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As we’ve been discussing in this newsletter since Monday – two days before the area was first included in NHC’s outlook – the development odds are low here, primarily due to the disturbance’s proximity to and interaction with land and modest to strong bouts of wind shear in the vicinity.

The challenging environmental conditions and disorganized starting place of the disturbance don’t support significant organization, but with near-record warm waters for the time of year in the northeastern Gulf and off the southeast coast, a weak but short-lived tropical depression or low-end tropical storm can’t be ruled out. For now, the odds are stacked against it gathering enough organization to clear those hurdles, however.

Locally heavy rain the upshot regardless

Regardless of development, heavy rain from Florida’s Sun Coast – including the Tampa Bay metro – through the state’s Nature Coast and sweeping Big Bend will be the primary hazard into early next week.

Though heavy rains will start in earnest on Saturday, the heaviest threat will extend from Sunday through Tuesday, including across the interior middle tier of the state and northeast Florida.

Overall totals for now seem manageable and could be beneficial to areas of the state that desperately need an extended period of soaking rains to help relieve its ongoing drought.

That said, these types of tropically-juiced setups can produce very high rain rates exceeding 3 inches per hour, so localized flash flooding is certainly possible, especially in urban areas like the Tampa or Jacksonville metros.

No development expected elsewhere across the Atlantic

A robust tropical disturbance in the far eastern Atlantic just west of Africa also included in NHC’s tropical outlook isn’t expected to develop.

Elsewhere things continue to look quiet across the basin into the waning weeks of July.

NOAA restores critical hurricane tracking satellite

An extended outage of the GOES-19 weather satellite that we first reported in yesterday morning’s newsletter was remediated by Thursday afternoon.

According to my sources at NOAA with knowledge of the situation, the malfunction stemmed from software aboard the satellite platform. The satellite required rebooting to fix the issue which took it offline for approximately 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday afternoon. During this time, NOAA engineers placed the satellite in what’s known as “safehold” as an emergency protective action to prevent major damage or risk satellite failure.

Thankfully, the issued was resolved expeditiously with no lasting damage to the satellite. GOES-19 is NOAA’s primary weather monitoring satellite for the U.S. East Coast and tropical Atlantic. This satellite is different from the defense-operated, polar-orbiting constellation of hurricane-monitoring satellites that faced early termination last hurricane season. Those satellites continue to operate without interruption after officials issued a last-minute fix last July to address cybersecurity concerns and keep the satellites online.

Heavy, pungent wildfire smoke darkened skies in the U.S. from the Great Lakes to parts of the East Coast, reducing visibility and prompting warnings that breathing the air outside could be dangerous.

Officials in many cities urged residents to stay inside or wear masks outside as air quality reached unhealthy to hazardous levels, meaning it’s unhealthy for anyone, regardless of health conditions. The National Weather Service said a lingering high pressure system has trapped the smoke close to the ground.

The air quality index was 203 when the game was postponed at 4:45 p.m. EDT, which is deemed to be very unhealthy and hazardous.

Northeast Ohio has been experiencing smoky and hazy skies for the past two days.

A split doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, with the start times being 1:10 p.m. EDT and 7:10 p.m. EDT

Thursday night's game in Philadelphia between the Mets and Phillies was moved to 6:10 p.m. EDT from 7:10 p.m. It was the only game on the big league schedule coming out of this week’s All-Star break.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Una semana de aguaceros implacables dejó caer más de 60 centímetros (2 pies) de lluvia en algunas zonas. Se esperaba que la lluvia disminuyera, pero otra ronda de chubascos agravó ríos ya crecidos e inundó comunidades rurales cerca de la frontera con México que en gran medida se habían librado de daños importantes.

Cerca de Ozona, un pequeño pueblo a unos 320 kilómetros (200 millas) al oeste de San Antonio, las aguas cubrieron la Interestatal 10. Más de 50 personas fueron rescatadas de apartamentos inundados y de un parque de casas rodantes anegado.

También se derrumbó una sección de un puente sobre el río Nueces en el condado de Uvalde, donde en cuestión de días ha caído lluvia equivalente a meses. En Uvalde, a unos 130 kilómetros (80 millas) al suroeste de San Antonio, las aguas atravesaron la casa de Miguel Vasquez dos veces esta semana, dejando una capa de lodo y volcando su refrigerador y otros objetos.

Los escombros quedaron esparcidos por su vecindario y el cobertizo de un vecino quedó tambaleándose sobre una parte de la propiedad que fue arrasada. Vasquez contó el viernes que quedó atrapado en la corriente y estuvo a punto de ser arrastrado y ahogarse cuando intentaba llegar a su casa el miércoles.

“Tuve que agarrarme con las manos y los pies. No se podía nadar”, afirmó, mientras observaba los daños a su alrededor. “La gente cree que cuando hay una inundación, puedes nadar. Nadar no te va a ayudar. Te va a llevar. La corriente es demasiado fuerte”.

Casi 4 billones de litros de agua cayeron en una zona propensa a inundaciones

Casi 4 billones de litros (1 billón de galones) de agua cayeron sobre los tres condados más afectados durante tres días, suficientes para llenar 1,5 millones de piscinas olímpicas o abastecer a 11 millones de hogares durante un año.

Tan sólo el condado de Uvalde recibió más lluvia en ese periodo que la que California ha visto durante el último mes, según Ryan Maue, ex científico jefe de la Oficina Nacional de Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés).

La región texana de Hill Country es especialmente propensa a inundaciones repentinas porque la característica piedra caliza del área está cubierta apenas por una delgada capa de suelo. Durante lluvias intensas, el agua puede viajar rápidamente cuesta abajo antes de llenar las estrechas cuencas de los ríos.

El gobernador Greg Abbott indicó que personal de emergencia en una amplia franja del sur y centro de Texas ha rescatado a más de 570 personas, incluidos conductores varados y personas atrapadas en viviendas.

Viviendas y negocios quedaron empapados y cubiertos de lodo

Vasquez evacuó el jueves. De haberse quedado, “no habría podido huir”, aseguró.

Serena Reyna se despertó el jueves por la mañana y encontró su boutique en Kerrville, Nu Accents, cubierta de escombros después de que 1,2 metros (4 pies) de agua irrumpieran en la tienda. Describió el negocio como “una pérdida total”.

“Los pisos, o sea, están empapados de lodo y todavía, ya sabe, hay una pulgada (2,5 centímetros) de agua en algunos lugares”, comentó. “Todo ahí era sólo lodo, agua y escombros”.

El Departamento de Transporte de Texas informó que las crecidas cerraron un tramo de 80 kilómetros (50 millas) de la autopista 57 y que no se esperaba que partes de la vía reabrieran hasta el lunes.

En total, alrededor de 6 millones de residentes en Texas estuvieron bajo alerta por inundaciones en distintos momentos de esta semana. ___ Stengle informó desde Dallas y Hanna, desde Topeka, Kansas. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Dave Collins en Hartford, Connecticut; Michael Phillis en Washington, y Anna Wilder en Austin, Texas, contribuyeron a este despacho.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

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Alexis Robinson is among 200 new teachers recognized during a pinning ceremony at Miami Senior High School after completing the Teacher Accelerator Program, an education nonprofit that helps streamline the pathway to teaching in public, charter and private schools.

Robinson, who is interviewing for teaching positions, is among many participants entering education after working in another field.

“Not sure on the school yet but we are in the interview process,” Robinson said.

Before pursuing teaching, Robinson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater and toured with theater companies.

She said becoming certified to teach outside private school programs proved difficult before learning about the Teacher Accelerator Program.

“And then I was like well, if I want to teach outside of a private school program, for charter or public, I need to get certified, and that process has been very hard,” Robinson said. “(It) started last year, and then my mom heard about this program.”

Although she hopes to eventually teach drama, Robinson said English became the natural fit.

“So the closest thing to theater that I love is English, and that’s how I landed here and I am just passionate,” she said.

Leslie Miller Saiontz, president and founder of the Teacher Accelerator Program, said career changers bring enthusiasm and experience into the profession at a time when schools continue to face staffing challenges.

“They come in with gusto and that’s what you need, you need intention, and gosh they just check all the boxes,” Saiontz said.

The program has expanded into Broward County as districts continue searching for qualified educators.

“The teacher shortage is the biggest challenge to education right now,” she said.

The effort comes as Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce projects the United States will face skills shortages in several critical occupations, including teaching, through at least 2032.

United Way Miami President and CEO Symeria Hudson said the Teacher Accelerator Program is part of the organization’s Upskill initiative, which focuses on developing workers in industries experiencing talent shortages.

“So we have identified specific industries that have talent gaps. Things like the education profession,” she said. “So what we’ve been able to do is identify these opportunities where we believe that the talent can be actually birth and created right here in our very own community. So we help invest in educational programs with public private partnerships and educational institutions.”

She said the program helps shorten the path from career changer to classroom teacher.

“The teacher accelerator program fits under an umbrella of what we call the United Way Miami Upskill program, and that program was designed to really leverage talent right here in our own community, but talent that needed to be up-skilled,” Hudson said. “So part of what teacher accelerator program does is certainly shorten that time, allowing teacher focusing on coursework that is going to get them right there in the classroom.”

The Florida Department of Education has identified exceptional student education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, math, science and English among its high-demand teacher certification areas for the 2026-27 school year.

Robinson said she and many of the other career changers in the program were inspired by teachers who changed their lives.

“I thought about it and I was like, I will take the chance. we (other career changers her in cohort TAP program) recalled a teacher that changed things for us and so when we thought about the teacher shortage going on, everyone who I have seen (in the TAP program) who has not come from an education background, or maybe has come from substituting and was like i want to get into this full-time, came from heeding that call,” Robinson said.

The challenge of recruiting teachers is not new.

In 2022, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres said the district’s greatest staffing needs included high-level math, science, special education and high school language arts.

“To the point that we are recruiting outside the typical college of education but actually going to other disciplines because we know we have very talented individuals that are very strong with their content and if they have a passion to work with students they can be exceptional teachers,” he said.

Hiring remains underway across South Florida.

Broward County Public Schools spokesperson John Sullivan told Local 10 News the district currently has approximately 300 instructional vacancies, representing an instructional vacancy rate of about 2%.

“This is slightly lower than where the District typically is at this point in the hiring cycle,” Sullivan said. He added that the district is actively recruiting qualified educators and expects schools to be appropriately staffed when the school year begins.

Sullivan also said Broward County Public Schools does not have a hiring freeze for teachers or other school-site positions tied to enrollment.

In Miami-Dade County, the Florida Education Association’s January county-by-county teacher vacancy snapshot identified vacancies across 34 certification categories but did not include a total vacancy number.

In a statement Friday, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson said, “A snapshot number at this stage does not reflect our actual staffing reality,” adding, “We are successfully moving available educators into open roles and are committed to ensuring every classroom has a high-quality educator on day one.”

Related Links

Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Falling Behind: How Skills Shortages Threaten Future Jobs

Florida Department of Education Identification of High Demand Teacher Needs Areas for 2026-27

The Florida Department of Education identifies the following as high-demand teacher certification areas for the 2026-27 school year:

• Exceptional Student Education (ESE)
• Math
• English
• Science – General
• Science – Physical
• Science – Earth & Space
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

“The high-demand areas above represent certification areas where larger than typical proportions of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field are being hired to teach courses where significant vacancies exist and where postsecondary institutions do not produce enough graduates to meet the needs of Florida’s K-12 student population,” according to the FDOE.

Florida Education Association Teacher and staff shortage

The Florida Education Association stated that “Florida faces a severe shortage of teachers and education support staff professionals.”

According to an FEA spokesperson, the organization counts advertised vacancies posted on each school district’s website every August, with a follow-up update in January.

Florida’s Teacher and staff vacancies signal a retention crisis at a breaking point

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Miami police confirmed the arrest of 37-year-old Quindy Janvier on Thursday in connection with the May 26 break-in at a home in the 2600 block of Southwest 23rd Avenue in the city’s Silver Bluff Estates neighborhood.

According to an arrest report, officers responded to the home shortly before noon on May 26 after a woman arrived, heard a bedroom door slam and “discovered the home in disarray.”

While on the phone with one of the homeowners, the woman noticed a bedroom window had been broken and told him, “Danny, you’ve been robbed,” the report states.

When the homeowners returned, they discovered that about $150,000 worth of jewelry had been stolen from multiple bedrooms, according to police.

Investigators determined the burglar entered and exited through a southwest-facing bedroom window.

They said during the investigation, the victims found a pair of sunglasses inside a bedroom and a “pry tool” outside the broken window. According to the report, neither item belonged to anyone who lives at the home.

Detectives also reviewed surveillance video from a nearby home that showed Janvier, who lives in Miami-Dade’s Brownsville neighborhood, riding a standing scooter in the area minutes before the burglary.

Police said additional video showed Janvier entering the victims’ yard before later running away from the area around the same time the burglary was discovered, the report states.

A “latent fingerprint” recovered from the lens of the sunglasses was later analyzed and identified as belonging to Janvier, according to the report.

Police said they arrested Janvier on Thursday.

Jail records show he is facing one count each of burglary of an occupied structure, third-degree grand theft and criminal mischief causing $1,000 or more in damage.

As of Friday morning, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was set at $77,500.

This is the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, and it comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment. Just last week, a different federal appeals court upheld Illinois' ban on semiautomatic weapons.

Friday's appeals court ruling in the New Jersey case goes further than a July 2024 ruling from a federal judge, who said that the state's ban on AR-15s specifically was unconstitutional but upheld the provision barring larger magazines. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday in its opinion that the state's entire ban on weapons it deems to be “assault firearms” and restriction on “large capacity ammunition magazines” were unconstitutional.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, a Democrat whose office defended the law, said in a statement that the decision is “as unfortunate as it is legally incorrect.”

“Every other federal circuit court to consider the issue has come out the other way,” Davenport said. “Assault weapons and large capacity magazines play a dangerous role in the modern epidemic of mass shootings, and New Jersey acted reasonably and lawfully in restricting them. We are considering our options.”

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, called the ruling a “historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans."

“The Third Circuit has struck down these unconstitutional so-called assault weapons bans and magazine bans in New Jersey, affirming what we’ve always known: the right to keep and bear arms, including commonly-owned rifles and standard-capacity magazines, is fundamental and cannot be infringed by politicians who prioritize control over constitutional freedoms," Commerford said in a statement.

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Kelety reported from Phoenix.

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Shelvin Marquise Fairman, 31, is facing three child neglect charges in connection with the incident.

Investigators with the Plantation Police Department said Fairman’s daughter attends a summer camp at Mirror Lake Elementary School, located at 1200 NW 72nd Ave., and shared the gummies ― unaware that they contained THC ― with three friends, aged 4, 5 and 9.

According to an arrest report, medics took the three children to hospitals “for a multitude of symptoms.”

Police said the girl got the gummies from an “easily accessible” bedroom fridge. They said the girl’s mother told police that the gummies belonged to Fairman.

Authorities said the girl’s mother told investigators that she thought all the gummies had been “thrown out or hidden away.”

“Shelvin’s actions, or lack thereof, were solely responsible for this chain of events,” the report states. “The parents of these young children advised that they were all very disturbed that THC edible gummies had been provided to their children at a summer camp and would like to seek prosecution.”

Records show that Fairman was being held in the Broward Main Jail on a $10,500 bond as of Friday afternoon.

Shelvin Marquise Fairman, de 31 años, enfrenta tres cargos de negligencia infantil en relación con el incidente.

Investigadores del Departamento de Policía de Plantation informaron que la hija de Fairman asiste a un campamento de verano en Mirror Lake Elementary School, ubicada en el 1200 de la avenida 72 del noroeste, y compartió las gomitas, sin saber que contenían THC, con tres amigos de 4, 5 y 9 años.

Según el informe de arresto, paramédicos trasladaron a los tres niños a hospitales “por una variedad de síntomas”.

La Policía indicó que la niña obtuvo las gomitas de un refrigerador en una habitación que era “de fácil acceso”. Agregó que la madre de la menor dijo a los agentes que las gomitas pertenecían a Fairman.

Las autoridades informaron que la madre de la niña dijo a los investigadores que pensaba que todas las gomitas habían sido “desechadas u ocultadas”.

“Las acciones de Shelvin, o la falta de ellas, fueron las únicas responsables de esta cadena de acontecimientos”, señala el informe. “Los padres de estos niños informaron que estaban muy consternados de que se les hubieran proporcionado gomitas comestibles con THC a sus hijos en un campamento de verano y desean que el caso sea procesado”.

Los registros muestran que Fairman permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward con una fianza de $10,500 USD hasta la tarde del viernes.

La agencia indicó que el movimiento telúrico ocurrió a una profundidad de aproximadamente 18.5 kilómetros y que su epicentro se localizó unos 58 kilómetros al suroeste de Puerto Madero, México.

La Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica de Estados Unidos (NOAA) informó que el sismo generó una amenaza de tsunami para algunas zonas de México y Guatemala. Posteriormente, la agencia confirmó que se habían observado olas de tsunami.

Las autoridades señalaron que podrían registrarse olas de hasta un metro por encima del nivel normal de la marea en sectores de las costas del Pacífico de México y Guatemala.

Funcionarios de la NOAA informaron que continuarán emitiendo pronósticos y comunicados sobre el tsunami como parte del sistema de mitigación de tsunamis de las Naciones Unidas.

Sin embargo, aclararon que cualquier alerta, advertencia o aviso oficial de tsunami será emitido por las autoridades gubernamentales de los países afectados.

Alexis Robinson está entre los 200 nuevos maestros reconocidos durante una ceremonia de imposición de pines en Miami Senior High School tras completar el Programa Acelerador de Maestros, una organización educativa sin fines de lucro que ayuda a agilizar el camino hacia la docencia en escuelas públicas, chárter y privadas.

Robinson, quien actualmente entrevista para puestos de maestra, forma parte de los muchos participantes que ingresan al sector educativo después de haber trabajado en otro campo.

“Todavía no sé en qué escuela, pero estamos en el proceso de entrevistas”, dijo Robinson.

Antes de dedicarse a la enseñanza, Robinson obtuvo una licenciatura en Bellas Artes con especialización en teatro musical y realizó giras con compañías teatrales.

Dijo que obtener la certificación para enseñar fuera de programas de escuelas privadas resultó difícil antes de conocer el Programa Acelerador de Maestros.

“Y entonces pensé que si quería enseñar fuera de un programa de escuela privada, en una escuela chárter o pública, necesitaba obtener la certificación, y ese proceso ha sido muy difícil”, dijo Robinson. “Empecé el año pasado, y luego mi mamá se enteró de este programa”.

Aunque espera enseñar teatro en el futuro, Robinson dijo que inglés fue la opción más natural.

“Lo más cercano al teatro que también amo es inglés, y así fue como terminé aquí, y me apasiona”, afirmó.

Leslie Miller Saiontz, presidenta y fundadora del Programa Acelerador de Maestros, dijo que las personas que cambian de carrera aportan entusiasmo y experiencia a la profesión en un momento en que las escuelas continúan enfrentando desafíos para cubrir sus plazas.

“Llegan con mucho entusiasmo, y eso es lo que se necesita; se necesita intención, y realmente cumplen con todos los requisitos”, dijo Saiontz.

El programa se ha expandido al condado Broward mientras los distritos continúan buscando educadores calificados.

“La escasez de maestros es el mayor desafío para la educación en este momento”, afirmó.

La iniciativa surge mientras el Centro de Educación y Fuerza Laboral de la Universidad de Georgetown proyecta que Estados Unidos enfrentará escasez de habilidades en varias ocupaciones críticas, incluida la docencia, al menos hasta 2032.

Symeria Hudson, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de United Way Miami, dijo que el Programa Acelerador de Maestros forma parte de la iniciativa Upskill de la organización, enfocada en desarrollar trabajadores en industrias que enfrentan escasez de talento.

“Hemos identificado industrias específicas que tienen brechas de talento, como la profesión educativa”, dijo. “Lo que hemos podido hacer es identificar oportunidades en las que creemos que el talento puede surgir y desarrollarse aquí mismo, en nuestra propia comunidad. Por eso invertimos en programas educativos mediante alianzas público-privadas e instituciones educativas”.

Dijo que el programa ayuda a acortar el camino para que quienes cambian de carrera se conviertan en maestros.

“El Programa Acelerador de Maestros forma parte de lo que llamamos el programa United Way Miami Upskill, diseñado para aprovechar el talento que ya existe en nuestra comunidad, pero que necesitaba capacitación adicional”, dijo Hudson. “Parte de lo que hace el Programa Acelerador de Maestros es precisamente reducir ese tiempo, permitiendo que los maestros se concentren en los cursos que los llevarán directamente al salón de clases”.

El Departamento de Educación de Florida ha identificado educación para estudiantes excepcionales, inglés para hablantes de otros idiomas (ESOL), matemáticas, ciencias e inglés entre las áreas de certificación docente de mayor demanda para el año escolar 2026-27.

Robinson dijo que ella y muchos de los otros participantes del programa que cambiaron de carrera se inspiraron en maestros que transformaron sus vidas.

“Lo pensé y dije: voy a intentarlo. Nosotros recordamos a un maestro que cambió nuestras vidas y, cuando pensamos en la escasez de maestros, todos los que he conocido en el Programa Acelerador de Maestros y que no provenían del ámbito educativo, o que quizá habían trabajado como maestros sustitutos y dijeron que querían hacerlo a tiempo completo, respondieron a ese llamado”, dijo Robinson.

El desafío de reclutar maestros no es nuevo.

En 2022, el superintendente de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Miami-Dade, el Dr. José Dotres, dijo que las mayores necesidades de personal del distrito incluían matemáticas avanzadas, ciencias, educación especial y artes del lenguaje en la escuela secundaria.

“Hemos llegado al punto de reclutar fuera de las facultades tradicionales de educación e incluso acudir a otras disciplinas porque sabemos que hay personas muy talentosas, con sólidos conocimientos en sus áreas, y si tienen pasión por trabajar con estudiantes, pueden convertirse en maestros excepcionales”, dijo.

La contratación de personal continúa en todo el sur de Florida.

El portavoz de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Broward, John Sullivan, dijo a Local 10 News que el distrito tiene actualmente aproximadamente 300 vacantes para personal docente, lo que representa una tasa de vacantes de alrededor del 2%.

“Esto es ligeramente inferior a lo que el distrito suele registrar en este momento del ciclo de contratación”, dijo Sullivan. Agregó que el distrito continúa reclutando activamente educadores calificados y espera que las escuelas cuenten con el personal adecuado cuando comience el año escolar.

Sullivan también indicó que las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Broward no tienen una congelación de contrataciones para maestros ni para otros puestos en los planteles escolares relacionada con la matrícula estudiantil.

En el condado Miami-Dade, el informe del mes de enero de la Asociación de Educación de Florida sobre vacantes docentes por condado identificó vacantes en 34 categorías de certificación, aunque no incluyó un número total de plazas vacantes.

En un comunicado emitido el viernes, un portavoz de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Miami-Dade dijo: “Una cifra tomada en este momento no refleja nuestra realidad actual de personal”, y agregó: “Estamos reubicando con éxito a los educadores disponibles en los puestos vacantes y estamos comprometidos a garantizar que cada salón de clases tenga un educador de alta calidad desde el primer día”.

Enlaces relacionados

El Centro de Educación y Fuerza Laboral de la Universidad de Georgetown se encuentra rezagado : cómo la escasez de habilidades amenaza los empleos del futuro.

Departamento de Educación de Florida: Identificación de áreas con alta demanda de docentes para el año escolar 2026-27.

El Departamento de Educación de Florida identifica las siguientes áreas como áreas de alta demanda de certificación docente para el año escolar 2026-27:

• Educación para Estudiantes Excepcionales (ESE, por sus siglas en inglés)
• Matemáticas
• Inglés
• Ciencias – General
• Ciencia Física
• Ciencia – Tierra y Espacio
• Inglés para hablantes de otros idiomas (ESOL)

Según el Departamento de Educación de Florida (FDOE), “las áreas de alta demanda mencionadas anteriormente representan áreas de certificación donde se contrata a una proporción mayor de lo habitual de maestros que no están certificados en el campo apropiado para impartir cursos donde existen vacantes significativas y donde las instituciones de educación superior no producen suficientes graduados para satisfacer las necesidades de la población estudiantil de K-12 de Florida”.

Asociación de Educación de Florida: escasez de maestros y personal

La Asociación de Educación de Florida declaró que “Florida enfrenta una grave escasez de maestros y personal de apoyo educativo”.

Según un portavoz de la FEA, la organización contabiliza las vacantes anunciadas en el sitio web de cada distrito escolar cada agosto, con una actualización posterior en enero.

Las vacantes de maestros y personal en Florida señalan una crisis de retención que está llegando a un punto crítico.

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The agency said the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 11.5 miles (18.5 kilometers) and was centered about 36 miles southwest of Puerto Madero, Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the earthquake generated a tsunami threat for portions of Mexico and Guatemala. NOAA later reported that tsunami waves have been observed.

They said tsunami waves of up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) above normal tide levels are possible along parts of the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Guatemala.

NOAA officials said it will continue issuing tsunami forecasts and informational statements in support of the United Nations tsunami mitigation system. However, any official tsunami watches, warnings or advisories will be issued by government agencies in the affected countries.

Air quality warnings were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., but there’s potential for temporary relief with rains and storms forecast over a chunk of the affected region over the weekend.

The smoky conditions won't be gone anytime soon, though, as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of Canada, cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland. Wildfires in a wilderness area in Minnesota are also contributing to the smoke.

“The source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,” he said. “So in some form, there’s going to be smoke that gets transported from the fires downstream, and it’s just going to depend upon which way the wind’s blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.”

On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois closest to the Canadian border and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota again registered some of the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, an air quality monitoring website.

Not far behind them was Washington, D.C., where the thick smoke created eerie scenes. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks could be seen enveloped in a thick, orange-hued haze in the morning.

“Wow that Canadian smoke haze is no joke,” Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X as he shared a panorama of D.C. at sunrise. “Almost nothing visible - no sun, no monuments, no Reagan Airport.”

Air in and around Washington was expected to go from bad to worse as the day progressed, reaching “very unhealthy” and potentially “hazardous” levels on the air quality index, regional officials said.

People, particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside as much as possible until air quality improved.

There was also concern in the New York City area about how the foul air might impact the World Cup final match between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.

Oravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day Sunday than on Saturday.

Just a day earlier, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and partly obscured Manhattan’s skyline.

Officials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.

As Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from “unhealthy” to “moderate” in some places in and around New York City.

A strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and large chunks of clear blue sky were visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.

Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.

How long the reprieve lasts depends on what happens hundreds of miles north, as some 100 wildfires burn without end in sight, largely in the Ontario area in Canada. In the U.S., officials have closed the Boundary Waters while battling multiple fires.

Long-term exposure to smoky conditions can complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and deadly issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and premature death.

Trump dijo que Venezuela tenía “mucho” petróleo, oro, rubíes y que era mucho más grande que Cuba, que había dependido de la riqueza de Venezuela.

“Van a pasar muchas cosas en Cuba durante los próximos, quizás, dos meses, pero no creo que sea como Venezuela”, dijo el presidente Trump al corresponsal de Fox News Trey Yingst el 14 de julio.

Apagón en Cuba Personas recogen agua de una toma en la calle durante un apagón en La Habana, Cuba, el martes 14 de julio de 2026. (Foto AP/Ramón Espinosa) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. Todos los derechos reservados)

Trump no descartó la posibilidad de una intervención militar en Cuba.

“Podríamos hacer eso con Cuba”, dijo Trump. “No sería difícil para nosotros hacerlo”.

Trump suspendió los envíos de petróleo de Venezuela a Cuba después de que las fuerzas de Estados Unidos capturaran a Nicolás Maduro y a su esposa, Cilia Flores, el 3 de enero en Caracas.

Trump también amenazó con imponer aranceles a cualquier país que venda o suministre petróleo a la isla comunista, donde una crisis energética ha provocado apagones.

Historia relacionada: Cuba sufre un tercer apagón nacional en dos semanas mientras se agotan los suministros de combustible

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El presidente Trump habló sobre Cuba durante su entrevista con Fox News.

Presidente Trump: “Van a pasar muchas cosas en Cuba durante los próximos, quizás, dos meses, pero no creo que sea como Venezuela.” https://t.co/E5I3exBsaq

— Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Cuba (@USEmbCuba) 17 de julio de 2026

The majors have been getting serious about conduct this year, collaborating on a policy but leaving each organization in charge of what it deems a serious offense.

Rahm, who shot 3-under 67 and was four shots out of the lead, hit his tee shot left of the green on the 15th hole and flung his iron forward and it bounced a few times.

The R&A said Rahm was issued the official warning “under The Open serious misconduct policy.” The policy typically is in play for the entire tournament, meaning if there is another incident, it would be a two-shot penalty. The third violation is disqualification.

Rahm said he didn't think about his outburst until he saw an R&A official on the 17th hole.

“When he was walking up to me, I knew exactly what it was for,” he said.

The USGA bypassed the warning and went straight to a two-shot penalty for Joaquin Niemann in the first round of the U.S. Open when on the sixth hole — his 15th of the round — he threw his wedge that traveled some 70 yards. With hardly any spectators, no one captured public video although officials would have had access from the ShotLink cameras.

Rahm was paired with Sergio Garcia in the final round of the Masters when Garcia hit a poor tee shot on the second hole and smashed his driver into the turf and against a bench that was holding a water cooler. Garcia was issued an official warning.

Rahm said before the tournament and on Friday after he finished his round that he was not about to change his nature.

“I don’t always love the word ’emotional.' I’m definitely more intense and passionate than a lot of the players out here, especially at work,” he said “It’s not like I’m going to ... if I try to alter who I am too much, it might cost me a little bit on the course. But certainly shouldn’t have moments like the one on 15. I get it.”

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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Trump said Venezuela had “a lot of” oil, gold, rubies, and was much bigger than Cuba, which had relied on Venezuela’s wealth.

“A lot of things are going to happen in Cuba over the next maybe two months, but I don’t see it being like Venezuela,” Trump told Fox News Correspondent Trey Yingst on July 14.

Trump didn’t disregard the possibility of a military intervention in Cuba.

“We could do that with Cuba,” Trump said. “It would not be hard for us to do.”

Trump cut Venezuela’s oil shipments to Cuba after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Jan. 3 in Caracas.

Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the Communist island, where an energy crisis has resulted in power outages.

Related story: Cuba plunged into 3rd nationwide blackout in 2 weeks as fuel runs low

Related social media post

El presidente Trump habló sobre Cuba durante su entrevista con Fox News.

Presidente Trump: "Van a pasar muchas cosas en Cuba durante los próximos, quizás, dos meses, pero no creo que sea como Venezuela." https://t.co/E5I3exBsaq

— Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Cuba (@USEmbCuba) July 17, 2026

Narvaez and Jarren Duran each drove in three runs for Boston, which had entered the All-Star break with nine straight wins, all on the road. With their first 10-game win streak since last July, the Red Sox (47-48) moved within one game of .500 for the first time since their third game of this season.

Boston has allowed 14 runs during the streak, its fewest over a 10-game span during the live ball era (since 1920).

Yoshida, Navarez and Caleb Durbin each had three hits. The Red Sox outhit the AL East-leading Rays 15-3.

Bennett (5-3) struck out three as he won his fourth straight start. After issuing his only walk with one out in the first, the left-hander retired nine straight before Junior Caminero singled in the fourth.

Alex Gamboa worked the final three innings for his first save.

With the Red Sox leading 2-0, Yoshida hit the first pitch of the fourth by Griffin Jax (5-7) to right field, wrapping it around Pesky's Pole for his fourth homer of the season. Navarez cleared the Green Monster in the seventh for his third homer.

Duran chased Jax with a two-run single as part of Boston's six-run sixth inning. Jax allowed seven runs on eight hits in five-plus innings as his ERA jumped from 3.47 to 4.08.

All-Star Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras served the fifth and final game of his suspension for his actions during a benches-clearing incident against Washington last month. The suspension was reduced from seven games on appeal.

Up next

Rays RHP Mason Englert (0-2, 3.82 ERA) and Red Sox LHP Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 0.00) were set to pitch Friday's nightcap.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los bomberos concentraron sus labores en el garaje para tres vehículos de la vivienda ubicada en Crestview Circle, cerca de Greenwood Road, en la comunidad Meadows.

No se dieron a conocer de inmediato más detalles.

Vea Local 10 News o actualice esta página para obtener información actualizada.

Publicación relacionada en redes sociales.

BSO Fire crews are fighting a working structure fire located at 930 Crestview Circle. Two vehicles in garage on fire.
Stay clear of Crestview Circle in the Meadows #Alert #WestonFL pic.twitter.com/u95zXRXogW

— WestonFL Alert (@WestonFLAlert) July 17, 2026

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, y la editora principal de asignaciones, Frine Gomez, contribuyeron a este informe.

Judge hasn't played since May 31 because of the stress fracture in his right ribs. He had a scan during the All-Star break that showed partial healing. Judge said he is waiting to hear from doctors on a plan moving forward.

“I feel good about the fact that he will be back. It's just a matter of when,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday before the start of a weekend series against the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge is hitting .248 with 17 homers and 38 RBIs but had just one homer in his last 18 games.

New York was 36-23 when he last played but was 18-19 since entering the second half.

In addition, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (strained right calf) hasn't played since April 24, and left-handers Max Fried (left elbow bone bruise) and Carlos Rodón (left elbow inflammation) are sidelined.

Fried was to make a rehab start Friday.

