By JEFF MARTIN, Associated Press A performer at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance in February has been arrested after holding up a Sudanese flag with the message “Sudan and Free Gaza,” Louisiana State Police announced Thursday. The performer, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, of New Orleans surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was obtained, state police said. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on charges of resisting an officer and... Read More
Sensory-Inclusive Season starts on stages managed by the Broward Center
Live shows can be overwhelming for people on the autism spectrum as well as those with other sensitivity issues or developmental disabilities. That’s why the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale came up with a Sensory-Inclusive Season, which offers select performances of productions that have been lowered sound levels, curtailed flashing lights and reduced special effects. There will also be a Sensory Quiet Room with a specially trained therapist at each of the stage... Read More
Memorial Regional Hospital will expand with more beds and operating rooms
Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood will expand, adding 150 more patient beds to relieve the emergency department backup, 22 new operating rooms to accommodate high-tech equipment, and more prep and recovery bays to care for those undergoing surgery. The board approved the $670 million expansion of the system’s flagship hospital on Wednesday evening after the project had been on the drawing board for more than three years. Construction will begin in October, the surgery tower completed... Read More
Trump officials will give their first classified briefing to Congress on the Iran strikes
By JOEY CAPPELETTI and MARY CLARE JALONICK WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are set to meet with top national security officials Thursday as some lawmakers question President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites and whether those strikes were ultimately successful. The classified briefing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, also comes as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval if Trump were to order another strike... Read More
Broward man charged with BUI manslaughter in fatal Florida Keys boat crash
A Broward County man was charged with boating under the influence and manslaughter Wednesday following the conclusion of an investigation into a December fatal boat crash in the Florida Keys. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators say 61-year-old Guy Erdman, from Oakland Park, slammed his 21-foot center console vessel into a sailboat that was anchored in Buttonwood Sound in Key Largo around 8 p.m. on Dec. 27. The impact caused Erdman and his three passengers to be... Read More
Federal Spa & Restaurant, new hybrid restaurant-bathhouse in Hollywood, serves steak with a schvitz
Before you ask, Yevgen Yasenko has already heard all your wisecracks about the Federal Spa & Restaurant, his classy hybrid eatery and bathhouse in Hollywood. No, the grilled vegetables don’t come extra-steamed. The ribeyes are not cooked sous-vide in the jacuzzi. And remember Kramer’s bathtub garbage disposal from “Seinfeld”? Well, forget it: There’s no snacking in the Russian banyas. “I’ve heard it all, like, ‘If my steak is rare, finish it in the sauna,’ ” Yasenko... Read More
Witness comes forward with new evidence in Casey’s Nickelodeon murders, defense says
A defense attorney for Pablo Ibar, the man sentenced to life in the June 1994 “Casey’s Nickelodeon” murders, is seeking to have his 2019 conviction vacated after a new witness has come forward, alleging two people who were never charged were the true killers. The “newly discovered evidence,” a sworn affidavit from a witness who was previously not known to Ibar’s defense, could have potentially resulted in a different outcome at Ibar’s trial, attorney Daniel Tibbitt wrote in a... Read More
Driver’s ed now mandated for Florida teens, but not lessons behind a wheel
Florida teenagers will need to take a driver’s education class to earn their learner’s permit starting next month, thanks to a new state law that eliminates a shorter online course many relied on to get on the road. The new law still does not require teens to have formal, on-the-road driving lessons, but it does require a longer online course before teens can get their permit at age 15. The motor safety advocate who helped craft the bill hopes down the road Florida will demand... Read More
Emotional Walter Clayton Jr. selected No. 18 in NBA draft, headed to Utah
GAINESVILLE — UF All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. was cool-headed and in control on his way to a national championship, but the 22-year-old let the tears flow Wednesday night as his NBA dream became reality. In a head-spinning turn of events for one of the draft’s fastest-rising players, Clayton was selected with the No. 18 pick by the Washington Wizards, who promptly traded Clayton to the Utah Jazz. Clayton rose into first-round consideration after a spectacular, national... Read More
Faith leaders and families sue to block Texas’ new Ten Commandments in schools law
By JIM VERTUNO AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A group of Dallas-area families and faith leaders have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a new Texas law that requires copies of the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom. The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims the measure is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state. Texas is the latest and largest state to attempt a mandate that has run into legal challenges elsewhere. A federal appeals court on... Read More