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Montgomery Co. high schools to roll out vape detectors

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, are planning to install “vape detectors” in school restrooms, and will require students to wear ID badges on campus to quickly identify potential trespassers as part of two new security measures being rolled out at some high schools.Both measures are pilot projects that will be put in place at “select high schools” in the coming weeks, according to an April 12 school safety update from Brian Hull, Montgomery County Public Schools’ chief operating officer.The vape detectors will “help to identify any instances of vaping or smoking in the bathrooms, allowing us to take appropriate action to prevent harm to our students’ health and safety,” Hull’s letter stated.The letter didn’t say which high schools would be getting the vape detectors.Earlier this year, MCPS said teachers and staff would make an effort to monitor and check restrooms throughout the school day across the district, citi...

Twins put Farmer on injured list after hit in face by pitch

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Twins placed shortstop Kyle Farmer on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, the day after he was hit in the face by a pitch and needed surgery to reset his bottom four teeth and suture lacerations around his lower lip.The Twins made the move before their game against the New York Yankees. They already had four regular position players on the injured list.The Twins had quite the scare when the 32-year-old Farmer was knocked to the dirt by a 92-mph fastball that got away from Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito in the fourth inning of Minnesota’s win on Wednesday. Farmer avoided any fractures to his jaw, which manager Rocco Baldelli said was “probably some sort of miracle.”Outfielder Kyle Garlick was promoted from Triple-A St. Paul to take Farmer’s spot. Outfielder Gilberto Celestino was transferred to the 60-day injured list so Garlick could be added to the 40-man roster.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Spor...

No known threats to Boston Marathon, but police are prepared

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — There are no known threats to this year’s Boston Marathon, but because it’s the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attack that killed three spectators, federal, state and city law enforcement leaders said Thursday that they are prepared for anything.“At this point in time, the FBI is not aware of any specific or credible threats targeting this year’s race,” Joseph Bonavolonta, head of the FBI’s Boston office, said at a news conference. “And while we’re confident in this assessment at this particular time, we are asking you to remain vigilant because we all know how quickly the threat landscape can change.”Law enforcement agencies are more coordinated and prepared than ever to respond to any emergency, officials said, but the public remains the first line of defense. Spectators have been urged to report anything suspicious.In addition to the multitude of uniformed police officers along the marathon’s route, plainclothes ...

AP source: Mass. Air National Guardsman suspected in classified documents leak taken into custody by federal agents

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — AP source: Mass. Air National Guardsman suspected in classified documents leak taken into custody by federal agents.Source

South Floridians mop up, recall fear after historic deluge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The water was rising around her car, and Amanda Valentine thought she was going to die. She had just gotten a warning on her phone about flash flooding, and now it was all around her.“I called my parents like, ‘I’m going to die. Like I’m going to drown. There’s no way for me to get out of this car,’” Valentine said. “And they couldn’t help me. I called 911, and they told me they couldn’t help me.”She eventually forced the door open and got to safety.Parts of South Florida began cleaning up Thursday after the unprecedented storm that trapped Valentine and other motorists dumped upward of 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain in a matter of hours, caused widespread flooding, closed a key airport and turned thoroughfares into rivers. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.Residents still waded through knee-high water or used canoes and kayaks to navigate the streets Thursday in Fort Lauderdale’s Edgewood neighborhood, where window scree...

BSO search for missing 17-year-old girl in Pompano Beach

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

The Broward Sheriff’s Office is seeking the the public’s help in finding a missing 17-year-old girl.Rhianna Etienne was last seen Saturday at around 10 a.m. in the 2900 block of Northeast Seventh Avenue.She was last seen wearing a grey sweater and black leggings.Etienne stands at 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes. She also has a nose piercing and a tattoo on her right hand.Anyone with information on Etienne’s whereabouts is urged to contact BSO Detective Chris Blankenship at 954-321-4268 or the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764-HELP (4357).

Slovakia’s central bank boss convicted of bribery

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

The governor of Slovakia’s central bank, Peter Kažimír, was convicted of bribery on April 3 by Slovakia’s Special Criminal Court and ordered to pay a fine of €100,000 or serve two years in jail, in a ruling first reported publicly Thursday.Kažimír, a former Slovakian finance minister, is also a member of the European Central Bank’s Governing Council, which sets interest rates. “I’m innocent, despite the court’s order, which I have yet to receive,” Kažimír said Thursday in Washington, where he has been attending the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings.The special prosecutor who filed the charges against Kažimír appealed the court’s ruling, according to Jana Tökölyová, a spokesperson for the General Prosecutor’s Office, meaning that a trial will follow in the months to come. According to a February 16 social media post by the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the charges include “crimes of corruption related to the tax audits of multiple companies.”Before assuming his role at the...

AG: Guardsman to be charged with removing classified info

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who has emerged as a main person of interest in the disclosure of highly classified military documents was taken into custody Thursday by federal agents, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced.Investigators believe that the guardsman, who specializes in intelligence, led the online chat group where the documents were posted. Garland identified the guardsman as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, and said he would be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information.FBI agents converged Thursday at Teixeira’s Massachusetts home and heavily armed tactical agents took Teixeira, who was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, into custody outside the property, “without incident,” Garland said.He will be charged with unauthorized removal of classified national defense information, Garland said, and will have an initial court appearance in federal court in Massachusetts.It was not immediately...

Biden in Ireland encourages nations to ‘dream together’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

DUBLIN (AP) — Holding up his own family history as an example, President Joe Biden on Thursday told lawmakers in a packed parliament building that the story of Irish immigrants setting sail for the U.S. is at the very heart of “what binds Ireland and America together.”“Like so many countries around the world, though perhaps more than most, the United States was shaped by Ireland,” Biden said in address to a joint sitting of the Oireachtas in Leinster House. “And the values we share remain to this day the core of the historic partnership between our people and our governments.”In his address, Biden stressed the importance of economic ties, a united front on the war in Ukraine and a shared urgency to manage climate change. Biden addressed the parliament as part of his four-day trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, where he also met with political leaders and took a whirlwind tour of his ancestral homeland.Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaí l, speaker of the Dail, parliame...

House approves $654M tax relief package

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:27:30 GMT

The Massachusetts House overwhelmingly approved a $654 million tax relief package for the 2024 fiscal year Thursday.The bill, which passed on a 150-3 vote, is aimed at helping seniors, renters, businesses and wealthier homeowners while rewriting the law that sent about $3 billion back to taxpayers last year, according to Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano.The measure, which would result in $1.1 billion in savings for taxpayers in the 2026 fiscal year, would raise the state’s estate tax threshold from $1 million to $2 million.Massachusetts is one of just 12 states with an estate tax. Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who released her own $742 million tax relief package in February, would eliminate the tax for estates valued up to $3 million.The House proposal would also make changes to the 1986 law designed to limit state tax revenue growth and return any excess to taxpayers. The law triggered nearly $3 billion in refunds last year.The credit is applied to the personal inco...