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19-year-old dog finds new life and mobility in Florida foster home after shelter surrender

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

SARASOTA, Fla. (WSVN) – Meet Dax, a remarkable 19-year-old Weimaraner who defied the odds and found a new lease on life after being surrendered to a rural shelter. Despite his advanced age, Dax’s story is a testament to resilience and the power of compassion.When Dax was left at the Walton County Animal Shelter, the staff recognized the need for urgent help and reached out to Big Dog Ranch Rescue, one of their rescue partners. The organization intervened, securing Dax’s release from the shelter. However, they faced a challenge in finding a suitable foster home that could provide the tranquility and endless love an old soul like Dax required.Ultimately, Dax was transported to Love4Paws in Sarasota, where he was welcomed into the home of one of the foster families associated with the organization, who also happens to be a board member. This loving environment provided the comfort and affection Dax needed during this stage of his life.Dax’s physical condition po...

Broward County School Board swears in Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

The Broward County School Board (BCSB), the sixth-largest district in the country, swore in Dr. Peter Licata as their new superintendent, Tuesday morning.Dr. Licata took over as head of the district after Dr. Vicki Cartwright’s resignation earlier in the year.Licata, the third superintendent in three years, said one of his biggest goals is to make sure the district becomes an “A” district again. Throughout the years, the BCSB has seen its share of controversy and instability. “Everyone on that board wants the best for children,” said Licata. “My success over the years has been focused on children — make sure there. When you run into a problem, put them in between that and say what’s best for them and answer that way. When you can do that, it’s hard for people to poke holes in that.”Now Licata has to juggle a politically diverse board as he focuses on students, teacher recruitment and convincing families to stay with the dis...

Tony Blair’s Labour rehabilitation continues as he shares stage with Keir Starmer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

LONDON — Look away, Labour left: Tony Blair is in fashion again.The former prime minister’s rehabilitation back into a party that once struggled to speak his name seemed complete on Tuesday as he shared a stage with current Labour leader Keir Starmer.In a cosy chat at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel just across the river from the Houses of Parliament, Blair and Starmer ended the day by congratulating each other on what a good job each had done. A major row between Starmer and some parts of his party over social security got only a cursory mention — although Starmer did use the opportunity to hit back at his internal critics.“We keep saying, collectively, as a party, we’ve got to make tough decisions,” Starmer told Blair, who was interviewing him to cap a day’s conference for his Institute for Global Change think tank. “And in the abstract everyone says, ‘That’s right Keir.’ But then we make tough decisions — and we’v...

US soldier crossed into North Korea ‘willfully and without authorization,’ officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

A junior enlisted U.S. soldier willfully crossed the border from South Korea to North Korea without authorization Tuesday, four U.S. officials and one person with knowledge of the incident confirmed to POLITICO.The soldier was on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone, according to Col. Isaac Taylor of United States Forces Korea Public Affairs, and not on duty at the time. The soldier “willfully and without authorization” separated from the group and crossed the demarcation line, he said.“We believe he is currently in DPRK custody and are working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident,” Taylor said.The soldier was observed running toward North Korea and being taken in to custody,said a person familiar with the incident who, like others quoted for this story, was granted anonymity to speak openly.The U.S. has already spoken with South Korea about the incident and plans to coordinate with Sweden, the U.S.’s interlocutors with North Korea, the same person said.The ...

Grilled by lawmakers, Vestager defends chief economist appointment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

BRUSSELS — European antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager faced lawmakers on Tuesday, fielding criticism and questions in Parliament over the controversial appointment of American Fiona Scott Morton to be the EU’s new chief competition economist.The Commission executive vice president was unequivocal in defending the appointment: “I would never ever ask the [College of Commissioners] to appoint a person I do not trust 100 percent,” she said.“I understand there are two aspects in the view of some that put [the choice] in question: She is an American citizen and possible [conflicts of interest],” Vestager said before the ECON Committee, summing up much of the opposition to the appointment, which has from come from some Commission officials and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others. Vestager said there were “not that many people in the world who fit this very specific role” and who were willing and able to take a temporary post in Brussels. As...

