NTSB investigating 2 Brightline high speed train crashes that killed 3 people in Florida this week
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will investigate two crashes involving Floridaโs Brightline train that killed three people at the same railroad crossing on the high-speed trainโs route between Miami and Orlando.
Florida sees fewer manatee starvation deaths as feeding ends
The effort to feed thousands of pounds of lettuce to starving manatees in Florida has officially ended for the winter season, as deaths of the marine mammals appear to be slowing despite the long-term threat of pollution to their main food source, seagrass.
Fort Lauderdale airport evacuated; roads leading in closed
WPLG-TV's helicopter shows the traffic backup outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday morning. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. โ Fort Lauderdale's airport was evacuated for hours Thursday after officials feared a vehicle parked near two terminals might contain a bomb. The Broward Sheriff's Office said someone spotted โsuspicious wiresโ in a vehicle parked outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport shortly after 1 a.m. The airport was evacuated and entry roads closed. The airport reopened at 7 a.m. and officials said operations were returning to normal, but numerous flights were delayed.
15-year-old accused of killing Florida real estate agent
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. โ A 15-year-old boy is accused of forcing a South Florida real estate agent to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash before fatally shooting him last month. The teen was arrested Friday while in custody on an unrelated case and charged with second-degree murder and robbery. The Broward State Attorney's Office announced Tuesday they are charging him as an adult in the Feb. 1 killing of Stefano Barbosa, 37. Prosecutors said the teen forced Barbosa to drive to a Bank of America machine and make two withdrawals of $500. AdโThis young personโs issues are so significant that they require treatment, help, and services beyond what the juvenile justice system can provide at this time,โ Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement.
FBI: 2 agents killed, 3 wounded, suspect dead in South Florida
Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals to be treated and were in stable condition, said Miami FBI Agent Michael D. Leverock. Hours later, Sunrise Police urged residents of Water Terrace to remain inside their homes while law enforcement blocked the entrances to their community. AdThe shootings marked one of the bloodiest days in FBI history in South Florida and among the deadliest nationally as well, according to the FBI website. Law enforcement officials from numerous agencies lined up to pay their respects as a flag-covered body was removed from the vehicle and taken inside. Five other FBI agents were wounded in that shooting, which led the bureau to upgrade the weapons that agents carry.
FBI: 2 agents killed, 3 wounded, suspect dead in Florida
Two of the wounded agents were taken to hospitals to be treated and were in stable condition, said Miami FBI Agent Michael D. Leverock. Based on a preliminary investigation, federal officials believe the suspect fatally shot himself, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. AdThe FBI agents had come to the apartment complex to serve a federal search warrant in connection with a case involving child pornography and violent crimes against children, according to Leverock and FBI Agents Association President Brian OโHare. Law enforcement officials from numerous agencies lined up to pay their respects as a flag-covered body was removed from the vehicle and taken inside. Five other FBI agents were wounded in that shooting, which led the bureau to upgrade the weapons that agents carry.
McDonald's US sales strong in Q4, but COVID drags elsewhere
U.S. same-store sales jumped 5.5% in the October-December period, pumped up by new menu items like spicy Chicken McNuggets and a meal deal collaboration with Colombian singer J Balvin. For the full year, McDonald's said U.S. same-store sales __ or sales at stores open at least a year __ were up less than 1%, their sixth consecutive year of growth. But worldwide, same-store sales were down 1.3% for the quarter, reflecting store closures and limited operating hours in various markets across Europe, Latin America and Asia. For the full year, global same-store sales were down 7.7%, a bigger decline than the 7% drop Wall Street had forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Earlier this week, Starbucks said its global same-store sales fell 5% in the October-December period.
190,000 ceiling fans recalled because blades could fly off
A Florida company has recalled more than 190,000 ceiling fans sold at Home Depot because the fansโ blades can detach while in use. King of Fans, based in Fort Lauderdale, which makes the 54-inch Hampton Bay Mara ceiling fans, announced the recall on Wednesday after receiving 47 reports of blades detaching, according to a statement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. King of Fans said not all of its Mara ceiling fans are being recalled. The CPSC said the recall applies to the companyโs Mara ceiling fans with matte white, matte black, black and polished nickel finishes. King of Fans said the ceiling fan malfunctions were caused by โan isolated manufacturing defect with the assembly of the fan bladeโs locking clip to the fan flywheel.โCNN Newsource contributed to this report.
