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Former Loudoun Co. schools superintendent’s jury trial continues after first witness testifies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

Did former Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler retaliate against a public schoolteacher for speaking to a special grand jury about a sexual assault investigation, and did he unlawfully discharge her from her position?That’s the question a jury in Loudoun County, Virginia, has to consider as day two of oral arguments get underway Wednesday.Ziegler faces three misdemeanor indictments for allegedly retaliating against Erin Brooks, a LCPS teacher who testified to the attorney general’s special grand jury, who was investigating sexual assault allegations. Ziegler is also accused of firing Brooks unlawfully.The charges against Ziegler stem from the school system’s handling of two sexual assaults by the same student at two different schools in 2021, which led to the school board firing him in December 2022.Testimony in the trial began Tuesday when Brooks appeared as the first witness. 7News reporter Nick Minock told WTOP that Brooks outlined the tim...

Correction: Ancient Humans-Genetics story

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

In a story published September 25, 2023, about ancient human DNA, The Associated Press erroneously reported the estimated number of Neanderthals that ever lived. Most scientists believe it was far more than 100,000, not 100,000.Source

Poland says it wants to pursue hosting 2036 Olympics

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland will tell the International Olympic Committee it wants to host the 2036 Summer Games, state president Andrzej Duda said Wednesday.Duda announced the government-backed project less than three weeks before parliamentary elections on Oct. 15.It follows Poland hosting the multi-sport 2023 European Games earlier this year with 7,000 athletes centered on Kraków.Duda said Polish Olympic officials will soon present a letter of intent to IOC President Thomas Bach. The European Olympic Committees group meets Oct. 6-7 in Istanbul.The European Olympic body said Wednesday it welcomed Poland’s interest to build on its European Games project.“From everything the EOC saw there (at European Games), Poland is well qualified to host the Olympic Games too,” its executive committee member Hasan Arat said in a statement.The IOC has set no timetable for picking a host for the 2036 Olympics and seems unlikely to make much progress in the next two years.Bach’s 12-year presidenti...

Wander Franco investigations continue as Rays prepare for the playoffs without their star shortstop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Wander Franco remains away from the Tampa Bay Rays as they prepare for the postseason, leaving the team without one of its most dynamic young players amid investigations into an alleged relationship between Franco and a minor.The 22-year-old has been sidelined since mid-August, when he agreed to a one-week stay on the restricted list and later was shifted to administrative leave while Major League Baseball and authorities in Franco’s native Dominican Republic investigate.Here’s what you need to know about Franco’s status for postseason play and beyond:WHAT IS FRANCO ACCUSED OF?The one-time No. 1 prospect in baseball was placed on administrative leave indefinitely by MLB while authorities in the Dominican Republic investigate Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor.The investigations follow reported social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the reported posts. Ángel Dar...

MDPD pass out flyers as search of attempted abduction suspect continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

Miami-Dade Police officers are on a mission, going door to door near 112th Ave and 196th Street, seeking information on a man who attempted to abducted a mother’s 2-year-old son in broad daylight at Southridge Park on September 15.The suspect remains at large and authorities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety of the community. Residents of the area are on-edge as they worry the predator lives close by. According to detectives, the mother and her toddler were enjoying their time at the park when the unthinkable happened. As they were preparing to leave, a man, who police describe as dangerous, approached them. As the mother was getting ready to leave, the male came up to them and tried to take the child from her,” stated Detective Jenesis Mena of the Miami-Dade Police Department. “She had gotten into a struggle and was able to get the child back and leave from the park.” This brazen man, police say, is dangerous.“This individual is someon...

4 NB lanes blocked after vehicle fire on Sawgrass Expressway near I-595

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

Sunrise Fire Rescue responded to a vehicle fire on the northbound lanes of the Sawgrass Expressway, located just north of I-595. The incident resulted in the closure of four northbound lanes.7Skyforce hovered over the scene, just after 12:45 p.m., where firefighters were seen extinguishing the front of a semi-truck.Traffic delays are expected as authorities work to clear the affected lanes and investigate the cause of the fire. Commuters are advised to seek alternate routes until the roadway is fully reopened.Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Interrogation tapes played during trial for man accused of involvement in 2021 banquet hall mass shooting in NW Miami-Dade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

As the trial for a man accused of being a lookout outside a South Florida banquet hall during a shooting continued, there were tense moments in the courtroom when interrogation tapes were played.The murder trial for Davonte Barnes entered it’s fourth day, Wednesday. He is being charged with three counts of first-degree murder and 20 counts of attempted murder. “I wasn’t shooting, I don’t know who was,” Barnes said in the tapes. According to police, Barnes confessed to being a lookout during a mass shooting that took place at the El Mula Banquet Hall on May 30, 2021.From the interrogation tapes, Miami-Dade homicide detectives were seen pressing Barnes on what he knew from the deadly night, including whohe was on the phone with while driving to the banquet hall and who was behind the wheel of a white Nissan when at least three shooters get out of the SUV.“I don’t know who was driving,” Barnes said. During his interrogation, Barnes was go...

Sheriff: Miami man wanted for probation violation in homicide case arrested in Key Largo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

A 24-year-old Miami man wanted for violating probation in connection with a homicide case in that jurisdiction was arrested in Key Largo following a routine traffic stop, authorities said.According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Antonio Mejia was taken into custody on Tuesday at approximately 7 p.m. after he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Card Sound Road and County Road 905. Deputies discovered his outstanding warrant from Miami-Dade County during routine checks.In addition to the probation violation warrant, Mejia is now facing local charges, including driving without a valid driver’s license, disregarding a stop sign and possessing an open container of alcohol while operating a vehicle.He remains incarcerated in Monroe County without the possibility of posting bail.

Italian centrists fight each other ahead of European election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

The divorce between Italy’s centrist parties Azione and Italia Viva is becoming official as the European Parliament election approaches.Led by former MEP Carlo Calenda, Azione has left the European Democratic Party (EDP) — an umbrella EU political party that contains a number of national parties — over a spat with its former ally Italia Viva, led by former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO. Azione will join the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and remain part of the Renew Europe group in Parliament, a press officer for Azione said.The move could slightly weaken the EDP ahead of next year’s EU election, where it will be campaigning on a joint platform with Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party and the ALDE family.Azione and Italia Viva have been allies in Italy and at the European level as they presented common candidates at the 2019 European Parliament election. Their only two MEPs — Giuseppe Fer...

EU conservative chief blasts Germany for ‘blocking’ migration deal as rows over asylum seekers heat up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:46:11 GMT

The head of Europe’s conservative parties took aim at the German government Wednesday for “blocking” both a controversial EU migration deal and funding for border controls in Tunisia as tensions escalate across the bloc over migration.  The comments from Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party (EPP), come as France closes its border to migrants arriving from Italy, and as the German government reinstates checks at its borders with Poland and the Czech Republic amid an escalating row between Berlin and Warsaw. Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also complained to Scholz about Berlin’s plans to finance two migrant NGOs operating in Italy.With EU capitals increasingly at odds, home affairs ministers will be updated Thursday on the state of play on the contentious EU migration pact, which aims to have common rules to deal with non-EU citizens who want to access the bloc, among other mea...