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Jamaica has extra reason to celebrate after success at Women’s World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaica’s “Reggae Girlz” gave their small island nation even more reason to celebrate its upcoming Independence Day on Sunday after the national soccer team drew with Brazil 0-0 to advance to the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup.The country’s sports minister, Olivia Grange, described Wednesday’s performance as “undoubtedly the proudest moment so far in Jamaica’s football history.” But some supporters also criticized the lack of support for the team before the tournament with family, friends and fans having to help cover expenses by crowdfunding.Grange reacted minutes after Jamaica ended Brazil’s hopes at the World Cup. “I could not help shedding a few tears. Tears of joy,” Grange said on Instagram. “These have been magnificent performances by the Reggae Girlz for Jamaica in this World Cup. Words can hardly describe how well they have done.”Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, posted “HISTORIC!” on Facebook...

Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley changes cleats, alleviates toe soreness and practices in full

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley switched cleats Wednesday to alleviate toe soreness.Coach Doug Pederson initially said Ridley would be limited in training camp because of his achy toe, but Ridley found a solution by wearing different shoes. He responded by taking part in every practice drill, although he dropped at least four passes.Ridley left practice early on Tuesday, took off his shoulder pads and shoes and chilled on a metal bench. The Jaguars provided no update on him until Pederson addressed reporters before practice Wednesday.“Just sore. He’ll be fine,” Pederson said. “We were sort of cautionary with him (Tuesday). He’ll be back out there today and we’ll just monitor him and limit the amount of running he’ll do.”Ridley was the clear star during Jacksonville’s first week of camp. He made crowd-pleasing catches every day and showed little rust after nearly two years away from the game, first to dea...

Review of NCAA’s business pushes association to get creative in supporting schools, athletes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

A review of the NCAA’s business suggested the association find creative ways to support member schools and conferences with things like developing a deeper pool of game officials, creating a national platform for online streaming of events and purchasing in bulk certain goods and services that most schools use.The review was one of the first items on NCAA President Charlie Baker’s to-do list when he took over in March. The review was done by the firm Bain & Company and a summary of its key findings was released Wednesday by the NCAA. It said college sports was at a “crossroads.”The message: College and universities and college sports are facing growing pressures related to:— A decline in the college-age population and rising costs of attendance.— More professional options for athletes to forgo college.— Social media, sports betting and other outside influences having a potential negative impact on college athletes.— The changing landscape of media creating uncertaint...

Miami-Dade County receives $40M HUD grant for neighborhood transformation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

Miami-Dade County has been awarded a $40 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and aims to transform the community. The grant is expected to change the aging HUD-assisted housing development, Cutler Manor Apartments, located in the Goulds neighborhood of South Dade, into a resilient mixed-income community. The assistance will also support broader community changes, including workforce initiatives, micro-business investments, and mobility improvements.Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made the announcement, accompanied by representatives from the Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc. (POAH), Carrfour Supportive Housing, and community partners. HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge expressed her satisfaction with Miami-Dade County’s selection for the Choice Neighborhoods award. “Miami-Dade County has demonstrated its commitment to neighborhood revitalization, having already undergone a comprehensive loca...

Miami officer honored for heroic rescue of drowning child with autism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

Miami Police Department Officer Ernesto Fernandez was honored by Friendship Circle Miami on Wednesday morning for his courageous actions on July 19. “You gotta save a life first, then think about the rest,” said Fernandez at the event.Body camera video of that day captured Fernandez’s heroic efforts as he saved a drowning child with autism from a river in Miami.In the footage, Fernandez was seen springing into action, rescuing the child from the water and providing immediate assistance. The child’s life was in danger, but his response saved the day.The Friendship Circle Miami, an organization dedicated to providing friendship and acceptance to individuals with special needs, recognized Fernandez’s bravery and commitment to serving the community. “I know you jumped out of your car because you knew what that child really is,” said Rabbi Yossi Harling of Friendship Circle Miami.Fernandez’s act carried a deeper significance as he himself i...

