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Rays’ Wander Franco placed on administrative leave amid investigation into alleged relationship with minor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco was placed Tuesday on administrative leave “until further notice” as officials investigate an accusation against him involving a relationship with a minor, Major League Baseball announced.The move extends an absence from the Rays for the 22-year-old shortstop, who spent the past week on the league’s restricted list.Under administrative leave, Franco is removed from the Rays roster but will continue to be paid and accrue service time, according to an agreement between MLB and the players association.“The administrative leave, effective immediately, is not disciplinary under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy,” the MLB announcement says. “We will comment further at the appropriate time.”The Dominican-born Franco, a 2023 All-Star, last played Aug. 12 and went on the restricted list two days later. The allegation stems from social media and prompted MLB and Dominican officials to ...

Maui confronts the challenge of finding hundreds of missing people after the deadly wildfires

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

By AUDREY McAVOY, CLAIRE RUSH and JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER (Associated Press)LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Two weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century swept through the Maui community of Lahaina, authorities say anywhere between 500 and 1,000 people remain unaccounted for — a staggering number for officials facing huge challenges to determine how many of those perished and how many may have made it to safety but haven’t checked in.Something similar happened after a wildfire in 2018 that killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise, California. Authorities in Butte County, home to Paradise, ultimately published a list of the missing in the local newspaper, a decision that helped identify scores of people who had made it out alive but were listed as missing. Within a month, the list dropped from 1,300 names to only a dozen.“I probably had, at any given time, 10 to 15 detectives who were assigned to nothing but trying to account for people ...

Boston man charged with robbing Dunkin’ and 2 other businesses; he was on federal supervised release at the time

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

A Boston man charged with robbing a Dunkin’ and two other businesses in the city was on federal supervised release at the time of the armed robberies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Akeem Lahens, 33, has been charged with one count of affecting commerce by armed robbery, in connection to a string of commercial armed robberies in late April and early May. Lahens is currently in state custody on related charges, and will appear in Boston federal court at a later date.The three armed robberies were of: Boost Mobile in Jamaica Plain on April 26; Cricket Wireless in Jamaica Plain on April 27; and Dunkin’ in Dorchester on May 4.“Law enforcement believed that the robberies were connected and the perpetrator was likely the same person, as the suspect’s appearance in surveillance footage and witnesses descriptions was the same,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.“Additionally, in each of the robberies, the suspect allegedl...

Spain’s acting prime minister criticizes federation head for kissing player from World Cup champs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s acting prime minister said it was “unacceptable” that the Spanish soccer federation president kissed a player on the lips without her consent, as pressure builds on Luis Rubiales to resign for tarnishing the team’s Women’s World Cup championship.Pedro Sánchez praised the team during an audience at the presidential palace on Tuesday and later joined the growing criticism of Rubiales.“What we saw is unacceptable,” Sánchez said. “And the apologies offered by Mr. Rubiales are not sufficient, I would call them inappropriate, so he must continue taking further steps to clarify what we all saw.”Late Tuesday, the Spanish soccer federation announced it will hold an emergency meeting of its general assembly on Friday. It is unclear if Rubiales can maintain the backing of the leaders of Spain’s regional soccer organizations.The federation said it was opening an internal probe “regarding the incidents during the awards ceremony Women’s World Cup.”Gender equality ...

Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation settles century-old grievance with Ottawa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

OTTAWA — Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation in Saskatchewan has settled a specific claim with the federal government over nearly 20,000 acres of land.The Nation of 1,600 north of Regina and the federal government announced this week the settlement of a claim for Canada’s “breach of statutory and fiduciary duties” relating to nearly 18,352 acres of reserve lands in 1909. The specific claim was settled 33 years after the Nation submitted its case to Canada. The settlement agreement provides total compensation of $150 million and includes the potential to add the lost acres back to the reserve.“Now we have an opportunity to bring prosperity to our people and homelands, we invest in ourselves so the future generations will grow up proud to be from Muscowpetung,” said Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation Chief Melissa Tavita.Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the settlement agreement marks the start of a new relationship with the nation.“We rec...

