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Witnesses to Parkland massacre describe their confusion in pinpointing gunshots’ location

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The courtroom battle over whether the sound of gunshots during the Parkland school massacre should have directed a Florida sheriff’s deputy to the attacker’s location ramped up Thursday as defense testimony showed others also thought the thunderous blasts were coming from elsewhere.A sheriff’s deputy, teachers and students, testifying during the trial of former Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson, gave divergent answers when asked where they thought the shots were coming from during Nikolas Cruz’s Feb. 14, 2018, attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Fourteen students and three staff members died.Peterson, the school’s assigned deputy, insists that because of echoes he didn’t know that Cruz was firing inside the three-story 1200 building, even though he moved within 10 yards (9 meters) of its door before taking cover next to an adjoining structure. He has said he thought the shots were coming from outside, per...

Tyngsboro daycare worker accused of taking nude photos of children

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

A Tyngsboro daycare employee was arrested Thursday on child exploitation and child pornography charges.Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, New Hampshire, worked at Creative Minds, and prosecutors allege she took photos of nude children and shared them with an individual for over a year, from May 2022 to June 2023. Groves took the photos of children who appear to be about 3 to 5 years old during bathroom breaks and diaper changes. She and the individual, who she was previously in an intimate relationship with, exchanged over 2,500 text messages including the images.Officials said the investigation is still ongoing, and Groves, who is in custody, will appear in federal court in Boston.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Muggy and warm end to the week

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

7Weather- We’ll say “bye” to our cooler than average temperatures and comfortable air mass starting tomorrow. Temperatures trend warmer and it’ll feel more muggy. We’ll have unsettled weather at times over the next 7-days, but none of the days look to be wash-outs.How about today? Sunshine and mild temperatures for most of us. Boston hit 66° for a high. That’s our sixth-straight day of temperatures in the 60s. Our weather set-up for tomorrow features an upper-level low to our west and associated warm front. As the warm front lifts through tomorrow, not only will temperatures go up, but it’ll also start to feel muggy as dew points climb.Tomorrow morning starts off in the upper 50s/low 60s with areas of patchy fog, especially for southeast Mass. There’s a chance for an isolated shower. We’ll get breaks of sun by the afternoon. That’ll help temperatures reach the low 80s the farther north you are. A southwest breeze will keep ...

Biden and Modi cheer booming economic ties in visit that also reckoned with India’s record on rights

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI, COLLEEN LONG and SEUNG MIN KIM (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday pronounced the U.S.-India relationship never stronger and rolled out new business deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as human rights activists and American lawmakers questioned the administration’s decision to honor the leader with a pomp-filled state visit.In a joint news conference with Modi, Biden called the relationship between the U.S. and India among the most consequential in the world and “more dynamic than at any time in history.” He underscored how two of the world’s most powerful democracies were cooperating on issues such as the climate, health care and space, saying that the U.S-India economic relationship was “booming.”But Modi bristled at a reporter’s question about his country’s commitment to democratic values as the country has seen an erosion of religious, political and press freedoms u...

Crime Briefs: Worcester book club slayer faces life in prison

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

The ex-boyfriend of Amanda Dabrowski was found guilty of stabbing her to death inside a Worcester restaurant while she was attending a book club meeting in 2019.Carlos Asencio, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — connected to assaulting a restaurant patron who attempted to stop the attack — by a Worcester Superior jury on Tuesday following an eight-day trial. Asencio faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29.“While no verdict will ever bring Amanda back, we are relieved that a jury found this man responsible for taking her from us. We know he can never harm another person again.” Dabrowski’s family wrote in a statement released following the verdict. “We ask that people continue to keep Amanda in their thoughts as she will continue to live through family and friends.”Dabrowski was attending her first meeting of the O’Connor’s Books, Brews and Ban...

