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Justice Department tells Texas that floating barrier on Rio Grande raises humanitarian concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Justice Department has told Texas that a floating barrier of wrecking ball-sized buoys the state put on the Rio Grande violates federal law and raises humanitarian concerns for migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. President Joe Biden’s administration told Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that the barrier installed this month near the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, was “unlawful” in a letter dated Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press. “The floating barrier poses a risk to navigation, as well as public safety, in the Rio Grande River, and it presents humanitarian concerns,” reads the letter, which also informs the state that the Justice Department intends to sue if the barriers are not removed. Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but on Twitter, the governor wrote that Texas was acting within its rights. “Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border,” Abbott tweeted. The buoys are the latest esc...

Wheelchair pioneers Ester Vergeer, Rick Draney to be inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

Esther Vergeer had few role models in wheelchair tennis and limited opportunities when she took up the sport.Those aren’t problems any more, and she’s a big reason why.“That was also what I liked about my career, is that I know I was the one that pioneered. I was the one that could explore it all. And I was the one that needed to figure out what the pathway was,” Vergeer said in a telephone interview as she prepared for her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “That was also the fun part.”Vergeer will be added to the Newport, Rhode Island, shrine on Saturday along with American Rick Draney, who won 12 singles titles and six in doubles before the Grand Slam era of wheelchair tennis. Draney has been credited with bringing quad tennis – a classification that accounts for impairment in the arms as well – to the Paralympics and other top tournaments.A 21-time Grand Slam singles champion and seven-time Paralympic gold medalist, Vergeer began her career in an e...

Fleetwood keeps alive home hopes at British Open as nearest challenger to Harman

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Tommy Fleetwood is back in the final pairing at a major championship, this time in his home country and about 45 minutes from where he grew up.The last time was at the British Open in 2019, when Fleetwood tried — and failed — to spoil home favorite Shane Lowry’s party on Sunday at Royal Portrush.Now Fleetwood’s the guy the crowd will be going wild for on Saturday at Royal Liverpool, which is just down the coast from his home town of Southport. Just like four years ago, he’ll have to do the chasing to claim the claret jug and win his first major title.Fleetwood scrambled down the stretch to shoot an even-par 71 in the second round on Friday and get into the last group alongside Brian Harman, who has a five-stroke lead — the largest after 36 holes at the Open since 2010.The 32-year-old Englishman still fancies his chances.“At the end of the day, if somebody said you’re going out in the last group on Saturday, I don’t care what the situation was or what anybody ...

Pac-12 commissioner confident conference will flourish even after USC, UCLA leave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — George Kliavkoff was one day short of his one-year anniversary as the Pac-12 Conference commissioner, finally on the second day of his first vacation when he got the shocking news that USC and UCLA were leaving for the Big Ten.He was driving from Montana to Idaho, but was unaware of the 90 text messages populating his cellphone because there was no reception in that area.Kliavkoff quickly cut his vacation short, flying back to Las Vegas the following day to tackle a topic that more than a year later continues to shape the Pac-12’s future. The two schools in the nation’s second-largest metropolitan area officially depart next year, and the Pac-12 is still trying to cope with that in putting together a new media-rights deal while also considering potential expansion.Through it all, Kliavkoff maintained a sunny outlook at Friday’s conference football media day. He said a media-right’s package will be announced “in the near future” and that he wa...

Daughter, 2 others sentenced for role in 81-year-old man's murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Three people were sentenced for their role in the murder of 81-year-old Gail Wilson, one of them being his adopted daughter, Savannah Wilson.  On July 14, Wilson's boyfriend, Ricardo Perez, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 12 years, according to the district attorney’s press release.  Gail Wilson ‘finished off’ by daughter’s boyfriend, according to arrest documents Perez’s accomplices, Wilson and Jay Griffith, pled guilty to accessory to a crime and concealing death. In return for their cooperation and testimony, their sentences were much lighter.  Griffith spent 611 days in custody and received five years of probation along with substance abuse and mental health evaluation.  After 445 days in custody, Wilson received seven years of probation with substance abuse and mental health evaluations. While the family offered forgiveness in court during Griffith’s sentencing, it did not extend its support for Wilson.  One...

