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Disney says in lawsuit that DeSantis-appointed government is failing to release public records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, has failed to release documents and properly preserve records in violation of Florida public records law.Disney said in the lawsuit filed Friday that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, often referred to as CFTOD, has been so slow in fulfilling its public records duties that it has failed to respond completely to a request the company made seven months ago when it paid more than $2,400 to get emails and text messages belonging to the five district board members appointed by DeSantis.Disney, DeSantis and the DeSantis appointees already are battling for control of the government in two pending lawsuits in federal and state court.The public records lawsuit is asking a judge to review any documents that the district claims are exempt from being released, declare that the district is violating ...

Elderly man dies from injuries suffered during Newton house fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

A man who suffered serious burns during a house fire in Newton earlier this month has succumbed to his injuries, according to officials.The State Fire Marshal’s office said the victim, described as a man in his 70s, died on Saturday, Dec. 23 – over a week after a fire broke out at his home on Allen Avenue.The Newton Fire Department said it was initially called to the address around 10 a.m. on Dec. 13, where authorities discovered an occupant was able to escape, but another was trapped inside the burning, single-family home.The trapped man, who was said to have mobility issues, was found by firefighters and rescued from the building before being taken to the hospital for serious burn injuries.“On behalf of the Newton Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family who lost a loved one,” Newton Fire Chief Gregory Gentile said in a news release. “This is a terrible loss for them and for the community, especially during the holiday season. I want ...

In Austin, Texas, appreciating the luxury tucked into the weirdness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

Alan Behr | Tribune News Service (TNS)AUSTIN, Texas — Business travel being to travel what business writing is to literature, drawing a bit of elegance out of a business trip can sometimes take effort. Now that several of us had moved on to Austin after all useful nuggets had been mined from the conference we had been attending in Houston, key differences quickly made themselves known between this, the state capital, and the purposefully commercial city we had just vacated. “Keep Austin Weird” is the official slogan of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, and the city seems to be on a collective mission to reach that sensible objective.That helps explain why our first activity was to go bat watching. A 1980 renovation of the Congress Avenue Bridge in the center of town turned it into an ideal home for migrating Mexican free-tailed bats — a rodent ponte vecchio. We arrived punctually, just before sunset, at the purpose-built observation platform off the northern bank of the Colo...

How Taylor Swift took over the travel industry in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

Lacey Pfalz | (TNS) TravelPulse“Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned…” — Taylor SwiftGlobal superstar Taylor Swift isn’t only one stealing fans’ hearts around the world with her Eras Tour: She’s taking center stage in a global tourism boom, and everyone from tour operators to world leaders to travel advisers are taking notice.Those who travel know that entertainment, such as sporting events and concerts, are intrinsically tied to the travel industry, but there’s been nothing like this before. Swift’s U.S. tour, which spanned 20 cities across five months, brought in $5 billion in direct spending.The U.S. Travel Association estimates the entire impact of her U.S. tour could be as high as $10 billion. QuestionPro compares the initial $5 billion as greater than the gross domestic product of over 50 countries.The city of Pittsburgh, for example, reported 145,579 people in attendance for Swift’s two weekend concerts, which were in June. O...

Drunk wrong-way driver from New York City allegedly kills grandfather, grandson in crash on Somerset bridge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

A drunk driver from New York City killed a grandfather and grandson when he allegedly drove the wrong way and struck their vehicle on a Somerset bridge late Christmas night, according to Massachusetts State Police.A third individual who had been in the vehicle, a 2014 Infiniti QX50 SUV, at the time of the crash, is in critical condition, while a driver and passenger of another car that was struck suffered injuries authorities considered not life-threatening.Troopers from the State Police-Dartmouth Barracks responded to the crash on the westbound side of Veterans Memorial Bridge, part of Route 6, at 11:10 p.m. Monday.Initial investigation findings indicate the wrong-way driver, identified as Adam M. Gauthier, 41, of New York City, was driving a 2023 Land Rover SUV easterly on the westbound side when he allegedly struck the Infiniti and a 2019 Honda Accord.All six individuals involved in the crash, including Gauthier, were rushed to area hospitals, Massachusetts State Police said in a...