Clarke Schmidt, coming back from Tommy John surgery, is to throw an inning of batting practice Saturday.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

The league said Friday that its investigation determined that Gold provided confidential, non-public inside information regarding 2026 draft selections by the Cardinals before the picks were announced, and Gold also participated in parlay bets on NFL and college games. The league didn’t say who Gold had provided with the information.

“The Gambling Policy, which is annually reviewed with all NFL personnel, strictly prohibits anyone in the NFL from participating in or facilitating any form of sports gambling, and from providing third parties non-public information,” the NFL said in a statement. “Although there is no reason to believe the integrity of any NFL game was affected, the League takes any violation of the Gambling Policy with the utmost seriousness.”

The Cardinals also issued a statement, saying: “The NFL’s policies and expectations for all employees are clear, comprehensive, and consistently communicated. We fully support the league’s decision in this matter, which involves a single employee. Our focus remains on preparing for the start of training camp next week and the 2026 season.”

Gold, who is in his 13th season with the Cardinals, was promoted to director of college scouting in June 2025. He spent the previous three years (2022-24) as the assistant director of college scouting after working for four seasons (2018-21) as a college scouting coordinator.

Gold has the right to appeal the suspension. He couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday.

The NFL has strict gambling policies for players and club and league personnel. The league has also dedicated significant resources to its gambling education program, reaching more than 20,000 people associated with the league.

The policy says players must not:

— place any bet on NFL football;

— throw or fix any NFL game or event, or otherwise manipulate or attempt to manipulate any play or other aspect of an NFL game;

— share confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game, player or event with any third party.

NFL players — but not league or club staff — are allowed to legally place bets on other sports as long as they are off club property or not traveling with the team. They also are allowed to take part in traditional fantasy football leagues (prize money cannot exceed $250) and legally gamble at casinos on personal time.

The NFL said the Cardinals fully cooperated with the investigation and the league has seen no indication that any other member of the organization, coach or player was aware of or involved in this activity. The league also said there was no indication that any play or game was affected by this activity.

The NFL’s review included interviews with relevant people and an examination of electronic records.

At least 15 players have been suspended by the league for gambling violations since 1963, including several in recent years, but none since Isaiah Rodgers (then with the Indianapolis Colts) was suspended indefinitely in June 2023.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The deals, signed at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also involved other industries, including healthcare, communications and infrastructure.

It's not clear when the oil deals will be able to create viable alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil flows. Goldman Sachs estimates that pipelines in just one country take at least two and a half years to build, and these pipelines would travel through two or more nations.

Iran has sought to close the Strait repeatedly since the U.S.-Iran war began Feb. 28, causing sharp gyrations in oil and gas prices.

On Friday afternoon, the price of West Texas crude rose nearly 5% to $88 a barrel, up from about $67 before the war began. It had topped $110 in early April before falling back after a truce was reached. It has since risen on renewed conflict between U.S. and Iran.

Thomas Barrack, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, said the oil pipeline agreements would lead to a program “that will make the Strait of Hormuz an afterthought.”

The signings followed a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falah al-Zaidi Thursday with executives of Chevron in Houston, at which al-Zaidi urged the U.S. energy company to expand and accelerate its investments in Iraq.

In a speech Friday, al-Zaidi said Iraq’s economy is seeking long-term investment and partnerships, not merely contractors to carry out projects.

Al-Zaidi stressed his government’s commitment to communication, dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, describing it as “the place where economic decisions are made."

On Friday, Chevron signed three agreements with the Iraqi government. Jake Spiering, Chevron's president of corporate business development, said two would focus on boosting oil production, while a third would involve “investing in a pipeline that’s going to create another export route out of Iraq to world markets. This is very important for energy security.”

Also Friday, the State Department welcomed an agreement between Iraq and Syria “to advance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Iraq-Syria crude oil pipeline as a priority infrastructure project."

“The United States welcomes the engagement of a U.S.-led international consortium to execute the technical and financial aspects of this project,” the department said.

The pipeline will connect southern Iraq’s Basra to western Iraq’s Haditha and go from there to the Ceyhan port in Turkey and the port of Baniyas on Syria’s coast, Iraqi officials have said. The pipeline is projected to carry about 2 million barrels of oil per day.

In a note released earlier this week, analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that seven different pipelines in the region under development could, by the end of 2028, carry about 60% of the oil currently shipped through the Strait.

The pipelines could carry roughly 14 million barrels per day by then, Goldman estimated. Roughly 23 million barrels per day were shipped through Hormuz before the Iran war.

After the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran Feb. 28, oil-rich Iraq — which is home to both Iran-backed militias and U.S. bases — found itself in the crosshairs. Syria, meanwhile, has been one of the few regional countries that has managed to stay on the sidelines of the conflict. Damascus has promoted Syria — still grappling with the aftermath of its own 14-year civil war — as a bastion of stability and has offered it as an alternative transit route for energy shipments.

With the war dramatically reducing oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, some oil shipments have instead been trucked from Iraq into Syria and shipped to European markets via Syria’s Baniyas port, bypassing the Hormuz route. A key border crossing between northern Iraq and Syria reopened in April after being closed for more than a decade, with officials touting it as an additional route for energy exports.

The overland route is less efficient and more expensive than shipping exports through the strait. The pipeline project envisioned would allow for exporting a larger volume of oil from Iraq to Syria and Turkey.

Argentines and Spaniards have long been united by blood ties and a relationship of mutual admiration, but the World Cup final between these two Spanish-speaking nations has placed many of them at a crossroads: Should they support La Furia or La Albiceleste on Sunday?

“It feels like being caught between a rock and a hard place,” admitted Juan Manuel Posada, a 75-year-old Spaniard originally from Asturias who settled in Buenos Aires in 1968.

The clash in New Jersey will mark the first All-Spanish-speaking World Cup final since the inaugural 1930 tournament, when host Uruguay defeated Argentina 4–2 in Montevideo.

Buenos Aires was founded by a Spaniard

It was a Spaniard, Pedro de Mendoza, who founded Buenos Aires in the mid-16th century. The battles for independence did not alter the strong cultural influence of the Iberian Peninsula on the young nation — an influence that deepened with the waves of Spanish migration in the first half of the 20th century.

“It’s as if I’d arrived just yesterday. My heart is in Asturias, in Spain, and with the Spanish national team. Without a doubt,” said Posada, a fan of the Spanish club Sporting de Gijón who, in his adopted country, became a supporter of Independiente de Avellaneda. “If Spain wins, great, but if Argentina wins, I won’t be upset at all,” he added in the Asturian accent he still retains.

Manuel Fernández Acevedo is 81 years old; he left Baiona, in Vigo, with his family when he was very young to settle in Argentina, where his daughter and granddaughter were born. Torn between the two countries, he said, “May the best team win. If Spain wins, that’s great, and if it’s Argentina’s turn, that’s fine, too.”

A deep relationship

Just as literature, gastronomy, and music were enriched by that bond of brotherhood, football also felt its impact, with Argentina's Alfredo Di Stéfano and Lionel Messi standing out as the greatest icons at Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

Surprisingly, there is no classic football rivalry between the two countries, partly because, in nearly a century of World Cup history, the Spanish and Argentines have faced each other only once. That encounter was during the group stage of the 1966 World Cup, resulting in a victory for La Albiceleste.

Of course, a final is a different story altogether.

Back to Posada. “I have an Argentine grandson who said to me the other day, ‘Grandpa, if Spain wins, I’ll wear the Spain shirt and carry the flag, and we’ll celebrate. But if Argentina wins, you have to come wearing my country’s shirt and carrying its flag.’ I told him that was fine, but I don’t think we could go out to the Obelisk to celebrate wearing a Spain shirt.” The laughing Posada was referring to the Buenos Aires monument that serves as the epicenter of celebrations for La Albiceleste’s victories.

On the other side of the Atlantic

First, the military dictatorship from 1976-83, and later, consecutive economic crises starting in the 2000s, drove thousands of Argentines to settle in Spain in search of a better quality of life. According to the most recent Spanish census figures (as of January 2025), 450,883 people born in Argentina were residing in Spain.

For them, too, Sunday’s final is a special occasion.

“I see them as just another rival but with respect — knowing we’re in their country and that, in the end, we’re all brothers,” said Nahuel Barreta, 19, who has been living in Málaga for a year. “It feels like home here. We’re going to watch the match at a downtown bar with friends — it’s our usual ritual. I’ve never experienced a World Cup like this.”

In recent days, social media has seen a wave of viral posts featuring Argentine-Spanish couples temporarily parting ways until after Sunday’s match, as well as the amusing tactics they use to convince their children to root for one of the finalists.

It really feels like a familia affair.

___

AP correspondent Suman Naishadham in Madrid contributed to this report.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

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The firefighters were focused on the house’s three-car garage along Crestview Circle, near Greenwood Road, in the Meadows community.

According to Broward Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane, the fire “potentially” started in a parked car. No one was injured.

This is a developing story. Local 10 News Assignment Editors Sofia Mendez and Carson Merlo, and Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Related social media post

BSO Fire crews are fighting a working structure fire located at 930 Crestview Circle. Two vehicles in garage on fire.
Stay clear of Crestview Circle in the Meadows #Alert #WestonFL pic.twitter.com/u95zXRXogW

— WestonFL Alert (@WestonFLAlert) July 17, 2026

“They wasn’t in a gang -- they just like to have fun and because of that, it cost them their life. And they were close. And they were very close,” Jones said.

Marchers chanted, “Justice for Bri, justice for AJ,” calling for justice for popular TikTok influencer Brianna Johnson, better known as “Dream Doll Bri,” and her cousin, Arthur Johnson, also known as AJ.

“She was more than just Dream Doll to me. She was Brianna. That was my child. That was my everything. We grew up together. I had her when I was 20 years old,” Jones said.

It has been a few weeks since the pair were shot and killed in Miramar. The crime was caught on camera, but there are still no answers about who pulled the trigger.

“Contact the detectives. Contact whoever you need to contact. Contact us. Speak up because if the shoe was on the other foot, I’m pretty sure they would want someone to do the same thing for them,” Jones said.

Pompano Beach Commissioner Beverly Perkins helped lead the family’s effort to hold the march for healing.

“So this is about the young people, not the adults,” Perkins said.

Adults at the march said they are making a genuine effort to connect with young people who have been impacted by gun violence.

“It’s really for the youth to find out what’s on their mind. What do they need to feel safe? What can we give them? How can we help them in any way we can when it comes to gun violence?” Perkins said.

The family’s plans do not stop with the march. AJ’s father said he wants to turn the tragedy into something meaningful.

“I promised my son before he left here that out of this tragedy I will turn it into triumph for his name and for Brianna’s namesake. So thank you all,” he said.

Perkins said the plan is to have members of the Circle of Brotherhood reconnect with the young people who attended the march in 30 days.

Experts said the threats — issued just months before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress — were likely hollow because Trump's voting initiatives have been stalled by judges and the Constitution gives states control over how elections are run.

Nevertheless, Mullin's remarks, delivered from the White House complex one day after Trump's primetime address on the topic, could further doubts about election processes and create headaches for states as they prepare for November.

“We absolutely can build confidence in the American people, but the states have to do their part,” Mullin said.

Trump continues to falsely claim that Democrat Joe Biden won only because of fraud in 2020, and he’s tried to marshal the powers of the federal government to rewrite that history since he returned to office last year — even though judges and his own attorney general in his first term concluded the election was legitimate.

Mullin insisted that the president was not relitigating the 2020 election, “although he definitely could at this point.”

"This is just about exposing what took place and making sure it never happens again,” he said.

Mullin's claims of noncitizen voters rely on incomplete data

During his remarks, Mullin advanced an unsubstantiated claim Trump made Thursday that the federal government had found 250,000 noncitizen voters on the rolls in California, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He said the Department of Homeland Security's investigation was conducted using public data, which election experts say is insufficiently detailed and updated to properly identify whether a registered voter is a noncitizen.

Election officials in California and Pennsylvania said they would review the Trump administration's findings but noted that they conduct their own voter list maintenance and noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare. Research has supported that finding.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Mullin's threats with a post on social media.

“California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,” he wrote. "Try us."

In Nevada, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, also a Democrat, said he was confident in the integrity of the state's voter file.

“We are constantly looking at the information to figure out how many registered voters in Nevada don’t have a Social Security number on file," he said. “We have done significant work to make sure our voter rolls are as clean as possible.”

Mullin also pledged to aggressively monitor public voter lists to pursue potential voter fraud cases before and after the 2026 election.

“If you are an illegal or you are voting illegally, we will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you,” he said.

He urged states to participate in DHS' recently overhauled SAVE program, a federal tool central to the Trump administration’s efforts to nationalize elections. At least 25 states have used it to check their voter rolls since April 2025, after the Trump administration significantly expanded its search abilities, and the Trump administration has demanded that states submit their sensitive voter data to the program to fully audit their voter lists.

Mullin said if state officials don’t participate in SAVE, they could face fines, penalties or prison time.

But the overhauled program’s use was recently blocked by a federal judge over concerns about privacy and wrongful purges of eligible voters. The case included voters whose registrations were wrongly flagged by the program, temporarily threatening their place on the rolls.

David Becker, the executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, said Mullin was making empty threats.

“Every court to consider the DOJ’s demands — 15 of them to date, six of those judges appointed by President Trump — have confirmed that the federal government cannot legally demand access to states’ sensitive voter data,” he said. “What he’s suggesting is illegal.”

In addition, Trump's efforts to pass the SAVE Act, federal legislation that would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, has stalled in the Senate. Republicans don't have enough votes to change the filibuster rules and pass it without Democratic support.

Cybersecurity support for election officials has been diminished in Trump's second term

Mullin also elevated Trump's concerns about vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines — which voting experts have long acknowledged. While Trump suggested Thursday that these risks make it possible to “rig” the vote, election officials say there are numerous safeguards in place to prevent that, including physical security, voting machine tests, postelection reviews and paper ballot backups in most of the country.

To address the concerns, Mullin said the nation’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which sits under DHS, would release an updated election infrastructure plan within 30 days and provide cyber threat resources to election officials if they participate in SAVE.

However, Trump has broadly dismantled the agency’s election security operation.

CISA was largely absent from its long-held role assisting states in last year’s elections after the Trump administration conducted a review of its election work, placed more than a dozen election-focused staffers on administrative leave and slashed $10 million from two cybersecurity initiatives, including one dedicated to helping state and local election officials. The agency is also still without a Senate-confirmed director and has cycled through a series of acting leaders.

Aguilar said his state has stepped up and will protect its own elections in the absence of federal help.

“The fact that they think they’re going to come in prior to the general election in November and provide us infrastructure, that's nuts,” he said. “Actions speak louder than words, and in their case, it's all been talk.”

___

Swenson reported from New York.

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The couple was diagnosed with an E. coli O145:H28 infection after suffering from bloody stools, abdominal pain, dehydration, and fever, according to their lawsuit filed on July 13 in Palm Beach County civil court.

“While Oscar was very ill, his illness was less pronounced than that of Roberta, his wife of nearly 46 years,” an attorney wrote, according to the lawsuit.

Roberta Cash was at the Jupiter Medical Center’s emergency room, “aggressively treated” for 10 days, and required help from both The Gardens Court and the CenterWell Home Health care, according to the lawsuit.

On July 1, the Florida Department of Health notified the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there was a cluster of cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O145 infections. On July 3, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., San Carlos, Chile, recalled the GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries, with Best by Feb. 9, 2028, due to the risk of potential E. coli O145 infection.

On July 6, the CDC announced an investigation into the “multistate outbreak of E. coli O145 infections.”

The Food and Drug Administration reported 12 illnesses, including 11 in Florida and one in Georgia, and four hospitalizations related to the product that was also shipped to Publix retail stores in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Texas-based Ron Simon & Associates announced filing the civil lawsuit alleging strict liability, negligence, and breach of implied warranties, and seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

Attorney Ron Simon, who is based in Houston, released a statement saying he wants to make sure that Publix takes preventive steps.

“Safety checks were missed in the production of the GreenWise Organic frozen blueberries, which were contaminated with E. coli O145:H28, a potentially life-threatening bacteria that is not killed by freezing,” Simon said in the statement. “As a result, numerous Publix customers have become severely ill.”

Publix did not respond to a request for comment on the pending litigation.

Read the lawsuit

Foodborne illness in Palm Beach by Andrea Torres

Related story: GreenWise frozen blueberries sold at Publix recalled over possible E. coli contamination

Según la demanda que presentaron el 13 de julio en el tribunal civil del condado de Palm Beach, a la pareja se le diagnosticó una infección por E. coli O145:H28 tras sufrir heces con sangre, dolor abdominal, deshidratación y fiebre.

“Si bien Oscar estaba muy enfermo, su enfermedad era menos grave que la de Roberta, su esposa durante casi 46 años”, escribió un abogado, según consta en la demanda.

Según la demanda, Roberta Cash estuvo en la sala de emergencias del Jupiter Medical Center, donde recibió un tratamiento intensivo durante 10 días y necesitó ayuda tanto de The Gardens Court como del servicio de atención médica a domicilio CenterWell.

El 1 de julio, el Departamento de Salud de Florida notificó a los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de EE. UU. sobre un grupo de casos de infecciones por E. coli O145 productora de toxina Shiga . El 3 de julio, Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur SA, de San Carlos, Chile, retiró del mercado los arándanos orgánicos GreenWise IQF , con fecha de caducidad del 9 de febrero de 2028, debido al riesgo de una posible infección por E. coli O145.

El 6 de julio, los CDC anunciaron una investigación sobre el “brote multiestatal de infecciones por E. coli O145”.

La Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos (FDA) informó de 12 casos de enfermedad, 11 de ellos en Florida y uno en Georgia, y cuatro hospitalizaciones relacionadas con el producto, que también se distribuyó a las tiendas minoristas de Publix en Alabama, Kentucky, Carolina del Norte, Carolina del Sur, Tennessee y Virginia.

El bufete Ron Simon & Associates, con sede en Texas, anunció la presentación de una demanda civil alegando responsabilidad objetiva, negligencia e incumplimiento de garantías implícitas, y solicitando una indemnización superior a los 50.000 dólares.

El abogado Ron Simon, con sede en Houston, emitió un comunicado en el que afirma que quiere asegurarse de que Publix tome medidas preventivas.

“Se omitieron los controles de seguridad en la producción de los arándanos congelados GreenWise Organic, que estaban contaminados con E. coli O145:H28, una bacteria potencialmente mortal que no se elimina con la congelación”, declaró Simon en el comunicado. “Como consecuencia, numerosos clientes de Publix han enfermado gravemente”.

Publix no respondió a la solicitud de comentarios sobre el litigio pendiente.

Lea la demanda

Foodborne illness in Palm Beach by Andrea Torres

Noticia relacionada:Retiran del mercado los arándanos congelados GreenWise vendidos en Publix por posible contaminación con E. coli.

Ester, who died on July 9 at the age of 78, was among a few remaining witnesses to King’s assassination and its immediate aftermath in Memphis. With the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in February and Ester this month, King aide and former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young is believed to be the last surviving eyewitness to the shooting.

Ester Grew up in Memphis attending Centenary United Methodist Church, where her pastor was civil rights leader the Rev. James Lawson.

“We used to joke about colored water being Kool-Aid and the white water just being water, and so that satisfied us as children,” Ester told The Associated Press in 2018, around the 50th anniversary of King’s death. “But until you see the racism, until you see what has been withheld from you because of your color — is what started to really truly anger me. And I knew if there was a movement that could help change any of that, I had to be in it.”

Civil rights issues were often discussed from the pulpit of her church, Ester said. Lawson was very involved in the sanitation workers’ strike, so it was natural for her to become involved too.

“I got to the point that I didn’t miss a mass meeting,” she said. “I picketed every day that the picket lines were up.”

Even 50 years later, she clearly remembered the impact of hearing King's speech at the Mason Temple the night before he was assassinated and how it seemed to foreshadow his death the next day.

“He had seen the mountaintop,” Ester said. “It was evident on the balcony — how calm."

Ester had gone to the Lorraine Motel for dinner on April 4, 1968, when she saw King chatting on the balcony with people below. Then she heard a shot.

“He was speaking calmly and pleasantly to a crowd,” she said. "And so he was happy at that moment. But to lay there with his eyes open, looking toward heaven. He had seen the promised land, and he may not get there with us, but he promised that we as a people will see the promised land.”

Ester said she ran to King and saw he was struggling for air. She tried to loosen his belt and asked someone to bring towels to try to staunch the bleeding. After King was taken away by ambulance, she had to stay at the hotel, where she was questioned by police.

When she was finally allowed to go home, her parents asked if she was OK.

“I said, ‘No, I’m not OK. There’s something wrong with this.’ And it was many months later that I guess at some point, I just broke down," Ester said.

She left Memphis to work elsewhere that summer, and as soon as she finished school, she left for good.

“It’s just too much to ... it hurt me that it happened, but it hurt me that it happened in my hometown, that that’s the legacy for this city,” she said.

Ester moved to Mobile, Alabama, where she found work as a neighborhood organizer at the Dumas Wesley Community Center, a Christian service program supporting children, seniors and people experiencing homelessness, according to her obituary. She later was named the executive director of the center, serving in that role until she retired in 2006.

In 1986, she was commissioned as a deaconess in the United Methodist Church, a type of lay minister . She remained active in the church throughout her life and held leadership roles that included serving as the national vice president of United Methodist Women.

Methodist Bishop David Graves met Ester when he was assigned to the Alabama-West Florida Conference in 2016. He wrote in a remembrance that Ester did not take to him at first, but gradually they came to love each other.

“Thank you, Clara Ester, for a life well lived and for loving me. It changed me,” he wrote. “Clara will be missed immensely, but what a day of rejoicing is going on in heaven. For love will always find a way for those who trust in Jesus and seek to love even in our differences.”

___

Former Associated Press reporter Adrian Sainz contributed from Memphis.

___

This story corrects the age of Ester when King was killed.

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Seventeen-year-old twins Constanza and Marianne Dominguez founded Mentoring Miracles, a student-led nonprofit that connects foster youth with career exploration opportunities and mentors, inspired by their Christian faith and the childhood experiences of a family member who grew up in foster care.

The South Florida sisters say they first discovered a passion for giving back when their mother suggested they donate their birthday gifts instead of keeping them.

“I think the beautiful part about it is that when we went to donate our gifts, we got to play with the kids that are our age,” Constanza said.

The twins were just in the third grade when they began donating gifts to children at His House Children’s Home. What started as a one-time act of kindness quickly became an annual tradition.

Years later, while in the ninth grade, they learned that their uncle, Bill Edwards, had spent much of his childhood in foster care.

“That year, in the ninth grade, we found out that my uncle grew up in the foster care system,” Constanza said.

Edwards said he entered foster care before his first birthday and experienced both positive and difficult placements growing up.

“I was placed in foster care for the first time before the age of 1,” Edwards said. “Moving from different homes, you do experience the good and the bad.”

His story inspired the sisters to think beyond donations and create an organization focused on helping foster youth prepare for the future.

“We came up with Mentoring Miracles because we are very faith-based,” Marianne said. “They are miracles, these kids.”

Today, Mentoring Miracles is run entirely by high school students and focuses on exposing children in foster care to careers they may not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.

“We acknowledged the resources that we had, and we wanted to give them those same opportunities that we grew up with,” Constanza said. “That’s how we had the idea to create these career days and career and internship exposure.”

The nonprofit has organized career-day field trips for youth at His House Children’s Home, giving them behind-the-scenes access to a variety of professions.

Participants have toured Miami International Airport, learned about aviation careers and visited Local 10 News, where they explored television production, met journalists and saw a live newsroom in action.

“It’s been incredible seeing the passion that they have and the potential that they have as well,” Constanza said.

For Edwards, watching his nieces create opportunities for children facing circumstances similar to his own has been especially meaningful.

“I feel lucky, blessed and really happy,” he said.

The sisters hope their uncle’s journey reminds foster youth that their circumstances do not define their future.

“He’s just an example of what these kids can become, of what these kids can do,” Constanza and Marianne said. “They are not limited by their background, and he is just proof of that.”

Mentoring Miracles plans to continue expanding its career exploration program with upcoming visits to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, PortMiami and Blue Origin’s operations hub on Merritt Island. Organizers are also encouraging local businesses to partner with the nonprofit by hosting future career-day experiences.

For more information and to get involved, visit mentoringmiracles.org.

• To donate: If you’d like to make a monetary donation toward a Good News South Florida story or project, click here. Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the “additional information” box.
• To volunteer or submit a story idea: If you’d like to volunteer for a Good News South Florida project or would like to submit a story for consideration, email goodnews@local10.com.

Good News South Florida airs Fridays on the Local 10 morning news at 10 a.m. It will encore Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings, beginning at 6 a.m.

That’s not a bad day in the kitchen, that’s a total breakdown of food safety.

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And yet, none of these restaurants were shut down.

Below is our latest “Dirty 30” list.

These are places that racked up 30 violations or more on a recent inspection.

From skipped handwashing, to unsafe food temperatures, to failed sanitation -- these aren’t minor slip-ups. They’re the basics of running a safe kitchen, and these establishments failed at them, repeatedly, in one visit.

It’s unacceptable.

No places in Broward or the Florida Keys made the list.

**CUBA LIVES RESTAURANT

TWIN TOWERS SHOPPING CENTER

4590 WEST 12TH AVE

HIALEAH

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

INSPECTION DATE 7/14

36 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Displayed food not properly protected from contamination. Observed ice not protected at bar area because the lid was missing.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed approximately five flies landing on utensils and a preparation table in the kitchen.”

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from each other. Observed raw chicken stored above raw pork on shelves in the walk in cooler.”

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed cooked beans, cooked pork, shredded beef, cooked yuca, fried rice, cooked corn and cooked steak held above safe temperatures in the walk in cooler after being stored for two days.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed tuna salad, shrimp salad, cut melon, tuna paste, shredded mozzarella, sliced ham, raw pork, raw chicken, raw steak, marinated beef, cooked beans, cooked pork, shredded beef, cooked yuca, fried rice, cooked corn and cooked steak above safe cold holding temperatures.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed plantains, cooked chicken, pasta, breaded fish and cooked eggs below required hot holding temperatures. Repeat Violation”

“Food contact surface soiled with food debris, mold like substance or slime. Observed food stored on soiled containers in reach in coolers throughout the kitchen.”

“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed at the handwash sink by the three compartment sink.”

“Non pitting surface rust on food contact equipment. Observed rust on the bottom of the dessert reach in cooler.”

“Ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared onsite and held more than 24 hours not properly date marked. Observed cooked pork, cooked beans, cooked pasta and cooked corn in the walk in cooler without date marks.”

“Accumulation of black and green mold like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”

“Bowl or other container with no handle used to dispense food. Observed in the rice container in dry storage.”

“Buildup of food debris and soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed soiled handles throughout the kitchen.”

“Clean linens stored on the floor. Observed in the dry storage area.”

“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed one dead roach inside the handwash sink next to the hot holding units by the buffet area.”

“Employee beverage container on a food preparation table. Observed a personal drink on a preparation table in the kitchen.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed the ice machine at the bar missing its lid.”

“Food storage containers and lids cracked or broken. Observed several cracked and broken containers and lids throughout the kitchen.”

“Food stored on the floor. Observed food containers on the walk in cooler floor.”

“Ice bucket or shovel stored on the floor between uses. Observed ice buckets stored on the floor at the bar.”

“In use ice scoop stored on a soiled surface between uses. Observed the ice scoop stored between ice machines in the back area. Repeat Violation”

“In use knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment. Observed by the three compartment sink.”

“In use tongs stored on an equipment door handle between uses. Observed tongs stored on the oven handle.”

“In use utensil stored with the handle in food. Observed in a sugar container.”

“Interior of oven or microwave has accumulation of black substance, grease or food debris.”

“No conspicuously located ambient air temperature thermometer in holding units. Observed reach in coolers throughout the kitchen without thermometers.”

“Non food contact surfaces soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed soiled cooler gaskets, greasy and dusty fans and grease buildup on a hot holding unit.”

“Outer openings of the establishment could not be properly sealed when not in operation. Observed in the dry storage and ice machine areas.”

“Reach in cooler interiors and shelves had an accumulation of soil residue.”

“Single service articles improperly stored. Observed ice buckets not inverted at the bar.”

“Stored food not covered. Observed several uncovered food containers in the walk in cooler.”

“Walls soiled with accumulated grease, food debris and dust. Observed in the dishwashing area.”

“Wiping cloth chlorine sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength. Observed sanitizer bucket at the bar.”

“Working containers of food removed from original containers not identified by common name. Observed salt and bread crumb containers without labels at the cook line.”

**CHINATOWN WEST

4210 SW 152ND AVENUE

WEST KENDALL

INSPECTION DATE 7/14

33 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Container of medicine improperly stored. Observed inside a display cooler in the customer area.”

“Cook dried hands on a soiled towel after washing.”

“Cooked time/temperature control for safety food not cooled from 135 degrees to 70 degrees within two hours. Observed cooked chicken cooling at room temperature for more than two hours.”

“Dented and rusted can present. Observed a dented can of hoisin sauce in dry storage.”

“Nonfood grade bags used in direct contact with food.”

“Unwashed broccoli stored over sauce in the walk in cooler.”

“Raw chicken stored over cooked beef in the walk in freezer.”

“Raw beef and raw chicken stored over cooked shrimp and cooked chicken in the walk in cooler. Repeat Violation”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed cooked chicken cooling at room temperature for more than two hours, garlic in oil held at room temperature for more than four hours and cooked sliced pork held above safe temperature in the walk in cooler overnight.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed garlic in oil held at room temperature and cooked sliced pork held above safe temperature in the walk in cooler.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed chicken soup and wontons below required hot holding temperatures.”

“Employee has not received adequate training related to assigned duties. Employee was unable to answer basic food safety questions regarding thermometer calibration.”

“Handwash sink not accessible for employee use at all times. Observed cooked chicken wings stored in front of one hand sink and garbage cans blocking another.”

“Ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared onsite and held more than 24 hours not properly date marked. Observed cooked pork in the walk in cooler without a date mark.”

“Three compartment sink too small to accommodate utensils or equipment. Observed cooking pots too large to fit in the sink.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage and ware washing areas.”

“Employee personal food not properly identified and segregated from food served to the public.”

“Employee with no hair restraint while preparing food. Observed cook preparing chicken wings without a hair restraint. Repeat Violation”

“Establishment advertised no MSG used in food, but inspectors found containers of MSG at the cook line and in dry storage.”

“Sponges used on cleaned, sanitized or in use food contact surfaces.”

“Floor heavily soiled with old food debris in the walk in freezer.”

“Cooked chicken wings stored in front of a hand sink where they were exposed to splash contamination.”

“Soy sauce stored on the floor.”

“In use knives stored between pieces of equipment.”

“Wet wiping cloth used under a cutting board.”

“No mop sink or curbed cleaning facility provided.”

“Nonfood contact surfaces soiled with grease and food debris. Observed a soiled mixer exterior and dirty reach in cooler gaskets.”

“Storage racks in the walk in freezer not designed to allow cleaning underneath.”

“Single use bread bags reused to store egg rolls.”

“Hood soiled with accumulated grease.”

“Raw shell eggs, house packaged sauces, raw beef kebabs and cooked pork stored in unprotected coolers and freezers in a customer area.”

“Chlorine sanitizing solution measured at 0 parts per million.”

“Working containers of salt and sugar were not labeled with their common names.”

**EL GRAN TACO

DBA-BIG CRAZY TACO

436 N. KROME AVE

HOMESTEAD

INSPECTION DATE 7/13

35 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Employee began working with food without first washing hands before putting on gloves. Repeat Violation”

“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to begin food preparation. Repeat Violation”

“Raw chicken, raw beef, raw pork and raw fish were stored over ready to eat foods in the reach in cooler.”

“Raw chicken, raw beef and raw fish were not properly separated from each other in the reach in cooler.”

“Stop Sale issued due to adulteration of food. Eleven reduced oxygen packaged bags of tilapia labeled to remain frozen were thawed while still in their packaging. Repeat Violation”

“Stop Sale issued because food was not in a wholesome, sound condition. Eleven reduced oxygen packaged bags of tilapia labeled to remain frozen were thawed while still in their packaging.”

“Raw beef was cold held at 46 degrees at a prep table.”

“Cooked beef, cooked chicken and cooked pork were hot held below 135 degrees.”

“No written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event.”

“Food contact surface soiled with food debris, mold like substance or slime. Observed a heavily rusted and soiled can opener.”

“No probe thermometer provided to measure food temperatures.”

“No proof that employees were informed of their responsibility to report illnesses related to foodborne disease.”

“No soap provided at the kitchen handwash sink.”

“Ready to eat foods prepared onsite and held more than 24 hours were not properly date marked. Observed cooked wings and cooked beef without date marks. Corrective action taken.”

“Black and green mold like substance inside the ice machine.”

“Food debris and soil residue on reach in cooler and freezer door handles. Repeat Violation”

“Ceiling vents and ceiling tiles soiled with food debris, grease, dust or mold like substance.”

“Eleven reduced oxygen packaged bags of tilapia labeled to remain frozen were thawed while still in their packaging.”

“Cutting board with cut marks that was no longer cleanable.”

“Employee preparing food without a hair restraint.”

“Standing water on the floor under the ice machine, beverage cooler and behind cooking equipment and coolers. Repeat Violation”

“Floor soiled with food debris.”

“Multiple floor tiles in disrepair in the kitchen and near the office. Repeat Violation”

“Gallons of milk and cooking oil stored on the floor.”

