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City of Fort Lauderdale recovers $612,000 after falling victim to $1.2 million fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

After losing $1.2 million, one South Florida city has recovered nearly half of its stolen funds. According to Fort Lauderdale officials, they’ve recovered more than $612,000 after a city employee was tricked in September into sending the money to a scammer that was pretending to work for Moss Construction, which was under contract to build the city’s new police headquarters.Mayor Dean Trantalis commented on the hard lessons he learned.“We have the systems in place that are going to be able to protect the community and not allow this to happen again,” he said. “And this is a message to all my friends in other cities, my mayors and city managers throughout the state. You know, we need to be more watchful.”The mayor also said he expects the full amount should be recovered by the end of the year.

Disney says DeSantis-appointed district is dragging feet in providing documents for lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World’s governing district made up of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees is dragging its feet in providing requested documents to Disney in a lawsuit over who has design and construction powers over the company’s sprawling theme park resort in central Florida, Disney said in court papers.Disney on Thursday accused the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District of “dodging its obligations” and asked a Florida judge to delay any decision on whether the case should proceed until the company gets documents and conducts depositions needed to argue against a summary judgement requested by the district.A hearing is scheduled for mid-December. Disney is seeking a delay of two and a half months.The district has “failed to produce a single document for nearly two months following Disney’s requests, broke commitments to agreed-upon deadlines, and remains in possession of discovery that Disney needs to develop its summary judgment opposition,” Disney sa...

Law enforcement swarms parts of Maine as manhunt for suspected Lewiston gunman continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Authorities scoured the woods and hundreds of acres of family-owned property, sent dive teams with sonar to the bottom of a river and scrutinized a possible suicide note Friday in the second day of their intensive search for an Army reservist accused of fatally shooting 18 people and wounding 13 at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine.All of the deceased have been identified, and they ranged in age from 14 to 76, according to a spokesperson for the state medical examiner’s office. Their names were not released.Nearly two days after the shooting, law enforcement officials gave no indication that they have any leads on Robert Card’s whereabouts. During a lengthy news conference absent of any major developments, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck would only say that authorities are leaving all their options open.“We’re going to be all over the place,” Sauschuck said. “That’s not saying that we know that the indivi...

Tributes pour in as community mourns people killed in Lewiston, Maine shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

LEWISTON, MAINE (WHDH) – Tributes are pouring in as family members and friends of the 18 people who were fatally shot during two mass killings in Maine this week mourn their loss.Investigators said 40-year-old Robert Card allegedly first targeted a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine before targeting a restaurant in town around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Officials said seven people were killed at the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation. Eight people died at the restaurant, Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three other people died after being taken to area hospitals. As Card remained at large Friday, authorities announced all 18 victims had been identified. Their ages ranged from 14 to 76. Joseph Walker was the manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille. His father said he died trying to stop the gunman after grabbing a knife from behind the bar.“He picked up a butcher’s knife and went after the gunman to try and stop him from other people,” Leroy Walker Sr. said. “...

Crews respond to construction accident in downtown Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

A construction accident injured two workers in Boston Friday afternoon, a witness said.Boston police said the accident happened at 750 Atlantic Avenue. SKY7-HD was over the scene, showing officials responding to the accident.The witness told 7News a metal beam fell and injured two workers on the roof of a garage that is under construction.No further information was immediately available.

The 2023 world cheese champion has been revealed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

(CNN) — A Norwegian blue cheese bested contenders from around the world Friday to become the world’s new No. 1 cheese.The cheese, Nidelven Blå from cheesemaker Gangstad Gårdsysteri, vied against the crème de la crème of the cheese world in Trondheim, Norway, in the world’s largest global cheese event.Organized by the Guild of Fine Food, the World Cheese Awards, now in its 35th edition, saw experts from across the globe join forces to crown this year’s champion.And 2023 marked a record-breaking year for the competition, with 4,502 cheeses, the highest number ever, arriving “by boat, truck, train and plane” to be judged by an esteemed panel of cheese experts.After a long day of deliberations, this year’s winner was finally chosen in front of a live audience by a carefully assembled “super jury,” including the Ambassador of Food Culture at Whole Foods Market in the US, after the entrants had been whittled down to a final 16.“We’re a small dairy farm based just two hours ...

Communities still sheltering in place amid Maine shootings manhunt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

LEWISTON, MAINE (WHDH) – A shelter-in-place order remained in effect for nearly 700 square-miles of Maine Friday as authorities continued efforts to locate 40-year-old Robert Card wanted in connection with the deadly mass shootings in Lewiston Wednesday. Authorities identified Card first as a person of interest and later as a suspect in the shootings. While law enforcement scoured the area for another day, residents continued to hunker down. Local officials provided updates. “We have literally hundreds of law enforcement personnel here in Maine looking for the suspect and trying to apprehend him and I trust that they will do so very soon,” said Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline. In downtown Lewiston, it was close to a ghost town Friday as businesses were closed and residents stayed home.On the other side of town, 7NEWS cameras captured dozens of trucks at a standstill, not being able to get into a distribution center. One driver said no one was working inside to receive the...

Retailers are overstating the impact of theft, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

New York (CNN) — Retailers say theft is exploding, and some data from retailers along with numerous videos of violent store robberies and looting seem to support the claim.But some retail analysts and researchers, bolstered by local crime statistics, say stores may be over-stating the extent and impact of theft. Why? It’s a useful deflection, camouflaging weak demand, mismanagement and other issues denting business right now. And it forces lawmakers to respond.Across the country, the “actual increase in rates of theft” at stores does not “correspond to the increase in company commentary and actions” on theft, according to a new report by retail analysts at William Blair. “Retailers are increasingly vocal on the subject, in part to draw out government action,” the analysts wrote.To be sure, theft is impacting retailers much more than it was before the pandemic. That’s because theft has also gotten more visible and more violent, retailers say, and has put empl...

Lucas: Watch out lawmakers! DiZoglio may get her audit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

Diana DiZoglio is on a roll.She is the state auditor who wants to take down the Massachusetts Legislature, and she is on her way to doing it.DiZoglio, a former legislator herself, is seeking clear authority from the voters to audit — or, as some fear, oversee — the workings of the House and Senate the way the auditor does other state agencies.Toward that end, she is halfway to gathering the 75,000 signatures of Massachusetts voters needed to get the issue on the 2024 ballot for voter ratification as she awaits a decision from Attorney General Andrea Campbell paving the way for her to sue the Legislature to comply.Either way it is all but certain that the question will not only be on the ballot, but, given the public’s general negative attitude toward the Legislature, it will surely pass.While most in Massachusetts speak well of their representative or senator, the same voters look much less kindly on the Legislature as a whole.Both House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Kare...

Meet the candidates in the Chula Vista City Attorney special election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:52 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Residents of Chula Vista will soon get to vote in a new city attorney after the unexpected death of the previous candidate elected left the position vacant.Three candidates are currently vying to fill the role initially won by the late Simon Silva, who passed from cancer during the November 2022 race after his name could be removed from the ballots. He beat his opponent by 756 votes.After Silva won, Chula Vista officials started planning for a special election, as the city charter requires. However, the move drew some controversy, given encouragement from local leaders to cast their ballot for Silva anyways despite his passing and the high price tag for the election.The last day for registered voter to cast a ballot in the upcoming special election will be on Nov. 7. A candidate will need to receive more than 50% of the vote to win outright. If none of the candidates meet the threshold, the top two vote-getters will move to a runoff election on Mar. 5 next yea...