Parliament shouts, pounds table over ‘opaque’ Tunisia migrant deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

BRUSSELS — Are we not part of “Team Europe”?That’s essentially what European Parliament members fumed Tuesday as they shouted, banged their fists and grilled a top European Commission official over a recent deal with Tunisia to stem migrants coming to Europe.For an hour, they pestered EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson over the deal, which offers Tunisia millions to prop up its government, border agency and various industries in exchange for the country’s help in preventing migrants from making the journey to Europe.At the core of their anger was the fact that a trio of EU figures — European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch leader Mark Rutte — had sealed the deal.The EU billed the squad as “Team Europe,” a Brussels Bubble term for team-ups between the EU executive and national governments. But MEPs said the branding had just exposed three leaders freelancing on everyone’s be...

The incredible shrinking summit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

It could have been like getting back together with an old flame — but then Moscow ruined the date.The EU-Latin America summit, the first in eight years, was meant to symbolize a revived relationship. Dozens of leaders from both regions gathered in Brussels over two days to discuss issues from climate change, to trade, to drug violence. In a sign of their renewed ties, they agreed to meet every two years in future.But haggling over Russia’s war in Ukraine — a geopolitical must for the EU — also exposed their irreconcilable differences.During weeks of wrangling over the final summit communiqué, drafts went from condemning Russia’s war of aggression “in the strongest possible terms,” to merely expressing “concern.” The final version published on Tuesday — which had shrunk to 9 pages from 16 pages previously — finally expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing war against Ukraine.One country, named by several EU officials as Nicaragua, did not endorse the declaration “d...

Hundreds of New England officers honor one of their own: 19-year-old who died in car chase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

A 19-year-old Vermont police officer who died in a head-on collision with a burglary suspect she was pursuing was remembered Tuesday as a young woman who was passionate about law enforcement and public service and was devoted to her family.More than 1,000 people, including Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and hundreds of law enforcement officers from across New England and New York, attended the funeral service for Jessica Ebbighausen. She was hired in May as a part-time police officer in Rutland. She died July 7.“We don’t see a lot of young people that want to do this job anymore, but Jessica did,” said Rutland Sgt. Heath Plemmons, addressing the crowd at the Vermont State University campus in Castleton. “She prepared herself. She put in a lot of effort. It was her dream.“Jessica died a hero that day,” said Plemmons, who was her supervisor. “She saved lives. She went towards the danger instead of going the other way.”According to police, the suspect, identified as Tate Rhea...

Quick Fix: Thai Lamb Satay takes little effort with premade peanut sauce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)I love lamb satay with a spicy peanut sauce but didn’t want to take the time to make my own sauce. So I was delighted to find a bottle of the sauce at the market. This meant that I could make the satay with very little effort. The lamb only cooks for about 10 minutes on two skewers. Tender lamb cubes cut from the leg of lamb are perfect for this recipe. If you use other cuts of lamb, let them marinate for about 5 minutes longer.Tip for making a satay or kebab: Leave about 1 inch between each lamb cube on the skewer so the heat can reach all sides of the meat.Helpful Hints:— In case you prefer to make your own peanut sauce, I’ve given a recipe below.— You can make the lamb on a stovetop grill or under a broiler. If using a broiler, place the skewers on a sheet pan.Countdown:— Marinate the lamb.— While the lamb marinates, prepare the remaining ingredients and microwave the rice.Shopping List:To buy: 3/4 pound lamb cubes cut from the leg o...

Trump and his legal woes overshadow DeSantis as he rolls out military policy plan in South Carolina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:01 GMT

By MEG KINNARD and MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a brief news conference Tuesday as part of a shift in strategy for his presidential campaign, but the governor took only four questions, almost all of which centered on the party’s front-runner, Donald Trump.DeSantis’ day on the campaign trail in South Carolina was supposed to be focused on his filing paperwork for South Carolina’s Republican primary and on the rollout of a policy plan for the military, followed by a news conference and a CNN interview later Tuesday.But shortly before DeSantis’ event was scheduled to start, Trump, as he often does, overshadowed the day. The Republican former president broke the news on his social media network that he’d been informed he is a target of the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.DeSantis’ attempt to change the ...