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Belgian court overturns government decision to deny shelter to single men seeking asylum

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s top administrative court on Wednesday overturned a government decision to refuse to provide shelter for single men seeking asylum, saying that the move contravenes the country’s migration laws.Last month, Belgian Asylum State Secretary Nicole de Moor said that a shortage of asylum housing was expected in coming months, and she wanted “absolutely to avoid children ending up in the streets this winter.” Instead, she said, single men would have to fend for themselves. Human rights organizations and aid groups condemned the move as reneging on international commitments, and eight associations appealed to the Council of State tribunal to have the decision reversed.The court ruled that the government’s decision does not respect the rights that all asylum seekers should enjoy while their application for international protection is being examined.Belgium has long come under criticism for failing to provide enough shelter to the thousands of people who say they are ...

Good for you: Olivia Rodrigo is coming to Denver

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Mark your calendars, pop singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo is coming to Denver next summer, and the tickets drop soon.The 20-year-old's claim to fame involved acting in two Disney shows along with her all-too-public break up after dropping her best-selling song "driver's license" in 2021. Olivia Rodrigo announces sophomore album ‘GUTS’ is coming in September Since then, Rodrigo's fame has skyrocketed. Her debut album "SOUR" came out in the spring of 2021, giving the public all the juicy details of her breakup.Listeners of all ages related to her teenage heartbreak through her most popular songs "traitor," "driver's license," "enough for you" and "good 4 u."Since then, she has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and won three for Best Pop Vocal Album ("SOUR"), Best New Artist ("SOUR") and Best Pop Solo Performace ("driver's license"). Recently, Rodrigo released her sophomore album "GUTS" which produced the two hits "vampire" and "bad idea right?" What’s streamin...

Investigation underway after mother, boyfriend found dead in Miami Gardens

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

Police are investigating a shooting that left two people dead in Miami Gardens.Miami Gardens Police responded to a distress call just after 2:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of NW 185th Street. Upon arrival, police found an adult male and female, both suffering from gunshot wounds. They were pronounced deceased at the scene.According to authorities, two juvenile siblings returned home to discover their mother and her boyfriend unresponsive inside the residence. A firearm was found in close proximity to the adult male.An neighbor, who was to nervous to show her face on camera, reacted to the news. “It’s horrible,” said Judy Varela, who lives next door. “It’s a tragedy. It will be trauma for them for the rest of their lives.”Miami Gardens Police worked the case throughout the day as a doorbell camera nearby captured the commotion as they taped off the street and gathered evidence bit by bit.“This is like shocking to me, because I grew up in this are...

Fort Pierce fisherman captures remarkable encounter with 2 pods of killer whales

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

A Fort Pierce fisherman has shared a remarkable video of a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with not one but two pods of killer whales. Jay Charron, an avid fisherman, embarked on an unforgettable journey Sunday morning when he found himself migrating alongside a pod of orcas. “We saw the big dorsal fin come out of the water; those are large,” he recalled. “That dorsal fin was 6 to 7 feet high, and we knew they weren’t pilot whales.” Charron and his group were initially out fishing for tuna when they first spotted the distinctive dorsal fin, approximately 100 miles off the coast of Vero Beach. As he realized what he just encountered, Charron quickly grabbed his camera and captured several minutes of mesmerizing footage. “We got up a little closer to them and saw that white mark on the side of their body, we knew they were orcas,” Charron explained. The two pods of killer whales, consisting of two to three individuals each, were separated by a di...

No. 22 Miami looks to stay locked in this week when hosting Bethune-Cookman looking for 3-0 start

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The start of the season has gone exactly as planned for No. 22 Miami. Two games, two wins, one loss from last season avenged and the Hurricanes are back in the AP Top 25 as well.They don’t seem to care about any of this.Miami coach Mario Cristobal used to work for Alabama coach Nick Saban, who famously refers to praise from the outside world as “rat poison.” Cristobal didn’t use that phrase, but sure sounded like his old boss when talking about how the Hurricanes (2-0) — who host lower-division Bethune-Cookman (1-1) on Thursday night — would be wise to not read too much into the hype.“Let’s call it what it is: The same praise that they’re getting now is coming from the same sources that were throwing dirt on them before,” Cristobal said. “Praise and criticism, those things aren’t there at 4:30 in the morning when you’re up and working and what-not. It’s never been part of the process when things get better or things don’t go as planned.”Miami’s 48-33 win o...