Nearly 66 years after a notorious killing spree, ‘Starkweather’ aims to find the truth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

In January 1958, in the town of Lincoln, Nebraska, a bowlegged 19-year-old garbageman, Charles Starkweather, brutally murdered the mother, stepfather and two-year-old half-sister of his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate. According to the legend that grew up around the story, the young couple stayed in the murder house for six days drinking soda pop and watching TV before embarking on a violent killing spree that took seven more lives over the next 48 hours. At a time when mass murders weren’t everyday occurrences, the young couple became infamous for their wanton disregard for life. The couple’s story would be retold and fictionalized in Terrence Malick’s brilliant 1973 movie Badlands, and Bruce Springsteen’s brilliantly bleak 1982 album (and even bleaker title track) Nebraska. True crime author Harry N. MacLean, 80, has lived with the fallout from the trauma for most of his life, but he no longer believes in the legend. The Lincoln native was 15 when the duo laid waste to his...

When will the last full moon of the year light up the night sky?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

KSWB -- The last full moon of the year will illuminate the sky this week in time for the holidays. The full cold moon will appear full on Christmas, Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, with the peak Dec. 26 at 4:33 p.m. PT. This full moon marks the first full moon after the winter solstice, and the last full moon of the year. When the sun will set in San Diego now the shortest day of the year has passed The winter solstice full moon is at its highest path in the sky and is above the horizon longer than any other moon of the year. King tides to hit San Diego coast this Christmas The full cold moon gets its name from the time of year it rises, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The full moon is also called the Long Night Moon, as it rises during the longest nights of the year, near the winter solstice. The first full moon of 2024, the full wolf moon, will rise on Jan. 25. And with the full moon comes high tides. A warning is in place for those who may be planning to go out i...

A top Brazilian criminal leader is isolated in prison after he negotiated his own arrest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — One of Brazil’s top criminal leaders was locked up in a 6-square-meter (65-square-foot) isolation cell at a maximum security prison to avoid being killed by rivals, authorities said Tuesday.Luiz Antônio da Silva Braga, the boss of the largest militia group in the state of Rio de Janeiro, surrendered to federal police on Sunday. The criminal leader better known as Zinho was sent to the Bangu 1 prison, where drug traffickers and militia men are also held, Rio state’s public security secretary Victor Santos said. “Today, Zinho’s custody is a responsibility of the state,” he told TV channel GloboNews. “He is now in an isolated cell for us to secure his physical integrity.”Militias emerged in the 1990s when they originally were made up mainly of former police officers, firefighters and soldiers who wanted to combat lawlessness in their neighborhoods. They charged residents for protection and other services, but more recently moved into drug trafficking t...

Floods in a central province in Congo kill at least 17 people, a local official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Flooding triggered by heavy rains in central Congo killed at least 17 people, including 10 from the same family, a local official said Tuesday.The hourslong rainfall in the district of Kananga in Kasai Central province destroyed many houses and structures, the province’s governor, John Kabeya, said as rescue efforts intensified in search of survivors.“The collapse of a wall caused 10 deaths, all members of the same family in Bikuku,” said Kabeya.The Hand in Hand for Integral Development nongovernmental organization gave a higher death toll, saying 19 died from the floods. There was also significant material damage, according to Nathalie Kambala, the group’s country director.Flooding caused by heavy rainfall is frequent in parts of Congo, especially in remote areas. In May, more than 400 people died in floods and landslides brought on by torrential overnight rains in eastern Congo’s South Kivu province.Among the structures damaged in the latest floo...

Colombia’s ELN rebels say they will only stop kidnappings for ransom if government funds cease-fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:11:55 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The head of Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group said on Monday it would only abide by a recent agreement to suspend the kidnappings of civilians for ransom if the government keeps its promise to finance projects that could provide the rebels with alternate sources of income. In a column published on Christmas Day, National Liberation Army commander Antonio García argued that Colombian officials and journalists had misinformed the public on Dec. 17, when they announced that the rebels had agreed to stop kidnappings, if a cease-fire with the government is extended next year.Colombians have grown angry at kidnappings by the guerrillas, known by their Spanish initials as the ELN. García said that while such an agreement was reached during a recent round of peace talks in Mexico City, the government had also agreed in the talks to create a committee that would find ways to finance the peace talks and the current ceasefire and determine what kind of activities...