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Judge blocks part of new Md. gun law that was about to take effect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

The U.S. District Courthouse in Baltimore.(Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters) The U.S. District Courthouse in Baltimore.(Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters) This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Days before a new state law enacting broad restrictions on carrying firearms in public was set to take effect, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that will allow firearms in certain places — including some businesses that sell alcohol, private buildings and near public demonstrations.The new law will still largely take effect on Sunday, limiting the ability to carry guns at a litany of other pub...

Rampant All Blacks drop 14 tries on Italy at the Rugby World Cup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

LYON, France (AP) — New Zealand put a foot in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals after tearing apart Italy 96-17 with 14 tries in a phenomenal performance on Friday.The All Blacks had to beat the Italians to stay in contention for the knockout stage and overwhelmed them in the set-pieces and sliced them up wider out.They can clinch a quarterfinal spot in their last Pool A game against Uruguay next Thursday in the same Lyon stadium.“I didn’t see that game coming to that extent,” All Blacks coach Ian Foster said. “I’m not sure too many people did. It was a combination of us playing really well and starting well and I think we took their hope away in the first 20 minutes.”Italy has one more chance at reaching a first quarterfinal when it faces host France next Friday, also in Lyon.“They monstered us,” Italy’s New Zealand-born coach Kieran Crowley said of the All Blacks. “I think we won 33% of our scrum ball, 50% of our lineout ball.“We got beaten by a streetwise team that ha...

4 teenage girls arrested in connection to Lincoln Road beating of Surf Style employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

Four of the five people arrested in connection to a brutal beating of two store employees on Lincoln Road following a brazen theft are teenage girls, police said.Disturbing cellphone video captured the group of teens beating a man who works at Surf Style along the 400 block of Lincoln Road, near Washington Avenue, Sept. 19.On Wednesday, Miami Beach Police officers took 17-year-old Alois Jansnelly Cathalina into custody at Miami Beach Senior High School in connection to the incident. She was charged with battery and theft.The next day, two other 17-year-olds were apprehended. They were identified as Emely Chaple and Bianca Cotilla.Police also arrested a woman who was identified as 26-year-old Racheida Murphy. She was also charged with battery.The suspects are accused of beating up two employees at Surf Style, a man and a woman. The female employee spoke with 7News through a translator.“All of us were very confused because they were all young girls,” she said. “We no...

Miami Beach park ranger praised for spotting stolen car, leading to arrest of armed robbery suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

Police said an armed and dangerous suspect was stopped in Miami Beach, thanks to an alert park ranger.Body camera footage obtained by 7News captured the moment Miami Beach Police officers took a man into custody in a parking lot near Ocean Drive and First Street, at around 8 a.m., Sept. 22.“Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands,” an officer said in the video.Officers credit a City of Miami Beach park ranger who alerted them about a suspicious vehicle.Over the police radio frequency, which park rangers can also hear, an announcement was made that a license plate reader detected a stolen car that had just entered the city.The ranger, who 7News is not identifying for safety reasons, said he saw the vehicle and its license plate moments later.“I basically kept my eyes on him from a safe distance,” said the ranger. “I advised that I needed assistance.”Miami Beach Police Sgt. Alex Torres arrived in seconds.“When I hear it, I see him, a park...

Emergency crews responding to crash with multiple injuries on Mass. Pike in Southboro

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

Emergency crews responded to a crash with multiple injuries and entrapment on the Mass. Pike westbound in Southboro on Friday night, officials said.The crash near mile marker 109.3 resulted in the turnpike being closed, according to the Westboro Fire Department.No additional information was immediately available.https://twitter.com/WestboroughFire/status/1707900171848134813This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Police investigating after 2 people shot in Lexington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

An investigation is underway after two people were shot in Lexington on Friday evening, officials said.Officers responded to a report of two people shot on Keeler Farm Way and put up crime scene tape around a home.Police could be seen going in and out of the home. No other details were immediately available. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Boston City Council split on police intel funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

The Boston City Council is split on releasing $3.4 million in grant funding to the investigative arm of the city’s police department.Six of 13 councilors indicated they would vote in favor of funding the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), but the same number cited concerns with its gang database, which the state’s attorney general is investigating for possible racial bias.“Public safety is paramount for our city,” said Councilor Michael Flaherty, who chaired a Friday committee hearing on the matter. “I know the important role BRIC plays in each and every homicide in the city of Boston. They don’t go around tooting their own horn. It’s a team effort.”Acknowledging the concerns from his colleagues, most of which came from councilors of color, and testimony from community members who said they have been unfairly targeted by the BRIC’s gang database, Flaherty urged police to purge the names of people who “shouldn’t be on there.”“I think we’re all in agreement, if there’s someon...

Group of homeless people sues Portland, Oregon, over new daytime camping ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A group of homeless people in Portland, Oregon, filed a class action lawsuit on Friday challenging new restrictions the city placed on daytime camping in an attempt to address safety issues stemming from a crisis of people living on the streets.The lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges the restrictions violate Oregon law and the state constitution because they subject people who are involuntarily without permanent shelter to unreasonable punishments for unavoidable activities including sleeping and staying dry, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Violators could face jail time and/or fines of up to $100.Lawyers at the Oregon Law Center, which is representing the plaintiffs, are seeking a temporary restraining order from the court to stop the city from enforcing the restrictions until the lawsuit is resolved.“The ordinance subjects the approximately 10,000 Portlanders living outside every night to 30 days in jail for violating a law that is impo...

Epic Games, maker of ‘Fortnite’ video game, begins $2.75M settlement payout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

The maker of the popular video game “Fortnite” has begun compensating claims in a $2.75-million settlement to a Canadian class-action lawsuit over the inclusion of controversial “loot boxes.”Epic Games says on its website that compensations began on Thursday and noted in legal documents that the settlement “is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission of liability, wrongdoing or fault” in the case.The class action was certified by the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the settlement also resolves claims in a separate, similar lawsuit in Quebec.The lawsuit originally alleged that Epic’s placement of loot boxes in games like “Fortnite” and “Rocket League” — where players pay real money to acquire a digital roll-of-the-dice opportunity to win an in-game item — constituted unlicensed gambling.In a statement, Epic says it removed such loot boxes from those games in 2019, and players “should know upf...

Chow optimistic in push for federal funding to deal with massive budget shortfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:16 GMT

A spark of optimism from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow in her quest to secure desperately needed federal funding for things like the growing housing crisis, transit and the massive budget deficit following a series of meetings in Ottawa.Chow spent the last two days in the nation’s capital, painting a grim picture of the city’s crippling finances and the desperate need for funding when it comes to an overflowing shelter system, a refugee crisis, a lack of transit and affordable housing, along with a $1.5 billion budget gap. Chow says she believes momentum is building and that Ottawa understands the city’s dire situation.“There were a lot of nodding of heads, there were a lot of listening,” said Chow. “I tried to capture what the tenants are going through now in the city of Toronto and said we need immediate help now. The positive thing is that they didn’t say no. They are thinking about it.”City council recently approved new revenue tools, ...