Loveland officer arrested, accused of off-duty juvenile assault

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Loveland officer arrested, accused of off-duty juvenile assault DENVER (KDVR) -- Three days after firing an officer for allegedly assaulting a teen at a park while on duty, another Loveland Police officer has been arrested.Wilbert Howard, 53, was arrested at 1:57 p.m. Thursday by Fort Collins Police Services. Howard was off-duty at the time of the incident, and the Loveland Police Department stated that this incident does not have a connection to Howard's official duties as a police officer. Safe2Tell reports jump 16% to highest number ever Howard has been placed on administrative leave and an internal investigation was initiated, according to the department. Loveland Police reported that Howard has worked for the department for 17 years.According to Loveland Police, Howard faces counts of second-degree assault and child abuse along with a crime of violence sentence enhancement. Police said the Thursday, Nov. 2, incident reportedly happened at a private residence in the jurisdiction of Fort Collins Police.Fort Collins Police booked the off-du...

Rocky Mountain National Park to keep timed entry reservations for summer 2024

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Rocky Mountain National Park to keep timed entry reservations for summer 2024 DENVER (KDVR) -- Visitors at Rocky Mountain National Park will once again need to make a timed entry reservation in the summer and fall of 2024, the park announced Thursday.It's not a new concept, as timed entry permits have been used there yearly since 2020 due to COVID concerns. Planning a trip to RMNP? You won’t need cash According to a release from RMNP, reservations in 2024 will work similarly to how they worked in 2023, with a few changes.Reservations at Rocky Mountain National Park in 2024Beginning May 24, 2024, timed entry permits, or reservations, will be required for visitors in all areas of RMNP, according to the release. There will be two permit options available.Either way, guests will make a reservation for a two-hour window and enter during that time, with no set time for departure so they can leave whenever they want.Option 1: Bear Lake Road A permit for the Bear Lake Road corridor will include access to that entire corridor as well as the rest of the park. With t...

Denver weather: Sunshine and a gradual warming trend

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Denver weather: Sunshine and a gradual warming trend DENVER (KDVR) --  Denver's weather will stay dry and sunny through the end of the week and into the weekend. This will contribute to a gradual warming trend that will continue into next week. Weather tonight: Clear and coolThursday night, Denver will stay under a mainly clear sky. Temperatures will be slightly below normal and fall down to the mid-20s. Weather tomorrow: Sunny, seasonal Friday will be chilly but seasonal. After a low in the mid-20s, sunshine will help to boost highs back into the mid-50s. Looking ahead: Warming trend continues This weekend will bring more sunshine and keep the warming trend going. Veteran's Day will start off chilly with a low in the 20s, followed by a high near 60 degrees. Sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures continue on Sunday with a high in the low- to mid-60s. A slight warming trend will continue for the start of the workweek. Highs on Monday will reach the mid-60s, followed by highs just shy of 70 degrees Tuesday through Thursday alongsi...

BCPS, Habitat for Humanity join forces to build affordable homes for employees in Pompano Beach

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

BCPS, Habitat for Humanity join forces to build affordable homes for employees in Pompano Beach Broward County Public Schools and Habitat for Humanity are teaming up to help provide the building blocks for a good education. This partnership is leading some deserving families up the steps to success.BCPS is the number one employer of Habitat families, and on Thursday, school board members helped build another deserving family’s home sweet home.7News cameras captured crews hard at work at the inaugural Broward County Public Schools Build Day.Participants contributed to the construction of affordable homes for deserving families in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Broward.“What goes through my mind is I’m learning something new; I’ve never been a part of this process,” said Petra Fraser, a Broward County Public School teacher and a beneficiary of the Habitat for Humanity program.Facing the challenge of rising living costs, Fraser said, she thought about moving because she couldn’t afford rent, let alone buy a home.But thanks to Habitat ...

Andover teachers vote to go on strike

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Andover teachers vote to go on strike Educators in Andover have voted to go on strike effective immediately, the Andover Education Association announced Thursday.The union in its statement said the vote followed more than nine months of bargaining with the Andover School Committee over a new contract. Union members, the education association said, have “reached a breaking point.”“We appreciate the community’s support and are eager to settle this contract as quickly as possible,” the education association said.Andover School Committee Chair Tracey Spruce in a message to the community said the school committee had filed a petition with the state Department of Labor Relations to stop the strike as of Thursday nightSpruce in a subsequent statement said the Andover Public Schools would be closed on Friday due to the strike vote. “We are incredibly disappointed in this decision by the AEA to take this illegal action that unfairly disrupts the education of our students,” Spruce said. “The School Committee bargaining ...

