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Brightline trains begin making trip between Orlando and Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A privately owned high-speed passenger train service launched Friday between Florida’s two biggest tourist hubs.The Brightline train is a $5 billion bet by owner Fortress Investment Group that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile (378-kilometer) trip between Miami and Orlando — about 30 minutes less than the average drive.The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first-class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains the 70 miles (112 kilometers) between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century.Friday’s launch of the Miami-Orlando line was marred by the death of a pedestrian who was hit in South Florida on a section of track served by the new route.The unidentified passe...

Pet sitter facing animal cruelty charges bonds out of jail in West Miami-Dade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

A South Florida pet sitter who is facing serious charges after a dog in her care died and others were found in poor condition was released from jail.7News cameras captured twenty-year-old Antonella Rivoir as she left the corrections facility, Friday afternoon.When asked for comment on the charges she is facing, Rivoir said she will tell her side of the story at a later time.“I can’t share my side of the story as of right now, but I do intend to speaking eventually but not right now,” Rivoir said.She is facing charges of inflicting unnecessary pain and death on a dog.The owner of the dogs, Patricia Gutierrez, spoke with 7News on Thursday and did not mince words.“I wanted her to pay for this, I wanted her to go to jail for committing – I mean, she murdered my dog,” she said. “I cry every single day.”Gutierrez said she and her husband are so distraught over this, they are moving out of the area.She has set up a GoFundMe page in memory of Daisy, with the money raised g...

Arson suspect arrested after fire at Homestead pizzeria

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

Authorities made an arrest in connection to a fire that broke out at a Homestead restaurant. On Monday, Mama Mia Pizzeria, located at Washington Avenue and Northeast Sixth Street, fell victim to an act of arson. Officials reported that the fire was caused by two propane tanks that were intentionally set ablaze, resulting in minor damage to the exterior of the business.Juan Mejias Martinez, 59, is now facing charges of arson and resisting arrest. Police said that he was captured on camera committing the crime. Martinez appeared before a judge on Friday as the investigation into the incident continues.

2 hospitalized after homes catch fire in Miami

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

Two people were badly hurt after a row of homes caught fire in Miami.City of Miami firefighters battled the smoke near Northwest 63rd Street and 12th Parkway, Friday morning.According to officials, they believe a group of squatters were living in the homes.Two people were found severely burned and suffering from smoke inhalation. They were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment.The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Patriots place Marcus Jones on IR, sign Will Grier for use as emergency 3rd QB against Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The Patriots have placed All-Pro punt returner Marcus Jones on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed Will Grier to their 53-man roster for use as their third emergency quarterback against the New York Jets, coach Bill Belichick said Friday.Grier was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. Belichick didn’t say whether it would be a short-term or season-ending stay on IR for Jones.“It’s unfortunate. Obviously had a really good rookie year. Explosive player,” Belichick said. “He’s on IR for right now, so he’ll be out for a while.”Jones was injured in the Patriots’ loss to Miami last week. In addition to playing cornerback, he also served as New England’s punt and kick returner on special teams and appeared in some limited offensive sets.He was named a first-team AP All-Pro punt returner as a rookie in 2022, finishing second in the NFL with a 12.5 yards per return average. It included a game-winning...

States sweeten their offers to chipmakers to outdo one other

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

By Erika Bolstad, Stateline.orgHILLSBORO, Ore. — “Oregon’s been at this for decades,” the governor’s office assures potential investors in its so-called Silicon Forest. The Lone Star State’s governor calls it a “race that Texas must win for our state, our workforce, our national security, and our future.” And New York’s governor boasts on the state’s YouTube channel that it is the one to “lead America’s microchip resurgence.”Since Congress passed the $52.7 billion CHIPS Act in 2022 to encourage domestic semiconductor manufacturing design and research, states have been competing to lure chipmakers. Semiconductors, known as chips, power nearly every aspect of life, and states want the investment and high-paying engineering and fabrication jobs that come with the industry. They’re sweetening the pot with their own tax credits and other enticements to encourage chip manufacturers to expand existing factories or build new manufacturing capacity. States also are helping chipmakers find an...

Wrigley Field concessions workers authorize strike ahead of the final home weekend of the Chicago Cubs’ regular season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

About 700 concessions workers at Wrigley Field could walk off the job at any time after an “overwhelming majority” voted to authorize a strike, said their union, Unite Here Local 1.The concessions workers include bartenders, cashiers, cooks, dishwashers and other food service workers at the North Side ballpark who are employed by Chicago-based food service provider Levy. The workers are employed in stationary concessions stands and suites in the ballpark; vendors who work in the stands are not unionized with Unite Here.The strike vote comes ahead of the final home weekend of the Cubs’ regular season. The team is scheduled to play a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies this weekend, with games scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The concessions employees’ contract expired in October 2020, said Unite Here, which announced the results of the strike vote late Thursday.Some concessions workers make the city minimum wage of $15.80 an hour, the local sa...

Book bans surged across the US in 2023. Florida was the blueprint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

The number of books banned in school districts across the U.S. reached a peak this year, a new report says, with Florida leading the way in more ways than one.The state topped the country in the number of books banned alone, representing 40% of the country’s total cases, with over 1,400 books removed from libraries in the 2022-23 school year, according to a report issued on Thursday by PEN America, a free speech advocacy group. Across the country, over 3,000 books were removed.But Florida’s influence also extends far beyond the number of books it has banned — the state’s conservative advocacy groups and legislation have helped pave the way for the rest of the country to follow suit.“Florida is not an anomaly,” said Kasey Meehan, the lead author of the report, titled “The Mounting Pressure to Censor: The Drivers Behind Book Bans,” and the Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America. “It’s almost like an incubator.”Florida’s influenceOne common theme emerged as researchers studied...

What are residuals and how do they work? A Hollywood strike battleground, explained

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

By Brian Contreras, Los Angeles TimesIt’s not often that people get fired up over nitty-gritty financial mechanisms — but for the last 4½ months on the streets of Hollywood, that’s exactly what’s been happening.As members of the Writers Guild of America and performers union SAG-AFTRA march down picket lines and shutter studio productions, a major focus of their ire has been the system of payouts that writers and actors earn when a project they’ve worked on gets replayed.These residuals, as they’re known, are less flashy than some of the unions’ other priorities, such as artificial intelligence.Yet the importance of residuals to showbiz employees’ wallets is direct and undeniable. The checks can be comically small — getting one worth less than a dollar will earn you a drink at Studio City’s aptly named Residuals Tavern — and entertainment workers say the industry’s pivot toward streaming has made them particularly unreliable.̶...

An unforgettable debut at Wrigley Field for local Quinn Priester — with a chance to spoil Chicago Cubs’ postseason hopes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:00 GMT

Quinn Priester’s jog from the visitors bullpen under the right field bleachers at Wrigley Field between half innings Tuesday night required a moment to appreciate the environment.When Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton called on Priester to begin the second inning against the Cubs, the Cary native and Cary-Grove High School graduate couldn’t help but soak it in. Priester made sure he took a deep breath and looked around at the 34,202 fans in the ballpark.In his first big-league game against his favorite childhood team, Priester allowed four runs in six innings Tuesday versus the Cubs in a 14-1 loss.“You kind of forget everything that kind of goes on and being able to see the scoreboard again, the fans, and it sounds stupid, but the seventh-inning stretch, when it’s ‘Let’s Go Cubbies,’ it brings back a lot of nostalgia, a lot of memories,” Priester said before Thursday’s series finale. “So to actually be out there doin...