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Cat 4 Hurricane Lee charges through open Atlantic waters as it approaches northeast Caribbean

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Lee whirled through open waters on Thursday as forecasters warned it could become the first Category 5 storm of the Atlantic season.Lee was not expected to make landfall while on a projected path that will take it near the northeast Caribbean, although forecasters said tropical storm conditions are possible on some islands. Meteorologists said it was too early to provide details on potential rainfall and wind gusts.The Category 4 hurricane was located about 780 miles (1,260 kilometers) east of the northern Leeward Islands. It had winds of up to 130 miles per hour (215 kilometers per hour) and was moving west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).The storm was expected to grow even more powerful late Thursday and remain a major hurricane into next week.“Lee continues to strengthen at an exceptional rate,” the National Hurricane Center said.U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday was given the hurricane’s latest trajectory and details of preparati...

‘He’s a political pawn’: Mother of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio reacts to son’s 22-year prison sentence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

The mother of the former leader of the Proud Boys expressed her frustration with his prison sentence, claiming the federal government is using the Miami native as a “political pawn.”Speaking with 7News on Thursday afternoon, Zuny Duarte Tarrio expressed deep concerns, days after her son, Enrique Tarrio, was sentenced to 22 years in prison.“It’s extremely hard to see in our country that this is going on,” she said.Tarrio was linked to plotting the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power by force when President Joe Biden won the 2020 election“We believed in our system, and that’s why we kept quiet, ’cause we believed that at the end, justice would prevail, and it has not, it has failed us,” said Duarte Tarrio.Addressing her son’s sentence publicly for the first time, Tarrio’s mother said she wanted to raise awareness.She called her son’s sentence hurtful and...

Clevelander Hotel in Miami Beach to undergo transformation into affordable housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

The iconic Clevelander Hotel and Bar in Miami Beach is set to undergo a significant redevelopment aimed at addressing the city’s affordable housing shortage. The groundbreaking residential project, said to be the first of its kind under Florida’s recently enacted Live Local Act, will help combat the lack of affordable housing options in the area.According to a press release sent to 7News, a prominent architect has been brought in to spearhead the development, which promises to be one of the most substantial affordable housing initiatives on private land within Miami Beach. The new development will transform the Clevelander from its current role as a hotel and bar with late-night entertainment into a residential complex, complete with hotel services and a high-end restaurant on the ground floor. The Live Local Act allows for a maximum height that can be as tall as the highest building within one mile of the site. In the Clevelander case, the maximum height allowed would b...

Fort Lauderdale Police seek public’s help to locate suspect in smoke shop burglary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect responsible for the burglary of a smoke shop. The burglary occurred at 3224 W Broward Boulevard on Aug. 8, around 12:47 a.m. According to authorities, the suspect had previously scouted the smoke shop three days earlier. Surveillance footage shows the suspect wearing a red shirt and camo shorts with orange sandals. https://twitter.com/ftlauderdalepd/status/1699879202395218198?s=20On the night of the burglary, the suspect was captured on camera wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and similar orange sandals. An investigation into the incident is currently underway, and anyone with information is urged to contact Fort Lauderdale police to aid in locating the suspect.If you have any information on this crime, call Detective Taylor Hall at 954-828-5509 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $...

Heat lingers tomorrow, storm chance into the weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

Today was the hottest day of the year in Boston! A lot of towns joined the 90° club with the city. The heat lingers tomorrow. Temperatures won’t be quite as high this weekend. We’ll have a bit more clouds and the chance for storms. Next week temperatures fall back into the 70s. Here’s a closer look at today’s high temperatures and records. Tonight, it stays humid and warm with highs only falling into the upper 60s/low 70s. Areas of fog redevelop tomorrow morning. We’ll get some clearing through the day. A southwest wind will push temperatures into the upper 80s/low 90s. The Cape will stay the coolest with this wind direction off the water. The humidity stays high so a Heat Advisory still runs through tomorrow evening for heat index values ranging from 90-95°.The peak of the heat and humidity was today with a ridge aloft over us. Now we turn our attention to a cold front that’s been to our west. It doesn’t fully cross our area until early nex...