New England lobstermen threaten to sue feds over planned Massachusetts fishing closure

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

New England lobstermen threaten to sue feds over planned Massachusetts fishing closure New England lobstermen are threatening to sue a federal agency planning to make fishing on Massachusetts waters even more challenging from February until May, when they already face restrictions on where they are allowed to tend to their livelihood.NOAA Fisheries is looking to permanently add a wedge between state and federal waters to an existing closure that stretches roughly 9,000 square miles off the Massachusetts coast, a measure feds have put in place to preserve the North Atlantic right whale.An emergency rule prohibited trap and pot fishery buoy lines on the wedge during the past two years, but the feds are looking to make the zone permanent and have the backing of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.The proposed permanent expansion to the Massachusetts Restricted Area has caught lobstermen by surprise.Dustin Delano, chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, took exception to the “recklessness” of the proposal after an amendme...

Healey admin wants to study psychedelics for vets with ‘historic’ legislation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Healey admin wants to study psychedelics for vets with ‘historic’ legislation Just in time for the arrival of Veterans Day, the Healey Administration announced a new plan to significantly expand benefits for Massachusetts residents who served in the armed forces and study if psychedelics could be useful in their medical treatment.During a press conference in Braintree on Thursday, Gov. Maura Healey announced the filing of An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans, or the HERO Act, which according to her administration is the first “comprehensive and expansive” veterans-centric piece of legislation introduced by a Bay State governor in two decades.“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country, and this transformative legislation marks an important step toward ensuring that Massachusetts supports them in return,” Healey said. “From day one, our administration has been committed to revitalizing veterans’ services in Massachusetts and ensuring that every one of these heroes receives the benefits, resources and...

Media watchdog says it was just ‘raising questions’ with insinuations about photographers and Hamas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Media watchdog says it was just ‘raising questions’ with insinuations about photographers and Hamas The executive director of an Israeli media watchdog organization says it was simply “raising questions” by publicly wondering whether Palestinian photojournalists who documented the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel — and sent some of the first images of its aftermath to a watching world — had been tipped off in advance that it would happen.The report by the group HonestReporting, however, had serious ramifications at a time of war.It led two Israeli politicians to suggest the journalists be killed. Several of the world’s biggest news organizations — CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press and Reuters — issued statements Thursday denying they knew about the attack ahead of time.HonestReporting, which describes itself as an organization devoting to fighting media disinformation about Israel and Zionism, did not specifically make those accusations against the companies. It did, however, suggest that freelance photographers whose work from that day was used by the outlets might...

Two days after an indictment, North Carolina’s state auditor says she’ll resign

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Two days after an indictment, North Carolina’s state auditor says she’ll resign RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood announced on Thursday that she will resign from her elected post next month, a decision coming two days after she was indicted on charges that she misused her state-owned vehicle for personal activities. Wood, a Democrat who was first elected auditor in 2008, had already announced last week that she wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024. That came before a Wake County grand jury formally accused her of a pair of misdemeanors.“I will step down as State Auditor on December 15, 2023, completing 30 years of service to the State of North Carolina,” Wood said in a written statement, “I made this decision because we have such a great team doing incredibly important work and I don’t want to be a distraction. It has been an honor and privilege to work with such a talented staff and to serve the citizens of this great state.”The indictment followed an eight-month investigation by state agents that appeared to germinate after she was...

Illinois lawmakers OK new nuclear technology but fail to extend private-school scholarships

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 13:16:31 GMT

Illinois lawmakers OK new nuclear technology but fail to extend private-school scholarships SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House on Thursday approved development of new nuclear reactors, reversing a 1987 moratorium and sending to Gov. J.B. Pritzker a plan that addresses the Democrat’s safety concerns over the proposal. The 98-8 vote to allow construction of so-called small modular reactors beginning in 2026 came a day after developers of the only such project approved by federal regulators pulled the plug because of rising costs. The Illinois proposal is largely the same as one that earned overwhelming legislative approval but was vetoed by Pritzker last spring. It adds a study on the risks of new nuclear technology and puts a state agency in charge of oversight, issues missing from the original plan. Thursday was the final day of the Legislature’s fall veto session, six days that saw a much lighter agenda than in recent years and which left on the table issues involving extending a private-school scholarship program and allowing legislative staff member...