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Pac-12 commissioner confident conference will flourish even after USC, UCLA leave

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — George Kliavkoff was one day short of his one-year anniversary as the Pac-12 Conference commissioner, finally on the second day of his first vacation when he got the shocking news that USC and UCLA were leaving for the Big Ten.He was driving from Montana to Idaho, but was unaware of the 90 text messages populating his cellphone because there was no reception in that area.Kliavkoff quickly cut his vacation short, flying back to Las Vegas the following day to tackle a topic that more than a year later continues to shape the Pac-12’s future. The two schools in the nation’s second-largest metropolitan area officially depart next year, and the Pac-12 is still trying to cope with that in putting together a new media-rights deal while also considering potential expansion.Through it all, Kliavkoff maintained a sunny outlook at Friday’s conference football media day. He said a media-right’s package will be announced “in the near future” and that he wa...

Daughter, 2 others sentenced for role in 81-year-old man's murder

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Three people were sentenced for their role in the murder of 81-year-old Gail Wilson, one of them being his adopted daughter, Savannah Wilson.  On July 14, Wilson's boyfriend, Ricardo Perez, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 12 years, according to the district attorney’s press release.  Gail Wilson ‘finished off’ by daughter’s boyfriend, according to arrest documents Perez’s accomplices, Wilson and Jay Griffith, pled guilty to accessory to a crime and concealing death. In return for their cooperation and testimony, their sentences were much lighter.  Griffith spent 611 days in custody and received five years of probation along with substance abuse and mental health evaluation.  After 445 days in custody, Wilson received seven years of probation with substance abuse and mental health evaluations. While the family offered forgiveness in court during Griffith’s sentencing, it did not extend its support for Wilson.  One...

Suspects steal garage door openers to enter houses in Lone Tree 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Over the last few weeks, Lone Tree and nearby communities are experiencing a higher volume of thefts from cars during the early morning, according to a Lone Tree Police Department update.  Several people in Douglas and Arapahoe County reported suspects using garage door openers inside vehicles to access garages and homes.   Armed thieves enter garages, steal cars from several neighborhoods This isn't the first time Lone Tree has been targeted. In February, deputies were searching for suspects who broke into 20 cars in one night. The problem stretches further than Lone Tree. In May, FOX31 determined that nearly half of Denver's crime this year is vehicle-related. As of two months ago, stealing a car was the most common crime in 2023.And it's not a new problem. In 2021, the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority task force released the top ten stolen vehicles in 2021 in the metro area. With the top being a Chevrolet Silverado (1,501 total ...

Officer who saved autistic child from drowning in Miami River speaks out

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

A Miami Police officer who saved a drowning autistic child from a river in Miami is speaking out after being hailed a hero. Bodycam video released Thursday showed the aftermath of the officer’s quick thinking. On Friday, Officer Ernesto Fernandez was emotional when he recounted his heroic rescue because he related to the situation. The child he rescued is on the autism spectrum, and Fernandez knew exactly how to handle the situation because his son is also on the spectrum. Fernandez was about to be off the clock and was already on his route home when he noticed the young boy running by his patrol car with no shoes on in Allapattah, along the river.“I asked him, ‘Where’s Mami? What are you doing here by yourself?'” Fernandez said. “He didn’t say anything to me. He continued to run but he started running even faster.”Fernandez knew something wasn’t right. He got out of his car and went after the child.“When I started running...

South Florida woman starts nonprofit that renovates bedrooms of children with autism into sensory-safe, calming environments

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

For children with autism, life can be full of over-stimulation and frightening situations. 7’s Karen Hensel shines the spotlight on an organization dedicated to giving them safe spaces right in their own homes.It may look like this is the work of an interior designer.Tehila Hecht, CEO of Safe Sensory Room: “We’ve made nice recessed lighting that, they can change colors and make it red, blue.”But Tehila Hecht is actually a physical therapist.. She creates safe spaces for special needs children.The idea came to her after treating a child with autism who was having a tantrum.Tehila Hecht: “So I sat him on my lap, tried to calm him down, and he flung into me, and I blacked out for a moment. And I kept thinking, ‘Oh, I wish the therapy room would be padded.'”Tehila also thought many parents would like the same thing, so she came up with the Safe Sensory Room Foundation.It’s an organization that provides free sensory rooms for families of ch...

