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Dog reunited with owner after being snatched from front porch in New Jersey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

BAYONNE, N.J. — Rocco, the adorable Jack Russell Terrier who had been missing since Monday, is finally back in the loving hands of his owner after a distressing two-day ordeal. The dog mysteriously turned up in the Bronx, miles away from his New Jersey home. Nick Scarabaggio, Rocco’s owner, expressed his overwhelming joy and relief. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “I’ve gone through the peaks and valleys of all the emotions you could probably think of. It’s just great to have my dog back in loving hands.”Rocco’s journey back home started when bold thieves snatched him earlier this week from the front porch of his New Jersey residence. Surveillance footage captured the daring act as the culprits walked up the stairs and swiftly took Rocco off his leash before heading toward the rail station.Law enforcement agencies sprang into action, and with the assistance of the NYPD Port Authority Police and Transit Cops, they were able to track down...

FBI arrests Miami man linked to series of bank robberies in South Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of a Miami man in connection with several bank robberies in the South Florida area.The FBI said Kevin Anthony Heslop, 38, was allegedly involved with seven bank robberies dating back to last month. The Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1201 East Hallandale Beach Blvd in Hallandale Beach on June 15.The Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1201 East Hallandale Beach Blvd in Hallandale Beach on July 7.The attempted robbery of a Chase Bank branch at 2000 SW 57th Ave in Miami on July 13.The attempted robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank branch at 1191 S. University Dr. in Plantation on July 15.The Wells Fargo Bank branch at 702 N. University Dr. in Pembroke Pines on July 15.The Wells Fargo Bank branch at 702 N. University Dr. in Pembroke Pines on Wednesday.The Regions Bank branch at 8020 Pines Blvd in Pembroke Pines on Wednesday.Wednesday’s arrest was carried out by the Pembroke Pines Police Department in conjunction with the FBI at the intersection...

Two men arrested for human smuggling in Marathon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

Two men were arrested Wednesday in Marathon, Florida, on charges of human smuggling in violation of state law.According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Oreste Carvajal Gonzalez, 33, of Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Roberto Carlos Medina Moreno, 19, of Lakewood, Florida, both face 23 counts of smuggling. The arrests came after an incident on July 21, 2023, when a go-fast vessel carrying 23 Cuban migrants ran out of fuel in waters near Marathon. Authorities, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, were involved in the rescue operation.The vessel in question had been previously flagged by the Sheriff’s Office as a suspected migrant smuggling vessel due to past interactions with law enforcement.Following the rescue, warrants were issued for the arrest of Carvajal Gonzalez and Medina Moreno, who were also on board the vessel. The State Attorney’s Office, along with variou...

Spanish election aftermath and the watering down of the EU’s anti-SLAPPs law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Google Play EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge Created with Sketch. Stitcher .st0{fill:#EB8A23;} .st1{fill:#FAC617;} .st2{fill:#612368;} .st3{fill:#3792C4;} .st4{fill:#C33727;} Acast We analyze the outcome of the recent elections in Spain and what it means for the country and the EU going forward. Also, we discuss the EU’s proposal targeting SLAPPs — strategic lawsuits against pub...

Grimace shakes help send McDonald’s sales surging

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

New York (CNN) — When McDonald’s introduced a limited-edition purple shake in honor of Grimace’s birthday, it probably didn’t expect the item to go viral on TikTok quite like it did: With TikTokers showing themselves sipping the dessert drink and then, soon after, writhing in mock pain or playing dead.But the mini horror films inspired people to buy shakes (if only to make more videos). And thanks to Grimace’s grim influence, sales in the second quarter spiked.“This quarter, the theme is — well, if I’m being honest, the theme was Grimace,” said CEO Chris Kempczinski during an analyst call Thursday. “Grimace has been everywhere in the past few months … this viral phenomenon is yet another proof point of the power of marketing at McDonald’s today.”Kempczinski added that the brand’s marketing efforts have led to higher food quality scores. “The more customers love our brand, the more they love our food,” he said.In the United States, sales at McDonald’s locations op...