Teachers receive pay increase after Broward County School Board pass tentative budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

Broward County teachers are getting a pay bump after the school board passed a tentative budget. The pay increase comes after voters in 2022 approved a referendum that would essentially give teachers an additional $10,000. The board passed the tentative budget, Tuesday night. On July 26, the school board, in a 5-4 vote, previously rejected a proposal by member Dr. Allan Zeman, which would have given teachers $100,000 of total compensation by 2025. The compensation included $80,000 in pay and $20,000 in benefits.Apart from the pay increase, the school board is also working on a permanent salary increase. They are negotiating with the school union to see how that would be implemented. Teachers that attended Tuesday’s meeting told board members that they are struggling. “Today, somebody came up to me and she said to me that she didn’t know how she was going to feed her kids this week,” said Dr. Cindy Burdick, a school counselor. “I’ve given all I c...

The Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will be sentenced to death for the nation’s worst antisemitic attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The gunman who stormed a synagogue in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and killed 11 worshippers will be sentenced to death for perpetrating the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.Robert Bowers spewed hatred of Jews and espoused white supremacist beliefs online before methodically planning and carrying out the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue, where members of three congregations had gathered for Sabbath worship and study. Bowers, a truck driver from suburban Baldwin, also wounded two worshippers and five responding police officers.The same federal jury that convicted the 50-year-old Bowers on 63 criminal counts recommended Wednesday that he be put to death for an attack whose impacts continue to reverberate nearly five years later. A judge will formally impose the sentence later.The verdict came after a lengthy trial in which jurors heard in chilling detail how Bowers reloaded at least twice, stepped over the bloodied bodies of his v...

Boaters rescued after vessel hits rock, starts taking on water near Marshfield

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

Rescue crews rushed into action to rescue a couple and their dog Wednesday after their boat hit a rock and began taking on water near Marshfield. The incident happened Wednesday morning involving a 36-foot Sabreline cabin cruiser vessel near Brant Rock and Green Harbor. No one was hurt. And the boat was being removed from the water as of around 12 p.m. after being towed to shore. The collision left a hole near the boat’s propeller, though and forced the couple and dog to jump off the boat into a dinghy. 7NEWS spoke to the couple, who said they called emergency responders once they were in the dinghy.Coast guard crews responded to the scene alongside the harbormaster and a tow boat. Together, crews worked to stabilize the boat and check on the couple.The pair are from Florida and said they stayed overnight in Plymouth Tuesday into Wednesday. They were on their way to Maine when they hit Bartlett Rock close to the Brant Rock area of Marshfield. “I was cruisin...

Pittsburgh synagogue shooter sentenced to death for killing 11 worshippers in 2018 massacre

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

(CNN) — Robert Bowers, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers and wounded six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, was unanimously sentenced to death by a federal jury on Wednesday.It’s the first federal death penalty imposed under the Biden administration.The decision to sentence the gunman to death had to be unanimous. Otherwise, he would have been sentenced to life in prison without parole.Live updates: Jury reaches verdictJurors spent just over 10 hours deliberating over the past two days. They asked two questions of the court: one to examine the guns used in the shooting, and another to ask for a copy of documents in evidence about the gunman’s family history.Bowers, 50, was convicted on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018, the deadliest ever attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.The jury further found he was eligible for the death penalty on Ju...

Don’t let your credit scores retire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:58 GMT

By Liz Weston | NerdWalletGetting rid of debt before retirement is often a good idea. Getting rid of your credit scores? Not so much.People who stop using credit also stop generating enough data to produce credit scores, the three-digit numbers used to gauge creditworthiness. Not having scores can make it harder and more expensive to get loans. Even if you’re sure you’ll never borrow again, lacking credit scores also can make insurance, cell phone plans and security deposits more expensive.Fortunately, you don’t have to be in debt to have good credit scores. You do have to use credit, however.More have debt, but millions are ‘credit retired’Older people are more likely to have mortgages, car loans, credit card balances and other debt in retirement compared with a generation ago, according to Federal Reserve statistics. Seventy percent of households headed by someone age 65 to 74 had debt in 2019, the latest year available from the Fed’s Survey of Consumer Finances. That compares wit...