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Florida law restricting transgender adult care can be enforced while challenged in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A new Florida law restricting health care for transgender people can still be applied to adults while it is being challenged in court, a federal judge ruled Monday.Judge Robert Hinkle, who previously blocked the law’s enforcement on behalf of minors, ruled that adults seeking to expand his injunction haven’t proven they would be irreparably harmed until the case is resolved.The law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in May bans any transgender treatment for minors and requires transgender adults give consent to treatment in person and with a physician present. Advocates say that is a problem because much of the care is prescribed by nurse practitioners and/or through telehealth – and that it’s too hard for many patients to get or get to in-person appointments with physicians.Florida is one of 22 states to adopt a law in the last few years banning gender-affirming care for children. But unlike others, the one signed by DeSantis, a candidate fo...

Ex-NFL receiver Mike Williams dies 2 weeks after being injured in construction accident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL receiver Mike Williams, who was injured in a construction accident two weeks ago and later put on a ventilator, died Tuesday, his agent said. He was 36.Williams, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills from 2010-14, died at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, agent Hadley Engelhard said.Williams was injured at a construction site in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, and removed from life support on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The newspaper quoted the mother of Williams’ 8-year-old daughter as saying he was partially paralyzed in the accident.https://twitter.com/Buccaneers/status/1701642178622075297Williams was a fourth-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2010 following a standout college career at Syracuse. He had 65 receptions for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie and started 52 of the 54 games he appeared in over four seasons with Tampa Bay.The native of Buffalo wa...

Flooding devastates businesses in downtown Leominster, causes part of marketplace to collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

Flood waters that washed out roadways and left cars dangling from pavement in Leominster also did a number on multiple downtown businesses, causing at least part of a building to collapse while flooding out others.The Tilton & Cook Market Place off of Spruce Street suffered not only extensive water damage, but saw its windows taken out and a docking bay door ripped off after the neighboring Monoosnoc Brook overflowed, sending water through the building.“It’s just an absolute mess – just everything is flooded through the hallways, just all of the stuff from all the units that they have in there are just completely destroyed,” one person who had their business flooded told 7NEWS.The waters also caused the ground to buckle, causing part of the building to collapse and take down a section of roof down with it. Bricks could also be seen dangling in the air beside collapsed walls and exposed flea market merchandise.“People’s product everywhere ̵...

Column: All eyes are on manager David Ross in the Chicago Cubs’ stretch run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

For a guy who participated in “Dancing With the Stars,” Chicago Cubs manager David Ross has no real feel for Hollywood endings.Making his major-league debut off the bench Monday night at Coors Field in Colorado, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong came to the plate with a runner on first and no outs in the ninth inning, after the Cubs had taken a one-run lead over the Rockies.Cubs fans, who could recall Willson Contreras and Christopher Morel homering in their first major-league at-bats, were hoping for some similar heroics from the most hyped rookie since Kris Bryant, hitting in the hitter-friendly ballpark.Then Crow-Armstrong laid down a sacrifice bunt. The Cubs failed to score an insurance run but escaped with a one-run win. Crow-Armstrong would have to wait another day to show us what the hype is all about. Ross presumably slept well.These final 17 games will be about whether the Cubs can avoid the agitating offensive shutdowns that have cropped up from time to time, in...

Lightning struck: Apple shifts to USB-C with iPhone 15

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

CUPERTINO, Calif.  — Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPhones and announced it will drop its proprietary Lightning charger port for the more widely used USB-C in the new model and going ahead.In addition, the line up boasts better cameras, faster processors, and a price hike for the fanciest model.The showcase at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., comes as the company tries to reverse a mild slump that has seen its sales drop from last year in three consecutive quarters. The malaise is a key reason Apple’s stock price has dipped by nearly 10% since mid-July, dropping the company’s market value below the $3 trillion threshold it reached for the first time earlier this summer.Investors apparently were not impressed with what Apple rolled out Tuesday. The company’s shares were down by nearly 2% during afternoon trading.As has been case with Apple and other smartphone makers, the four types of iPhone 15 models aren’t making any major...

