The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies were greeted by 3 inches of snow that surprisingly blanketed Coors Field as their four-game series got off to a frigid start Friday.

Dodgers pitcher Emmett Sheehan took advantage of the frosty mid-April day when he came out on the field in shorts to make a snowman about four hours before the game's scheduled first pitch.

The snow stopped about three hours before the game began and Colorado’s grounds crew, which placed a tarp over the infield to shield it from the snowfall, used a plow to clear snow from the outfield. By the first pitch, it was 36 degrees and sunny — with the only remnants of snow on the pine trees behind the wall in center field.

The bats were back out and the white stuff gave way to green grass after the shovels slugged at the snow, which came one day after the high temperature in Denver was 75 degrees.

The start of the game didn’t mark the end of the teams’ weather-related woes. The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for the Denver area that will be in effect from 8 p.m. locally Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday, with sub-freezing temperatures dropping down into the 18-to-24 degree range overnight.

The projected high is 57 on Saturday, according to the weather service, and 74 on Sunday before reaching 79 on Monday for the series finale.

The Dodgers come in from wrapping up a six-game homestand on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where the high was 73 on Friday.

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

Friday night, the festival recognized an actor whose career has really been one of so many layers: Adam Scott.

The festival presented him with its prestigious Vanguard Award.

Recipients of the award are those who have championed cinema through bold storytelling.

Scott spoke exclusively with Local 10’s Jason Carter, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

A senior State Department official met with the grandson of retired Cuban leader Raúl Castro last week during the trip, according to a department official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The official did not say who from the U.S. met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, whose grandfather is believed to play an influential role in the Cuban government despite not holding an official post. A second U.S. official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not part of the delegation that visited Havana.

U.S. officials have previously said Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a longtime Cuba hawk, met the younger Castro in the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis in February.

During last week's extraordinary diplomatic push, which was reported earlier by Axios, the U.S. delegation urged Cuba to make major changes to its economy and way of governing because it would not let the island nation become a national security threat in the region, the State Department official said.

It marked the first U.S. government flight to land in Cuba other than at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Cuba’s crises have deepened following a U.S. energy blockade, coming as the Trump administration has described its government as ineffective and abusive. In return for easing sanctions, U.S. demands have included an end to political repression, a release of political prisoners and a liberalization of the island’s ailing economy.

Along with those similar topics, the sides last week also discussed a U.S. proposal to provide free and reliable internet to the island through a Starlink satellite connection, the State Department official said.

The talks were revealed after Trump said earlier this week that his administration could focus on Cuba after the war in Iran ends.

“We may stop by Cuba after we finish with this,” he said. He described it as a “failing nation” and asserted that it has “been a terribly run country for a long time.”

In response, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the U.S. has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or attempt to depose him but that the country was ready to fight back if needed.

“The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it,” Díaz-Canel said.

He was speaking during a rally that drew hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution’s socialist essence.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment about the talks last week.

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Hialeah police said Nikol Marie Rodriguez, of Miramar, was taken into custody before 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

They said the incidents occurred March 4 at Peace Christian Academy, located at 490 E. 50th St.

According to an arrest report, the victim, who was 8 years old at the time, is diagnosed with autism and ADHD and “is able to comprehend simple instructions, but has difficulty articulating more than a simple request.”

Police said the boy is not known to be violent and lives with his mother.

Rodriguez had been the boy’s primary educator since August 2024 and was responsible for “care, supervision, and services essential for the child’s physical and mental health,” the report states.

Investigators said surveillance video shows an interaction just before 11 a.m. when Rodriguez “appears to physically assist the victim by grabbing hold of the victim’s left arm” and then “grabbing the victim’s right arm and bicep area, spinning the victim in an aggressive manner.”

They said more serious allegations stem from a later incident around 12:45 p.m. that day when the boy was sitting calmly on the floor and “was not in any way displaying physically threatening behavior.”

Despite that, the report states that Rodriguez allegedly restrained the boy by pulling his arms behind his back, causing him to have pain. Police said the boy “was observed struggling with the restraint technique, appearing to be in agony,” while another student nearby covered his eyes and ears.

They said the situation escalated further when Rodriguez was seen “forcefully slamming the victim’s upper body and head onto the classroom floor” and continued to restrain him by pinning his arms and applying pressure to his upper body.

The report describes the boy attempting to escape while Rodriguez remained in control, at one point pinning his head into a classroom corner and mounting his torso.

After the struggle, police said Rodriguez is accused of pushing the child into a table as he tried to stand.

They said Rodriguez did not seek medical assistance or provide care afterward.

Later that evening, the boy’s mother discovered injuries, including “a small puncture wound” on his bicep, along with bruising and scratches to his chest and arm, according to the report.

An internal school report described the incident as a “supportive de-escalation” effort intended to prevent harm, stating Rodriguez “placed her hands on his sides in order to provide physical support.” However, investigators said surveillance video contradicted that account.

Police said Rodriguez declined to provide a statement through her attorney.

Jail records show she is facing one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.

Christopher Pracitto, Rodriguez’s defense attorney, asked that his client receive a lower bond.

“It is a child that was acting out, and she was in the process of restraining (the child),” he said in court. The request was denied.

As of Friday, Rodriguez was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed at $5,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

Local 10 News has requested a statement from the school about the incident and whether she is still employed.

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The crash happened around 6:15 a.m.

An Audi was leaving a Burger King along Northwest Seventh Avenue when the driver made an “unsafe lane change,” according to North Miami police.

Investigators said the driver of the Audi sideswiped a gray Dodge before crashing into the front of an Arona Home Essentials store, located at 12550 NW 7th Ave., near Northwest 126th Street.

They said there were three people inside the Audi at the time of the crash.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials confirmed that a child was transported to Jackson North Medical Center with non-life-threatening arm pain. Authorities said no other injuries were reported, including to the driver of the Dodge.

The driver of the Dodge, who did not want to be identified, told Local 10’s Jackie Pascale that the impact caused him to lose control and veer into a tree, totaling his vehicle.

“(I went) straight through the pole and hit the side of the tree,” he said. “I was trying to make sure I was safe first. I’m alright. I’m a little upset, but there’s really nothing much I can do about that.”

A bystander was also injured in the incident, according to the Dodge driver, who described the injury as a bruised knee, although police and fire rescue crews have not confirmed that injury was a result of the collision.

The vehicle that struck the building has since been removed, but extensive damage remains, and cleanup efforts are expected to continue.

Traffic along Northwest Seventh Avenue has since reopened.

No other details about the crash were immediately released.

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Police say Perez, 49, of Tamarac, intentionally rammed his landscaping van into the Lexus Mirtha Sanchez-Teran was driving Thursday, pushing it into a building behind a strip mall in the 7600 block of West, trapping the victim and causing the vehicle’s airbags to deploy.

Authorities said video shows Perez in bright orange, approaching the victim’s car, aiming a gun and firing a single shot before the video ends.

More shots ring out in another video. An arrest report from the Coral Springs Police Department states Sanchez-Teran, a mother of two, was hit multiple times in both shoulders, her chest, abdomen and face.

After “apparently believing she was deceased,” he desperately ran off and jumped into a nearby canal to get away from the scene, the report states.

But officers say Sanchez-Teran survived the gunfire and identified her accused attacker.

Police caught up with Perez in a nearby neighborhood. He initially denied knowing his ex-girlfriend.

But after being taken into custody, police say he became emotional when officers mentioned the victim and her two daughters.

Several witnesses also identified him, and his employer also identified the work van as Perez’s

He now faces several felony charges, including attempted murder.

Authorities said Sanchez-Teran remained in serious condition as of Friday.

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported at 6:24 a.m. in the area of Northwest 54^th Street and 77^th Court.

“According to investigators, a pickup truck was traveling eastbound on NW 54 Street when it continued through the intersection and collided with a concrete barrier wall,” MDSO said in a news release. “The vehicle went over the barrier wall and entered the southbound lanes of State Road 826 (Palmetto Expressway), where it struck another vehicle.”

Deputies confirmed that the driver of the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

According to Detective Argemis “AC” Colome, a gun was recovered at the scene and detectives believe the driver of the truck took his own life.

The driver’s identity has not yet been released.

All southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway were shut down after the crash, but have since reopened.

MDSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

It happened on March 27 along the 1800 block of 31st Avenue in Lauderhill.

According to police, Melneisha Oliver, 32, is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge after shooting an ex-boyfriend.

Police said Oliver obtained a gun from a friend, then later observed her ex in a car, walked up to it and opened fire.

The victim survived and told police he wished to prosecute Oliver, authorities said.

She is also facing a charge of possession of a weapon by a felon.

Oliver is being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on no bond.

On Friday, detectives in Broward County announced the arrest of a 17-year-old suspect wanted in connection to an attempted sexual battery.

He has been identified as Anthony Alejandro Gonzalez Tovar.

The incident happened around 4:39 p.m. on April 8 along the 16300 block of Golf Club Road in Weston.

The victim told police she was sitting on the grass when authorities said she was grabbed from behind by an unknown subject, struggling with her attacker before he got up and fled after putting his shoes on.

Video footage was obtained by investigators, who said it showed the light-skinned suspect wearing a khaki-colored hoodie and distinctive red and black pants “exposing and pleasuring himself in an adjacent parking lot” before he was seen “slowly approaching the victim, surveying his surroundings and removing his shoes before grabbing her from behind,” according to deputies.

Deputies said Gonzalez Tovar was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center for processing.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.

The deal, announced last year and approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, most of them local affiliates of one of the “Big Four” national networks: ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

That would likely give Nexstar the power to raise the retransmission fees it charges to video programming distributors like DirecTV, which means higher bills for consumers, Nunley wrote. The company also has a track record of consolidating local television news stations when it owns more than one station in a market, the judge said, meaning viewers “will lose options for where to get their local news.”

The deal could also force distributors like DirecTV to comply with Nexstar’s demands for higher broadcast fees or risk leaving subscribers potentially unable to watch things like Sunday NFL football games, the judge said.

Stopping the merger for now is “in the public interest,” Nunley wrote.

Attorneys representing Nexstar and Tegna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nexstar’s attorneys told the court the deal has already been reviewed and cleared by the FCC and the Department of Justice. They said the FCC order commits the company to expand local journalism and programming, not shrink it.

The merger needed the approval of the Republican Trump administration’s FCC because the government had to waive rules that limit how many local stations one company can own. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in March that the company had agreed to divest itself of six stations.

The judge said the FCC clearance process for the deal was “unusual,” and that the regulatory oversight “did not curb the manifest anticompetitive effects of this acquisition.”

The Department of Justice, which is tasked with conducting antitrust reviews of these types of mergers, announced it was closing its investigation of the deal in March through “early termination,” the judge noted, ending the review process sooner than is normally required by statute.

“In unusual circumstances — with the FCC’s quasi-adjudicatory licensing proceeding still pending — the President himself weighed in publicly in February and urged federal regulators to approve the deal to ‘knock out the Fake News,’” Nunley wrote.

The preliminary injunction is designed to keep things as they are until the lawsuit is fully decided, Nunley said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a “critical victory” in a statement released Friday evening.

“Consolidating hundreds of local TV stations under one corporate owner would mean higher prices and lower quality programming for consumers,” she wrote. She later continued, “We will keep fighting our case to ensure fair competition among local TV stations that serve communities across the country.”

Maria Medetis Long told defense lawyers involved in the investigation that she was no longer participating in the Brennan investigation. Her departure from the investigation came after she conveyed doubt that there was sufficient evidence for a criminal case against Brennan, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to discuss internal Justice Department conversations.

The Justice Department did not dispute that Medetis Long was no longer part of the investigation but also did not elaborate on the circumstances of her departure. The department said in a statement that “as a matter of routine practice, attorneys are moved around on cases so offices can most effectively allocate resources. It is completely healthy and normal to change members of legal teams.”

CNN first reported Medetis Long's departure from the investigation. She referred a request for comment to a spokesperson for her office, who did not immediately provide a statement.

Medetis Long heads the national security section at the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida, which for months has been scrutinizing Brennan in connection with one of President Donald Trump's chief grievances — the U.S. government's years-old investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign for the White House.

Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and was in the position when the intelligence community published a detailed assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The Justice Department last year received a referral from Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asserting that Brennan had given false testimony about the preparation of that assessment — a claim Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously denied.

Investigators who in recent months have issued a flurry of subpoenas have been preparing for additional interviews in the probe, though it remains unclear whether any charges will be brought or what impact Medetis Long's departure will have on the case or on witnesses' willingness to cooperate.

Trump this month replaced Pam Bondi as his attorney general, frustrated by the lack of progress in criminal investigations against political opponents like Brennan.

Her deputy, Todd Blanche, is now acting attorney general and has said that Trump has the right and duty to be involved in seeking investigations against people he has had “issues with.”

Last year, Trump effectively forced out the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, after Siebert did not push forward with criminal charges against two other Trump foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A hastily installed loyalist prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, subsequently secured indictments against Comey and James but the cases were thrown out after a judge concluded that Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

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Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

“Ecuador está pasando al fascismo, ha decidido ilegalizar la oposición y criminalizar la política, dejando morir de hambre al ciudadano colombiano ex vicepresidente de la república de Ecuador: Jorge Glas”, aseguró Petro en la red social X.

El mandatario reaccionó a una noticia que refería recientes denuncias de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura, con sede central en Ginebra, que advierten presuntos “actos de tortura, así como amenazas y hostigamientos contra población civil campesina” en operaciones militares en la comunidad de San Martín, provincia de Sucumbíos, así como malas condiciones para los privados de la libertad.

The Associated Press consultó sin obtener respuesta de inmediato a la Cancillería ecuatoriana y al Ministerio de Defensa.

El gobierno ecuatoriano ha dicho que el operativo en la provincia fronteriza de Sucumbíos está dirigido a combatir al crimen organizado, incluido el bombardeo del 6 de marzo en el que, con apoyo de Estados Unidos, aseguró que se destruyó un campamento del grupo armado ilegal Comandos de la Frontera, que servía como sitio de descanso de uno de sus cabecillas.

Aunque no se ha referido al caso particular de la comunidad San Martín, desmintió versiones de The New York Times sobre la supuesta afectación a una finca que, según el medio, no era un campamento.

Los dichos de Petro ocurren en medio de tensiones bilaterales que iniciaron en enero y se han agudizado con imposición recíproca de aranceles, la suspensión de venta de energía para Ecuador y el incremento de la tarifa de transporte de petróleo colombiano.

El presidente ecuatoriano Daniel Noboa inició con la imposición de aranceles con una tasa “de seguridad” del 30% a todos los productos colombianos, los aumentó al 50% en marzo y en mayo llegarán al 100%. Alegó que Colombia no combate eficazmente la criminalidad en la frontera común.

Mientras que Colombia busca, según un decreto en borrador publicado la víspera, establecer un arancel recíproco a mercancías provenientes de Ecuador del 35%, 50% y 75%, en una metodología que selecciona productos sin llegar a imponer a ninguno el 100%, como lo hará Ecuador. La medida entraría en vigencia luego de recibir comentarios de ciudadanos, un procedimiento usual en el país.

Las tensiones políticas han incluido la situación de Glas, condenado por corrupción, a quien Petro ha denominado un “preso político”. Noboa ha rechazado el calificativo y ha dicho que Petro atenta contra la soberanía de su país.

Petro le concedió la nacionalidad colombiana a Glas el año pasado y ha pedido a Ecuador que lo entregue a Colombia.

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La periodista Gabriela Molina contribuyó a este reporte desde Quito.

Authorities have not offered a potential motive for Monday morning's attacks. Among the victims was an auditor for the Department of Homeland Security who was walking her dog near the suspect's home.

The suspect in the shootings, Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old U.K. native, is charged in state court in DeKalb County with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms counts. He also is facing a federal firearms charge, along with another man who is accused of buying the gun used in the shootings for him, prosecutors announced Friday.

Adon Abel lived with six others in separate units of a home listed on PadSplit, a platform offering low-cost shared housing. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022 while serving in the Navy and stationed in the San Diego area.

Long-running issues inside a communal home

Three roommates told The Associated Press that Adon Abel and a male roommate were screaming at each other late Sunday night over how cold Adon Abel kept the house in Panthersville, a suburb southeast of Atlanta.

“He (kept) the house freezing,” roommate Angela Britton said Friday. "It’s not the first time they got into it about the AC. But that time was a real big argument.”

Another roommate, Lakisha Mckinzie, said the fight scared her so much that she called her mother before bed and asked her to pray for her and her roommates' safety, telling her there had been a lot of “chaos and tension” in the home.

Mckinzie said she had been afraid of Adon Abel ever since he inappropriately touched her last month after asking her on a date. Mckinzie said he frequently knocked on her door late at night, but she never answered. She said she complained to her landlord multiple times, but no action was taken. PadSplit did not respond to a request for comment about whether it knew about Adon Abel's alleged behavior in the home.

After the argument, the roommates said Adon Abel packed up a large duffel bag and drove off shortly after midnight Monday morning.

Around 12:50 a.m., and about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away, 31-year-old Prianna Weathers was fatally shot outside a Decatur-area fast food restaurant, investigators said.

Then, around 2 a.m., a 49-year-old homeless man was shot multiple times while sleeping outside a grocery store in Brookhaven, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of the first attack, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition, authorities said Thursday.

DHS worker Lauren Bullis, who was out walking her dog a few hundred feet from Adon Abel's home, was found around 7 a.m. with gunshot and stab wounds.

Authorities have linked Adon Abel to all three attacks, though it is unclear whether he knew any of the victims — police have said they believe at least one victim was targeted at random.

Georgia State Patrol troopers stopped Adon Abel’s car around 11 a.m. Monday in Troup County, not far from the Georgia-Alabama border. Inside the vehicle, investigators said they found ammunition and shell casings matching those at the scene of Weathers’ killing. Police found the gun and shell casings on the ground near Bullis, Hertzberg said.

Federal charges have now been filed

Adon Abel is now also facing prosecution in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm, officials announced Friday.

He was charged with a firearms violation along with a 35-year-old homeless man, Damon Marquis Yarns. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, the top federal prosecutor for northern Georgia, said Yarns acknowledged buying the gun used in the shootings for Adon Abel and falsely stating on a federal form that he was the owner.

Adon Abel is accused of illegally possessing the gun as a person previously convicted of a felony.

Monday's crimes led Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that Adon Abel was granted U.S. citizenship when Joe Biden was president. Mullin has catalogued a litany of the defendant’s previous alleged crimes, but it is unclear whether any of them happened before he became a citizen.

Adon Abel pleaded guilty in October 2024 in San Diego County, California, to charges of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal vandalism over what authorities there said was an attack on two police officers and another person, according to California court records.

Online court records show that someone listed with a similar name and the same birth date pleaded guilty last June in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

Yarns is accused of buying the 9 mm pistol used in the shootings at a federally licensed firearms dealer in Atlanta on Feb. 20. Hertzberg said that a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Yarns on Thursday, and Yarns said he had purchased the gun for a Nigerian or British man he knew only as “Abdul or Obie,” then identified Adon Abel from a photo.

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

Rodríguez indicó que, en su lugar, aspira utilizar los “activos congelados” en ese organismo una vez estén disponibles para mejorar los servicios públicos del país sudamericano.

La “recuperación de nuestra representación ante este organismo internacional es muy importante, es una gran noticia para Venezuela”, dijo la presidenta en funciones en una declaración difundida por la estatal Venezolana de Televisión.

“Estamos recuperando no solamente las responsabilidades que tenemos dentro del organismo, sino también los derechos y activos congelados que tiene nuestro país en este organismo, que nos permitirán invertir de manera inmediata en servicios públicos”, entre los que se incluye la obsoleta red eléctrica nacional, que genera frecuentes apagones, y la “recuperación del sistema de distribución de agua”, acotó.

El FMI ​y el Banco ​Mundial anunciaron ​paralelamente en la víspera que reanudaron las relaciones ​con ​Venezuela que habían estado suspendidas desde 2019 debido a problemas relacionados ​con ‌el reconocimiento del gobierno del entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro.

En 2019, el líder opositor Juan Guaidó, entonces titular de la Asamblea Nacional, quien en enero de ese año se declaró presidente interino de Venezuela, fue reconocido por Estados Unidos y otras varias decenas de países como el gobernante legítimo de Venezuela, ya que consideraron que los comicios de 2018 en los que Maduro fue reelecto para un segundo mandato fueron fraudulentos.

La legitimidad de Maduro siguió en duda tras los polémicos comicios presidenciales del 28 de julio de 2024. Maduro fue declarado ganador sin presentar evidencias de que obtuvo 6.4 millones de votos frente a los 5.3 millones del opositor Edmundo González. El opositor fue reconocido como presidente electo de Venezuela por varios gobiernos tras mostrar pruebas creíbles de su victoria electoral ante Maduro.

En contraste, ahora la administración del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump ha dado una serie de pasos, entre ellos levantar las sanciones de vieja data impuestas a Rodríguez, una clara señal de que Estados Unidos la reconoce como una autoridad legítima en Venezuela desde que el ejército de Estados Unidos capturó a Maduro y a su esposa, Cilia Flores, en la capital venezolana, el pasado 3 de enero.

La entonces vicepresidenta era, de acuerdo con la Constitución, la primera en la línea de sucesión.

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It turns out the car he bought was stolen.

It was fall of last year when Adrian Blejdea was in the market for a new ride.

He came across a black chevy suburban on Facebook Marketplace that was listed for $45,000 dollars.

Blejdea ran the vehicle’s VIN number and it came back clean, and the title matched.

The seller’s registration and paperwork seemed legit.

“I did my research, everything seemed fine so I bought the car and registered it,” said Blejdea.

They negotiated a deal and Blejdea gave the seller $35,000.

He drove off in the SUV and thought all was well, until three days later.

“The radio wasn’t working, so when I hooked up the GPS to the car the next day, Hollywood police found me,” said Blejdea.

According to a Hollywood police incident report provided by Blejdea, an officer ran the license plate and there were big red flags on a Carfax report.

The incident report says during the traffic stop the officer “Inspected the public VIN plate of the vehicle which I immediately identified as being fraudulent.”

Police found there was no real dealership history for the SUV, and the paperwork was fake too.

The title was linked to a car from a dealership in Kentucky, but that VIN was never in their inventory.

But that’s not all.

During officers’ inspection of the SUV, they found another fraudulent VIN that “appears to be a clone of a legitimate Canadian vehicle.”

Hollywood police determined Blejdea was the victim of something called VIN swapping, where crooks take a legitimate VIN number and place it on a stolen car.

When police dug deeper, they discovered the car was originally reported stolen in Oklahoma and somehow made it to South Florida and eventually sold to Blejdea.

It’s an elaborate scheme happening from coast to coast, one so sophisticated the FBI does not have precise nationwide statistics.

For Blejdea, the car he thought was his, was seized by Hollywood Police.

Now he is out of a car and thousands of dollars.

“I don’t trust anything anymore,” said Blejdea. “I’m always double checking and searching and I just want to make sure that whoever I’m talking to or they tell me something it’s not fraud because you hear a lot of stories but you don’t think it would happen to you.”

Blejdea had a take out a loan, which he is still paying back, and on top of that he bought another car to get around and work for Uber.

He is hoping somehow he will get his money back.

Ways to protect yourself include running a Carfax and try into cross reference the VIN numbers in multiple locations, while looking into professional inspection services is also an option.

Fitzpatrick was cruising along when his tee shot on the par-3 14th turned hard to the left, headed for sand and trees when it caught what appeared to be the edge of a cart path that sent the ball back down a slope onto the green and headed for the water.

