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Thousands of DC-area kids get winter coats just in time for chilly trick-or-treating

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department sent 2,000 free winter coats to local students in need Tuesday morning. Some of the youngest students even got to visit the Virginia firehouse and pick out their jackets.Around 200 preschoolers filed off buses into the Fairfax County Fire Station 11. Many of them dressed up in costumes for Halloween, they petted the firehouse dog as they went from table to table to find that coat with the perfect fit and color.Three young ladies decided they wanted to match and told WTOP their favorite color was pink. Meanwhile, a young boy was thrilled with his new red and black hooded jacket.“Tonight when they trick or treat they’ll have a brand new coat to wear, and they’re going to need it,” said Willie Bailey, retired deputy chief with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.He has helped organize the coat distribution for department for the last two decades. The coats will got to around 50 schools, shelter and nonprofits i...

Maine mass shooter’s troubling behavior raised concerns for months, documents show

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

Authorities publicly identified Robert Card as a person of interest about four hours after he shot and killed 18 people and wounded 13 others during attacks last week at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. But Card, who was found dead two days after his rampage, had been well known to law enforcement for months. Here’s a look at some of the interactions he had with sheriff’s deputies, his family and members of his Army Reserve unit, as gleaned from statements made by authorities and documents they released:MAY:On May 3, Card’s 18-year-old son and ex-wife told a school resource officer in Topsham, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southeast of Lewiston, that they were growing concerned about his deteriorating mental health. A Sagadahoc County sheriff’s deputy met with the son and ex-wife that day and the son said that around last January, his father started claiming that people around him were saying derogatory things about him. He said his father had become an...

Denver weather: A mild and dry start to November

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — It's going to be a quiet Halloween in Denver weather with clear skies, light wind and chilly temperatures dropping from the low 40s to the upper 30s by late evening. It will be another cold night with overnight lows dipping into the teens and 20s. However, according to the Pinpoint Weather, Colorado’s Most Accurate Forecast, overnight lows in the coming day will not be as cold with forecast lows above freezing for several days.Overnight low temperature forecast for DenverWeather tonight: Clear and coldSkies will be clear across eastern Colorado and in metro Denver. There will be some high clouds drifting across the mountains and points west. The wind will be light. It will be another cold night with overnight lows below freezing across the state. The coldest temperatures will be the teens and single digits through some mountain towns. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up for alerts from the Pinpoint Weather team Overnight lows by Wednesday morning across ColoradoWeather tomo...

Jewish communities on high-alert during Halloween as cases of antisemetism rise throughout South Florida and US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

At least one South Florida community is on alert during Halloween, and it has to do with a recent surge in antisemitism. As tricker-or-treaters start to come out Tuesday night, there’s an extra layer of caution around opening doors to strangers, especially in Jewish neighborhoods.All over South Florida, the hateful messages have become common. From a Miami man threatening to bomb a Jewish school to disturbing messages found in a neighborhood that read “I am Muslim and say kill all Jews.” Another message said “by Allah, free Gaza. Kill all Jews.”Now, most recently, the hate was caught on camera at Bagel Time Cafe on Miami Beach.A man in a yellow Mustang was seen running out of his car early Saturday morning to try and destroy this sign in front of the shop. Now taped up and still hanging strong, the sign said “Bagel Time proudly stands with Israel.”The owner, Josh Nodel, doesn’t plan on that changing anytime soon.“Once th...

Cape Cod great white sharks will be highlighted at white shark conference in Australia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

All the jaws-ome research about great white sharks along Cape Cod will soon take center stage Down Under.Researchers with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will be heading to Australia for the White Sharks Global conference — where they’ll be sharing their Cape white shark discoveries with scientists from other shark hotspots around the world.Some of the Cape white shark research that will be presented includes: a white shark population estimate for the region; the nearshore predatory behavior of white sharks; shallow water movements of white sharks; and how white sharks impact the movements of Cape gray seals.“A few of us will be heading to an international white shark symposium in Australia, with people studying white sharks all over the world,” said Megan Winton, a research scientist with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.“We’ll be presenting our research results, and form some new collaborat...

