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Florida’s law targeting drag shows is on hold under federal judge’s order

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a new Florida law targeting drag shows that was championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell granted a preliminary injunction stopping the law from being enforced until a trial is held to determine its constitutionality, and he denied a Florida licensing and regulatory agency’s request to dismiss it.The complaint was brought by the owner of a Hamburger Mary’s restaurant and bar in Orlando, which regularly hosts drag shows, including family-friendly performances on Sundays where children were invited to attend. The restaurant owner said it violated First Amendment rights by chilling speech, was written vaguely and was overbroad.An email seeking comment was sent to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which is the remaining defendant after the judge dismissed DeSantis and the state as defendants. Proponents of the legislation ...

Unsettled…But Not Washed Out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

If there is one thing I’ve learned through the years in broadcast meteorology, it’s learning how to properly get the message out. Case in point this weekend…for several days you’ve probably heard us bark about the unsettled weather pattern we are in and will be in for awhile. That’s still true this evening but here is where messaging is key….even within an unsettled pattern, you can still eek out a few nice days or in this case a few hours each day of nice weather.The reason for our messy weekend forecast is (yet another) area of Low Pressure taking aim on the Northeast…This Low Pressure will weaken but also crawl through New York and New England over the next few days and with that red L close to us, that’s why the chance of rain is present each day.That may or may not imply a washout but I can assure you, it’s not. Take a closer look at each day…Not exactly a stretch of weather to tweet or tik-tok about but take note in t...

Yankees Notebook: DJ LeMahieu still searching for answers, Josh Donaldson gets a day off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

DJ LeMahieu showed a side of himself that rarely comes out as his prolonged slump continued Thursday night.Usually calm and collected, the infielder fired his helmet down the tunnel that connects the Yankees’ dugout and their clubhouse. Clearly disgusted with a third-inning strikeout that saw him drop to his back knee, LeMahieu then chucked his lumber into the bat rack.“We’re playing for a lot, man,” Aaron Boone said of LeMahieu’s uncommon outburst after a 10-2 loss to the Mariners. “These guys have a lot of pride and have done it for a long time at a high level. And when you go through some struggles for an extended period, guys are angry. That’s part of it. Am I worried? No, he’s as tough as they come mentally, physically. We got to just continue to work alongside him and try and unlock him.”LeMahieu, thrust back into the leadoff spot after two days on the bench, went 0-for-4 on Thursday with two strikeouts. He is now hitting ....

Live updates | Titan’s catastrophic implosion likely killed 5 occupants instantly, experts say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow along for live updates on the submersible that imploded deep in the Atlantic Ocean, killing all five people aboard during a voyage down to the Titanic shipwreck.___TITAN’S CATASTROPIC IMPLOSION LIKELY KILLED 5 OCCUPANTS INSTANTLYExperts say the Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion that likely killed its pilot and four passengers instantly amid the intense water pressure in the deep North Atlantic.Maritime researchers called an implosion the worst possible outcome of all the scenarios envisioned during the desperate round-the-clock search to find the missing vessel.Experts had cautioned that under intense pressure at extreme depths the Titan’s hull could implode, which would result in instant death for anyone aboard the vessel.The 22-foot long (6.7-meter long), 23,000-pound (10,432-kilogram) Titan’s larger internal volume — while still cramped with a maximum of five seated people — meant it was subjected to mo...

Amid infighting among Putin’s lieutenants, head of mercenary force appears to take a step too far

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

By The Associated PressFor months, the outspoken millionaire head of the Wagner private military contractor bombarded Russia’s military leaders with expletive-ridden insults in a rift that has weakened the country’s forces amid the war in Ukraine.On Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to take a step too far.He accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike on the field camps for his mercenary troops, with a huge number of casualties, and said he would move to punish him.That’s when Russian authorities struck back, with the country’s top counterterrorism organization launching a criminal inquiry against Prigozhin on charges of fomenting an “armed rebellion” over threats to oust Shoigu.It was a startling turn of events in Moscow: After more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin, the worst infighting spilled out in the open among his top lieutenants. And it came as the war in Ukraine reached the 16...

Burlington police officer cleared of wrongdoing in 2022 fatal shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

A Burlington Police officer was cleared of wrongdoing when she shot a man to death as he allegedly ran at her with a knife in her hand last year.Burlington Police Officer Aurise Miedico underwent a three-day inquest into her killing of Paul Courtemanche, 42, on Jan. 23, 2022.Woburn District Court Judge Shelby M. Smith heard testimony from 10 witnesses and reviewed 60 exhibits during the inquest beginning Jan. 11 before finding that “a reasonable, prudent person would not find that the actions of Officer Miedico make her criminally responsible for the tragic death of Mr. Courtemanche, or that she is otherwise criminally responsible.”Courtemanche, 42, called 911 from a Burlington apartment building slightly after noon that day and told police that he had a knife and was having some issues. He would remain on the phone even as Burlington firefighters and police Officers Robert Reyes and Aurise Miedico were dispatched to the building. The call was labeled a “Q5,” meaning “a subject is m...

Toronto vintage store owner calls for better support for Instagram businesses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

A Toronto vintage clothing store owner says Instagram isn’t doing enough to support the thousands of businesses that use the platform as their digital and often sole storefront.Kez Garber, the founder of Papa Love Vintage, says their Instagram account was abruptly shutdown at the beginning of June — their busiest month of the year.“This is my business month, this is Pride month,” they tell CityNews.“A lot of my clientele are queer but all allies and everyone else really wants to put their money into supporting queer-owned businesses during Pride month. Between the holidays and Pride month — Pride month is my biggest one.”While Garber does have a studio in the city, it’s not public facing, and all their promotions, marketing and a majority of sales take place through Instagram.Apart from loss of revenue, they also had a significant amount of content planned for the month which has been put on the back burner.“We just did our biggest pho...

Police in California aren’t immune from certain misconduct lawsuits, high court rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Police in California are not immune from civil lawsuits for misconduct that happens while they investigate crimes, the state Supreme Court ruled this week, overruling a precedent made by lower courts that had helped protect law enforcement from litigation for decades.The justices unanimously rejected on Thursday an argument by Riverside County that its sheriff’s deputies couldn’t be sued for leaving a man’s naked body lying in plain sight for eight hours while officers investigated his killing. California law protects police from being sued for any harm that happens during a prosecution process — even if the officer acted “maliciously and without probable cause.” Now, the Supreme Court says police can be sued for misconduct during investigations.The ruling cites previous case law that defined investigatory actions as those before charges are filed.“The potential for factual overlap between investigations and prosecutions does not justify t...

Titan owner OceanGate has options for court protection, law professor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The owner of a small submersible that imploded and killed five people on its way to the wreck of the Titanic has legal avenues to seek court protection from costly litigation, a maritime law professor at Louisiana’s Tulane University said Friday.Martin Davies said OceanGate Expeditions has the option to file an application through a maritime limitation of liability act. If the application is successful, a court would cap the amount of money the company would have to pay out if it was successfully sued by family members of the five people who died on the Titan.“Whenever it comes up in a personal injury context like this, everybody’s appalled to discover the ship owners can limit liability,” Davies said in an interview.The Titan travelled beneath the surface of the North Atlantic on Sunday, about 700 kilometres off the southeast coast of Newfoundland. It lost contact with surface ships about one hour and 45 minutes into its descent towa...

Wagner leader calls for rebellion against Russian defense chief, Kremlin orders his arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:40:23 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin.Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. “This is not a military coup, but a march of justice,” Prigozhin declared.The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The state news agency Tass sa...