It was slowed just enough by a sprinkler to stay dry, and he holed a 30-footer for a most unlikely birdie. Fitzpatrick birdied two of the next three and completed a bogey-free round.

“Yeah, it was lucky, there's no two ways about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need that in a week, so it's nice to get, and then even nicer to take advantage of it.”

Hovland had it far tougher in the afternoon when the wind got stronger, and it doesn't take much around tree-lined Harbour Town for players to get indecisive or catch the wrong gust.

Hovland got the right club on the exposed par-3 17th to 12 feet for his eighth birdie of the day and a hard-earned 65. That included a birdie on the par-5 fifth when he was still 205 yards out for his third shot and wound up holing a 30-footer.

“I wouldn’t say I striped it today, but at least I kind of kept the ball in front of me, and that’s what you’re trying to do on this golf course,” Hovland said.

Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Jordan Spieth in 2023, was at 14-under 128.

Harris English got the wrong gust on the 11th hole and went from scrambling for par to figuring out how to escape with double bogey from a plugged lie in the sand. He overcame that, had a 68 and was three shots behind.

Scottie Scheffler, who played alongside Fitzpatrick, hit all 14 fairways for only the fourth time in his career — two of those were on the runway-wide fairways of Kapalua — and had a steady diet of birdie chances in the 18-foot range. He managed a bogey-free 67 and was seven behind.

Fitzpatrick and Scheffler both hit the ball so well it looked they were playing a Tuesday money game, with birdie chances on every hole and exchanging birdies early on before the wind acted up.

On the par-4 eighth, Scheffler hit enough of the left corner of the green that it hopped right to 7 feet. Fitzpatrick followed on the same line and was 6 inches closer, and Scheffler looked back at the Englishman and smiled.

But it was Fitzpatrick who surged ahead with a batch of three straight birdies on the front and three straight birdies on the back. The longest par putt he had was 4 feet on the final hole.

He called it a continuation of good iron play that began when he finished one shot behind Cameron Young at The Players Championship, then won the following week at Innisbrook in the Valspar Championship.

Patrick Cantlay, who took a big step last week with consecutive bogey-free rounds at the Masters after opening with a 77, shot 64 and was four shots behind along with Sepp Straka (67) and Ludvig Aberg, who was closing in on Fitzpatrick until three bogeys on the back nine led to a 71.

Robert MacIntyre also was in the mix, three shots behind, until the wind died enough to keep his ball from finding the 17th green, and then he took two to get out of a bunker for a double bogey. That wiped out a lot of good work, and a bogey on the 18th dropped him to a 68, six behind.

There were 20 double bogeys on the day from the 82-man field on 11 of the holes at Harbour Town. Spieth made three of them and scratched out a 73.

Akshay Bhatia had 11 birdies to offset his double bogey in a round of 63.

“Man, it got tricky there on the back nine, as it can here at Hilton Head,” English said. “Gusty winds. You don’t really know what direction it’s coming from.”

Fitzpatrick has a history at Hilton Head Island beyond winning three years ago. His family used to come over on holiday. He suspects his father typed in the words “tennis” and “golf” and “nice weather” and off they went. He recalls going to the tournament, even getting a golf ball signed by Boo Weekley. And now here is, a major champion looking for another plaid jacket for the winner.

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

It was a failed operation that attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government.

Decades later, the U.S. is still trying to usher in regime change in Cuba as many demand for the release of political prisoners.

As uncertainty grows over what comes next for Cuba, activists say the number of Cubans being jailed for protesting against their government is on the rise.

Prisoners Defenders, a nonprofit legal network, is on the ground tracking the number of political prisoners in the communist island.

In March, the group verified at least 44 Cubans were arrested after taking part in protests.

The organization’s President Javier Larrondo Calafat says over 1,200 are currently jailed for showing their opposition to the regime.

One of the most notable is rapper Maykel Osorbo.

He was arrested after taking part in the historic 2021Island Protests and collaborating in the Grammy winning Cuban protest anthem Patria y Vida.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel recently denied all of it in an interview with Meet the Press, claiming Cubans don’t get jailed for political reasons.

Activists are also sounding the alarm.

Cuban content creators and influencers like Anna Bensi, who lives in Havana, say they’re being targeted and threatened by authorities.

Earlier this month, Cuba released around 2000 from its jails.

“I think it's exactly what it was,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen said Friday.

Dallas won 5-4 in that game April 9, when there were 12 roughing penalties — six on each side. Each team won twice in the regular-season series in which both scored 13 goals.

“They got the best of us for sure, but it was a great hockey game for the end of a regular season,” Minnesota forward Matt Boldy said.

Now, the teams that were in second and third place in the Central throughout most of the season behind Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado play a best-of-seven series. Game 1 is Saturday in Dallas.

The Wild missed a chance that night to match the Stars in the standings. Instead, Dallas pretty much locked up home-ice advantage with the second of five consecutive wins to end the regular season.

“We learned some lessons last time we played them," Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “We know that they’re a really, really good team, and so are we. They have some lethal weapons. We’re just more educated, more experienced going into this series than we were before. We always like our chances. We’re positive.”

40-40 duos for both teams

Both teams have a pair of 40-goal scorers in the same season for the first time. Kirill Kaprizov (45 goals) and Boldy (42) did it for the Wild. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old center already in his fourth postseason, each scored 45 goals for the Stars.

“That’s a legit number,” Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene said.

Injuries and ills

Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen skated with the team Friday for the first time since a lower-body injury sustained when he was knocked hard into the boards by Ryan Hartman in the last game against the Wild.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Heiskanen, who missed the start of last year's playoffs, made it through practice with no issues and felt good.

“I would think that as long as everything goes good, he should be in,” Gulutzan said. “He means everything on both sides of the puck for us. Power play, penalty kill, he touches all parts of the game.”

Stars top-line center Roope Hintz, who last played March 6, will miss the start of the playoffs after a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury.

Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, who has been dealing with an illness since last playing Saturday, traveled to Dallas on his own Friday after not going with the team Thursday.

“With the illness, I think more rest for him and just not having him on the plane,” coach John Hynes said. “The expectation is for him to play."

Between the pipes

Jake Oettinger is going into his 11th playoff series as the starting goalie for the Stars, and second for the Minnesota native against the Wild — he grew up about 30 miles from their arena. His first playoff series win was in six games against the Wild in the first round of the 2023 postseason.

The Wild are going with rookie Jesper Wallstedt over playoff-experienced Filip Gustavsson, though Hynes emphasized that is a decision for Game 1 and not the entire series.

“His overall body work has been really solid. He's played really well coming down the stretch,” Hynes said of the 23-year-old rookie. “We're confident in both guys.”

Gustavsson made his playoff debut three years ago with 51 saves in a double-overtime win over the Stars during Game 1. Wallstedt made 33 starts in his NHL debut this season, ranking second in the league with a .916 save percentage while setting franchise rookie records with 18 wins and four shutouts.

Tarasenko gives the Wild a wild-card scorer

While the Stars will be plenty focused on trying to keep Kaprizov and Boldy off the scoresheet, the Wild have a trusty scorer on their third line with plenty of playoff experience in Vladimir Tarasenko. The longtime St. Louis star, who has won the Stanley Cup twice in his 14-year career, has 49 goals in 121 career playoff games. Tarasenko had 23 goals and 24 assists in his first season with Minnesota.

“He’s a big-game player," Hynes said. “I think that leadership and the way he plays is certainly a playoff-style of game.”

Some playoff history

The Stars won both previous postseason series against Minnesota in six games, in 2016 and 2023. ... Dallas was the Minnesota North Stars before the franchise moved south in 1993. ... The Wild's 12 postseason appearances in 14 years are the most in the NHL during that span. They have lost nine straight series, since beating St. Louis in the first round in 2015. .... Dallas is in its fifth consecutive postseason, the last three ending in the West final. ... Gulutzan, part of 83 playoff games as an Edmonton assistant, including trips to the Stanley Cup Final the last two seasons, is looking for his first postseason win as a head coach. Calgary was swept in the first round by Anaheim with Gulutzan in 2017.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed from St. Paul, Minnesota.

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

Miami-Dade and Broward counties can expect partly cloudy skies Friday night. Temperatures will be quite mild with lows forecast in the low 70s.

Saturday will feature sunshine and scattered clouds-- can’t rule out a stray shower. As east-southeast winds stir, temperatures will make a run for the mid and upper 80s.

Sunday will offer light winds and partly cloudy skies along with a slightly better chance for showers compared to Saturday, especially during the afternoon.

Should Miami achieve its forecast high temperature of 89°, it would be the warmest so far this year.

“Detect RF signals, to detect drones -- unlawful drones,” said Tim Fitzgerald of the FDLE.

Law enforcement has identified unmanned aerial attacks as a significant threat for the FIFA World Cup games, including the seven matches set to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in June and July.

The FDLE funding is the latest addition to a growing pool of public money and resources tied to the World Cup in South Florida.

Miami-Dade, the host county, is on track to commit between $38 million and $46 million -- split between cash and public safety services like police and paramedics. Broward County is contributing $2 million in marketing funds.

The $16 million from FDLE comes on top of more than $5 million in federal funding -- highlighted by a large check presented to the Miami-Dade sheriff about a week and a half ago.

“Projections for the income is a lot greater than the money we are investing,” Miami Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert said.

That’s been the key argument for county leaders backing the spending -- with FIFA projections estimating an economic impact of 10 times or more the public investment, even as some remain skeptical.

Officers found them in a shipping container that arrived in Port Everglades from Singapore.

“It was actually a full container of perfume and it was mixed in with legitimate products,” Assistant Port Director Bonney Vitta said.

Local 10 was given access inside a warehouse in Broward County where the haul is being stored. The boxes and bottles of colognes looked like well-known brands such as Gucci, Armani, Burberry and Lancome.

Vitta said CBP works diligently to identify dupes and fakes. Officers also collaborate with import specialists, sometimes sending photos for image comparisons.

“They are looking for discrepancies. They’re looking at the product itself, the packaging,” Vitta said. “Where things come from is also a red flag.”

According to CBP, Singapore is a top exporter of counterfeit goods. China is still the steady number one.

“Number one is China; we get more than 80% of our counterfeit merchandise from China,” Vitta said.

In collaboration with CBP Headquarters Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch, CBP officers determined, on April 2, that the goods were counterfeit.

“Counterfeit goods not only undermine legitimate businesses and the U.S. economy but can also pose potentially serious health and safety risks to consumers,” Acting Port Director John Rico wrote in a statement.

According to CBP, the Miami/Tampa region is one of the busiest in the country for counterfeit goods seizures; $1.7 billion dollars worth of it last fiscal year.

The CBP has a website called Fake Goods Real Dangers highlighting what it says is “the truth behind counterfeits.”

The investigation continues into who is responsible for the fake fragrances, Vitta said.

The superstars met again in 2017 and 2018, and Durant's Golden State Warriors beat James' Cleveland Cavaliers to win Durant's two rings.

The two greatest scorers of this generation are matched up once again in the postseason this weekend when Durant and his Houston Rockets visit James' Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 is Saturday night in the latest chapter of this friendly rivalry, and the basketball world will be watching.

“It’s prime time,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Two of the best, and still doing it at this stage in their careers. And they have had some battles in the playoffs, but not a ton being in the East and the West a lot. So that part alone has a lot of storylines, a lot of history. I’m sure this will add to their chapters.”

The 41-year-old James is the top scorer in NBA history, and the 37-year-old Durant is fifth. While this fourth engagement might turn out to be their final spring meeting — and maybe even James' final playoff appearance, who knows? — they're both thinking mostly about the task before them, not the history behind them.

“It’s always great playing against great players,” Durant said. “You feel their presence on the floor, even if you’re not matched up with them. But it’s just like all basketball players know, it’s much more than just one player. You need a whole group of guys to go out there and win ... but yeah, the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who’ve been in the league for a long time. But everybody who’s involved in this series knows it’s much deeper than that.”

Indeed, their shared playoff history only underlines the importance of a supporting cast, even for players of their stature.

James' Heatles were too much for a young Thunder group led by Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Warriors then became arguably the most loaded team in recent NBA history when Durant chose to join Stephen Curry, and it was too much even for James, who moved to the Lakers a few weeks after his Cavs fell to Golden State for the third time in four years.

The importance of a supporting cast is the reason fifth-seeded Houston is the prohibitive favorite in this series, of course.

The Lakers lost NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and prolific guard Austin Reaves to injuries two weeks ago, and they're both out indefinitely.

So while James is once again attempting to carry an inferior roster to places it would never otherwise go, the hard-working Rockets are healthier around Durant, who wants his first postseason with Houston to be memorable.

“Obviously, we know that’s the head of the snake,” James said of Durant. “But it’s the Houston Rockets, and they have some damn good players on their team. It’s not just a KD team. It’s the whole group. Like I said, KD is gonna do what KD does. He’s a Hall of Famer. We know that. So we have to prepare not only for him, but for the whole group.”

Hanging in

The Lakers aren't publicly predicting when their top two scorers will return, if at all. The injuries to Doncic (Grade 2 hamstring strain) and Reaves (Grade 2 oblique strain) typically take several weeks to heal. The first-round schedule has a few extra days off, but that's no guarantee.

“We’re going try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We don’t know what that is, but that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Tough out

Hard-working, resourceful Houston would be a tough matchup even under ideal circumstances for the Lakers, but the Rockets know they're facing a competent opponent playing with extra fire from the widespread perception that this short-handed team can't hang with them.

The Lakers have home-court advantage because they won 53 games, including two in Houston last month.

“Even though they got injuries, we’re not looking at this team like they’re not a good team,” Durant said. “We have to show the proper respect to them as NBA players and then into the game as well. We’ve got to come out and respect these guys, because they can have that impact if we let them.”

Fifth starter?

Udoka wouldn’t say this week who will join Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson as his team’s fifth starter in this series. Down the stretch, Udoka started Tari Eason, Josh Okogie and Reed Sheppard, depending on the matchup. Okogie could be the top option in this series for his defense, but he is averaging just 4.5 points a game, making him a less desirable option offensively than Sheppard (13.5 points a game) or Eason (10.5).

Hit the boards

Redick is aware of the Rockets' historic dominance as a rebounding team, so he addressed it from the first day of practice this week by putting the Lakers through fundamental rebounding and boxing-out drills that reminded his players of junior high.

“Taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important. But if we don’t take care of the basketball and we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series.”

Houston led the NBA in total rebounds (48.1 per game) and offensive rebounds (15.0), That proficiency powered much of the Rockets' offensive production, while the Lakers obviously depended on Doncic's brilliance for a big chunk of their scoring.

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

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The vice mayor was honored in a procession, with Coral Springs police and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies leading the way as the community came together to remember her life.

The viewing, which was open to the public, began at 11:30 a.m. at the Church by the Glades in Coral Springs.

A celebration of life was then held at 12:30 p.m.

“The city encourages all who wish to honor Vice Mayor Metayer to do so not only in remembrance but by carrying forward the values she embodied, uplifting others, making space at the table, serving with compassion, and working toward a more sustainable future,” city officials said in a news release.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered that all flags in Tallahassee and Coral Springs be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Friday in honor of Metayer Bowen.

The vice mayor’s husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, faces first-degree murder and evidence tampering charges after being captured in Plantation.

He is accused of shooting Metayer Bowen inside their Coral Springs home, where Metayer Bowen’s body was found on the morning of April 1 wrapped in a comforter and garbage bags. She was 38 years old.

Those close to her say that if there were signs of trouble, she kept them private.

“What we see is the escalation happens between rounds of these different incidents of abuse, so the quicker we can get law enforcement to the scene to understand what the issue is, the more seriously we can deal with the perpetrator and the abuser,” State Sen. Alexis Calatayud said.

“She was the best of us,” said an attendee at the memorial. “Kind, brilliant, graceful, dignified, and that beautiful smile — this is our Nancy.”

Lawmakers are now pushing for more protections, including tools that could silently alert police.

The incident happened Thursday as the soldiers were participating in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area.

The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Messages sent to base spokespersons were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Friday.

The soldiers’ conditions were not released pending notification of relatives.

Both soldiers used pepper spray on the bear, the official said. Few other details were available about the incident because it was still under investigation.

“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division, said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is investigating what it says appears to have been “a defensive attack" by a bear that had recently emerged from a den. The area near where the incident occurred has been closed to recreational activity by base officials, the department said.

Samples were collected by investigators with the aim of positively identifying the species and gender of bear involved, the department said.

The base encompasses 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) within the Municipality of Anchorage, where up to 350 black bears and 75 brown bears roam freely.

La Policía indicó que Perez, de 49 años, embistió intencionalmente con su camioneta de jardinería el Lexus que conducía Mirtha Sanchez-Teran el jueves, empujándolo contra un edificio detrás de un centro comercial en la cuadra 7600, dejándola atrapada y provocando que se activaran las bolsas de aire del vehículo.

Las autoridades dijeron que un video muestra a Perez, vestido de color naranja brillante, acercándose al auto de la víctima, apuntando con un arma y disparando un solo tiro antes de que el video termine.

En otro video se escuchan más disparos. Un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Coral Springs indica que Sanchez-Teran, madre de dos hijos, recibió múltiples impactos en ambos hombros, el pecho, el abdomen y el rostro.

Tras “aparentemente creer que estaba muerta”, huyó desesperadamente y saltó a un canal cercano para escapar del lugar, según el informe.

Pero los agentes dijeron que Sanchez-Teran sobrevivió a los disparos e identificó a su presunto atacante.

La Policía localizó a Perez en un vecindario cercano. Inicialmente negó conocer a su exnovia.

Sin embargo, tras ser detenido, la Policía indicó que se mostró emocional cuando los agentes mencionaron a la víctima y a sus dos hijas.

Varios testigos también lo identificaron, y su empleador confirmó que la camioneta de trabajo le pertenecía.

Ahora enfrenta varios cargos graves, incluido intento de asesinato.

Las autoridades informaron que Sanchez-Teran permanecía en condición grave hasta el viernes.

The video, shared by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, captures the incident that occurred just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 17 at Gables Motorsports in the 7300 block of Bird Road.

Video shows a person wearing a hooded sweatshirt walking up to the boats before climbing inside one vessel, then moving to another.

Deputies said the man was cutting GPS units off the boats.

They said a second person, wearing a black jacket, later arrived in a Tesla and is seen approaching the boats. Investigators said he was acting as a lookout.

The two men, identified as James Briggs-Stanford, of Atlanta, and Shavonte Malone, of southwest Miami-Dade, were later arrested on grand theft, burglary and criminal mischief charges.

Investigators said the surveillance video played a key role in tracking down the suspects.

Police said the theft caused thousands of dollars in damage, but the GPS units were ultimately recovered.

Motorists, hoping for relief at the pump, wondered how quickly gasoline prices might fall once oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf were moving again. A gallon of regular gasoline cost $4.08 on average in the U.S. Friday, which was 37% more than before U.S. and Israel attacked Iran but down a few cents from a week ago.

But when gas prices spike, they don’t typically drop as quickly as the cost of crude. Even if Iran keeps the waterway open in the face of a U.S. blockade of its vessels, it still could take months for fuel prices to return to levels resembling those enjoyed before the war began Feb. 28, energy experts said.

The slow speed at which oil tankers travel from ports to refineries, lingering security concerns, traffic in the strait and damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East are all playing a role in the elevated price of gasoline.

“The historical observation is that gasoline prices rise quickly but fall slowly, regardless of the particular causes of the increase,” said Mark Barteau, a professor in the department of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.

“In this case, one has to take into account the time it takes for the steps that have to happen once tankers sail through the straits – for example, sailing time to refineries on other continents, time to ramp up refinery operations, and time to transport some refined products by tanker to the continent where they will be used,” Barteau said. “There is also tendency to hedge bets because of doubts about whether and how quickly that restoration might occur, and whether further disruptions are possible along the way.”

Nevertheless, some energy analysts were optimistic that gas prices would gradually decline.

Hope for lower gasoline prices

Gasoline prices were already falling slightly after last week’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, according to motor club federation AAA.

Following the Strait of Hormuz announcement, oil prices fell by $10 to $12 per barrel, which generally translates into a decrease of 25 or 30 cents per gallon of gas, said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan research institution focused on energy and economics.

“That doesn’t happen overnight, but within a week or two, we could be down 50 cents a gallon easily, if this holds,” Lynch said. “And part of it is, there’s a lot of tankers ready to go. And if they all come out, then that balances the market very quickly.”

In the wake of Friday's news, “every state will start seeing gas price decreases accelerate at a pace of probably 1 to 3 cents a gallon for every day or two,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a webcast. “And that could continue for at least a couple of weeks.”

DeHaan estimated that the national average for a gallon of regular gas could reach $3.45 to $3.65 by Memorial Day. But he acknowledged that returning to lower prices could take a while.

“It might take until later this year or early next year to really fully normalize and for some of these surcharges and impacts to reverse and disappear," De Haan said.

Traffic and trepidation

If an agreement to end the war is reached, it could take at least four months for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to go back to normal, said Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University.

“Right now, you still have potential mines that have to be removed or detonated, you have over 150 tankers that have been anchored in and around the strait, which is causing a traffic jam, and we still have shipping rates that are still high because of lack of shipping capacity and war rate insurance,” he said.

The leaders of France and the U.K. welcomed word of the strait's reopening but said they would keep pushing for a way to permanently restore freedom of navigation for vessels that rely on the narrow passage off Iran's coast, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil typically travels.

Ship owners would have to be convinced to trust the Americans and Iranians, "and that seems like it’s a hard hill to climb,” Lynch, of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to do it. I wouldn’t wanna be the first ship through or even the first five ships through, but somebody will do it. There’s a lot of money on the table and somebody’s going to grab it.”

If the Iranians are cooperating, the mines should not be a problem, because Iran has a sense of where the mines are, Lynch said.

"Now, that raises the issue, are the Iranians going to cooperate, or what do they want to cooperate?” he asked. “Are they going to demand a couple-million dollars a ship, as is talked about? Or is Trump going to say ‘that’s not acceptable,’ and then what’s the next step after that?”

If the strait remains open, and ships loaded with oil leave the Persian Gulf, it could take weeks for those heavy, slow-moving ships to reach their destinations.

“People think that once the strait opens, it’s fine. We’re done. It’ll be better really fast,” said Richard Joswick, global head of near-term oil analysis at S&P Global Energy. “If you open the strait today to get a ship and bring it around and take it to Europe and run a refinery, turn it into products, you’re talking 10 weeks of a lag time here. It will be two to three months before things can start to get back to normal after the straight re-opens.”

Damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East

Many oil production facilities were damaged in the Middle East, including refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and oil tanker terminals in the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Some repairs has been made, but damage remains.

In addition, some countries slowed down or halted production during the war, because without the ability to ship crude through the Strait of Hormuz, their ships and storage tanks filled up with stranded oil.

“It’s not a light switch. Everyone’s impatient and saying, ‘Go, go go,’” De Haan said. “But it will take time to get these flows of oil through the Middle East fired back up again.”

Once an oil well is turned off, the pressure within the well could change, and it can take time to restart the flow. But that might not be a problem in some Middle East oil fields, where production can be resumed quickly, Lynch said.

“The Saudis have done that a bunch of times. They ramp up by 2 or 3 million barrels a day, almost overnight, and there’s no problem with the wells that have been shut in for months and sometimes years,” Lynch said.

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Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

The Dream acquired Reese from the Sky on April 6. Chicago obtained first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028. Atlanta also received the right to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.

