PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Thursday that immigration officials have ceased their “enhanced operations” in the state, the site of an enforcement surge and more than 100 arrests since last week. Collins, a Republican, made the announcement after saying she had several direct communications with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here,” Collins said in a statement. “I... Read More
Miss Manners: My new co-workers are invading my privacy
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a new employee at a large company. How do I respond to nosy co-workers asking about where I previously worked? I want to be polite, but I feel my privacy is being invaded. GENTLE READER: Expecting your co-workers to stick to business is entirely reasonable, and Miss Manners would understand if you found questions about your personal life to be intrusive. But questions about previous employment seem a reasonable way of getting to know the people with whom you will be... Read More
Reneau, Donaldson lead Miami over Stanford 79-70
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Malik Reneau scored 20 points, Tre Donaldson added 18, and Miami pulled away inside the final seven minutes to beat Stanford 79-70 on Wednesday night. Miami used an 11-2 run to tie it at 51-all with 9:35 to play. About two minutes later, Dante Allen’s 3-pointer sparked another 11-2 surge that gave the Hurricanes a 67-58 advantage with 2:46 remaining before they sealed it from the free-throw line. Shelton Henderson and Tru Washington added 12 points apiece for... Read More
TikTok star Shirley Raines, known for bringing meals and respect to people on LA’s Skid Row, dies at 58
By REBECCA BOONE Shirley Raines, a social media creator and nonprofit founder who dedicated her life to caring for people experiencing homelessness, has died, her organization Beauty 2 The Streetz said Wednesday. She was 58. Raines was known as “Ms. Shirley,” to her more than 5 million TikTok followers and to the people who regularly lined up for the food, beauty treatments and hygiene supplies she brought to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and other homeless communities in California and... Read More
Tri-Rail leader David Dech resigns to head Midwest commuter railroad
David Dech, the top Tri-Rail executive who led a variety of initiatives to upgrade South Florida’s aging publicly funded commuter railroad, has resigned to head a Midwest rail line. Dech, who is executive director of Tri-Rail’s governing body, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, stunned his staff with a phone call from Tallahassee announcing his resignation Monday, spokesman Victor Garcia said Wednesday. His new position: president and general manager of the Northern... Read More
Union workers rally at Fort Lauderdale airport to extend protection status for Haitian immigrants
Amid a wintry chill and the roar of jet engines, unionized workers staged an emotional but orderly march Wednesday past the airline terminals that are their workplaces at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, as they became advocates for halting a Trump Administration move that would strip Haitian immigrants of protections that allow them to live the United States. “Extend! TPS!” nearly 100 workers chanted as they walked past travelers who were customers of Spirit Airlines,... Read More
In some states, a push to end all property taxes for homeowners
By JEFF AMY ATLANTA (AP) — It is a goal spreading among anti-tax crusaders — eliminate all property taxes on homeowners. Rising property values have inflated tax bills in many states, but ending all homeowner taxes would cost billions or even tens of billions in most states. It is unclear if lawmakers can pull it off without harming schools and local governments that rely on the taxes to provide services. Officials in North Dakota say they are on their way, using state oil money.... Read More
Mailman arrested after spraying Lauderhill resident’s dogs with pepper spray, police say
A United States Postal Service employee was arrested Wednesday on aggravated animal cruelty charges after spraying a Lauderhill resident’s dogs with pepper spray, police said. While delivering mail at a home in the 1600 block of Northwest 51st Avenue on Jan. 2, Sian Spence, 47, a five-year USPS employee, was recorded on video spraying three dogs with pepper spray through a fence, Lauderhill Police said in a news release Wednesday. The dogs had been barking at the fence in their yard when... Read More
Coldest in 15 years: One-two polar punch could break South Florida records this weekend
If you think it’s cold now, just wait until Sunday and Monday morning. A second powerful polar air blast is on the way this weekend, and could produce the coldest temperatures in South Florida since the legendary and record-breaking freeze event of 2010. Fort Lauderdale and Miami should experience lows in the mid-30s Sunday morning, with wind chills at or below freezing, according to The Weather Channel. Daytime highs will only reach the mid-50s. The Keys will drop to the 40s Sunday morning... Read More
Men who drowned after fleeing into Deerfield Beach lake had troubled pasts, records show
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has identified the three men who drove into a lake while fleeing after allegedly burglarizing cars in a Deerfield Beach neighborhood on Tuesday. Two of the men, Weekenley Felix, 22, and Ashly Rosier, 20, drowned in the lake. A third, Pledidson Jeansam Philibert, 21, was arrested after he escaped the submerged car and swam to land. He is now charged with five counts of burglary of unoccupied conveyance and three counts of conspiring to commit burglary of an... Read More