Pilot of plane that crashed at Martha’s Vineyard airport has died

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

The pilot whose single-engine plane crash landed at the airport on Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend has died, the DA’s office announced Friday.Randolph Bonnist, 79, died Thursday at the hospital after suffering from a medical emergency while piloting a plane on Saturday. His wife Robin Bonnist the only other occupant, was forced to take over the controls and land the plane on its belly with no landing gear.Robin was uninjured, and Randolph was transported to Boston Medical Center. The Cape & Islands DA’s office said no foul play is suspected, and representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.

Police seek public’s help after dogs found abandoned, tied to fence in Chelsea

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

Police in Chelsea asked for the public’s help Friday after two dogs were left tied to a fence in the area of Broadway and Crescent Avenue. Police said officers were sent to the area on Thursday. The dogs were later given water before being taken to a secure facility. “Both dogs appeared to be in good health and somewhat apprehensive to be around unknown people but never displayed any aggression,” police said.Police said the dogs appear to be a pitbull breed.Chelsea police have asked anyone with information to contact the city’s animal control officer at 617-466-4800.The animal control officer was following up on the situation on Friday as police hope to find the person or people who left the dogs behind.“Should we locate anyone that we feel purposely abandoned these dogs subjecting them to potential harm, we will of course charge them accordingly,” police said.Speaking with 7NEWS, Police Captain David Betz said there are better options for people struggling to care for the...

Frontier Airlines faces class-action lawsuit alleging ‘hidden’ baggage fees, false advertising

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

Lauren Penington | The Denver PostFrontier Airlines markets itself as having the lowest fares, but a new class-action lawsuit alleges the Denver-based carrier makes up the difference with hidden, inflated fees.Florida resident Amira Hamad filed the 21-page lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in late June, seeking a refund of the fees and $100 million in punitive damages for herself and others.A spokesperson for Frontier said the airline doesn’t comment on pending litigation.Hamad said in the lawsuit that she booked a round-trip flight with Frontier after seeing an “attractive” price online and reading on the company’s website that passengers are allowed one free personal item no larger than 14 inches tall, 18 inches wide and 8 inches deep.According to the lawsuit, when Hamad arrived at her gate, Frontier’s bag sizer was smaller than the dimensions advertised on the website. When her bag wouldn’t fit into the allegedly shrunken bag sizer, the airline cha...

Amazon to set up $120 million Space Coast shop in competition with SpaceX’s Starlink

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

Richard Tribou | Orlando SentinelMERRITT ISLAND, Florida — Amazon and Jeff Bezos have big plans to launch thousands of satellites from the Space Coast in an effort to play catchup and compete with Elon Musk and SpaceX’s Starlink service. To speed up the process, it’s going to build a $120 million facility to prep those satellites just miles from the launch pad.The company announced it has agreed to expand into Florida with its Project Kuiper, the name for its future broadband satellite network, by setting up a 100,000-square-foot processing facility at a nearly 80-acre site at the former Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.The deal brokered by Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency, promises as many as 50 jobs with an average salary of $80,000 as well as 300 jobs during construction.It marks the first major commercial foray into what’s now called the Launch and Landing Facility, which is managed by Space Florida under a 30-year property agreeme...

Accused shooter Patrick Mendoza was arrested at Falmouth rehab center

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:41:22 GMT

Patrick Mendoza, the restaurant owner accused of shooting at a man in front of a popular North End bakery last week and then pedaling away on a bicycle, was arrested at a rehab center in Falmouth and then brought to Boston.Police arrested Mendoza, 54, Friday — more than a week after the July 12 North End shooting. The arrest report confirms that the Boston Police Fugitive Unit, assisted by the Falmouth PD, arrested him at an address matching the Gosnold Treatment Center, which describes its work as “end-to-end continuum of care for behavioral health and substance use disorders through a wide range of comprehensive treatment options.” The clinic is located in a beautiful building adjacent to the Beebe Woods and not that far from Hamlin Point on the coast.“Gosnold Treatment Center was legally prohibited to disclose that Patrick Mendoza was a patient in its care in accordance with federal regulations. Gosnold is grateful that this situation was resolved without incide...