One of the WNBA's most recognizable stars, Reese led the league in rebounds in each of her two seasons with the Sky.

“I’m always gonna be grateful for that because I did experience a lot of great things,” Reese said Friday of her time in Chicago. “I enjoyed being able to grow within my first two years but I wanted more. I love to win, I love to compete and I wanted to be surrounded by people that can make me better.

“And I am not satisfied with what I am as a player and I felt like being around these kinds of players would help me be better. I can help them in different ways to help them win and that’s all I ever wanted. I don’t care about anything else that comes with it. I want to win and being able to come to an organization that really cared about their players.”

Reese was joined at the news conference by the five players Atlanta has re-signed this offseason. Guard Rhyne Howard said Reese, a two-time All-Star forward, could help Atlanta win a championship.

“Angel, I think is special for us because she could be exactly what we were missing,” Howard said.

Reese averaged 14.7 points and a league-best 12.6 rebounds last season. She joins a team that won a franchise-record 30 games last season under coach Karl Smesko before losing to Indiana in the playoffs.

Atlanta also re-signed Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon.

Gray finished fourth in MVP voting last season. Howard became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 300 3-pointers. Hillmon was named Sixth Player of the Year and Jones was an All-Star.

The trade to Atlanta came after Reese expressed frustration late last season, with Chicago on the way to a 10-34 finish. She told the Chicago Tribune the Sky needed to improve their roster and added she “might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me” if that didn't happen. She later apologized to the team for the comments.

The Sky suspended Reese for half a game for comments deemed “detrimental to the team.” The team held her out for its final three games with a back injury, raising speculation about her future in Chicago.

Reese said the interest from the Dream “was mutual on both sides and I was able to choose a destination I really wanted to go to.”

General manager Dan Padover said adding Reese capped a successful offseason.

“When we went into this offseason, we had two main priorities,” Padover said. “That was retain our core. And to remain opportunistic. And over the last week, I’m thrilled to say we did both. Keeping these players in Atlanta was just so important to us. And the most special thing is that they want to stay here.

“And then to have someone like Angel come in and say ‘Hey guys, I love what you’re doing. I love that city. Let me jump in here.’ And to have this whole group as well as the others that are here today come together to try to build something and win a championship. That’s what sports is all about.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Maslin Kurtz said she initially believed she had blown a tire when her vehicle veered off the road along Fruitville Road near Cowpen Lane.

“I thought I hit something and blew a tire just because it ripped my car off of the road,” Kurtz said.

Authorities said Kurtz’s Toyota 4Runner hit the alligator, causing the vehicle to overturn multiple times. Photos show extensive damage to the SUV.

Kurtz said she became trapped inside the vehicle after the crash.

“I just remember being stuck in my car like I was crushed between the roof and the steering wheel,” she said. “I’m just kind of stuck there, not sure what happened.”

She said she prayed for help as cars passed by, unsure where she had landed off the roadway.

“I was just praying that somebody would see me,” she said. “I saw lights go by and thought I was behind a bush or something. I didn’t know where I had ended up.”

A couple stopped and called 911, helping Kurtz out of the wreckage, she said.

Kurtz was hospitalized for four days at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, including two days in the intensive care unit. She suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to her spine, sternum and left scapula.

“I have a few fractures on my spine. My sternum is fractured and then my left scapula,” she said.

She is expected to make a full recovery but must wear a brace for four to six weeks and undergo physical therapy.

Kurtz said she feels fortunate to have survived the crash. Her home is now filled with balloons and cards, and she said the couple who helped rescue her later visited and brought her a stuffed alligator.

“It was very emotional,” she said. “I’m just grateful that I’m here and I give all the glory to God,” Kurtz.

Authorities said the alligator did not survive the crash and was removed from the roadway. A GoFundMe has been started to help Kurtz with her medical expenses.

Leer en español

It’s just the latest safety issue discovered by inspectors.

“I know we don’t have earthquakes and stuff, but it felt like an earthquake or a sinkhole or something everything just started coming down on me,” said Dajah Stover.

Stover, her father and attorneys think most people would never believe a ceiling and the air conditioning system in a restaurant would suddenly come crashing down.

But it happened on Oct. 6 at Flyers Wings and Grill in Orlando.

“I just saw so much blood pouring from my head,” Stover said. “The ambulance came and they basically saw the situation, how it happened, and they saw the deep cut I had in my head, and they just I need to go to the hospital to get staples.”

Stover wasn’t alone in the restaurant, she was eating with her daughter, who was not quite two years old at the time.

“I had walked over there to sit next to her and scooted her over,” she said. “So if I had not walked there and scooted her over, everything would have hit her instead of me. And that was just by the grace of God, that she didn’t get hit.”

Stover is now suing the restaurant, claiming negligence and lingering health problems from the collapse.

“It’s definitely traumatic for the family, myself and the family, to know that my daughter and granddaughter were in a situation like that,” said Torrence Stover, Dajaj’s father.

According to state inspection reports, the restaurant has been cited for violations involving “ceiling tiles and vents soiled with accumulated food debris” since 2023, and just days after the ceiling collapse was given a “repeat violation warning” for lack of ceiling maintenance.

The lawsuit also alleges in “2024, a customer was injured when a piece of ceiling fell.”

“It wasn’t until after Dajaj got hit in the head and her daughter narrowly escaping injury or death that they closed down the restaurant, partially, to fix this,” said Ryan Fletcher, who is representing Dajaj Stover.

The restaurant also had multiple violations of the FDA food code and the lawsuit highlights a repeat violation for damaged or missing ceiling tiles.

So far, the business has not commented on the lawsuit.

Es el más reciente problema de seguridad detectado por inspectores.

“Sabemos que no tenemos terremotos ni cosas así, pero se sintió como un terremoto o un socavón, todo empezó a caer sobre mí”, dijo Dajah Stover.

Stover, su padre y sus abogados creen que la mayoría de las personas no imaginarían que un techo y el sistema de aire acondicionado de un restaurante colapsarían repentinamente.

Pero ocurrió el 6 de octubre en Flyers Wings and Grill en Orlando.

“Vi mucha sangre saliendo de mi cabeza”, dijo Stover. “La ambulancia llegó y básicamente vieron la situación, cómo ocurrió, y vieron el corte profundo que tenía en la cabeza, y dijeron que necesitaba ir al hospital para recibir grapas”.

Stover no estaba sola en el restaurante, estaba comiendo con su hija, que en ese momento tenía menos de dos años.

“Me acerqué para sentarme a su lado y la moví”, dijo. “Si no hubiera hecho eso, todo le habría caído a ella en lugar de a mí. Fue por la gracia de Dios que no resultó herida”.

Stover ahora demanda al restaurante, alegando negligencia y problemas de salud persistentes tras el colapso.

“Es definitivamente traumático para la familia, para mí y para todos, saber que mi hija y mi nieta estuvieron en una situación así”, dijo Torrence Stover, padre de Dajah.

Según informes de inspección estatal, el restaurante ha sido citado por violaciones relacionadas con “losetas del techo y ventilaciones sucias con acumulación de residuos de alimentos” desde 2023, y días después del colapso recibió una “advertencia por violación repetida” por falta de mantenimiento del techo.

La demanda también alega que en 2024 un cliente resultó herido cuando una parte del techo cayó.

“No fue hasta que Dajah recibió el golpe en la cabeza y su hija estuvo a punto de resultar herida o morir que cerraron parcialmente el restaurante para hacer reparaciones”, dijo Ryan Fletcher, quien representa a Dajah Stover.

El restaurante también tenía múltiples violaciones del código alimentario de la FDA y la demanda destaca una infracción reiterada por losetas del techo dañadas o faltantes.

Hasta el momento, el negocio no ha comentado sobre la demanda.

The Mets' skid is their worst since the 2004 team dropped 11 straight. They’ve been outscored 56-16 during the streak.

Chicago scored in double digits for the third straight game and major league-leading fourth time this season.

Ballesteros made it 4-0 in the first with a three-run homer.

Hoerner had three hits and drove in two runs after setting a career high with five RBIs in Wednesday’s 11-2 win at Philadelphia. His two-run shot in the second against Kodai Senga (0-3) made it 6-3. The two-time Gold Glove second baseman also made a diving stop to rob Bo Bichette of a hit in the fifth.

Happ added a two-run drive in the eighth.

Edward Cabrera (2-0) went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits, as the Cubs rolled to their third straight win.

Senga got tagged for seven runs in his second straight start.

The Japanese right-hander gave up six earned to go with six hits in 3 1/3 innings after lasting just 2 1/3 in a loss to the Athletics last week. His ERA through four starts is 8.83.

After outscoring Philadelphia by a combined 21-6 in their previous two games, the Cubs jumped on Senga.

Seiya Suzuki singled in a run in the first and Ballesteros made it 4-0 when he drove the next pitch to the left-field basket.

The Mets cut it to 4-3 in the second on an RBI double by Marcus Semien and two-run single by Tyrone Taylor off the center-field wall. Taylor got thrown out at second by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Up next

The series continues with the Mets sending RHP Freddy Peralta (1-1, 3.86 ERA) to the mound and the Cubs going with RHP Jameson Taillon (0-1, 4.86). ___

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

Resultó que el auto que compró era robado.

Fue en el otoño del año pasado cuando Adrian Blejdea estaba buscando un nuevo vehículo.

Encontró una Chevrolet Suburban negra en Facebook Marketplace que estaba listada por $45,000 USD.

Blejdea verificó el número VIN del vehículo y no arrojó problemas, y el título coincidía.

El registro y la documentación del vendedor parecían legítimos.

“Hice mi investigación, todo parecía estar bien, así que compré el auto y lo registré”, dijo Blejdea.

Negociaron un acuerdo y Blejdea entregó $35,000 USD al vendedor.

Se fue conduciendo el SUV pensando que todo estaba bien, hasta tres días después.

“La radio no funcionaba, así que cuando conecté el GPS al auto al día siguiente, la Policía de Hollywood me encontró”, dijo Blejdea.

Según un informe policial de Hollywood proporcionado por Blejdea, un agente verificó la placa y encontró señales de alerta en un reporte de Carfax.

El informe indica que durante la parada de tráfico el agente “inspeccionó la placa VIN pública del vehículo, la cual identifiqué de inmediato como fraudulenta”.

La Policía encontró que no existía un historial real de concesionario para el SUV, y que la documentación también era falsa.

El título estaba vinculado a un auto de un concesionario en Kentucky, pero ese VIN nunca estuvo en su inventario.

Pero eso no fue todo.

Durante la inspección del SUV, los agentes encontraron otro VIN fraudulento que “parece ser un clon de un vehículo legítimo de Canadá”.

La Policía de Hollywood determinó que Blejdea fue víctima de un fraude conocido como cambio de VIN, donde delincuentes toman un número VIN legítimo y lo colocan en un auto robado.

Cuando la Policía investigó más a fondo, descubrió que el vehículo había sido reportado como robado originalmente en Oklahoma y de alguna manera llegó al sur de Florida, donde finalmente fue vendido a Blejdea.

Se trata de un esquema elaborado que ocurre en todo el país, tan sofisticado que el FBI no tiene estadísticas precisas a nivel nacional.

Para Blejdea, el auto que creía suyo fue incautado por la Policía de Hollywood.

Ahora se quedó sin vehículo y sin miles de dólares.

“Ya no confío en nada”, dijo Blejdea. “Siempre estoy verificando todo dos veces y buscando, y solo quiero asegurarme de que con quien estoy hablando o lo que me dicen no sea un fraude, porque escuchas muchas historias pero no crees que te pasará a ti”.

Blejdea tuvo que sacar un préstamo, el cual aún está pagando, y además compró otro auto para poder movilizarse y trabajar para Uber.

Espera poder recuperar su dinero de alguna manera.

Algunas formas de protegerse incluyen verificar un reporte de Carfax e intentar cruzar los números VIN en múltiples lugares, así como considerar servicios de inspección profesional.

The actor told Harper’s Bazaar she is “very grateful” to be welcoming a child with partner Tanguy Destable, 45, a French electronic music producer known by his stage name, Tepr.

“Tanguy and I are very excited,” she told the outlet. “I’m just very grateful. I know it’s such a privilege and a miracle.”

Portman's representatives did not immediately return emailed requests for comment.

The actor shares two older children, son Aleph, 14, and daughter Amalia, 9, with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. Portman and Millepied divorced in 2024.

Portman has spoken about how she grew up the child of a fertility doctor. “I grew up hearing about how hard it is to get pregnant,” she told Harper's Bazaar. “I have so many people I love who’ve had such a hard time with it that I want to be respectful around that as well. It’s such a beautiful, joyous thing, and it’s also not an easy thing.”

She also said she is feeling good physically, with “more energy than I thought I might.”

Portman's upcoming projects include Cathy Yan's “The Gallerist,” about an unusual art world caper, and Lena Dunham's “Good Sex” on Netflix.

The sports power couple announced Friday that they are ending their 10-year relationship and phasing out their popular podcast, “A Touch More.” They dropped the news together on the podcast.

“I hope you all know we put a lot of thought and care into this,” said Rapinoe, who rose to fame as a member of the Women’s World Cup team in 2011, 2015 and 2019. “It’s a decision that we made together. We’re still going to be there for all of you and for each other. It’s just going to look and feel a little bit different.

“We truly are evolving into something new to each other, to ourselves and to all of you, and we just wanted to say thank you for sharing this space with us and giving us this space for us to find ourselves in a different way through this podcast.”

Bird is considered one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history. She won four WNBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star over a 20-year career.

“We have shared so much of our life, so much of our relationship with you, so that’s why we wanted to come on here and share this, too,” Bird said. “These past 10 years have given us so much, and launching this podcast and sharing this space has been one of our favorite things that we’ve done together.”

Rapinoe is planning to start her own podcast, and Bird is committed to a second season of her own venture, “Bird’s Eye View.”

“It’s gonna look a little bit different moving forward,” Rapinoe said. “Obviously, our relationship was such a huge part of this podcast for you guys, but also for us. … We are both really sad to be losing this space. It’s been so meaningful to us, especially post-retirement, to be able to have this space to share, not just together, but with you as well.”

Bird said they will host six more special episodes of “A Touch More” as a “farewell to you all and to this space.”

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Court records show U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Roger Hoffman on Wednesday. He also ordered Hoffman to pay a $150,000 fine. Hoffman's attorney, Mark Maciolek, didn't immediately return a message Friday seeking comment.

Hoffman, a 70-year-old self-employed investor originally from Madison, became a citizen of the Caribbean nation Saint Kitts and Nevis in January 2009, according to a grand jury indictment handed down in 2021. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in July of that year.

But he still moved more than $400,000 to state and federal elections in the U.S. over more than a decade, using an assistant identified in court documents only as M.W. as a conduit to circumvent laws prohibiting foreign nationals from making donations in U.S. elections.

He pleaded guilty in September to a single count of making illegal donations in a deal with prosecutors, agreeing that they would be able to prove he made about $345,000 in illegal federal campaign contributions between 2010 and 2020, according to court records.

Court documents state that Hoffman made donations to federal and Wisconsin candidates and political parties, with most of the dollars directed toward the federal side, but does not list specific recipients. It's not clear which candidates or political parties received money from him.

A message left at the U.S. attorney's office in Madison seeking those details was not immediately returned.

The office said in a news release Friday that Peterson admonished Hoffman during the sentencing hearing for demonstrating “a resolute pattern of dishonesty.”

Las autoridades identificaron al sospechoso como Jamesly Mezime.

La balacera ocurrió cerca del escenario principal del evento en Northeast 62nd Street y Second Avenue, en el vecindario de Little Haiti en Miami.

Según el informe de arresto, agentes que trabajaban en el evento escucharon múltiples disparos, mientras que una alerta de ShotSpotter también detectó disparos en el área. Cuando los agentes respondieron, encontraron a un hombre inconsciente en el suelo con una herida de bala en el pecho.

Ese hombre fue identificado posteriormente como Kitchner Cyrille, de 23 años.

Cyrille fue trasladado al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde luego murió.

Un segundo hombre fue encontrado cerca del escenario central con múltiples heridas de bala y fue hospitalizado en estado crítico.

Una tercera víctima, una mujer, recibió disparos en las piernas y fue llevada al hospital en condición estable, donde luego fue dada de alta.

Según el informe de arresto, cámaras de vigilancia muestran una pelea en la multitud poco después de las 11:20 p.m. del domingo antes de que Mezime disparara contra dos personas y luego huyera a pie.

La policía dijo que el video también muestra a asociados de Mezime tomando objetos de los bolsillos de Cyrille mientras estaba en el suelo antes de “dispersarse entre la multitud”.

Un video obtenido por la policía mostró a Mezime, de North Miami Beach, regresando a un estacionamiento cercano. Fue visto caminando cerca de un Dodge Charger negro antes de subir al vehículo con otras personas y abandonar el área.

La policía indicó que lectores de matrículas y cámaras de vigilancia captaron el mismo vehículo circulando por la zona antes de la balacera.

El jueves, detectives encontraron el Dodge Charger en una residencia en Pembroke Pines y comenzaron vigilancia. Las autoridades siguieron el vehículo mientras transitaba por los condados Broward y Miami-Dade, eventualmente dirigiéndose hacia el sur por la Interestatal 95 y luego por la Interestatal 195.

Poco antes de las 11:45 a.m., los agentes realizaron una parada de tráfico por delito grave. Ordenaron a Mezime y a otras dos personas que salieran del vehículo y los detuvieron.

Los agentes trasladaron a los tres al departamento de homicidios de la Policía de Miami para interrogarlos mientras la investigación continúa.

Según el informe de arresto, Mezime dijo a los detectives que caminaba entre la multitud cuando sintió que alguien lo empujó o tiró de él por detrás y se dio la vuelta para ver qué ocurría. Dijo que un hombre vestido completamente de negro y con un sombrero negro lo golpeó en la cara, y otro hombre con una sudadera azul intentó sacar un arma de su cintura. Mezime afirmó que disparó contra ambos hombres en defensa propia antes de huir.

Mezime enfrenta un cargo de asesinato en segundo grado y dos cargos de intento de asesinato.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, los registros muestran que permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, con una fianza “por determinar”.

VEA EN VIVO LA CELEBRACIÓN DE VIDA A CONTINUACIÓN:

La vicealcaldesa fue honrada en una procesión, con la Policía de Coral Springs y agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward encabezando el recorrido mientras la comunidad se unía para recordar su vida.

El velorio, abierto al público, comenzó a las 11:30 a.m. en la iglesia Church by the Glades en Coral Springs.

Luego se llevó a cabo una celebración de vida a las 12:30 p.m.

“La ciudad alienta a todos los que deseen honrar a la vicealcaldesa Metayer a hacerlo no solo en recuerdo, sino continuando los valores que ella encarnó, apoyando a otros, dando espacio en la mesa, sirviendo con compasión y trabajando hacia un futuro más sostenible”, informaron funcionarios de la ciudad en un comunicado.

El jueves, el gobernador Ron DeSantis ordenó que todas las banderas en Tallahassee y Coral Springs ondeen a media asta desde el amanecer hasta el atardecer del viernes en honor a Metayer Bowen.

El esposo de la vicealcaldesa, Stephen Bowen, de 40 años, enfrenta cargos de asesinato en primer grado y manipulación de evidencia tras ser capturado en Plantation.

Está acusado de dispararle a Metayer Bowen dentro de su casa en Coral Springs, donde su cuerpo fue encontrado la mañana del 1 de abril. Tenía 38 años.

Personas cercanas a ella dicen que, si había señales de problemas, las mantenía en privado.

“Lo que vemos es que la escalada ocurre entre distintos episodios de abuso, por lo que mientras más rápido podamos llevar a las fuerzas del orden al lugar para entender cuál es el problema, más seriamente podremos tratar con el agresor”, dijo la senadora estatal Alexis Calatayud.

Los legisladores ahora impulsan mayores protecciones, incluidas herramientas que podrían alertar a la Policía de forma silenciosa.

Leer en español

Authorities identified the suspect as Jamesly Mezime.

The shooting happened near the main stage of the event off Northeast 62nd Street and Second Avenue in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood.

According to the arrest form, officers working the event heard multiple shots fired, while a ShotSpotter alert also detected gunfire in the area. When the officers responded, they found a man unresponsive on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest.

That man was later identified by officials as 23-year-old Kitchner Cyrille.

Cyrille was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.

A second man was found near the center stage with multiple gunshot wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition.

A third victim, a woman, was shot in the legs and taken to the hospital in stable condition, where she later was released.

According to the arrest report, surveillance cameras show a fight occurring in the crowd just after 11:20 p.m. Sunday before Mezime shot at two people and then fled on foot.

Police said the video also shows Mezime’s associates taking items from Cyrille’s pockets as he was laying on the ground before “dispersing in the crowd.”

Video obtained by police showed Mezime, of North Miami Beach, returning to a nearby parking lot. He was seen pacing near a black Dodge Charger before getting inside with others and leaving the area.

Police said license plate readers and surveillance cameras captured the same car circling the area before the shooting.

On Thursday, detectives found the Dodge Charger at a residence in Pembroke Pines and began surveillance. Authorities followed the vehicle as it traveled through Broward and Miami-Dade counties, eventually heading south on Interstate 95 and onto Interstate 195.

Just before 11:45 a.m., officers conducted a felony traffic stop. They ordered Mezime and two others in the car out of the vehicle and detained them.

Officers took all three to the Miami Police Department’s homicide office for questioning as the investigation continues.

According to the arrest form, Mezime told detectives he was walking through the crowd when he felt someone push or tug him from behind and turned around to see what was going on. He said a man wearing all black and a black hat punched him in the face, and another man wearing a blue hoodie reached into his waistband to take out a gun. Mezime said he shot both men in self-defense before fleeing.

Witnesses said otherwise, saying the violence stemmed from a dispute involving an ex-girlfriend.

“They say that they had a girlfriend in common at one time and this is what led to this incident,” said Mike Vega, officer of the City of Miami Police.

Mezime is facing one count of second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

As of Friday morning, records show he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with a bond listed as “to be set.”

Schmidt’s family said in a statement that he fought a brain tumor for 15 years “with courage, dignity and resilience . . . while remaining a role model of determination, generosity and love of life. Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sport and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and worldwide.”

Schmidt is beloved in Brazil for committing to the national team for 19 years and becoming one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history. He also starred in a historic victory over the United States in the final of the 1987 Pan American Games.

“The biggest player of Brazilian basketball history bids farewell as an absolute symbol of sport, the holder of a trajectory that redefined the boundaries of what was possible in a court,” the Brazil Basketball Confederation said in a statement. “His death closes an era. But his greatness remains.”

Chose Brazil over NBA

Schmidt, who never played in the NBA, began his professional career in 1974 and most of it was at home and Italy, where he became a childhood idol of future great Kobe Bryant.

In 1984 the NBA’s New Jersey Nets drafted him in the sixth round and he trained with them but declined a contract. At the time NBA players were not allowed to play for national teams. Schmidt said he had no regrets at his Hall of Fame induction.

“I was the choice (No,) 144,” he said. His idol Larry Bird laughed next to him. “They came to offer me a no-cut contract to play for the New Jersey Nets. I said thank you very much but if I play one game here I will never again play for my national team.

“Three years later we beat the Americans here in the U.S. Sorry, that was the greatest thing I did in basketball.”

Bird released a statement Friday, saying: “I always admired Oscar and considered him a friend. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It was an honor of a lifetime when Oscar asked me to present him at his well deserved induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. My sincere condolences to Oscar’s family.”