Speaker McCarthy directs the House to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he is directing the House to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the 2024 election.McCarthy said that House investigations so far “paint a picture of a culture of corruption” around the Biden family as Republicans probe the business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, from before the Democratic president took office. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption, and they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said outside the speaker’s office at the Capitol.McCarthy said that’s why he was directing the House led by the Oversight Committee “to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.”The announcement comes as the Republican ...

More than 5,300 are feared dead, thousands more are missing as eastern Libya is devastated by floods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

By SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)CAIRO (AP) — Emergency workers uncovered more than 1,500 bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and it was feared the toll could spiral with 10,000 people reported still missing after floodwaters smashed through dams and washed away entire neighborhoods of the city.The death toll in Derna alone has exceeded 5,300, the state-run news agency quoted Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesman for the east Libya interior ministry, as saying Tuesday. Derna’s ambulance authority earlier put the toll at 2,300. The startling death and devastation wreaked by Mediterranean storm Daniel pointed to the storm’s intensity, but also the vulnerability of a nation torn apart by chaos for more than a decade. The country is divided by rival governments, one in the east, the other in the west, and the result has been neglect of infrastructure in many areas.Outside help was only just starting to reach Derna on Tuesday, more than...

Board of Supervisors unanimously pass county child-care pilot program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new pilot program on Tuesday that aims to address the county's child care crisis.The program, which was introduced Monday ahead of the board meeting, focuses on increasing access to the service by supporting providers through funding for licensing and training. It would also help develop new centers in "service deserts," according to the proposal.For county workers, the pilot program will also introduce a new emergency "flex" system, allowing them up to three paid days off in case they cannot get child care on any given day. Housing costs are nearly half of new San Diego teachers’ salaries: report These initiatives would be funded by half of the the $2 million the county received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act for child-care purposes.County Supervisors Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Chairwoman Nora Vargas proposed the pilot program to help combat what they describe as a dire crisis facing the San Diego regi...

VIDEO: Dolphins swim through bioluminescent waters in Orange County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

(KSWB) -- Bioluminescent waves continue to stun along the Southern California coastline, drawing dozens out to the beach at night in an attempt to spot the electric blue spectacle.However, passengers on a Newport Beach boat got a special treat Monday night, as they caught a rare glimpse of dolphins swimming through the glowing waters. A video of the dolphins can be found in the player above.The iridescent waves are connected with a phenomenon called a "red tide," according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. What’s causing California’s ocean waves to glow? A red tide describes a build-up or bloom of microscopic organisms that are similar to plankton. These organisms are called Lingulodinium polyedra.By day, these organisms display a reddish-brown color, creating an intensified red color in the water, hence the name "red tide." By night, waves -- or other things moving in the water like a dolphin -- agitate the plankton, prompting a chemical reaction that causes them to e...

How San Diego's 'kissing statue' became a fixture on the downtown waterfront

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:35 GMT

SAN DIEGO – Whether you’re from here or just visiting, San Diego’s eye-catching statue replicating the iconic World War II-era photograph of a lip-locked sailor and a nurse is something everyone knows.The 25-foot installation – known as “Embracing Peace” – is one of the most recognizable ornaments of the San Diego bayfront, placed right next to the USS Midway. Hundreds of people visit the spot every day -- many stopping by just to snap a picture recreating in the pose.“There is (likely) no more photographed spot,” said Allan Tait, program manager for the Parks and Recreation Department. “It’s iconic, because it’s (this) colossal sculpture … It’s become recognizable with San Diego.”With its nearly two decade-long presence at the Embarcadero, many locals at one point or another might have wondered how the sculpture depicting a famous moment that took place in New York City become an enduring emblem of America's Finest City. How artists transformed the Spanish Village in Balboa Park...