“Grease accumulation on walls and ceiling due to an inadequate hood ventilation system.”

“Ice buildup inside a chest freezer. Repeat Violation”

“Heavy grease and food debris inside the oven or microwave. Repeat Violation”

“No Heimlich maneuver or choking sign posted.”

“No ambient air thermometer in holding units.”

“Soiled reach in cooler interiors and shelves. Repeat Violation”

“Rusted reach in cooler shelves with pitted surfaces. Repeat Violation”

“Standing water or slow draining water in the kitchen handwash sink. Repeat Violation”

“Multiple containers of stored food left uncovered in reach in coolers and freezers. Repeat Violation”

“Wet mop not stored to allow it to dry.”

“Wet wiping cloths not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.”

**BOTECO MIAMI

916 NE 79TH ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

INSPECTION DATE 7/7

32 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Raw beef stored above open bags of bread in a cooler drawer.”

“Employee cleaned and prepared food without changing gloves between tasks.”

“Chicken kabobs, beef kabobs and pork chorizo were cold held above 41 degrees.”

“Cooked white rice was hot held below 135 degrees.”

“Vacuum breaker missing from the mop sink faucet. Repeat Violation”

“Commercially processed ready to eat food opened more than 24 hours earlier was not properly date marked. Observed a milk container in the walk in cooler opened two days earlier without a date.”

“Food contact surfaces soiled with food debris, mold like substance or slime. Observed a soiled red cutting board at the bar drink station and soiled clean plates in dry storage. Repeat Violation”

“Handwash sink removed from the hookah area.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed beer jars stored inside the bar handwash sink.”

“No chlorine chemical test kit provided.”

“No paper towels at the bar handwash sink.”

“No soap at the bar handwash sink.”

“Non pitting surface rust on food contact equipment. Observed rust on dry storage racks. Repeat Violation”

“Required employee food safety training had expired for multiple employees.”

“Spray bottle containing a toxic substance was not labeled.”

“Black and green mold like substance inside the ice machine.”

“Bathrooms were not completely enclosed with tight fitting, self-closing doors.”

“Ceiling vents and ceiling tiles above the ware washing area were soiled with food debris, grease, dust or mold like substance.”

“Clean ice bucket was not stored inverted.”

“Clean ice bucket stored on the floor.”

“Cold holding equipment not maintained in good repair. Repeat Violation”

“Reach in cooler gaskets were torn. Repeat Violation”

“Standing water on the floor at the bar and ware washing area.”

“Cooking oil and bags of onions stored on the floor.”

“Lights above the cook line and three compartment sink were missing protective shields or covers.”

“No handwashing signs at hand sinks near the bathrooms.”

“Nonfood contact surfaces soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed dirty hoods, cooler gaskets and fans.”

“Reach in cooler shelves with rust that had pitted the surface. Repeat Violation”

“Unsealed concrete floors in the cook line and prep area. Repeat Violation”

“Walk in cooler shelves with rust that had pitted the surface. Repeat Violation”

“Walls soiled with accumulated grease, food debris and dust.”

“Sugar and cooking oil containers were not labeled with their common names.”

**RESTAURANT EL TROVADOR #2

1657 NE 8TH STREET

HOMESTEAD

INSPECTION DATE 7/7

32 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Cooked rice was not cooled from 135 degrees to 41 degrees within six hours. Inspectors found cooked rice at 52 degrees two days after it was prepared.”

“Employee washed hands with cold water because hot water was not available.”

“Household pesticide spray cans were stored in the establishment.”

“Raw shell eggs stored above pupusa mix in the walk in cooler.”

“Shell eggs were not held at 45 degrees or below.”

“Stop Sale issued on cooked rice due to temperature abuse. Inspectors found cooked rice at 52 degrees two days after it was prepared.”

“Raw steak, raw chicken, chicken nuggets, raw shrimp, cut tomatoes, cooked pork and cheese were cold held above 41 degrees.”

“Hot water supply not maintained during peak periods.”

“No hot running water at the three compartment sink.”

“No soap provided at the handwash sink.”

“Ready to eat cooked pork prepared onsite and held more than 24 hours was not properly date marked.”

“Handwash sink did not provide water of at least 85 degrees.”

“Bowl without a handle used to scoop cooked rice and green salsa.”

“Food debris and soil residue on equipment door handles.”

“One dead roach found by the three compartment sink.”

“Employee personal food stored with food intended for customers.”

“Employee personal items stored next to food preparation items.”

“Gap under the exterior back door. Repeat Violation”

“Floors in the walk in cooler and freezer were not constructed to be easily cleanable.”

“Food stored on the floor.”

“Ice scoop handle stored in contact with ice.”

“Tongs stored on an equipment door handle between uses.”

“Wet wiping cloth used under a cutting board.”

“Heavy grease and food debris inside the oven or microwave.”

“No ambient air thermometer in the walk in cooler and standing cooler.”

“No hot running water at the mop sink.”

“Nonfood contact surfaces soiled with grease, food debris, dirt or dust. Observed dirty fan covers and greasy hood filters.”

“Dumpster lid left open.”

“Soiled shelves inside the walk in cooler.”

“Stored food left uncovered in the walk in cooler and freezer.”

“Raw pork thawed improperly in standing water at the three compartment sink.”

“Walk in cooler shelves had rust with pitted surfaces.”

HONORABLE MENTION (29 VIOLATIONS)

**CHINA EXPRESS

LOCATED IN KEY FOOD SUPERMARKET

5301 NE 2ND ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION DATE 7/13

29 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to begin food preparation.”

“Employee touched his face and then handled food without washing his hands.”

“Nine live small flying insects were observed, including five around the mop sink and four above the three compartment sink. Repeat Violation”

“Raw shell eggs stored above butter and vegetables.”

“Raw chicken stored above bags of plantains in the freezer.”

“Fried rice, cooked chicken wings and fries were hot held below 135 degrees. Repeat Violation”

“Food contact surface soiled with food debris, mold like substance or slime. Observed a soiled can opener. Repeat Violation”

“Ready to eat cooked breaded chicken prepared the previous day was not properly date marked.”

“Spray bottle containing a toxic substance was not labeled.”

“Bowl without a handle used to scoop rice.”

“Food debris and soil residue on reach in cooler door handles.”

“Cardboard used as a floor mat was heavily soiled.”

“Ceiling tiles were damaged and in disrepair.”

“Ceiling vents and ceiling tiles were soiled with dust, grease and debris. Repeat Violation”

“Current hotel and restaurant license was not displayed.”

“Employee beverage stored on a food preparation table.”

“Employee eating in a food preparation area.”

“Cook preparing food without a hair restraint.”

“Gap under the exterior back door. Repeat Violation”

“Floors soiled with food debris, including under fryers and food preparation areas. Repeat Violation”

“Floor tiles in disrepair.”

“Rice and soy sauce stored on the floor. Repeat Violation”

“Hole in the wall near the bathroom.”

“Nonfood contact surfaces soiled with grease, food debris and dust, including reach in coolers and dusty divider curtains. Repeat Violation”

“Reach in cooler interiors and shelves soiled with food debris.”

“Reach in cooler shelves rusted with pitted surfaces. Repeat Violation”

“Frozen chicken thawed improperly in standing water at room temperature. Repeat Violation”

“Walls soiled with grease, food debris and dust, including behind the fryers. Repeat Violation”

“Rice container was not labeled with its common name.”

Eso no es un mal día en la cocina, es un fallo total en materia de seguridad alimentaria.

Y, sin embargo, ninguno de estos restaurantes fue clausurado.

A continuación, nuestra última lista de los “30 más sucios”.

Se trata de establecimientos que acumularon 30 infracciones o más en una inspección reciente.

Desde no lavarse las manos hasta mantener los alimentos a temperaturas inadecuadas o pasar por una higiene deficiente, estos no son errores menores. Son aspectos básicos para mantener una cocina segura, y estos establecimientos fallaron en ellos repetidamente durante una sola visita.

Es inaceptable.

Ningún lugar de Broward ni de los Cayos de Florida figuró en la lista.

**RESTAURANTE CUBA LIVES

CENTRO COMERCIAL TORRES GEMELAS

4590 WEST 12TH AVE

HIALEAH

INSPECCIÓN BASADA EN UNA DENUNCIA

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 14/7

Se detectaron 36 infracciones.

“Los alimentos expuestos no estaban debidamente protegidos contra la contaminación. Se observó hielo sin protección en la zona del bar, ya que le faltaba la tapa.”

“Se encontraron pequeños insectos voladores vivos. Se observaron aproximadamente cinco moscas posándose en utensilios y en una mesa de preparación en la cocina.”

“Los alimentos crudos de origen animal no estaban separados adecuadamente entre sí. Se observó pollo crudo almacenado encima de carne de cerdo cruda en los estantes de la cámara frigorífica.”

“Se ha detectado actividad de cucarachas, como lo demuestra el hallazgo de cucarachas vivas.”

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta para alimentos que requerían control de tiempo y temperatura para garantizar su seguridad debido a un manejo inadecuado de la temperatura. Se observó que frijoles cocidos, cerdo cocido, carne de res deshebrada, yuca cocida, arroz frito, maíz cocido y bistec cocido se mantenían a temperaturas superiores a las seguras en la cámara frigorífica después de haber estado almacenados durante dos días.

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para la seguridad de los alimentos refrigerados a más de 5 grados Celsius (41 grados Fahrenheit). Se observó que la ensalada de atún, la ensalada de camarones, el melón cortado, la pasta de atún, la mozzarella rallada, el jamón en rodajas, el cerdo crudo, el pollo crudo, el bistec crudo, la carne de res marinada, los frijoles cocidos, el cerdo cocido, la carne de res desmenuzada, la yuca cocida, el arroz frito, el maíz cocido y el bistec cocido superaban las temperaturas seguras de refrigeración.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para la seguridad alimentaria, excepto asados ​​de carne entera, mantenidos en caliente a menos de 135 grados Fahrenheit. Se observaron plátanos, pollo cocido, pasta, pescado empanizado y huevos cocidos por debajo de las temperaturas requeridas para mantenerlos en caliente. Infracción reiterada.”

“Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observaron alimentos almacenados en recipientes sucios en refrigeradores de toda la cocina.”

“No se proporcionan toallas de papel ni secadores de manos mecánicos en el lavamanos. Observado en el lavamanos de tres compartimentos.”

“Óxido superficial no corrosivo en equipos en contacto con alimentos. Se observó óxido en la parte inferior del refrigerador de postres.”

“Alimentos listos para consumir, que requieren control de tiempo y temperatura para su seguridad, preparados en el establecimiento y conservados durante más de 24 horas, no estaban debidamente fechados. Se observó carne de cerdo cocida, frijoles cocidos, pasta cocida y maíz cocido en la cámara frigorífica sin fecha de caducidad.”

“Acumulación de una sustancia negra y verde parecida al moho en el interior de la máquina de hielo.”

“Recipiente o bol sin asa utilizado para servir comida. Observado en el recipiente de arroz almacenado en seco.”

“Acumulación de restos de comida y suciedad en las manijas de las puertas de los equipos. Se observaron manijas sucias en toda la cocina.”

“Ropa de cama limpia almacenada en el suelo. Observado en la zona de almacenamiento en seco.”

“La tabla de cortar tiene marcas de cortes y ya no se puede limpiar.”

“Se han encontrado cucarachas muertas en las instalaciones. Se observó una cucaracha muerta dentro del lavamanos, junto a las unidades de calentamiento de alimentos cerca del área del bufé.”

“Recipiente de bebida de un empleado sobre una mesa de preparación de alimentos. Se observó una bebida personal sobre una mesa de preparación en la cocina.”

“El equipo está en mal estado. Observé que a la máquina de hielo del bar le faltaba la tapa.”

“Recipientes y tapas para almacenar alimentos agrietados o rotos. Se observaron varios recipientes y tapas agrietados y rotos en toda la cocina.”

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observaron recipientes de alimentos en el suelo de la cámara frigorífica.”

“Cubitera o pala guardada en el suelo entre usos. Se observaron cubiteras guardadas en el suelo en el bar.”

“Se observó una pala para hielo guardada sobre una superficie sucia entre usos. Se encontró la pala guardada entre las máquinas de hielo en la zona trasera. Infracción reiterada.”

“Cuchillos en uso guardados en las grietas entre las piezas del equipo. Observados junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“Pinzas en uso guardadas en la manija de la puerta de un equipo entre usos. Se observaron pinzas guardadas en la manija del horno.”

“Utensilio en uso guardado con el mango dentro de la comida. Observado en un recipiente de azúcar.”

“El interior del horno o microondas presenta acumulación de una sustancia negra, grasa o restos de comida.”

“No se encontraron termómetros de temperatura ambiente en lugares visibles en las unidades de almacenamiento. Se observaron refrigeradores sin termómetros en toda la cocina.”

“Superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos sucias de grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron juntas de refrigerador sucias, ventiladores grasientos y polvorientos, y acumulación de grasa en una unidad de mantenimiento de temperatura.”

“Las aberturas exteriores del establecimiento no se podían sellar correctamente cuando no estaba en funcionamiento. Esto se observó en las áreas de almacenamiento en seco y de la máquina de hielo.”

“En el interior de los refrigeradores y en los estantes se había acumulado suciedad.”

“Artículos de un solo uso almacenados incorrectamente. Se observaron cubos de hielo sin colocar boca abajo en la barra.”

“Alimentos almacenados sin tapar. Se observaron varios recipientes de comida sin tapar en la cámara frigorífica.”

“Paredes sucias con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y polvo. Observado en la zona de lavado de platos.”

“La solución desinfectante de cloro para paños de limpieza no tenía la concentración mínima adecuada. Se observó un cubo de desinfectante en el bar.”

“Se observaron recipientes de alimentos sin etiquetar, retirados de sus envases originales. También se observaron recipientes de sal y pan rallado sin etiquetas en la línea de cocción.”

**Barrio Chino Oeste

4210 SW 152ND AVENUE

WEST KENDALL

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 14/7

Se detectaron 33 infracciones.

“Envase de medicamento almacenado incorrectamente. Observado dentro de una vitrina refrigerada en la zona de atención al cliente.”

“Después de lavarse las manos, séquelas con una toalla sucia.”

“Se observó que el alimento cocinado, sometido a control de tiempo y temperatura para garantizar su seguridad, no se enfrió de 135 grados a 70 grados en dos horas. Se observó que el pollo cocido se enfrió a temperatura ambiente durante más de dos horas.”

“Presenta una lata abollada y oxidada. Se observó una lata abollada de salsa hoisin en un almacén seco.”

“Bolsas no aptas para uso alimentario que se utilizan en contacto directo con alimentos.”

“Brócoli sin lavar almacenado sobre salsa en la cámara frigorífica.”

“Pollo crudo almacenado encima de carne de res cocida en el congelador industrial.”

“Carne cruda y pollo crudo almacenados encima de camarones cocidos y pollo cocido en la cámara frigorífica. Infracción reiterada”.

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta para alimentos que requerían control de tiempo y temperatura para garantizar su seguridad debido a un manejo inadecuado de la temperatura. Se observó pollo cocido enfriándose a temperatura ambiente durante más de dos horas, ajo en aceite mantenido a temperatura ambiente durante más de cuatro horas y carne de cerdo cocida en rodajas mantenida a una temperatura superior a la segura en la cámara frigorífica durante toda la noche.

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para garantizar la seguridad de los alimentos refrigerados a más de 5 grados Celsius (41 grados Fahrenheit). Se observó ajo en aceite a temperatura ambiente y carne de cerdo cocida en rodajas a una temperatura superior a la segura en la cámara frigorífica.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para la seguridad alimentaria, excepto el asado de carne entera, mantenido caliente a menos de 135 grados Fahrenheit. Se observó que la sopa de pollo y los wontons estaban por debajo de las temperaturas requeridas para mantenerse calientes.”

“El empleado no ha recibido la capacitación adecuada para las tareas que se le han asignado. El empleado no pudo responder preguntas básicas sobre seguridad alimentaria relacionadas con la calibración del termómetro.”

“El lavamanos no está siempre accesible para los empleados. Se observaron alitas de pollo cocinadas almacenadas frente a un lavamanos y cubos de basura bloqueando otro.”

“Alimentos listos para consumir, que requieren control de tiempo y temperatura para su seguridad, preparados en el establecimiento y conservados durante más de 24 horas sin la fecha de caducidad debidamente marcada. Se observó carne de cerdo cocida en la cámara frigorífica sin fecha de caducidad.”

“El fregadero de tres compartimentos es demasiado pequeño para acomodar los utensilios o el equipo. Se observaron ollas demasiado grandes para caber en el fregadero.”

“El techo no es liso, no es absorbente y se limpia fácilmente en las zonas de preparación de alimentos, almacenamiento de alimentos y lavado de utensilios.”

“Los alimentos personales de los empleados no estaban debidamente identificados ni separados de los alimentos servidos al público.”

“Empleado sin redecilla para el cabello mientras preparaba alimentos. Se observó al cocinero preparando alitas de pollo sin redecilla. Infracción reiterada”.

“El establecimiento anunciaba que no utilizaba glutamato monosódico (GMS) en sus alimentos, pero los inspectores encontraron envases de GMS en la zona de cocción y en el almacén de productos secos.”

“Esponjas utilizadas en superficies limpias, desinfectadas o en uso que estén en contacto con alimentos.”

“El suelo del congelador está muy sucio con restos de comida vieja.”

“Alitas de pollo cocinadas almacenadas frente a un lavamanos, donde estuvieron expuestas a salpicaduras de contaminación.”

“Salsa de soja almacenada en el suelo.”

“Cuchillos en uso almacenados entre las piezas de equipo.”

“Paño húmedo para limpiar debajo de una tabla de cortar.”

“No se proporciona fregadero para fregar ni zona de limpieza exterior.”

“Las superficies que no entran en contacto con los alimentos estaban sucias de grasa y restos de comida. Se observó el exterior de la batidora sucio y las juntas del refrigerador sucias.”

“Los estantes de almacenamiento en el congelador industrial no están diseñados para permitir la limpieza por debajo.”

“Bolsas de pan de un solo uso reutilizadas para guardar rollitos de primavera.”

“Capó ​​sucio con grasa acumulada.”

“Huevos crudos con cáscara, salsas caseras envasadas, brochetas de ternera cruda y carne de cerdo cocida almacenadas en refrigeradores y congeladores sin protección en un área de atención al cliente.”

“Solución desinfectante de cloro medida a 0 partes por millón.”

“Los recipientes de sal y azúcar que se usaban no estaban etiquetados con sus nombres comunes.”

**EL GRAN TACO

DBA-BIG CRAZY TACO

436 N. KROME AVE

GRANJA

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 13/7

Se detectaron 35 infracciones.

“El empleado comenzó a manipular alimentos sin lavarse las manos antes de ponerse los guantes. Reincidencia.”

“El empleado no se lavó las manos antes de ponerse los guantes para comenzar a preparar los alimentos. Reincidencia.”

“En el refrigerador se almacenaban pollo crudo, carne de res cruda, cerdo crudo y pescado crudo encima de alimentos listos para el consumo.”

“El pollo crudo, la carne de res cruda y el pescado crudo no estaban debidamente separados entre sí en el refrigerador.”

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta debido a la adulteración de alimentos. Once bolsas de tilapia envasadas en atmósfera reducida, etiquetadas para permanecer congeladas, fueron descongeladas dentro de su envase. Infracción reiterada.

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta porque los alimentos no se encontraban en condiciones higiénicas ni seguras. Once bolsas de tilapia envasadas en atmósfera reducida, etiquetadas para permanecer congeladas, se descongelaron dentro de su envase original.

“La carne cruda se mantenía refrigerada a 46 grados en una mesa de preparación.”

“La carne de res cocida, el pollo cocido y el cerdo cocido se mantuvieron calientes a una temperatura inferior a 135 grados.”

“No existen procedimientos escritos que los empleados deban seguir en caso de vómitos o diarrea.”

“Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observó un abrelatas muy oxidado y sucio.”

“No se proporcionó ningún termómetro de sonda para medir la temperatura de los alimentos.”

“No hay pruebas de que los empleados fueran informados de su responsabilidad de notificar las enfermedades relacionadas con las enfermedades transmitidas por los alimentos.”

“No hay jabón en el lavamanos de la cocina.”

Los alimentos listos para consumir, preparados en el establecimiento y conservados durante más de 24 horas, no estaban debidamente fechados. Se observaron alitas de pollo y carne de res cocida sin fecha de caducidad. Se tomaron medidas correctivas.

“Una sustancia negra y verde parecida al moho dentro de la máquina de hielo.”

Restos de comida y suciedad en las manijas de las puertas del refrigerador y del congelador. Infracción reiterada.

“Rejillas de ventilación y placas del techo sucias con restos de comida, grasa, polvo o una sustancia similar al moho.”

“Once bolsas de tilapia envasadas en atmósfera reducida y etiquetadas para permanecer congeladas fueron descongeladas mientras aún estaban en su envase.”

“Tabla de cortar con marcas de cortes que ya no se podía limpiar.”

“Empleado preparando comida sin redecilla para el cabello.”

“Agua estancada en el suelo debajo de la máquina de hielo, el refrigerador de bebidas y detrás de los equipos de cocina y refrigeradores. Infracción reiterada”.

“El suelo está sucio con restos de comida.”

“Varias baldosas del suelo están deterioradas en la cocina y cerca de la oficina. Infracción reiterada”.

“Galones de leche y aceite de cocina almacenados en el suelo.”

“Acumulación de grasa en paredes y techo debido a un sistema de ventilación de la campana extractora inadecuado.”

Acumulación de hielo en el interior de un congelador horizontal. Infracción reiterada.

“Abundante grasa y restos de comida dentro del horno o microondas. Infracción reiterada”.

“No hay ninguna señal que indique la maniobra de Heimlich ni la situación de asfixia.”

“No hay termómetro de aire ambiente en las unidades de espera.”

“Alimentos sucios en el interior y estantes de los refrigeradores. Infracción reiterada”.

“Estantes refrigerados oxidados con superficies picadas. Infracción reiterada”.

“Agua estancada o drenaje lento en el lavamanos de la cocina. Infracción reiterada”.

“Varios recipientes con alimentos almacenados quedaron destapados al alcance de la mano en refrigeradores y congeladores. Infracción reiterada.”

“La fregona mojada no se guardó para que se secara.”

“Los paños húmedos no deben guardarse en solución desinfectante entre usos.”

**BOTECO MIAMI

916 NE CALLE 79.

MIAMI

INSPECCIÓN BASADA EN UNA DENUNCIA

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 7/7

Se detectaron 32 infracciones.

“Carne cruda almacenada encima de bolsas de pan abiertas en un cajón refrigerado.”

“El empleado limpió y preparó alimentos sin cambiarse los guantes entre tareas.”

“Los pinchos de pollo, los pinchos de ternera y el chorizo ​​de cerdo se mantuvieron refrigerados a una temperatura superior a los 41 grados.”

“El arroz blanco cocido se mantuvo caliente por debajo de los 135 grados.”

Falta el interruptor de vacío en el grifo del fregadero. Infracción reiterada.

“Los alimentos procesados ​​comercialmente y listos para consumir, abiertos hacía más de 24 horas, no estaban debidamente fechados. Se observó un envase de leche en la cámara frigorífica, abierto dos días antes y sin fecha.”

“Superficies en contacto con alimentos sucias con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observó una tabla de cortar roja sucia en la estación de bebidas del bar y platos limpios sucios en el almacén de alimentos secos. Infracción reiterada.”

“Se ha retirado el lavamanos de la zona de narguiles.”

“El lavamanos se utiliza para fines distintos al lavado de manos. Se observaron frascos de cerveza almacenados dentro del lavamanos del bar.”

“No se proporciona ningún kit de análisis químico de cloro.”

“No hay toallas de papel en el lavamanos del bar.”

“No hay jabón en el lavamanos del bar.”

“Óxido superficial no punzante en equipos en contacto con alimentos. Se observó óxido en estantes de almacenamiento en seco. Infracción reiterada.”

“La formación obligatoria sobre seguridad alimentaria para varios empleados había caducado.”

“El frasco pulverizador que contenía una sustancia tóxica no estaba etiquetado.”

“Una sustancia negra y verde parecida al moho dentro de la máquina de hielo.”

“Los baños no estaban completamente cerrados con puertas que ajustaran herméticamente y se cerraran automáticamente.”

“Las rejillas de ventilación y las placas del techo situadas encima de la zona de lavado de vajilla estaban sucias con restos de comida, grasa, polvo o una sustancia parecida al moho.”

“El cubo de hielo limpio no se guardó boca abajo.”

“Cubitera limpia guardada en el suelo.”

“Equipo de refrigeración no mantenido en buen estado. Infracción reiterada”.

“Las juntas del refrigerador estaban rotas. Infracción reiterada.”

“Agua estancada en el suelo de la barra y en la zona de lavado de vajilla.”

“Aceite de cocina y bolsas de cebollas almacenadas en el suelo.”

“Las luces situadas encima de la zona de cocción y el fregadero de tres compartimentos carecían de protectores o cubiertas.”

“Hay carteles que prohíben lavarse las manos en los lavamanos cerca de los baños.”

“Superficies que no están en contacto con alimentos sucias de grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron campanas extractoras, juntas de refrigeradores y ventiladores sucios.”

“Alcanzar estantes refrigerados con óxido que había corroído la superficie. Infracción reiterada”.

“Pisos de concreto sin sellar en la línea de cocción y el área de preparación. Infracción reiterada”.

“Estantes de la cámara frigorífica con óxido que había corroído la superficie. Infracción reiterada”.

“Paredes sucias con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y polvo.”

“Los envases de azúcar y aceite de cocina no estaban etiquetados con sus nombres comunes.”

**RESTAURANTE EL TROVADOR #2

1657 NE 8TH STREET

GRANJA

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 7/7

Se detectaron 32 infracciones.

“El arroz cocido no se enfrió de 135 grados a 41 grados en un plazo de seis horas. Los inspectores encontraron arroz cocido a 52 grados dos días después de su preparación.”

“El empleado se lavó las manos con agua fría porque no había agua caliente disponible.”

“En el establecimiento se almacenaban latas de insecticida doméstico en aerosol.”

“Huevos crudos con cáscara almacenados encima de la mezcla para pupusas en la cámara frigorífica.”

“Los huevos con cáscara no se mantuvieron a 45 grados o menos.”

Se ha emitido una orden de cese de venta para el arroz cocido debido a un manejo inadecuado de la temperatura. Los inspectores encontraron arroz cocido a 52 grados dos días después de su preparación.

“Los filetes crudos, el pollo crudo, los nuggets de pollo, los camarones crudos, los tomates cortados, la carne de cerdo cocida y el queso se mantuvieron refrigerados a más de 41 grados.”

“El suministro de agua caliente no se mantiene durante los períodos de mayor demanda.”

“No hay agua caliente corriente en el fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“No hay jabón en el lavamanos.”

“La carne de cerdo cocida lista para consumir, preparada en el establecimiento y conservada durante más de 24 horas, no estaba debidamente fechada.”

“El lavamanos no proporcionaba agua a una temperatura mínima de 85 grados.”

“Recipiente sin asa que se usa para servir arroz cocido y salsa verde.”

“Restos de comida y suciedad en las manijas de las puertas de los equipos.”

“Se encontró una cucaracha muerta junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“Alimentos personales de los empleados almacenados junto con alimentos destinados a los clientes.”

“Los artículos personales de los empleados se guardan junto a los utensilios para la preparación de alimentos.”

“Hueco debajo de la puerta trasera exterior. Infracción reiterada”.

“Los suelos de la cámara frigorífica y del congelador no estaban diseñados para ser fáciles de limpiar.”

“Comida almacenada en el suelo.”

“El mango de la pala para hielo se guarda en contacto con el hielo.”

“Pinzas guardadas en la manija de la puerta de un equipo entre usos.”

“Paño húmedo para limpiar debajo de una tabla de cortar.”

“Abundante grasa y restos de comida dentro del horno o microondas.”

“No hay termómetro de temperatura ambiente en la cámara frigorífica ni en el refrigerador vertical.”

“No hay agua caliente corriente en el fregadero para fregar.”

“Superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos sucias de grasa, restos de comida, suciedad o polvo. Se observaron cubiertas de ventiladores sucias y filtros de campana extractora grasientos.”

“La tapa del contenedor de basura quedó abierta.”

“Estantes sucios dentro de la cámara frigorífica.”

“Alimentos almacenados sin tapar en la cámara frigorífica y el congelador.”

“La carne de cerdo cruda se descongeló incorrectamente en agua estancada en el fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“Los estantes de la cámara frigorífica presentaban óxido y superficies picadas.”

MENCIÓN HONORÍFICA (29 INFRACCIONES)

**CHINA EXPRESS

UBICADO EN EL SUPERMERCADO KEY FOOD

5301 NE 2ND ST.

MIAMI

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 13/7

Se detectaron 29 infracciones.

“El empleado no se lavó las manos antes de ponerse los guantes para comenzar a preparar los alimentos.”

“El empleado se tocó la cara y luego manipuló la comida sin lavarse las manos.”

Se observaron nueve insectos voladores pequeños vivos, cinco de ellos alrededor del fregadero y cuatro encima del fregadero de tres compartimentos. Infracción reiterada.

“Huevos crudos con cáscara almacenados encima de mantequilla y verduras.”

“Pollo crudo almacenado encima de bolsas de plátanos en el congelador.”

“El arroz frito, las alitas de pollo cocidas y las papas fritas se mantuvieron calientes a una temperatura inferior a 135 grados. Infracción reiterada”.

“Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observó un abrelatas sucio. Infracción reiterada.”

“El pollo empanizado cocido listo para consumir, preparado el día anterior, no estaba debidamente fechado.”

“El frasco pulverizador que contenía una sustancia tóxica no estaba etiquetado.”

“Recipiente sin asa que se usa para servir arroz.”

“Restos de comida y suciedad en las manijas de las puertas de los refrigeradores.”

“El cartón utilizado como alfombra estaba muy sucio.”

“Las baldosas del techo estaban dañadas y en mal estado.”

“Las rejillas de ventilación y las placas del techo estaban sucias de polvo, grasa y residuos. Infracción reiterada”.

“No se exhibió la licencia vigente del hotel y del restaurante.”

“Bebida de un empleado almacenada en una mesa de preparación de alimentos.”

“Empleado comiendo en un área de preparación de alimentos.”

“Cocinero que prepara alimentos sin sujeción para el cabello.”

“Hueco debajo de la puerta trasera exterior. Infracción reiterada”.

“Suelos sucios con restos de comida, incluso debajo de las freidoras y las zonas de preparación de alimentos. Infracción reiterada”.

“Los azulejos del suelo están deteriorados.”

“Arroz y salsa de soja almacenados en el suelo. Infracción reiterada”.

“Un agujero en la pared cerca del baño.”

“Superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos sucias con grasa, restos de comida y polvo, incluyendo refrigeradores y cortinas divisorias polvorientas. Infracción reiterada”.

“El interior de los refrigeradores y los estantes están sucios con restos de comida.”

“Estantes refrigerados oxidados y con superficies picadas. Infracción reiterada.”

“Pollo congelado descongelado incorrectamente en agua estancada a temperatura ambiente. Infracción reiterada”.

“Paredes sucias de grasa, restos de comida y polvo, incluso detrás de las freidoras. Infracción reiterada”.

“El recipiente del arroz no estaba etiquetado con su nombre común.”

The FAA said that after months of review the agency decided that Boeing's final safety checks on its planes are good enough to ensure they are airworthy.

Since September, Boeing and the agency had been taking weekly turns performing the safety checks that are required before aircraft are cleared for delivery and declared safe to fly. The FAA said Friday that the plane maker and government inspectors were both issuing similar findings as they issued airworthiness certificates.

Federal regulators took full control over 737 Max approvals in 2019, after the second of two crashes that were later blamed on a new software system Boeing developed for the aircraft. The FAA ended the company’s right to self-certify 787 Dreamliners in 2022, citing ongoing production quality issues.

“Safety drives everything we do, and this step forward is only possible because we are confident it can be done safely,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

Government inspectors will continue to oversee Boeing’s factories, but Bedford said they will now be able to focus more on finding and addressing potential defects earlier in the manufacturing process. The plane maker said it will continue working to improve safety.

“Boeing will continue to work under the oversight of the FAA in building safe, high-quality commercial airplanes that comply with all airworthiness certification requirements,” Boeing said in a statement.

Over the past year the FAA has also been easing the monthly production limits it imposed on Boeing's 737 Max jets after a panel flew off one of those planes operated by Alaska Airlines midflight in January 2024. That limit has gradually increased from 38 per month to reach 47 per month this summer.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Thursday that Jamaican officials were still attempting to contact the third citizen.

“During the discussion, the men were advised of the consular assistance available to them and of the government’s readiness to facilitate their return to Jamaica,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The Jamaican government advised the pair that authorities "could not determine their immigration status in the United States or secure their return there. Both men maintained that they did not wish to return to Jamaica.”

Contact was established through the Jamaican Consulate in Miami and a legal adviser representing the men, who haven't been identified.

Jamaica’s outreach followed diplomatic inquiries directed at U.S. officials in Washington, alongside formal representations made to Eswatini’s government through Jamaica’s diplomatic mission in Pretoria, South Africa.

The growing number of third-country deportations by the U.S. government to places including Eswatini have been widely criticized by lawyers and human rights groups.