Kerr compares Schmidt to Steph Curry

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in comments before the Warriors played the Phoenix Suns on Friday that Schmidt “was one of the greatest shooters I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Just no conscience, just a little bit, you know, of a Steph Curry mentality,” Kerr added. "Never, ever thought twice about letting it fly, just a beautiful player with an incredible mentality.”

Kerr played against Schmidt at the 1986 world championships and tore his ACL during the game.

“He literally picked me up, carried me off the floor,” Kerr said. "It was an incredible gesture on his part. And over the next few years, he really exploded.”

"I was so sad to hear about the news today. Only 68 and the guy was absolutely beloved in Brazil. So to all our Brazilian fans, I just want to say my condolences, and from the Warriors, we’re feeling for you.”

Portland Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter and NBA champion Anderson Varejao, two Brazilians in the league, praised Schmidt while passing along their condolences on social media.

Holy Hand

Standing 2.03 meters (6-foot-8), he was a keen 3-point shooter in the 1980s when many coaches advised against it. That earned him the nickname “Mão Santa” (Holy Hand). Schmidt didn’t believe he was worthy of the tag.

“I don’t have a holy hand. I have a trained hand,” Schmidt used to say in interviews.

He debuted for Brazil at 19 in 1977 and made 326 appearances, averaging 23.6 points per game.

He played in a record-tying five Olympics and four World Cups. He’s the all-time leading scorer in both tournaments. He still has seven of the 10 highest scoring games in Olympic history and he holds the single-game records for points scored in the Olympics (55 vs. Spain in 1988) and World Cup (52 vs. Australia in 1990).

“More than results and medals, Oscar represented values that define the Olympic spirit; dedication, resilience and respect to the opponents,” Brazil’s Olympic committee said in a statement.

The 1987 Pan Am Games victory in Indianapolis marked the first time a U.S. team lost a major international tournament on home soil. Brazil won 120-115 and Schmidt led with 46 points.

Schmidt retired in 2003 at 45. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the unofficial career highest scorer and his known tally of 49,737 points for club and country was eclipsed by LeBron James in 2024.

Hall of Fame honors

Schmidt was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

After retirement, Schmidt became one of his country’s most popular motivational speakers. He often talked about his battle with the brain tumor diagnosed in 2011, his love for Brazil and basketball.

Schmidt is survived by wife Maria Cristina Victorino, whom he married in 1981, and two children. One of them, Filipe, spoke about his father’s death on social media.

“Now you rest in peace, dad. You are in the hall of fame of life,” he said.

—-

AP Sports Writer David Brandt contributed from Phoenix.

___

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

The swarm shut down an exit of Interstate 40 in Knoxville, said Mark Nagi, Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesperson. There were no injuries, he said.

“The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street is back open but the truck is destroyed and the bees are… well… buzzing," Nagi posted, along with a photo of a person in beekeeper garb. "Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area.”

Later Friday, Nagi confirmed that all of the bees had been moved from the area and the truck was removed.

What could not be as easily quelled were the puns.

“So, this is the buzz around town?" U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett wrote on social media. "This stuff just writes itself.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation commiserated on social media. Its northern division reminisced about a 2018 crash that similarly released a swarm of bees on Interstate 495, prompting the advice, “Please roll up your windows.”

El anuncio se produjo luego de una reunión del ministro de Economía argentino Luis Caputo con el presidente del BID, Ilan Goldfajn, en Washington, donde tiene lugar la Asamblea de Primavera del Banco Mundial (BM) y el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI).

Supuso otro gesto de apoyo de los organismos de crédito al gobierno del mandatario ultraliberal luego de que el FMI aprobó el miércoles la segunda revisión del programa de facilidades extendidas firmado con Argentina hace un año, lo que activa un desembolso de 1.000 millones de dólares para el país sudamericano.

Las buenas noticias en materia de financiación se producen en momentos en que surgen contratiempos en la macroeconomía debido a una aceleración de la inflación en marzo de 3,4%, la más alta en un año, y una caída de la recaudación tributaria.

El Grupo Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo dijo que prevé "la provisión una garantía por 550 millones de dólares, que se sumará a las aportadas por otros organismos multilaterales” en un comunicado en el que afirmó que busca “acelerar su respaldo a la Argentina con un financiamiento récord que podría superar los 7.200 millones de dólares en 2026” y más de 5.000 millones en operaciones con el sector público que incluyen financiamiento a proyectos.

El organismo destacó que Argentina ha hecho “un gran esfuerzo para estabilizar su economía”.

El gobierno de Milei apuesta a recabar préstamos privados con garantías de organismos internacionales para cubrir los próximos vencimientos de deuda de julio por unos 4.200 millones de dólares. Aspira a hacerlo a tasas más bajas que las disponibles en los mercados internacionales y sin emplear reservas del Banco Central.

“Nuevo respaldo a Argentina, esta vez por parte del BID. Esto nos permitirá refinanciar deuda más cara por deuda más barata, reduciendo el costo financiero para todos los argentinos”, celebró Caputo en su cuenta de X.

En tanto el Banco Mundial señaló la víspera que “está trabajando en una garantía de hasta 2.000 millones de dólares para ayudar a refinanciar una porción relevante de la deuda de Argentina", reducir costos de financiamiento y crear mejores condiciones para un mayor flujo de inversión privada.

Según indicó Caputo a medios de prensa “ellos nos proveen el financiamiento con su garantía... buscan los recursos”.

Las operaciones están sujetas a la aprobación de los directorios ejecutivos de ambos organismos.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The extension includes $134 million in guaranteed money.

The $50 million per year Anderson will earn surpasses the $46.5 million per year defensive end Micah Parsons got when he signed a four-year extension with the Packers after a trade from Dallas last year.

Anderson started each game last season and had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss — both career highs — to lead a Houston defense that was among the best in the NFL.

The Texans selected Anderson with the third pick in the 2023 draft, trading up to nab the Alabama standout after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud second in that draft.

In three seasons with the Texans, Anderson has piled up 30 sacks and 136 tackles, including 46 for loss. He also has 64 quarterback hits in his career and has forced four fumbles and recovered three.

The Texans exercised his fifth-year player option earlier this month so this deal will keep him in Houston through the 2030 season.

___

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

___

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

The deal came just days before nearly 34,000 workers’ contract with an array of private building owners would have expired at midnight Monday. A strike would have been the first in 35 years, and some apartment-dwellers across the city had been bracing to haul trash, postpone renovations and major deliveries and volunteer to staff lobby doors, sort packages and mop hallways.

“Our goals were simple: to raise the wage to a level that our members can live in this city,” to protect health benefits and to improve pensions, union President Manny Pastreich said at a news conference. He called the proposed contract “an incredibly good deal for both sides.”

Workers will vote by May 28 on the tentative agreement, which includes pay raises and a 15% pension boost. Average annual wages for a doorperson or porter, for example, would rise from about $62,000 now to $71,000 in four years, and a new training program would offer future hires a faster route up the wage scale.

Building owners also retreated from proposals to have employees start paying health insurance premiums and to create a new job classification for future hires. The union said the newcomers would be lower-paid.

At the same time, the tentative deal gives building owners a break on some payments into a health fund that has built up a reserve, said Howard Rothschild, the president of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which represents the owners.

“Ultimately, both sides thought carefully about the current economic situation and how to make contract improvements that we can all agree with,” Rothschild said at the news conference.

Negotiations had grown tense in recent days, and thousands of union members thronged Manhattan's ritzy Park Avenue on Wednesday to authorize a strike if a deal wasn't reached. The rally drew Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other New York Democratic officials.

The union said then that members were straining to pay New York-area bills, while employers have reaped sharply rising rents for market-rate apartments in buildings that the workers maintain, safeguard and make welcoming.

The Realty Advisory Board said the union was being unrealistic at a time when owners’ costs also are rising and landlords face a potential rent freeze on 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, an idea championed by Mamdani.

The union’s last strike, in 1991, lasted 12 days.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with Rhode Island's top election officials and civil rights advocates, writing that federal law does not permit the U.S. Department of Justice “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here.”

In an emailed response, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

McElroy's decision is similar to other rejections by federal judges across country since the Justice Department began seeking detailed voter data from the states. The information includes dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Federal officials say they need the voter data to ensure election security, but Democratic and some Republican officials have objected to the requests and said such a demand violates state and federal privacy laws.

“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said in a statement. "But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”

Some election officials have raised concerns that federal officials will use the sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens. Those concerns were raised again after the DOJ's attorneys acknowledged in the Rhode Island case that the department was seeking unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status.

At least 12 states have either provided or promised to provide their detailed voter registration lists to the department, according to the Brennan Center: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, the DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force release of the data. In addition to Rhode Island, judges have rejected those attempts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit because it had been filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile elsewhere.

In Rhode Island, McElroy sided with the federal judge's decision in Oregon. That ruling said the federal government was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists containing sensitive data and said the Justice Department had failed to identify a basis or a purpose for requesting the voter records.

“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” McElroy wrote.

The man, Pedro Hernandez, 65, has been behind bars since his 2012 arrest. He is due back in court in June for a status update. A trial date has not yet been set.

Etan vanished on a two-block walk to his school bus stop on the first day his mom let him go unaccompanied. He was among the first vanished kids to be pictured on milk cartons, and the May 25 anniversary of his disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day.

New York Judge Michele Rodney turned away his lawyers' arguments that prosecutors waited too long to charge Hernandez and that he can’t get a fair trial now, after decades of media coverage.

“The court will carefully work, together with the parties, to ensure that jurors are selected who promise to be fair and to consider only the evidence and the law, despite what they have learned about the case from the media,” Rodney wrote.

Hernandez's lawyers declined to comment afterward. Prosecutors had no immediate comment.

Hernandez was a 19-year-old corner store clerk in Etan’s neighborhood, but the man didn't become a suspect until investigators got a 2012 tip that he had told various people in his life years ago that he’d killed a child or young man in New York.

Hernandez then told police — after seven hours of questioning and before being told he had a right to remain silent — that he had strangled Etan in the shop basement after enticing him there with the offer of a soda. Hernandez later was read his rights and recapped his statement on video, telling authorities: “Something just took over me.”

Defense lawyers said all of Hernandez’ admissions amounted to the imaginings of a mentally ill and intellectually limited man, haunted and confused by a highly publicized tragedy that had happened near his workplace.

Hernandez' 2015 trial ended in a jury deadlock, a 2017 retrial yielded a conviction, and then a federal appeals court overturned the verdict. The court said the 2017 trial judge mishandled a jury question about determining the validity of Hernandez’ confessions.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office pledged to retry the case but also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to restore Hernandez’ conviction. The high court isn’t obliged to hear the case and hasn’t yet said whether it will.

In a federal court filing Friday, Trump asks a judge to pause the case for 90 days while the two sides work to reach a settlement or resolution.

“This limited pause will neither prejudice the parties nor delay ultimate resolution," the filing says. "Rather, the extension will promote judicial economy and allow the Parties to explore avenues that could narrow or resolve the issues efficiently.”

Tax and ethics experts say the lawsuit raises a plethora of legal and ethical questions, including the propriety of the leader of the executive branch pursuing scorched-earth litigation against the very government he oversees.

Earlier this year, Trump filed a lawsuit in a Florida federal court, alleging that a previous leak of his and the Trump Organization’s confidential tax records caused “reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs’ public standing.”

The president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are also plaintiffs in the suit.

In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, of Washington, D.C. — who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense and national security tech firm — was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about President Trump and others to two news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

The outlets were not named in the charging documents, but the description and time frame align with stories about Trump’s tax returns in The New York Times and reporting about wealthy Americans’ taxes in the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica. The 2020 New York Times report found Trump paid $750 in federal income tax the year he first entered the White House, and no income tax at all some years, thanks to reported colossal losses.

When asked in February how he would handle any potential damages from the case, Trump said, “I think what we’ll do is do something for charity."

“We could make it a substantial amount," he said at the time. "Nobody would care because it’s going to go to numerous very good charities.”

Several ethics watchdog groups have filed friend-of-the-court briefs challenging the president’s lawsuit.

The watchdog group Democracy Forward's February filing states that the case is “extraordinary because the President controls both sides of the litigation, which raises the prospect of collusive litigation tactics," and “the conflicts of interest make it uncertain whether the Department of Justice will zealously defend the public fisc in the same way that it has against other plaintiffs claiming damages for related events.”

The decision could have broad implications in one of the nation’s most prominent battleground states, which will have several high-profile races this fall. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has been roiled by election conspiracy theorists ever since President Donald Trump lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden during his bid for reelection in 2020.

Justin Heap, the Republican recorder in Maricopa County, sued the predominantly Republican county board of supervisors last summer alleging it had illegally taken control of certain aspects of election administration. Heap claimed the board transferred funding, IT staff and some key functions — including management of ballot drop boxes and establishing early voting sites — away from his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor, whom he had recently defeated in a GOP primary.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney mostly sided with Heap's office in his ruling, which was filed Thursday but appeared on the public docket Friday. The board of supervisors “acted unlawfully and exceeded its statutory authority by seizing the Recorder's personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the recorder, he wrote.

Blaney also ruled that the recorder's office is responsible for overseeing in-person early voting, among other duties, while the board is responsible for other operations, such as selecting Election Day voting locations, supplying polling locations and hiring poll workers.

“The Board's assertion of plenary authority over election administration through its general supervisory powers is inconsistent with Arizona law,” the judge wrote.

Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the board will consider an appeal.

“I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” McGee, a Republican, said in a statement. "From day one, the Board of Supervisors has provided Recorder Heap the resources and staffing needed to fulfill his statutory duties. We will continue to do so because voters always come first.”

In a statement, Heap praised the ruling as a “clear and decisive victory for the rule of law and for the voters of Maricopa County.”

“The court confirmed that the Board cannot override state law, use funding as leverage, or take control of election duties assigned to the Recorder,” Heap said. "This ruling restores both the authority and the resources necessary for my office to do its job.”

Heap, a former Republican state lawmaker, was elected in 2024 after unseating incumbent Stephen Richer in the GOP primary and defeating a Democratic candidate in the general election. In the past, Heap has stopped short of repeating false claims that the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but has said voters don’t trust the state’s voting system and that it’s poorly run.

False claims of fraud since the 2020 presidential election led to threats of violence against Richer and others in the Maricopa County elections office. Richer blamed Heap for contributing to an atmosphere of distrust and vitriol directed toward the office.

“He catered to the really ugly stuff that the people in that office had to live through,” Richer said of Heap, in an interview last month. “And he allied with people who were very much in the eye of the storm in terms of creating it.”

Once he took office, Heap terminated a previous agreement that was reached between Richer and the board that had revised how election operations were divided between the two offices. Heap filed his lawsuit with the backing of America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, now a deputy chief of staff in the White House.

El decreto de necesidad y urgencia, firmado por Milei y publicado en el Boletín Oficial, anunció que el ejercicio militar “DAGA ATLÁNTICA” tendrá lugar entre el próximo martes y el 12 de junio en la Base Naval Puerto Belgrano, la Guarnición Militar Córdoba y la VII Brigada Aérea de la Fuerza Aérea situada en la provincia de Buenos Aires.

En tanto el ejercicio naval “PASSEX” se llevará a cabo en la Zona Económica Exclusiva de Argentina entre el 26 y 30 de abril y contará con el destructor “Gridley” y el portaaviones “Nimitz" de Estados Unidos.

El Congreso argentino autorizó la participación de fuerzas argentinas en ejercicios conjuntos con Estados Unidos en 2024, lo que incluyó el despliegue del portaaviones “USS George Washington” en aguas argentinas.

Las entrada de tropas extranjeras a territorio argentino debe contar con el aval del Parlamento, según establece la Constitución.

La alianza estratégica entre Argentina y Estados Unidos desde que el ultraderechista mandatario argentino asumió a fines de diciembre se ha traducido en el férreo apoyo del país sudamericano a la política exterior de Donald Trump, acuerdos bilaterales en materia comercial y una generosa asistencia financiera norteamericana en momentos en que su socio sufrió un periodo de alta volatilidad cambiaria.

En el decreto, el gobierno argumentó que había enviado un proyecto de ley para autorizar “la entrada de tropas extranjeras al territorio nacional y la salida fuera de él de fuerzas nacionales" para participar en los ejercicios entre 1 de septiembre de 2025 y el 31 de agosto de 2026, sin que haya sido tratado aún.

“La naturaleza excepcional de la situación planteada hace imposible seguir los trámites ordinarios previstos en la Constitución Nacional para la sanción de las leyes”, indicó.

El decreto destacó que el ejercicio “DAGA ATLÁNTICA” muestra el compromiso del país sudamericano con la estabilidad regional y la seguridad internacional “mejorando su reputación como socio confiable”.

La no participación, según aseguró, privaría a las fuerzas argentinas de “interoperar con fuerzas de operaciones especiales de mayor experiencia y trayectoria a nivel mundial”.

El ejercicio “PASSEX” —agregó— surge de acuerdos bilaterales para realizar ejercicios básicos de adiestramiento naval.

A White House official, who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting ahead of time, said the administration is engaging with advanced AI labs about their models and the security of software. The official stressed that any new technology that might be used by the federal government would require a technical period for evaluation.

The White House said afterward that the meeting was productive and constructive, as opportunities for collaboration were discussed as well as the goal of balancing innovation and safety.

Anthropic said in a statement that Amodei's meeting included senior administration officials and explored how the San Francisco-based company and the “U.S. government can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety.” The company said it was “looking forward to continuing these discussions.”

The meeting came after tensions had run hot between the Trump administration and the safety-conscious Anthropic, which has sought to put guardrails on the development of AI to minimize any potential risks and maximize its economic and national security benefits for the U.S.

President Donald Trump tried to stop all federal agencies from using Anthropic’s chatbot Claude over the company’s contract dispute with the Pentagon, with Trump saying in a February social media post that the administration “will not do business with them again!” When Trump was asked Friday while in Arizona if Anthropic had a meeting at the White House, the president said he had ”no idea."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also sought to declare Anthropic a supply chain risk, an unprecedented move against a U.S. company that Anthropic has challenged in two federal courts. The company said it wanted assurance the Pentagon would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a ruling in March that blocked the enforcement of Trump’s social media directive ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic products.

Anthropic has said the new Mythos model it announced on April 7 is so “strikingly capable” that it is limiting its use to select customers because of its ability to surpass human cybersecurity experts in finding and exploiting computer vulnerabilities.

And while some industry experts have questioned whether Anthropic's claims of too-powerful AI technology were a marketing ploy, even some of the company's sharpest critics have suggested that Mythos might represent a further advancement in AI.

One influential Anthropic critic, David Sacks, who was the White House's AI and crypto czar, said people should “take this seriously.”

“Anytime Anthropic is scaring people, you have to ask, ‘Is this a tactic? Is this part of their Chicken Little routine? Or is it real?’” Sacks said on the “All-In” podcast he co-hosts with other tech investors. “With cyber, I actually would give them credit in this case and say this is more on the real side.”

Sacks said: “It just makes sense that as the coding models become more and more capable, they are more capable at finding bugs. That means they’re more capable at finding vulnerabilities. That means they’re more capable at stringing together multiple vulnerabilities and creating an exploit.”

The model's potential benefits, as well as its risks, have also attracted attention outside the U.S.

The United Kingdom's AI Security Institute said it evaluated the new model and found it a “step up” over previous models, which were already rapidly improving.

“Mythos Preview can exploit systems with weak security posture, and it is likely that more models with these capabilities will be developed,” the institute said in a report.

Anthropic has also been in talks with the European Union about its AI models, including advanced models that haven’t yet been released in Europe, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said Friday.

Axios first reported the scheduled meeting between Wiles and Amodei.

When it announced Mythos, Anthropic said it was also forming an initiative called Project Glasswing, bringing together tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, along with other companies like JPMorgan Chase, in hopes of securing the world’s critical software from “severe” fallout that the new model could pose to public safety, national security and the economy.

“We’re releasing it to a subset of some of the world’s most important companies and organizations so they can use this to find vulnerabilities,” said the Anthropic co-founder and policy chief, Jack Clark, at this week’s Semafor World Economy conference.

Clark added that Mythos, while ahead of the curve, is not a “special model.”

“There will be other systems just like this in a few months from other companies, and in a year to a year-and-a-half later, there will be open-weight models from China that have these capabilities,” he said. So the world is going to have to get ready for more powerful systems that are going to exist within it.” ___

O'Brien reported from Providence, R.I. AP business reporter Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.

The sale will be held June 5, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Friday. It would be the first in the region under a law passed by Congress last year calling for four lease sales in the refuge's coastal plain over a 10-year period. But it would be the third in the refuge overall, following one held near the end of President Donald Trump's first term that has been tangled in litigation and another in early 2025, shortly before then-President Joe Biden left office, that yielded no bids.

Drilling supporters, including Alaska political leaders, argued last year's sale was too meager an offering to draw interest.

The upcoming sale also would be the third federal oil and gas lease sale this year alone in Alaska under an aggressive push by the Trump administration to expand development in the state. There were no bidders in a sale last month for the aging Cook Inlet basin, while a lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska — where the large Willow oil project is under development — drew hundreds of bids despite pending legal challenges to the sale.

Bill Groffy, the land management agency's acting director, in a statement said the success of last month's petroleum reserve sale signaled a “robust and continuing demand for Alaskan energy, underscoring the need for more opportunities like the Coastal Plain sale.”

Leaders from Gwich’in villages near the arctic refuge and conservation groups vowed to continue fighting efforts to open the refuge's coastal plain to drilling. The Gwich'in consider the coastal plain sacred, as it provides calving grounds for a caribou herd they rely on. The plain, bordering the Beaufort Sea in northeast Alaska and featuring rolling hills and tundra, also provides habitat for wildlife including muskoxen and migratory birds.

“The Trump Administration’s relentless push to auction off this sacred land despite overwhelming public opposition and industry that has already signaled they are not interested makes clear that this administration values corporate interests over the rights and lives of Indigenous peoples," Galen Gilbert, first chief of Arctic Village Council, said in a statement. “We will continue to fight with every tool available to protect the Coastal Plain for our children and all future generations.”

Debate over drilling in the region spans decades.

Leaders of Kaktovik, an Iñupiaq community within the refuge, consider responsible development key to their region’s economic well-being and have welcomed efforts by the Trump administration to open more lands for drilling.

The Bureau of Land Management has said the coastal plain could contain 4.25 billion to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil, but there is limited information about the amount and quality of oil. Meanwhile, conservation groups see the refuge as the crown jewel of the country's refuge system and a place that should be off-limits to development. The refuge itself is the largest in the country, covering an area roughly the size of South Carolina.

Andy Moderow, senior director of policy at Alaska Wilderness League, said the planned sale “simply runs counter to common sense.”

“Any oil and gas company that is even thinking about buying these leases should know that, if they do, they will be sending a clear message to the American people that no place in Alaska is too sacred to drill in a quest for corporate profits,” he said in a statement urging companies to sit out the sale.

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Local 10 News has learned that because federal grant money funded a significant portion of the electric bus fleets in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, there are federal guidelines tied to how long those buses are expected to remain in service.

If the buses are taken out of service early, counties may have to repay a portion of that federal funding.

That possibility is now driving decisions in both counties in very different ways.

In Broward County, transit officials have formally asked the Federal Transit Administration for forgiveness in an effort to avoid paying that money back.

“And so one of the things that we are, the application that we submitted to the FTA is for us to be able to get forgiveness from them so that we do not have to reimburse them for the funds that they have provided to us and also to be able to dispose of them,” said Coree Cuff Lonergan, CEO and general manager of Broward County Transit.