Putin denounces sanctions on Russia during speech for South Africa economic summit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin took multiple shots at the West on the opening day of an economic summit in South Africa, using a prerecorded speech that was aired on giant screens Tuesday to rail at what he called “illegitimate sanctions” on his country and threatening to cut off Ukraine’s grain exports permanently.Putin, the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant related to the war in Ukraine, did not travel to Johannesburg for the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies. Instead, he plans to participate remotely in the three-day meeting of the bloc that encompasses Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. His 17-minute speech recorded in advance centered on the war in Ukraine and Russia’s relationship with the West even though South African officials had said East-West frictions should not dominate the first in-person BRICS summit since before the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped to guide the conversation away from the ...

Chief of Staff for Ontario Housing Minister resigns amid Greenbelt controversy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office says the chief of staff to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark, has resigned.Ryan Amato’s resignation comes after a recent report from the auditor general found that developers who had access to Amato wound up with 92 per cent of the land that was removed from the protected Greenbelt.“The Premier’s Office has accepted Ryan Amato’s resignation as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, effective immediately,” a government spokesperson said.Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk found that the process of selecting the 15 specific sites to be removed from the Greenbelt for housing development was not transparent.She said in her report that all but one of the sites were suggested by Amato, who was given packages at an industry event by two key developers instead of civil servants.Ford has said no one received preferential treatment.RELATED: Ontario’s massive greenbelt scandal, exp...

US Coast Guard rescues man who was stranded for 3 days on an island in the Bahamas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A 64-year-old man whose sailboat became disabled spent three days stranded on an island in the Bahamas before the U.S. Coast Guard spotted a flare he fired and rescued him, the Coast Guard said.The crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami aircraft dropped food, water and a radio to communicate with the man, who told them about his ordeal, the agency said in a news release. The Coast Guard cutter Paul Clark rescued the man Friday on Cay Sal. He is in good health, the release said.Aerial photos released Tuesday by the Coast Guard show that the man, whose name wasn’t released, had etched the letters “SOS” in the island’s sandy beach.“We’re proud to have saved this man’s life,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Dev Craig. “This case serves as a perfect example of why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel. Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome.”___This story was corrected to correct that the man was resc...

Student loan debt relief scam: Feds to refund over $9 million, do you qualify?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – More than $9 million in payments are going out to the thousands of people who lost money to a student loan debt relief scheme, federal officials announced Tuesday.Brandon Frere, the owner of Ameritech Financial, Financial Education Benefits Center and American Financial Benefits Center, was caught at San Francisco International Airport while trying to flee the country and was charged in December 2018. He was convicted in July 2020 and sentenced to 42 months in prison. SNAP changes coming Sept. 1 The Northern California resident admitted in court that he and his companies, which duped people into thinking they were working with the U.S. Department of Education, collected at least $25,000,000 from the debt relief scheme.Employees working for the companies conned people out of illegal up-front fees as high as $800, according to the FTC, and signed them up for $49-99 monthly fees that were supposedly going to pay off student debt, but were actually going straight to Frere'...

Biden administration announces next round of funding for high-speed internet

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:59:06 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The Biden administration continues its push to invest in high-speed internet in rural areas. The ReConnect program received its fourth round of funding, with the goal to connect everyone in the country to high-speed internet by 2030."22 states and also the Marshall Islands and it's going to reach some of the most rural places throughout the country," USDA's Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said.Small says the nearly $700 million investment will help kids learn, keep seniors safe, and grow small businesses."Sometimes that's through small rural electric cooperatives, sometimes that's through telecos and it's all working to reach the most rural parts of the country," Small said.Small says this investment is expanding the country's infrastructure while creating good-paying jobs and lowering costs."It's not just about having the technology, it's also about it being affordable," Small said.The grant program also ensures low-income Americans can afford access."...