostage situation, Bell Jr. was allegedly seen holding a female by the neck with a big in his hand. The arrest was made by the City of Miami Police Department at the scene of the crime, located at 150 W. Flagler Street.Arnold Bell Jr. is currently in federal custody and is expected to make his initial appearance in Miami federal court. The City of Miami Police Department, along with the South Florida Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force and the FBI, are actively continuing their investigation into the incident.

Florida joins four southeastern states in week-long speed enforcement campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

Law enforcement will soon be out in full force on a mission to stop speeders. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on Monday announced a campaign called Operation Southern Slow Down. The campaign is a joint-effort with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and four southeastern states, which includes Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.Local law enforcement agencies will conduct the speed enforcement campaign for a week. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) will focus on detecting and citing drivers who exceed posted speed limits across the state’s interstate corridors, which include Interstate 95, Interstate 75 on the Turnpike as well as express lanes.The goal with this campaign is to save lives. “Anything we can do to get the message out there for people to slow down, take a moment,” said an FHP trooper. “There’s no rush, you’re not...

Dutch MEPs back Frans Timmermans for return to national politics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

BRUSSELS — The prospect of EU Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans quitting Brussels and returning to Dutch politics increased Monday, when members of his Labor Party voted to fight an upcoming election in tandem with the Dutch Greens.The two parties announced the decision after a vote by members in which 87.9 percent of Labor Party voters and 91.8 percent of Green-Left voters backed a joint campaign.With broad convergence on policy, the next big question facing the new alignment is who they will pick to lead their list — and that ripple effect could reach Brussels. Timmermans, who has been leading work on the European Green Deal since 2019, received endorsements at home and in Brussels, while Dutch media speculates about his return. “I support the candidacy of Frans Timmermans if he puts himself forward,” said senior Dutch Labor Party MEP Mohammed Chahim who is a vice-chair of the Socialists grouping in the European Parliament.Chahim, who spearheaded the ...

Biden and Vatican emissary to meet on Russia’s deportations of Ukrainian children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

Pope Francis has dispatched a high-level emissary to speak directly with President Joe Biden about the thousands of Ukrainian children Russia has forcibly displaced, a person familiar with the meeting said.The Vatican announced Monday that Cardinal Matteo Zuppi is spending three days in the American capital, following his recent visits to Kyiv and Moscow. He is expected to meet with Biden at the White House on Tuesday, said the person, who was granted anonymity to disclose a sensitive, private meeting.The Holy See Press Office said the cardinal’s mission is to “promote peace in Ukraine.” More specifically, per the person, Zuppi wants to discuss the nearly 20,000 kids Ukraine claims were deported or forcibly displaced by Russia since the invasion began.The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Joe Donnelly, is also in D.C. and will be present at some of the cardinal’s meetings in Washington.The White House and the Vatican embassy in the U.S. didn’t respond to requests f...

51-year-old woman killed in Lowell after alleged assault by son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

A 23-year-old man is facing multiple assault charges after authorities found the suspect’s mother dead inside a condominium in Lowell.In a joint-statement, both the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Lowell Police Department said Elena Vainer, 51, of Reading, was found dead inside a Middlesex Street condo after officers were contacted early Monday morning.Authorities said they responded to the condo after receiving a 911 call reporting that a woman had been beaten and was “barely breathing.” Police then arrived to find Vainer deceased and with “obvious bruising to her face and other apparent trauma.”“The preliminary investigation suggests that the victim had been in Lowell visiting her son Michael Belous, 23, at his Middlesex Street condominium over the weekend,” the statement read.Officials said that, at some point during the visit, “a physical altercation occurred that allegedly resulted in the victim being severely beate...

Newton man arraigned on murder charges after fatal beating left his wife dead and son calling for help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

A man from Newton accused of fatally assaulting his wife, leading to his children calling 911 for help, faced a judge on Monday.Richard Hanson, 64, appeared in court after his arrest on Saturday, July 15, when police responded to Brookline Street to find Nancy Hanson, 54, suffering from blunt force trauma. Hanson himself was found covered in blood in the driveway at the time, according to police.The suspect was ordered held without bail following Monday’s proceedings, after the prosecution detailed how Hanson allegedly beat his wife with a baseball bat while their three sons were in the home.The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said days before her death, Nancy Hanson had filed for a restraining order against her husband on Thursday, July 13, but police had not yet been able to serve the order before the attack.In court on Monday, the prosecution detailed how during the attack, Newton police received two 911 calls – one from a friend who said Nancy had called her whe...

5 financial tips for grandparents using a 529 plan to save for college

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

Bob Haegele | (TNS) BankrateA 529 plan is a savings account that can help cover qualifying education expenses. These plans have many advantages, such as portability and favorable tax treatment. A 529 plan allows family members such as parents and grandparents to help contribute to a child’s education.The average annual in-state tuition cost at a four-year college is $9,678, according to the Education Data Initiative, while out-of-state tuition averages $27,091. Additional costs for things such as books, supplies and food average about $16,000-17,000 per year. With college costs high and only increasing, a 529 plan is more essential than ever.Here’s how grandparents can use a 529 plan to help grandchildren with education expenses.Key student debt statistics: What is a 529 plan and how does it work?A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged account that helps cover the cost of college and other education expenses. The account allows contributors to deposit after-tax money, put it in potentially h...

Two people and a dog were rescued after Gloucester boat explosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

A boat explosion in Gloucester sent two people to the hospital on Monday after first responders pulled them from the water, according to officials.A dog was also rescued following the boat explosion in Gloucester Harbor, the city’s police chief reported.Gloucester firefighters just before 9 a.m. responded to reports of a boat on fire near the Blynman Bridge, with people in the water. Upon arrival, crews saw that a boat was engulfed in flames.Rescuers were able to pull the two people from the water, and they were transported to area hospitals for what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries.Gloucester Police Boat then began a direct attack on the flames. The Gloucester Harbormaster towed the vessel back to shore, where Gloucester Fire extinguished the fire.The U.S. Coast Guard provided assistance in managing the waterway while these efforts were ongoing.The Blynman Bridge was closed during the response. It has since reopened.The cause of the fire remains under investig...

Affirmative action ruling could impact minority scholarships

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:58 GMT

The Supreme Court’s recent decision to block affirmative action — preventing colleges from using race as one of many factors when evaluating applicants for admission — may also block scholarships and grants intended for minority students, even though the ruling did not extend to financial aid.Though some institutional scholarships that take race into account may soon disappear, minority students with financial need still have access to a variety of funding sources for their education — including grants, external scholarships, aid related to family income and federal loans.Fewer minority scholarships could decrease college enrollmentA few states have already begun threatening scholarships meant for students of color in the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. On June 29 — the day of the Supreme Court decision — Missouri’s Republican attorney general sent a letter to state universities directing them to end race-based scholarships. The Republican speaker of Wisconsin...