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Family of Tamarac couple kidnapped in Haiti plea for release

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nikese Toussaint was at church, so she didn’t see the text message from her sister.All she knew at that point was that their brother and his wife, who live in the U.S., had landed safely in Haiti to visit ailing relatives and prepare for Rara, a colorful and boisterous festival born out of the dark days of slavery.It wasn’t until Toussaint got home and her sister followed up the unread text with a phone call that she learned her warnings had materialized: their brother, an accountant; his wife, a social worker; and another person were snatched off a public bus amid a surge in gang-related kidnappings.Toussaint took a deep breath. Not again, she thought.Seventeen years earlier, gangs had kidnapped two of her cousins in the capital of Port-au-Prince. They were eventually released but remain traumatized.This time, the gang that kidnapped her brother, wife and another person is demanding $200,000 — each.“How are we ever going to come up with that money?” Tou...

Surveillance video shows suspect stealing luxury cars from Southwest Ranches home

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

A life of luxury was short-lived for thieves who took off with cars worth nearly half a million dollars each. Two cars were stolen from a Southwest Ranches home, and the owners now want their cars back. A Rolls Royce Cullinan was captured on surveillance video being taken out of the home, Sunday. “One vehicle was stolen at about 1:30 a.m. and the second one at about 3 a.m.,” said Linda, a spokesperson for the victims. “That is a video of the Cullinan being backed out from the driveway.”Linda said that a red Tesla pulled up to one of the gates around 1:30 a.m.“We believe the red Tesla dropped off the perpetrators, they jumped the walls, stole one vehicle and then decided to come back an hour and a half later and take the second vehicle,” Linda said.At least one man jumped the home’s security wall, knew there were cameras, and at one point, was seen looking right at them. “There’s a concrete wall, there’s gates, there are sec...

Putin is trying to distract with fresh nuclear threat, Western officials say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

U.S. and European officials do not believe Vladimir Putin intends to transfer tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus anytime soon, according to three senior officials involved in diplomatic conversations about Moscow’s recent threat.Putin announced on Saturday that he planned to send the battlefield weapons across the border to store in a facility that is under construction and would be ready in July. If such a shipment happened, it would mark the first time Russia’s nuclear weapons have existed outside of the country since the 1990s.Putin did not clarify when he intended to send the weapons, but the Western officials said they do not have any evidence to suggest Putin is going to move forward with the shipments in the near future. The Russian president appears to have made the threat to try to rattle the Ukrainians and distract from the Kremlin’s losses on the battlefield, the officials said.The officials said they have not seen any indication — such as satellite imagery or other inte...

Eng Pledges “New Way Of Doing Business” At MBTA

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

Healey’s office announced Monday morning that it settled on Eng, who retired from the LIRR in February 2022 after four years at its helm in which the commuter rail system reported its best-ever on-time performance. The state will pay up for his services, as Eng could earn more than $500,000 per year.His appointment ends a months-long search process that began before Healey took the oath of office.“Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public’s trust,” Healey said in a statement. “He understands that a functioning transportation system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has a track record of taking the reins of struggling public transit systems and dramatically improving service. He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.”He is scheduled to start...

Water is trapped in glass beads on the moon’s surface, lunar samples show

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

(CNN) — Trillions of pounds of water may be strewn across the moon, trapped in tiny glass beads that could have formed when asteroids struck the lunar surface, according to a new study.The findings, laid out in a study published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, were pieced together by scientists in China who analyzed the first lunar soil samples to be returned to Earth since the 1970s.The research points to an answer for a question scientists have been pondering for years as they’ve attempted to pin down exactly how water is stored on the moon — especially in regions outside the lunar poles, where water ice may exist in greater abundance.Essentially, the study fills in some gaps in a theory about a lunar water cycle.“To sustain a water cycle at the surface of the Moon, there should be a hydrated layer (reservoir) at depth in lunar soils,” according to the study. “However, finding this water reservoir ...

