Germany sharply rejects RFK Jr.’s claims that it prosecutes doctors for vaccine exemptions

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER BERLIN (AP) — The German government has sharply rejected accusations by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming that it has been sidelining patient autonomy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The statements made by the US Secretary of Health are completely unfounded, factually incorrect, and must be rejected,” German Health Minister Nina Warken said in a statement late Saturday. Kennedy said in a video post earlier on Saturday that he had sent... Read More

Meet the new Knights players from transfer portal

It took a few days, but UCF is making a big splash in the transfer window as the Knights signed former James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III. Barnett is the first of what should be a slew of signings over the next two weeks as the Knights look to fill out their roster for the 2026 season. Here is a look at the transfer signings so far: LB RASHAD HENRY Vitals: 6-2, 230 pounds Resume: Henry signed with UMass after spending time at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida, where he... Read More

Forsling, Verhaeghe each have goal and assist as Panthers beat Senators 3-2

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist, and the Florida Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Saturday night. Evan Rodrigues also scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 18 saves. Florida snapped a two-game skid and got its second win in six games (2-3-1). Fabian Zetterlund and Claude Giroux scored for Ottawa, which has lost four straight. Leevi Merilainen finished with 18 saves while allowing three goals for the fourth... Read More

Dave Hyde: Dolphins — yes, Dolphins! — make all right moves starting next regime

Well, the Miami Dolphins did it. They really did it. They started their latest rebuild under owner Steve Ross  — Makeover V? VI? — and gave everyone hope this time could be different. That’s because it’s actually begun differently. Properly. Ross simultaneously cleaned out the coaching and the personnel offices for once. Every previous rebuild involved a general manager and coach on uneven timetables with no concern over which job was more important. Not this time. The talent... Read More

Florida’s new-look, red-hot Boogie Fland leads Gators past Tennessee

GAINESVILLE — Florida point guard Boogie Fland was feeling it — it had been a while. Too long for him and the Gators, whose sophomore point guard personified the team’s season-long backcourt struggles. But Fland found his footing late in the first half en route to season-high 23 points as the unranked Gators raced to a double-digit halftime lead and never looked back to trounce No. 21 Tennessee 91-67 Saturday at a sold-out O’Connell Center. With a crowd of 10,182 looking on, including... Read More

Herbs grown indoors require extra care. Here are some tips

By JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press I’ve been growing herbs in the garden long enough to know they don’t require much. Just water, sunlight and my best intentions. In the garden, herbs are forgiving plants. They aren’t fussy about soil pH, almost never need fertilizer, and can power through if you occasionally forget to water them. But when the weather turns cold and their outdoor beds become inhospitable, I grow some of my culinary friends on a sunny kitchen windowsill, even as they... Read More

Thomas V. Cash, cartel-busting DEA official in Miami, dies at 85

Thomas V. Cash, a charismatic Drug Enforcement Administration official who ran its Miami field division during a cocaine-soaked era and as a supervisor helped take down Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega and Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, died Dec. 25 in Fort Lauderdale. He was 85. His death, in a hospital, followed a stroke, his wife, Hillary Avenali Cash, said. In the 2010 documentary film “The Two Escobars,” Cash, a one-time assistant director of the DEA’s worldwide... Read More

Comedians on stage drinking wine: Duo behind ‘In Pour Taste’ explain show (and why Australia is not for sale)

Young Australian comedians and impertinent oenophiles Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh are sitting in their downtown Fort Lauderdale Airbnb on Thursday, hours before their Broward Center debut of “In Pour Taste: A Comedy Wine Tasting Experience.” They are among the few people in South Florida this week escaping the heat — they flew in Wednesday night from their hometown, Melbourne, where temperatures in the region were over 110 degrees. It’s a problem for which they have a... Read More

‘We’ve got the hidden gems’: Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival grows up. See which events aren’t sold out.

At the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival in 2024, chefs Alex Kuk and Diego Ng didn’t expect much foot traffic for Wok ‘n Roll, their inaugural Asian street food and music bash. Especially when it started pouring. Then rain-soaked patrons in ponchos came streaming into the venue, lured by steamed dumplings, chili sauce and rock music. So did local chefs, including Rino Cerbone, owner of Flagler Village Italian sit-down Heritage. By night’s end, one rapturous diner shook Kuk’s... Read More

Girl files lawsuit accusing Childnet and others of placing her in abusive settings

A teenage girl who was physically and sexually abused for a decade has filed a lawsuit against Childnet, accusing the agency of placing her in an abusive home without properly vetting her caregivers, even though a registered sex offender was living in the home. Three people are awaiting trial on charges of physically and psychologically abusing the victim, now 17. Latricia Crawley, 48, Benjamin Lockett, 48 and Shankyria Clayton, 22, have not been accused of sexual abuse; the lawsuit filed on... Read More