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‘They belong to us’: Several owners of stolen birds in SW Miami-Dade offering rewards for their safe return

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

Six beloved birds in Southwest Miami-Dade are missing after a bird thief carelessly stuffed them into a bag and took off running.The business’ camera footage captured the incident— just one in a string of crimes that Miami-Dade Police believe may be connected. “One of our workers was like ‘The birds are stolen, the birds are stolen.’ I was like ‘What?'” said Javier Almedo of Galloway Farm Nursery on 7790 Southwest 87th Avenue.The business reviewed surveillance video from July 6th that caught a man hopping the fence and then heading for two Amazon parrots.“Sticks his hand in and grabs him,” said Almedo, indicating what he saw on the footage. The bird bandit then ran away with the parrots, Jamie and Paco. Riki and Pepe are two other birds that have also gone missing.“We took the cage away because my wife and my kids were heartbroken,” said Eduardo Muñoz, owner of stolen birds. The Harlequin Macaw and Umbrella Cockatoo were ta...

Trump’s pretrial hearing in classified documents case ends with no immediate decision on trial date

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and prosecutors sparred in court Tuesday over when his landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents should begin, but the judge put off an immediate decision. Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a written order after the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where lawyers for Trump pressed for an indefinite delay of a trial date. Trump’s lawyers say they need more time to prepare for what they describe as a complex case with a huge amount of evidence to review. They also argue the former president can’t get a fair trial ahead of the 2024 election, in which he is seeking to reclaim the White House. Prosecutors have proposed that the trial begin in December, saying the case is not complex and there’s no need for a lengthy delay. Prosecutor David Harbach told the judge that Trum...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says list of critics meant to protect city workers, not intimidate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

Mayor Michelle Wu said she was not seeking to intimidate the people included on the list of critics she provided to the Boston Police Department.Rather, the list was made after “threats” and “explicit violence” committed by the included critics reached a tipping point at last year’s Dorchester Day Parade, and the city was forced to implement an entirely new safety plan for future public events, Wu told reporters on Tuesday.“This is really a matter of safety and having to protect the city workers who unfortunately like my family for over a year have been subject to situations that have crossed the line,” Wu said at an unrelated City Hall event.Wu dismissed the notions that her list was similar to the so-called enemies lists compiled by former President Richard Nixon with a laugh, stating, “I certainly wasn’t around then and have no sense that there’s any relevancy.”“The people who were on this list, that was in preparation for safety — safety prep for a parade,” Wu said. “The reality...

Photos: Extreme weather surges around the world

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

The first two weeks of July have seen a striking surge of wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, and drought across the globe. Tornadoes have hit Denver, Chicago and Boston, while five people – including two children – died after being swept away by flash flooding in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke cities in the Northeast, while a massive swath of states in the southern half of the country remain under heat warnings.The extreme weather is not isolated to the U.S. Much of Europe has been afflicted by a heat wave named Cerberus, the multi-headed dog that guards the underworld of Greek myth. Spain, Switzerland, Lebanon, and Greece are also battling wildfires. India, Pakistan, and Japan have been hit by devastating floods and landslides, and people are being forced to ration water due to a drought in Costa Rica.PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 16: In an aerial view, a billboard displays the temperature that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit ...

Trevor Gott feels his pitch command ‘is the best’ it has been in his career

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

Trevor Gott’s career trajectory started fast, plateaued even faster and has gone up and down a few times since. The right-hander might be in a good spot now — so good the Mets were willing to take on the salary of another pitcher to get him in a trade with the Seattle Mariners — but it was only two years ago that he was in Triple-A, trying to figure out how to use all of his pitches effectively again.Gott came to the Mets in a trade with the Mariners right before the Mets went on a six-game winning streak a few weeks ago. With the club desperately trying to get back into the Wild Card race, some bullpen bolstering was badly needed. He checked all of the boxes for the Mets with five pitches that he could command.“I feel like my command is the best it’s been in my career with all of my pitches,” Gott told the Daily News.It wasn’t always this way. It took an entire year in Triple-A to figure out how to do that again.Less than two years after th...

Colorado teen accused of trying to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

By COLLEEN SLEVIN (Associated Press)DENVER (AP) — An 18-year-old from suburban Denver who allegedly planned to go to Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group was arrested last week as he tried to board a flight to Turkey.Davin Daniel Meyer of Castle Rock, who was arrested Friday, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado announced late Monday.Meyer’s lawyer did not immediately return a telephone message or email seeking comment. According to his arrest affidavit, law enforcement began investigating him in June 2022 when someone who knew him contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The person said they were concerned because, after following white supremacist ideology, Meyer, then 17, had turned to Islam and was frequently watching and listening to “radical Islamic sermons online.” The FBI was notified by the sheriff’s office, it ...

Orioles introduce first-round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr., adding another young talent to ‘healthy’ organization

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

In the wake of his lowest top draft pick as Orioles general manager, Mike Elias quipped that the organization’s continual promotions of its top prospects would soon begin to hamper its status as the majors’ top-ranked farm system.But Tuesday, as he and the Orioles officially introduced the player chosen with that No. 17 selection — Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. — Elias said he believes Baltimore could meld that recognition with its rise at the major league level.“I’ve used the word ‘healthy’ a lot, but to me, that’s how I would describe the state of the Orioles organization right now,” Elias said. “We’ve got a young, talented major league team that’s not going anywhere, and then we’ve got a historically good group in the minor leagues that’s coming and now, we’ve got guys like [Bradfield].“We want to keep picking down here. That’s the goal. Hopefully, we’re...

US soldier who fled to North Korea was facing disciplinary action after time in South Korean prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, KIM TONG-HYUNG, TARA COPP and LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier facing military disciplinary actions fled across the heavily armed border from South Korea into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.Two U.S. officials said the soldier detained was Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King, who had just been released from a South Korean prison where he’d been held on assault charges and was facing additional military disciplinary actions in the United States.King, who’s in his early 20s, was escorted to the airport to be returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, but instead of getting on the plane he left and joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom, where he ran across the border. At a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did not name King, but confirmed that a U.S. service member was likely now in North Korean...

Damian Lillard trade to Miami is complicated, even for third-party Nets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

The Miami Heat alone do not have the assets to pull off a Damian Lillard trade.No matter how many times you try in the NBA Trade Machine, there’s no straight-up deal that sends Lillard from Portland to Miami that results in an acceptable haul for the Trail Blazers.It’s not because Tyler Herro isn’t a talented basketball player. The former Sixth Man of the Year is coming off a respectable second consecutive season averaging 20 or more points per game.Portland’s backcourt, however, is already accounted for in No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson and emerging scoring guard Anfernee Simons.The Trail Blazers simply do not need Herro, even more so considering Shaedon Sharpe’s emergence as a legitimate NBA starter.Portland is not trading the most important player in its franchise’s history in a deal that doesn’t make basketball sense — even more so when you consider Miami only owns two tradable first-round picks, and their next-most attractive ...

Virginia finalizes guidance on transgender students, including rolling back some accommodations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:34:25 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration said Tuesday that it has finalized new policies on the treatment of transgender students, guidance that will direct school districts to roll back some current accommodations and increase parental notification requirements about certain discussions involving gender identity. Youngkin said the guidelines, which have been sharply criticized by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups since they were first unveiled last year, will empower parents while prohibiting discrimination and creating a safe learning environment. “This is about doing what’s best for the child,” Youngkin said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And oh, by the way, also recognizing that we need to ensure the privacy and dignity and respect of all children and all parents in the school system. And that’s what I think we have … very carefully constructed here.” The Republican governor’s administration first advanced the proposed changes in Sep...