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Police: South Florida couple arrested for human trafficking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

A Pembroke Pines couple was arrested by the Miami Springs Police Department on a series of serious charges, including human trafficking and prostitution-related offenses, officials said.Matthew Vincent, 30, and Deja Washington, 23, were arrested on Thursday outside of the Clarion Inn & Suites Miami International Airport, located at 5301 NW 36th St. in Miami Springs. Police said the arrest stemmed from an anonymous tip received by The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, leading to the rescue of a female victim who had been forced into sex work. According to the arrest report, Deja Washington and Matthew Vincent had manipulated the victim into engaging in sex work, taking her earnings, and subjecting her to various forms of coercion. Police said the victim stated that she had been instructed to dance at strip clubs in Hallandale Beach and engage in sexual acts with clients.After a detailed investigation, both Vincent and Washington were arrested....

Multiple arrests made in Fall River after group of teens confront officers during disturbance call

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

At least seven people were arrested in Fall River this week after police responded to a group of juveniles allegedly causing a disturbance.The Fall River Police Department said the arrests came after officers were initially called to a CVS pharmacy on President Avenue around 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday.According to the police department, a caller had reported that “a large group of juveniles” was causing a disturbance at the business at 1620 President Ave.Authorities said that upon police arriving, the group appeared to disperse into a nearby McDonald’s, leading to officers entering the restaurant to “ensure that there were no additional disturbances inside,” according to a post on the Fall River PD Facebook page.Management at the McDonald’s then informed police that the juveniles were not welcome at the restaurant “due to the fighting behavior which had taken place prior to them entering the business.”The police department said that when t...

How climate change could affect when and where people travel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

By Sam Kemmis | NerdWalletTravelers encountered many weather surprises this summer, from wildfires in Europe to knee-deep mud at Burning Man. Indeed, it was the hottest summer on record around the globe, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in a prepared statement published Sept. 6. “Our planet has just endured a season of simmering — the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun.”Shifting weather patterns are raising questions about where, when, how and whether tourists will travel.For example, does it still make sense to visit Italy in July, despite high temperatures, large crowds and minimal air conditioning? Or should “peak” travel season move to the more hospitable autumn or spring months?Tourism destinations are starting to take note — and get worried — about the toll climate change could take on this enormous industry.Hot dest...

AI bots are helping 911 dispatchers with their workload

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

By Amanda Hernández, Stateline.orgIn the middle of a storm, 911 call centers often find themselves inundated with reports of fallen trees, flooded roads and panicked residents. Every call matters, but with multiple reports of the same incident pouring in, the pressure on emergency services can become overwhelming.Amid the chaos, a technological ally has emerged: artificial intelligence. In the United States, AI is quietly transforming how non-emergency calls are handled in dispatch centers. An AI-powered system can triage and coordinate the flood of reports, promptly alerting the relevant agencies.For now, AI-powered systems only manage non-emergency calls, which typically come from a non-911 phone number but are answered in the same centers, allowing human dispatchers to focus on emergencies.The integration of AI technology into 911 centers is partly a response to an acute staffing crisis and the pressing need to address the mental health challenges that emergency responders face. ...

Hamas says it is releasing two US hostages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

JERUSALEM — Hamas said Friday it was releasing two American citizens they were holding captive in Gaza since their Oct. 7 raid on Israel.The Palestinian militant group said in a statement that in an agreement with the Qatari government it was freeing a mother and daughter for humanitarian reasons.U.S. and Israeli officials did not immediately comment on the statement.Israel says Hamas has taken 203 people from Israel into Gaza.

House Republicans reject Jim Jordan a third time for the speaker's gavel as opposition deepens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jim Jordan failed badly Friday on a third ballot for the House speaker's gavel, rejected by even more Republicans from the conservative mainstream who warned the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no threats or promises could win their support.The Republicans have no realistic or workable plan to unite the fractured GOP majority, elect a new speaker and return to the work of Congress that has been languishing since hard-liners ousted Kevin McCarthy at the start of the month. In all, Jordan lost 25 Republican colleagues, leaving him far from the majority needed, as the standoff deepened with next steps uncertain.Ahead of the vote, Jordan showed no signs of stepping aside, insisting at a Capitol press conference: “The American people are hungry for change."Drawing on his Ohio roots, Jordan, who is popular with the GOP's right-flank activist base of voters, positioned his long-shot campaign alongside the history of American innovators including the Wright brot...

High school completion, income levels increasing for First Nations peoples: StatCan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

OTTAWA — A report released this week from Statistics Canada paints a slightly improved picture of how on- and off-reserve First Nations peoples are faring in areas like education, housing and employment.The report, produced in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations, also looks at how the data compares to those of non-Indigenous peoples.StatCan found high school completion rates have increased for both on- and off-reserve First Nations peoples since 2016.The proportion of people living in a low-income household also decreased, which StatCan attributes to higher government transfers in 2020 that included COVID-19 pandemic relief measures.Nearly half of households on-reserve had access to broadband internet services in 2019, compared to 32.3 per cent in 2018.But StatCan still found status First Nations peoples 15 years or older were more likely to report they had fair or poor mental health than non-Indigenous Peoples, and children remain significantly overrepresented in the c...

CP NewsAlert: Saskatchewan legislature passes pronoun bill in special sitting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

REGINA — A controversial bill on the use of pronouns in schools has received final approval in the Saskatchewan legislature.The new law will prevent children under 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school without receiving parental consent.It uses the notwithstanding clause to override sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Saskatchewan’s Human Rights Code.Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill says he expects all school divisions to abide by the legislation.The Opposition New Democrats opposed the bill, saying it strips rights from vulnerable people.The Saskatchewan Party government has said the new law respects parents’ rights and reflects policies already in place at many school divisions.More coming. The Canadian Press

Cardiology clinic becomes first in Saskatchewan to opt out of public health care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

MOOSE JAW, Sask. — A cardiology clinic in Saskatchewan, the birthplace of medicare, has opted out of the publicly funded heath-care system.Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson, who runs the South Saskatchewan Heart Clinic in Moose Jaw, says he believes it is the first clinic to do so since universal health care was introduced in 1962.He says it has become too operationally and financially difficult to keep operating under the public system.Wilkinson says Saskatchewan Health pays 20 to 40 per cent less than neighbouring Alberta and Manitoba for common cardiac procedures and his clinic’s advocacy on improvements to fee-for-service rates hasn’t received any response from the government.No one from the government could immediately be reached for comment, but it told Discover Moose Jaw in a statement that physicians are able to opt out of the publicly funded system.It notes, however, that it is the first time that a Saskatchewan physician has chosen to take that step.The Saskatchewan govern...

New Jersey dad sues state, district over policy keeping schools from outing transgender students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:24:43 GMT

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey father filed a federal lawsuit to block a state policy aimed at keeping schools from outing transgender students to their parents. Frederick Short Jr., whose three children attend Cherry Hill High School, filed the suit Oct. 12 in U.S. District court. He argues that the policy violates his Constitutional right to raise his children and make decisions about their mental health care.“I would feel pretty bad for a parent if their child lived a double life,” Short told NJ.com. “Everyone always says parents would be mad at the kid or beat up the kid, but I’d be so mad at the school, that the school hid it.”The state attorney general’s office and the Education Department declined comment on the suit. Cherry Hill school officials have not responded to a request for comment.The suit challenges guidance issued by the Education Department, which does not mandate that school staff notify parents of their child’s gender identification. The lawsuit argues su...