Eswatini is a tiny kingdom bordering South Africa where the king holds absolute power and has been accused of clamping down on pro-democracy movements.

Orville Etoria, who was the first Jamaican national sent to Eswatini under the program, was repatriated to his country last September.

His lawyers have accused the U.S. of deporting him unlawfully there in July 2025 and said that he and others were repeatedly denied visits by a lawyer.

Etoria was repatriated with help from the International Organization for Migration, or IOM, a U.N. agency.

Un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de North Bay Village señala que todo comenzó alrededor de las 2 a.m., cuando agentes observaron a Alexander Neil Lawrence, de 31 años, realizando “múltiples giros en U de manera errática cerca de una zona de construcción activa donde había trabajadores y agentes de Policía” cerca de Hispanola Avenue, en Treasure Island.

Luego, “aceleró y huyó a alta velocidad”, informó la Policía.

“Intenté obtener la información de la placa y realizar una parada de tráfico”, escribió en el informe el agente de la Policía de North Bay Village Branden Stephens. “Activé las luces de mi patrulla y, en ese momento, el vehículo continuó acelerando en un aparente intento de provocar una persecución”.

Stephens escribió que, mientras conducía entre 75 y 85 mph por la calzada para intentar acortar la distancia, Lawrence “aún mantenía una distancia considerable por delante de mí”.

Las autoridades indicaron que Lawrence condujo hacia el oeste por la calzada, pasando por North Bay Island y Harbor Island, y luego salió de la ciudad en dirección a la isla donde se encuentra Pelican Harbor Marina.

Según el informe, Lawrence regresó poco después a North Bay Village y “continuó hacia la zona de construcción, casi impactando la parte trasera de otra patrulla policial identificada”.

La Policía intentó perseguirlo nuevamente, señala el informe. Sin embargo, las autoridades indicaron que Lawrence volvió a huir “a alta velocidad” y se pasó varios semáforos en rojo en Hispanola Avenue, Adventure Avenue y Larry Paskow Way.

Las autoridades informaron que poco después un denunciante anónimo llamó a la Policía para informar que Lawrence había ingresado a la gasolinera Shell ubicada en 1345 John F. Kennedy Causeway.

La Policía indicó que los agentes se acercaron a Lawrence mientras se alejaba del vehículo y que este reconoció ser el conductor.

Stephens escribió que, durante una inspección del vehículo realizada debido al “comportamiento errático y las pupilas dilatadas” de Lawrence, su perro K-9 Atlas “mostró interés en el interior” del automóvil, indicando la posible presencia de drogas, aunque la Policía señaló que no encontró ninguna.

La Policía indicó que el Mustang estaba “caliente al tacto y emitía vapores debido al alto rendimiento y la velocidad que había alcanzado”, y arrestó a Lawrence, nacido en Toronto, por un cargo de huir y evadir a la Policía a alta velocidad y por conducción temeraria.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, Lawrence permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight y los registros de la cárcel de Miami-Dade indicaban que su fianza estaba “pendiente de fijarse”.

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An arrest report from the North Bay Village Police Department states that it began at around 2 a.m. after officers saw Alexander Neil Lawrence, 31, making “multiple erratic U-turns near an active construction zone where workers and police officers were present” near Hispanola Avenue on Treasure Island.

He then “accelerated away at high speed,” police said.

“I attempted to obtain the tag information and conduct a traffic stop,“ NBVPD Officer Branden Stephens wrote in the report. ”My police cruiser’s stand-by lights were activated, at which point the vehicle continued to accelerate away in an apparent attempt to bait a pursuit.”

Stephens wrote that while traveling 75 to 85 mph on the causeway to try to close the distance, Lawrence “was still maintaining a significant distance ahead of me.”

Authorities said Lawrence drove west on the causeway onto North Bay and Harbor islands and then drove out of the city towards the island containing Pelican Harbor Marina.

According to the report, Lawrence soon came back into North Bay Village and “continued toward the construction site, while almost striking the rear end of another marked police vehicle.”

Police tried to pursue it again, it states. But authorities said Lawrence drove away “at high speeds” and ran red lights at Hispanola Avenue, Adventure Avenue and Larry Paskow Way.

Authorities said a short time later, an anonymous caller to police reported that Lawrence had pulled into the Shell gas station at 1345 John F. Kennedy Causeway.

Police said they approached Lawrence as he walked away from the vehicle and he acknowledged being the driver.

Stephens wrote that during a pass of the vehicle conducted because of Lawrence’s “erratic behavior and dilated pupils,“ his K-9 dog, Atlas, ”showed interest in the interior," indicating the possibility of drugs inside, but police said they did not find any.

Police noted that the Mustang was “hot to the touch and emitting fumes from the high performance and velocity it exhibited” and arrested the Toronto-born Lawrence on a charge of fleeing and eluding at high speed and a traffic charge for reckless driving.

As of Friday afternoon, Lawrence was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed as “to be set” in Miami-Dade jail records.

The newest Kimi K3 model from Beijing-based startup Moonshot, run by a Pink Floyd-loving entrepreneur who earned his doctorate in Pittsburgh, appears to be catching up to the best versions of Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT.

“This may be the single biggest release of the year,” and marks a moment when open-source Chinese models are surpassing closed U.S. models, said Anastasios Angelopoulos, co-founder and CEO of Arena, a platform for evaluating AI systems.

Kimi K3 topped the charts in Arena's ranking of what it calls “front-end coding capability,” a measure of an AI large language model's performance. “More results are rolling in that are likely to continue to show it is at the top of the pack,” Angelopoulos said on social media.

It was not likely a coincidence that K3's unveiling came shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping's opening address Friday to the nation's annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.

American-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing some of the world’s most advanced technologies, spurring China’s efforts to build its own know-how and intensifying the rivalry between the world’s two biggest economies.

“The development of artificial intelligence should not be a solo performance by any single country but rather a symphony of global cooperation,” Xi said at the event.

Chinese AI models have shown large strides

K3 follows another major AI model release last month from the Chinese startup Zhipu, or Z.ai. Its new flagship GLM-5.2 model is already widely used by software developers around the world who say it can perform work almost as well as top U.S. models at a lower price.

The hype over the new Chinese model resembles the market-shaking panic that followed Chinese startup DeepSeek 's new model release in early 2025, though not everyone finds it justified. The response to K3 is an “overreaction shockingly similar” to DeepSeek's release last year, said tech analyst Patrick Moorhead on social media. He said it could be good for parts of the broader AI industry but poses a revenue challenge to Anthropic and OpenAI.

During the conference, which runs until Monday, tech giant Huawei has also been showcasing a new AI computing system called the Atlas 950 SuperPoD, a signal that China increasingly is amassing the domestic hardware it needs despite U.S. restrictions on imports from chipmakers like Nvidia.

Moonshot hasn’t said what hardware it used to build K3, but the startup is a partner with Huawei.

The price to use K3 is the highest yet for a Chinese AI model, but is still half as expensive as OpenAI’s high-performing GPT-5.6 Sol model, according to a Friday report by Bank of America research analysts.

U.S. politicians and several major U.S. AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have accused Chinese AI models of illicit “distillation” of their models to extract their technologies, a claim that Beijing says is “groundless.”

Anthropic in February accused DeepSeek, Moonshot and a third China-based AI lab, MiniMax, of engaging in campaigns to “illicitly extract Claude’s capabilities to improve their own models” using the distillation technique that “involves training a less capable model on the outputs of a stronger one.”

Anthropic said that distillation can be a legitimate way to train AI systems but it’s a problem when competitors “use it to acquire powerful capabilities from other labs in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost, that it would take to develop them independently.”

But it can go both ways. San Francisco-based startup Anysphere, maker of the popular coding tool Cursor, has acknowledged that one of its top products was based on Moonshot’s K2.5 model. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning to close a deal to buy Cursor for $60 billion later this year.

K3 marks a leap for ‘open-source’ AI models

Moonshot co-founder and CEO Yang Zhilin earned his Ph.D. in 2019 at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is said to have made fundamental contributions to the machine-learning field and was known for a love of rock bands like Pink Floyd.

The pride among his former colleagues at the Pennsylvania school transcends the U.S.-China rivalry.

“What a huge win for the open-source community! It feels like just yesterday Zhilin was graduating from my lab at CMU,” wrote his former adviser Russ Salakhutdinov, who is also a former director of AI research at Apple.

Developers who build “open-source” AI make key components of the technology accessible for anyone to examine, modify and build upon. Proponents say open-source practices promote innovation, while critics warn that making powerful AI models publicly accessible poses safety and security dangers. ___

Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him contributed to this report.

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Jail records show Kevin Perez was arrested Thursday by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

According to arrest reports, the two separate cases involved different victims and occurred in the county’s Kendale Lakes neighborhood.

In the first case, deputies said they responded just before midnight Monday to a home in the 12700 block of Southwest 68th Terrace after receiving a report of a burglary in progress.

The victim told deputies she was asleep in her bedroom when she woke up and saw an “unknown male figure” standing in her doorway, according to the report.

The report states she screamed “hello” twice, causing the man to turn around and walk away.

Deputies said the woman then discovered the home’s laundry room sliding glass door was open.

According to the report, the victim locked herself in her bedroom and called 911. While on the phone, she heard a loud noise coming from the kitchen as the intruder fled, investigators said.

Deputies said they determined the suspect had forced entry by prying open the laundry room sliding glass door with an unknown tool, causing about $500 in damage.

Investigators said they collected DNA and fingerprint evidence from the scene. The report states that MDSO’s crime lab notified investigators Thursday of a DNA match identifying Perez.

Deputies said they later arrested Perez, who also lives in the Kendale Lakes area, later that day on an unrelated Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office case. According to the report, after waiving his Miranda rights, Perez gave “verbal and written statements implicating himself in the burglary.”

Deputies said in a separate case involving a different victim, Perez faces one count of aggravated stalking.

According to that arrest report, the investigation began after deputies reviewed surveillance video from July 12 showing Perez approaching the victim in a parking lot in the 6700 block of Southwest 132nd Avenue before engaging her in conversation.

The report states that later that evening, security cameras captured Perez loitering behind the victim’s apartment, looking through the rear sliding glass door and then sitting on the grass while continuing to watch the home.

The following night, the victim’s neighbor’s Ring camera allegedly recorded Perez attempting to open the victim’s front door before deputies responded to the nearby burglary investigation, authorities said.

According to the report, Perez was taken to the MDSO’s Hammocks District Station on Thursday, where, after waiving his Miranda rights, he provided verbal and written statements implicating himself in the stalking investigation.

Investigators concluded that Perez “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly stalked” the victim before eventually forcing his way into her home to watch her while she slept, according to his arrest report.

Jail records show Perez is facing burglary, voyeurism and criminal mischief charges in the first case, along with one count of aggravated stalking in the second case.

As of Friday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Kevin Perez fue arrestado el jueves por la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

Según los informes de arresto, los dos casos separados involucraron a diferentes víctimas y ocurrieron en el vecindario Kendale Lakes del condado.

En el primer caso, los agentes informaron que respondieron poco antes de la medianoche del lunes a una vivienda ubicada en la cuadra 12700 de Southwest 68th Terrace tras recibir un reporte de un allanamiento en progreso.

La víctima dijo a los agentes que estaba dormida en su habitación cuando despertó y vio a “una figura masculina desconocida” de pie en la entrada de la habitación, según el informe.

El informe señala que ella gritó “hola” dos veces, lo que provocó que el hombre se diera la vuelta y se alejara.

Los agentes indicaron que la mujer descubrió posteriormente que la puerta corrediza de vidrio del cuarto de lavado estaba abierta.

Según el informe, la víctima se encerró en su habitación y llamó al 911. Mientras hablaba por teléfono, escuchó un fuerte ruido proveniente de la cocina mientras el intruso huía, indicaron los investigadores.

Los agentes determinaron que el sospechoso había ingresado forzando la puerta corrediza de vidrio del cuarto de lavado con una herramienta desconocida, causando aproximadamente $500 USD en daños.

Los investigadores informaron que recolectaron evidencia de ADN y huellas dactilares en la escena. El informe señala que el laboratorio criminalístico de la MDSO notificó a los investigadores el jueves sobre una coincidencia de ADN que identificó a Perez.

Los agentes indicaron que más tarde ese mismo día arrestaron a Perez, quien también vive en el área de Kendale Lakes, en relación con otro caso no relacionado de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade. Según el informe, después de renunciar a sus derechos Miranda, Perez hizo “declaraciones verbales y escritas que lo implicaban en el allanamiento”.

Los agentes señalaron que, en un caso separado que involucra a otra víctima, Perez enfrenta un cargo de acoso agravado.

Según ese informe de arresto, la investigación comenzó después de que los agentes revisaran un video de vigilancia del 12 de julio que mostraba a Perez acercándose a la víctima en un estacionamiento ubicado en la cuadra 6700 de Southwest 132nd Avenue antes de entablar una conversación con ella.

El informe indica que más tarde esa noche, cámaras de seguridad captaron a Perez merodeando detrás del apartamento de la víctima, mirando a través de la puerta corrediza de vidrio trasera y luego sentado sobre el césped mientras continuaba observando la vivienda.

La noche siguiente, una cámara Ring del vecino de la víctima presuntamente grabó a Perez intentando abrir la puerta principal de la vivienda antes de que los agentes respondieran a la investigación del allanamiento ocurrido en las cercanías, informaron las autoridades.

Según el informe, Perez fue trasladado el jueves a la estación del distrito Hammocks de la MDSO, donde, tras renunciar a sus derechos Miranda, hizo declaraciones verbales y escritas que lo implicaban en la investigación por acoso.

Los investigadores concluyeron que Perez “acosó de manera intencional, maliciosa y repetida” a la víctima antes de finalmente ingresar por la fuerza a su vivienda para observarla mientras dormía, según su informe de arresto.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Perez enfrenta cargos por allanamiento, voyeurismo y daños criminales en el primer caso, además de un cargo de acoso agravado en el segundo caso.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de fijarse”.

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According to arrest reports from the Virginia Gardens Police Department, the agency worked with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force and the Miami Police Department on the sting, similar to others conducted in recent weeks in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

In it, detectives posed as a woman pimping out two girls. They said Xavier Lopez, 30, of Miami Beach; Dominick Munoz, 23, of Surfside; and Alain Pacheco, 18, of Hialeah; agreed to pay anywhere from $250 to $650 for sex with the children.

Authorities said they detained the men as soon as each opened the door to the hotel room.

Each faces felony charges of child trafficking, traveling to meet a minor and online child solicitation.

As of Friday morning, all were being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with bonds listed as “to be set” in online jail records.

Según los informes de detención del Departamento de Policía de Virginia Gardens, la agencia colaboró ​​con el Grupo de Trabajo contra la Trata de Personas de la Fiscalía del Estado de Miami-Dade y el Departamento de Policía de Miami en la operación encubierta, similar a otras realizadas en las últimas semanas en los condados de Miami-Dade y Broward.

En la grabación, los detectives se hicieron pasar por una mujer que explotaba sexualmente a dos niñas. Afirmaron que Xavier Lopez, de 30 años y residente de Miami Beach; Dominick Munoz, de 23 años y residente de Surfside; y Alain Pacheco, de 18 años y residente de Hialeah; acordaron pagar entre 250 y 650 dólares por tener relaciones sexuales con las menores.

Las autoridades indicaron que detuvieron a los hombres en cuanto abrieron la puerta de la habitación del hotel.

Cada uno se enfrenta a cargos por delitos graves de trata de menores, viajar para encontrarse con un menor y solicitar favores sexuales a menores a través de internet.

Hasta el viernes por la mañana, todos permanecían detenidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, y en los registros penitenciarios en línea figuraba que las fianzas estaban “por determinar”.

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According to the Hollywood Police Department, detectives spent several months investigating suspected drug activity at a home in the 1900 block of Adams Street.

On Wednesday, detectives and SWAT Team members executed a search at the home and arrested suspected drug dealer Amos Curtis Knight.

During the search, investigators said they recovered trafficking amounts of several illegal drugs, including:

• 391.3 grams of cocaine
• 13.6 grams of MDMA
• 14.5 grams of amphetamine
• 6.9 grams of oxycodone
• 45.4 grams of alprazolam
• Approximately 7.5 pounds of cannabis

Detectives said they also seized more than $60,000 in cash from the home.

Knight was arrested on charges of trafficking cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines, as well as possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, alprazolam and cannabis.

In a statement, the Hollywood Police Department said the case demonstrates the Street Crimes Unit’s continued efforts to combat drug trafficking in the city.

“This investigation highlights our Street Crimes Unit’s commitment to keeping Hollywood safe,” the department said in statement. “Their dedication continues to make a measurable impact by protecting our community from dangerous narcotics and the violence associated with drug trafficking.”

As of Friday morning, Knight was being held at the Broward County Main Jail.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Hollywood, los detectives pasaron varios meses investigando presunta actividad relacionada con drogas en una vivienda ubicada en la cuadra 1900 de Adams Street.

El miércoles, detectives y miembros del equipo SWAT ejecutaron una orden de allanamiento en la vivienda y arrestaron al presunto narcotraficante Amos Curtis Knight.

Durante el allanamiento, los investigadores informaron que recuperaron cantidades de tráfico de varias drogas ilegales, entre ellas:

• 391.3 gramos de cocaína
• 13.6 gramos de MDMA
• 14.5 gramos de anfetamina
• 6.9 gramos de oxicodona
• 45.4 gramos de alprazolam
• Aproximadamente 7.5 libras de cannabis

Los detectives también indicaron que incautaron más de $60,000 USD en efectivo de la vivienda.

Knight fue arrestado por cargos de tráfico de cocaína, MDMA y anfetaminas, así como por posesión con intención de distribuir oxicodona, alprazolam y cannabis.

En un comunicado, el Departamento de Policía de Hollywood señaló que el caso demuestra los esfuerzos continuos de la Unidad de Delitos Callejeros para combatir el tráfico de drogas en la ciudad.

“Esta investigación destaca el compromiso de nuestra Unidad de Delitos Callejeros de mantener a Hollywood segura”, indicó el departamento en un comunicado. “Su dedicación continúa teniendo un impacto medible al proteger a nuestra comunidad de narcóticos peligrosos y de la violencia asociada con el tráfico de drogas”.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Knight permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened just after 5 a.m. at a home in the 4100 block of Southwest 83rd Avenue in the unincorporated Olympia Heights area.

According to an MDSO arrest report, Yury Lobaina Terrero walked up to the victim, who was outside near his driveway, and “became aggressive,” telling him he was “there in order to stab ‘Cesar,’” who lives in an efficiency at the home.

The report states that the victim told detectives that Lobaina, 38, “also threatened to stab him and proceed(ed) to show an imprint of a knife underneath his clothing.”

As the victim walked back to his home, Lobaina followed the man to his front door and “stabbed him once in the chest with a sharp instrument, causing serious injury,” the report states.

Authorities said the victim, who went to Jackson South Medical Center for treatment, has known Lobaina for about a year.

Deputies said surveillance video showed Lobaina removing his clothing and discarding several items onto a sidewalk, including a cellphone. They said they later found the bloodied knife inside of a trash bin.

They said they also found a vial of lidocaine in Lobaina’s clothes. Authorities said they found him later that evening at his home a few blocks northwest of the scene and took him into custody on charges of attempted murder and drug possession.

Deputies said he confirmed that it was his cellphone on the ground but “denied any other involvement.”

As of Friday morning, Lobaina was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with a bond listed as “to be set” in Miami-Dade jail records.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), el incidente ocurrió poco después de las 5 a.m. en una vivienda ubicada en la cuadra 4100 de Southwest 83rd Avenue, en el área no incorporada de Olympia Heights.

Según un informe de arresto de la MDSO, Yury Lobaina Terrero se acercó a la víctima, que se encontraba afuera cerca de la entrada de vehículos de la vivienda, y “se mostró agresivo”, diciéndole que estaba “allí para apuñalar a ‘Cesar’”, quien vive en una eficiencia en la propiedad.

El informe señala que la víctima dijo a los detectives que Lobaina, de 38 años, “también amenazó con apuñalarlo y procedió a mostrar la silueta de un cuchillo debajo de su ropa”.

Cuando la víctima regresó a su vivienda, Lobaina la siguió hasta la puerta principal y “la apuñaló una vez en el pecho con un objeto punzocortante, causándole heridas graves”, señala el informe.

Las autoridades indicaron que la víctima, quien fue trasladada al Jackson South Medical Center para recibir tratamiento, conocía a Lobaina desde hacía aproximadamente un año.

Los agentes dijeron que un video de vigilancia mostró a Lobaina quitándose la ropa y arrojando varios objetos sobre una acera, incluido un teléfono celular. Posteriormente encontraron el cuchillo ensangrentado dentro de un contenedor de basura.

También indicaron que encontraron un frasco de lidocaína entre la ropa de Lobaina. Las autoridades informaron que lo localizaron más tarde esa misma noche en su vivienda, ubicada a unas cuadras al noroeste del lugar del incidente, y lo arrestaron por cargos de intento de asesinato y posesión de drogas.

Los agentes indicaron que Lobaina confirmó que el teléfono celular encontrado en el suelo era suyo, pero “negó cualquier otra participación”.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Lobaina permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, y los registros de la cárcel de Miami-Dade indicaban que su fianza estaba “pendiente de fijarse”.

Las gemelas de 17 años Constanza y Marianne Domínguez fundaron Mentoring Miracles, una organización sin fines de lucro dirigida por estudiantes que conecta a jóvenes en hogares de acogida con oportunidades de exploración profesional y mentores, inspiradas por su fe cristiana y las experiencias de la infancia de un familiar que creció en el sistema de hogares de acogida.

Las hermanas del sur de Florida dicen que descubrieron por primera vez su pasión por ayudar a los demás cuando su madre les sugirió donar los regalos de cumpleaños en lugar de quedárselos.

“Creo que la parte más bonita fue que cuando fuimos a donar nuestros regalos, pudimos jugar con los niños que tenían nuestra misma edad”, dijo Constanza.

Las gemelas estaban apenas en tercer grado cuando comenzaron a donar regalos a los niños de His House Children’s Home. Lo que comenzó como un acto de bondad de una sola vez rápidamente se convirtió en una tradición anual.

Años después, cuando cursaban noveno grado, supieron que su tío, Bill Edwards, había pasado gran parte de su infancia en hogares de acogida.

“Ese año, en noveno grado, descubrimos que mi tío creció en el sistema de hogares de acogida”, dijo Constanza.

Edwards contó que ingresó al sistema de hogares de acogida antes de cumplir un año y que durante su niñez vivió tanto experiencias positivas como difíciles.

“Fui colocado por primera vez en un hogar de acogida antes de cumplir un año”, dijo Edwards. “Al pasar por diferentes hogares, uno experimenta tanto lo bueno como lo malo”.

Su historia inspiró a las hermanas a pensar más allá de las donaciones y crear una organización enfocada en ayudar a los jóvenes en hogares de acogida a prepararse para el futuro.

“Se nos ocurrió Mentoring Miracles porque nuestra fe es muy importante para nosotras”, dijo Marianne. “Estos niños son milagros”.

Actualmente, Mentoring Miracles es administrada completamente por estudiantes de escuela secundaria y se enfoca en exponer a niños en hogares de acogida a profesiones que de otro modo quizá no tendrían la oportunidad de conocer.

“Reconocimos los recursos que teníamos y quisimos brindarles esas mismas oportunidades con las que crecimos”, dijo Constanza. “Así fue como surgió la idea de crear estos días de exploración profesional y de exposición a carreras e internados”.

La organización sin fines de lucro ha organizado visitas de exploración profesional para jóvenes de His House Children’s Home, brindándoles acceso entre bastidores a una variedad de profesiones.

Los participantes han recorrido el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, aprendido sobre carreras en la aviación y visitado Local 10 News, donde conocieron el proceso de producción de televisión, se reunieron con periodistas y observaron una sala de redacción en funcionamiento.

“Ha sido increíble ver la pasión que tienen y el potencial que también poseen”, dijo Constanza.

Para Edwards, ver a sus sobrinas crear oportunidades para niños que enfrentan circunstancias similares a las que él vivió ha sido especialmente significativo.

“Me siento afortunado, bendecido y realmente feliz”, dijo.

Las hermanas esperan que la historia de su tío recuerde a los jóvenes en hogares de acogida que sus circunstancias no definen su futuro.

“Él es un ejemplo de lo que estos niños pueden llegar a ser, de lo que pueden lograr”, dijeron Constanza y Marianne. “No están limitados por su origen, y él es la prueba de ello”.

Mentoring Miracles planea seguir ampliando su programa de exploración profesional con próximas visitas a la Oficina de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade, PortMiami y el centro de operaciones de Blue Origin en Merritt Island. Los organizadores también invitan a empresas locales a colaborar con la organización organizando futuras jornadas de exploración profesional.

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According to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Ilse Johanna Guevara, 49, surrendered herself at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after an investigation by the agency’s Medical Crimes Unit.

Detectives said they obtained a search warrant for a home at 6174 SW 64th Terrace in South Miami, where a business identified as Elite Home LLC, also known as Divine Care, was allegedly operating as an unlicensed assisted living facility for post-cosmetic surgery patients.

When investigators executed the search warrant, they found six post-operative patients and three employees inside the home, authorities said.

According to the arrest report, the patients told investigators they were receiving assistance with daily living activities, including bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, personal hygiene and medication management.

Patients said they paid Guevara between $300 and $350 per night to stay at the residence and receive those services, the report stated.

According to the report, employees told detectives they worked 24-hour shifts and were paid $10 to $18 per hour through Zelle to care for the patients.

A records check with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) found that the home was not licensed to operate as an assisted living facility, according to the report.

Detectives said they also discovered improperly discarded biohazardous medical waste generated by the business.

According to the arrest report, investigators found biohazardous waste inside unlocked green City of South Miami garbage bins that had been placed at the curb for pickup. Additional medical waste was found inside the home in trash bags awaiting disposal, authorities said.

Detectives said there were no locked biohazard waste containers or red biohazard receptacles on the property, as required for the proper handling of medical waste.

Guevara faces charges of operating an assisted living facility without a license, violating Florida’s Litter Law, hazardous waste violation, nuisances injurious to health and failing to track biomedical waste.

As of Friday afternoon, Guevara remained held at TGK on a $7,800 bond.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Ilse Johanna Guevara, de 49 años, se entregó en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight tras una investigación de la Unidad de Delitos Médicos de la agencia.

Los detectives indicaron que obtuvieron una orden de allanamiento para una vivienda ubicada en 6174 SW 64th Terrace, en South Miami, donde un negocio identificado como Elite Home LLC, también conocido como Divine Care, presuntamente operaba como un centro de vida asistida sin licencia para pacientes en recuperación de cirugías estéticas.

Cuando los investigadores ejecutaron la orden de allanamiento, encontraron a seis pacientes en recuperación posoperatoria y tres empleados dentro de la vivienda, informaron las autoridades.

Según el informe de arresto, los pacientes dijeron a los investigadores que recibían asistencia con actividades de la vida diaria, incluyendo bañarse, vestirse, comer, usar el baño, higiene personal y administración de medicamentos.

Los pacientes indicaron que pagaban a Guevara entre $300 USD y $350 USD por noche para permanecer en la residencia y recibir esos servicios, señala el informe.

Según el informe, los empleados dijeron a los detectives que trabajaban turnos de 24 horas y recibían entre $10 USD y $18 USD por hora a través de Zelle para cuidar a los pacientes.

Una revisión de registros con la Agencia para la Administración del Cuidado de la Salud de Florida (AHCA) determinó que la vivienda no contaba con licencia para operar como un centro de vida asistida, según el informe.

Los detectives también descubrieron residuos médicos biopeligrosos generados por el negocio que habían sido desechados de manera indebida.

Según el informe de arresto, los investigadores encontraron residuos biopeligrosos dentro de contenedores verdes de basura de la Ciudad de South Miami, sin seguro y colocados en la acera para su recolección. Las autoridades indicaron que también encontraron residuos médicos adicionales dentro de la vivienda, en bolsas de basura a la espera de ser desechadas.

Los detectives señalaron que en la propiedad no había contenedores con seguro para residuos biopeligrosos ni recipientes rojos para ese tipo de desechos, como exige el manejo adecuado de residuos médicos.

Guevara enfrenta cargos por operar un centro de vida asistida sin licencia, violar la Ley de Basura de Florida, violación relacionada con residuos peligrosos, mantener condiciones perjudiciales para la salud y no llevar el control de residuos biomédicos.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, Guevara permanecía detenida en el TGK con una fianza de $7,800 USD.

La Policía de Miami confirmó el jueves el arresto de Quindy Janvier, de 37 años, en relación con el allanamiento ocurrido el 26 de mayo en una vivienda ubicada en la cuadra 2600 de Southwest 23rd Avenue, en el vecindario Silver Bluff Estates de la ciudad.

Según un informe de arresto, los agentes respondieron a la vivienda poco antes del mediodía del 26 de mayo después de que una mujer llegó al lugar, escuchó el portazo de una habitación y “descubrió la vivienda en desorden”.

Mientras hablaba por teléfono con uno de los propietarios, la mujer notó que una ventana de una habitación había sido rota y le dijo: “Danny, te robaron”, señala el informe.

Cuando los propietarios regresaron, descubrieron que habían robado aproximadamente $150,000 USD en joyas de varias habitaciones, según la Policía.

Los investigadores determinaron que el ladrón entró y salió por la ventana de una habitación orientada hacia el suroeste.

Indicaron que durante la investigación, las víctimas encontraron un par de gafas de sol dentro de una habitación y una “herramienta para hacer palanca” afuera de la ventana rota. Según el informe, ninguno de los objetos pertenecía a alguien que viviera en la vivienda.

Los detectives también revisaron videos de vigilancia de una vivienda cercana que mostraban a Janvier, residente del vecindario Brownsville de Miami-Dade, desplazándose en un scooter eléctrico de pie por la zona minutos antes del robo.

La Policía indicó que videos adicionales mostraban a Janvier entrando al patio de las víctimas y posteriormente huyendo del área aproximadamente al mismo tiempo en que fue descubierto el robo, señala el informe.

Según el informe, una “huella dactilar latente” recuperada del lente de las gafas de sol fue analizada posteriormente e identificada como perteneciente a Janvier.

La Policía informó que arrestó a Janvier el jueves.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de allanamiento de una estructura ocupada, un cargo de hurto mayor en tercer grado y un cargo de daños criminales que causaron daños por $1,000 USD o más.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de fijarse”.

It was a learning experience even for someone with a résumé featuring six Super Bowl titles as a head coach and ranking as one of the NFL's all-time leaders in coaching wins.

“Look, I learn every year, I learn things every day,” Belichick said Friday morning during the Atlantic Coast Conference’s preseason football media days.

“Every week is a learning experience for me. Try to listen to the people that are around me that work for us, that do various things, whether it’s academics, training, nutrition, offense, defense, special teams, so forth. Try to do the best I can to help put it all together.

"Recruiting, fundraising — you name it. There are a lot of different things and I can improve in all of them.”

It was a rough debut for the 74-year-old Belichick, best known for his time hoisting trophies and winning with relentless precision alongside star quarterback Tom Brady with the New England Patriots.

His arrival at the college level was a spectacle, one that put a national spotlight on a school with a football program that had long been an ACC also-ran compared to its tradition-rich men's basketball program being among the nation's blueblood elite.

There's less buzz this time around. There’s no curiosity to imagining what it will look like for Belichick to roam a college sideline sporting his trademark hoodie garb. And the Tar Heels’ poor on-field performance offers little reason to expect a big leap in Year 2.

Yet similar to what he was known for in his Patriots tenure, Belichick is focused on his internal evaluation. And he sees cause for optimism.

“Last year when we started, we were literally starting from scratch," he said. “We're above that now for sure.”

Belichick is hoping there's more continuity from spring drills

Belichick has pointed numerous times to the Tar Heels getting a late run into recruiting after his December hiring, starting with jumping into the transfer portal and then pulling from the high school ranks. That meant pulling together a roster to get started with spring drills, then going through more waves of roster changes leading into preseason camp.

“The biggest thing last year was just how behind we were,” Belichick said of his December 2024 arrival.

By the time the Tar Heels started last season, they had 70 new players.

“This time a year ago, we didn’t have a quarterback who had taken a snap even in spring ball for us,” Belichick said.

“Last year we didn’t have any player-run practices. We couldn't actually line up a team and run against another team without the coaches being out there because we didn't have anybody that knew enough on either side of the ball to do that. Whereas this year these guys have done it all spring and all summer."

To that point, the Tar Heels have plenty of newness on the roster with 60 new players, 40 true freshmen and 17 redshirt freshmen. But UNC also had 35 of the first-year freshmen arrive in time to go through spring practices while there's enough returnees to offer continuity and better stability.

“Culture's a lot different, work ethic's different,” Belichick said. “I'm not taking anything away from the guys that were here. But compared to a year ago, we just know a lot more about what we’re doing and how to do it and our culture’s a lot different.”

UNC knows what to expect for Belichick's second season

Belichick's appearance at this ACC Kickoff event last year was the center of attention. So too was his nationally televised Labor Day debut in front of a sellout home crowd against TCU.

Yet the Tar Heels lost that game in a blowout in what turned out to be a harbinger of frustration to come. And Belichick's mere presence on the sideline only magnified the pressure that arose from on-field troubles and unwanted off-field headlines, from an assistant coach's suspension to tabloid-like interest in Belichick's relationship with 25-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

“Seeing a guy like Coach Belichick, who’s constantly in the spotlight — I mean, the guy could cure cancer and people would still write negative pieces about him," offensive lineman Christo Kelly said.