“The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future” unnerving, terrific

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

A marvelously eerie experience, evoking the tradition of horror-noir maestro Val Lewton, Chilean effort “The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future” begins with a woman (charismatic Mia Maestro, “The Strain”) dressed in a motorcycle jacket, emerging from a river and the words, “Is the end nigh?”The woman’s name is Magdalena, and she is the dead mother of no-nonsense cancer surgeon Cecilia (a commanding turn by Leonor Varela). Single mother Cecilia is taking her children Tomas (Enzo Ferrada Rosati), a teen who tells her that he is a woman, and little girl Alma (Laura Del Rio) to the country to check on the ailing family patriarch Enrique (Chilean Alfredo Castro). Cecilia and her children are returning to the family-run dairy farm, where their Uncle Bernardo (Chilean Marcial Tagle) runs the business. The ghost of the family matriarch makes an appearance to Alma, who is not very surprised to see her. We hear the sounds of protest, the words, “Mother Earth.” Fishes have died in the p...

Not enough homes are for sale, so let’s pay owners to sell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

By Holden Lewis | NerdWalletA frustrating thing about today’s housing market is the paltry number of homes for sale. Would-be buyers outnumber sellers, even as high mortgage rates strain affordability.So here’s an idea: What if the government paid people to sell their houses?After all, the government paid people to buy houses after the 2008 financial crisis, when there weren’t enough buyers. Now, it could pay people to sell houses when there aren’t enough sellers.We’re not talking about something as direct as the feds cutting checks. Payments would be handled through the tax code.The notion has drawn support in the U.S. House, where a bill to double the capital gains exclusion on primary residences has 15 co-sponsors from both parties. That’s not the only way Congress could tweak the tax code to pay home sellers: The National Association of Realtors commissioned a study that came up with two more ideas, although neither has been drafted into legis...

Out-of-state cavalry arrives to help GM Phillip Eng manage the MBTA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng called in the out-of-state cavalry to help manage the transit agency as it continues to grapple with federal safety mandates and attempts to revamp itself under a new gubernatorial administration.Eng announced four new high-level hires Thursday, including two former colleagues who were poached from the Long Island Railroad, which Eng served as president of for three years — August 2018 to February 2022. Two other hires come from the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and the New York State Department of Transportation.The four newly created positions — chief of stations, assistant general manager of engineering and capital, chief of infrastructure, and senior advisor for capital, operations, and safety — will help “close management gaps and improve the quality, reliability, and safety of T services,” the MBTA said in a statement.All four hires crossed paths with Eng at some point in their career, according to online resumes.D...

For clergy abuse survivors, Sinead O’Connor’s protest that offended so many was brave and prophetic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

By HOLLY MEYER (Associated Press)In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor destroyed a photo of Pope John Paul II on U.S. national television. The pushback was swift, turning the late Irish singer-songwriter’s protest of sex abuse in the Catholic Church into a career-altering flashpoint.More than 30 years later, her “Saturday Night Live” performance and its stark collision of popular culture and religious statement is remembered by some as an offensive act of desecration. But for others — including survivors of clergy sex abuse — O’Connor’s protest was prophetic, forecasting the global denomination’s public reckoning that was, at that point, yet to come. O’Connor, 56, died Wednesday.The SNL moment stunned David Clohessy, a key early member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. In his 30s at the time, he had only recently recalled the repressed memories of the abuse he suffered. He found O’Connor’s act deeply ...

H-F’s Dillon Head decides to forego Clemson, takes ‘sneaky juice’ to San Diego Padres after being drafted in first round

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

When Homewood-Flossmoor’s Dillon Head was taken in the first round of the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres, team officials were naturally excited about his speed.A.J. Preller, San Diego’s president of baseball operations, called the Glenwood native the fastest player in the draft.But Chris Kemp, the team’s scouting director, also told reporters in a video conference that the left-handed outfielder will surprise people with his power.“I think there’s sneaky juice in there offensively,” Kemp said of the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Head. “He’s a guy that goes line to line and works good (at-bats).”Head, who had committed to Clemson before his senior season, was chosen with the 25th pick not long after hitting .485 with 35 runs, 31 steals, six homers and 25 RBIs for H-F.As a junior, Head produced a .467 batting average with six homers and 28 RBIs. He had a school-record 57 hits and 35 stolen bases for the Vikings.John McCarthy, who guided ...