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Florida’s First Gay Latino Lawmaker, Carlos Guillermo Smith, Announces State Senate Run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

ORLANDO, Florida (Advocate Channel) — Out politician Carlos Guillermo Smith is making a return to Florida politics. The Orlando Democrat on Friday filed to run for Florida Senate.Smith first won election to the Florida House months after the Pulse shooting rocked his community.“I knew when I was elected to the Florida Legislature in 2016 that representation would matter,” he tells The Advocate. “I had no idea how much it would happen that we needed that representation. It’s clear now how important it is to have strong LGBTQ+ voices in Tallahassee. Unfortunately, things have gotten really bad in Florida.”Smith noted some 20 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation have been filed; Equality Florida has a running list of bills it will track this year that includes expanding the state’s infamous “don’t say gay” law. But what’s all the more striking is how quickly Florida has taken a hard right turn into discrimination, Smith said.He still recalls in 2019, shortly ...

US State Department designates WSJ reporter as ‘wrongfully detained’ in Russia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

The State Department on Monday officially designated an American reporter as “wrongfully detained” by Russia, after he was arrested in March on espionage charges.“Today, Secretary Blinken made a determination that Evan Gershkovich is wrongfully detained by Russia,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement. “Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth.”The new designation elevates Gershkovich’s case, sending it to a State Department office that specializes in negotiating the release of hostages and those wrongfully detained in other countries.Gershkovich was arrested on March 29 in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city. The Wall Street Journal, his employer, has denied the charges and demanded Gershkovich’s release — as have other news organizations, including POLITICO.Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously called for Gershkovich’s release, an...

13-year-old hit by car in Middleton driveway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

A 13-year-old girl was hit by a car and rushed to a hospital with life threatening injuries in Middleton on Monday, police said. A large police presence was seen Monday afternoon, with officials taping off a driveway in town. Police said the incident happened around 2:20 p.m. SKY7-HD flying overhead later captured images of a car believed to be involved. A jack could be seen underneath the car. State police investigators were also seen taking pictures of the car as part of an investigation. Middleton firefighters were separately seen with equipment typically used to lift cars. Police said officers responding to the scene rushed to help the victim. Of them, officials said one officer hurt an ankle and needed to be treated. The girl’s condition was unknown as of Monday afternoon. Officials said no charges had been filed in connection with this incident as an investigation continued. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and onl...

Former Rowley police officer arraigned on rape charge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

A former Rowley police officer was called to court Monday to face a felony rape charge in connection with allegations from prosecutors that he raped a woman last year while he was still a member of the police department.Perry Collins, 65, was arraigned in Salem Superior Court, where he pleaded not guilty. Collins’ attorney did not respond when asked for comment. Collins is due back in court in June.

Police in Franklin, Mass. arrest suspect involved in alleged catalytic converter theft at Dean College

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

Franklin police were able to arrest a suspected catalytic converter thief after the culprit’s alleged partner ditched him in a car, according to officials.The Franklin Police Department said officers responded to the area of Emmons Street early on Friday, April 7, after public safety personnel at Dean College reached out to authorities around 3 a.m.According to the department, public safety officers monitoring security cameras called in to report a pair of males who apparently jacked up two vehicles in Jones Lot and “appeared to be cutting out the catalytic converters.”Arriving on the scene, Franklin PD officers spotted a black sedan pulling out of the lot that matched a description given to them.The department said when the sedan’s occupants noticed police, the vehicle pulled into a nearby driveway where its driver proceeded to flee on foot.Left behind in the car was 20-year-old DaMareon Crook of Lorain, Ohio, who was soon placed under arrest. Authorities al...

Black lawmaker who was expelled to return to Tennessee House

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

By JONATHAN MATTISE and TRAVIS LOLLER (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One of the two Black Democrats who were expelled last week from the GOP-led Tennessee House was reinstated Monday after Nashville’s governing council voted to send him straight back to the Legislature.The unanimous vote by the Nashville Metropolitan Council restores Rep. Justin Jones to office just four days after Republicans stripped him of his seat. Moments after the decision, Jones began marching to the Capitol.Republicans banished the two lawmakers over their role in a gun-control protest on the House floor in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting.The other lawmaker, Justin Pearson, could be reappointed Wednesday at a Wednesday of the Shelby County Commission.The expulsions on Thursday made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy and propelled the ousted lawmakers into the national spotlight.Jones’ appointment is an interim basis. Special electio...

Border Patrol deploys facial recognition at Port of Boston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has announced they will use facial recognition technology to screen passengers entering the country at the Port of Boston.“Facial biometrics adds an extra layer of security and further enhances the travel experience by utilizing safe, touch-free technology that streamlines entry procedures,” Jennifer B. De La O, director of field operations for CBP’s Boston field office, said along with the announcement.According to CBP, facial recognition technology is already deployed at more than a dozen other U.S. ports of entry where it is being used to screen debarking passengers. On Monday, the agency responsible for securing the nation’s borders said they have partnered with Norwegian Cruise Lines to bring the controversial security protocols to the city’s port for the first time.“With the return of cruise ships to Boston, CBP is working diligently with Norwegian Cruise Lines to make travel safer and more efficient,” De La O said.According to CBP the proc...

Biden administration to push stricter emissions rules

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will propose strict new automobile pollution limits this week that would require at least 54% of new vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030 and as many as two of every three by 2032, according to industry and environmental officials briefed on the plan.The proposed regulation, to be released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency, would set greenhouse gas emissions limits for the 2027 through 2032 model years for passenger vehicles that would be more even stricter than goals the auto industry agreed to in 2021.The EPA will offer a range of options that the agency can select after a public comment period, the officials said. They asked not to be identified because the proposal hasn’t been made public. The proposed regulation isn’t expected to become final until next year.Environmental groups are applauding the ambitious numbers, which were first reported over the weekend by The New York Times. But the plan is likel...

JetBlue announces new Worcester routes to Florida

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey and other Bay State elected officials are celebrating new air service plans that will make it easier for people to get to and from Florida from central Massachusetts.JetBlue and the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Worcester Regional Airport, announced plans Monday for new nonstop flights to Orlando and Fort Myers.The daily year-round service to Orlando International Airport is scheduled to launch June 15 and winter seasonal service to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers is expected to start on Jan. 4, 2024. The Fort Myers route will initially launch with twice-weekly service, and will increase to daily service starting in mid-February through the end of spring training for the Boston Red Sox, who have their pre-season base in Fort Myers.Fort Myers is a new route for JetBlue out of Worcester, while the airline is bringing back service to Orlando from Worcester.“We are proud to introduce even more options to connect our Massachusetts ...

Mets face tough test with Padres, West Coast trip ahead this week

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14:31 GMT

The Mets will be tested this week with a rematch of the 2022 NL Wild Card series on tap.So far this season, the Mets have played seven of their 10 games against the lowly Miami Marlins, a team that has some good starting pitching but not much else. The only other team the Mets have faced in 2023 was the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Mets in a three-game series last week and might be better than some thought at 7-2 on the season.So now the 6-4 Padres come to town. Another team with World Series aspirations and a deep-pocketed owner who is sparing no expense for his club, operating in much the same fashion as the Mets. Since they last saw the Mets, they have added Xander Bogaerts and Nelson Cruz. The Mets have added pitchers Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga and a bevy of other relievers.The two teams have had similar starts to the season, with injuries to pitchers and some inconsistent play. The Padres lost their first two games to the Colorado Rockies — the Marlins of the NL We...