Military places restive areas of Myanmar under martial law
Martial law has been declared in several areas of military-run Myanmar, a day after authorities announced that a state of emergency has been extended throughout the country, which is wracked by violence that some U.N. experts have described as a civil war.
Study: Vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others
In another big setback for the nation’s efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots.
Usan mosquitos transgénicos contra enfermedades en Florida
El Distrito de Control de Mosquitos de los Cayos de Florida y la compañía biotecnológica Oxitec anunciaron el jueves que esta semana se están colocando cajas de liberación, cajas de no liberación y cajas de control de calidad con malla en seis sitios: dos en Cudjoe Key, uno en Ramrod Key y tres en Vaca Key.
Reversing Trump, Pentagon releases new transgender policies
Stephanie Miller, director of ascension policy at the Pentagon, left, speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – The Pentagon on Wednesday swept away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military, issuing new rules that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin then gave the Pentagon two months to finalize the more detailed regulations that the military services will follow. AdMiller also said that medical costs associated with treatment and gender transition is very small, “a handful of million dollars per year." Four of the military service chiefs told Congress in 2018 that they had seen no discipline, morale or unit readiness problems with transgender troops serving openly in the military.
Alabama, Georgia pick up the pieces after deadly tornadoes
Officials found “heavy, heavy damage” in parts of the city’s historic district, Newnan Fire Chief Stephen Brown told a news conference. One of the victims in the hard-hit town of Ohatchee, a small community of about 1,170 people in eastern Alabama, was Dwight Jennings' neighbor. AdBad weather wasn't limited to Georgia and Alabama. ___Chandler reported from Shelby County, Alabama. Associated Press journalists Kevin McGill in New Orleans; Desiree Mathurin in Atlanta; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Butch Dill in Ohatchee, Alabama; and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, contributed to this report.
Funcionarios de Estados Unidos y México hablarán de migración
Mexican immigration agents stop people who crossed the Suchiate River, the natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, to see their identification documents near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Monday, March 22, 2021. Agents are forcing those with permission to enter Mexico for work or a visit to use the official border crossing bridge, and those who do not are being returned toGuatemala, as they enforce new limits on all but essential travel at its shared border with Guatemala. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
US officials to hold talks in Mexico on migration
Mexican immigration agents stop people who crossed the Suchiate River, the natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, to see their identification documents as they enforce limits on all but essential travel near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Monday, March 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)MEXICO CITY – Mexico announced Monday that several top U.S. advisers on border and immigration issues will meet with Mexican officials on Tuesday to discuss migration and development in Central America. The talks come as a surge of migrants has hit the U.S. southern border. AdU.S. border patrol officials had encountered more than 29,000 unaccompanied minors since Oct. 1, nearly the same number of youths taken into custody for all of the previous budget year, according to administration officials. Officials say migrant traffickers are encouraging people to make the trip by claiming the U.S. border is open to migrants, while Biden administration officials have stressed that the border is not open.
Rescuers save 2 from pickup dangling over deep Idaho gorge
(Idaho State Police via AP)BOISE, Idaho – Authorities say a set of camp trailer safety chains and quick, careful work by emergency crews saved two people after their pickup truck plunged off a bridge, leaving them dangling above a deep gorge in southern Idaho. Idaho State Police responded to the accident at about 2:45 p.m. Monday, said ISP spokeswoman Lynn Hightower. A trooper found a man and a woman inside the pickup truck that was dangling, nose-down, off the side of the bridge spanning the Malad Gorge. The gorge is narrow but is roughly 100 feet (30.48 meters) deep below the bridge, roughly the height of a 10-story building. The gorge reaches about 250 feet (76.20 meters) deep at its deepest point.
Fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, CDC says
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)NEW YORK – Fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from federal health officials. The CDC is continuing to recommend that fully vaccinated people still wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public. Officials say a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. About 31 million Americans — or only about 9% of the U.S. population — have been fully vaccinated with a federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to the CDC. The CDC guidance did not speak to people who may have gained some level of immunity from being infected, and recovering from, the coronavirus.
There’s a runaway goat in Tampa — no, it’s not Tom Brady
The Florida Highway Patrol is alerting people in the Tampa area to be on the lookout for a runaway goat. But the agency is being extra careful to let people know they’re not talking about Tom Brady. Hillsborough: Use caution in the area of WB I-4 at US-301 as Troopers and @HCSOSheriff units are trying to apprehend a runaway GOAT (not @TomBrady). pic.twitter.com/0HqZYKqkQA — FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) February 22, 2021Of course, Brady is the undisputed G.O.A.T. We’re not sure how well Tom would fare as a runaway goat anyway, given that scrambling from the pocket has never been his strong suit, plus the way he wobbled off the Bucs’ championship boat parade.
