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Miami Commissioner Diaz de la Portilla, attorney arrested on money laundering and bribery charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

City of Miami Commissioner Alejandro “Alex” Diaz de la Portilla and attorney William W. Riley Jr. were arrested on Thursday on a range of charges, including money laundering, bribery, unlawful compensation, and criminal conspiracy.Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials said Diaz de la Portilla, 58, is also facing four counts of official misconduct, one count of exceeding legal campaign contributions, and two counts of failing to report a gift. Riley Jr., 48, has additionally been charged with failing to disclose lobbyist expenses.The arrests come after an FDLE investigation revealed that the pair had accepted more than $15,000 in payments for Diaz de la Portilla’s brother’s Miami-Dade County Court judicial campaign, failing to report them as required by Florida Statutes, Chapter 106.According to FDLE, Riley Jr. allegedly controlled a bank account under the name of a Delaware-based corporation, using it to launder approximately $245,000 in concealed p...

Suspect accused of dragging state police trooper in Brockton taken into custody by same trooper

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

Massachusetts State Police say a man wanted for fleeing a traffic stop in Brockton and dragging a trooper in the process has been taken into custody.Hours after asking for the public’s help in locating 31-year-old Derek Lobo on Thursday, MSP officials said the fugitive was arrested after being located at a residence on Union Street.Lobo had been wanted by police after he was first pulled over on Montello Street in Brockton on Wednesday night, over what authorities said were motor vehicle violations.According to officials and dashcam video, while two troopers were standing over his car, Lobo appeared to accelerate and drive off, dragging one of the troopers for a short distance.The trooper suffered minor injuries as a result, but was able to get up and run back to the cruiser to try and pursue the suspect. A day later, authorities say he was the one who took the Brockton resident into custody.“LOBO was located after an intensive investigation by the State Police Troop D C...

Water main break floods homes, neighboring streets in Mattapan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

A water main break in Mattapan left several homes and streets flooded, officials said.The Boston Fire Department said the break happened while crews were working to extinguish a fire on Lorna Road Thursday afternoon.According to authorities, the water went on to flood several homes in the area while spreading to nearby Lena Terrace and W. Selden Street.As of 2:40 p.m., Boston FD asked that drivers avoid the area as emergency crews respond.https://twitter.com/BostonFire/status/1702391788181286995

Autoworkers strike deadline nears as negotiators rush to avoid historic walkout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

Detroit (CNN) — With just hours to go before labor contracts expire at America’s three unionized automakers, thousands of autoworkers could walk off the job.Those limited, targeted strikes could be enough to grind production to a halt at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which builds vehicles under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands for North America.But uncertainty and confusion underscore the high stakes, with a possible historic strike at all three major automakers, disruptions to the local and national economies, and, perhaps more than anything, a hint at the future of manufacturing jobs in America.The union and the automakers continued to negotiate Thursday. GM made a new offer on Thursday afternoon, including a 20% raise, matching Ford’s offer.UAW President Shawn Fain on Wednesday evening announced plans for those targeted strikes at any company that fails to reach a labor deal with the union before contracts expire at 11:5...

FTA Orders More Changes After MBTA Near Misses Continue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

Federal regulators once again ordered the MBTA to make immediate changes after a series of recent near misses put employees at risk of being struck by trains, a repeat of the same issue that landed the T in the spotlight earlier this year.The Federal Transit Administration determined Wednesday that “a combination of unsafe conditions and practices exist such that there is a substantial risk of serious injury or death of a worker,” and it rolled out nine new requirements that the T must follow to improve worker safety.The new letter from FTA Chief Safety Officer Joe DeLorenzo reopens scrutiny on “near misses,” when moving trains and trolleys nearly struck workers in the track area, after federal officials earlier this year flagged a series of such incidents at the MBTA and ordered fixes.“Despite taking these actions, over the last month MBTA has experienced four additional near miss events, including two incidents on the Red Line and two on the Green Lin...

