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Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas mayors make friendly wager as Panthers, Golden Knights face off in Stanley Cup Final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

The mayors of Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas are confident about their local professional hockey teams’ chances to take home the Stanley Cup.How confident? They’re willing to bet on it.Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman took to Twitter on Friday to agree to a friendly wager.It goes like this: if the Panthers win, Goodman will stroll through downtown Las Vegas wearing a Panthers jersey.But if the Golden Knights emerge triumphant, Trantalis will have to wear their jersey as he walks around downtown Fort Lauderdale.The wager aims to highlight Fort Lauderdale as a vibrant hotspot and tourist destination.A release issued Saturday on behalf of the city reads in part, “Fort Lauderdale has been named home base and will be the heart of the Stanley Cup – housing both the media and NHL headquarters for the first time in the city’s history.”This is the first time in 27 years that the Panthers have made it to the Stanley...

Messi bids farewell to Paris amid boos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Lionel Messi didn’t care about the boos in his final game for Paris Saint-Germain as the French league champion lost to Clermont 3-2 on Saturday.Disrespectful PSG supporters booed Messi when the Parc des Princes announcer read his name on a warm evening. A few minutes later, Messi walked onto the field with a smile on his face, holding his three children’s hands before the team photo and kissing them on their foreheads before kickoff.“I would like to thank the club, the city of Paris and its people for these two years. I wish you all the best for the future,” Messi told the club website.In two seasons at PSG, Messi won two French leagues and the French Champions Trophy and notched 32 goals and 35 assists in all competitions.Messi scored in a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg a week ago to help PSG clinch a record-extending 11th French league title. By notching a 496th career league goal, the Argentine genius also broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record for Europe’s top five ...

Police searching for person of interest in 2 suspicious deaths in Franklin, NH

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

Authorities are searching for a man in connection with two suspicious deaths in Franklin, New Hampshire, officials announced Saturday.Jamie Bell, 42, should be considered armed and dangerous and is described as being 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighing 210 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information is urged to call the Franklin Police Department at 603-934-2535 or New Hampshire State Police at 603-223-4381.He is wanted in connection with two deaths at a residence on Elkins Street in Franklin, according to Attorney General John M. Formella, New Hampshire State Police Colonel Nathan A. Noyes, and Franklin Police Chief David B. Goldstein.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Justin Turner steps up as Red Sox rally for 8-5 win over Rays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

Justin Turner is widely renowned as one of baseball’s best teammates and leaders, and on multiple occasions Saturday he demonstrated why.Shortly after arriving at the park Turner attended Rob Refsnyder’s press conference announcing his new contract extension. During his remarks Refsnyder revealed Turner was the only player he confided in while the negotiations were ongoing, and that ever since his arrival from Los Angeles Turner has completely changed the Red Sox clubhouse for the better.Then, a couple of hours later, Turner led the charge as the Red Sox came from behind to beat the first-place Tampa Bay Rays 8-5, delivering the decisive blow with a bases-loaded, three-run double.“He’s a good player, he’s a good influence on the kids,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We fell behind today and the way we did it wasn’t a good taste, but he kept going in the dugout, kept pushing them and that helped us out to win.”Turner’s big...

First Congregational Church of Spencer reeling after 6-alarm fire destroyed 160-year-old parish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

Members of First Congregational Church of Spencer will be gathering for service in a town over for the foreseeable future, but the congregation hopes to return to the community again someday, its pastor says.A six-alarm fire destroyed First Congregational on Friday, and on Saturday, state fire officials confirmed a lighting strike caused the 160-year-old church in the small central Massachusetts town to go up in flames.Church members are invited to attend service at First Congregational Church-Leicester at 10 a.m. Sunday, Rev. Bruce MacLeod told the Herald on Saturday.“The folks from Spencer don’t want to abandon the community of Spencer,” said MacLeod, who also leads the Leicester church. “What we’ll be figuring out over the next months and years will be ‘How do we do that? Do we do some rebuilding?’ I don’t know what it will be.”MacLeod called the Spencer congregation small, with about 30 active members, but one that is “really busy and active.” The church hosted a volunteer-run t...