In Miami-Dade County, leaders are taking a different approach.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the county is still trying to find a way to get the buses back on the road.

“We are still hopeful we can still put them into service. The company that is the successor company is not able to give us the level of service we need,” she said.

The mayor also said she has personally reached out to other companies about retrofitting the buses.

“I personally have spoken to other companies about ways to retrofit so we can move these buses forward,” she said. “I have not given up hope that we can put them into operation.”

At this point, however, Miami-Dade has not outlined a clear plan if those efforts are unsuccessful.

Nearly 100 buses out of service

A Local 10 investigation first reported earlier this week found nearly 100 electric buses sitting out of service across South Florida.

In Miami-Dade County, about 60 buses have been taken off the road, most of which are being stored at the Homestead Air Reserve Base. In Broward County, 31 buses are sitting at a landfill site.

Together, the counties spent about $96 million on the buses.

A significant portion of that funding came from federal grants.

The buses were manufactured by Proterra and were once promoted as the future of public transit.

Instead, both counties say the buses were plagued with reliability issues.

“They would only do a partial run, and then they would fail, which required us to either send out mechanics or to tow them back into one of the two garages that we have,” Lonergan said. “And that just kept happening and happening.”

Officials say parts have been difficult to obtain because they are proprietary.

Proterra filed for bankruptcy. Its assets were sold to a successor company, but counties say support and parts availability have remained unavailable

Uncertain financial impact

Under federal guidelines, heavy duty transit buses, including electric ones, are expected to remain in service for up to 12 years or 500,000 miles.

If that standard is not met, counties may be required to repay a portion of the federal funding.

Both counties are now working with federal officials on what happens next.

For taxpayers, the bottom line remains uncertain.

Attorneys for the family of Charles Adair renewed their demand Friday that video of what happened be released publicly in announcing the wrongful death lawsuit.

Filed earlier this month, the lawsuit names the Wyandotte County sheriff, the unified government for the county and Kansas City, Kansas, and Richard Fatherley, who was charged last year with second-degree murder in Adair's death.

“The public has a right to transparency when someone dies in custody in this manner,” Ben Crump, an attorney who is representing the family, said in a news release.

Crump and another civil rights attorney, Harry Daniels, were allowed to view video of what happened. The sheriff’s office has declined a records request from The Associated Press seeking the video.

Adair was arrested last July on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear on multiple traffic violations. At the time, Adair’s leg needed to be amputated and was so badly infected that he was taken straight to the hospital, a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent wrote in the affidavit.

Before Adair was cleared to return to the jail, he was diagnosed with a type of bone infection that sometimes develops in people with diabetes. A medical screening also found he was schizophrenic, the affidavit said.

The lawsuit said he was incoherent and that deputies believed Adair’s medical condition “was affecting his brain.”

After having his leg rewrapped the following evening, he got into an argument with the deputy who was wheeling him back his cell. Adair ultimately threw himself out of the wheelchair, the affidavit said.

Once he was back in his cell, he was placed on his stomach on the bottom bunk, with his legs and knees on the ground. He repeatedly yelled “Help!” the lawsuit and court records said.

The lawsuit noted that Adair was complying with commands but that Fatherley “pressed his body weight onto Mr. Adair's back.” Other deputies then removed Adair's handcuffs while Fatherley shifted his weight forward.

The lawsuit said none of the other law enforcement officers who were present intervened and that the deputies failed to modify their tactics to account for Adair’s apparent mental health impairment.

The lawsuit also said that Fatherley, who is on administrative leave and free on bond, wasn't cut off from his sheriff's office email after he was charged, allowing him to communicate with other members of the sheriff's office and employees that he knew were witnesses.

Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Kroening said Fatherley's email was deactivated on April 13 after the litigation was filed. He declined to comment further because the litigation is pending. A county spokesperson didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

A status conference in the criminal case against Fatherley is set for next month. His attorney, James Spies, has said that Adair’s death was “a tragic accident” but it was not a result of Fatherley’s actions. A phone message left at Spies' law firm Friday wasn't immediately returned.

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According to Sunrise police, officers were called to the 3800 block of North University Drive at 2:19 a.m. in reference to an armed robbery involving a gun.

“Preliminary information indicates that the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, which subsequently crashed into a canal near the intersection of Loxahatchee Road and Nob Hill Road in the City of Parkland,” a spokesperson for Sunrise PD told Local 10 News in an email.

Police confirmed one suspect was taken into custody and at least one other remains at large.

The robbery remains under investigation.

No other details were immediately released.

Según la Policía de Sunrise, los agentes respondieron a la cuadra 3800 de North University Drive a las 2:19 a.m. por un robo a mano armada.

“Información preliminar indica que los sospechosos huyeron del lugar en un vehículo, que posteriormente se estrelló en un canal cerca de la intersección de Loxahatchee Road y Nob Hill Road en la ciudad de Parkland”, indicó un portavoz de la Policía de Sunrise en un correo electrónico a Local 10 News.

La Policía confirmó que un sospechoso fue detenido y que al menos otro permanece prófugo.

El robo sigue bajo investigación.

No se revelaron de inmediato más detalles.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), el choque fue reportado a las 6:24 a.m. en el área de Northwest 54th Street y 77th Court.

“Según los investigadores, una camioneta circulaba hacia el este por la NW 54 Street cuando continuó a través de la intersección y chocó contra un muro de concreto”, indicó la MDSO en un comunicado. “El vehículo pasó por encima del muro de contención e ingresó a los carriles en dirección sur de la carretera estatal 826 (autopista Palmetto), donde impactó a otro vehículo”.

Agentes confirmaron que el conductor de la camioneta fue declarado muerto en la escena.

El conductor del otro vehículo fue trasladado a un hospital cercano en condición estable.

Según el detective Argemis “AC” Colome, se recuperó un arma en la escena y los detectives creen que el conductor de la camioneta se quitó la vida.

La identidad del conductor aún no ha sido revelada.

Todos los carriles en dirección sur de la autopista Palmetto fueron cerrados tras el choque, pero ya han sido reabiertos.

La Unidad de Homicidios de Tránsito de la MDSO investiga las circunstancias del choque.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Padres aren't commenting publicly on the process.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the imminent deal with private equity billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones. The team is expected to be sold at a valuation of $3.9 billion in a record deal for a Major League Baseball team, easily topping the approximately $2.4 billion paid by Steven Cohen for the New York Mets in 2020.

The 53-year-old Feliciano is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm based in Santa Monica, California. The firm was part of an investment group that purchased Premier League club Chelsea in 2022, with Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly becoming the Blues' chairman.

Seidler's family began to explore a sale of the Padres last November, two years after the death of the popular Peter Seidler. His brother, John Seidler, has served as the Padres' chairman since then.

Peter Seidler was part of a group that bought the Padres in 2012 for $800 million, and he became the team's primary owner in 2020. He enthralled San Diego's baseball fans with his free-spending eagerness to win the Padres' first World Series, and general manager A.J. Preller built a series of exciting teams that have reached the MLB playoffs in four of the last six seasons — a first in team history — despite playing in the same division as the dominant Dodgers.

“I can't comment on (the sale),” first-year San Diego manager Craig Stammen said Friday afternoon in Anaheim before the Padres opened a series with the Los Angeles Angels. “We're excited to see what happens, and let the people that are handling that figure it out on their own.”

The Padres' potential sale price reflects their value as San Diego's only franchise in North America's four traditional major sports leagues, leading to a passionate fan base in their attractive home at downtown Petco Park. The Padres have set attendance records in each of the past three seasons, capped last season by drawing a whopping 3,437,201 fans — the second-most in the majors to the Dodgers, who play in their much larger stadium in Chavez Ravine.

The club finished last season with the majors' ninth-highest payroll at around $217 million, still down significantly from its peak under Seidler.

The current team, which arrived at Angel Stadium on an eight-game winning streak, boasts a lineup anchored by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill — who are all signed through at least 2033 — along with closer Mason Miller, who has become the most dominant reliever in baseball.

Potential buyers also were clearly not frightened off by the Padres’ relative lack of media revenue. The team is expected to benefit immensely from any new media deal that would accompany baseball's next collective bargaining agreement.

Feliciano was born and raised in Puerto Rico before attending Princeton and Stanford. He co-founded Clearlake Capital two decades ago.

The BlueCo consortium formed to buy Chelsea also owns Strasbourg in France's Ligue 1. Chelsea has been among the Premier League's biggest spenders since Boehly and his partners took over the club, although it has yet to produce significant success.

Any sale of the Padres must be approved by 75% of MLB owners.

___

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

Luther Davis had convinced investors the money was for a player in the NFL, and he used the wig and make up to impersonate the athlete. The ruse worked.

The detailed allegations are included in a criminal complaint filed against Davis last month by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta.

Federal prosecutors say Davis would go on to don disguises — a wig once, and a do-rag-style head covering another time — again in March and July to impersonate two other NFL players on video calls and bilk millions more in loans. The complaint does not say exactly how the wigs and do-rag helped Davis assume the three different players' identities.

It also only identifies the NFL players by their initials.

Davis and CJ Evins, who prosecutors say executed the scheme with Davis, are charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. They both pleaded not guilty in March, but they are scheduled to return to court on April 27 to enter a guilty plea, according to court filings.

An email and call to Davis' attorney, Gabe Banks, were not immediately returned. Evins' attorney, Benjamin Alper, confirmed his client is scheduled to plead guilty, but he said he had no additional comment.

The complaint says none of the NFL players had authorized Davis and Evins to obtain loans. In addition to wearing disguises, prosecutors say Davis used fake driver's licenses with photos of the players that could be found online.

The scheme brought in nearly $20 million from at least 13 fraudulent loans that Davis and Evins used to buy real estate, jewelry and cars, according to the complaint.

Davis was a national champion with the Crimson Tide in 2010.

Fires used to die down or even die out at night as temperatures dropped and humidity increased, but that's happening less often. The number of hours in North America when the weather is favorable for wildfires is 36% higher than 50 years ago, according to a study Friday in Science Advances.

Places such as California have 550 more potential burning hours than the mid-1970s. Parts of southwestern New Mexico and central Arizona are seeing as much as 2,000 more hours a year when the weather is prone to burning fires, the highest increase seen in the study, which looked at Canada and the United States. The research looked at times when conditions were ripe for fire, but that didn't mean fires occurred during all that time.

Recent big fires in LA and Hawaii burned at night

Fires that surge at night are tougher to fight and included the Lahaina, Hawaii fire in 2023, the Jasper fire in Alberta in 2024 and the Los Angeles fires in 2025, the study said. Maui's fire ignited at 12:22 a.m.

It's not just the clock that is getting extended. The calendar is too. The number of days with fire-prone weather increased by 44%, which effectively added 26 days over the past half century.

It's mostly from warmer, drier nighttime weather, with a bit of extra wind, the study authors said.

“Fires normally slow down during the night, or they just stop,” said study co-author Xianli Wang, a fire scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. “But under extreme fire hazard conditions, fire actually burns through the night or later into the night.”

And Wang said Earth's warming atmosphere means it's like to get worse.

Tougher to fight fires at night

Fires that don't “go to sleep” get a running start the next day, making it harder to knock them down, University of California Merced fire scientist John Abatzoglou, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email.

“Nights aren't what they used to be — that is, more reliable breaks for wildfire," he added. "Widespread warming and lack of humidity is keeping fires up at night.”

Wildland firefighter Nicholai Allen, who also founded a firm that makes home fire prevention tools, said it's very difficult to fight fires at night.

“You have to understand that you have snakes and bears and mountain lions and all the stuff you have in daytime,” Allen said, noting a colleague was bitten by a bear. “But at night, they're really scared and they're running away from the fire.”

The Canadian researchers analyzed nearly 9,000 larger fires from 2017 to 2023 using a weather satellite and other tools to get hour-by-hour data on atmospheric conditions during the fires, such as humidity, temperature, wind, rain and fuel moisture levels. They created a computer model that correlated weather conditions and fire status and applied to historical data in Canada and the United States from 1975 to 2106.

Nights are warming faster than days

Scientists have long said heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas make nights warm faster than days because of increased cloud cover that absorbs and re-emits heat down to Earth at night like a blanket. Since 1975, summers in the contiguous U.S. have seen nighttime lowest temperature warm by 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 degrees Celsius), while daytime highest temperatures have gone up 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Humidity at night “doesn't rebound” from its daytime dryness like it used to, said study lead author Kaiwei Luo, a fire science researcher at the University of Alberta.

Wildfires often coincide with drought, especially extreme drought, which means not only drier air, but hotter drier air that sucks up more moisture from the ground and plants, making fuels for fire more flammable, Wang said. In a drought, there's often a vicious circle of drying and when it is quite dry, a warmer atmosphere has more power to suck moisture out of fuels.

Just as warmer nights especially in heat waves don't let the body recover, the warmer nights are not allowing forests to recover, Wang said. It can take weeks for dead fuel to recover their lost moisture and be less fire-prone, he said.

“It's just a stress to the plants,” Wang said. “That also increases fuel load and make fire-burning more easily.”

From 2016 to 2025, wildfires in the United States on average burned an area the size of Massachusetts each year, slightly more than 11,000 square miles (28,500 square kilometers). That's 2.6 times the average burn area of the 1980s, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Canada's land burned on average for the last 10 years is 2.8 times more than during the 1980s, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Syracuse University fire scientist Jacob Bendix, who wasn't part of the research, called the study a sobering reminder of climate change's role in driving "increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”

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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.

The only question surrounding the Heisman Trophy winner is when he’ll make his debut.

Mendoza, who led Indiana to its first national championship, is an overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1-overall pick in the NFL draft next Thursday. He won’t be in Pittsburgh to hear NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announce his name, choosing instead to celebrate his big night with family and friends in Miami.

The intrigue starts with the second pick. Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese was widely considered the choice for the New York Jets but Texas Tech edge David Bailey has gained momentum.

Here’s the third edition of the AP’s 2026 mock draft in order of picks:

1. Las Vegas Raiders: FERNANDO MENDOZA, QB, INDIANA

Mendoza is a precise pocket passer with prototypical size, poise and maturity. The Raiders have some playmakers — Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty — and spent more than a quarter-billion in free agency. Cousins gives Mendoza a mentor in the QB room. Part-owner Tom Brady can provide Mendoza with valuable advice. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season and have only reached the postseason twice in that span. They need Mendoza to be a franchise QB.

2. New York Jets: ARVELL REESE, EDGE RUSHER, OHIO STATE

We’re sticking with Reese. He’s a freak athlete — he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash — who played off-ball linebacker and standup edge. He has the talent to be an elite edge rusher who can make an immediate impact for the Jets.

3. Arizona Cardinals: DAVID BAILEY, EDGE RUSHER, TEXAS TECH

Bailey is another immensely athletic edge with elite upside. The Cardinals could trade down to add more draft assets or look at bolstering the offensive line. Bailey would join Josh Sweat to give Arizona two pass rushers who can create havoc.

4. Tennessee Titans: JEREMIYAH LOVE, RUNNING BACK, NOTRE DAME

The Titans reloaded in free agency, revamping the secondary and adding depth on defense along with another target for Cam Ward in wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. They have a tough choice here between Love or giving new coach Robert Saleh a star on defense: edge Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Sonny Styles. If general manager Mike Borgonzi sticks with the best available player, it’s Love.

5. New York Giants: SONNY STYLES, LINEBACKER, OHIO STATE

Styles’ impressive combine performance helped him soar into the top five on many draft boards. Protecting Jaxson Dart is a priority for the Giants so they’d have their choice of best offensive lineman in the draft at this spot but Styles is a supremely gifted defensive player.

6. Cleveland Browns: CARNELL TATE, WIDE RECEIVER, OHIO STATE

Tate is a consistent route runner with excellent hands and enough speed to be a top playmaker. The Browns added three veteran offensive linemen but still could target a tackle. Tate gives them a No. 1 receiver that’s hard to pass up.

7. Washington Commanders: MANSOOR DELANE, CORNERBACK, LSU

Delane is the best cover corner in the draft. He’ll provide a significant boost for a defense that’s thin in the secondary.

8. New Orleans Saints: RUEBEN BAIN JR., EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI

Bain is a versatile rusher who can line up on the edge or inside against guards, creating mismatches. He’ll be a huge asset for the Saints.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: FRANCIS MAUIGOA, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, MIAMI

Mauigoa is a three-year starter at right tackle who would replace Jawaan Taylor and provide Patrick Mahomes more protection. Getting Mahomes a playmaking receiver is also an option. So is an edge rusher. But Mauigoa is strong value slipping to this spot.

10. Cincinnati Bengals: CALEB DOWNS, SAFETY, OHIO STATE

Downs is an elite, versatile playmaker who strengthens a porous defense that has held the Bengals back in recent years. Downs has top-five talent but only slips because of potential value.

11. Miami Dolphins: MAKAI LEMON, WIDE RECEIVER, USC

After trading Jaylen Waddle and releasing Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins need to get Malik Willis a top receiver. Lemon is an elite playmaker who creates matchup nightmares for defenses in the slot.

12. Dallas Cowboys: AKHEEM MESIDOR, EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI

Mesidor is an older prospect at age 25 but his talent is clear on video. He’ll generate pressure from the outside and is solid against the run, which Jerry Jones emphasized last year after trading Micah Parsons.

13. Los Angeles Rams: JORDON TYSON, WIDE RECEIVER, ARIZONA STATE

He’s an exceptional route-runner with speed who catches the ball in traffic. The Rams were interested in some high-profile wideouts so drafting Tyson upgrades a dynamic group that includes All-Pro Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

14. Baltimore Ravens: OLAIVAVEGA IOANE, GUARD, PENN STATE

Ioane fills a big need for the Ravens on the interior of their offensive line and fits their run-blocking scheme nicely.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: KELDRIC FAULK, EDGE RUSHER, AUBURN

Scouts rave about Faulk’s leadership and he has obvious talent. The Buccaneers need a standout pass rusher and Faulk’s the type of player who fits general manager Jason Licht’s character criteria. A trade down to add more picks also is a possibility.

16. New York Jets: DENZEL BOSTON, WIDE RECEIVER, WASHINGTON

Boston is strong, fast and has elite ball skills. He has the frame (6-foot-4, 212) of receivers that new offensive coordinator Frank Reich has relied on in his system. The Jets could trade down and still get Boston or Omar Cooper Jr. and stockpile even more picks.

17. Detroit Lions: KADYN PROCTOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ALABAMA

Proctor started at left tackle as a freshman and allowed just two sacks in his three seasons. He has great size — 6-foot-7, 352 pounds — and plenty of athleticism. Proctor even had five runs for 16 yards.

18. Minnesota Vikings: DILLON THIENEMAN, SAFETY, OREGON

Thieneman had an impressive combine, running a 4.36 40-yard dash that was faster than some of the NFL’s best receivers. A three-year starter, he’ll step right into Brian Flores’ defense.

19. Carolina Panthers: KENYON SADIQ, TIGHT END, OREGON

The Panthers improved their defense in free agency by adding edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. If Sadiq is available, they’d get the best tight end in the draft at this spot, giving Bryce Young a potential favorite target.

20. Dallas Cowboys: JERMOD MCCOY, CORNERBACK, TENNESSEE

McCoy is a consistent corner with outstanding ball skills often mocked to the Cowboys at No. 12. Dallas gets a defensive back who can anchor the secondary.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: MONROE FREELING, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, GEORGIA

Freeling has elite athleticism and is considered a potential top-10 pick. He just needs more experience after starting one season on the right side. Freeling has the athletic ability to adapt to a new spot.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: PETER WOODS, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, CLEMSON

Woods is a powerful, versatile defensive lineman who fits the type of player coach Jim Harbaugh wants on defense.

23. Philadelphia Eagles: BLAKE MILLER, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, CLEMSON

Miller started 54 games in college and can step in right away and play if the Eagles need him. He provides an eventual successor to right tackle Lane Johnson.

24. Cleveland Browns: T.J. PARKER, EDGE RUSHER, CLEMSON

Parker’s production dipped after big numbers in 2024 but he’s a strong, powerful edge with potential to flourish. He makes it three straight Clemson players in this mock.

25. Chicago Bears: ZION YOUNG, EDGE RUSHER, MISSOURI

The Bears lost several starters in the secondary and adding a defensive back is an option but a strong rusher also helps significantly. Young is a disruptive force who brings energy and leadership.

26. Buffalo Bills: CASHIUS HOWELL, EDGE RUSHER, TEXAS A&M

Despite acquiring D.J. Moore, another playmaking receiver is an option. Edge also is a priority and Howell has proven he gets to the quarterback and finishes.

27. San Francisco 49ers: K.C. CONCEPCION, WIDE RECEIVER, TEXAS A&M

Concepcion is a speedy, elusive wideout who gives Brock Purdy and the 49ers a top target and another playmaker on offense. Despite signing Mike Evans in free agency, San Francisco can’t pass up a confident player who already declared he’s the best receiver in the draft.

28. Houston Texans: KAYDEN MCDONALD, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, OHIO STATE

McDonald is another Buckeyes player going in the first round. He’s a natural run defender who’ll clog the middle of the line.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: OMAR COOPER JR., WIDE RECEIVER, INDIANA

After giving Mahomes a blocker with the ninth pick, the Chiefs add a potential top target late in the round. Cooper is a versatile playmaker who is known for getting yards after the catch.

30. Miami Dolphins: AVIEON TERRELL, CORNERBACK, CLEMSON

Terrell is an athletic cornerback who is projected higher in the draft. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is a possibility if he’s still available but the Dolphins signed Malik Willis.

31. New England Patriots: MAX IHEANACHOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ARIZONA STATE

Iheanachor is an athletic former basketball player with ideal size who will need time to develop but projects as a potential starter right away.

32. Seattle Seahawks: JADARIAN PRICE, RUNNING BACK, NOTRE DAME

Price replaces the departed Super Bowl MVP and provides the Seahawks with a natural runner in the backfield. With Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a knee injury, Price fills a need. Seattle could trade out of the first round, add more picks and potentially get Price early in the second.

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

Her focus is simple. Whether it’s trying to improve on a third-place finish at last year’s West Virginia state track meet or ignoring naysayers who don’t want a transgender girl on a girls' sports team, the Bridgeport High School sophomore just wants to enjoy time with her friends.

Anything else that might deflect her attention gets set aside. And, for now, that means not worrying about what the U.S. Supreme Court will decide by early summer in a case where she's the centerpiece over whether trans girls can compete.

“I’m not here to get an advantage,” Pepper-Jackson said. “I’ve been like pushed down and have people that just look at me nasty my whole life. And I’ve learned that that’s just something I’m going to have to deal with."

A plaintiff at age 11

In 2021, Pepper-Jackson took a stand by challenging a newly signed law in West Virginia banning trans athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 allowed Pepper-Jackson to continue competing in middle school while the lawsuit continued.

Now she's in high school, and the lawsuit is nearing the finish line. In January, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year, signaled it would rule the state bans don’t violate either the Constitution or the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

The justices heard arguments in a second case from Idaho, where Lindsay Hecox sued over the state’s first-in-the-nation ban for the chance to try out for the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University. She didn’t make either squad.

Pepper-Jackson is the only trans person who has sought to compete in girls sports in West Virginia. If the court rules that state bans are legal, her current track season will be her farewell tour. It’s not something she thinks about.

“I can’t make their decisions for them, so I just have to wait and see what they’ll say,” she said. “I try not to look at it if this could be my last season."