“But seeing how he handles himself through everything, seeing how he’s continued to block out the noise, it really sets the standard for what we should be doing.”

By the end of the year, Belichick had fielded a team that had more losses by double-digit margins (five) than total wins, with two home losses ending in an empty stadium with Tar Heels fans having fled early for the exits. UNC's three wins against Bowl Subdivision opponents came against teams with a combined 8-28 record (Charlotte, Syracuse and Stanford), while the Tar Heels failed to make a bowl for the first time since 2018.

“We really felt like it was all Carolina — Carolina for Carolina, nobody else was really rooting for us, everybody wanted to see Coach Belichick fail,” receiver Jordan Shipp said.

“It was just like we knew that we were in this by ourselves. And everybody that was here last year, we know that feeling. So now we know what to expect.”

The same goes for Belichick, who was asked in the afternoon what he had learned about himself at UNC.

“That I like coaching in college,” Belichick said. “I didn’t know whether I would or wouldn’t, but I do.”

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

El fuego, que comenzó alrededor de las 8:00 a.m. del jueves, se localiza en los Everglades, cerca del marcador de la milla 40 de la I-75, al oeste de la carretera U.S. 27.

Hasta el momento ha consumido unas 4,400 acres y las autoridades informaron que está contenido en un 20%.

La tarde del viernes, quienes transitaban por la autopista apenas podían observar las llamas, aunque el humo del incendio era visible a varios kilómetros de distancia.

De acuerdo con el meteorólogo de Local 10, John Gerard, los vientos provenientes del sur deberían mantener la mayor parte del humo alejada de los suburbios del oeste de Broward durante el viernes. Sin embargo, un cambio en la dirección del viento hacia el suroeste podría provocar que el humo se desplace hacia esas zonas durante el sábado.

The tablets have access to video and league-provided data, and also included a custom tab where teams could access other programs. MLB made the custom tabs inaccessible to teams starting Wednesday night, when the second half of the season started.

“In many cases, the custom tab had expanded the use of the dugout iPads beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches," MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword wrote in a June 11 memo to general managers, assistant GMs and video coordinators.

The memo, first reported by The Athletic, was obtained by The Associated Press.

A review by the competition committee found clubs had been compliant with the regulations.

“Instituting this prohibition beginning with the second half of the season is intended to provide clubs that have relied on the custom tab with appropriate lead-time to make any necessary adjustments," Sword wrote.

MLB started a pilot program allowing use of iPads in dugouts with restrictions late in the 2015 season and expanded their use in 2016 under a deal with Apple. Video was eliminated in the 2020 COVID season following the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, then returned in 2021.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

David Brouillette has a history of terrifying and violent behavior, according to those relatives. They accuse him of attacking women in his life over the years, and one shared a voicemail with the AP from last winter in which he told her that he thought someone should slit her throat.

Brouillette’s troubling past further challenges how thoroughly the Department of Homeland Security has vetted recruits as it went on a hiring spree to help carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, including 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was shot and killed by Brouillette on Monday while in his car near his home in the coastal Maine city of Biddeford.

DHS, which hasn’t released the name of the officer who killed Durán Guerrero, has said the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”

Brouillette didn’t respond to text messages or an email seeking comment. Three relatives who said they had spoken to him since the shooting, including an ex-wife and daughter, said he told them he acted in self-defense.

When reached for comment about Brouillette’s record and his role in Monday’s shooting, ICE spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement that, “We will never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers,” and that “The ICE officer in question has nearly a decade of federal law enforcement experience with required training including use of force training.”

The White House referred all questions about the shooting and Brouillette to ICE.

A new career in ICE

Brouillette, 37, told his ex-wife Ashley Brouillette late last year that he had been hired by ICE. She said that because of his long history of psychiatric issues, she thought he was having a mental health episode and she didn’t believe him. She didn’t realize he’d been telling the truth until this week, when videos began circulating online of the moments surrounding the shooting.

Ashley Brouillette told the AP that she spoke to her ex-husband in a Facebook audio call, and he acknowledged that he had killed Durán Guerrero. Their 18-year-old daughter, Madison Brouillette, also told the AP that her father called her Wednesday and said that he shot and killed Durán Guerrero.

David and Ashley Brouillette were high school sweethearts who got married in 2007. She said she divorced him in 2009 because he had become physically violent with her, which began after she got pregnant with their daughter.

According to Ashley Brouillette, he once threw boiling water at her while she was holding their child — an incident her mother Avis Collins also recounted.

The abuse continued after she left him, she said.

David Brouillette doesn’t appear to have a criminal record in Maine, as a check with the Maine Department of Public Safety returned no records for him.

But hundreds of family court records obtained from the Augusta District Court clerk’s office detail years of allegations of physical and verbal abuse raised by his second ex-wife on behalf of herself and his daughters.

The ex-wife — whom the AP is not identifying because she fears retaliation — alleged that he had stalked and harassed her and physically and verbally abused his daughter, according to multiple requests for temporary protection orders. Brouillette tackled his teenage daughter and smashed spaghetti in her hair, and during another outburst, he dragged his daughter around the house as she cried, she said.

“Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD & depression,” she wrote in an application for a temporary protective order on behalf of his teenage daughter which a judge granted in 2021.

In court filings, David Brouillette said that his second ex-wife had slandered him.

His oldest daughter, Madison Brouillette, said she also witnessed her dad’s volatility.

“I watched my dad struggle a lot with a lot of things,” she told the AP. She said she came home from school once and he told her he had been sitting on a tree stump with a gun to his head.

“If you don’t really, truly take care of yourself, there’s no way you can protect other people. And with my dad, he never wanted to get help,” she said.

An immediate relative of David Brouillette who spoke on the condition that their name not be used said he was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder as a child — a diagnosis that Ashley Brouillette confirmed. The immediate relative described him as “extremely mentally ill” and said he attempted suicide twice at age 12 and was hospitalized multiple times.

The relative said they’ve been estranged for years, after they broke off contact because they feared he would harm them. He did not respond to their outreach this week, the relative added.

A military deployment and law enforcement aspirations

Growing up in Gardiner, a city of about 6,000 people roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Biddeford, where Monday’s shooting occurred, David Brouillette was enchanted by law enforcement and the military, his relatives said.

High school yearbook photos show he was a member of the school’s Naval Junior ROTC, and he wrote that he planned to go to college and become a police officer.

Brouillette was initially rejected by military recruiters because of his mental health diagnoses, but recruiters encouraged him to go off his medications for a year and reapply, which he did, his immediate relative said.

He was eventually able to enlist.

According to U.S. military records, Brouillette enlisted as a chemical equipment repairer in the Maine Army National Guard but then changed jobs to be a medical logistics specialist. He was in the Guard from November 2007 until January 2010, according to records provided by the Pentagon.

A 2009 article in the Kennebec Journal listed Brouillette as a private in the Maine Army National Guard’s 152nd Maintenance Company in Augusta.

In January 2010 he joined the regular Army as a human intelligence collector. Brouillette deployed to Afghanistan from May 2012 to February 2013 and eventually left the Army as a sergeant in December 2015.

His immediate relative believes Brouillette’s time abroad worsened his emotional struggles: “Afghanistan destroyed him -- trained him to be a killing monster, a machine. They took someone who was extremely mentally ill and turned him into a killing machine.”

Life after the Army

After his discharge, Brouillette held a hodgepodge of jobs — some in or adjacent to law enforcement — and was injured in an accident while training to become a firefighter, public records and court documents show.

Brouillette worked for the Maine Correctional Center — a medium-security prison — and for the state’s Health and Human Services Department, spending less than a year at each.

In 2019, court documents show, he was a police officer at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center near the state capital, Augusta. A Veterans Affairs department spokesperson on Thursday referred questions about Brouillette’s employment to DHS.

But by the end of 2021, he wrote in a text message included in court filings, he was broke, going to school full-time and making money delivering food for DoorDash.

Brouillette was enrolled in a firefighting program at Southern Maine Community College and was struck in the head by a steel beam while unloading a trailer at a training facility, according to a lawsuit he filed over his injury.

He sustained a concussion and post-concussive syndrome, with symptoms including impaired memory, cognitive deficits, headaches, vertigo and light sensitivity, and was unable to complete the program, according to the lawsuit, which was settled out of court.

In recent years, court filings show, he was collecting disability pay through the VA. He also drove a truck, but quit in January 2025, citing health issues.

In March 2025, Brouillette passed an exam to become a real estate sales agent. His license was active until December. In a Facebook post, Realty of Maine announced Brouillette would be working in the firm’s Bangor office.

“David lives in Maine after retiring from the United States Army,” said the post, which has since been deleted. Brouillette is no longer listed as an agent on the firm’s website. Messages seeking comment were left for Realty of Maine.

In March, the Maine agency that handles child support matters filed a lien against him, public records show. The filing suggests that Brouillette may have been in line for a permanent impairment or disability settlement.

‘I don’t think he sees himself as a killer’

In late 2025, around the time he joined ICE, his ex-wife Ashley said he left a three-minute voicemail mocking her for taking out a restraining order against him. According to the message she shared with AP, he repeatedly called her “disgusting” and suggested that she and the other women and girls in her “bloodline” should die.

“And all of you should have your f——--g throats cut,” the voicemail said. “Yeah, you should. Am I threatening that I’m gonna do that? Nope. Nope. But do I think that you should have your f——-g throats cuts? Or should have had them cut? Yep.”

She said she cut off contact with him until Wednesday, when his picture began circulating online.

Ashley Brouillette reached out to his current wife on Facebook and they spoke on the phone for several minutes. Her ex-husband spoke with her, according to cellphone screenshots of the phone exchange she shared with the AP. He acknowledged he had fatally shot Durán Guerrero.

“He was asking if I could tell them that he was a good person and not to talk about the abuse and stuff that I had endured while with him and he said that the most important thing is his character right now,” she said.

She said he told her he is now hiding in protective custody.

“I asked him why he did it,” she said. “He said it was a justified shooting. The guy was trying to run him over with a car.”

His daughter also said he told her it was justified.

“I don’t think he sees himself as a killer,” Madison Brouillette said.

“I think he thinks that he genuinely did the right thing,” she added. “All he said was that he did what he had to do. He said that he had to protect himself.”

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This story was updated to correct that that Gardiner is northeast of Biddeford.

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Brook reported from New Orleans, Sisak reported from New York and Galofaro reported from Louisville, Kentucky. Associated Press reporter Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.

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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

And the lunar lander — a groundbreaking piece of America — is up there still, far away.

NASA put 12 men on the lunar surface more than half a century ago, beginning with Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The two became the first humans to explore another world when their lander, bearing the patriotic name Eagle, settled onto the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969. “The Eagle has landed,” Armstrong radioed as a spellbound Earth erupted in cheers and tears.

Just 6½ hours later came the most momentous and memorable line of all. Armstrong descended the ladder and stepped onto the gray, gritty dust: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

At 23 feet (7 meters), the Apollo lunar module stood a little taller than a giraffe and looked just as ungainly. It had two sections: a lower descent stage with four legs and an upper stage that housed the crew. The descent stage got the moonwalkers to the lunar surface and remained behind as the men blasted back into lunar orbit.

All six descent stages will be there for perpetuity, clumped around the equator on the moon’s near side.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other countries’ satellites around the moon have photographed them. Resembling whitish splotches from orbit, the descent stages pinpoint the touchdown sites not only of Eagle but Intrepid, Antares, Falcon, Orion and Challenger. Its moon landing nixed, Apollo 13’s lunar module Aquarius was turned into a lifeboat that got its crew of three safely home. The ascent stages are scattered all over the moon — smashed to bits, no longer needed once the moonwalkers were back inside the command module. Some speculate, however, that Apollo 11's ascent stage might still be orbiting.

For NASA’s new Artemis program, private businesses are handling lunar lander details and operations. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are scrambling to get their landers ready for a docking test in low-Earth orbit with a NASA crew capsule next year. If Artemis III’s docking rehearsal goes well, NASA could launch its first moon landing with astronauts since Apollo as early as 2028. SpaceX’s Starship is so tall that moonwalkers will need a 10-floor elevator to descend to the lunar surface. The Apollo astronauts used a nine-rung ladder.

On that long-ago day, President Richard Nixon said in a phone call to Armstrong and Aldrin as the pair stood alongside the U.S. flag they had just planted 240,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) from home. Said Nixon: “For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this Earth are truly one.”

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The Titans announced the honor Friday following Johnson's announcement June 29 on ABC’s “ Good Morning America ” that he was diagnosed with ALS, the fatal nervous system disease a year earlier.

“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration."

Johnson was the 24th pick overall in 2008 by the Titans and played six of his 10 seasons in the NFL with Tennessee. He rushed for 7,965 yards and had 58 total touchdowns in that span. Those totals both rank fourth for a franchise that also had Earl Campbell, Eddie George and Derrick Henry.

He earned the nickname “CJ2K” in 2009 when he finished with 2,006 yards rushing to join O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Jamal Lewis in the exclusive 2,000-yard club. Johnson also had 2,509 yards from scrimmage, a single-season record that still stands in the NFL.

That earned him The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.

Johnson will be inducted at halftime of the Titans' opener against the New York Jets, the team the running back played for in 2014. He becomes the 20th inductee into the Titans' Ring of Honor with former radio analyst and assistant coach Dave McGinnis being inducted posthumously later this season.

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En tanto, los meteorólogos advierten que El Niño ya está en marcha y que cada vez es más probable que se intensifique a medida que avanza el año. A diferencia de los huracanes o sismos, el fenómeno climático se desarrolla gradualmente a lo largo de varios meses, dándole a las autoridades algo de tiempo para iniciar preparativos antes de que lleguen los impactos más severos.

Pero los expertos afirman que las autoridades de la región a menudo han tenido dificultades para transformar pronósticos en acciones, planteando dudas sobre si los países estarán mejor preparados que en episodios anteriores de El Niño que dejaron daños económicos generalizados y alteraron los sistemas de agua, energía y alimentos.

“Llegó el momento de tomar decisiones, de una preparación eficaz y de una coherencia política para ser realmente proactivos en esta ocasión”, subrayó Rodney Martínez, representante de la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM por sus siglas en inglés) para América del Norte, Centroamérica y el Caribe.

“El Niño está confirmado. El Niño está en curso. No es simplemente una posibilidad”, puntualizó.

Muchos países han intensificado sus preparativos

Episodios anteriores de El Niño de gran intensidad han dejado daños por miles de millones de dólares en toda Latinoamérica, contribuyendo a una severa sequía en algunas regiones y, al mismo tiempo, provocar inundaciones y deslizamientos de tierra en otras. El fenómeno ha alterado los patrones de agricultura, aplicado presión sobre el suministro de agua potable, avivado incendios forestales y, en algunos países, reducido la generación hidroeléctrica, lo que ha dejado como resultado una escasez de energía.

Martínez indicó que los gobiernos deben aprovechar los meses previos a la llegada de los impactos más severos para asegurar fuentes alternativas de energía, proteger a las comunidades vulnerables y prepararse ante una posible presión sobre los servicios públicos.

En países que dependen de la generación hidroeléctrica, como Ecuador, esto podría significar poner en marcha la generación termoeléctrica para compensar los niveles más bajos en los embalses durante las condiciones de mayor sequía y completar con mucha antelación las labores de mantenimiento y adquisiciones. Destacó la crisis energética que afectó a Ecuador el año pasado, cuando la sequía agotó los niveles de agua en las instalaciones hidroeléctricas y contribuyó a apagones generalizados.

Centroamérica, partes del Caribe y el norte de Sudamérica ya experimentan condiciones más secas de lo normal relacionadas con El Niño, según la OMM. Se tiene previsto que estas condiciones se extiendan a partes de la cuenca amazónica, aumentando las preocupaciones relacionadas con la disponibilidad de agua, la agricultura y el riesgo de incendios forestales.

Las amenazas varían considerablemente en toda la región.

En Brasil, Colombia y partes de Centroamérica, las autoridades se concentran en la sequía, la escasez de agua y el riesgo de incendios forestales. Brasil ha contratado a más de 4.600 empleados federales para la prevención y respuesta ante incendios forestales, incrementó las brigadas de bomberos y desplegó aeronaves ante lo que las autoridades temen que pueda ser una temporada complicada de incendios. Colombia ha activado sistemas de monitoreo de los niveles de agua, reforzado la preparación ante incendios forestales e instado a las autoridades locales a prepararse ante la posibilidad de escasez.

En otras partes, los gobiernos se preparan para inundaciones. Ecuador, donde históricamente los episodios más intensos de El Niño han provocado lluvias dañinas en la costa del Pacífico, ordenó a los gobiernos locales elaborar planes de contingencia y asignó millones de dólares para la mitigación de inundaciones, la respuesta de emergencia y la recuperación agrícola. Las autoridades locales han comenzado a desazolvar drenajes, estabilizar laderas y preparar albergues de emergencia.

Costa Rica afirma que ha puesto en marcha más de 200 medidas en el marco de un plan nacional de contingencia, incluidos esfuerzos para proteger el suministro de agua, aumentar la generación de energía renovable y prepararse para una temporada de incendios forestales potencialmente severa. En Perú, las autoridades han reforzado los sistemas de monitoreo y alerta temprana, al tiempo que ampliaron las redes de observación meteorológica.

Las autoridades panameñas han elaborado planes para abordar los posibles impactos en las operaciones del Canal de Panamá, donde una menor cantidad de lluvia podría afectar la disponibilidad de agua necesaria para mantener el tránsito marítimo a través de una de las rutas comerciales más importantes del mundo.

Martínez advirtió que la sequía y el calor podrían significar una amenaza para la seguridad alimentaria en partes del Corredor Seco de Centroamérica, al tiempo que incrementan los riesgos de incendios forestales en varios países. En las zonas donde se tienen previstas precipitaciones extremas, las inundaciones pueden causar daños en la infraestructura, contaminar el suministro de agua y aumentar el riesgo de brotes de enfermedades.

La advertencia anticipada no siempre se traduce en acciones

La ministra de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible de Colombia, Irene Vélez, declaró a The Associated Press que “No es que sea un fenómeno nuevo. ¿Qué es lo que es nuevo? Lo nuevo es su intensidad. Y en razón a su intensidad, es nuevo también la prolongación que esto va a tener y el área que va a cubrir en términos de su impacto a nivel nacional en Colombia”.

Pese a la advertencia anticipada, Martínez señaló que los preparativos siguen siendo desiguales en toda la región.

“La realidad es que esta preparación no ocurre hasta que tienen la emergencia”, subrayó Martínez.

Martínez indicó que algunas autoridades siguen postergando decisiones a pesar de que los pronósticos son cada vez más contundentes, ya sea a la espera de confirmación adicional o simplemente por asumir que su país evitará los peores impactos. Advirtió que aplazar decisiones a pesar de una evidencia científica cada vez más sólida podría llevar a los gobiernos a improvisar su respuesta una vez que se intensifiquen las sequías, inundaciones y olas de calor.

Estudios recientes que examinaron episodios anteriores de El Niño revelaron que su impacto económico puede prolongarse durante varios años y, en última instancia, costarle billones de dólares a la economía mundial.

El mensaje de Martínez para los gobiernos que aún esperan para actuar es simple.

“Prepárense con anticipación, de manera seria”, señaló. “Ahí está la información. Es el momento de tomar decisiones”.

Vélez dijo que el desafío va más allá de responder a un solo evento climático y exige que los gobiernos se adapten a condiciones cada vez más extremas.

“El cambio climático llegó para quedarse”, subrayó Vélez.

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Ludgy Sanon allegedly also told his brother that he had borrowed his 2000 Lexus GS 300 and remembered “striking a pothole” after work on Jan. 13, according to the Seminole police officer’s report.

On Jan. 16, the police officer reported telling Sanon, 26, that he suspected he had run over a motorcyclist who was ejected after a crash on Jan. 13 at the intersection of State Road 7 and Lucky Street.

“Sanon appeared visibly shocked and mortified, especially after learning that the individual had died,” the police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Shortly after midnight on a rainy Jan. 13, a 62-year-old woman was driving a 2015 Toyota Camry northbound on SR-7, and she was attempting to make a turn at Lucky Street when she collided with the motorcyclist, who had been traveling southbound on SR-7, according to the police report.

The motorcyclist “braked and lost control, causing the motorcycle to fall and slide into the passenger side of the Camry,” the police officer wrote, according to the report. The motorcyclist “was ejected ... and landed on the roadway.”

A witness told police officers that he was on the fifth floor of the Lucky Street garage at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino when he heard the “loud bang” after the crash between the Camry and the motorcyclist, according to the report.

The witness reported seeing the motorcyclist “lying on the roadway,” rushing to see if he could help, finding the motorcyclist “unresponsive,” and then watching helplessly as a driver ran him over and kept on going, according to the report.

Seminole Fire Rescue personnel took the motorcyclist to Memorial Regional Hospital, where staff pronounced him dead, according to police.

A police officer reported finding surveillance videos that showed the Lexus at the scene of the crash and Sanon getting out of the Lexus at his home after the crash, according to police.

Records show Sanon was arrested and corrections booked him on Thursday. He faced a charge of fleeing the scene of an accident involving death, a first-degree felony.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Location

De acuerdo con el informe del Departamento de Policía Seminole, Ludgy Sanon declaró a los investigadores que pensó que había golpeado “algo”, pero que no le dio mayor importancia.

Según el reporte, Sanon también dijo a su hermano, propietario de un Lexus GS 300 modelo 2000 que él había tomado prestado, que recordaba haber golpeado “un bache” cuando regresaba del trabajo la noche del accidente.

Tres días después del choque, el 16 de enero, un agente le informó a Sanon que sospechaban que en realidad había atropellado a un motociclista que salió expulsado de su vehículo tras un accidente ocurrido en la intersección de State Road 7 y Lucky Street.

El informe señala que Sanon se mostró visiblemente impactado y consternado al enterarse de que la víctima había fallecido.

Según la investigación, poco después de la medianoche del 13 de enero, bajo condiciones de lluvia, una mujer de 62 años que conducía un Toyota Camry 2015 hacia el norte por la State Road 7 intentó girar en Lucky Street, momento en que chocó con un motociclista que circulaba en sentido contrario.

Las autoridades indicaron que el motociclista frenó, perdió el control de la motocicleta y esta se deslizó hasta impactar el costado del automóvil. El conductor salió expulsado y cayó sobre la vía.

Un testigo declaró que se encontraba en el quinto piso del estacionamiento del Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino cuando escuchó el fuerte impacto del choque. Al acercarse para auxiliar al motociclista, lo encontró inconsciente y, según su relato, observó cómo otro vehículo lo atropelló y continuó su marcha sin detenerse.

Paramédicos del Seminole Fire Rescue trasladaron al motociclista al Memorial Regional Hospital, donde fue declarado muerto.

Durante la investigación, la policía obtuvo videos de vigilancia que, según las autoridades, muestran el Lexus en la escena del accidente y posteriormente a Sanon descendiendo del vehículo al llegar a su vivienda.

Los registros judiciales indican que Sanon fue arrestado el jueves y enfrenta un cargo por abandonar la escena de un accidente con resultado de muerte, un delito grave de primer grado.

Carson Merlo, editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, colaboró en este reporte.

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According to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Charlotte Butler, 65, served as the primary caregiver for Maxine Dailey beginning around 2018.

Investigators said Dailey suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and relies on assistance for her daily care and financial affairs.

As part of her caregiving duties, Butler was added as an authorized signer on Dailey’s Wells Fargo bank account, giving her access to the victim’s finances, authorities said.

According to the arrest report, Butler later admitted during testimony in a Miami-Dade guardianship case that she regularly withdrew money from the joint account to gamble at local casinos.

Investigators said Butler acknowledged withdrawing approximately $24,070 from the account for gambling purposes.

Bank records obtained through a subpoena allegedly showed frequent cash withdrawals from ATMs located inside several South Florida casinos. Detectives said the transactions occurred on a weekly basis and, in some instances, multiple times in the same day. The withdrawals continued as recently as May 2023, resulting in an estimated loss of about $24,000, authorities said.

The investigation also included records from Hialeah Park Casino, where detectives said Butler maintained a player account.

According to investigators, casino records matched dates and amounts of cash withdrawals from the victim’s bank account, showing Butler’s gambling activity corresponded with money taken from the account. In some cases, wagering amounts matched the withdrawals, further supporting that the victim’s funds were used for Butler’s personal gambling, the report states.

Detectives said the only money deposited into the joint account came from Dailey’s Social Security benefits or transfers from other accounts solely owned by the victim. Investigators found no evidence Butler attempted to repay the money, the arrest report stated.

The investigation also found that Butler and her daughter lived in Dailey’s home without paying rent, utilities or cable bills, which continued to be paid using the victim’s funds, according to the arrest report.

After being advised of her Miranda rights, Butler admitted to making withdrawals from the joint account at casinos, investigators said.

Butler was arrested on a charge of exploitation of an elderly or disabled person.

As of Friday afternoon, she was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.

Esa percepción ha cambiado, en parte gracias a los científicos que descubrieron que decenas de tiburones de punta negra en gestación frecuentaban una ensenada cercana, impulsando los esfuerzos para proteger la zona.

Estudios recientes apuntan a Brasil como el mayor consumidor de carne de tiburón. Sin embargo, los tiburones son uno de los grupos de vertebrados más amenazados del planeta: más de una tercera parte de las especies están en peligro de extinción debido a la pesca excesiva, la degradación de su hábitat y el cambio climático, según la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN).

Las costas de Brasil albergan una gran diversidad de especies de tiburón e incluyen hábitats críticos para muchas poblaciones en riesgo, por lo que su protección se ha convertido en una parte importante de la conservación oceánica global.

La identificación de zonas de cría como la ensenada de Piraquara de Fora, es parte vital de esos esfuerzos, aseguran los expertos que forman parte del proyecto Tiburones de la Bahía de Ilha Grande, del Instituto Brasileño para la Conservación de la Naturaleza.

“Antes los pescábamos y nos los comíamos”, declaró Marlene Fernanda do Nascimento Martins, una líder comunitaria de 35 años. Los conservacionistas “explicaron que ya no deberíamos hacerlo, por los propios animales y la necesidad de protegerlos”.

Rastreo de tiburones para promover la conservación

Los tiburones se reproducen lentamente, dando a luz a menos crías que muchos de los peces óseos, lo que aumenta su vulnerabilidad.

“Las áreas de reproducción son fundamentales para garantizar que la especie sobreviva en toda esta ecorregión del Atlántico”, afirmó Leonardo Mitrano Neves, coordinador del área científica del proyecto.

Mitrano Neves y su equipo colocaron recientemente equipo submarino de monitoreo en distintas partes de la ensenada, dejándolo una hora bajo el agua junto con carnada para atraer a los tiburones.

Ese material y las imágenes de dron serán analizados más adelante en un laboratorio, arrojando datos que se utilizarán para impulsar mejores esfuerzos de conservación.

Aunque los tiburones de punta negra son los más comunes en la región, el proyecto también gira en torno a los tiburones toro y los tiburones martillo.

El plan también pretende dar inicio a algunas actividades de educación ambiental en escuelas para que los tiburones sean vistos como parte del patrimonio natural de la región.

El material de comunicación destaca que los tiburones no representan una amenaza para el ser humano y que no se conocen incidentes con tiburones en la región.

Protección de los tiburones y los riesgos de su consumo

Brasil prohíbe la pesca dirigida de tiburones, pero aún se puede desembarcar especies no protegidas que sean capturadas de manera incidental, mientras que las especies amenazadas cuentan con protecciones contra la captura y la comercialización y deben ser devueltas al agua.

La identificación puede ser imprecisa, y la carne de tiburón a menudo se vende bajo el término genérico “cação”.

José Truda Palazzo, coordinador del proyecto en la bahía de Ilha Grande, señaló que su trabajo para desalentar a las comunidades locales de comer carne de tiburón está empezando a rendir frutos.

Durante sus reuniones con poblaciones cercanas, representantes del proyecto hablaron sobre la importancia de los tiburones para el ecosistema oceánico y de los riesgos para la salud asociados con el consumo de carne de tiburón, explicó.

Las investigaciones indican que, como depredadores en la cima de la cadena alimenticia, los tiburones acumulan altos niveles de metales pesados —incluidos arsénico, mercurio y plomo— en sangre y tejidos. Un estudio de 2024 también reveló que algunos cazones picudos brasileños dieron positivo a cocaína.

“Esperamos que cada vez más personas lleguen a entender que cação es tiburón, y que la carne de tiburón es tóxica, además de que los tiburones son animales en peligro”, indicó Palazzo.

Oportunidad para el ecoturismo

Cuando el cielo y el agua están despejados, los residentes suelen avistar tiburones desde las montañas bajas, por encima de las rocas color arena que se encuentran con el océano.

Con el tiempo, la observación de los tiburones —desde tierra, desde embarcaciones e incluso bajo el agua— podría convertirse en una fuente adicional de ingresos gracias al ecoturismo, dijo Palazzo.

Nascimento Martins es pescadora y además vende hielo en la playa para complementar sus ingresos y mantener a sus tres hijos. Afirmó que el ecoturismo sería una gran ayuda en la zona.

“Somos una comunidad remota con recursos muy limitados. Así que cualquier cosa que llegue y pueda ayudarnos a preservar nuestro pueblo es algo bueno”, añadió.

Reinaldo Dias da Rocha, de la misma comunidad, contó que su padre ya lo había alentado a no pescar tiburón, pero que el proyecto reforzó la importancia de preservar a estos animales.

“Transmitimos la información a nuestros sobrinos, a los turistas que vienen a descubrir este lugar y disfrutar de nuestras hermosas playas, y recalcamos aún más que no se debe comer lo que llamamos cação”, puntualizó.

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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.

De acuerdo con el informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), Charlotte Butler, de 65 años, comenzó a desempeñarse como la principal cuidadora de Maxine Dailey alrededor de 2018.

Los investigadores indicaron que Dailey padece Alzheimer y depende de asistencia para su cuidado diario y la administración de sus asuntos financieros.

Como parte de sus funciones, Butler fue autorizada como firmante en la cuenta bancaria de Wells Fargo de la víctima, lo que le permitió acceder a sus recursos económicos.

Según el informe, Butler admitió posteriormente, durante su testimonio en un proceso judicial de tutela en Miami-Dade, que retiraba dinero de la cuenta compartida de manera habitual para apostar en casinos de la zona.

Las autoridades señalaron que la mujer reconoció haber retirado aproximadamente 24,070 dólares con ese propósito.

Los registros bancarios obtenidos mediante una orden judicial revelaron frecuentes retiros de efectivo en cajeros automáticos ubicados dentro de varios casinos del sur de Florida. Los detectives indicaron que las transacciones se realizaban semanalmente y, en algunos casos, varias veces el mismo día. Los retiros continuaron hasta mayo de 2023 y ocasionaron pérdidas estimadas en unos 24,000 dólares.

La investigación también incluyó registros del Hialeah Park Casino, donde Butler tenía una cuenta de jugador.

Según los investigadores, los registros del casino coincidían con las fechas y montos de los retiros realizados de la cuenta bancaria de la víctima, lo que demostraba que la actividad de apuestas de Butler correspondía con el dinero extraído de esa cuenta. En algunos casos, las cantidades apostadas coincidían exactamente con los retiros, lo que, según las autoridades, respalda que utilizó los fondos de la víctima para fines personales.

Los detectives señalaron además que el único dinero depositado en la cuenta provenía de los beneficios del Seguro Social de Dailey o de transferencias realizadas desde otras cuentas que pertenecían exclusivamente a la víctima. La investigación no encontró evidencia de que Butler hubiera intentado devolver el dinero.

Asimismo, las autoridades descubrieron que Butler y su hija vivían en la casa de Dailey sin pagar renta, servicios públicos ni televisión por cable, gastos que continuaban cubriéndose con el dinero de la víctima.

Tras ser informada de sus derechos Miranda, Butler admitió haber realizado retiros de la cuenta compartida en casinos, según el informe.

Butler fue arrestada por un cargo de explotación financiera de una persona mayor o con discapacidad.

Hasta la tarde del viernes permanecía recluida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza fijada en 5,000 dólares.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, at least three suspects were arrested Thursday after the burglaries were reported, but investigators believe additional suspects remain involved as multiple groups continued searching for unlocked vehicles overnight.

Authorities said the burglaries have primarily targeted apartment complex parking lots and residential driveways between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.

They said most of the vehicles showed little or no signs of forced entry because they were left unlocked. However, investigators said windows have been smashed when valuables were visible inside.

Detectives said the thieves have stolen wallets, purses, cash, sneakers, perfume, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and other valuables from vehicles.

They said one of the biggest concerns is the number of guns being stolen from vehicle consoles, glove compartments and trunks.

BSO identified two of the arrested suspects as 19-year-old Jason McDowell and 18-year-old Shamar McDowell.

Jail records show Jason McDowell faces charges of loitering or prowling, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and resisting an officer without violence. Records show Shamar McDowell faces one count each of loitering or prowling and resisting an officer without violence.

Deputies said the third suspect is a minor. His or her identity, age and charges were not immediately released.

As of Friday afternoon, Jason McDowell Broward County Main Jail, where his bond has not yet been set, while Shamar McDowell was being held at the same jail on a $650 bond.

Detectives are urging residents and visitors to help prevent vehicle burglaries by locking their vehicles, using steering wheel locks, parking in well-lit areas, removing all personal belongings from their cars and installing or activating alarm systems.