Suspects steal garage door openers to enter houses in Lone Tree 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Over the last few weeks, Lone Tree and nearby communities are experiencing a higher volume of thefts from cars during the early morning, according to a Lone Tree Police Department update.  Several people in Douglas and Arapahoe County reported suspects using garage door openers inside vehicles to access garages and homes.   Armed thieves enter garages, steal cars from several neighborhoods This isn't the first time Lone Tree has been targeted. In February, deputies were searching for suspects who broke into 20 cars in one night. The problem stretches further than Lone Tree. In May, FOX31 determined that nearly half of Denver's crime this year is vehicle-related. As of two months ago, stealing a car was the most common crime in 2023.And it's not a new problem. In 2021, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority task force released the top ten stolen vehicles in 2021 in the metro area. With the top being a Chevrolet Silverado (1,501 total ...

Officer who saved autistic child from drowning in Miami River speaks out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

A Miami Police officer who saved a drowning autistic child from a river in Miami is speaking out after being hailed a hero. Bodycam video released Thursday showed the aftermath of the officer’s quick thinking. On Friday, Officer Ernesto Fernandez was emotional when he recounted his heroic rescue because he related to the situation. The child he rescued is on the autism spectrum, and Fernandez knew exactly how to handle the situation because his son is also on the spectrum. Fernandez was about to be off the clock and was already on his route home when he noticed the young boy running by his patrol car with no shoes on in Allapattah, along the river.“I asked him, ‘Where’s Mami? What are you doing here by yourself?'” Fernandez said. “He didn’t say anything to me. He continued to run but he started running even faster.”Fernandez knew something wasn’t right. He got out of his car and went after the child.“When I started running...

South Florida woman starts nonprofit that renovates bedrooms of children with autism into sensory-safe, calming environments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

For children with autism, life can be full of over-stimulation and frightening situations. 7’s Karen Hensel shines the spotlight on an organization dedicated to giving them safe spaces right in their own homes.It may look like this is the work of an interior designer.Tehila Hecht, CEO of Safe Sensory Room: “We’ve made nice recessed lighting that, they can change colors and make it red, blue.”But Tehila Hecht is actually a physical therapist.. She creates safe spaces for special needs children.The idea came to her after treating a child with autism who was having a tantrum.Tehila Hecht: “So I sat him on my lap, tried to calm him down, and he flung into me, and I blacked out for a moment. And I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I wish the therapy room would be padded.'”Tehila also thought many parents would like the same thing, so she came up with the Safe Sensory Room Foundation.It’s an organization that provides free sensory rooms for families of ch...

Pilot of plane that crashed at Martha’s Vineyard airport has died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

The pilot whose single-engine plane crash landed at the airport on Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend has died, the DA’s office announced Friday.Randolph Bonnist, 79, died Thursday at the hospital after suffering from a medical emergency while piloting a plane on Saturday. His wife Robin Bonnist the only other occupant, was forced to take over the controls and land the plane on its belly with no landing gear.Robin was uninjured, and Randolph was transported to Boston Medical Center. The Cape & Islands DA’s office said no foul play is suspected, and representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

Police seek public’s help after dogs found abandoned, tied to fence in Chelsea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:53 GMT

Police in Chelsea asked for the public’s help Friday after two dogs were left tied to a fence in the area of Broadway and Crescent Avenue. Police said officers were sent to the area on Thursday. The dogs were later given water before being taken to a secure facility. “Both dogs appeared to be in good health and somewhat apprehensive to be around unknown people but never displayed any aggression,” police said.Police said the dogs appear to be a pitbull breed.Chelsea police have asked anyone with information to contact the city’s animal control officer at 617-466-4800.The animal control officer was following up on the situation on Friday as police hope to find the person or people who left the dogs behind.“Should we locate anyone that we feel purposely abandoned these dogs subjecting them to potential harm, we will of course charge them accordingly,” police said.Speaking with 7NEWS, Police Captain David Betz said there are better options for people struggling to care for the...