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said he's confident the state will prevail.

"West Virginia’s law does not exclude anyone; it simply says biological boys will compete against boys, and biological girls will compete against girls," McCuskey said in a statement. "On the athletic field, biological sex matters — gender identity does not."

She identified as a girl from an early age

Pepper-Jackson has publicly identified as a girl since she was 8 years old and long before that at home.

Her mother, Heather Jackson, said Becky wasn’t like her two older brothers.

“I noticed immediately that Becky was different,” Jackson said. “When she was old enough to say what she wanted, toys or clothing or anything, she was very profound in her opinion.”

It started with her asking for — and getting — a makeup kit for Christmas at age 3. She also started wearing her mom’s shirts as dresses.

“She would be very opinionated on what she wanted to wear,” Jackson said. “I just followed her lead from the very beginning.”

At the onset of puberty, Pepper-Jackson started taking puberty-blocking medication.

“Becky did not undergo male puberty,” said Aubrey Sparks, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter. “And so when you hear, 'Well, this is unfair. Trans kids have an advantage.’ That’s just not the case here.”

In sixth grade, Pepper-Jackson heeded her girls' track coach’s advice to switch from highly competitive distance running to field events. As a high school freshman last year, she took third place in the discus and eighth in the shot put at the state meet.

Detractors have followed her closely, including Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

In 2024, five athletes from a rival school refused to compete alongside Pepper-Jackson. The five received a standing ovation at a news conference a week later in Charleston, where Morrisey, then as the state's attorney general, announced the state would challenge a federal appeals court ruling favoring Pepper-Jackson.

At the 2025 state meet, a female sprinter stood victorious on the podium wearing a T-shirt that read, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports."

It’s been quieter so far this season. Pepper-Jackson has won both the discus and shot put in her first two meets and has cheered on teammates competing in other events.

“There’s a lot of core lessons you learn from being in sports that you don’t get anywhere else, like teamwork, sportsmanship,” she said.

Off the field, she plans to pursue music in college and a career as a band director.

Others before her

Pepper-Jackson has paid attention to other trans girls who have excelled nationally in high school track.

AB Hernandez won gold in the girls high jump and triple jump at last year’s California state high school meet. Hernandez is now a senior at Jurupa Valley High School. Verónica Garcia won back-to-back 400-meter titles in Washington state in 2024 and 2025, and Ada Gallagher won the 200 meters at the Oregon state meet in 2024.

“I think it’s very inspiring,” Pepper-Jackson said.

The success of Hernandez renewed calls by some parents’ groups and conservatives, including President Donald Trump, for the state to ban trans girls from competing against other female athletes. California has a law on the books allowing students to participate on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.

When Hernandez qualified for three events last year, it sparked backlash that led the meet's governing body to let an additional girl compete and medal in events in which Hernandez was participating. It may have been the first of its kind rule-change in the nation.

A solid support system

Pepper-Jackson's biggest supporter is, of course, her mom. After a recent practice, the pair danced together, and Heather Jackson scooted across the grass to retrieve the discus after some of the athlete's throws.

Jackson said her daughter has handled the attention and scrutiny of her case “with astounding grace and intelligence and education, which is more than I would have been able to do at that age."

Pepper-Jackson said others have told her they look up to her, a notion she doesn’t understand because “I don’t see the gravity of this court case. I think it’s just common knowledge: Transgender girls should be able to be on the girls' sports team. I think that’s simple.”

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Associated Press writer Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, and AP videojournalist Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos in Clarksburg, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

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In a letter dated April 15, an FDLE special agent states that the agency reviewed a complaint alleging misconduct and potential criminal conduct involving Commissioner William Hodgkins, Town Manager David Lynch and former Deputy Town Manager Chandler Williamson.

According to the letter, the FDLE consulted with the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which declined prosecution, stating there is no Florida statute that applies to the conduct described in the complaint.

The letter states the matter has been referred to the Broward County Office of Inspector General for further review and FDLE has closed its investigation.

Pembroke Park Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs responded publicly, criticizing the outcome and calling for further scrutiny.

In a Facebook post, Jacobs wrote that prosecutors declined to pursue charges “not because the conduct is acceptable, but because they claim it doesn’t fit a statute they’re willing to charge.” He cited Florida law regarding misuse of public position and described the payments as a “0% interest loan,” adding that “the public sees it for what it is.”

Jacobs also wrote that “public office is not a personal bank account for elected officials” and said the matter should be fully reviewed by the Broward County Office of Inspector General.

The developments come as a March internal review, obtained by Local 10 News, details how $86,461.58 in payments were issued to Hodgkins through the town’s payroll system.

A Local 10 News investigation first exposed the payments. The internal review expands on those findings, outlining internal concerns, repayment issues, and a lack of formal oversight.

According to the report, multiple employees questioned the size and frequency of the payments. At least two employees raised concerns with the Human Resources Department, while others expressed fear of retaliation if they came forward.

The review also examined repayment of the funds. According to the report, $16,799 had been repaid toward the $86,461.58 issued to Hodgkins at the time the review was completed.

The report states that repayment amounts were adjusted multiple times and, in some cases, were based on verbal agreements rather than formal written terms.

The internal review found that Hodgkins received the payments between August 2024 and March 2026 through the town’s payroll system. It states that the first payment was processed as a traditional payroll advance tied to a future paycheck, but subsequent payments evolved into recurring, loan-like disbursements issued over time.

According to the report, no commission-approved policy authorizing loans or advances to elected officials was identified.

“No formal policy has yet been identified for any payday advances or loans to Town officials,” the report states.

The review found that there were no formal repayment agreements, no standardized procedures governing how the payments were issued, and no defined limits on the amount or frequency of the transactions.

The internal review also identifies actions by Lynch. According to the report, in April 2025, the town manager authorized what is described as a “blanket approval” allowing commissioners to receive advances without requiring additional approval from the finance department.

The report states that this directive was communicated by email and had the effect of removing internal controls designed to oversee such transactions.

The review also found inconsistencies in the documentation used to process the payments. According to the report, multiple versions of salary advance request forms were used during the period examined, and none were identified as having been approved by the town commission.

The report further states that descriptions of the forms as longstanding or routinely used were not supported by the records reviewed.

The internal review states that the practices “appear inconsistent with standard governmental internal-control principles” and warns they may pose a risk to the town’s financial integrity. It notes that any final legal determinations should be made by counsel or an independent reviewer.

The report recommends that the town immediately cease all non-standard payroll disbursements, pursue formal recovery of outstanding funds, and implement clear policies governing any future compensation practices.

The internal review provides the most detailed account to date of how the payments were issued and managed, as the Broward County Office of Inspector General continues its review.

Read the letter:

En una carta con fecha del 15 de abril, un agente especial de la FDLE indicó que la agencia revisó una denuncia que alegaba mala conducta y posible conducta criminal que involucraba al comisionado William Hodgkins, al administrador municipal David Lynch y al ex subadministrador municipal Chandler Williamson.

Según la carta, la FDLE consultó con la Oficina del Fiscal Estatal de Broward, la cual declinó procesar el caso, señalando que no existe una ley en Florida que aplique a la conducta descrita en la denuncia.

La carta indica que el asunto fue remitido a la Oficina del Inspector General del Condado Broward para una revisión adicional y que la FDLE cerró su investigación.

El alcalde de Pembroke Park, Geoffrey Jacobs, respondió públicamente, criticando el resultado y pidiendo un mayor escrutinio.

En una publicación en Facebook, Jacobs escribió que los fiscales decidieron no presentar cargos “no porque la conducta sea aceptable, sino porque afirman que no encaja en una ley que estén dispuestos a aplicar”. Citó leyes de Florida sobre el uso indebido del cargo público y describió los pagos como un “préstamo al 0% de interés”, agregando que “el público lo ve por lo que es”.

Jacobs también escribió que “el cargo público no es una cuenta bancaria personal para funcionarios electos” y dijo que el asunto debe ser revisado a fondo por la Oficina del Inspector General del Condado Broward.

Los hechos se producen mientras una revisión interna de marzo, obtenida por Local 10 News, detalla cómo se emitieron $86,461.58 USD en pagos a Hodgkins a través del sistema de nómina del municipio.

Una investigación de Local 10 News expuso inicialmente estos pagos. La revisión interna amplía esos hallazgos, detallando preocupaciones internas, problemas de reembolso y falta de supervisión formal.

Según el informe, múltiples empleados cuestionaron el monto y la frecuencia de los pagos. Al menos dos empleados plantearon preocupaciones ante el Departamento de Recursos Humanos, mientras que otros expresaron temor a represalias si denunciaban la situación.

La revisión también analizó el reembolso de los fondos. Según el informe, $16,799 USD habían sido devueltos del total de $86,461.58 USD entregados a Hodgkins al momento de completarse la revisión.

El informe indica que los montos de reembolso fueron ajustados varias veces y, en algunos casos, se basaron en acuerdos verbales en lugar de términos formales por escrito.

La revisión interna determinó que Hodgkins recibió los pagos entre agosto de 2024 y marzo de 2026 a través del sistema de nómina del municipio. Señala que el primer pago se procesó como un adelanto de salario tradicional vinculado a un cheque futuro, pero los pagos posteriores evolucionaron en desembolsos recurrentes similares a préstamos emitidos con el tiempo.

Según el informe, no se identificó ninguna política aprobada por la comisión que autorizara préstamos o adelantos a funcionarios electos.

“No se ha identificado ninguna política formal para adelantos de salario o préstamos a funcionarios municipales”, indica el informe.

La revisión encontró que no existían acuerdos formales de reembolso, ni procedimientos estandarizados que regularan cómo se emitían los pagos, ni límites definidos sobre el monto o la frecuencia de las transacciones.

La revisión interna también señala acciones de Lynch. Según el informe, en abril de 2025, el administrador municipal autorizó lo que se describe como una “aprobación general” que permitía a los comisionados recibir adelantos sin requerir aprobación adicional del departamento de finanzas.

El informe indica que esta directiva fue comunicada por correo electrónico y tuvo el efecto de eliminar controles internos diseñados para supervisar dichas transacciones.

La revisión también encontró inconsistencias en la documentación utilizada para procesar los pagos. Según el informe, se utilizaron múltiples versiones de formularios de solicitud de adelanto salarial durante el período analizado, y ninguno fue identificado como aprobado por la comisión municipal.

El informe añade que las descripciones de los formularios como de uso prolongado o habitual no fueron respaldadas por los registros revisados.

La revisión interna indica que las prácticas “parecen inconsistentes con los principios estándar de control interno gubernamental” y advierte que pueden representar un riesgo para la integridad financiera del municipio. Señala que cualquier determinación legal final debe ser realizada por asesores legales o un revisor independiente.

El informe recomienda que el municipio cese de inmediato todos los desembolsos de nómina no estándar, busque la recuperación formal de los fondos pendientes e implemente políticas claras que regulen cualquier práctica futura de compensación.

La revisión interna ofrece hasta ahora el relato más detallado sobre cómo se emitieron y gestionaron los pagos, mientras la Oficina del Inspector General del Condado Broward continúa su revisión.

Lea la carta:

El accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 6:15 a.m.

Un Audi salía de un Burger King en Northwest Seventh Avenue cuando el conductor realizó un “cambio de carril inseguro”, según la Policía de North Miami.

Los investigadores indicaron que el conductor del Audi rozó un Dodge gris antes de estrellarse contra la fachada de una tienda Arona Home Essentials, ubicada en el 12550 de NW 7th Ave., cerca de Northwest 126th Street.

Indicaron que había tres personas dentro del Audi al momento del accidente.

Funcionarios de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmaron que un menor fue trasladado al Jackson North Medical Center con dolor en un brazo que no pone en peligro su vida. Las autoridades dijeron que no se reportaron otras personas heridas, incluido el conductor del Dodge.

El conductor del Dodge, quien no quiso ser identificado, dijo a Local 10 que el impacto le hizo perder el control y desviarse hacia un árbol, dejando su vehículo como pérdida total.

“(Yo fui) directo contra el poste y golpeé el costado del árbol”, dijo. “Primero trataba de asegurarme de que estaba a salvo. Estoy bien. Estoy un poco molesto, pero realmente no hay mucho que pueda hacer al respecto”.

Según el conductor del Dodge, un transeúnte también resultó herido en el incidente, describiendo la lesión como un golpe en la rodilla, aunque la Policía y los equipos de rescate no han confirmado que esa lesión haya sido resultado del choque.

El vehículo que impactó el edificio ya fue retirado, pero los daños extensos permanecen y se espera que las labores de limpieza continúen.

El tráfico en Northwest Seventh Avenue ya fue reabierto.

No se revelaron de inmediato más detalles sobre el accidente.

Fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to shell out $150 for a round-trip train fare for each match, transportation officials confirmed Friday.

That’s nearly 12 times the regular $12.90 fare for the roughly 15-minute, 9-mile (14-kilometer) ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On-site parking won’t be available for most fans, so New Jersey officials anticipate that around 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match.

The home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the tournament final on July 19. Group stage matches for soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany and England, along with other nations, begin June 13.

New Jersey officials said the upcharge was necessary to cover the cost of hosting the World Cup on its return to the U.S. for the first time since 1994.

NJ Transit officials said they planned to spend $62 million transporting fans to and from the stadium over the duration of the tournament. Outside grants had defrayed only $14 million of those anticipated expenses. A fare increase was needed to cover the rest, according to NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri.

“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, called on FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, to cover the transportation costs.

“If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” she said in a statement.

But FIFA has bristled at the suggestion that it should shoulder New Jersey's transit costs. On Friday, it pointed to other U.S. host cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston, that are keeping their transit rates unchanged.

Transit prices in Boston also will be high

One notable exception is Boston, where express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95, officials announced this week.

Thousands of fans have also already snapped up $80 round-trip train tickets from the Massachusetts capital to the commuter rail station near the stadium, which is located in Foxborough, a town some 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Boston. That’s four times the $20 riders are normally charged for a round-trip ticket during game days and other special events at Gillette.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, one-way fares will remain $1.75; in Atlanta, they’re locked at $2.50; in Houston, a single ride will still cost $1.25 and in Philadelphia the base fare for the subway will remain $2.90. Kansas City is running shuttles from locations around the city to Arrowhead Stadium that cost just $15 round trip.

Some of those cities have noted that the U.S. government has provided some $100 million in transit grants to provide enhanced bus and rail service during the games.

FIFA says fare hike ‘unprecedented’

The soccer federation on Friday warned that New Jersey's transit pricing could have a “chilling effect."

It argued that no other global event has been asked to absorb the costs of “arbitrarily set” transit prices and noted that the agreements signed with World Cup host cities back in 2018 called for free transportation for fans to all matches.

“Elevated fares inevitably push fans toward alternative transportation options,” FIFA said in a statement. “This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup.”

The huge fare increase has also drawn protest from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me,” the Democrat posted on X earlier this week. The surge pricing was first reported by sports outlet The Athletic.

Few other options

Alternatives to taking the train to MetLife Stadium will also be pricey.

Shuttle buses with a capacity for about 10,000 riders will set off from the midtown Manhattan bus terminal and other locations for $80 roundtrip.

Some 5,000 parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are also being sold in advance, currently priced at $225.

MetLife Stadium has a huge parking lot, but for World Cup matches much of that space is being used for a fan village, shuttle buses, a staging area and FIFA staff, officials said.

When the stadium hosted the NFL's Super Bowl under similar conditions in 2014, New Jersey Transit struggled to accommodate an estimated 33,000 passengers leaving the game. Platforms at a train transfer station became jammed with passengers unable to get space on trains. Some waited for hours to get on board.

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AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Gainesville, Florida, contributed to this report.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

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Authorities said everyone inside the complex, located in the 4000 block of Northwest 19th Street, was able to get out except Adeline Morant who lived in the unit where the fire started just after 1 p.m.

First responders were seen standing by as firefighters brought Morant down before she was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where her daughter said she later died.

Jasmine Greer, a spokesperson for Lauderhill Fire Rescue, said firefighters worked as quickly as possible to find Morant, although they did encounter various obstacles, such as the size of the complex, tight hallways and heavy black smoke.

“It was a task given the time of the day. A lot of people were outside, obviously it was on a third floor, we had to stretch a lot of lines, we had multiple mutual aid,” Greer said.

Fire officials said the blaze was contained to that one unit and no other injuries were reported.

“Seeing the smoke, some reality hit and get what you can and get the hell out of there,” the neighbor said.

The apartment owner, Olivine Morant, told Local 10 that she lived in the unit with her 91-year-old mother. She said she was at work when she received a call that there was a fire in her unit.

When Olivine Morant arrived, she immediately asked rescue crews about her mother, but claimed that no one could tell her anything other than she had been taken to the hospital.

She described her mother as a vibrant, beautiful person who came to South Florida from Jamaica.

Olivine Morant said the family had planned to take her mother out for her birthday. She said she did not want a party, only a meal of her favorite seafood: crab legs and shrimp.

She now wants answers about how the fire started.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police found both dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife and then killed himself. They were going through a divorce and Justin Fairfax had been ordered by a judge to move out of the house by the end of the month.

Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving family dentistry practice in the nearby city of Fairfax. A profile page on its website described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs and “spend time with her wonderful family.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who knew Fairfax through her husband's campaign and the time he spent in office, said their two teenaged children were “the people she cherished most.”

“Cerina Fairfax was a loving and dedicated mother and the rock at the center of her large family," McClellan wrote in a statement.

Terron Sims II, a friend and patient, remembered her as a quiet and caring friend, whose dentistry was more than a profession.

“It was an expression of love and compassion,” Sims told WUSA-TV. “It was her way of service to others.”

Fairfax was recognized in 2015 as the Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade by the Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, the interim dean of the dental school, wrote that her loss is deeply felt by many who knew her.

“As a clinician and alumna, Dr. Fairfax embodied the ideals of our profession — dedication to her patients, commitment to growth, and a deep sense of purpose in her work each day," Johnson wrote. "I know she was a mentor, role model, and friend to many in our school.”

Leaders in the state’s dental community also praised her accomplishments and commitment to patients.

“In addition to being a beloved practitioner in her community, Dr. Fairfax loved giving back through volunteer work and contributions to local charities focused on helping those in need,” said Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Association, in a statement. “As we remember Dr. Fairfax, we honor the impact she made and the connections she helped build within the VDA and her community.”

Cerina and Justin Fairfax met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006.

Justin Fairfax unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2013, then won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017. He was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party until two women came forward accusing him of sexually assaulting them years earlier, before he and Cerina were married. He denied the allegations and wasn’t charged. He left office at the end of his term in 2022, following an unsuccessful run for governor.

Cerina Fairfax said in court filings that they separated nearly two years ago. But they were still living in the same house with their children, who police said were both home at the time of their deaths.

The judge overseeing the divorce had told Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing “it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have been extremely high for an extended period of time.” He also noted in a March 30 court order that Cerina “has been the undisputed primary caregiver to the children in all aspects of their lives,” and that she had been “a port in a storm for her children.”

“Their remarkable resilience and early success in life is down to what can best be described as Mother's grit,” Judge Timothy McEvoy wrote.

Amy Spain, Cerina Fairfax’s attorney, said her client’s death “leaves an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved her.”

“Above all else, Cerina was a devoted mother to her beautiful children, who were the very center of her world,” Spain said. “She embodied the true meaning of motherhood through her unconditional and unwavering devotion to her children, providing a constant source of love, protection, and guidance.”

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Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

The Angels announced Anderson's death Friday morning without immediately disclosing the cause or location.

Anderson reached the majors with the then-California Angels in 1994 and played for the club until 2008, primarily as a left fielder. He was a fixture in the heart of their batting order for his entire tenure, becoming the franchise's career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8).

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels will wear a memorial patch this season bearing Anderson's initials, the team announced. They will hold a moment of silence Friday before the Angels host the San Diego Padres.

Anderson was a three-time AL All-Star who finished as high as fourth in the AL MVP balloting during his 17-year major league career. He won two Silver Slugger awards, and he memorably won both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP award in 2003 in Chicago.

His 272 career homers are third in Angels history behind Mike Trout and Tim Salmon. Only Trout has scored more runs in an Angels uniform than Anderson.

“Garret Anderson was a huge part of Angels history and inspired so many of us who wear this uniform,” Trout wrote on social media. “Keeping his family in my thoughts and prayers.”

In 2002, Anderson batted .306 and drove in a team-leading 123 runs for the then-Anaheim Angels, who won 99 games and earned a wild-card playoff berth. The Halos stormed through the playoffs to this franchise's only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Anderson was a key factor in the Fall Classic, batting 9 of 32 with six RBIs. He drove in the final three runs of the series with a tiebreaking three-run double in the third inning of the Angels' 4-1 victory over the Giants in Game 7.

Anderson's other baseball accomplishments included a 10-RBI game on Aug. 21, 2007.

Anderson finished his career with Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement in 2011. He batted .293 with 2,529 hits, 287 homers and 1,365 RBIs in the majors.

Anderson was inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame in 2016, and he had regularly worked for the team as a television broadcaster on its pregame and postgame shows over the ensuing decade. He lived in coastal Newport Beach with his family.

Anderson was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1972. He attended Granada Hills High School in the suburban San Fernando Valley before the Angels drafted him in the fourth round in 1990.

The Angels said Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret "Trey" Anderson III.

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

“Si Mahoma no viene a mí, yo voy a la montaña y entonces voy a Caracas”, dijo Petro en una entrevista con RTVE y la agencia española EFE en Barcelona, donde asistirá el sábado a una reunión de líderes progresistas con sus homólogos de España, México, Brasil y Uruguay.

De concretarse, la reunión sería la primera bilateral presencial entre Petro y Rodríguez desde que asumió como mandataria encargada de Venezuela.

La fecha original era el 13 de marzo en un puente fronterizo, pero un día antes se canceló por “motivos de fuerza mayor”, según un comunicado conjunto de ambos gobiernos. Petro detalló luego que Rodríguez temió por su seguridad en la frontera, donde operan grupos armados ilegales.

La última vez que Petro viajó a Caracas fue en abril de 2024 para ver al entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro, con quien conversaba frecuentemente. A su llegada al poder en 2022 Petro decidió reanudar las relaciones diplomáticas con Venezuela luego de que su antecesor las rompiera al considerar a Maduro un “dictador”.

Petro dijo que ir a Caracas es parte de lo que lo llevó a ser sancionado por el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos el año pasado por acusaciones de participar en el tráfico global de drogas.

“Yo fui a Venezuela en tiempos de Maduro a decirle —hablaba mucho con Europa y con (Joe) Biden— que era el momento de dejar el poder si el pueblo quería eso”, indicó Petro.

Agregó que, a su juicio, las cuestionadas elecciones presidenciales de 2024 no fueron “libres”.

Petro insistió el viernes en su propuesta de un gobierno de transición en Venezuela en el que cogobiernen el oficialismo y la oposición“uno o dos años” para “darse confianza”.

“I’m grateful to be here healthy with a team that’s looking forward to trying to do some big things,” he said. “(What) a difference a year can make and I’m just grateful to be back in this position. I don’t want to take any moment for granted.”

In his first season in Houston after this summer’s blockbuster trade from Phoenix, Durant leads the young Rockets into the playoffs where they’ll open their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old Durant missed the last seven games of the regular season last year with an ankle injury as the Suns went 1-6 to fall out of playoff contention.

This season he finished second in the league by playing 2,840 minutes despite being in his 19th NBA season.

And he can’t wait to play more — hopefully a lot more.

