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Miami-Dade police chief shot himself after offering resignation, mayor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department offered to resign his position hours before shooting himself, the county’s mayor said Wednesday.Details of the conversation were released as Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez was in a Tampa hospital, continuing to recover from the shooting. State officials are investigating events leading up to him shooting himself, including an argument with his wife at a Tampa hotel during a law enforcement conference, officials said.He had called his boss, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, after leaving the hotel with his wife, Jody Ramirez.“Freddy told me he had made a mistake, he was prepared to resign and I told him we would talk about it the next day,” the mayor recounted during a news conference on Wednesday morning. She said Ramirez was “very remorseful” during their conversation.She said she told Ramirez to get home safely and they would discuss it the next day.The shooting happe...

3 hospitalized following crash on I-95 in Oakland Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

At least three people were transported to Broward Health Medical Center following a crash in Oakland Park. Officials said the collision, which occurred on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, happened just before 3 a.m. Wednesday. “This operation is via [Florida Highway Patrol] in reference to a vehicle going the wrong way, and is a head-on collision with another vehicle,” said a dispatcher on Broadcastify police scanner. Video footage of the scene showed two cars with heavy front-end damage. Approximately an hour later, tow trucks were on the scene to clear the wreckage of the vehicles. First responders were heard requesting a third ambulance An Oakland Fire Rescue ambulance transported three people to the hospital where they appeared responsive. Though they were conscious when they arrived at the hospital, their condition remains unclear. FHP is investigating what led to the crash. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

South Florida man sentenced for involvement in fraudulent prescription medication scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

A 37-year-old South Florida man was sentenced for his involvement in a fraudulent prescription medication scheme. On Tuesday, Eladio Vega received an 87-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a widespread fraud scheme that distributed adulterated and misbranded prescription medications, including drugs for cancer, HIV, psychiatric conditions, and other costly treatments, to unsuspecting patients, the FBI said in a news release. In May, Vega pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic misbranded and adulterated drugs. The fraudulent prescription medication diversion scheme operated with a division of labor, where street-level dealers procured the medicines and supplied them to other participants responsible for inspecting, cleaning, and packaging the drugs for shipment. These misbranded medications were then distributed to retail pharmacies through established pharmaceutical wholesale companies.The wholesale company owners created...

Britney Spears joins Spotify’s ‘Billions Club’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

(CNN) — It’s been seven years since Britney Spears released her last album, but she’s still making news in the music space.Over the weekend Spears became a member of Spotify’s “Billions Club,” when her 2003 hit single “Toxic” hit a billion streams according to the streaming platform.She joins other artists – including ABBA with their 1976 single “Dancing Queen,” Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” from 1987 and DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” from 2017– to reach the achievement.The news comes on the heels of the recently released Spears collaboration with Will.i.am for a song titled “Mind Your Business.”The song marks Spears’ second collaboration since her 2016 solo album “Glory,” and since her conservatorship ended in 2021. Last year, she teamed with Elton John for a new remix based off his classic 1972 song “Tiny Dancer,” titled “Hold Me Closer.”Interesting fact on “Toxic,” which was off Spears’ 2003 album “In the Zone” – it was reportedly originally meant for singer Kylie...

That’s so Raven! Raven-Symoné says she’s psychic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

(CNN) — We really should have seen this one coming.During a recent episode of her and her wife Miranda Maday’s podcast “The Best Podcast Ever,” Raven-Symoné put out there that she believes she has psychic abilities.It came up during a game of “Spin the Wheel” with guest Keke Palmer. The wheel landed on the word “psychic,” and Raven-Symoné said she believed in it.“I truly believe,” she said. “I believe actually humans have the ability in their brain to tap into energy fields that allow for truth to connect when you know how to translate it correctly.”Of course in her younger years, the now 37-year-old actress starred as a psychic teen in the hit Disney series “That’s So Raven” that ran from 2003 to 2007, and now stars in the spinoff “Raven’s Home.”But in real life, Raven-Symoné said during the podcast, “I do have moments where I really will just stare and I will see a scene that is happening… that has happened to me or that is going to happen to me in another dimension and I feel it ...