Tyngsboro daycare worker charged with creating child pornography with children she works with

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

A New Hampshire woman working just across the border in a Massachusetts daycare was arrested this morning on child exploitation and child pornography charges.Lindsay Groves, 38, of Hudson, N.H., was charged by criminal complaint filed in federal court in Boston ahead of her arrest. An affidavit said she took nude photos of children she worked with at the Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsboro, with at least several of the photos being made within the last couple of weeks.“I want to do this with you with one of my kids,” Groves allegedly texted a female former romantic partner the afternoon of June 14 longside a picture of a prepubescent boy with a focus on his genitals. “I took that picture a couple minutes ago.”In all, the feds say Groves traded 2,500 text messages with this former romantic partner and that these messages discussed child exploitation at length and included at least four sexually explicit images that depicted children in her care. She allegedly used bathroom breaks and...

Live updates | White House offers condolences to families of Titan victims

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

By The Associated PressFollow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic.___WHITE HOUSE OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF TITAN VICTIMSThe White House offered its condolences to the families mourning the five people killed aboard the Titan submersible.U.S. Coast Guard officials announced their deaths Thursday following the vessel’s catastrophic implosion in the North Atlantic.“Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives on the Titan,” the White House said in a statement. “They have been through a harrowing ordeal over the past few days, and we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.”The statement also thanked the searchers, including the Coast Guard, involved in the international effort to find the submersible.“This has been a testament to the skill and professionalism that the men and women who serve our nation continue to demonstrate e...

Northern Explorer a captivating rail ride through heart of New Zealand (no Wi-Fi needed)

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

Mary Ann Anderson | Tribune News ServiceOn a bright, clear fall morning, the train from Wellington to Auckland clatters away from the rail station precisely as scheduled at 7:55. The temperature hovers coolly in the mid-50s, not at all cold, and quite typical for a Southern Hemisphere fall morning.On the 423-mile journey northward through the rural heart of New Zealand’s North Island, the Northern Explorer, as the train is known and which is owned and operated by Great Journeys of New Zealand, will make several stops, including Ohakune, Tongariro National Park, Otorohanga, Hamilton and finally, some 12 hours later, Auckland.The Northern Explorer is New Zealand’s longest-running passenger train, tracing its beginnings to 1883, and one of the world’s greatest rail journeys. The ride is spectacular, simply breathtaking, and arcs across a swatch of one of the world’s most captivating and isolated countries.The spotlight is on flower-filled meadows, fast-running rivers and Tongariro Nati...

TikTok’s COO to step down after nearly 5 years at the popular social media company

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

The Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — TikTok’s Chief Operating Officer, V Pappas, is leaving the popular social media platform after nearly five years at the company.In a note sent to employees Thursday morning and later shared on Twitter, Pappas, who uses plural pronouns, said now that the company has achieved a lot of success, she felt it was the right time to move on and focus on “entrepreneurial passions.”TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a note sent to employees that Pappas, one of the company’s most public faces, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser. “I want to take this opportunity to thank V for their many contributions over the years,” Chew wrote. “Throughout their time at TikTok, they have been instrumental in growing the business, advocating for the company, elevating our product offerings and marketing campaigns, and fostering a positive community of creators and users. They have had a significant and lasting impact an...

Buck Showalter’s struggling Mets set for crucial road test against the Phillies

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:15:26 GMT

The Mets will walk into Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Friday night battered and bruised.Buck Showalter’s struggling squad is set to take on the Phillies in a crucial three-game series having lost five of their last six series, owning a record of 34-40 (just 5-13 in the month of June) and sitting seven games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.Ironically enough, the last time they won a series was on May 31 with a sweep against these Phillies. However, this is a very different Philadelphia squad from just a few weeks ago. Rob Thomson’s club is winners of 13 of their last 16 games and have heated up putting them right back into the playoff picture just 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.The reigning National League champions have an opportunity to extend the Mets’ stunning freefall as they near the halfway mark of the season. The Amazins — who own the largest payroll in baseball by more than $60 million at $344 million — already...