“When you get on the court and you get a chance to be healthy you want go out there and take advantage of that opportunity,” he said. “So, I’m looking forward to it.”

Durant led the Rockets this season by averaging 26 points a game as he became the oldest player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in a season.

Coach Ime Udoka said Durant has brought so much to his team since the trade but most importantly is that the Rockets knew they could always count on him.

“Just the availability on a night-to-night basis,” Udoka said. “Being able to play this many games at this stage in his career and the efficiency that he does it with … just the fact that he’s durable and available with the injuries in his past, is very impressive.”

The Rockets are aiming for their first title since winning back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. They’re in the playoffs for a second straight season after being eliminated by the Warriors in the opening round last year in their first postseason appearance since 2020.

Durant is the fifth-leading scorer in league history, a two-time NBA champion, a 16-time All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist. He brings a championship pedigree to a team where the four other players in the starting lineup have all made just one playoff trip.

So, with all he’s accomplished, how much does the prospect of winning another championship motivate him?

“Winning every day is the most important thing,” he said. “Obviously the main objective is to win a title, but you can’t do that unless you take care of each day first.”

That’s a lesson that has been invaluable to Durant’s teammates this season. Twenty-three-year-old Amen Thompson said he’s tried to mirror Durant in everything he does, from his work in the gym to how he takes care of his body.

“He’s great and I want to be great,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that want to be great, so just having that as something to look at every day and just being teammates with him is good.”

Durant’s mentorship and positivity have also been a boost to the Rockets. Alperen Sengun, who is also 23, said before Durant joined the team he would get down on himself when he’d struggle offensively.

“I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots,” Sengun said. “But when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear: ‘It’s gonna come.’ So, he’s helped with a lot of things, but the big thing is confidence, especially confidence.”

While Durant has often encouraged his teammates and given them advice throughout the season, he doesn’t plan to impart any words of wisdom to them as the playoffs commence.

“Nope,” he said. “Just jump in the fire and let’s see what happens, man. We can all get advice and words of encouragement from everybody in our lives and it’s not going to be like actually being in that action.”

He’s confident that the Rockets are ready for the challenge after they ended the regular season by winning nine of 10 games.

“It’s the biggest stage of basketball and there’s a lot that comes around the game, but at the end of the day, when that ball’s tipped up, it’s just basketball,” he said. “So, we all know how to play at this level, and we all know what it takes to win basketball games. We’ve just got to do that consistently.”

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

The filing by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein.

QVC Group, which filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, said that its international operations are not included in the process. It has more than $1 billion in cash on hand and said that it has ample liquidity to meet its business obligations.

QVC Group added that all of its brands are operating as usual, including customer-facing operations in the UK, Germany, Japan, and Italy. It will continue to serve its customers across all channels and platforms for QVC, HSN, and Cornerstone Brands.

“Bankruptcy may allow the necessary restructuring to give QVC the room to operate with better financials. However, it does not solve the need to reinvent and become relevant,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said in a statement.

QVC Group has attempted to revive flagging sales for some time, which in 2024 were down almost 30% compared with its peak of more than $14 billion in 2020. Shares in QVC Group, which went for over $900 a decade ago, were trading for less than $3 earlier this week.

The company is looking to emerge from bankruptcy protection in about 90 days.

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Police said the domestic-related shooting happened at around 3 p.m. at a strip mall in the 7600 block of West Sample Road.

Video from Sky 10 showed officers and crime scene tape behind the shopping center, surrounding a crashed work van and an SUV. Police said both the suspect, Abdul Baith Perez, and the victim were in the vehicles.

Sgt. James Kaban, a spokesperson for the Coral Springs Police Department, said the victim was taken to Broward Health North “with serious injuries” and a suspect was arrested.

Perez, 49, and the victim previously dated, authorities said.

Kaban said just before 4:30 p.m. that the victim’s “current condition remains unknown.”

Perez was arrested on multiple charges, including attempted premeditated murder, aggravated battery, possession of firearm or ammunition subject to injunction and tampering with evidence.

Kaban said there was no threat to the public and asked anyone with information to call CSPD at 954-344-1800.

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“Women lead by example and they inspire,” Padron said.

Dania Beach Mayor Joyce Davis was also there and shared something that had transpired, just two days before at a commission meeting.

“I was so excited when I saw that Z had applied for the city of Dania Beach community grants fund,” Davis said.

“Z” is Zeina Zein-Wolland, who is the founder and president of Mobile School Pantry, a nonprofit that provides nutritious foods to children and their families at low-income schools.

Collins Elementary School in Dania Beach is one of 30 schools served by Mobile School Pantry.

Mom of four Kendra Hoag is among the families who shop for groceries at Mobile School Pantry.

“It feels great to be able to feed them healthy food so they are able to grow like they’re supposed to,” she said.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of time and money to feed thousands of people.

“We are servicing more than 7,000 individuals throughout Broward County,” Zein-Wolland said.

“But when she didn’t get the full amount of the funding, I felt like, you know, we can do better,” Davis said.

And we did do better!

We’ve featured Zein-Wolland before on Local 10, so she wasn’t surprised to see us at Collins Elementary.

But she couldn’t have imagined this.

Zein-Wolland received $2,500 of the $9,000 she had requested for Mobile School Pantry, but Local 10 was able to present her with the remaining $6,500 thanks to “Good News South Florida.”

Zein-Wolland said it costs the nonprofit $30 a family, which amounts to 216 families that will be well-fed with the newly acquired funds.

“And also for the families to see that the community stands by us. We’re not just doing this alone. It takes so many partners to bring this together,” Zein-Wolland said.

From one community leader lifting her voice at a radio station to another advocating for the health of her extended family, that’s good work that bears good fruit.

A member of Cox Media Group also contributed an additional $2,000 to the cause, so altogether, Mobile School Pantry received $11,000.

Zein-Wolland said all of the money will feed 370 families, including 740 kids.

And while on the subject of school, we are looking to honor a deserving teacher in May. Click here for more information on that.

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“Las mujeres lideran con el ejemplo e inspiran”, dijo Padrón.

La alcaldesa de Dania Beach, Joyce Davis, también estuvo allí y compartió algo que había ocurrido apenas dos días antes en una reunión de la comisión.

“Me emocioné mucho cuando vi que Z había solicitado el fondo de subvenciones comunitarias de la ciudad de Dania Beach”, dijo Davis.

“Z” es Zeina Zein-Wolland, fundadora y presidenta de Mobile School Pantry, una organización sin fines de lucro que provee alimentos nutritivos a niños y sus familias en escuelas de bajos ingresos.

La escuela primaria Collins en Dania Beach es una de las 30 escuelas atendidas por Mobile School Pantry.

Kendra Hoag, madre de cuatro hijos, está entre las familias que obtienen alimentos en Mobile School Pantry.

“Se siente muy bien poder darles comida saludable para que puedan crecer como deben”, dijo.

Como se puede imaginar, se necesita mucho tiempo y dinero para alimentar a miles de personas.

“Atendemos a más de 7,000 personas en todo el condado Broward”, dijo Zein-Wolland.

“Pero cuando no recibió el monto total del financiamiento, sentí que podíamos hacerlo mejor”, dijo Davis.

¡Y lo hicimos mejor!

Hemos presentado a Zein-Wolland anteriormente en Local 10, por lo que no le sorprendió vernos en la escuela Collins.

Pero no podía imaginar esto.

Zein-Wolland recibió $2,500 USD de los $9,000 USD que había solicitado para Mobile School Pantry, pero Local 10 pudo entregarle los $6,500 USD restantes gracias a “Good News South Florida”.

Zein-Wolland dijo que a la organización le cuesta $30 USD por familia, lo que equivale a 216 familias que serán bien alimentadas con los fondos recién obtenidos.

“Y también para que las familias vean que la comunidad nos respalda. No estamos haciendo esto solos. Se necesitan muchos aliados para lograrlo”, dijo Zein-Wolland.

Desde una líder comunitaria alzando su voz en una estación de radio hasta otra abogando por la salud de su comunidad extendida, ese es un trabajo que da buenos frutos.

Un miembro de Cox Media Group también aportó $2,000 USD adicionales a la causa, por lo que en total, Mobile School Pantry recibió $11,000 USD.

Zein-Wolland dijo que todo el dinero alimentará a 370 familias, incluidos 740 niños.

Y ya que hablamos de escuelas, estamos buscando reconocer a un maestro destacado en mayo. Haga clic aquí para más información.

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The late Wednesday morning pursuit began when the victim reported the theft. The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story.

The officer repeatedly screamed at the suspect to stop running, but she refused while denying she had taken the purse. The brief hoof chase went along sidewalks, under scaffolding, between parked cars and across streets before the woman was stopped by a pedestrian and then detained by the officer.

The woman was charged with larceny and providing false information. Authorities said she had been convicted of murder in the April 2000 fatal shooting of a cab driver and had served time in prison before being released. She is currently on lifetime parole.

No injuries were reported in the chase.

“Big Red Rebuild," as the project is called, would be funded by a mix of $250 million in philanthropic support and $350 million in private bond financing. Completion is targeted for the start of the 2028 football season. University regents will consider the proposal at its meeting in Lincoln next Friday.

“Memorial Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in all of college sports and this project ensures that our stadium is well-positioned for future generations," athletic director Troy Dannen said. "We have listened intently to Nebraska fans and are building a best-in-class fan experience that will also drive revenue for the University of Nebraska, create exciting new year-round programming for Nebraskans, create new opportunities for our student-athletes, and position Nebraska to compete and lead at the highest level in a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.”

The Cornhuskers have played at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and will enter this season with an NCAA-record sellout streak of 410 games dating to 1962.

The proposal would upgrade amenities throughout the stadium and create a 360-degree main concourse connecting the east and west sides. Capacity would be 80,000, including 20,000 new chairback seats.

Officials said the stadium would host concerts and other events year-round and annual stadium revenue would increase 40%, to an estimated $95 million.

Construction would begin after the 2026 football season.

Incremental stadium improvements have been made over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013. A $450 million renovation was approved in 2023 but did not go forward because school leaders wanted to review the scope, strategy and costs.

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The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state’s coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.

Backed by the Trump administration, the companies said the work in Louisiana started as an effort to quickly increase the supply of aviation gasoline for the U.S. government during World War II and so should be heard in federal court.

The justices agreed. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 8-0 court, noted Congress has long allowed lawsuits against the government and its contractors to be heard in federal court. This suit, he wrote, is clearly related to Chevron’s wartime efforts to bolster the U.S. aviation fuel supply. Federal courts are seen as a friendlier venue for the companies.

Louisiana’s coastal parishes have lost more than 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of land over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has also identified oil and gas infrastructure as a significant cause. The state could lose an additional 3,000 square miles (7,770 square kilometers) in the coming decades, its coastal protection agency has warned.

The litigation over the role of oil and gas companies has crossed typical political lines in Louisiana. The hefty jury award came from a community in one of the most conservative, pro-energy parts of the state, said Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a longtime oil and gas industry supporter, also backed the lawsuits when he was attorney general. Local Louisiana leaders remain determined to keep the litigation alive despite the setback, said attorney John Carmouche.

“Simply changing where the case will be heard, as has happened, will not deter our efforts to have Big Oil held accountable for the damages they caused and the enormous restoration they owe the people of Louisiana,” Carmouche said.

Anne Rolfes, the director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade environmental group, said the decision is a “bump in the road” in efforts to hold the industry accountable for pipelines and canals carving up the natural coastline that have left residents more vulnerable to hurricanes.

Chevron, on the other hand, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the claims are related to work that the companies did under federal supervision. “Chevron looks forward to litigating these cases in federal court, where they belong,” the company said in a statement.

The company denies responsibility for land loss in Louisiana and argues it’s wrong to sue over work done before state environmental regulations were in place.

The companies appealed to the high court after jurors in Plaquemines Parish — a sliver of land straddling the Mississippi River into the Gulf — found that energy giant Texaco, acquired by Chevron in 2001, had for decades violated Louisiana regulations governing coastal resources by failing to restore wetlands impacted by dredging canals, drilling wells and billions of gallons of wastewater dumped into the marsh.

The case is one of dozens of lawsuits filed in 2013 alleging oil giants, including Chevron and Exxon, violated state environmental laws for decades. Friday’s ruling overturns a 2024 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. It will affect about a quarter of the dozens of lawsuits filed against various oil companies, Carmouche said.

The energy industry group Grow Louisiana said the decision should spell the end of the litigation. “These lawsuits have cost Louisiana billions, killed jobs and padded trial lawyers’ pockets," Executive Director Marc Ehrhardt said. “Enough is enough. Stop these lawsuits.”

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry called the decision “an important win for legal clarity.”

Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case, pointing to financial ties to ConocoPhillips. He's previously recused himself from other cases due to his stock holdings.

___

Brook reported from New Orleans.

La policía de Hialeah indicó que Nikol Marie Rodriguez, de Miramar, fue detenida antes de la 1:30 p.m. del jueves.

Dijeron que los incidentes ocurrieron el 4 de marzo en Peace Christian Academy, ubicada en 490 E. 50th St.

Según un informe de arresto, la víctima, que tenía 8 años en ese momento, tiene diagnóstico de autismo y TDAH y “puede comprender instrucciones simples, pero tiene dificultad para articular más que una solicitud sencilla”.

La policía dijo que el niño no es conocido por ser violento y vive con su madre.

Rodriguez había sido la educadora principal del niño desde agosto de 2024 y era responsable del “cuidado, supervisión y servicios esenciales para la salud física y mental del menor”, indica el informe.

Los investigadores señalaron que el video de vigilancia muestra una interacción poco antes de las 11 a.m. cuando Rodriguez “parece asistir físicamente a la víctima al sujetar su brazo izquierdo” y luego “agarrar el brazo derecho y el área del bíceps, girando a la víctima de manera agresiva”.

Indicaron que las acusaciones más graves se derivan de un incidente posterior alrededor de las 12:45 p.m. de ese día, cuando el niño estaba sentado tranquilamente en el suelo y “no mostraba de ninguna manera un comportamiento físicamente amenazante”.

A pesar de eso, el informe establece que Rodriguez presuntamente sujetó al niño al colocarle los brazos detrás de la espalda, causándole dolor. La policía dijo que el niño “fue observado luchando contra la técnica de restricción, aparentando estar en agonía”, mientras otro estudiante cercano se cubría los ojos y los oídos.

Señalaron que la situación se agravó aún más cuando se vio a Rodriguez “azotar con fuerza la parte superior del cuerpo y la cabeza de la víctima contra el suelo del salón” y continuó sujetándolo al inmovilizar sus brazos y aplicar presión en la parte superior de su cuerpo.

El informe describe al niño intentando escapar mientras Rodriguez permanecía en control, en un momento presionando su cabeza contra una esquina del salón y montándose sobre su torso.

Tras el forcejeo, la policía indicó que Rodriguez es acusada de empujar al menor contra una mesa cuando intentaba ponerse de pie.

Dijeron que Rodriguez no buscó asistencia médica ni brindó atención posteriormente.

Más tarde esa noche, la madre del niño descubrió lesiones, incluyendo “una pequeña herida punzante” en su bíceps, junto con moretones y rasguños en el pecho y el brazo, según el informe.

Un informe interno de la escuela describió el incidente como un esfuerzo de “intervención de apoyo para desescalar” con la intención de prevenir daño, indicando que Rodriguez “colocó sus manos en los costados del menor para brindar apoyo físico”. Sin embargo, los investigadores dijeron que el video de vigilancia contradice esa versión.

La policía dijo que Rodriguez se negó a dar una declaración a través de su abogado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de abuso infantil sin causar gran daño corporal.

Hasta el viernes, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza fue fijada en $5,000 USD. También se le ordenó mantenerse alejada de la víctima.

Local 10 News solicitó una declaración a la escuela sobre el incidente y si ella continúa empleada.

Según la Policía, antes de ser localizado, Deniro Venero fue visto por última vez el jueves en la cuadra 1200 de Southeast 29th Street en Homestead.

Los detectives creen que Deniro pudo haber viajado al área de Sweetwater, pero la Policía no confirmó de inmediato dónde estuvo durante el tiempo en que se le consideró desaparecido.

Según la Policía de Miami Beach, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de la 1:27 p.m. en West 41st Street y Royal Palm Avenue.

La Policía indicó que la mujer se encontraba en el paso peatonal cuando el conductor del camión la impactó al girar a la izquierda hacia la calle 41.

Un video de vigilancia muestra a transeúntes corriendo para auxiliarla.

Las autoridades informaron que los paramédicos respondieron e “iniciaron de inmediato maniobras para salvarle la vida”, pero la mujer murió tras ser trasladada al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Las autoridades indicaron que la investigación del accidente “sigue en curso”.

No han identificado a la víctima ni al conductor involucrado, ni han informado si el conductor enfrentará cargos criminales.

Miami River Commission Chairman Horacio Stuart Aguirre said excessive bacteria contamination in the creek has come from historic industrial pollution, storm water pollution, and also human waste from some of the city’s homeless, who use the creek as a public restroom.

“This is the way it is right now before any treatment, and you can’t see 6 inches into the water,” he said. “If you were standing a foot and half into this water, you wouldn’t see your toes, that is how thick it is. The amount of poop that is in this water is unbelievable.”

The creek drains out to the Miami River and eventually into Biscayne Bay.

That’s why the creek’s reputation as “the most polluted waterway in the state of Florida,” according to Aguirre, is of grave concern.

“So we either stop the infection here now, or deal with a body-wide infection two years from now,” he said.

To combat the issue, officials are using a solar-powered machine that oxygenates the water with ionized air, which Aguirre says you can think of like a water-cleaning vacuum.

“It is sort of like the little devices we have in our homes,” Aguirre said. “(It’s) a yellow manifold that is about as long as you are tall with six heads on each side, and that is what is distributing the oxygenated air into the water.”

Developed by Miami-based Fast Cleaning Solutions, it also uses various filters to kill bacteria.

“They gave it to us for one year as a pilot program,” Aguirre said.

So far, he says the results have been remarkable.

“If you look at the shoreline, the water is crystal clear,” Aguirre said. “This is the way it is supposed to be, this is the way the good Lord made it.”

He said there was an 82% reduction in e-coli bacteria.

“We have clean water, happy aquatic life, and happy residents now enjoying their balconies without the smell of sewage pollution,” he said.

That is why officials are presenting the results to city commissioners in hope of securing funds for several more.

“We don’t need to go to billion-dollar solutions. This is cost effective and it works,” Aguirre said.

STARTED AS A PILOT PROGRAM

The vendor Fast Cleaning Solutions, LLC designed and built the device and gave it to the Miami River Commission for one year for free as a pilot program.

THE PROPOSAL

The Miami River Commission is proposing to deploy seven bacterial water cleaning machines (BCMW) developed by Fast Cleaning Solutions LLC in Wagner Creek, plus two additional BCMW devices and two water quality testing devices, which they say would cost $360,000 for one year. The funding, the commission’s spokesperson said, could come for the city’s storm water utility fee, which aims to eliminate pollution from the storm water system.

NEXT STEPS

Aguirre plans to meet with the city manager and the two commissioners whose districts are impacted by Wagner Creek. The creek runs 15 blocks through District 5, represented by Chairwoman Christine King, and District 1, represented by Miguel Gabela. Their hope is to agree on a plan and funding budget ahead of the upcoming budget hearing on Sept. 30.

WHAT ABOUT THE CITY’S WATER DECONTAMINATION VESSEL?

The Miami River Commission chairman said the city’s contracted scavenger water decontamination vessel is doing a great job along the Miami River and Biscayne Bay, but is too large to navigate under Wagner Creek’s low fixed bridges, which is why they were on the hunt for another solution.

WHY IT MATTERS

Aguirre said it matters, “Because this small piece of canal is about 15 blocks long and drains all the way into the Miami River, and so if this contamination spreads into the Miami River, it will become a process out of control and then we will really have an expenditure and health issue to deal with.”

He added, “Not only are the ducks, and the fish, and the turtles eating this stuff, but it carries a horrendous odor down into the Miami River and contaminates the rest of the river. All the other tributaries are very, very clean except for this one. We clean this one and then we can really say ‘mission accomplished,’ and we give something back to children of the next generation that they will have a very clean Miami.”

WHERE DOES THE POLLUTION COME FROM?

“Well, the good news is that it does not come from the Miami River, nor the shipping industry, nor the recreational boating industry. It is actually man-made. Some of it from decades and decades ago was industrial pollution, but in the last 20-25 years, it is fecal matter, human poop -- that is what it is,” Aguirre said. “On any given day we can walk these banks and see people with their underwear off, relieving themselves on the Wagner. The amount of poop that is in this water is unbelievable.”

He added that the county has conducted a number of smoke and dye tests to explore if the bacteria contamination is coming from a sewage pipe leak, but have found that, “it is not a septic tank break somewhere and not a sewage line break.”

From a policy perspective, he added that, “we need to do something about the homeless in a humane way. We have enough agencies spending a lot of money on the homeless, so we ought to have a solution. We need to do something along the lines of what Judge Steven Leifman suggests, understanding that a great component of homelessness is mental illness. We need to address that and do what they are doing in Europe, which is public bathrooms.”

DOES IT HELP MITIGATE AGAINST FISH KILLS?

“Absolutely,” said Aguirre. “You will notice here on top of the rocks you don’t see any algae. A lot of reasons for fish kills, algae is one. It is killing the bacteria and the germs which is why you have clean water and no pollution, no sludgy film on the water.”

RELATED LINKS

Deferred but not defeated: Local judge says he will continue to fight for a mental health center

DON'T TRASH OUR TREASURE: Algae blooms and fish kills aren’t just an environmental issue, they are also an economic one. It has costed Florida billions of dollars over the last few decades in clean up, lost tourism and health issues. https://t.co/U3gKAOu7VW

— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) March 12, 2026

The cause of death was not immediately known. A press release from the Grand Ole Opry described it as a sudden illness.

The two-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. “I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends,” Schlitz said in 2017, when he learned of the Country Music Hall of Fame honor. “That’s the only way I can deal with this.”

Schlitz made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and was later inducted in 2022. He is the only non-artist to receive the honor in the Opry’s 100 years. The historic venue's Saturday night show will be dedicated in his honor.

He was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1988 through 1991. He also wrote music and lyrics for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” the 1999 Broadway musical.

Schlitz's songs are widely considered some of the most unwavering in country music, and have been recorded by such hitmakers as Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler,” “The Greatest”), Randy Travis (“On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen”), The Judds (“I Know Where I’m Going”), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“I Love Only You,”) Tanya Tucker (“I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,”) Mary Chapin Carpenter (“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”) and many others.

He also wrote “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Rogers and Dolly Parton; their first duet since 1983's “Islands in the Stream.”

Schlitz, a North Carolina native, was born in 1952 and raised in Durham before packing his bags and heading to Nashville. His first recorded song, “The Gambler,” is perhaps his most enduring hit and the tent-pole of his legacy. The song, which was recorded by Rogers in 1978 and certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), opened doors for country music in the '70s, a track that was not only a huge genre hit but also a pop crossover one.

As Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.”

“We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz. Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every stage and every lyric he ever wrote,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, wrote in a statement Friday. “Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

“Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler,’” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote in a statement Friday. “Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley.

El tiroteo ocurrió poco después de las 2 p.m. en la zona de Northwest 75th Street y 21st Avenue.

Equipos de emergencia trasladaron a las tres víctimas al Ryder Trauma Center del hospital Jackson Memorial.

La cercana escuela primaria Lillie C. Evans, ubicada en 1895 NW 75th St., fue puesta en “cierre preventivo”, informaron autoridades escolares. El cierre fue levantado poco antes de las 3:30 p.m.