M&T Bank buying People's United in $7.6B all-stock deal
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)M&T Bank Corp. is buying People’s United Financial Inc. in an all-stock deal valued at about $7.6 billion. People’s United shareholders will receive 0.118 of a share of M&T common stock for each share they own. M&T had been active in acquisitions, but People's United would be the first major deal in almost six years. People’s headquarters in Bridgeport, Connecticut will serve as the New England regional headquarters for M&T. AdShares of People's United rose 8.4% before the market open Monday.
'I put my life on hold:' Disability groups plead for vaccine
People with disabilities have been pushed down the priority list in places like North Carolina and California, where the state reversed course after days of public pressure. With vaccine supplies limited and the rollout shaky in much of the United States, getting a shot is difficult. Groups like older people and essential workers are in dire need of the vaccine and state health departments say their plans are aimed at making the most of limited supplies. AdPeople with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often immunocompromised, putting them at greater risk for complications if they get sick. In Tennessee, officials said data showed people with those disabilities had a death rate three times higher than the general population, and put them higher on the priority list.
Coast Guard says flags, cross alerted them to woman, 2 men on uninhabited island for 33 days
MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard found a woman and two men stranded on an uninhabited Bahamian island, between Key West and Cuba. According to a news release from the Coast Guard, a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry first spotted the trio waving a makeshift flag while they were on routine patrol Monday. The aircrew dropped them food, water and a radio so they could speak with them while a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 helicopter crew was deployed to the scene. Coast Guard pilot spots castaways who had been stranded on an uninhabited island for 33 days. An Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew has dropped a radio, food and water.
Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park will require appointments for vaccines again
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The opportunity to get a coronavirus vaccine without an appointment at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale was short-lived. “All others coming to Holiday Park for vaccination will not be served.”Long lines of cars filled Holiday Park on Friday, where seniors 65 and older were willing to wait hours for a COVID-19 vaccine, but not everybody was getting a shot. On Thursday we reported that Holiday Park was allowing people to get vaccinated even without an appointment, a decision made after the Broward health department’s website for those reservations crashed. To me, it’s a complete disaster.”Kedersha says he’s “thoroughly disgusted and I’m not driving that far anymore without an appointment.”And here’s another problem: We learned Friday that some people do have appointments for Holiday Park and they were worried what would happen to them. Days later, she was told by text message that her appointment had been moved to Holiday Park.
Several people injured, one person missing following boat crash near Crandon Marina
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Several people were injured, and a man is missing after a boat crash in Miami-Dade County. According to Miami Fire Rescue, there were four patients who needed medical attention following the collision that included two boats. Rescue workers transport several people who were injured in a boat crash near Crandon Marina. (WPLG)Authorities said the boat collision happened around 7 p.m. Monday near Bear Cut Bridge, not far from Crandon Marina. Seven people were on one boat, including the man who remains missing, and one person was on the second boat.
Some South Florida establishments allowing large crowds with limited social distancing, mask wearing
“It really is not as bad as the video looks,” said Emi Guerra, co-owner of The Wharf Miami. “People do wear masks. If you look at that video, specifically the people who don’t wear masks all had a drink in their hand.”Guerra says The Wharf just reopened in mid-November after initially closing due to COVID-19. “We operate at a 50% capacity even though we’re allowed to operate at 100% capacity,” Guerra said. “We don’t want to be draconian; we don’t want to be excessive,” said City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Police ID man killed in shooting at Opa-locka auto body shop
OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – Jose E. Alvarez Martinez, 47, was the man killed Monday afternoon in a shooting outside an auto body shop in Opa-locka, authorities say. Martinez was taken by helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he died from his injuries. Another man shot was taken by ambulance to Aventura Medical Center. The boss said the second man shot worked at a car shop nearby and was hit in the leg. If a tip leads to an arrest, you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
Detectives continue investigation into 2 deaths at mansion in Kendall
KENDALL, Fla. – Detectives are investigating how a man and a woman ended up dead on Tuesday inside a mansion in Kendall. Neighbors like David Martinez said they had complained about the houseguests’ disruptive parties and how the characterization of the mansion as a short-term rental was threatening the quiet family-friendly neighborhood. “We knew something was going to happen.”Rodriguez did not say if the two people dead were related to the property owners' short-term rental activities. It’s listed on short-term rental sites as a five-bedroom “Lake House Villa” with a capacity for 10 to 14 guests at about $870 per night. A crime scene investigations' van is parked in front of a home where two people were found dead on Tuesday in Kendall.