Governor adds focus on systemic racism to pardon process

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

The governor has announced new guidelines around executive clemency that her administration says will help directly address systemic racism in the criminal justice system.In making the announcement, Gov. Maura Healey also said she would recommend two more people for pardons on top of the 11 people she has already caused to be granted clemency with the consent of the Advisory Board of Pardons.“Clemency is an important executive tool that can be used to soften the harsher edges of our criminal justice system. I am proud to release these new clemency guidelines that will center fairness and equity by taking into consideration the unique circumstances of each individual petitioner and the role of systemic biases,” Healey said along with the announcement.According to the governor’s office, for the first time in state history, the governor’s clemency guidelines for petitioners will include her explicit language acknowledging “unfairness and systemic bias in the criminal justice system.”Go...

Nikki Haley firmly in second among early primary voters, still far behind Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

Following some high level endorsements and with the weight of early-primary-state polls behind her, Nikki Haley’s campaign has declared the Republican race a two-person contest.Former President Donald Trump is still the dominant force in conservative politics and it shows in national polling, where he continuously demonstrates majority support among Republican voters. Haley, however, has been steadily gaining ground on her ex-boss where others are flagging.“With Nikki Haley in second place in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, the presidential race is now a two-person race between one man and one woman,” her campaign said Tuesday morning.In most national surveys, Trump leads the full field of Republicans by 46 points while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis still holds second place. Haley has occasionally tied the Sunshine State’s governor in those polls, but averages under 9% to DeSantis’ about 12.5%.However when you boil it down to the states which will first hold their primari...

Patrick Mendoza kept behind bars for alleged North End shooting outside Modern Pastry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

The North End restaurant owner accused of shooting at a man outside a popular bakery over the summer will remain behind bars after a judge decided to take time to determine the suspect’s bail status.Alleged shooter Patrick Mendoza, 54, appeared in Suffolk County Superior Court on Tuesday, pleading not guilty to charges related to the July 12 shooting outside of Modern Bakery on Hanover StreetThe incident allegedly involved a man Mendoza is said to have had a long-simmering relationship with. While no one was injured, Modern sustained damage to its window.Mendoza, whose family owns Monica’s Trattoria on Prince Street, has been held without bail since late July after he was charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, and assault and batteryA judge took Mendoza’s bail status under advisement Tuesday after hearing debate from a prosecutor and his attorney over whether the long-time North End resident should be released.Assista...

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson requests a trade ahead of today’s 3 p.m. NFL trade deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has requested a trade and the team has given him permission to search for a new home, a source confirmed.The news, first reported by ESPN late Monday night, comes ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. NFL trade deadline — and after Johnson said Thursday that contract extension talks with the Bears have been “slower than expected.” Bears general manager Ryan Poles does not have to extend Johnson before the deadline, but if Poles thinks the Bears will not get a deal done with Johnson in the future, they could try to get draft capital.Johnson, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, has made it known for months he would like an extension from the Bears. When asked last week what he was seeking, he said “security.”“That’s what we play the game for, security,” Johnson said. “A lot of it goes back to respect as well. It’s not just about taking anything as well. You can throw some numbers at ...

State housing chief says 13,000 households could enter emergency shelter if the state found enough units

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:03 GMT

The number of eligible migrant and local homeless households in the state’s emergency shelter system could soar to more than 13,000, a top housing official warned.Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus said the system’s expansion rate is “unsustainable” just as a judge was weighing whether to temporarily pause a Healey administration plan to cap the number of families in shelters at 7,500.Low turnover rates and the push to find enough units to accommodate everyone is behind the high estimate, he added.“At current rates of entries into and exits from emergency assistance shelter, the number of eligible families in shelter would continue to increase to more than 13,000 households in shelter by fiscal year end (if sufficient shelter units could be found to accommodate that many households),” Augustus wrote.He added: “With the average length of stay growing each month (averaging 13.6 months as of the first quarter of fiscal year 2024), the pressure on th...