Georgia judge shuts down DA’s effort to try Trump and co-defendants together

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

Washington (CNN) — A Georgia judge shut down the effort by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to have all 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump, to be tried together in October in the Georgia election subversion case.Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee announced Thursday that Trump and 16 co-defendants will move forward on their own schedule, with a trial date yet be announced.The two remaining co-defendants, Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, sought speedy trials and are scheduled to begin in October.Thursday’s order is a victory for Trump and his fellow co-defendants who did not want to go to trial this October. The schedule laid out by the judge only cemented some of the steps in the pre-trial process, setting up the possibility that the trial itself does not happen until well into 2024, or even later. Trump’s legal calendar during the first half of next year is already clogged with plans for trials in the other criminal ...

Ticker: Johnson & Johnson drops the script; Retail sales tick up in August

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo.The health care giant said Thursday that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices.The original script — based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s signature — will still be seen for now on consumer products like baby shampoo from Kenvue, a new company recently spun off from J&J.Johnson & Johnson itself narrowed its focus to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The new look, which includes a different shade of red, aims to recognize J&J’s shift into a “pure play health care company,” said Vanessa Broadhurst, a company executive vice president.Retail sales tick up in AugustAmericans stepped up retail spending modestly from July to August as the price of gasoline jumped, cutting into budgets as many families send their kids off to school.Retail sales rose 0.6% in August, compared wi...

Orioles call up Heston Kjerstad, another top prospect, with Ryan Mountcastle’s health in question

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

It took Heston Kjerstad exactly two years to make his professional debut after the Orioles drafted him in 2020. He needed less than that to climb all the way up.The Orioles called up Kjerstad, ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s fifth-best prospect, to the major leagues Thursday, the team announced. The outfielder was removed for a pinch hitter in Triple-A Norfolk’s game Wednesday evening after Ryan Mountcastle exited with left shoulder discomfort he suffered on a swing in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals.Mountcastle’s health status is unknown as of Thursday afternoon, but Kjerstad’s promotion came amid a flurry of other roster moves ahead of Baltimore’s pivotal four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays beginning Thursday. Outfielder Ryan McKenna was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Kjerstad on the active roster, while Terrin Vavra was recalled and then immediately placed on the 60-day injured list with a strained rig...

UMass out for revenge at Eastern Michigan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

UMass coach Don Brown has two capable quarterbacks when last year he had none.Portal transfers Taisun Phommachanh (Clemson) and Carlos Davis (Western Kentucky) have different styles with a common problem. Both have a tendency of getting hurt in the second half.After guiding UMass to a 41-30 win at New Mexico State in the season opener, Phommachanh was injured the next week in a 59-14 loss at Auburn.Davis finished the Auburn game and looked sharp for three quarters in the Minutemen’s 43-28 loss to Miami (Ohio) in the home opener last Saturday at McGuirk Stadium. Before Davis left the game in the fourth quarter, he completed 22-of-32 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start.“Carlos is fine, we checked him out and he’s good to go,” said Brown. “He came out in the fourth quarter midway through but he played really well in the third quarter.“He showed some complementary football during that time and stayed the course and helped us get back into that game.”Davis...

Why Patriots TE Mike Gesicki can’t share much intel about his ex-Dolphin teammates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:52 GMT

FOXBORO — On Wednesday morning, Mike Gesicki sat down for the Patriots’ morning team meeting.As he does every week, Bill Belichick stepped to the front of the room and broke down all facets of their next opponent, from players to coaches to schemes. This week, that meant Gesicki’s old team: the Dolphins.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots’ offense gets one piece of good news before Dolphins game New England Patriots | Callahan: Why the Patriots’ JuJu Smith-Schuster question won’t be going away New England Patriots | Patriots proving to be better fit for ex-Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki New England Patriots | Patriots’ Jonathan Jones explains how to defend Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill New England Patriots | Patriots sign rookie defensive back to final practice squad spot The 27-year-old tight end, who signed a 1-year contract with the Pats in free agency, sa...