Former director of finance at Scheck Hillel Community School arrested after being accused of embezzling funds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

A South Florida school’s finance director was arrested after been accused of embezzling funds.Jennifer Tirado, 43, appeared before a judge, Wednesday. She was charged with one count of grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud. Tirado was the former director of finance at the Scheck Hillel Community School, located at 19000 NE 25th Ave. According to the arrest warrant, in February of 2020, as the pandemic was becoming public knowledge, Tirado prepared to send 28 electronic transfers of school funds to her own accounts, as well as five business accounts. Most of the funds were transmitted to her accounts.The first four payments were made in three weeks. The value of her five month take home wages were over $53,000. In July 2020, she continued to divert money, which continued for 10 months. On Jan. 12, 2021, the interim director at the community school reported the theft of a quarter million dollars. The head of the school released a statement, which read in part...

Hunter Biden plea deal falls through, at least for now, after judge expresses concern over agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s plea deal on two tax charges fell apart on Wednesday, at least temporarily, after the federal judge hearing his case expressed concern over a related agreement on a more serious gun possession charge.The outcome leaves in jeopardy the yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings. He had been charged with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation.Last month, Biden was charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is a known drug user, a felony. He had a Colt Cobra .38 Special for 11 days in October 2018. He agreed to enter into a diversion agreement, which means that he would not technically plead guilty to the crime. As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the case would be wiped from his rec...

Domestic Visitors Fuel Rebound in Tourism Spending in Massachusetts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

International tourists to Massachusetts spent only about half as much money here in 2022 than they did before the pandemic, but a boost in spending among visitors from other parts of this country helped push the economic impact of the state’s travel and tourism industry to $24.2 billion in direct spending last year. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism said Tuesday that 21 million domestic and international travelers spent money in Massachusetts last year, supporting 131,200 jobs and generating $1.9 billion in taxes for the state and its municipalities. Domestic tourists spent $22 billion, exceeding the pre-pandemic calendar year total of $20.8 billion in 2019, while international travelers spent $2.2 billion, still well shy of the $4 billion spent in 2019. “Tourism plays such an important role in our state’s economic vision, and we’re excited to see the industry had a positive impact in 2022, generating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in ...

Brennan: Congress must rein in swipe fees to help consumers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

As Massachusetts residents face higher and higher costs of living and stubbornly high prices for gas, food, beverages and other staple items, a bi-partisan coalition of senators is looking to give consumers and small businesses some much-needed relief.The Credit Card Competition Act would stop Visa and Mastercard from exacerbating inflation and hurting small business operators by reining in predatory swipe fees that are among the highest in the world. Americans pay more than double w00hat Canadians pay in credit and debit purchase fees and seven times more than consumers in Europe. The two credit card conglomerates have a duopoly in the retail industry, cashing in on extra fees that force retailers to hike prices to cover ever-escalating costs.Swipe fees paid by store merchants soared 17% in 2022 to $160 billion, and cost families on average $1,000 per year, all while the credit card companies raked in more than $25 billion in net profits. Visa Chief Financial Officer Vasant Prabhu ...

Are you getting billed for COVID-19 tests you didn’t order? Here’s what you need to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:25:32 GMT

By Gisselle Medina, Los Angeles TimesIf 2022 was the year of free COVID-19 test kits, 2023 is shaping up to be the year of fraudulent COVID-19 test kits.Consider what happened to Judy, an 85-year-old Medicare recipient in Southern California (we’re withholding her last name because she’s concerned about being victimized further). One day this year, five COVID-19 test kits showed up at her home without her ever requesting them.“I didn’t pay any attention to the unsolicited COVID tests, so I threw them out,” Judy said. “It wasn’t until some months later that I received my Medicare summary bill and I saw charges for over-the-counter COVID tests I didn’t order.”Each kit cost $120 to $150 — and she was responsible for a portion of the bill.Judy is just one of hundreds of people who have fallen victim to a new scam involving COVID-19 test kits, part of the rising trend of fraudulent activity since the start of the pandemic.Here’s how it works: Scammers buy stolen Medicare numbers online o...