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FIU graduate recognized for accomplishments, career goals as blind student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

A college graduate from Florida International University celebrated some outstanding achievements. Students from Florida International University accepted their diplomas during a commencement ceremony on Tuesday and among them was Florela Francois.Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, and a master’s degree in social work, Francois is blind.Her goal is to provide therapy for people with disabilities, who she feels are under-represented.“In the field especially, they don’t really advocate for people with disabilities, and I kind of want to make a difference for this population.”Florela said she hopes to start working soon and help those who are also living with blindness.

Suspects appear in court after police chase that ended in South Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

A 23-year-old Bridgewater woman and a 30-year-old Malden man appeared in court Tuesday, one day after cell phone video showed the moment a chaotic police chase come to a close in South Boston. The chase ended Monday night around 11 p.m. Prosecutors later laid out allegations against Kailyn Almeida and Christopher Meade, who are now facing multiple charges linked to the pursuit. State police said the chase started in Dorchester when a trooper spotted a white SUV matching the description of a vehicle tied to a shooting in Braintree. The trooper tried to pull the car over, according to police. But Almeida, who police said was behind the wheel, allegedly took off.Police said Meade was in the passenger seat as the chase continued.Speaking in court, a prosecutor said police at one point set up a barricade. Rather than stop, though, the prosecutor said Almeida slammed her SUV into a parked cruiser and drove away on a sidewalk and grass, “narrowly avoiding multiple accid...

‘Moral failure’: Harvard is slammed after board backs President Claudine Gay following Congressional testimony on antisemitism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

Harvard University is facing heat for the board’s decision to back President Claudine Gay after her explosive Congressional testimony about antisemitism, as critics warned that keeping Gay will “greenlight more Jew-hatred on campus.”The Harvard Corporation on Tuesday announced that Gay will remain in her role following calls for her to either quit or be fired since her Capitol Hill testimony last week. She has also faced plagiarism allegations.During last week’s controversial Congressional hearing in front of a Republican-led House committee, Gay refused to characterize calls for the genocide of Jews as a breach of Harvard’s code of conduct. There has been a reported spike in antisemitism following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. Jewish and Israeli students have been threatened and assaulted on campuses.Harvard alums have been calling on Gay to resign, including Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who several times during the hearing asked G...

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown responds to ESPN’s surprise criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

Jaylen Brown responded in person on Tuesday to a social media post from ESPN that mocked the Celtics star.In an Instagram post on ESPN’s NBA account last Tuesday, the network published a graphic that pointed out that Brown had recorded zero assists and taken 43 field goal attempts over his previous two games – the Celtics’ win over the 76ers and loss to the Pacers – accompanied by the caption, “Jaylen Brown been gettin’ ‘em up the last two games.” It appeared to be taking a shot at Brown and suggesting he was playing selfish basketball.Brown saw the post, shared it on his Instagram story and also commented on the post: “Y’all corny watch the game,” he wrote.At Tuesday’s Celtics morning shootaround, Brown was asked for the first time about the post, which seemed to be unfair and random.“Probably a slow news day,” Brown said.The Instagram post, of course, requires context that was missing. As pointed out by Celtics.com’s Taylor Snow, Brown had five potential assists against the Pacers...

Israel and US show sharp divisions; Hamas tunnels flooded with seawater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel and the United States showed their sharpest public disagreement yet over the conduct and future of the war against Hamas terrorists as the two allies became increasingly isolated by global calls for a cease-fire.The dispute emerged Tuesday while Israeli forces carried out strikes across Gaza.President Biden said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” and that Netanyahu should change his government, which is dominated by hard-right parties.Biden’s comments came as the White House national security adviser heads to Israel this week to discuss with Netanyahu a timetable for the war — and what happens if Hamas is defeated.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to Israel next week for a visit the Pentagon said aims to show U.S. support for Israel but also to press the need to avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.The U.S. has urged Israel to do more to reduce civilian c...