Josh Donaldson homers and Freddy Peralta’s strong pitching leads Brewers over Marlins 3-1

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Josh Donaldson homered for the first time with his new team and Freddy Peralta turned in another stellar outing as the Milwaukee Brewers downed the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Tuesday night.Milwaukee (81-63) is a season-high 18 games above .500 and reached the mark for the first time since it finished the 2021 season at 95-67.Donaldson hit a solo home run deep into the second deck in left with one out in the fourth off Edward Cabrera (6-7) to put the Brewers in front 2-1. It was Donaldson’s 11th homer of the season and first as a Brewer. Donaldson, who also singled and drew a pair of walks, began the season with the Yankees but was released in August and later signed by Milwaukee to a minor league deal. He was called up from Triple-A Nashville on Monday.“Cabrera has great stuff and we didn’t have a lot of great swings against him. To put a run on the board with one swing, that’s what Josh offers,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s why we were interes...

Brightline announces launch date for intercity rail service connecting Orlando to South Florida

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

Brightline has officially announced the commencement of its service at Orlando International Airport, scheduled to start on September 22, 2023. The latest expansion will establish a connection between Orlando and South Florida, including popular destinations such as Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. Patrick Goddard, President of Brightline, expressed his excitement about the expansion in a press release on Wednesday. “Opening Orlando fulfills our ultimate business model,” he stated. “We have seen incredible enthusiasm from the business and tourism industries eager to travel between Central and South Florida. As we start service to Orlando for peak holiday seasons, I encourage everyone to check calendars, make plans, visit our website or app, and reserve a seat now.”Inaugural rides are now available for booking through the Brightline website at gobrightline.com or by downloading the Brightline app on iOS and Android devices.To...

Biden rep Joe Kennedy says Northern Ireland ‘ripe’ for US investment despite deadlock

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

BELFAST — The U.S. economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III, told an audience of visiting investors Wednesday that the feud-prone British territory is “ripe for investment” – even though, nearly nine months into the job, he has yet to nail down a single new dollar for the place.That lack of confirmed delivery from Kennedy, the former Massachusetts congressman and President Joe Biden’s choice to influence progress in Belfast, formed part of the wider investment-poor theme at the Northern Ireland Investment Summit.The event, envisioned by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a showcase for economic opportunities following February’s achievement of his Windsor Framework trade agreement with the European Union, instead threw an unwelcome spotlight on the region’s unrelenting political dysfunction.Also attending the event was Democratic Unionist leader Jeffrey Donaldson. His British Protestant and pro-Brexit party has spent the past year blocking the formation of a cross-communi...

State Shelter System Now Caring For 6,300 Families

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

Frustrations are swelling about who bears the brunt of the emergency shelter upheaval, National Guard personnel are preparing to deploy as “rapid response teams,” and the Healey administration is still waiting for the White House to respond to its call for action.Weeks into the crisis, the Healey administration is preparing to deploy previously activated National Guard members to help address growing needs amid a record level of demand for emergency assistance shelter fueled by a large number of newly arriving migrants.Driscoll said the state will focus Guard personnel in places that are currently “unstaffed” for shelter needs, describing them as well-equipped for the logistical challenge the emergency presents.More than 6,300 families are now in the state’s shelter system, an increase of more than 60 percent since the 3,800 families involved when Gov. Maura Healey and Driscoll took office in January, the lieutenant governor said.Driscoll told the Local...

Poll finds 70% current, former MBTA riders report feeling unsafe

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:30 GMT

A majority of current or former MBTA riders have felt unsafe riding the system at least once or twice because of the condition of the agency’s infrastructure, according to a poll released Wednesday.The finding comes from a MassINC Polling Group survey of 1,000 residents from the 175 communities served by MBTA. It was conducted in mid-August, before the transit agency announced shutdowns on the Red Line and a pair of safety reports were released last week.Riders who felt unsafe on the MBTA gave each service provided by the agency a lower rating, “a sign that concerns about safety are an important part of overall impressions of the system,” the MassINC Polling Group said in a statement.Another 45% of current and former riders believe the MBTA will improve in 10 years, nearly as many think it will be about the same, and 16% said the system will be worse, according to the poll.“Again, safety appears to be a factor. Riders who have felt unsafe on the T multiple times are less likely to t...