Tree falls on car in Douglas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Douglas on Thursday after a tree fell on a car. The incident happened on South Street where a photo shared with 7NEWS showed a car stuck under the trunk of a tree laying across the roadway. The tree appeared to have also taken down utility wires and scattered debris around the roadway. SKY7-HD was over the scene around 4:30 p.m., spotting the car still stuck under the tree in the middle of the street. Crews had part of South Street in the area blocked off.No further information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Man accused of stealing MBTA vehicle appears in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

A man accused of stealing and later crashing an MBTA vehicle with a passenger inside appeared in court Thursday, one day after his arrest in downtown Boston. Officials said a man later identified as Thomas Baldwin, 34, allegedly got into a T RIDE van in a parking lot in Woburn around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday after the vehicle’s driver parked the van and got out to assist a second passenger. The driver, prosecutor Olivia Flynn said, left the keys in the van’s ignition to keep the air conditioning running for the passenger still seated inside, who has special needs. Once inside the van, officials said, Baldwin allegedly drove toward Boston where officials said he hit several other vehicles and the tunnel wall within the O’Neill Tunnel. Officials said Baldwin next got out of the car in the area of Clinton Street and Surface Road in Boston and hid in a nearby hotel. 7NEWS captured the moment of Baldwin’s subsequent arrest after authorities tracked him down. In ...

Fugitive killer eludes Pennsylvania police for eighth day as wary residents keep a watchful eye

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and MARYCLAIRE DALE (Associated Press)WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — An escaped murderer on the run in southeast Pennsylvania has so far eluded hundreds of law officers — including tactical teams in full combat gear, tracking dogs, cops on horseback and aircraft — as the search entered its second week Thursday and nervous residents stayed alert for any sign of the fugitive.Danilo Souza Cavalcante, a 34-year-old from Brazil, escaped from the Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 by scaling a wall, climbing over razor wire and jumping from a roof. The breakout mirrored an earlier escape there in May and wasn’t detected by guards for a full hour, authorities say. “This is an outrage. It never should have happened,” said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan at a news conference. Since the escape, there have been eight sightings that police believe could be Cavalcante, the latest around noon Thursday, said state police Lt. Col. George B...

Ticker: Unemployment applications at 7-month low; UAW: GM wage offer ‘insulting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to the lowest level in seven months with the labor market seemingly resistant to the higher interest rates put in place to cool hiring.U.S. applications for jobless claims fell by 13,000 to 216,000 for the week ending Sept. 2, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the lowest level since February.The Federal Reserve, well into the second year of its battle against inflation, has raised interest rates 11 times to 5.4%, the highest level in 22 years.Last week, the government reported that U.S. employers added 187,000 jobs in August, another sign of a healthy labor market. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.8%, still low by historical measures.Overall, 1.68 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended August 26, about 40,000 fewer than the previous week. That number hasn’t been lower since a stretch in early January.UAW calls GM wage offer ‘insultingGeneral Motors...

Fani Willis accuses Rep. Jim Jordan of ‘partisan misrepresentations’ over inquiry of election case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:57 GMT

By KATE BRUMBACK (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — The district attorney who brought charges against former President Donald Trump and others over their efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 election sent a scathing letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday, accusing him of interfering in a state case and pushing “outrageous partisan misrepresentations.”The letter from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a close ally of Trump’s, came in response to one he sent last month expressing concerns about the motivations behind her investigation and demanding that she provide certain documents by Thursday. Instead, Willis sent him a nine-page retort detailing the “inaccurate information and misleading statements” in his letter.“Its obvious purpose is to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding and to advance outrageous partisan misrepresentations,” Will...