Florida rolls out COVID-19 vaccinations in nursing homes
Rayner said none of the skilled nursing patients had gotten the disease and one employee who contracted COVID-19 has since recovered. Such nursing homes have borne the brunt of the stateโs outbreak, with 7,765 of its 20,365 confirmed deaths reported there. Thirty-nine Florida nursing homes have had two dozen or more deaths among residents and staff, including a nursing home in the South Florida community of Hialeah with 70 resident deaths. With Floridaโs high percentage of retirees and large number of nursing homes, the toll on the elderly was an acute concern early in the pandemic. In some early periods about 50% of the deaths in Florida were linked to nursing homes.
Mueller scores twice, US routs El Salvador 6-0 in exhibition
โThis could be World Cup qualifying. and I think we need to just be able to execute and be ready and not take our foot off the pedal. 22, the U.S. used a lineup mostly from eliminated Major League Soccer teams and had wide stretches of open space against 70th-ranked El Salvador in a match played outside the FIFA calendar and without top stars. Right back Julian Araujo also started in his debut, and defenders Marco Farfan and Kyle Duncan debuted as second-half substitutes. Aaronson got the lone goal of the second half in the 50th with a 12-yard right-foot shot from Lletget's pass.
Tropical Storm Eta dumps rain on already flooded South Florida
Elsewhere, forecasters announced that Subtropical Storm Theta, a record-breaking 29th named storm of the 2020 hurricane season, had formed far out in the northeast Atlantic by late Monday night. Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys and posed a serious threat across South Florida, which was already drenched from more than 14 inches (35 centimeters) of rain last month. โNever seen this, never, not this deep,โ said Anthony Lyas, who has lived in his now-waterlogged Fort Lauderdale neighborhood since 1996. It was the 28th named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. ___Associated Press writers Cody Jackson in Fort Lauderdale, Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, and Haleluya Hadero in Atlanta contributed to this report.
10-foot python removed from under car hood in Florida
DANIA BEACH, Fla. โ Authorities say a 10-foot Burmese python was removed from under the hood of a car in Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a tweet Thursday that the snake was coiled up inside the engine compartment of a Ford Mustang in Dania Beach, which is adjacent to Fort Lauderdale. โOur officers responded and safely captured and removed the approximately 10-foot invasive snake,โ the tweet said. The largest python captured so far in South Florida was more than 18 feet long. It wasn't immediately clear what became of the python found inside the Mustang.
US airlines still piling up losses but say demand is rising
Southwest Airlines on Thursday, Oct. 22, lost $1.16 billion in the normally strong third quarter, which includes most of the summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)DALLAS โ Airlines are piling up billions of dollars in additional losses as the pandemic chokes off air travel, but a recent uptick in passengers, however modest, has provided some hope. However, air travel in October is still down 65% from a year ago. The Seattle company said that removing one-time gains and costs, the loss came to $3.23 per share, which was wider than the $2.86 per share loss predicted by analysts. Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines posted a $5.4 billion loss and United Airlines lost $1.8 billion for the third quarter.
NFL medical boss: New COVID-19 protocols to verify positives
FILE- In this Oct. 15, 2019, file photo, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, speaks during a news conference at the at the football league's fall meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The NFL's chief medical officer says it's not surprising there have been positive tests for COVID-19 among players reporting to training camp because the disease is cutting across football just as it has through societies around the world. Players currently have to pass COVID-19 testing before they are allowed into training camp. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Video: Fort Lauderdale police laugh after shooting rubber bullets
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. โ Newly released body camera footage shows Florida police officers laughing and celebrating after shooting rubber bullets at a protest last month in which a Black woman was shot in the face and seriously injured. Fort Lauderdale police posted a video on its official YouTube channel Wednesday taken from the body camera of Detective Zachary Baro, who was leading the department's SWAT team unit on May 31. At one point in the video, Baro can be heard saying, โBeat itโ and using a profanity, after officers shot the less lethal projectiles. A Fort Lauderdale police officer was charged with battery during that same protest after video showed he pushed a kneeling woman to the ground. One graphic witness video shows Ratlieff wearing a bright pink backpack, bending over and coughing from the tear gas.