Biden's beach hideaway has political sun shining on Rehoboth
People enjoy the boardwalk, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, in Rehoboth Beach, Del. This resort town known for Atlantic waves that are sometimes surfable, fresh-cut French fries and a 1-mile wooden boardwalk that dates back to the 1870s has long prided itself on being the Nation's Summer Capital. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Three go on trial for deadly 2017 Barcelona terror attacks
MADRID – Three people went on trial Tuesday for their alleged roles in terror attacks around Barcelona that killed 16 people and injured 140 others in 2017. The six people who carried out the attacks were later shot and killed by police. Later, several members of the cell carried out a similar vehicle attack in the nearby resort town of Cambrils before they were shot dead by police. Houli Chemlal told authorities after his arrest that he had been told what to say during the video and that he did not agree with what they did. Houli Chemlal was injured in the blast.
New White House task force report warns of new coronavirus surge in Florida
MIAMI – In a new report, the White House Coronavirus Task Force warned 70% of the counties in Florida are displaying moderate to high levels of community spread. Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert with Florida International University, said she is worried about people who might be getting complacent. All rights reserved)Wednesday was the fourth consecutive day that the Florida Department of Health reported more than 4,000 new coronavirus cases. The new task force report also notes there have also been increases in hospitalizations. Marty said South Florida residents need to remember it is still important to wear face masks, hand wash frequently and practice social distancing.
The business of beauty gets a boost during pandemic
DAVIE, Fla. – In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the business of beauty is booming. Dermatologist Lesley Clark-Loeser said that while people may not be meeting face-to-face, they still want to look their best in virtual visits which can create a ‘less-than-flattering’ appearance. “So we’re seeing new patients and repeat patients coming in for things like Botox to relax the lines and fillers like Restylene and Juvederm to soften wrinkles but also we’re seeing some patients come in for energy-based devices like lasers and they can do these procedures now, they’re finding them doable, because they have some discretionary income that they may have been using for other things in the past and now they’re shifting that allocation to self-care,” she said. She said another beauty benefit of social distancing is that people are having more downtime at home to recover from procedures and mask mandates allow them to ‘hide’ their faces from signs of treatment.
Four people, including baby girl, shot in Miami home
MIAMI – Four people, including a baby girl, were shot while inside a Miami home late Thursday night, and police are searching for whoever pulled the trigger. One of the victims, identified by family as 21-year-old Antoine Walker, was found dead at the scene. Miami police say they received a ShotSpotter alert of several rounds fired in the area of Northwest 18th Avenue and 50th Street at about 11:50 p.m. Thursday. Bullet holes are tattooed on the walls and windows of the home the victims were in. It just went on and on and on,” said a woman who lives in the neighborhood.
Did you meet your significant other and fall in love during the pandemic? We want to hear your story
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: It’s ... been quite a year. But we all know, too, that there has been plenty of good that’s come out of this year. That includes all the people who have found love. Author’s note: As someone who is married, the dating scene doesn’t cross my mind a lot, but I’ve wondered: How do people meet others, romantically, during such a strange time? If you’ve gone through this during a pandemic, I’d love to hear your story, if you’re willing to share.
Driver leaves 2 pedestrians injured in Davie
DAVIE, Fla. – Two people were injured after a driver ran them over on Friday night in Davie, police said. Kelvin Urbaez, a spokesman for the Davie Police Department, said officers were investigating the crash at 4100 Davie Rd. The officers closed Davie Road during the investigation.
How long could I be contagious before a positive virus test?
How long could I be contagious before a positive virus test? Studies have shown that people may be contagious for about two days before developing COVID-19 symptoms. But there’s a more complicated part to this question: What if someone knows they were exposed but their virus test comes back negative -- could they still be contagious? A negative test within less than seven days after exposure "is a very, very poor indicator of whether you have virus on board,” said Dr. Alan Wells of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A negative test between seven and 10 days of exposure is a better indicator, Wells said, but even then some people might not test positive until later.