Emma Heming Willis speaks out about finding community as a caregiver: ‘This journey can feel very dark’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

Emma Heming Willis is trying to raise awareness about her husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD.Heming Willis chatted live on Instagram with Susan Dickinson, the CEO of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, on Monday, where she talked about looking for support following the actor’s diagnosis.“I came [to you] with a need of community and you provided that,” Heming Willis said to Dickinson, adding that it’s become important to her “to be able to connect to other families that are on this journey.”In February, after Willis had retired from acting, his family shared he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed,” the Willis family said in a statement at the time. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the dise...

How to give or receive help after the Mississippi tornado

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

(CNN) — In the wake of the powerful tornado that killed dozens of people in the Mississippi delta, aid groups are on the ground assisting those in need. Here are ways you can help the relief effort, and also ways you can get help.Ways to give helpTeam Rubicon is on the ground in the devastated town of Rolling Fork, performing chainsaw operations to clear roads for residents and first responders. The group is also set up to help survivors clear trees, tarp roofs, and muck out debris inside homes.Devon Miller of Team Rubicon told CNN the group is looking for new volunteers. Although the team is led by military veterans, first responders and civilians can also sign up to volunteer.The Salvation Army (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division) has deployed their canteens to Rolling Fork, Amory, Silver City, and Winona, Mississippi. These mobile units distribute ready-to-eat meals and water to people in need.William Trueblood, Emergency Disaster Services Director for ...

Authorities give update following massive Scituate fire that destroyed multiple homes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

Officials commended first responders on Monday a matter of days after a large fire ripped through several homes in Scituate. Calls came in reporting the fire shortly before 8 p.m. Friday on Glades Road near Minot Beach. Five homes were eventually destroyed. Three others sustained damage. SKY7 was over Scituate Monday, showing piles of rubble left behind.“Everyone did a tremendous job,” Deputy Fire Chief Mark Donovan said Monday afternoon. “There was a lot of hard work. It was a long, long duration.” Donovan said light rain arrived toward the end of the night during the fire response. There was also wind. “That can take its toll on you as well,” Donovan said. Cell phone video previously showed flames and the massive response with crews from multiple area communities at the scene creating a glow in the night sky Friday night.Smoke in the area was also, at one point, heavy enough to register on radar.The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Monday.&n...

Robert Kraft: Lamar Jackson wants to be a Patriot

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

PHOENIX — Speaking Monday at the NFL owners meetings, Robert Kraft broke a whopper of a story that his rapper friend Meek Mill texted him last week.“(Mill) said Lamar Jackson wants to become a Patriot,” Kraft told a small group of reporters.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick again doesn’t commit to Mac Jones as Patriots’ starting quarterback New England Patriots | Josh McDaniels ‘excited’ to land ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers New England Patriots | Bill Belichick deflects questions on Bill O’Brien, Joe Judge and Patriots’ coaching changes New England Patriots | Bill Belichick offers 4-word explanation why should Patriots fans be optimistic New England Patriots | Broncos head coach Sean Payton nixes Jerry Jeudy trade talk Kraft’s response?“I said that’s Bill Belichick’s decision,” Kraft said, deferring to the Patri...

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown named Eastern Conference Player of the Week as strong stretch continues

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 23:22:23 GMT

Celtics star Jaylen Brown was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after leading Boston to an unbeaten stretch.Brown received the honor for the first time this season and third time in his career. He averaged 31.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during a 3-0 week for the Celtics in which they dominated the Kings, Pacers and Spurs. On Sunday, Brown had 41 points – his third 40-point game of the season – and 13 rebounds in the Celtics’ 44-point rout of San Antonio, in which they were missing Jayson Tatum.Brown’s recognition comes during a terrific stretch for the two-time All-Star, who’s averaging 32.1 points per game over his last seven and is continuing to make a strong case to be named to an All-NBA team for the first time in his career.“He’s the best shooting guard in the league,” Malcolm Brogdon said after Sunday’s win. “He’ll be All-NBA, he’ll make one of the teams this year. His game really speaks for itself. When J.T. is out, he’s the No. 1 o...