Anyone with information about the remaining suspects is urged to contact BSO North Lauderdale District Sgt. Lisa Sokol at 954-720-2261 or Detective Jaret Mundth at 954-720-2265, or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Broward Crime Stoppers by calling 954-493-8477 or dialing **TIPS from any cellphone.

Según la BSO, al menos tres sospechosos fueron arrestados el jueves tras los reportes de los robos. Sin embargo, los investigadores creen que hay más personas involucradas, ya que varios grupos continuaron recorriendo la zona en busca de vehículos sin seguro durante la noche.

Las autoridades informaron que los robos se han concentrado principalmente en estacionamientos de complejos de apartamentos y entradas de viviendas entre las 2:00 y las 5:00 de la madrugada.

La mayoría de los vehículos no presentaba señales de haber sido forzada, ya que estaban sin seguro. No obstante, los investigadores señalaron que en algunos casos los delincuentes rompieron ventanas al ver objetos de valor en el interior.

Entre los artículos robados se encuentran carteras, bolsos, dinero en efectivo, tenis, perfumes, sopladoras de hojas y otros objetos de valor.

Las autoridades expresaron especial preocupación por el número de armas de fuego robadas de las consolas centrales, las guanteras y las cajuelas de los vehículos.

La BSO identificó a dos de los detenidos como Jason McDowell, de 19 años, y Shamar McDowell, de 18.

De acuerdo con los registros carcelarios, Jason McDowell enfrenta cargos por merodeo, alteración o fabricación de evidencia física y resistencia a un agente sin violencia. Por su parte, Shamar McDowell enfrenta un cargo de merodeo y otro de resistencia a un agente sin violencia.

Los agentes informaron que el tercer detenido es menor de edad, por lo que su identidad, edad y los cargos que enfrenta no fueron revelados de inmediato.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, Jason McDowell permanecía recluido en la cárcel principal del condado de Broward sin que se le hubiera fijado una fianza, mientras que Shamar McDowell continuaba detenido en el mismo centro con una fianza de 650 dólares.

Los detectives recomendaron a residentes y visitantes tomar medidas para prevenir este tipo de delitos, como cerrar con seguro los vehículos, utilizar bloqueadores para el volante, estacionarse en lugares bien iluminados, retirar todos los objetos de valor del interior del automóvil y activar los sistemas de alarma.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre los sospechosos que aún no han sido localizados puede comunicarse con la sargento Lisa Sokol al 954-720-2261 o con el detective Jaret Mundth al 954-720-2265. También puede enviar información a través de la aplicación SaferWatch o hacerlo de forma anónima llamando a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477 o marcando **TIPS desde cualquier teléfono celular.

He was the most productive tight end in the NFL, a near-unanimous All-Pro selection and made his second straight Pro Bowl.

McBride’s success has also landed him the top spot at tight end in a preseason survey by The Associated Press. He received five first-place votes from a panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers who ranked the top five players at the position, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

George Kittle finished second with three first-place votes. Brock Bowers came in third, followed by Sam LaPorta and Kyle Pitts.

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

McBride had a breakout year in 2024 and followed that up with a record-setting season in 2025.

He caught 126 passes last season, breaking Zach Ertz’s record for most in a season by a tight end, had 1,239 receiving yards, and his 11 receiving touchdowns tied for first. McBride also led tight ends with 566 yards after the catch.

He got one second-place vote and two thirds to go with the five firsts in voting for this season's Top 5.

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle had 57 receptions for 628 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in only 11 games last season, averaging 11.0 yards per reception.

He had just two drops and 259 yards after the catch.

The seven-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time All-Pro is one of the best blocking tight ends in NFL history.

Kittle, who tore his Achilles in San Francisco’s playoff victory over the Eagles, got two second-place votes to go with the three firsts and appeared on seven ballots.

3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

After a sensational All-Pro rookie season, Bowers was plagued by injuries last year. He caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven TDs in 12 games and made his second Pro Bowl.

Bowers gained 296 yards after the catch, and had three drops. A dynamic receiver, Bowers is still a work in progress as a blocker.

He received three second-place votes and was on each ballot.

4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta was limited to nine games because of injuries last season and had 40 catches for 489 yards and three TDs.

He wasn’t charged with any drops and totaled 273 yards after the catch. LaPorta is one of the best all-around tight ends in the league and an asset in Detroit’s run game because of his outstanding blocking skills.

5. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Pitts earned second-team All-Pro honors after a career-high 88 catches for 928 yards and five TDs last season.

Pitts, who was the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history in 2021 when the Falcons selected him No. 4 overall, lived up to expectations as a rookie when he made the Pro Bowl. But he was disappointing until a breakthrough season last year.

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Merino is trying not to focus on it.

It remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will affect the final. The World Health Organization forecast calls for an improvement to “moderate” air quality in East Rutherford.

“For a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible,” Merino said Friday. “Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup.”

Spain practiced outside in hazardous conditions in East Hanover, New Jersey, on Thursday, alarming experts who thought the team should have held the session inside instead. Messages sent to FIFA and the Spanish Football Association asking whether that was considered or possible were not returned.

Air quality improved Friday, but the uncertainty lies in what will follow what could be up to 1.25 inches (3.17 centimeters) of rain expected to fall Saturday.

“Following that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it’s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. “If the fire intensity really picks up again through (Saturday), it’s possible it puts more smoke into the atmosphere that then might quickly follow that rain event.”

Jonathan Belles, senior meteorologist for The Weather Channel app and weather.com, expects to have improved confidence in the forecast as game time gets closer.

“The question is whether smoke behind that (rain) system reaches ground level over northern New Jersey on Sunday and, if so, how concentrated it becomes,” Belles said. “Current forecast models range from little to no ground level smoke to levels that could become more concerning for players and fans.”

Smoke from wildfires — which are burning more of North America as Earth warms — attacks nearly every system in the body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show.

It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours. Smoke can trigger inflammation in different parts of the body, often attacking a person’s weakest points, which can then cascade into different effects of an immune system trying to fight a nasty irritant, doctors and scientists say.

There could be an impact on players' performance even if the air conditions are moderate, according to University of California, San Diego professor of medicine Chantal Darquenne.

“It’s kind of a dose dependent effect," Darquenne said. "If it’s moderate, it’s going to be less of an effect, but it’s still going to be there, especially because they are doing vigorous exercise during these events.”

President Donald Trump was set to meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino later Friday. Members of the administration, including Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, have been discussing the matter with soccer's governing body and monitoring the wildfire situation, according to a White House official. The person was granted anonymity to confirm internal discussions.

Trump said he’d impose new tariffs on Canada over the wildfire smoke but made no mention of the World Cup final.

“We are holding Canada responsible,” the president posted on his social media site. He added that the U.S. “is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!”

Roughly 80,000 fans are expected at the final, which takes place in the large, open-air stadium in the Meadowlands that is home to the NFL's New York Giants and Jets.

“There’s the obvious sort of respiratory illness, cardiovascular issues, vulnerable people with asthma and things like this,” Parrington said. “Then for sure they’re going to feel the effects.”

During a rehearsal Thursday night at MetLife Stadium for Sunday’s halftime show, some members of the New York Philharmonic wore masks and some used outdoor-friendly instruments rather than the regular ones they play.

The haze has caused complaints across sports, with athletes critical about the decision to play in hazardous conditions. Before his New York Yankees played at home roughly 12 miles (19.31 kilometers) from the Meadowlands, manager Aaron Boone said he was not hearing much about the smoke.

“Obviously they’re monitoring it to see if it gets any worse,” Boone said. “We’ll be communicating with our guys a lot. We’re able to test oxygen levels and things like that if guys are having trouble. So, we’re paying attention to it, and we’ll take the guidance from the league and the weather and the smoke people.”

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SNTV videographer Davidde Corran in East Hanover, New Jersey, AP White House reporters Seung Min Kim and Will Weissert and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington and AP Sports Writers Ron Blum in New York and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Corrine, who asked not to be identified by last name, said she was 9 years old when she moved to Miami from Haiti, just 12 days after the earthquake in 2010.

“I’ve been here for 16 years, I’ve obtained an education, I work, I volunteer at my church with children,” Corrine, 26, said. “I’m angry; I’m scared. I don’t know what to think; I don’t know what to do.”

Conditions in the Caribbean nation are so bad that the U.S. State Department has the highest level warning for U.S. citizens traveling to Haiti.

In late June, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Haitians on July 10, but active litigation forced an extension on July 24.

“There’s nothing in Haiti for us. Haiti is not a safe place anymore. What would we go back to? We would have to worry about being murdered, raped,” Corrine said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s end of TPS for Haiti will impact some 350,000 people nationwide.

“Claims that DHS is deporting individuals that have current Temporary Protected Status are false. Individuals who lose TPS eligibility, have their designation terminated, or are removable under U.S. immigration law may be subject to enforcement actions consistent with federal law and due process.”

“Temporary Protected Status is exactly that-temporary. For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent. The Trump Administration is restoring integrity to the immigration system by ensuring that individuals who no longer qualify for TPS either pursue another lawful immigration status, voluntarily depart using the Department’s available return assistance, or face removal in accordance with federal law.

“Conditions in Haiti have improved sufficiently to support the return of Haitian nationals, and DHS encourages eligible individuals to utilize available resources, including the CBP Home program, to facilitate a safe and orderly departure. This decision restores TPS to its intended purpose while reinforcing that U.S. immigration laws will be enforced consistently and that temporary protections cannot become permanent by default.”

Spokesperson for U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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The U.S. order, which U.S. President Donald Trump signed in July 2020 in his first term in response to Beijing imposing a national security law to limit dissent in Hong Kong, is not being renewed, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson who was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump’s order was last renewed for a year in July 2025.

The spokesperson said sanctions under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020, which sanctions officials that promote China's policy of limiting Hong Kong's autonomy, will continue, adding that the nonrenewal is consistent with efforts to make sure sanctions are not duplicative.

China considers the national security law for Hong Kong necessary to restore stability in the city after massive anti-government protests in 2019. The pro-democracy movement back then posed one of the biggest challenges to the Communist Party in Beijing and the Hong Kong government since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Under the order, Trump said Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to mainland China under certain laws. It eliminated the preferential treatment for Hong Kong to the extent permitted by law and in the national security, foreign policy, and economic interest of the United States.

The implications of the decision not to renew the order were not immediately clear. The White House referred questions about the executive order lapsing to the Treasury Department.

The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a statement Friday that the national emergency declared in the executive order had expired and that it delisted people who were sanctioned under the order. But it said people who remain sanctioned under another act related to Hong Kong have been added to a different sanction list.

The statement showed Hong Kong leader John Lee and his predecessor, Carrie Lam, were removed from the first list but added to the second one.

China-US relations

The U.S. decision came two months after Trump met with his counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing. It could warm ties between them ahead of Xi’s expected visit to the U.S. later this year. Earlier this month, a pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October was released after Trump brought up his case with Xi.

China’s Commerce Ministry said that the U.S. made commitments on Hong Kong issues and other matters during the U.S.-China trade talks in Madrid last year. The U.S. recently confirmed to China that the President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization would end, the ministry said in a statement responding to media questions.

“The U.S. side’s actions represent an important step in fulfilling the consensus reached during the bilateral economic and trade talks. China appreciates it,” it said.

Hong Kong reaction to US policy

Six years after the national security law's introduction, many leading activists, including pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, were imprisoned under it. Critics say the Western-style civil liberties that Beijing promised to maintain for 50 years after the handover have declined.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that it noted the “positive shift in the U.S. policy” toward the city.

“Safeguarding Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability serves the common interests of China and the U.S. and also aligns with the general expectation of the international community,” it said.

It said it hopes the U.S. will respect China's sovereignty and the rule of law in Hong Kong and resume normal economic and trade exchanges with the city.

___

Associated Press writer Joshua Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Federal health officials identified iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in five states as a source of widespread infections from the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation identified a single supplier as the source of the suspect lettuce.

Taco Bell issued a statement on Thursday saying that “the affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.” The company described the move as precautionary.

A federal official who was briefed on the outbreak investigation and not authorized to discuss it identified the supplier as Taylor Farms, a company based in Salinas, California, that produces fresh vegetables for commercial use and meal kits and bagged lettuce products sold at supermarkets.

Federal health officials stressed that other “brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels” could be identified as the investigation continues.

Here’s a brief history of some other recent outbreaks that roiled restaurant companies and sometimes changed how food safety is regulated in the U.S.

Taylor Farms provided onions implicated in an outbreak linked to McDonald's hamburgers

E. coli bacteria caused a 2024 food poisoning outbreak tied to raw onions on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The outbreak sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, including 34 who were hospitalized, according to the FDA. One person in Colorado died.

McDonald's said the onions came from Taylor Farms and temporarily pulled the Quarter Pounder off its menu in the affected states. Other national restaurant chains temporarily stopped using fresh onions in some of their locations.

Likely E. coli contamination gets lettuce pulled from Wendy’s sandwiches

Wendy’s pulled lettuce from sandwiches in its restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania in August 2022 after some people reported falling ill.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at the time that it was trying to determine whether romaine lettuce was the source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 37 people and whether romaine used at Wendy’s was also served or sold at other businesses.

One person was also sickened in Indiana, according to the CDC.

Extensive E. coli outbreak at Chipotle leads to criminal charges

In 2015, Chipotle was hit by an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 50 people and it temporarily shut down dozens of restaurants on the West Coast, but that was just the beginning. A month later, 30 Boston College students, including at least eight members of the men’s basketball team, complained of gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at a Chipotle restaurant.

Federal officials declared the outbreak over by February 2016, but the chain shut down every one of its restaurants to retrain employees and allow them to regroup.

By the end of the year, however, Chipotle Co-CEO Montgomery Moran stepped down as sales plunged.

In 2020 Chipotle Mexican Grille agreed to pay a record $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges that it served tainted food that sickened more than 1,100 people in the U.S. between 2015 and 2018.

The company admitted that poor safety practices, such as not keeping food at proper temperatures to prevent pathogen growth, sickened customers in Los Angeles and nearby Simi Valley, as well as Boston, Sterling, Virginia, and Powell, Ohio.

Taco Bell removes green onions nationwide after an E. coli outbreak sickens dozens

In December 2006, Taco Bell ordered the removal of green onions from its 5,800 restaurants nationwide after samples taken by investigators appeared to contain a harsh strain of E. coli. The outbreak sickened at least 71 people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, with most of them hospitalized, according to the CDC.

Eight people developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome.

Eventually, it was determined that contaminated lettuce was the probable cause, with the vegetable used in numerous dishes on the menu.

Almost immediately, Taco Bell launched a newspaper ad blitz and sent its president on a string of media interviews to assure customers that its food was safe.

Deadly outbreak traced to Jack in the Box hamburgers leads to regulatory changes

Four deaths and more than 700 illnesses in Washington, Idaho, California, and Nevada between 1992 and 1993 eventually were traced to undercooked Jack in the Box restaurant hamburgers contaminated with E. coli.

The ensuing investigation by federal regulators changed regulatory practices in the U.S., experts say.

An investigation by the CDC identified five slaughter plants in the U.S. and one in Canada as the likely sources of animals used in the contaminated lots of meat and identified potential control points for reducing the likelihood of contamination. The animals slaughtered in domestic slaughter plants were traced to farms and auctions in six western states. No one slaughter plant or farm was identified as the source.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, which helps identify and control hazards within the system of food production. The system provided for more monitoring and controls to rapidly limit the spread of outbreaks.

Jack in the Box lost more than $44 million in 1993 and did not post another annual profit for another three years.

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The fire, which erupted at about 8 a.m. Thursday, is burning in the Everglades near Mile Marker 40, just west of U.S. 27.

It has burned 4,400 acres so far and is 20% contained.

On Friday afternoon, those on the highway couldn’t see much of the flames, but smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.

According to Local 10 meteorologist John Gerard, southerly winds should keep most of the smoke away from the western suburbs Friday, but a wind shift to the southwest could allow the smoke to spread more into the western suburbs on Saturday.

Kerr, the 2023 world champion over the 1,500 meters metric mile, has called it “Project 222” — for each second he aims to take in breaking Hicham El Guerrouj’s mark of 3 minutes, 43.13 seconds.

“It’s in my favor," Kerr said Friday at a news conference at London Stadium that staged track and field at the 2012 Olympics. “My body is capable of the mark and so my job tomorrow is to have my mind to be available to let my body do its job.”

The 28-year-old Kerr has targeted the mile race at the Diamond League meeting as a main goal in a track season with neither Olympics nor world championships.

“I’m very excited. It’s been on my mind, my team’s mind, for a long time,” said the 1,500 silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The mile is not a championships event yet has iconic status in track history, with the four-minute barrier finally broken in 1954 by another British runner, Roger Bannister.

El Guerrouj’s record set in 1999 is more than 16 seconds faster than Bannister, and Kerr is the sixth-fastest athlete on the all-time list. One of his rivals Saturday is No. 4 in that list.

Yared Nuguse set a United States record three years ago, 0.84 slower than El Guerrouj, in a race won by Jakob Ingebrigtsen at Eugene, Oregon.

While Bannister’s feat running 3:59.4 is remembered in track lore, he held the record just a few weeks before Australian John Landy lowered it by 1.4 seconds.

Jim Ryun of the U.S. later held the record for nine years until Filbert Bayi of Tanzania took it in 1975.

A stellar 10 days in August 1981 saw a British rivalry play out: Sebastian Coe took Steve Ovett’s mile record, Ovett got it back then Coe beat it again clocking 3:47.33.

In the 45 years since, the mile record was held only by Steve Cram, Noureddine Morceli and El Guerrouj.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The body was identified as Tondra Madruga, 58, also known as Tondra Miller, the San Francisco medical examiner said Friday.

Madruga's body was recovered Thursday by a police marine unit, two days after the Volare, a 49-foot (15-meter) cabin cruiser, sank with 20 people aboard after being hit by a wave and capsizing. The group was on the boat to scatter the ashes of a loved one.

“Our family is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved mother, daughter, sister, and aunt, Tondra Madruga,” family member Quin Madruga said on Facebook. “Our hearts remain with every family impacted, and we sincerely appreciate your kindness and understanding.”

One man, Clifford Boisa, died immediately after being retrieved from the chilly water. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended rescue efforts Wednesday evening but police are still looking for the missing.

Ralph Boisa said his extended family and some close friends were on the boat Tuesday to celebrate the life of his daughter, who died over a decade ago. Madruga was a friend.

The two people who remain missing are Ralph Boisa's sister, Carol, and Clifford Boisa's wife, Jackie, he said.

Madruga's body was discovered in San Francisco Bay near Treasure Island, a former naval station, when a boater first reported it, police said.

The bay is notorious for its strong currents, and within hours of the boat’s sinking, rescuers were also searching the open ocean beyond the Golden Gate Bridge.

Crews searched more than 800 square miles (over 2,000 square kilometers), according to the Coast Guard. That’s an area roughly half the size of Rhode Island.

The boat is believed to be submerged on the rocky seabed in water 120 feet (36 meters) deep. When the wreck is located, authorities will determine whether a safe recovery can be conducted, police said.

With several riders closing in behind them, Schmid made the decisive move with 200 meters left and held off Tejada before lifting his front wheel at the line in celebration. Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock finished just behind in third.

Pogacar's yellow jersey group cruised in a few minutes later as the high temperatures of recent heat waves finally dropped.

Four-time Tour champion Pogacar remains 3 minutes, 36 seconds ahead of two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard in the overall standings, and 4:06 ahead of Remco Evenepoel in third place. Pidcock climbed up to fourth at 4:15 behind Pogacar.

Stage 13 was the longest of this year’s race at 206 kilometers (128 miles) and featured a sharp nine-kilometer Category 1 climb — the second-hardest climbing category — up Ballon d’Alsace. Schmid won in just over four hours.

A large group of riders formed at the front at the foot of the big climb, with Pogacar's yellow jersey group not contesting the stage win. The group was whittled down on the descent toward the finish in the northeast city of Belfort, and became a two-way duel to the line.

Saturday's 14th stage is a mountain stage with three big climbs in the Alsace region and ending at Le Markstein ski resort.

The race concludes with its traditional finish in Paris on July 26. ___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The man was arrested Thursday morning inside 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown by an officer responding to reports of a disorderly individual inside the building, police said Friday.

NBC News says in a statement that an individual approached Melvin after entering an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. Melvin notified security, who held the man until police arrived, according to NBC.

No altercation occurred and no injuries were reported. NBC did not say how the man gained access to the area.

“We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios,” the network said in a statement.

The man has been charged with burglary, menacing and criminal trespass as hate crimes, as well as harassment. It was not clear Friday if has appeared in court or if he has an attorney.

Police did not say what led to the hate crime enhancements on the charges. Police records show a court date has been scheduled for Wednesday.

Melvin, who is Black, discussed the incident on-air Friday morning.

“Unfortunately, an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A,” Melvin said. “Thankfully, he was apprehended quickly. He was placed under arrest. We are just very happy that everyone is safe.”

Melvin also posted about the incident on Instagram.

“Hey everyone. I’ve heard from so many of you over the last few hours,” he wrote on Thursday. “I’m doing just fine. Thanks for reaching out."

Longtime “Today" show meteorologist Al Roker also took to social media to thank everyone reaching out to check on Melvin.

“We are both okay,” Roker posted on Instagram. “It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together. You all, like Craig, said ‘You come after one of us, you come after all of us.’”

Melvin and Roker are among a relatively small group of prominent Black journalists and anchors with regular, highly visible roles on national broadcast network news programs.

Melvin joined NBC and MSNBC in 2011, according to the “Today” show’s website. He replaced Hoda Kotb in 2025 as co-host of the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. hours of “Today.” He had been hosting the show’s third hour while serving as the news anchor during the first two hours.

Roker also is a feature anchor on “Today” and co-host of the show’s third hour. He joined the show in 1996. Roker also co-hosted the “Wake Up with Al” morning show on the Weather Channel from 2009 to 2015.

He wrote on social media that she “has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”

“RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” Trump added.

The president said he had discussed a potential campaign with Darline Graham at the White House. Four people familiar with the deliberations, none of whom were authorized to speak publicly, had previously said that she privately expressed interest in running.

Trump's endorsement dramatically reshapes the scramble to fill Lindsey Graham's seat after he died last weekend. The president had previously suggested he could back a potential candidacy from Rep. Russell Fry. Several other noteworthy politicians — including Fry, Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — have been eyeing a run.

The filing period for a special primary runs from July 21 to July 28, and the primary is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Plans for Lindsey Graham’s funeral were also announced Friday. There will be a service in Washington on July 28 and more in South Carolina on July 29.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve the remainder of her brother's term, which ends in January.

The first woman to represent the state in the Senate, Darline Graham called it "such an honor,” as dozens of her brother’s staffers and campaign advisers stood behind her, some with eyes glassy from welling tears.

“Lindsey has always been there for me. And now, I will be there for him," she said.

Lindsey Graham died Saturday at age 71. A preliminary report from the medical examiner said he suffered a tear in his aorta.

He never married or had a family of his own, but his sister was often by his side for the political touch points of his career, speaking at events and appearing in some of his campaign ads. After both of their parents died when Darline Graham was only 13, her old brother became her legal guardian and later adopted her, to ensure his military benefits would flow to her.

In forging a relationship with Darline Graham — who is new to politics but was a constant in her brother's political career — Trump could be angling to develop another ally to help steer his agenda through the Senate.

Although they had at times a tumultuous relationship, Lindsey Graham had been one of Trump's top Senate confidants, and the day after his death, the president said he was “like a member of the family.”

In his announcement Monday, McMaster made no reference to Darline Graham as a placeholder or symbolic appointment.

However, a person familiar with McMaster's thinking but unauthorized to speak publicly said the governor, in selecting Darline Graham, had never contemplated that she would run for the seat herself.

Sen. Tim Scott, another South Carolina Republican, said he would not endorse any candidate in the primary because he also serves as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

But, he said, “as Tim Scott, the voter of South Carolina, I might indeed wade into the water at some point.”

“I think the truth of the matter is that Darline has so far been off to a remarkable start,” Scott told reporters, asking about her as a possible special primary contender. “‘Why not her?’ would be my question.”

When he died, Lindsey Graham had millions in his campaign account and was expected to raise much more heading into the general election. But those aren’t funds that Darline Graham could directly access, if she were to run, according to Bradley A. Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission.

Under federal rules, Lindsey Graham's campaign would be limited to transferring just $2,000 to a potential Darline Graham candidacy. However, Smith said there is no limit on how much it could transfer to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which could — thanks to a Supreme Court decision last month — “spend an unlimited amount in coordination with Darline’s campaign.”

“It can’t be earmarked for Darline’s campaign, but in those circumstances I’m sure that the party will make sure she’s not short of cash,” said Smith, now serving as a professor at Capital University Law School in Ohio.

___

Kim reported from Washington. Associated Press reporter Thomas Beaumont contributed from Des Moines, Iowa.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

The move comes just days after Rodriguez, a leading establishment Democrat from the pivotal Milwaukee suburbs, fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.

“As we have continued to dig into our financial reports, it has become clear there are issues that would be an ongoing distraction,” Rodriguez said in a social media post Friday. “Part of being a leader is taking swift action, doing the right thing and being as honest as possible when there's a problem."

“And because I believe that, I cannot, in good conscience, allow these questions to become a cloud over an election Democrats need to win,” she added.

The shake-up comes less than a month from the primary election on Aug. 11, when Democrats will be choosing a successor to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who opted not to seek a third term.

Rodriguez had been endorsed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who quit his campaign on July 8, over remaining Democratic candidates, including democratic socialist Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and others.

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Deputies identified the suspect as William Adam Lamkin.

Jail records show he was arrested Tuesday on charges of domestic assault, domestic battery and resisting an officer with violence.

Deputies said they responded just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to a home near the 9900 block of Red Heart Lane in Tamarac in reference to a “suspicious incident” involving a 10-year-old boy.

According to an arrest affidavit, the boy called 911 after running away from the home following the domestic dispute.

The affidavit states the boy told deputies that his mother had returned home with bottles of alcohol before she and her boyfriend, Lamkin, began arguing before it turned physical.

According to the affidavit, the boy told deputies that he called 911 after his mother said Lamkin grabbed her by the shirt and threatened to kill her.

Deputies said the victim told them that officers had responded to the home on previous occasions.

She told deputies she was shopping at Publix when she received several text messages from Lamkin asking where she was and “demanding that she return home immediately,” the affidavit states.

The woman said that after she returned home and parked her vehicle, Lamkin walked behind it and ordered her back inside. She told deputies Lamkin then pushed her against the driver’s seat, stepped back and punched her in the arm, authorities said.

According to the affidavit, Lamkin then told her, “I’m going to ask you this question one time and one time only, and every time you give me that bulls--t answer, I will punch you again.”

Deputies did not say what question Lamkin asked but said neighbors attempted to intervene before Lamkin eventually walked back toward the home.

The woman and her son also returned to the home, where Lamkin continued yelling at her inside the home, deputies said. The boy became “frightened” and ran from the house. They said his mother chased after him until she saw him get into a pickup truck. The affidavit does not identify who owned the truck.

When deputies asked whether she believed Lamkin would carry out his threats, the woman replied, “Of course,” according to the affidavit.

She also told deputies she feared Lamkin would return to the home because of his “extensive domestic history” in previous relationships. According to the affidavit, she pleaded with deputies not to leave, saying, “He will kill me. He’s a psycho,” the affidavit states.

Deputies said Lamkin returned to the home while they were still on scene and told them, “I didn’t do anything wrong, so go about your business.”

According to investigators, Lamkin then “started to walk toward deputies in an aggressive manner and took a fighting stance.”

Deputies said they took “necessary actions” to bring Lamkin into custody. They said he was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation before being booked into the Broward County Main Jail.

Lamkin’s mugshot shows him with one eye swollen shut, but it is unclear whether he sustained the injury during his arrest.

As of Friday morning, he remained at the Broward County Main Jail, where his bond was set at $32,500. A judge also placed him on house arrest and ordered him to have no contact with the victim and her son. He was also banned from possessing any guns, weapons or ammunition.

Victims of domestic violence can get help by calling the National Domestic Violence 24-Hour Crisis Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

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A city-pole-mounted surveillance camera recorded a video of Tangela Wright using a white Chevrolet Impala as a weapon, according to a Florida City police officer’s arrest report.

“The female victim advised that she and the defendant had an ongoing history of personal conflict,” the police officer wrote, according to the report. “She stated that they had been involved in multiple prior altercations and that the defendant had repeatedly attempted to initiate physical fights with her before.”

At 5:30 a.m., on May 9, Wright was driving the Chevrolet Impala westbound on Davis Parkway, according to the police report.

The surveillance video shows Wright “make only a minimal stop at the stop sign” at Sixth Avenue, according to the police report.

The video shows Wright “accelerate into the intersection as both victims were actively crossing within the marked crosswalk” and “striking the male victim, causing him to become airborne before landing on the roadway,” according to the report.

The man had to be hospitalized after he suffered fractured ribs and a neck injury, according to police officers.

A detective questioned Wright and arrested her at 12:55 p.m. on Thursday at the Florida City Police Department’s headquarters at City Hall at 404 West Palm Drive, according to the police report.

Correctional officers booked Wright shortly before 5:40 p.m. on Thursday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center near Doral, according to Miami-Dade inmate records.

Prosecutors filed a case against Wright on Friday, and she faced charges of attempted felony murder with injury and attempted felony murder, according to Miami-Dade court records.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Laura Maria Gonzalez was set to preside over the case.

Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.

Location

De acuerdo con el reporte de arresto de la Policía de Florida City, una cámara de videovigilancia instalada en un poste captó el momento en que Tangela Wright presuntamente utilizó un Chevrolet Impala blanco como arma.

Según el informe, la mujer que sobrevivió al ataque declaró a los investigadores que mantenía un historial de conflictos personales con la acusada y que ambas ya habían protagonizado varios altercados en el pasado. También aseguró que Wright había intentado iniciar peleas físicas con ella en repetidas ocasiones.

Las autoridades indicaron que alrededor de las 5:30 a.m. del 9 de mayo, Wright conducía el vehículo hacia el oeste por Davis Parkway. El video muestra que realizó apenas una detención mínima en la señal de alto ubicada en la intersección con Sixth Avenue antes de acelerar mientras las dos víctimas cruzaban por un paso peatonal debidamente señalizado.

Las imágenes muestran que el automóvil impactó al hombre, quien salió proyectado por el aire antes de caer sobre la vía, según el reporte policial.

La víctima fue trasladada a un hospital con fracturas en las costillas y una lesión en el cuello, informaron las autoridades.

Un detective interrogó a Wright y la arrestó a las 12:55 p.m. del jueves en la sede del Departamento de Policía de Florida City, ubicada en el Ayuntamiento, en el 404 de West Palm Drive.

Posteriormente, fue ingresada en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, cerca de Doral.

La Fiscalía presentó formalmente el caso el viernes y Wright enfrenta cargos por intento de homicidio grave con lesiones e intento de homicidio grave, de acuerdo con los registros judiciales del condado de Miami-Dade.

El caso quedó asignado a la jueza del Tribunal de Circuito de Miami-Dade, Laura Maria Gonzalez.

Mercedes Cevallos, editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, colaboró en este reporte.

Ubicación:

The Israeli military said it targeted a “terrorist cell” belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. It said it was aware that civilians may have been harmed in the strike.

The Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza confirmed the number of casualties in the strike in central Gaza, saying people were struck at the funeral for a Palestinian killed in a strike earlier on Friday. In that attack, which killed two people, the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas militant, without elaborating.

Israeli fire also killed three more people on Friday, including two women, in northern Gaza, Gaza City and Khan Younis, according to local health officials.

The Palestinian Hamas militant group, which has fought a bruising war with Israel, called the strike on the funeral “a heinous crime."

Israel and the militant group agreed to a ceasefire deal in October aimed at halting a two-year-long war.

The heaviest fighting has subsided but at least 1,123 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which has been part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants but says women and children make up most of the dead.

Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

In recent weeks, Israel has ramped up its strikes in Gaza, targeting people in cars, tents, buildings and on the street. It says it is going after Hamas and other militants but civilians have also been killed.

According to the independent monitoring group, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, Israel carried out 40 attacks targeting militants in June, the highest monthly total since the start of the ceasefire.

The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

Coach Didier Deschamps takes charge of his last game for France on Saturday when Les Bleus face England at the World Cup in Miami. The winner gets third place, an anti-climactic award brought about by agonizing semifinal defeats.

It is a disappointing end to Deschamps' reign when many observers touted his star-studded attack to win another World Cup. Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to be confirmed as France's new coach in the coming days by the French soccer federation.

The Deschamps years

France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018, lost a gut-wrenching final on penalties in 2022, and fell short tactically against Spain on Tuesday.

In his 14 years in charge, Deschamps won just one major trophy — albeit the biggest of all — having lost the European Championship final on home soil in 2016.

Some observers suggest that was not quite enough given the talent at France's disposal — including Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Ballon d'Or winners Ousmane Dembélé and Karim Benzema — while others argue France was remarkably consistent under Deschamps, who is now 57.

Whatever the view, France's next coach has big shoes to fill and a big aura will help. As arguably France's greatest ever player, and a prolifically successful coach with Real Madrid, Zidane seems the perfect fit.

Polar opposites as players, Zidane and Deschamps are forever linked by glory.

The industrious midfielder Deschamps was France's tireless captain when it won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, while Zinedine was the unstoppable creative force that drove that brilliant team to new heights.

Here's a look at how France might look with Zidane in charge.

