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Local woman tears down beloved treehouse in NW Miami-Dade amidst legal battle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

A local woman, Shawnee Chasser, is faced with the heartbreaking task of tearing down her cherished treehouse that has been her unconventional home for 17 years. Chasser said she has been a fighter most of her life; she was an active protester during the Vietnam War and now at this point in her life, she is done fighting. She has made the difficult decision to dismantle the treehouse herself. The decision comes as a result of ongoing legal battles and fines amounting to $40,000 imposed by County Code Enforcement. The tree house, located off 135th Street, that she has called home for nearly two decades will be torn down after several years of battle with the county. “I didn’t think I’d cry but it’s a lot,” said Chasser. “I didn’t really have a choice, but I got this wonderful guy, Javier, who tells me my life is going to be better after and I’m just going with that.” Javier Alonso is with the UMIEC contracting group hired by Chasse...

A suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — A man has been arrested in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was shot as he sat in a patrol car, authorities said Monday.Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the suspect surrendered at a home in the city of Palmdale early Monday.Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot Saturday evening outside the Palmdale sheriff’s station and died at a hospital. He had become engaged to be married four days earlier.Luna did not immediately provide a motive for the killing.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.A “person of interest” was detained after a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was found fatally shot over the weekend while sitting in his patrol car in what was believed to be an ambush, authorities said Monday.Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, 30, died at a hospital after the Saturday evening shooting. Hundreds at a vigil Sunday mourned the death of the third-generation law-enforcement officer who had just ...

Maine man who disappeared after driving wife to work found trapped in truck in New Hampshire woods

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

SANFORD, Maine (AP) — A man from Maine who was reported missing was found after being trapped for two days in his pickup truck in a muddy, wooded area in New Hampshire, authorities said.Robert Brown, 65, of Sanford, Maine, drove his wife to work about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) away in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Thursday.Brown’s wife called police early Friday and said she hadn’t seen him since then. Investigators said they pinged his cellphone, but it had died.Brown, who was found Saturday afternoon, had been driving in nearby Dover, New Hampshire, when his vehicle went off an embankment into a wooded area and became stuck in mud behind a sand pit, trapping him inside, police said.“This is generally not accessed by people from the public,” Dover Fire Department Lt. Patrick Simmons told WMUR-TV. He said the area is normally used by city workers and others for dumping sand and dirt. “I don’t know how he got out here.”Two hunters spotted the truck while ...

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Food to reduce bloating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

By Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My doctor recommended that I add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. I have slowly increased my intake over the past two months, but lately I have begun to experience increased gas and bloating. Are there certain foods to avoid to limit abdominal distress? How can I embrace a more healthful diet but banish the discomfort?ANSWER: Congratulations on working to embrace a more nutritious diet. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables, which provide valuable fiber, is a step in the right direction to help manage cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and overall weight. However, if you are not used to consuming fiber-rich foods in your diet, you will want to do so slowly to avoid bloating and abdominal pain.The amount of fiber each person needs is based on age. Generally, men aged 50 and younger should aim for 38 grams of fiber daily, whereas women of this age would target 25 grams daily. As we age, fiber intake recommendations decr...

Trial begins for 3 Tacoma officers charged in death of Manny Ellis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Jury selection started Monday in the trial of three Tacoma police officers charged in the death of Manuel “Manny” Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who was tackled, punched, shocked with a stun gun and held face down on a sidewalk in March 2020, two months before George Floyd met a similar fate.Officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are white, have been charged with second-degree murder, and Timothy Rankine, who is Asian American, faces first-degree manslaughter charges. They pleaded not guilty. Jury selection is expected to take two weeks and opening statements are slated to start Oct. 2 in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma. The trial is expected to run four days each week until December.Ellis purchased a box of doughnuts and some water at a convenience store at about 11:21 p.m. that Tuesday night and walked across the street, where he encountered Burbank and Collins sitting in a patrol car, according to a probable cause statement filed by the ...

Gator with missing nose and upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller.Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Orlando.“She had basically no chance of surviving in the wild with such a severe injury,” the park said in a social media post.Over the next few days, the park’s veterinarian staff will be monitoring the gator in an effort to make sure it is eating in a stress-free environment, the park said.To get the gator to eat, the staff is cutting up small pieces of food which they will toss in the back of its throat, believing it had survived in the wild doing the same thing on its own with snails, slugs and frogs, Kathy Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the park, said in an email.Gatorland Orlando is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh, an aviary, a nature walk, a petting zoo and educatio...

‘Spring tide’ ocean waves crash into buildings in South Africa, leaving 2 dead and injuring several

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Big ocean waves caused by a phenomenon known as “spring tide” crashed into coastal parts of South Africa over the weekend, leaving two people dead and injuring several, authorities said Monday.The weather service said that waves as high as 9.5 meters were recorded, with some damaging seaside buildings and sweeping cars through parking lots.The South African Weather Service said that 50% of the country’s coastline was hit by the sea surges. Two people died and at least seven were injured, it said. One of the two who died was a 93-year-old woman who was injured when water swept through a parking lot in the Wilderness area on the south coast, although the National Sea Rescue Institute said her death might have been from natural causes after she was taken to the hospital.In various places across the coast, the seas surged on Saturday and Sunday, smashing through railings, across roads and into buildings. In Gordon’s Bay near Cape Town, the water pick...

Republicans propose spending $614M in public funds on Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium upgrades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Republican legislators announced a bill Monday that would devote more than $614 million in public funding to repair and renovate the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium — far more than taxpayers spent to build it more than two decades ago.Under the proposal, the state would give the team $60.8 million next fiscal year and up to $20 million each year after that through 2045-46. The city of Milwaukee would contribute a total of $202 million and Milwaukee County would kick in $135 million by 2050.The team would contribute about $100 million and extend its lease at American Family Field through 2050, keeping major league baseball in its smallest market for another 27 years.Reports commissioned by the Brewers and another by a state consultant found the stadium’s glass outfield doors, seats and concourses should be replaced, its luxury suites and technology such as its sound system and video scoreboard need upgrades, and its signature retractable roof needs repairs. Fire sup...

Retrial delayed for man whose conviction in the death of former NFL player Will Smith was overturned

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The long-awaited retrial of the man whose conviction in the death of former NFL star Will Smith was thrown out because the jury verdict wasn’t unanimous was delayed without explanation Monday.State District Judge Camille Buras announced the continuance after meeting with prosecutors and defense attorneys for Cardell Hayes in her chambers Monday morning. No new date was set but a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.Hayes, 36, has insisted he shot Smith in self-defense during an April 2016 confrontation. At his December 2016 trial, he said he fired at Smith, hitting him once in the side and seven times in the back, only because he believed Smith had retrieved a gun from his SUV. He insisted on the stand that he heard a “pop” before he started shooting and that he did not shoot at Smith’s wife, who was hit in the legs.There was no other witness and no forensic evidence to back up Hayes’ claim that Smith had wielded or fired a weapon.Prosecutors ...

Person with knife allegedly threatening people in East York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:10 GMT

A person with a knife is allegedly threatening to stab people in the Victoria Park Avenue and St. Clair Avenue East area on Monday afternoon.Police responded to reports at approximately 12:14 p.m. of a male in the area allegedly threatening people, but did not locate the suspect.There have been no reported injuries.The man is described as male, white, 30 years old, 5’11, medium build, with short hair, wearing a camouflage hat, green vest and black pants.Police are on scene investigating and advise those in the area to be extra cautious.