A Fort Lauderdale-based mover, facing judgments and attorneys fees in Miami-Dade and Orange counties that could cost him over $310,000, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Shawn Thompson’s Jan. 26 bankruptcy petition in West Palm Beach federal court — the day before a hearing in Miami-Dade on $242,000 in attorney fees — triggered notices to the two county courts that the filing halts most collections against the debtor. How the bankruptcy filing affects a $110,000 fine imposed on... Read More
At least 3 people have died from eating Death Cap mushrooms as they spread in California after rains
By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — At least three people have died and three others have required liver transplants after eating the aptly named Death Cap mushroom that is proliferating in California following a rainy winter. The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because Death Cap mushrooms are easily confused with safe, edible varieties. Since Nov. 18 there have been at least three dozen cases of... Read More
Roach infestations, no hand washing & ‘dirt buildup’: 7 South Florida restaurants & 1 food truck shut
Live and dead roaches fueled the majority of South Florida’s temporary restaurant closures last week, including five restaurants and one food truck in Palm Beach County and two eateries in Broward County. Other violations included a “black/green mold-like substance” in an ice machine and stop sale orders for items such as potato salad, sour cream and cooked ribs. The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business... Read More
Woman who shot boyfriend to death during gun game cleared under Stand Your Ground law
A woman accused of fatally shooting her boyfriend during a gun game they were playing in Hollywood can’t be tried for manslaughter, a Broward judge has ruled. Brittany Brothers, 29, had her manslaughter charge dismissed on Jan. 30 under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows a person to take up to deadly action if they feel their life is threatened. “The State did not present substantial, competent, clear and convincing evidence sufficient to satisfy its burden of proof to... Read More
Actor Timothy Busfield indicted on 4 counts of sexual contact with a child
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico grand jury has indicted Timothy Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment Friday in a social media post. Authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Busfield over allegations of misconduct from when he was working as a director on the set of the TV series “The Cleaning Lady.” Busfield has denied the allegations. He turned himself in to authorities and... Read More
Italy braces for Winter Olympics with high security and decree targeting violent protesters
By GIADA ZAMPANO and NICCOLÒ LUPONE, Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Italy has ramped up security ahead of the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics Friday, with thousands of agents protecting athletes, spectators and global leaders at locations spanning from Milan to the Dolomites. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Cabinet on Thursday approved a security decree including stricter measures to counter violent protests, just ahead of fresh demonstrations planned around the... Read More
Most Florida Republicans won’t watch Bad Bunny halftime show at Super Bowl, poll finds
The partisan divide over the Super Bowl halftime show is affecting Floridians’ viewing plans. A poll released Friday found that 68% of Florida registered voters said they would watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. The survey comes from the Public Opinion Research Lab and Sport Impact Jax, both programs at the University of North Florida. Plans to watch are high across political groups: 75% of Democrats, 65% of Republicans and 63% of independents said they’d watch. There’s a significant... Read More
Today in History: February 6, Monopoly replaces iron piece with the cat
Today is Friday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2026. There are 328 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 6, 2013, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced that Monopoly fans had voted online to add a cat token to the board game, replacing the iron. Also on this date: In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the United States won official recognition and military support from France with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance in Paris. In 1862, during the Civil War, Fort Henry in Tennessee... Read More
Lightning rout Panthers 6-1 as fists fly in final game before break
By ERIK ERLENDSSON TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots to improve to 16-0-1 in his past 17 games, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Thursday night in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break. Brandon Hagel, Oliver Bjporkstrand, Jake Guentzel, Erik Cernak, Pontus Holmberg and Zemgus Girgensons — who will all participate in the Olympic Games — scored for Tampa Bay. The Lightning are 19-1-1 in their last 21 games. Lightning... Read More
A funeral home stashed 189 decaying bodies and handed out fake ashes. His mother was among them
By JESSE BEDAYN COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Derrick Johnson buried his mother’s ashes beneath a golden dewdrop tree with purple blossoms at his home on Maui’s Haleakalā Volcano, fulfilling her wish of a final resting place looking over her grandchildren. Then the FBI called. It was Feb. 4, 2024, and Johnson was teaching an eighth-grade gym class. “’Are you the son of Ellen Lopes?’” a woman asked, Johnson recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. There had been an... Read More