What would Zidane change?

France's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semifinal was more crushing than the score suggests.

France was found wanting tactically when put under sustained pressure by the slick Spanish. Completely dominated in midfield, France got its pressing game all wrong. The attack was blunted and Deschamps had no Plan “B” to turn things around.

Deschamps has had his detractors over the years — chief among them Christophe Dugarry, his former France teammate — who said his approach was too restrictive and lacked sufficient creativity in central midfield.

Zidane would doubtless want a more expansive approach, such as during his heyday when he roamed the field as a playmaker. Michael Olise or Rayan Cherki could fill that role.

Both are technically gifted although neither are a playmaker by definition like Zidane was. Another option could be Dembélé dropping deep into that role, as he has done well with Paris Saint-Germain.

Benzema's return?

Zidane is a huge fan of Benzema and they became close friends when Zidane coached him at Real Madrid.

They won three straight Champions League titles together from 2016-18 and Benzema became a more complete player, as well as a ruthless finisher, under Zidane's guidance. Benzema is 38 and his advanced age may prove a stumbling block.

But given how the age-defying Lionel Messi has dazzled at this World Cup aged 39, Zidane may think Benzema — a Ballon d'Or winner in 2022 — has something left to give. Especially if he plays in a more withdrawn role, where he can use his excellent technical skill and passing ability to good effect.

Critics of Deschamps never forgave him for leaving out Benzema for the best part of six years, due to Benzema's alleged part in a “sex-tape scandal” targeting then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.

However, France won the World Cup without Benzema.

He was finally recalled in time for the European Championship in 2021, where he was France's top scorer with four goals, and combined brilliantly with Mbappé when they won the Nations League later that year.

Benzema fell out with Deschamps after being released from the 2022 World Cup because of a thigh injury, with Benzema contesting events leading to his departure.

It would be a big call for Zidane to recall him, but it's not impossible.

Five years away from the game

One question is how ready Zidane would be for such a high-pressured job, giving that he has not coached since leaving Madrid after his second spell in 2021.

Yet he will also be fresh after several years away from the stress and scrutiny of management.

Should the 54-year-old Zidane take charge, his first game would be away to Turkey in the Nations League on Sept. 25, followed by a match in Belgium three days later.

Home fans would need to wait until Oct. 2 for a glimpse of Zidane at Stade de France, when France plays Italy.

Zidane's last game as a player for France was against Italy in the 2006 World Cup final. He scored early with a Panenka-style penalty, before an infamous moment saw him red-carded for headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi during extra time.

France lost the final on penalty kicks but the French public quickly forgave Zidane — affectionally known as “Zizou” — for getting sent off, such was his deep bond with the nation.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Como hemos señalado en este boletín desde el lunes —dos días antes de que el sistema fuera incluido por primera vez en el pronóstico del NHC—, las probabilidades de desarrollo siguen siendo bajas, principalmente debido a la cercanía e interacción del sistema con tierra, así como a la presencia de cizalladura del viento de moderada a fuerte en la zona.

Las condiciones ambientales adversas y la falta de organización del sistema no favorecen un fortalecimiento significativo. Sin embargo, debido a que las aguas del noreste del Golfo de América y frente a la costa sureste de Estados Unidos registran temperaturas cercanas a niveles récord para esta época del año, no se descarta la formación de una depresión tropical débil o una tormenta tropical de baja intensidad y de corta duración. Por ahora, no obstante, las probabilidades siguen en contra de que el sistema logre organizarse lo suficiente.

Lluvias intensas, el principal riesgo

Independientemente de que el sistema llegue o no a desarrollarse, las lluvias fuertes serán el principal peligro desde la costa oeste de Florida, incluida el área metropolitana de Tampa Bay, hasta la Nature Coast y la región de Big Bend, al menos hasta principios de la próxima semana.

La lluvia intensa comenzará con mayor fuerza el sábado, pero el periodo de mayor riesgo se extenderá del domingo al martes, incluyendo la franja central del interior del estado y el noreste de Florida.

Por ahora, los acumulados previstos parecen manejables y podrían resultar beneficiosos para algunas zonas que necesitan varios días de lluvias constantes para aliviar la sequía que afecta al estado.

Sin embargo, este tipo de patrón alimentado por humedad tropical puede generar precipitaciones muy intensas, superiores a 3 pulgadas por hora, por lo que no se descartan inundaciones repentinas localizadas, especialmente en áreas urbanas como las zonas metropolitanas de Tampa y Jacksonville.

No se espera desarrollo en otras zonas del Atlántico

Una perturbación tropical bien definida en el extremo oriental del Atlántico, justo al oeste de África, que también aparece en el panorama tropical del Centro Nacional de Huracanes, no tiene probabilidades de desarrollarse.

En el resto de la cuenca del Atlántico, las condiciones continúan siendo tranquilas y no se prevé actividad significativa durante las últimas semanas de julio.

NOAA restablece el funcionamiento del satélite clave para el monitoreo de huracanes

La interrupción prolongada del satélite meteorológico GOES-19, reportada por primera vez en el boletín del miércoles por la mañana, quedó resuelta la tarde del jueves.

De acuerdo con fuentes de la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA) con conocimiento del incidente, la falla se originó en el software a bordo del satélite. Para corregir el problema fue necesario reiniciar el sistema, lo que dejó al GOES-19 fuera de servicio durante aproximadamente 24 horas, entre el miércoles y la tarde del jueves.

Durante ese periodo, los ingenieros de NOAA colocaron el satélite en el denominado modo “safehold”, un protocolo de protección de emergencia diseñado para evitar daños mayores o una posible falla del equipo.

Afortunadamente, el problema se resolvió rápidamente y el satélite no sufrió daños permanentes. El GOES-19 es el principal satélite de NOAA para el monitoreo meteorológico de la costa este de Estados Unidos y del Atlántico tropical.

Este satélite es distinto de la constelación de satélites de monitoreo de huracanes en órbita polar operada por el Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos, cuya continuidad estuvo en riesgo al inicio de la temporada de huracanes del año pasado. Esos satélites continúan operando con normalidad, luego de que las autoridades implementaran una solución de último momento en julio pasado para atender preocupaciones de ciberseguridad y mantenerlos en funcionamiento.

“I kept reading how you have to wait to sing this big repertoire,” Brownlee said. But there was one bit of Wagner — Wolfram’s “Song to the Evening Star” from “Tannhäuser” — that’s “a little bit lighter. I figured it was more appropriate.”

So he brought it to his teacher, Thomas Rowell, at the University of South Alabama and asked what he thought.

“I just laughed at him and told him to go away,” Rowell recalled. “He knew that big voice was there, and he was so eager to try on the clothes, but they didn’t fit for a while. It was still a very young instrument.”

Reminded of that exchange nearly 20 years later, Brownlee smiles. “I was a bit ambitious,” he said. “But this was just me.”

Now that ambition — what he calls “a fire in my belly that burns brighter every day,” — has helped propel Brownlee at age 37 to the very top of his profession. And he’s done it by singing a lot of Wagner.

All hail a new Wotan

He just made his debut as Wotan, embattled king of the gods, in “Die Walküre” at the Bavarian State Opera House, part two of a complete “Ring” cycle directed by Tobias Kratzer. He had previously sung the role in “Das Rheingold,” the opera that opens the cycle.

The critics reached for superlatives. “A heroic baritone straight out of a textbook,” wrote Markus Thiel in Merkur, “with a powerful, resonant voice, a force of nature.” Carlota Moseguí in Platea Magazine praised his voice and said Brownlee “possesses all the qualities to become the definitive Wotan of his generation.”

Next, Brownlee heads to the Wagner shrine in Bayreuth, Germany, where he will star as the title character in “Der Fliegende Holländer” (“The Flying Dutchman.”) And his upcoming season is one Wotan after another.

“It’ll be ‘Siegfried’ time in Munich, then ‘Walküere’ time in Buenos Aires, then ‘Rheingold’ time in Barcelona,” he said. Add to that two of the “Ring” operas in Frankfurt and then two complete cycles next summer back in Munich.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to have a student who goes that far, especially from a small regional state university like ours,” said Rowell, who remains close friends with Brownlee and officiated his wedding to mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein. “I have to pinch myself. I’m enjoying it vicariously.”

Does Brownlee worry at all about damaging his voice from so much heavy singing?

“I don’t think you’re supposed to say this, but no, not really,” he replied. “We like to put this big stamp on Wagner and say ‘Be Careful!’” But he said he finds the demands of each opera different enough to help him avoid burnout.

Still, he promises that his roles the following season will be more varied, including a return to one of his favorites — Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca.” And down the road are two Verdi roles — the villainous Iago in “Otello,” and the comic Falstaff.

Of the latter, he said, “I want to flex a different muscle. I talk fast, I’m a bubbly, fun guy, but what I do on stage is so serious all the time. Boy it would be fun to just be a jolly fat guy!”

From Conway Twitty to Richard Wagner

Just how did a boy from a working-class family in a small town outside Mobile, Alabama, become one of a handful of go-to singers in the world for these demanding roles?

His first success as a vocalist actually came as the youngest grandchild in a large extended family, performing Conway Twitty imitations to grab attention. Classical music had to wait until he fell under the spell of his high school choral director.

When he went to college, he planned to study conducting, but Rowell heard him sing and cajoled him into joining the Mobile Opera chorus.

“I went in the first day and I hated it,” Brownlee recalled. “I said, this is in Italian, who cares? That’s for stuffy elite people, not for us blue-collar fellas.”

Still, his curiosity made him determined to figure out why some people loved the art form. So he sat by the side of the stage one night to watch the emotional final scene of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” when the heroine dies after being reunited with her lover.

“When she said, ‘O, gioia!’ and she fell into his arms, and now she’s dead, Alfredo’s weeping over her, and Germont is feeling half-responsible, I was weeping uncontrollably,” he said. “And I didn’t even know what they were saying.”

That’s when he started taking voice lessons, and from there followed years of study and apprenticeships both in the U.S. and later in Germany. Along the way he competed twice in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions.

The first time, still in his early 20s, he made it to the semifinals in New York. “I did not go on to the finals, which was absolutely correct,” he said. “Failure is a great lesson.” (Coincidentally, one of the winners that year was Ryan Speedo Green, who will be singing Wotan in the Met’s upcoming “Ring” cycle.)

Brownlee returned in 2015, and this time he took home one of the top prizes. Other awards have followed, including in 2025, best male singer at the International Opera Awards and the Richard Tucker Award for most promising American singer.

Finding fame far from home

Yet this American singer is still barely known to most opera audiences in his native country. Brownlee’s career has so far been largely in Germany, where he and Feinstein are raising their two daughters and are currently applying for dual citizenship.

“I can perform anywhere in Europe and be home in two hours to see my girls,” he said. “In America that’s just not something you can do,”

He may be rooted in Europe for now, but major U.S. houses are beckoning with increasing urgency.

When he appeared at Chicago’s Lyric Opera this past spring as the prophet Jochanaan in Richard Strauss’s “Salome,” general director John Mangum called his performance “absolutely thrilling.” He said Brownlee is “definitely going be at the top of our list” as the company charts its future Wagner performances.

And Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, who heard him sing a major role for the first time during the Munich run of “Walküre,” said “I was blown away. … We’ll definitely be offering him big roles at the Met in upcoming seasons.”

Los agentes identificaron al sospechoso como William Adam Lamkin.

Según los registros de la cárcel, fue arrestado el martes y enfrenta cargos por agresión doméstica, violencia doméstica y resistencia con violencia contra un agente del orden.

Los agentes acudieron poco después de las 7:30 p.m. del martes a una vivienda ubicada cerca de la cuadra 9900 de Red Heart Lane, en Tamarac, tras recibir un reporte de un “incidente sospechoso” relacionado con un niño de 10 años.

De acuerdo con el informe de arresto, el menor llamó al 911 después de huir de la vivienda tras la disputa doméstica.

El niño dijo a los agentes que su madre había regresado a casa con botellas de alcohol y que ella y su novio, Lamkin, comenzaron a discutir hasta que la situación se volvió física.

Según el informe, el menor llamó al 911 después de que su madre le dijera que Lamkin la sujetó de la camisa y la amenazó con matarla.

Los agentes indicaron que la víctima les contó que anteriormente ya habían acudido a esa misma vivienda por incidentes similares.

La mujer relató que estaba haciendo compras en un supermercado Publix cuando recibió varios mensajes de texto de Lamkin preguntándole dónde estaba y exigiéndole que regresara de inmediato a la casa.

Al regresar y estacionar su vehículo, Lamkin caminó detrás del automóvil y le ordenó entrar nuevamente a la vivienda. La mujer dijo que luego la empujó contra el asiento del conductor, dio un paso atrás y la golpeó en el brazo.

Según el informe, Lamkin le dijo: “Solo te voy a hacer esta pregunta una vez, y cada vez que me des esa respuesta de mierda, te volveré a golpear”.

Los agentes no precisaron cuál fue la pregunta, pero señalaron que algunos vecinos intentaron intervenir antes de que Lamkin regresara a la vivienda.

La mujer y su hijo también volvieron a la casa, donde Lamkin continuó gritándole. El niño se asustó y salió corriendo de la vivienda. Su madre fue tras él hasta verlo subir a una camioneta. El informe no identifica al propietario del vehículo.

Cuando los agentes le preguntaron si creía que Lamkin cumpliría sus amenazas, la mujer respondió: “Por supuesto”, según el informe.

También les dijo que temía que Lamkin regresara debido a su “extenso historial de violencia doméstica” en relaciones anteriores. De acuerdo con el informe, les suplicó que no se fueran y les dijo: “Me va a matar. Está loco”.

Los agentes informaron que Lamkin regresó a la vivienda mientras ellos aún se encontraban en el lugar y les dijo: “No hice nada malo, así que sigan con lo suyo”.

Según los investigadores, Lamkin comenzó a caminar de manera agresiva hacia los agentes y adoptó una posición de pelea.

Los agentes indicaron que utilizaron las medidas necesarias para detenerlo. Posteriormente fue trasladado a un hospital cercano para una evaluación médica antes de ser ingresado en la cárcel principal del condado de Broward.

La fotografía policial de Lamkin muestra uno de sus ojos completamente hinchado, aunque no está claro si la lesión ocurrió durante el arresto.

Las víctimas de violencia doméstica pueden solicitar ayuda llamando a la Línea Nacional de Atención en Crisis por Violencia Doméstica al 1-800-799-7233.

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According to the Florida Department of Revenue, during the sales tax holiday period from Monday, July 20 to Thursday, Aug. 20, tax is not due on the retail sale of:

• Clothing, footwear, wallets, bags, handbags, backpacks, fanny packs, and diaper bags with a sales price of $100 or less per item • Certain school supplies with a sales price of $50 or less per item • Learning aids and jigsaw puzzles with a sales price of $30 or less • Personal computers and certain computer-related accessories with a sales price of $1,500 or less, when purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.

The annual sales tax holiday does not apply to:

• Briefcases, suitcases, or garment bags

• Watches, watchbands, jewelry, umbrellas, and handkerchiefs

• Skis, swim fins, roller blades, and skates

• Clothing items with a sales price of more than $100

• Any school supply item with a sales price of more than $50

• Books that are not otherwise exempt

• Computers and computer-related accessories with a sales price of more than $1,500

• Cellular telephones, video game consoles, digital media receivers, or devices that are not primarily designed to process data

• Computers and computer-related accessories purchased for commercial purposes

• Rentals of any eligible items

• Repairs or alterations of any eligible items

• Sales of any eligible items within a theme park or entertainment complex, public lodging establishment, or airport.

Click here for more information on this year’s sales tax holiday.

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Ingresos de Florida, del lunes 20 de julio al jueves 20 de agosto no se cobrará el impuesto sobre las ventas en la compra de:

• Ropa, calzado, carteras, bolsos, mochilas, cangureras y pañaleras con un precio de hasta 100 dólares por artículo.

• Determinados útiles escolares con un precio de hasta 50 dólares por artículo.

• Materiales didácticos y rompecabezas con un precio de hasta 30 dólares.

• Computadoras personales y ciertos accesorios de computadora con un precio de hasta 1,500 dólares, siempre que se compren para uso personal o doméstico y no con fines comerciales.

La exención no aplica para:

• Portafolios, maletas o bolsas para prendas de vestir.

• Relojes, correas para reloj, joyería, paraguas y pañuelos.

• Esquís, aletas para nadar, patines en línea y patines.

• Prendas de vestir con un precio superior a 100 dólares.

• Útiles escolares con un precio superior a 50 dólares.

• Libros que no estén exentos por otras disposiciones.

• Computadoras y accesorios con un precio superior a 1,500 dólares.

• Teléfonos celulares, consolas de videojuegos, receptores de medios digitales o dispositivos que no estén diseñados principalmente para procesar datos.

• Computadoras y accesorios adquiridos con fines comerciales.

• Alquiler de cualquiera de los artículos elegibles.

• Reparaciones o modificaciones de cualquiera de los artículos elegibles.

• Compras de artículos elegibles realizadas dentro de parques temáticos o complejos de entretenimiento, establecimientos de hospedaje público o aeropuertos.

Para conocer todos los detalles de la exención del impuesto sobre las ventas de este año, consulte la información del Departamento de Ingresos de Florida.

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According to an arrest report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a cyber tip in May from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children that had been reported by xAI (commonly known as Grok), regarding the “possession and creation of child pornography” by an X user.

xAI is an artificial intelligence chatbot application available to X users.

Detectives said the X account was linked to Ray Lequerique Jr. and he was arrested on July 10.

According to the arrest report, Lequerique had created 29 sexual abuse images of girls who appeared to be between ages 5 and 9, which were viewed by xAI employees and then reported.

Detectives said the photos appear to have been derived from photos of real children that could have been easily obtained anywhere on social media and were also derived from pictures of children who he had close contact with.

According to the report, when questioned by detectives, Lequerique expressed remorse and said he “knew it was wrong.”

He was arrested on five counts of generated child sex abuse material, five counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of compiling child pornography on a computer.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward, el Grupo de Trabajo de Delitos Cibernéticos contra Niños del Sur de Florida recibió en mayo una denuncia cibernética del Centro Nacional para Niños Desaparecidos y Explotados, que había sido reportada por xAI (comúnmente conocido como Grok), sobre la “posesión y creación de pornografía infantil” por parte de un usuario de X.

xAI es una aplicación de chatbot de inteligencia artificial disponible para X usuarios.

Los detectives indicaron que la cuenta X estaba vinculada a Ray Lequerique Jr., quien fue arrestado el 10 de julio.

Según el informe de detención, Lequerique había creado 29 imágenes de abuso sexual de niñas que parecían tener entre 5 y 9 años, las cuales fueron vistas por empleados de xAI y posteriormente denunciadas.

Los detectives dijeron que las fotos parecen haber sido tomadas de fotografías de niños reales que podrían haberse obtenido fácilmente en cualquier lugar de las redes sociales, y también de imágenes de niños con los que él tenía un contacto cercano.

Según el informe, cuando fue interrogado por los detectives, Lequerique expresó remordimiento y dijo que “sabía que estaba mal”.

Fue arrestado por cinco cargos de generación de material de abuso sexual infantil, cinco cargos de posesión de material de abuso sexual infantil y un cargo de compilación de pornografía infantil en una computadora.

A week of punishing downpours dumped more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) in some areas. The rain was expected to taper off, but another round of showers worsened already swollen rivers and flooded rural communities near the border with Mexico that had largely been spared major damage.

Near Ozona, a small town about 200 miles (322 kilometers) west of San Antonio, floodwaters spilled over Interstate 10. More than 50 people were rescued by boat from flooded apartments and a water-logged RV park.

A section of a bridge also collapsed over the Nueces River in Uvalde County, where months worth of rain has fallen in a span of days. In Uvalde, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio, floodwaters rushed through Miguel Vasquez’s home twice this week, leaving a layer of mud and knocking over his refrigerator and other items.

Debris was strewn around his neighborhood and a neighbor’s shed teetered over a washed-away section of the property. He said Friday that he'd been caught in the waters' current and nearly been swept away and drowned as he tried to get to his house Wednesday.

“I had to grab on with my hands and my feet. You couldn’t swim," he said, surveying the damage around him. "People think that when there’s a flood, you can swim. Swimming’s not going to help you. It’ll take you. The current’s too strong.”

Almost a trillion gallons of water fell in a flood-prone area

Nearly 1 trillion gallons of water fell on the three hardest-hit counties over three days — enough to fill 1.5 million Olympic-sized swimming pools or supply 11 million homes for a year.

Uvalde County alone got more rain in that period than California has seen over the last month, according to Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

The Hill Country is especially prone to flash floods because the area’s signature limestone is covered by just a thin layer of soil. During heavy rains, water can quickly shoot downhill before filling the narrow river basins.

Emergency personnel across a wide swath of southern and central Texas have rescued more than 570 people, including stranded drivers and people trapped in homes, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Hill Country residents were beginning to clean up after floodwaters again barrelled down the Guadalupe River and through communities still reeling from deadly floods a year ago.

Homes and businesses were soaked and covered in mud

Vasquez evacuated Thursday. Had he stayed, he said, "I wouldn’t have been able to flee.”

Serena Reyna woke up Thursday morning to find her Kerrville boutique, Nu Accents, covered in debris after four feet of floodwater rushed into the store. She described the store as “a total loss.”

“The floors, I mean they’re soaked in mud and still you know an inch of water in some spots," she said. “Everything there was just mud and water and just debris.”

The Texas Department of Transportation said high waters closed a 50-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 57 and that parts of the roadway were not expected to reopen until Monday.

In all, roughly 6 million residents across Texas were under a flood watch at various points this week.

Residents in hard-hit Uvalde return to flooded homes

Floodwaters had overrun Uvalde and cut off most outside routes, making it one of the hardest hit cities. The waters were receding Friday, and officials said a major highway, Route 90, had reopened.

Sandra Gomez said about 6 inches (15 centimeters) of water got inside her home and left mud throughout. She said she was luckier than other people she knows whose homes were under 5 or 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) of water.

“Well, really it’s very, very emotional,” she said. “Material things I can replace. It may take a while, but I can replace those but I cannot replace my family. So, my family’s safe and that’s all that really matters.”

One person died while driving on a flooded road, swept away near Uvalde, authorities said.

Another victim, 65-year-old John Mark Steward of Kerrville, died after his mobile home was swept into Goat Creek on the Guadalupe River, his wife said. The same river was wrecked by flash floods last year when two dozen children and counselors died at Camp Mystic. Authorities on Thursday said summer campers were safe.

In Ozona, the seat of Crockett County, authorities used seven rescue boat teams to get people out of the hardest-hit areas. They were taken to the local civic center for shelter.

Eddie Martin, the county's emergency management director, said the area received 6 inches of rain after midnight, on top of nearly 10 inches of rain before that.

“We have more and more accidents on the interstate,” he said. “We have more and more water pouring into the neighborhoods where we’ve been pulling people out of.”

___

Stengle reported from Dallas and Hanna, from Topeka, Kansas. Also contributing reporting were Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Michael Phillis in Washington, and Anna Wilder in Austin, Texas.

The Irish character actor died Thursday night in Dublin after a period of ill health, her agent, Phil Belfield said in a statement.

Fricker won the Academy Award in 1990 for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the determined mother of Christy Brown, a writer and painter who was born with cerebral palsy and could control only his left foot. Daniel Day-Lewis, who played Brown, won the award for best actor.

“She was just an amazing actress, amazing character, forceful personality, great writer,” the movie's director, Jim Sheridan, told Irish national broadcaster RTE. “She could be obsessive — in everything she did — life, work, love. But no real malice or anything, she was just a very strong personality and a good laugh.”

Fricker said she was stunned when she won the Oscar, never thinking it was possible. In her acceptance speech, she thanked Brown “just for being alive” and paid tribute to his mother, saying “anybody who gives birth 22 times deserves one of these."

She later spoke of how the award doomed her to being typecast to forever playing roles as mothers. Later in life, she said she used the weighty statuette to prop open her bathroom door.

Fricker, who appeared in more than 90 films and television shows between 1964 and 2024, was known for her role as the “pigeon lady” in the 1992 film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where she played a homeless woman who befriended Macaulay Culkin’s character in New York’s Central Park.

She also featured in the original cast of the BBC medical drama “Casualty” and appeared alongside Cate Blanchett in “Veronica Guerin,” the story of an Irish investigative journalist who was murdered in 1996.

“We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her,’’ Belfield said. “I was honored to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”

Born in Dublin in 1945, Fricker received the city’s highest honor earlier this year when she was awarded the Freedom of the City.

In her autobiography “She Died Young: A Life in Fragments,” Fricker describes both happy childhood escapades with her sister Grania and her struggles to overcome sexual violence and mental health issues, which caused her to be institutionalized several times. Published in September 2025, the book appeared on the Irish Sunday Times bestseller list.

Simon Harris, Ireland’s deputy prime minister, said the country had lost a national treasure.

“She truly was among the greatest exports this country has ever produced and an ambassador for Irish talent on the world stage,'' he said. "Quite simply, we will never see the like of her ever again.

Fricker was married to director Barry Davies from 1979 until they divorced in 1988. She became pregnant several times but suffered miscarriages, which led to severe depression much of her life.

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

He'll have to do much, much more to lift the claret jug.

The world No. 2 bounced back with a 3-under 67 in the second round at the British Open on Friday, ensuring he'll make the cut with his score of 1-under par overall.

The projected cut is currently at level par.

McIlroy knew he'd left a few shots out there, though, especially when he saw that two other morning starters — Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns — tied the major championship record with rounds of 62 in gorgeous conditions.

“It was a little better today,” McIlroy said, “but still didn’t feel 100% comfortable. Hopefully try to figure that out as the week goes on.”

He might have left it too late.

McIlroy was seven shots off the clubhouse lead held by Herbert, on 8-under par. More relevant might be No. 4-ranked Cameron Young being at 6 under, while players like top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were just starting out their second rounds and already higher on the leaderboard.

McIlroy, who won the Open just down the road in Hoylake in 2014, struggled on the greens in shooting 72 on Thursday and said he still hasn't figured them out.

“I felt like I hit good putts and they did something completely different to what I saw in the read, and I think that’s a little unnerving,” he said.

McIlroy was, however, very happy with his driving. He drove the green on the par-4 ninth hole — for the second straight day — with a 377-yard tee shot that settled 11 feet from the pin, setting up the third of his four birdies on Friday.

Yet, for all his excellence off the tee, he has only made one birdie on the par 5s this week.

McIlroy hopes the conditions allow him to be aggressive off the tee over the weekend.

It might be his only hope of a victory.

“I think any time I can get a driver in my hand, I’m going to try to,” he said. "I just feel like with how I’m feeling with the driver, I think it’s a big advantage if I can get the ball down there and take out some of these fairway bunkers.

“l continue to do that when I can, and then I’m still trying to figure out these greens a little bit.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The preparations come as meteorologists warn that El Nino is already underway and increasingly likely to strengthen through the remainder of the year. Unlike hurricanes or earthquakes, the climate phenomenon develops gradually over months, which gives governments time to prepare before its most severe impacts arrive.

But experts say authorities across the region have often struggled to turn forecasts into action, raising questions about whether countries will be better prepared than during previous El Nino events that caused widespread economic damage and disrupted water, energy and food systems.

“Now is the time for decisions, for effective preparedness and the political consistency to really be proactive this time,” said Rodney Martinez, the World Meteorological Organization’s representative for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

“El Nino is confirmed. El Nino is ongoing. It’s not simply a possibility,” he said.

Many countries have stepped up preparations

Previous strong El Nino events have caused billions of dollars in damage across Latin America, contributing to severe drought in some regions while triggering floods and landslides in others. The phenomenon has disrupted agriculture, strained drinking water supplies, fueled wildfires and, in some countries, reduced hydroelectric power generation, leading to energy shortages.

Martinez said countries should use the months before impacts intensify to secure alternative energy sources, protect vulnerable communities and prepare for potential strain on public services.

In hydropower-dependent countries such as Ecuador, that could mean bringing thermal power generation online to offset lower reservoir levels during drier conditions and completing maintenance and procurement work well in advance. He pointed to Ecuador’s energy crisis last year, when drought depleted water levels at hydroelectric facilities and contributed to widespread power outages.

Central America, parts of the Caribbean and northern South America are already experiencing drier-than-normal conditions associated with the phenomenon, according to the WMO. Those conditions are expected to expand into parts of the Amazon basin, raising concerns about water availability, agriculture and wildfire risk.

The threats vary considerably across the region.

In Brazil, Colombia and parts of Central America, authorities are focused on drought, water shortages and wildfire risk. Brazil has hired more than 4,600 federal personnel for wildfire prevention and response, expanded firefighting brigades and deployed aircraft ahead of what officials fear could be a difficult fire season. Colombia has activated water-monitoring systems, strengthened wildfire preparedness and urged local authorities to prepare for potential shortages.

Elsewhere, governments are preparing for flooding. Ecuador, where strong El Nino events have historically brought damaging rains to the Pacific coast, has ordered local governments to develop contingency plans and allocated millions of dollars for flood mitigation, emergency response and agricultural recovery. Local authorities have begun clearing drainage channels, stabilizing hillsides and preparing emergency shelters.

Costa Rica says it has launched more than 200 measures under a national contingency plan, including efforts to protect water supplies, expand renewable energy generation and prepare for a potentially severe wildfire season. In Peru, authorities have strengthened monitoring and early-warning systems while expanding meteorological observation networks.

Panamanian authorities have developed plans to address potential impacts on operations at the Panama Canal, where lower rainfall can affect water availability needed to maintain shipping traffic through one of the world’s most important trade routes.

The WMO official warned that drought and heat could threaten food security across parts of Central America’s Dry Corridor while increasing wildfire risks in several countries. In areas expected to receive excessive rainfall, flooding can damage infrastructure, contaminate water supplies and increase the risk of disease outbreaks.

Advance warning does not always translate into action

Colombia’s environment minister, Irene Vélez, told The Associated Press that El Nino is not new, but “what is new is its intensity. And because of that intensity, what is also new is how long it could last and the area it could affect.”

Despite the advance warning, Martinez said preparations remain uneven across the region.

“The reality is that this preparation doesn’t happen until they have the emergency,” he said.

Martinez said some authorities continue to delay decisions despite increasingly strong forecasts, either waiting for additional confirmation or assuming their countries will avoid the worst impacts. He warned that postponing decisions despite increasingly strong scientific evidence could leave governments scrambling to respond once droughts, floods and heat waves intensify.

Recent studies examining previous major El Nino events found their economic impacts can linger for years and ultimately cost the global economy trillions of dollars.

His message to governments still waiting to act was simple.

“Be prepared in advance, in a serious way,” Martinez said. ““The information is there. Now is the time for decisions.”

Vélez said the challenge extends beyond responding to a single climate event and requires governments to adapt to increasingly extreme conditions.

“Climate change is here to stay,” she said.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

It's a delicate balance for the candidates, who are vying to face Collins in a contest that could decide control of the Senate as Platner’s shadow hangs over the race. In their first debate Thursday night, one of the first questions candidates were asked was: What was Graham Platner's best idea?

Moving past Platner is just one of the challenges facing Democrats. The never-before-used process to pick a new nominee means candidates have less than three weeks to pull off what typically takes campaigns months or years, from organizing volunteers to raising money and preparing for debates.

The whiplash many of the candidates are facing was on display Thursday.

Asked by debate moderators about President Donald Trump's decision to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this year, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows gave inaccurate information about Collins not pushing back against Trump, a Republican. When a moderator called her on it, Bellows said she was on vacation on the Kennebec River last week after previously focusing on her unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign and hadn't expected to be running for the Senate.

“When I need to know the facts, I will. I’ll do my homework," said Bellows, who lost to Collins in 2014.

The field of 12 candidates also includes former public health leader Nirav Shah and union-backed logger Troy Jackson, who campaigned alongside Platner in a failed bid for governor.

Platner's exit means the clock is ticking

Platner quit the Senate race last week after he was accused of rape, which he denies, and his campaign quickly imploded as supporters revoked their endorsements and resources.

Democrats have until July 27 to choose a new nominee, according to state law. The Maine Democratic Party's succession plan calls for a state party convention at which 601 delegates will meet on July 25 and vote for Platner's replacement. The majority of the convention delegates will be selected this weekend from each of the state’s 16 counties.

Candidates hoping to replace Platner have been recruiting delegates who will vote for them at the convention. The candidates also must collect 500 voter signatures needed to qualify for the convention vote.

“I don’t think anyone’s happy that we’re in this situation,” said Dan Jenkins, a Maine Democrat who has applied to be a delegate. “We would have preferred that this had broken many, many months ago and then Graham had exited the race when there was a time for a democratic process. But it's where we are.”

Some candidates might see a boost from prior campaigns

Jackson is among the handful of candidates pivoting to the Senate race after running for other political offices, likely giving them a leg up in not having to launch from scratch.

Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that had originally backed Platner, has thrown its support behind Jackson, the former Maine Senate president. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has not endorsed in the race.

Shah, former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also unsuccessfully ran in this year’s Maine Democratic governor’s primary. He has been pitching Platner’s supporters that he’s also an outsider who can unify a fractured Democratic Party.

“You have an important place in this campaign, and we welcome your voices,” Shah said earlier this month speaking to Platner’s base.

Bellows also ran for governor. She's hoping that her previous battles with Trump will bolster her argument that she’ll be an advocate for the working class.

