By LARRY NEUMEISTER NEW YORK (AP) — A Justice Department request to unseal grand jury transcripts in the prosecution of chronic sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend is unlikely to produce much, if anything, to satisfy the public’s appetite for new revelations about the financier’s crimes, former federal prosecutors say. Attorney Sarah Krissoff, an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan from from 2008 to 2021, called the request in the prosecutions of Epstein and... Read More
Book review: Murder mystery, believable characters drive ‘The Red Letter’
‘The Red Letter’ by Daniel G. Miller; Poisoned Pen/Sourcebooks; 352 pages; $17.99 Daniel G. Miller delivers an energetic private detective novel with a solid police procedural, bits of Korean culture and visits to New York neighborhoods in “The Red Letter.” It also works well as a story about a new business getting off the ground and the challenges that entails. Life has taken a turn for the better for Hazel Cho. Her boutique private investigative firm has finally taken off, her staff... Read More
Teen surf instructor recovering after shark attack on New Smyrna Beach
An 18-year-old surf instructor is recovering in the hospital after a shark bit his foot while he was surfing off New Smyrna Beach on Friday, an area known for frequent shark encounters. The attack occurred while Sam Hollis, the surf instructor, was in the water with a camper. The shark dragged Hollis by the foot for 10 to 15 feet before he was able to break free. Hollis remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery, but is expected to recover. “It felt clamped and then it kind of felt... Read More
Today in History: July 20, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walk on the moon
Today is Sunday, July 20, the 201st day of 2025. There are 164 days left in the year. Today in history: On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon after reaching its surface in their Apollo 11 lunar module. Also on this date: In 1917, America’s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a... Read More
U.S. restores Haitian TPS protections, work permits until early February after court ruling
Tens of thousands of Haitians living and working in the United States with temporary protections from deportation will now be allowed to remain until at least February 2026 with employment authorization, according to the Department of Homeland Security website. The restoration of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, designation comes after a New York federal judge earlier this month blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to shave six months off of the protections, which are... Read More
Daily Horoscope for July 20, 2025
General Daily Insight for July 20, 2025 We’re unrestricting our minds. The Moon enters playful Gemini at 6:22 am EDT, giving us a light and airy approach to how we experience our feelings. Afterward, the Moon joins with innovative Uranus to bring us eureka moments and a playful sense of invention in equal measure. Finally, the Moon trines with Pluto to provide us with the transformational energy needed to bring these lightbulb innovations into reality as new concepts and projects.... Read More
The rare combination of talent that sold the Marlins on first-round draft pick Aiva Arquette
MIAMI — Marlins’ president of baseball operations Peter Bendix has long made clear his philosophy regarding the draft: take the best player available. So when Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette was still there when Miami went on the clock in the first round of the MLB Draft last Sunday, the decision was a no-brainer. “We were able to get the best college position player in the draft; that is not something we overlook,” Bendix said of Arquette, drafted by the Marlins with the No. 7... Read More
Dave Hyde: Will Dolphins’ big changes lead to results in regime’s fourth year?
Culture is an easy word to talk about. It’s not so easy to create, especially when you’ve flubbed it for three years as coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier did in this Miami Dolphins era. So, they made some change in their fourth season that you typically see in an early-stage rebuild. That’s the way to view this offseason’s work that ends when training camp starts on Tuesday. You can praise them for making necessary change and hope they got it right this time. You... Read More
Fans say new romance bookstores and online groups are giving the genre some overdue respect
By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Romance novels have always spiced up quiet nights. Now, a genre that has sometimes been dismissed as a guilty pleasure is bringing readers and writers together through social media, book clubs and a growing number of romance-specific bookstores. At a recent launch party for Nora Dahlia’s enemies-to-friends romance “Pick-Up” at Lovestruck Books, a romance-dedicated store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a crowd of women sipped cocktails from... Read More
Game on, South Florida! Activate digital-gaming amusement park coming to Pembroke Pines
Activate is about to go live … and the timing couldn’t be better. ‘Tis the season when SoFlo summertime heat goes from a soft simmer to scorching sizzle, so it’s timely that the indoor (air-conditioned!) digital-gaming amusement park will open in Pembroke Pines on July 31. This second Florida location — the first opened in Orlando earlier this year — will feature 14 high-tech game rooms that combine immersive cyber playability with physical challenges. Players can track their... Read More