Look up: This weekend Venus will be at its highest point in the sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

Saturday's Strawberry Moon is just a precursor to another celestial spectacle that's expected to wow sky gazers on Sunday night.If you've noticed a bright star that lingers at dusk recently, you've more than likely been taking a distant peek at the hottest planet in the solar system: Venus. Everything you need to know about June’s Strawberry Moon According to NASA, Earth's sister planet will be at its highest point in the sky on June 4. Its positioning should make for stellar viewing during the evening hours, astronomy experts say.Although it's often called Earth's "twin" because of its size and density, NASA has described Venus as "a hellish world" with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. This burning ball of toxicity may have once had oceans and an atmosphere like the plant we inhabit, but that's not the case in present day. NASA says it's "a mystery" as to how Venus became this smoldering terrestrial sphere. However, that soon may change. NASA says it's upcoming...

Honeybee health blooms at federal facilities across the country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — While judges, lawyers and support staff at the federal courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire, keep the American justice system buzzing, thousands of humble honeybees on the building’s roof are playing their part in a more important task — feeding the world.The Warren B. Rudman courthouse is one of several federal facilities around the country participating in the General Services Administration’s Pollinator Initiative, a government program aimed at assessing and promoting the health of bees and other pollinators, which are critical to life on Earth.“Anybody who eats food needs bees,” said Noah Wilson-Rich, co-founder, CEO and chief scientific officer of the Boston-based Best Bees company, which contracts with the government to take care of the honeybee hives at the New Hampshire courthouse and at some other federal buildings.Bees help pollinate the fruits and vegetables that sustain humans, he said. They pollinate hay and alfalfa, which feed cattle that pro...

Alaska police find 3 bodies on vessel, cite controlled substances as possible contributing factor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Three people in Juneau, Alaska, were found dead over the course of three days on board a vessel anchored offshore, police said Saturday.The Juneau Police Department said a 34-year-old woman reported on Wednesday that she found her 51-year-old friend dead on board the Dusky Rock. His body was sent to Anchorage for an autopsy. Two days later, police received a report of another death on the vessel, which was still anchored offshore at Savikko Park, locally referred to as Sandy Beach. Responding authorities found two dead women on board, including the 34-year-old who reported her friend dead days earlier. The other woman was 28. Both women were Juneau residents. Their bodies were also sent to Anchorage for autopsies. No one else was on the boat. Firefighters checked for harmful fumes but found none. They towed the vessel to Aurora Harbor. Police said the use of controlled substances may have contributed to the deaths.The Associated Press

1 in 4 children in the US are of Hispanic, Latino descent: Census Bureau

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

(The Hill) — Just over a quarter of all children in the U.S. are of Hispanic or Latino decent, a new data analysis of the 2020 U.S. census shows. The analysis found a 2.6 percent rise in children who are Hispanic or Latino origin in the last ten years — rising from 23.1 percent in 2010 to 25.7 percent in 2020. When analyzed by state, Florida experienced the largest numeric increase across all states at an additional 259,931 children in the past decade. New Jersey and Maryland followed not far behind, adding 105,575 and 89,159 children respectively. New evidence in Trump case bolsters two sets of charges Evaluated by percentage, Connecticut and Maryland had the largest increase in percentage points, up 6.5 percent in the last 10 years. Rhode Island followed closely behind at 6.2 percent. Overall in Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island, the total number of children declined between 2010 and 2020 while the number of Hispanic or Latino children increased.The analysis also examine...

Does Texas' 'drag ban bill' target transgender Texans?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:32:23 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that bans "sexually oriented performances" in the presence of minors passed during Texas' 88th legislative session. Now, transgender Texans worry the bill might target them for non-explicit performances — or for merely existing in public spaces. The initial version of Texas Senate Bill 12 (SB 12) originally included a penalty for performers who wear clothing that doesn't conform to traditional gender presentation, and was called a "drag ban bill" by conservative politicians. Texas becomes largest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors But that language was removed and replaced with a prohibition on "the exhibition of sexual gesticulations using accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or female sexual characteristics." This line, along with "the actual or simulated exhibition or representation" of sex acts and visible "sexual stimulation" devices, make up the totality of "sexual conduct" in the bill.For a performance to violate the law, the per...