Hasta alrededor de las 3 p.m. del jueves, no se habían dado a conocer las condiciones de las víctimas.

Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power and the compromises it forces drivers to make on track. He's even suggested it could be his last season in F1.

Russell is an old rival of Verstappen and has his best shot yet at the title thanks to Mercedes' strong start to the season. He trails teammate Kimi Antonelli by nine points ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks.

“Formula 1’s bigger than any driver. You wouldn’t want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max,” Russell said Friday, and suggested some of Verstappen's criticism might be because he and Red Bull aren't among the title contenders.

“The complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren because we’re at the front end of the grid.”

Russell said Verstappen's interest in forays into other events like endurance sportscar racing might be linked to having “not really much more for him to achieve” in F1.

“My goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I had four of them (titles) under my belt, I’d probably be doing the same," Russell said. "He’s in a very different stage of his career and I think you’d understand if he stayed and you’d understand if you went.”

Russell eyes changes

Russell said potential rule changes have been a focus for him during the unexpected mid-season break caused when the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off.

Russell wants to bring back a “flat-out” feel to qualifying with less need to lift off the throttle and generate electrical power and says that's helped by an improved relationship between the drivers and the governing body, the FIA.

“The FIA have been in a lot of comms with a handful of drivers, and that’s been collective. And at least from the FIA technical standpoint, it’s probably the closest relationship we’ve had with them in numerous years, so that’s very positive to see,” he said.

Antonelli shrugs off pressure

After winning two of the opening three races and becoming F1's youngest standings leader, it's all about keeping the momentum going for Antonelli.

The 19-year-old Italian has been working on his fitness and says he feels more relaxed than he did in his rookie season last year.

“Obviously, George is super strong and competitors will get closer, so I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, just trying to raise the bar little by little,” he said.

Being the first Italian in 20 years to win an F1 race means a lot more attention back home, but Antonelli says it won't affect him.

“I am aware of obviously the increase of support and following after, especially my first wins, which has been very nice to see. But I don’t feel more pressure,” he said Friday. “I know expectations from people are higher now because obviously I’m coming off two wins and from a strong start of the season. But at the end of the day I keep my focus on the process, on what I have to do.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

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According to Miami Beach police, the crash happened at around 1:27 p.m. at West 41st Street and Royal Palm Avenue.

Police said the woman was in the crosswalk as the box truck driver hit her while turning left onto 41st Street.

Surveillance video shows bystanders rushing to her aid.

Police said medics responded and “immediately initiated life-saving measures,” but the woman died after being taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

Authorities said the investigation into the crash “remains ongoing.”

They have not identified the victim or driver involved or stated whether the driver would be criminally charged.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the incident was reported shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday near the 200 block of Northwest Tenth Street.

Deputies said they arrived at the scene to find a man suffering from a stab wound to the arm.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported him to a local hospital with injuries considered not life-threatening, authorities confirmed.

Deputies said the stabbing was a “domestic incident” and confirmed they arrested Marlonda Newman on an aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charge.

BSO Special Victims Unit detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.

As of Friday morning, Newman was being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, el incidente fue reportado poco antes de las 8 a.m. del jueves cerca de la cuadra 200 de Northwest Tenth Street.

Los agentes dijeron que al llegar al lugar encontraron a un hombre con una herida de arma blanca en el brazo.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue lo trasladó a un hospital local con lesiones que no ponen en peligro su vida, confirmaron las autoridades.

Los agentes indicaron que el apuñalamiento fue un “incidente doméstico” y confirmaron el arresto de Marlonda Newman por un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma mortal.

Detectives de la Unidad de Víctimas Especiales de la BSO continúan investigando las circunstancias del apuñalamiento.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Newman permanecía detenida en la cárcel principal del condado Broward sin derecho a fianza.

Las autoridades informaron que todos dentro del complejo, ubicado en la cuadra 4000 de Northwest 19th Street, lograron salir excepto Adeline Morant, quien vivía en la unidad donde comenzó el incendio poco después de la 1 p.m.

Equipos de emergencia fueron vistos en el lugar mientras los bomberos bajaban a Morant antes de que fuera trasladada de urgencia al Broward Health Medical Center, donde su hija dijo que posteriormente murió.

Jasmine Greer, portavoz de Lauderhill Fire Rescue, indicó que los bomberos trabajaron lo más rápido posible para encontrar a Morant, aunque enfrentaron varios obstáculos, como el tamaño del complejo, pasillos estrechos y denso humo negro.

“Fue una tarea difícil dado el momento del día. Había mucha gente afuera, obviamente estaba en un tercer piso, tuvimos que desplegar muchas líneas y contamos con ayuda mutua”, dijo Greer.

Funcionarios de bomberos indicaron que el incendio se limitó a esa unidad y no se reportaron otras personas heridas.

“Al ver el humo, la realidad golpea y agarras lo que puedes y sales de ahí”, dijo un vecino.

La dueña del apartamento, Olivine Morant, dijo a Local 10 que vivía en la unidad con su madre de 91 años. Señaló que estaba en el trabajo cuando recibió una llamada informándole que había un incendio en su apartamento.

Cuando Olivine Morant llegó, preguntó de inmediato a los equipos de rescate por su madre, pero afirmó que nadie pudo darle información más allá de que había sido trasladada al hospital.

Describió a su madre como una persona vibrante y hermosa que llegó al sur de Florida desde Jamaica.

Olivine Morant dijo que la familia había planeado sacar a su madre para su cumpleaños. Señaló que no quería una fiesta, solo una comida con su marisco favorito: patas de cangrejo y camarones.

Ahora quiere respuestas sobre cómo comenzó el incendio.

La causa del incendio está bajo investigación.

Victor Wembanyama has met every expectation. Except, perhaps, his own.

He came to the San Antonio Spurs three years ago as the No. 1 draft pick and hoping to lead a revitalization, one where a perennial title contender that got stuck in a rebuilding cycle would finally rise again. So far, so good — the Spurs just finished their best season in a decade, going 62-20.

And now, the really good stuff — the playoffs — awaits.

“How ready? As ready as you can be,” Wembanyama said when asked about his level of preparation for his first look at the NBA postseason. “These moments, it’s really what you work on all year, but also your whole career. We’re dreaming of playoffs as kids before we come here.”

History says these second-seeded Spurs, who open the Western Conference playoffs at home against No. 7 Portland on Sunday night, could be poised to make a deep run.

Of the other 15 clubs in franchise history that finished with a winning percentage of .700 or better, 14 won at least one playoff series, 10 made the NBA’s final four, six went to the NBA Finals and five won championships.

The core then: Gregg Popovich as coach, leading names like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The core now: Mitch Johnson as coach, leading names like Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama — who seems to make all things possible.

“He’s embraced the city and the city’s embraced him, the stepping foot into the community,” Johnson said. “And it’s been genuine and it’s been authentic. ... It's pretty cool to witness upfront.”

To say Wembanyama — who is at least 7-foot-4, and somehow has other 7-foot men in the NBA gawking about how tall he seems — is unique is somehow an understatement. How many other 21-year-olds in the NBA draw headlines for spending part of their summers at a Buddhist temple (as he did last summer) as part of basketball training, bring books to read at the All-Star Game (to the disbelief of some fellow All-Stars) and can show off math skills during press conferences (as he did of late while debating the NBA's 65-game rule)?

Not many.

“He's unique,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said, knowing he was stating the obvious.

Wembanyama’s numbers this season: 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers. Nobody in NBA history has ever finished a season with those totals, and the blocked shots are the biggest factor in why he stands alone there.

So, take the blocks out. Grade him in history on points, rebounds, assists and 3s for a season. Do that, and here's the full list of players to reach his totals in just those categories in one season: Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns (twice), Nikola Vucevic, Julius Randle and Nikola Jokic. That's it.

“He's a 7-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter, all the little things,” said Portland coach Tiago Splitter, who went to the NBA Finals as a player on some of the great San Antonio teams and was part of the Spurs' most recent championship in 2014. “It's not a secret. He's a very good player.”

Oddsmakers say San Antonio is the second choice behind only defending champion Oklahoma City — the West's No. 1 seed — to win the NBA title. That means there is an expectation, and a realistic one, that Wembanyama's playoff debut might not just be a smashing success but might wind up bringing the ultimate success.

He was rookie of the year two years ago. He was on his way to winning defensive player of the year last season before his year got cut short by a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. He's eligible for all the big NBA awards this season, and basketball fans seem like they simply cannot get enough info about everything he does.

Now, the NBA's biggest stage awaits San Antonio's biggest star. He's played for Olympic gold before, so he knows what extremely high-stakes basketball is like, but his first chance to compete for an NBA championship is finally here.

“I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts. But yeah, I dream about it every day.”

___

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

We could also see a few light showers this weekend, but most areas will remain dry. The bigger story is the jump in temperatures. By Sunday, we will have the warmest air of the year so far, with highs just shy of 90 degrees. It will be very muggy, too, with calm winds that may make the air feel slightly stagnant to end the weekend.

A weak front will bring the chance of more scattered showers Monday, along with a drop in temperatures. Highs may not even reach 80 degrees on Tuesday.

Local 10 News supo que, debido a que fondos federales financiaron una parte significativa de las flotas de autobuses eléctricos en los condados Miami-Dade y Broward, existen pautas federales sobre cuánto tiempo deben permanecer en servicio.

Si los autobuses se retiran de servicio antes de tiempo, los condados podrían tener que devolver parte de esos fondos federales.

Esa posibilidad ahora está influyendo en las decisiones de ambos condados de maneras muy diferentes.

En el condado Broward, funcionarios de transporte han solicitado formalmente a la Administración Federal de Tránsito una exención para evitar devolver ese dinero.

“Y una de las cosas que estamos haciendo, la solicitud que presentamos a la FTA, es para poder obtener una exención de su parte para no tener que reembolsar los fondos que nos proporcionaron y también poder deshacernos de ellos”, dijo Coree Cuff Lonergan, directora ejecutiva y gerente general de Broward County Transit.

En el condado Miami-Dade, los líderes están tomando un enfoque diferente.

La alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava dijo que el condado aún intenta encontrar una manera de poner los autobuses nuevamente en circulación.

“Seguimos teniendo la esperanza de poder ponerlos en servicio. La empresa sucesora no puede brindarnos el nivel de servicio que necesitamos”, dijo.

La alcaldesa también indicó que ha contactado personalmente a otras empresas sobre la posibilidad de reacondicionar los autobuses.

“Yo personalmente he hablado con otras compañías sobre maneras de reacondicionar para poder poner estos autobuses en funcionamiento”, dijo. “No he perdido la esperanza de que podamos ponerlos en operación”.

Por ahora, sin embargo, Miami-Dade no ha delineado un plan claro si esos esfuerzos no tienen éxito.

Casi 100 autobuses fuera de servicio

Una investigación de Local 10 reportada a principios de esta semana encontró casi 100 autobuses eléctricos fuera de servicio en el sur de Florida.

En el condado Miami-Dade, alrededor de 60 autobuses han sido retirados de circulación, la mayoría almacenados en la Base de Reserva Aérea de Homestead. En el condado Broward, 31 autobuses están en un sitio de vertedero.

En conjunto, los condados gastaron aproximadamente $96,000,000 USD en los autobuses.

Una parte significativa de ese financiamiento provino de subvenciones federales.

Los autobuses fueron fabricados por Proterra y en su momento fueron promovidos como el futuro del transporte público.

Sin embargo, ambos condados afirman que los autobuses presentaron problemas de confiabilidad.

“Solo podían completar un recorrido parcial y luego fallaban, lo que requería enviar mecánicos o remolcarlos de regreso a uno de nuestros dos garajes”, dijo Lonergan. “Y eso seguía ocurriendo una y otra vez”.

Los funcionarios dicen que ha sido difícil obtener piezas porque son propietarias.

Proterra se declaró en bancarrota. Sus activos fueron vendidos a una empresa sucesora, pero los condados dicen que el soporte y la disponibilidad de piezas siguen siendo limitados.

Impacto financiero incierto

Según las pautas federales, los autobuses de transporte pesado, incluidos los eléctricos, deben permanecer en servicio hasta por 12 años o 500,000 millas.

Si no se cumple ese estándar, los condados podrían verse obligados a devolver una parte del financiamiento federal.

Ambos condados trabajan ahora con funcionarios federales para determinar los próximos pasos.

Para los contribuyentes, el impacto final sigue siendo incierto.

The two women runners swapped their bibs with the two men, who both finished within the top 10 in the women’s half-marathon at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town last Sunday, initially denying those slots to two female runners.

But the cheating was discovered by a marathon board member, and the men were disqualified from their 7th and 10th place finishes. Two women were belatedly recognized instead.

Larissa Parekh was accused of having Luke Jacobs run on her behalf, and Tegan Garvey was accused of having Nic Bradfield run on her behalf, marathon board member Stuart Mann said. All four runners face disciplinary action that could include two-year bans from the event, Mann said.

The annual Two Oceans race is one of South Africa’s iconic marathons and includes a 56-kilometer (34.7-mile) ultramarathon and a 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) half-marathon. The event attracts over 16,000 participants and finishing among the top 10 is a significant achievement for most runners.

Race board member calls swapping bibs unethical

Mann said exchanging bibs has become more common, and can be risky, “Not only is it considered unethical, but it also poses health and medicals risks in case of an emergency, as wrong medication may be administered to a wrong person,” Mann said.

Various motivations are at play, Mann explained. Some runners give their bib to a stand-in if they have a last-minute injury or some other unexpected reason why they can't run in a race they have registered for. Others do so to deceptively earn faster times than they otherwise could achieve, to qualify for future races, he said.

Online photos led to the discovery

Mann was tipped off to one of the swaps after Jacobs posted pictures of himself at the race on social media and people noticed that his bib displayed the name “Larissa.”

Jacobs said in a written apology: “I made an error in judgment and did not consider the consequences. I should not have taken part."

Parekh did not provide any clear explanation of how Jacobs ended up with her bib, Mann said. But Garvey admitted she gave hers to Bradfield, saying in a written statement that she had suffered a hip problem before the race.

“The day before, my hip gave in completely, leaving me unable to even walk. I felt bad as to give up my race entry so my friend ran in my place,” Garvey said.

Mann said both women have apologized.

Leer en español

According to police, prior to being found, Deniro Venero was last seen Thursday in the 1200 block of Southeast 29^th Street in Homestead.

Detectives believe Deniro might have traveled to the Sweetwater area, but police did not immediately confirm where he had been during the time he was believed to be missing.

Tucked away in Pinecrest, the Mandelstam School is a place that, you could say, rises above the rest.

At the school, third graders don’t just hit the books -- they soar, literally.

Along with rigorous academics, students take mandatory gymnastics lessons and dive deep into the arts.

“It’s just beautiful growing together and having this community grow together,” said Allen Mandelstam-Soussa, co-owner of the school.

Inside, the classroom recently looked more like a stage, as students prepared for a musical -- but not the kind you might expect.

Think circus-style acrobatics, performed by 8- and 9-year-olds. No special cushions if they fall -- just talent, plenty of practice and grit.

“I learned how to do upside-down splits on rings,” said Charlie, a third grader.

But it’s not just about performance. Everything here carries meaning.

Recently, one performance in particular went viral — a traditional Pakistani dance full of color and rhythm that racked up more than 1 million views online.

“Yeah, when you heard about a million views, what was that like?” a student was asked.

“I was like, it’s just a dance,” said Pheonix, a third grader.

Each year, students choose a country to study throughout the year. This time, they picked Pakistan to celebrate their classmate Elon — and fully embraced it.

From the clothing to the handmade art, every detail was meant to make him feel special.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Pheonix said.

“I was really excited that people could learn more about my culture,” Elon said.

And people did. The dance even made headlines in Pakistan.

“I never knew a kid’s video could get that many views,” Elon added.

For Elon’s mother, the moment goes beyond the spotlight.

“These students are being raised to be leaders that are empathetic, have cultural understanding, and ultimately I hope see the humanity behind the headlines these days and become adults in the future that are gonna lead us to a more peaceful and brighter future,” said Sultana Qureshi.

In a world that can often feel divided, this school stands apart.

Leave it to kids to remind us that lifting each other up is something we can all reach for.

“It makes me feel proud that I’m in this school,” Charlie said.

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ cup coconut sugar

½ cup coconut milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ripe but firm bananas, cut in half lengthwise

¼ cup dark rum

coconut sorbet, for serving

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and add the coconut sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and begins to bubble, about 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and the vanilla extract. Stir until a caramel forms.

Place the bananas, cut-side down into the caramel sauce. Cook for 2 minutes until golden and caramelized. Gently flip and cook for another minute on the other side.

Remove the pan from direct heat. Pour the dark rum over the bananas. Either ignite the rum or let the alcohol burn off.

Serve immediately with coconut sorbet.

4 poblano peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and small diced

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup fresh cilantro with tender stems, chopped

grated vegan cheese for topping, if desired

Preheat the oven to Max Broil or 450˚F. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil until charred all over or bake until skin begins to char, should take a few minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Remove and place directly into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. When cooled slightly, gently remove the charred peel (if there is some left over it is fine) then carefully slice open lengthwise and remove seeds, keeping the pepper intact.

In a skillet over medium, heat the olive oil and cook the onion, red bell pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, black beans and spices. Season with a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir in the quinoa, lime juice, and the cilantro. Cook together for 2 minutes until everything is well combined.

Spoon a generous amount of filling into each roasted poblano. Place the poblanos back on the baking sheet. Place into a 400˚F oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. If you want to use vegan cheese, top the chilies with your desired amount and place back in the oven for just a couple of minutes to heat it up.

2 cans hearts of palm, drained and sliced into rounds

½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

3 Kirby cucumbers, diced small

1 celery rib, small diced

¼ red onion, sliced very thin

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 fresh tomato, seeded and diced

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 avocado, peeled and diced

For garnish and serving:

Cancha, fried until crispy or popcorn, optional

lettuce leaves, for serving

Combine the hearts of palm with all ingredients except for the avocado. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired. Stir in the avocado. Serve over lettuce leaves, if using, and top with crispy cancha or popcorn to garnish.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, instead promoting fossil fuels that he says are essential to American energy dominance. The Associated Press and Grist collaborated on a project to analyze how federal policy changes on energy are affecting farmers.

They found that two programs critical for renewable energy growth — a rural-focused initiative called REAP and a clean energy tax credit — have been sharply rolled back. In the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, they found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a single dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Grist and The Associated Press.

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Some takeaways from their reporting:

A longstanding renewable energy program is gutted

Through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. REAP has backed tens of thousands of renewable energy and efficiency projects, with grants totaling more than $1.8 billion, since it began nearly two decades ago.

The program was supercharged by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and had bipartisan support up until then.

But the Grist-AP analysis of USDA data found the program hasn't committed a single dollar in renewable energy development since September. It has never reopened REAP’s grant application cycle though it said it would do so last October. Its loan guarantee program — geared toward larger farm and rural business projects — has remained open, but the analysis found that the agency has awarded no new agreements this fiscal year.

And on March 31, the USDA announced a suspension of all REAP grant awards so it could update regulations to comply with a Trump executive order issued in July.

A USDA spokesperson said the suspension was temporary but didn't say for how long.

A tax credit begun under Bush is tightened, killing projects

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, enacted a 30% investment tax credit for large-scale clean energy projects, boosting the solar industry. The tax credit was extended for eight years under President Obama and later extended under Trump in 2020.

When President Joe Biden signed the 2022 landmark climate bill, the tax credit was extended again through 2032 or when specific emissions targets were reached. But under Trump’s tax bill passed by Congress last year, the timeline for getting credits was moved up. Now, commercial solar projects have to be under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027 to be eligible for the credit.

The Grist-AP analysis found at least 126 solar projects proposed since 2024 — all of them on or near farmland — are awaiting regulatory approval. Together the projects would supply about 20 gigawatts of renewable electricity, enough to power about 4.5 million homes.

Some developers are abandoning projects because they say they can't meet the deadlines.

What all this means for farmers

Daniel Bell, a Kentucky sheep farmer, is earning extra money by running his flock on land owned by a commercial solar operation. The sheep keep the grass down beneath solar arrays. With an expanding flock, now he needs a new barn, and he wanted to power it with rooftop solar — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively stopped the grants that would have made it possible on his own property.

Bell said for him it's an issue of the freedom to do what he wants in a way that lowers his bills.

Robert Bonnie, who was undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the USDA under the Biden administration, said the retreat from funding renewables will be felt throughout rural America. Part of the USDA’s role has been to invest in rural areas while making rural prosperity part of the climate agenda.

“In places like Iowa and Texas, renewables matter, not just for additional power, and lower power bills, and clean energy, but also matters for farmers’ pocketbooks,” said Bonnie. “Anything you do to pull back on that is hugely problematic.”

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This story has been corrected to show that new commercial solar projects can be eligible for a tax credit if they are under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027, not necessarily both.

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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.

“She returned to France this morning. This is a satisfaction for us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters during a visit to the southern city of Montpellier on Friday. Barrot said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards and are “not acceptable to us.”

Marie-Thérèse Ross entered the U.S. last June after marrying a retired U.S. soldier who had been stationed in her home country in the 1960s, court records show. But after her husband died of natural causes in January, a dispute arose over his estate. Ross' stepson — a U.S. federal employee — allegedly intervened to have her taken into immigration custody, an Alabama judge found.

Federal immigration agents detained Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She was then held at a detention facility in Louisiana as French officials expressed concern about her well-being.

Ross' son, Herve Goix, told The Associated Press that she had been in the process of applying for a green card when she was taken into custody.

“She’s very tired, she’s not very good, but it’s difficult for her,” Goix said. “We are very, very happy, but we are tired.”

Ross was not given the medication she needed while being held in the Louisiana detention facility, according to her attorney Kim Willingham.

“She does not feel she or other inmates are being treated well within the facility,” Willingham told the AP. “She did everything she was supposed to do with regard to obtaining her green card.”

Ross gave up her pension and moved to Alabama last year to marry William B. Ross, Calhoun County court records show. But after William B. Ross died without making estate plans, his two sons sought to take control of his modest assets totaling less than $190,000 in value, including the home in Anniston, Alabama, where Marie-Thérèse Ross resided.

The sons rerouted mail from the residence, leading their stepmother to miss an immigration-related appointment, Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley A. Millwood noted in a court order earlier this month. Millwood accused one son — a former Alabama State Trooper who now works as a federal employee — of using his position to prompt the detention of his stepmother days before a hearing over the estate.

Marie-Thérèse Ross was taken into custody in her nightgown and unable to bring her phone, passport and other identification with her, records show.

The stepson denied involvement in his stepmother's arrest in court, but Millwood said evidence indicated he knew in advance of the arrest and received a text message confirming it shortly afterward. His brother then arrived at the home to change the locks shortly after federal immigration agents removed their stepmother.

In an April 10 ruling, Millwood ordered the stepsons to allow Ross to retrieve her clothes, phone, documents and other possessions from her late husband's home.

Millwood also urged the federal government to investigate the circumstances of Ross' arrest “in light of the ongoing national events surrounding the distrust of federal law enforcement officers and the many investigations ongoing of corruption within our government.”

The office of attorney Megan Huizinga, who is representing the two stepsons in the estate dispute, declined to comment.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an emailed statement, the city of Anniston said its police department had “no involvement” in Ross’ arrest.

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Riddle reported from Anniston, AL. Brook reported from New Orleans.

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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.