Harvard campus: Israel-Palestine tensions flare over Corporation support for President Gay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

Following the Harvard Corporation’s statement of “unanimous support” for President Claudine Gay, the stress between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine stances strained again on the historic campus.“A lot of people don’t have much energy to talk about this anymore,” said a visibly weary Harvard student who stopped to talk to pro-Palestinian protestors at a campus entrance off Massachusetts Ave. on Tuesday. “It’s difficult to talk about. We all see the images of what’s happening. So many people have family over there, family they may fear is dead. And it hasn’t been happening since Oct. 7; it’s been happening for a long time.”The student was one of several who spoke only on the condition of anonymity amid the campuswide climate of fear and tension around the issue.Several students on campus expressed support for Gay and the Corporation’s decision to stand by her after controversial comments at a Congressional hear...

What caused the whale to wash ashore in PB?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 52-foot young female fin whale was found dead and washed ashore in Pacific Beach early Sunday morning.To put 52 feet into perspective, it's almost (about 8 feet less than) the distance from home base to the pitcher's mound at Petco Park, or about the length of a semi-truck trailer.According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there's an estimated up to 90,000 fin whales left in the world after they were hunted until the last century for their oil, meat, etc.The WWF estimates that fin whales can grow to be 80 feet long and weigh up to 80 tons. 52-foot whale washes up on Pacific Beach in San Diego “They are huge, huge whales," SDSU Geologist Professor Emeritus Pat Abbot said. “They are large even among whales.” He said this whale in particular was young and hadn't reached its full maturity.He said they don't typically come close to shores. On Sunday afternoon, the whale was rolled and towed back into the Pacific Ocean to be part of the environment once again.“This ...

Plaintiffs in a Georgia redistricting case are asking a judge to reject new Republican-proposed maps

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The people who sued to overturn Georgia’s congressional and state legislative districts on Tuesday attacked plans that Republican state lawmakers claim cure illegal dilution of Black votes while preserving GOP power, calling them a “mockery” of federal law and a “total failure of compliance.”The three sets of plaintiffs in the case filed briefs with the federal judge who ruled in their favor in October, urging him to reject Georgia’s proposed maps and draw new voting districts himself in time for 2024’s legislative and congressional elections.U.S. District Judge Steve Jones has scheduled a Dec. 20 hearing on whether he should accept the plans. The state is supposed to file its defense of the plans next week. Republican legislative leaders repeatedly said during a special legislative session that ended last week that their goal was to comply with Jones’ directive. He told lawmakers they had to draw an additional Black-majority congressiona...

Woman allegedly armed with scissors tased by Toronto police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

Toronto police say a woman allegedly armed with scissors was tased by responding officers on Tuesday.Authorities were called to the St. Clair West and Caledonia Road area in Earlscourt just after 4:30 p.m. for what police described as a threatening call. A police spokesperson tells CityNews officers received reports of a woman armed with scissors in the area making threats to others. Once authorities arrived, the woman refused to cooperate.Video submitted to CityNews shows an officer deploying his taser, and the woman is subdued. She is now in police custody.A police spokesperson said no members of the public or officers were harmed. No charges are pending.

Judge vacates murder conviction of Chicago man wrongfully imprisoned for 35 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:26:21 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man who spent 35 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit was freed Tuesday after a judge vacated his conviction and dismissed all charges. Brian Beals, 57, struggled to find the right words to describe his feelings as he stood outside Robinson Correctional Center in Crawford County, some 210 miles (338 kilometers) south of Chicago, and embraced his sister and niece. “Relief, happiness, it was just amazing to walk out of there,” he told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I’m ready to begin life again.” Beals was convicted in the 1988 murder of 6-year-old Demetrius Campbell. At the time, Beals, a 22-year-old student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, was home in Chicago during Thanksgiving break. He was approached by a drug dealer and they argued, according to news accounts at the time. Attorneys say Beals got in his car and drove off. Bullets fired in Beals’ direction hit two bystanders, the boy and his mot...