Bellows previously tried to unseat Collins in 2014 as the Senate Democratic nominee and lost to her in a landslide. She later went on to win a seat as a state senator before becoming Maine’s secretary of state. She’s since downplayed her prior loss to Collins by pointing to the Democratic establishment’s unwillingness to take on the Republican in 2014.

Another candidate, Jordan Wood, initially announced his intent to run in the Maine Democratic Senate primary. He dropped out last fall to run in the state’s 2nd District but lost that race.

Candidates seize on recent ICE shooting

The fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maine this week has been top of mind among the potential Senate nominees.

The Embassy of Colombia has identified the man killed Monday in Biddeford, roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland, as Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national. The Department of Homeland Security has since said an ICE officer fired his weapon when the man officers were pursuing attempted to flee the scene, threatening “public safety.”

Many have rushed to connect Collins to the embattled federal agency.

All the candidates who debated Thursday said they agreed with the call to “abolish ICE,” though Wood stopped short of saying the agency should be completely dissolved.

“I believe that when I say we have to abolish it, what I mean is that we need a new law enforcement agency that has the trust of the people,” Wood said.

Jackson disagreed, calling ICE a “rogue agency that goes around doing things that they’re being told to on high.”

Candidates asked about Platner's best ideas

Platner attracted more than 150,000 votes during the June 9 primary, an eye-opening number that signaled a progressive base eager to support a candidate known for his promise to defend the working class and ability to rally large crowds.

With little more than a week until the state convention to find Platner's replacement, it still remains unknown just who will be able to capture that same excitement seen among Platner's base.

When pressed during Thursday's debate about Platner's best idea on the campaign trail, Jackson pointed to his commitment to “Medicare for All.” As a gubernatorial candidate, Jackson also voiced support for replacing job-based and individual private health insurance with a government-run plan that guarantees coverage for all with no premiums, no deductibles and only minimal copays for certain services.

Bellows said that she agreed with Platner’s description that democracy in the U.S. has been corrupted by those in power.

Shah said he would take up Platner's commitment to “abolish ICE,” while Wood said he admired Platner's decision to say that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, something Israel denies.

“Graham got into this race saying, ‘this is genocide.’ And I learned that it is so important in these moments to draw those moral lines,” Wood said.

Whether you're hoping Argentina will become the first repeat champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, or that young superstar Lamine Yamal will score for Spain, everyone's a winner across these 10 tracks.

Read on below and then stream the full playlist on Spotify, here.

“Dai Dai,” Shakira and Burna Boy (2026)

Kick off your World Cup final listening party with this year's official anthem: “Dai Dai” from Colombian superstar Shakira and Afrobeats icon Burna Boy. The song is the perfect intersection of their musical languages, Afrobeats and Latin rhythms, on an undeniably global, multilingual track. After the first chorus, they take turns tackling verses, singing back and forth, before joining in a duet. It's a message of unity and victory. Take it from Shakira herself: “Fútbol is a thing that unites so many cultures and people of different walks of life,” she told the AP. “The big responsibility of making a World Cup song is that you’ve got to make a song that represents people’s feelings, emotions, and passion.”

“DNA (More Than A Game),” Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, EJAE and Megan Thee Stallion (2026)

You read that artist list correctly. On this World Cup song, tenor Andrea Bocelli, EDM star David Guetta, singer-songwriter EJAE from “KPop Demon Hunters” and rapper Megan Thee Stallion team up for the genre-agnostic “DNA (More Than A Game).” Performed in English, Italian and Korean, it's surprisingly anthemic and has a strong empowerment message. “’Cause it’s more than just a game / it’s our DNA,” Bocelli and EJAE harmonize on the chorus.

“It's a kind of music very, very far from the scores that I’m used to performing in general, but sometimes it’s very nice to do something different and to discover new atmospheres,” Bocelli told the AP. “It's very happy, the song. I think it gives happiness.” That it does.

“La Copa de la Vida (The Cup of Life),” Ricky Martin (1998)

A Spanglish global smash and one of the most addictive World Cup anthems of all time, Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin was really onto something when he released “La Copa de la Vida (The Cup of Life)” for the 1998 tournament held in France. It is the standard to which all World Cup anthems should be held — from its unmistakable soccer themes to its multilingual mambo-pop, unyielding horns section and Eurodance-club intensity. Ale, ale, ale!

“Despechá,” Rosalía (2022)

Supporters of Spain are more than familiar with this up-tempo, merengue-pop tune — it has become a celebratory track for the team upon victory, played after they score and post-match. And now that the 2010 World Cup champions are in the final, it's not unlikely it's played out loud on stadium speakers again. It's a cool pick from a team with swagger — and fitting for this playlist.

“Mi Gran Noche,” Raphael (1967)

The legendary Spanish singer Raphael is central to celebrations in the country this World Cup season. “Mi Gran Noche” is just one gem in his treasure trove of hits — a '60s Latin pop classic with intergenerational appeal, played in clubs, bars, football clubs, on the radio and television specials and beyond. There’s a reason it has stood the test of time, with its big band brass and cheerful chorus.

“La Roja Baila,” Sergio Ramos, Niña Pastori and RedOne (2016)

What do you get when you combine Spanish footballer Sergio Ramos, flamenco-pop singer Niña Pastori and Moroccan record producer RedOne (known for his work with Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and many more)? “La Roja Baila,” the Spanish team's official anthem for the 2016 European Championship. (It translates to “The Red One Dances,” a reference to the team's nickname, La Roja.) The results that year weren't in Spain's favor, but that's no reason to stop chanting along to the song's cheery post-chorus: “España ey ey! / Cantamos gol, gol / España ey ey! / La Roja baila.” (“Spain, hey hey! / We sing goal, goal! / Spain, hey hey! / La Roja dances!”)

“La Cumbia de los Trapos,” Yerba Brava (2000)

It was Argentina's signature song in 2022, when they won in Qatar, and it has been their statement track this tournament, too. Argentine band Yerba Brava's 2000 hit “La Cumbia de los Trapos” was written as a soccer anthem, and a soccer anthem it has remained. It's a high-energy cumbia with a title that directly references “los trapos,” or “the rags” — the flags flown in Argentine stadiums.

“Matador,” Los Fabulosos Cadillacs (1993, remastered 2008)

Ska-samba-reggae-rock group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs' “Matador” is heard when Argentina scores. The hit — with its Afro-Argentine candombe rhythms, big brass and chant-along chorus — is undeniably spirited. On first listen, it's an upbeat party record. On closer inspection, it's an indictment of the late-'70s and early-'80s period of dictatorship in Argentina.

“Dumbai,” Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso (2024)

The Argentine duo of Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso is making some of the most exciting music in the modern mainstream. Call it genre-averse, hook-heavy Latin pop with trance and trap beats atop tropical rhythms performed through an absurdist, comedic lens — that is, if you have to call it anything. “Dumbai” is arguably one of their more reserved tracks but still a fun romp about a fun night out.

“Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” Shakira featuring Freshlyground (2010)

No such playlist would be complete without the greatest World Cup anthem committed to record: “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” also courtesy Shakira. It was the official anthem of the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa and featured the South African band Freshlyground. The song, with its soca-influenced beat and reference to the 1986 song “Zangaléwa,” recorded by Cameroonian band Golden Sounds, manages to do what all World Cup songs should: Take local sounds and make them global, all without sacrificing hook and rhythm. It's an earworm with a capital “E.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Additional hit or miss thunderstorms are likely this weekend. They could also be strong, fueled by the heat in the middle 90s. More heat advisories are likely well into next week.

Herbert bent over with hands on his knees after missing a 5-foot par putt on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale, knowing the 30-year-old Australian was an inch away from being the first man with a 61. Burns wasn't even aware of the record when he holed a bunker shot to cap a birdie-birdie-birdie finish.

“I'm absolutely disappointed, and at the same time, so proud of today,” Herbert said. "Very, very proud to put my name on that list of guys that have shot 62 in a major championship. So it's kind of holding two emotions there at the same time.

“It's a pretty good problem to have, too, to be disappointed you shot 62.”

Most remarkable about Burns is that the 29-year-old American — the runner-up at the U.S. Open last month — wasn't even planning to play in The Open. His wife was due this week, and when she gave birth to a daughter earlier than expected, Burns decided a week ago Friday to make the trip.

Still steaming from a bogey-bogey-bogey finish on Thursday for a 3-over 73, his goal was to get back under par and keep his hopes alive in the championship.

“The finish there the last three holes was just a bonus,” Burns said.

And what a finish. He holed from 40 feet off the green at the 16th for birdie, made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th and then made the first birdie of the day on the tough 18th by splashing out of the pot bunker and calmly raising his right arm when it went in.

“It was a tricky bunker shot because I had to land it in the fringe there and use the slope down to the hole. Definitely very lucky for it to go in,” Burns said.

That two record-tying rounds happened so close together was reminiscent of Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele — also two groups apart — each with 62 in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

The record was first set by Branden Grace in 2017, also at Royal Birkdale. It had been matched four times since then at two majors — Schauffele and Fowler at the U.S. Open, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry at 9-under 62 in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The amazing rounds came one week after Haeran Ryu set the women’s major record with a 60 at the Evian Championship in France, where all lowest scores in LPGA majors have been set.

Herbert's round was simply flawless until the final hole. A self-described golf nerd, he allowed himself a thought about a record score on a par-70 links after three straight birdies to start the round. And the birdies kept coming until he was 8 under through 12 holes, with the two reachable par 5s still to play.

“I might not play 12 better holes in my life,” he said.

Herbert was a foot away from a mid-iron into the par-5 14th, but it just caught a pot bunker, and he had to save par from a greenside bunker. But he holed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 16th to reach 9 under, and he missed a 10-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 17th.

He went into the right rough off the 18th tee, came up short of the green and from 50 feet away on the baked fairway, Herbert rolled it some 5 feet short of the hole. The putt looked left of the cup from the moment it left his putter.

“I didn’t hit a bad putt. I can at least sleep easy tonight knowing I didn’t hit a bad putt,” Herbert said. “I just misread it. It’s pretty tough when you’ve got a putt for the major championship record to get everything to work and to get everything to sync perfectly still and straight.”

Three of the seven rounds of 62 have come at Royal Birkdale, and weather played a role. There was a breeze for so much of the morning, and players took aim. Eric Cole was first out with a 64. Patrick Reed (66) reached 6 under through 12 holes before he slowed.

“It’s pretty benign, and if you were ever going to do it, this was the morning for it,” said Herbert, who now plays on LIV Golf and has won on five tours. “These guys are good. I’m probably not as surprised as you think that there’s another 62 out there. I’m probably more surprised at myself shooting 62, to be honest.”

Of the seven rounds of 62 in the majors, Schauffele at the PGA Championship is the only one to leave with the trophy.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours, swamps emergency rooms in a day or so with people suffering from heart attacks and other cardiovascular and lung issues, as well as mental health issues, doctors and scientists told The Associated Press.

Smoke also harms pregnant women, increasing the risk of premature births and low-weight babies who could have breathing problems the rest of their lives, doctors and studies say. And then there are long-term risks connecting prolonged smoke and other air pollution exposure to some cancers and dementia.

After huge global fires in 2018 and 2019, the medical and science communities started looking at the health effects from the smoke with “more and more studies coming out finding that there’s all types of impacts that may not have been so obvious before,” said Dr. Mary Johnson, a Harvard School of Public Health environmental health scientist.

Smoke causes inflammation by triggering the body's immune system to go into overtime to fight the irritant. Scientists have found it can harm the brain, the skin and men's sperm, with almost no system of the body spared, Johnson said. People over 60 become more prone to stroke in wildfire smoke, she said.

“Wildfire smoke is the toxic product of combustion of whatever burned,” which could include houses and cars, said Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency room physician, chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance and president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association.

“So really it's a big giant toxic soup of particles and gases.”

Scientists have counted at least 1,000 toxins in wildfire smoke, according to Colorado State University environmental toxicologist Luke Montrose.

“If I gave you a list, you would recognize some of these as being very bad, oftentimes associated with the burning of diesel fuel or cigarette smoke, things like formaldehyde or volatile organic compounds,” Montrose said. “So just the smoke itself can be bad.”

Rising global temperatures from climate change means more fires

So far this year, more than 5,740 square miles (more than 14,860 square kilometers) of the United States has burned from wildfires, which is 31% more than the average of the previous 10 years on this date, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The amount of U.S. land burned each year in the 2020s — averaged out over a decade — is now more than twice what it was 30 years ago.

Europe saw a record high amount of land burned in 2025, Canada has had several record or near-record fire years in the 2020s and the Arctic recently has had unprecedented levels of burning.

“Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense because of climate change, and when a fire happens, you have smoke,” said Colleen Reid, a University of Colorado geographic health professor.

Most of the biggest particles in wildfire smoke fall close to where a blaze is burning, while the smallest particles — the ones that scientists say do the most damage — travel the farthest. In a typical wildfire, the nasty particles that harm human health are about the size of one micron, Reid said.

Inside the body, particles attack

First those particles have to get by your body's protection, mainly nose hairs and mucus, then they get into your lungs and from there the bloodstream.

Montrose said the particles can be coated in lots of chemicals and have large surface areas. That triggers the body's defense system to “send signals to other cells that say, ‘We have a problem. We need to mount an immune response to this.’ And that’s where you get your acute effect or your effect within minutes, hours or even that day.” It's mostly happening in the hearts and lungs, he said.

And many people die.

On average 24,100 people died each year in the Lower 48 states between 2006 and 2020 due to long-term exposure to tiny particles from wildfire smoke, according to a study this year in the journal Science Advances. A Stanford study projects that U.S. wildfire smoke deaths will increase with climate change and by midcentury hit an annual cost of $244 billion in terms of the economic value the government puts on each life.

On a global scale, wildfire smoke particles cause 677,745 deaths annually, with almost 39% of them children under age 5, according to a 2021 study that combined observations, studies on how the body responds to the particles and computer models to calculate the toll.

The biggest nonlethal effects have to do with the way people breathe, especially those with asthma.

“We did a study here in 2014 after we had about two-and-a-half months of smoke off and on, because we’re in the subarctic so we’re warming at triple the global rate, so in a way we’re kind of canaries in the coal mine of the health impacts of climate change,” Howard said on a clear day from Yellowknife, Canada. “We found a full doubling of emergency department visits for asthma and about 50% increase in pneumonia.”

“Even in individuals that don’t have asthma, the air can be so irritating that you could have difficulty with your respiratory system regardless,” Johnson said, “whether it’s coughing, whether it's chest tightness, whether it’s sore throat, headache.”

There are ways to minimize the risks

Studies have linked smoke to people having more trouble with decision making and other cognitive issues. People come to the emergency room depressed, Howard said. That's why it's important to find a place with clean air — including designated shelters or libraries — to get a break from the smoke and possibly exercise, she said.

Experts suggest people wear high-quality masks when outdoors, even though they don't provide perfect protection. Inside, check windows and doors for seals, invest in a good ventilation system and check air filters, they say.

“Staying away from the smoke is No. 1 if you can,” Johnson said.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Troopers said the tanker truck was traveling south on the Turnpike when the driver lost control.

They said the truck overturned and collided with the center median concrete barrier wall.

Authorities confirmed that the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sky 10 flew over the scene around 10:45 a.m., where a heavily charred tractor-trailer could be seen as firefighters continued spraying water on it. Light smoke could still be seen rising from the vehicle.

The crash shut down Florida’s Turnpike in both directions as authorities investigated the circumstances leading up to the crash. It was not immediately clear what caused the driver to lose control of the truck.

Authorities said all lanes of the Turnpike have since been reopened.

No other details about the truck driver or crash were immediately released.

It's the latest attack on essential infrastructure across the Middle East that have exposed extreme vulnerabilities in one of the world’s driest regions, which relies almost exclusively on technology to produce freshwater that sustains cities, hotels, industry and some agriculture.

Kuwaiti authorities said the strikes damaged a large number of power generation units and sparked a fire. They added that a fire has been contained, and that they activated emergency contingency plans.

In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination, along with roughly 86% in Oman and about 70% in Saudi Arabia. The process removes salt from seawater, most commonly by pushing it through ultrafine membranes in a process known as reverse osmosis.

Hundreds of desalination plants sit along the Persian Gulf coast, putting systems that supply water to millions within range of Iranian missile or drone strikes. Without them, major cities could not sustain their current populations.

For people living outside the Middle East, the main concern of the Iran war has been the impact on energy prices. Fighting and attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have upended world markets and pushed oil prices to record highs.

But the infrastructure that keeps Gulf cities supplied with drinking water are equally vulnerable.

Throughout the past few months, Iran has struck close to several desalination plants in the Gulf. Kuwait previously reported damage at the Doha West desalination plant early in the war, which resulted from debris from intercepted drones or attacks on the nearby port.

Iran accused the U.S. of striking Iranian desalination plants on Qeshm Island on March 8, cutting off water supplies for 30 villages, though Washington did not acknowledged the strike.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have also targeted Saudi desalination facilities amid regional tensions in the past.

Many Gulf desalination plants are physically integrated with power stations as co‑generation facilities, meaning attacks on electrical infrastructure could also hinder water production. Desalination plants have multiple stages — intake systems, treatment facilities, energy supplies — and damage to any part of that chain can interrupt production.

Gulf governments and U.S. officials have long recognized the risks these systems pose for regional stability: if major desalination plants were knocked offline, some cities could lose most of their drinking water within days.

A 2010 CIA analysis warned attacks on desalination facilities could trigger national crises in several Gulf states, and prolonged outages could last months if critical equipment were destroyed.

More than 90% of the Gulf’s desalinated water comes from just 56 plants, the report stated, and “each of these critical plants is extremely vulnerable to sabotage or military action.”

The desalination plants are also vulnerable to climate change, including storm surges and extreme rainfall that can overwhelm infrastructure, as warming oceans increase the likelihood and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea. __

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Through DNA testing and old-fashioned sleuthing, the Maryland teenager who died in one of the last big battles of the American Revolution can now take his place in history, just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation he fought to create.

“There was a sense of divine timing, I guess,” said Allison Peacock, founder of FHD Forensics, a company that helped with the search. “I don’t know what else you want to call it.”

Pumphrey died Aug. 16, 1780, at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina. It was one of the Continental Army’s most devastating defeats, where British Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis routed patriot forces under Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates.

Many of the 900 killed were left where they fell, abandoned to the predations of wild animals, South Carolina’s scorching heat and its ruinous humidity.

Bones emerge from a Revolutionary War battlefield

Archaeologists surveying the area in 2020 came across human bones protruding from the ground. Eventually, 14 sets of remains were identified — 12 of them Continental soldiers. The others were determined to be connected to the British side and were reburied at the battlefield.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office had worked with Texas-based FHD Forensics on modern-day cases and asked for their help. Peacock took to calling it the case of “America’s oldest John Doe.”

“What we did is pretty much the same as what we do with any other John Doe case,” she said. “Nobody really knew for sure whether we could get genetic profiles suitable for a genealogy investigation on 240-plus-year-old remains. But we got lucky.”

Unlike most, Pumphrey and four comrades received a cursory burial beneath a thin layer of dirt. He was dubbed “Camden 9B,” because his were the second set of remains retrieved from burial nine. The remains were examined and cataloged.

The 12 Continentals were later reinterred with full military honors. Camden 9B’s headstone read: “UNKNOWN. REV WAR. BATTLE OF CAMDEN. AUG 16 1780.”

DNA unlocks a centuries-old mystery

Meanwhile, samples from two of the soldiers were sent to Astrea Forensics in California for DNA extraction and sequencing.

“Typically, in a case like this, we work with teeth, because teeth are in the jaw and are protected, the roots are protected,” said Peacock. “In this case, they were just coming up with nothing on the teeth.”

With remains this old, it's often difficult to separate the human DNA from all the other genetic material in the grave, said Astrea co-founder and scientific adviser Kelly Harkins Kincaid.

“It gets colonized by the microbial environment in the soil and the water in the environment,” she said.

Although she's worked with DNA samples as old as 10,000 years, this was the oldest sample her company has ever used to try to reconstruct a family tree.

From a petrous portion of the temporal bone, a delicate structure behind the ear at the base of the skull, they successfully extracted DNA that generated Pumphrey's entire genome. Peacock’s team then uploaded the data to FamilyTreeDNA and GEDmatch to trace three types of DNA matches: autosomal, X chromosome and Y chromosome.

“We got 20,000 matches to work with,” she said. “So, it was a lot to kind of comb through.”

An orphan soldier's life comes into focus

One of those matches, from the maternal line, was Russ Hudson.

The retired federal agent in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, offered to help do archival research. A profile began to emerge of a young orphan from Maryland’s Anne Arundel County, dispossessed and looking for his way in life.

“I learned that probably when he was 13, he went to Baltimore and he enlisted in the militia,” Hudson said. “And who knows what his story was? What did he accomplish in order to become a member of the militia at such a young age?”

Because no birth record has been found, it’s unclear how old Pumphrey was when he went to war. He signed his reenlistment papers with an “X.” But he was young enough that, when he died, the growth plates around his knees had not yet fully closed, Peacock said.

A witness to history

Researchers now know Pumphrey and his comrades from the 7th Maryland Regiment were with George Washington in the snows at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Peacock said his unit was involved in some of the major contests in the Northern Theater, including the battles of Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth.

She figures he had marched 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) before he met his end in the pinelands of South Carolina.

“We don’t really know what John Pumphrey’s cause of death was because they did not find a particular injury on his body,” she said. “It’s possible that he had a soft tissue injury, like a bayonet injury, but it’s a little hard to tell after 246 years.”

An unexpected twist and an emotional reunion

Work continues on the other set of remains, Camden 11A. One thing is certain: Peacock is related to him.

“One of the first things I do when I take on a case is I run my DNA against the remains to see if it’s somebody I’m related to, just on the wild chance that it might be,” she said. “It’s never happened before, but I am related to Camden 11A. So, I’m very motivated to get him identified.”

Last month, Peacock was confident enough in the research to put a name to Camden 9B. Relatives wept during an emotional ceremony at the 19th-century Benson-Hammond House in Anne Arundel County.

“The fact that some archaeologists just happened to stumble on bones that were protruding from the earth, and knowing that it would be difficult to identify those people by DNA, I just found it really exciting,” Becky Berman of Daytona Beach, Florida, Pumphrey’s first cousin, several times removed, told The Associated Press.

For Hudson, the retired federal agent, the story won’t be over until the U.S. government confirms the research and replaces his fifth great-uncle’s “UNKNOWN” gravestone. He said America owes it to John Pumphrey.

“He sacrificed himself, along with some others,” Hudson said, his eyes tearing up, “for the sake of this new nation.”

Trump used a primetime address to the nation to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss — this time, to justify his push to pass a strict voter ID bill. His allegations of interference and influence didn’t include key context. Nor did he produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.

Here's the latest:

DHS secretary pledges to aggressively chase voter fraud cases

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said if anyone votes illegally in the upcoming midterm elections, “we will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you.”

In a White House briefing doubling down on Trump’s primetime election claims, Mullin also threatened fines, penalties or prison time for state election officials who refuse to hand over sensitive voter data to DHS.

He said states that don’t elect to use DHS’s recently updated tool for identifying noncitizen voters, will become “a priority” for investigations.

The comments come as a federal judge has blocked the use of DHS’s updated system, citing voter privacy and the fact that it can result in the wrongful purging of eligible voters.

Why American elections are so complicated — and secure

In his speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Trump said Americans deserve secure elections, and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being “stolen.”

In fact, one of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren’t conducted at the federal level. America votes in more than 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with different rules set by state and sometimes local governments.

That structure makes the nation’s elections extraordinarily complicated — and also safe from widespread fraud. And when misconduct does happen — rarely — security protocols frequently catch it.

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ICE has seen a surge in new hires

In January, Homeland Security said it had hired 12,000 new officers and agents since the hiring surge began and said thousands of those new officers were already out on the streets assisting with investigations. The number includes both deportation officers and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, a separate agency that falls under ICE.

ICE has said the majority of new hires are police and military veterans. But evidence has been mounting that applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before they were brought on or were hired in spite of their past, an investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year found.

Maine shooting and officer’s background raise new questions about ICE’s rapid hiring

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been rapidly expanding its workforce, hiring thousands of new officers as part of the Trump administration’s attempt to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations.

The supersizing of ICE — fueled by an infusion of billions of dollars granted by Congress — has raised concerns about the agency’s hiring practices and whether officers being brought on are receiving proper vetting. Those concerns have been rejected by the Department of Homeland Security.

Relatives of the ICE officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine this week told The Associated Press he struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets.

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Lawmakers demand answers after ‘bombshell’ report of ICE officer shooting in Maine

Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about Homeland Security’s vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the ICE officer involved in a deadly shooting this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior.

The Associated Press reported that David Brouillette, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine, is an Army veteran who’s struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to several of his close relatives.

The AP reached out to congressional leaders and several key lawmakers of both parties for response.

The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said Brouillette’s history of violence and mental health issues, as well as the death in Maine, “directly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.”

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To air or not to air? Nation’s TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech

As President Trump threatened sanctions for those who didn’t cover his address live Thursday night, the nation’s broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air?

Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump’s address debating how to cover it — and struggling to balance delivering the news with handing over their airwaves to potential falsehoods about the 2020 elections.

In the end, a patchwork quilt of coverage was largely united by one common strategy: real-time fact-checking as much as was possible even while the president was still speaking.

The dilemma took place against a backdrop of deep tension between the media and a president working to exert control over it by whatever means he can. Even in his speech itself, Trump excoriated networks that chose not to carry it live.

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Rubio set for Asia trip

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Philippines next week to attend meetings with foreign ministers at a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

The State Department says Rubio is going to meet with his counterparts and senior officials from governments in the region as he pushes for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Rubio is scheduled to leave for Manila on Sunday and head back to the U.S. on Thursday.

China rejects Trump’s election interference claim as ‘groundless accusations’

China on Friday said it has never interfered in U.S. elections and has no interest in doing so, urging Washington to stop making what it described as “groundless accusations” after President Trump accused Beijing of meddling in the 2020 election.

In an address to the nation Thursday, Trump again raised doubts about the U.S. elections results in 2020 and accused China of interfering in them.

“The relevant allegations by the U.S. are entirely fabricated and aimed at vilifying China,” said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. “We have no interest in interfering in US elections and have never done so.”

In a daily briefing in Beijing, Lin called on the U.S. to stop making groundless accusations against China.

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Former intelligence official calls Trump’s address ‘dangerous’

Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term, called the president’s address “a dangerous speech about an incredibly important topic.” She said the intelligence community throughout Trump’s first term was alarmed about foreign interference in elections, but Trump scoffed at them, angered at the investigation of his campaign’s relationship with Russia.

“He had an entire term to deal with it and I don’t know how you can believe how the same community that told him about it, that was excoriated about it” wouldn’t warn him in 2020, Gordon said on CNN.

Conservative commentator John Solomon, who joined the White House staff last month and was seated in the East Room for Trump’s speech, later told MS NOW “the intelligence community has zero evidence that someone has flipped — that a foreign power flipped — a vote in 2020, ’22 or ’24.”

But, he added, “We’re not through all the documents.”

Trump doesn’t raise doubts about his election wins

President Donald Trump began Thursday night with a stark warning about what he described as flaws in the voting system and said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections, when he lost the presidential election and when his party suffered losses.

Trump’s speech presented allegations of interference and influence in ways that lacked key context and did not produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.

Notably, he focused on China but glossed over Russia, a country intelligence officials have said favored Trump in 2016 and 2020 and engaged in wide-ranging influence campaigns aimed at boosting him over Democrat Joe Biden in the latter campaign.

Trump’s Thursday night address hinged on contradictions

A twice-elected president complained about his one personal defeat, alleged a cover-up by officials in his own first administration and surfaced claims about countries attempting to harm his own prospects while staying silent on steps taken by other nations to boost him.

Trump used the remarks to justify his push to pass a strict voter ID bill in Congress that hasn’t advanced because it lacks enough support from his fellow Republicans.

“America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,” he said.

But all that frothy foam obscures a cold reality: Beer sales have been struggling globally, and it’s unclear if soccer's world championship tournament can reverse the trend despite having three countries and 16 cities as co-hosts this year.

In the U.S., beer consumption has fallen steadily for a decade, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group for craft brewers. Canada has seen a similar decline, according to the national statistics agency. The Brewers of Europe trade association says the story is the same in the European Union.

Consumers are buying less regular beer and more ‘wellness’ drinks

Many consumers are cutting back on alcohol for health reasons. Last year was the first time in Gallup’s polling that a majority of Americans – 53% -- said drinking “one or two drinks a day” was bad for one’s health.

While sales of non-alcoholic beer have grown, they still make up only around 1% of the U.S. market, according to the Beer Institute, a trade group for brewers.

Economic worries also have taken a toll on sales. U.S. consumption of all types of alcohol – including wine and spirits – fell 5% last year, and affordability concerns were partly to blame, beverage market research company IWSR said.

Craig Purser, the president and CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, said he thinks smartphones and Netflix have taken consumers away from socializing with a cold beer in hand.

“If you have this behavior where we’re cocooning and we’re not spending time with other folks, that’s going to affect beer consumption,” Purser said.

World Cup host cities saw a bump in beer sales at stadiums, bars and restaurants

Enter the World Cup and the soccer fans who traveled from around the world to support their national teams and engage in communal celebration or sorrow.

In the first four weeks of the tournament, beer sales in bars, restaurants, stadiums and other venues rose 14% in U.S. host cities compared to the same period last year, according to the Beer Institute. The bump extended beyond host cities; sales were up 4% nationally, the institute said.

Jim Koch, the brewer, founder and CEO of the Boston Beer Co., which makes Samuel Adams and other brands, said the company had to make two emergency deliveries to its Sam Adams Boston Taproom on the first day that Scotland's fans were in town.

“At one point, we were pouring them a Sam Adams Boston Lager every 12 seconds. What a wonderful group of people,” he said.

But that wasn't all that warmed Koch's heart.

“I didn’t see a single soul on their phone," he said, “They had a beer in their hand and they were talking to each other. They were doing what beer is meant to do, which is helping people enjoy each other’s company.”

The plentiful drinking on display in stadiums stood in stark constrast to the World Cup held four years ago in Qatar, where the government banned the sale of alcoholic beer in match venues.

Brewers leaned heavily into this year's tournament. Budweiser and Michelob Ultra maker AB InBev, the World's Cup's official beer sponsor, doled out marketing support to bars and hosted 200,000 watch parties in 40 countries.

Molson Coors said it would spend 60% more than last year on marketing in June and July; it also debuted a limited edition soccer ball that can hold 12 cans of Miller Lite.

A team's loss can make supporters cry, but not in their beer

Maybell Romero, a law professor at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, usually prefers cocktails over beer. But she says she opts for beer during the World Cup since it has lower alcohol content than liquor or wine and watching games can be an all-day affair.

“If I drink cocktail after cocktail, I will not be functional after a few hours,” Romero said.

Romero, who has been watching this year's matches at bars in Mexico City, said she’s enjoyed trying new beers, especially those with novel ingredients like champagne yeast. She might order an occasional beer once the World Cup ends but expects to go back to mostly drinking cocktails.

Beer consumption was expected to fall in some markets even before the World Cup ended. Shares in AB InBev and Constellation Brands — which owns the U.S. rights to Mexican beer brands like Corona and Modelo — tumbled after Mexico and Brazil were eliminated from the tournament.

Romero observed the mood shift in Mexico City after those losses.

“The city is collectively depressed,” she said. "Everything is a lot quieter, and people aren’t going out as much."

Major sporting events on the horizon allow the beer industry to hold out hope

Purser remains hopeful the World Cup will remind people how much they like to gather and cheer on athletes, especially with the Summer Olympics heading to Los Angeles in 2028. Occasions are expanding, he said; college and professional football games are now played on more nights of the week, for example. And beer's consumer base is widening as more brands put out low- and no-alcohol versions, he said.

In May, the NCAA reversed its long-standing ban on alcohol advertising during March Madness, allowing makers of beer, wine, spirits and hard seltzer makers to sponsor the college basketball tournaments for the first time starting next season.

The Boston Beer Co.'s Koch said he's not fretting until then.

“People worry that the beer business has declined for a few years, and I always remind them that beer has been a part of human society, human civilization, for 10,000 years,” he said. “Beer will always be a part enhancing our enjoyment of our lives and the time we spend on this earth.”

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AP Video Journalist Rodrique Ngowi contributed from Boston.

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Joseph is accused of asking a city employee to alter a video recording, a political crime, and then lashing out at him when he refused.

In a report, the ALGO Law Firm outlined details of why they wrote Joseph put the city “in substantial legal, financial and ethical risk” while Joseph called the report “political theater.”

The report, which can be read at the bottom of this story, indicated that the “rumors were substantiated by recorded interviews and testimonies.”

Local 10 News has since obtained those records.

Among them, the city’s well-regarded IT chief Ricardo Castillo, known in the report as “Employee C”.

He described Joseph’s response when he refused the mayor’s request to “disconnect recording equipment and edit recordings” of a city manager candidate interview.

“(He said) ’You’re gonna f--- me over,’ and I said, ‘Well, how would I f--- you over if nothing bad happened in the interviews?’” Castillo said.

That video, which Local 10 has obtained, was an interview with the mayor’s preferred candidate for the position who ultimately was not chosen by the other commissioners.

Castillo acknowledged to the investigators that altering the record is a potential crime.

“He did, at the end, he asked me ‘Have I threatened you? Do you feel threatened?’ and I did say, ‘No,’ but I felt intimidated, because I know I was doing the right thing but he was making me feel bad about it,” he said.

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